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Fierce Blowback in Congress to Trump's Comments; A Baby's Heart-Saving Legacy; Trump's Proposed Muslim Ban Feeding Islamophobia? Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired December 09, 2015 - 08:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:32:29] CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: We have a lawmaker joining us now who says he can prove all this this talk about banning Muslims is dangerous. Democratic Congressman Andre Carson of Indiana, one of two Muslims in Congress.

Congressman, thank you for joining us on NEW DAY.

REP. ANDRE CARSON (D), INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: Thank you.

CUOMO: You say you received threatening calls to your office. What happened?

CARSON: I've received threatening calls since 2008 when I became a member of Congress. I think now that the environment is so hostile, it's so xenophobic, it's, in fact, Islamaphobic where people who are dealing with anxieties and fears react in ways that prove that they're fearful right now. And I think as politicians and elected officials and those of us who are seeking office, we have to be responsible with our rhetoric. I know we've become impassioned in front of crowds. I've been guilty of it myself. But I think we have to be mindful that we're in a state where we're seeing this restoration movement, if you will, of folks who want to take our country back to a mythological good ole days and we cannot use rhetoric that will encourage and exacerbate existing fears and hostilities.

CUOMO: Well, the other side says, you're just being politically correct and you don't want to call the Islamic community what it is, which is the basis of the threat that the country is facing. And while you may not like how Donald Trump says it, the idea of banning the population that is the threat makes sense to people. Your response?

CARSON: Well, we've seen this during the red scare. We've seen these horrible initiatives taking place with our friends in the Jewish community. We've seen it with different communities throughout our countries' history. I think it's very dangerous to indict an entire religion and billions of Muslims when the facts are clear, there are Muslims who are in our law enforcement agencies who are helping to keep our country safe. There are Muslims in our intelligence services. There are Muslims in our courthouses. My father-in-law happens to be if first elected Muslim judge in the country. You go to any major hospital, you'll find a Muslim physician. There are Muslim who are business men and women who are helping to put Americans back to work. So it is un-American and even unpatriotic, might I assert, to castigate and criticize and demonize an entire race, group or religion of people.

CUOMO: And while you say that, you also acknowledge the need to do better, right? That the vetting isn't where it needs to be, where it's with Syrian refugees, whether the fiance visa or the visa waiver program in general. That's why the Congress is actually doing something, surprisingly, and voting on making it harder to get a visa. If you go to certain countries, you'll need to get a visa. Explain what this bill is and why you believe it's the right way to address the fear.

[08:35:10] CARSON: Well, right now there are 38 countries who don't have a visa requirement. I think give the times, where international terrorism has sparked a global threat and global concerns, I think we have to look at our internal controls and look at ways in which we can strengthen our already pretty rigorous system. And it takes one to two years to even gain access or acceptance through our refugee program.

And I think the visa waiver program is something that we've had to look at for quite some time. There have been debates for years about the program and now, given the unfortunate attacks in Pairs and given what we just saw in California and even Colorado dare I say, it's time for politicians and seriously minded elected officials to really get beside the political posturing that takes place on the House floor and make legislation that makes sense to keep Americans even safer.

CUOMO: How will this visa waiver bill that you're looking at right now keep me safer? And how would it apply to something like Colorado, let alone San Bernardino? Those guys were both citizens, born here.

CARSON: Well, I think it can push back on anyone seeking to come into the country who has ill motivations. But we have a greater concern as it relates to lone wolves and people who become self-radicalized, which is why our countering violence extremism initiative is so critically important. And the administration has launched this initiative. And we're working with local law enforcement, the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and other entities, along with faith leaders, pastors, rabbis, imams, mental health professionals, educators to kind of look at a holistic approach with countering the radicalization that is taking place, not just from those who purport to be Muslim, but those who claim to be Christian, Jewish, non-theist, those people who have a political agenda and want to further their agenda by scaring the American people.

CUOMO: Do you think the president made a mistake not calling this Islamist terror from the beginning and by - that he may have actually fed the fear of Islam by refusing to discuss it?

CARSON: Absolutely not. I think that the - I think we have to be careful not to get caught up in the usage of certain phraseology. I think the president is very intelligent, he has a global vision and he understands the importance of words. And, you know, look, Islam means peace. There are over a billion Muslims in the world. I've already cited the numerous contributions that Muslims have made and are making to our society here this America. Muslims have been a part of the fabric of our society since the inception of this country. And so the president, very wisely, understands that most Muslims, the majority of Muslims, are peaceful loving people. Those who claim to be Muslim, who do terrorist acts, don't represent the religion. Just like the Ku Klux Klan doesn't represent Christendom. And so I think we have to understand not to lump a few bad actors into an entire race or even a religion.

CUOMO: Representative Andre Carson, thank you very much for the perspective here on NEW DAY, sir.

CARSON: Thank you, sir.

CUOMO: All right, the man of the moment, Donald Trump, once again, and tonight, 10:00 Eastern, he sits down with Don Lemon. You're going to want to catch that full interview on CNN tonight and then we'll have Don come in here with the high points of it for us on NEW DAY tomorrow morning.

Alisyn.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Don and Don. Good, we will be watching that, Chris.

Meanwhile, how would you feel if you were a successful Muslim doctor on the verge of becoming an American citizen and Donald Trump said members of your faith are no longer welcome? Our friend, Dr. Canta Ahmed (ph), answers that next.

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[08:42:41] MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Time for the five things to know for your NEW DAY.

At number one, Donald Trump hitting back at critics slamming his anti- Muslim policy. The GOP frontrunner insists he's not a bigot. However, condemnations are coming from far and wide, including Republican leaders and the White House.

U.S. officials say Syed Rizwan Farook may have been plotting an attack in California three years before the San Bernardino massacre. They say a specific target was picked out, however the plan was scrapped.

The House passing a bill tightening restrictions on the U.S. visa waiver program. It would weed out people coming from countries where they could have been radicalized.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter preparing to discuss ISIS strategy on Capitol Hill at a hearing next hour, including the decision to boost special ops forces in the region.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel set to address police misconduct in a speech before his city council. A judge, meanwhile, is also preparing to rule on whether or not the city must release video of another shooting by that embattled police department.

And, as always, you can always get more from newdaycnn.com for more on your five things.

The sudden death of a couple's three month old son marks the beginning of a very personal mission for that family. CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, has more now on how one child's death is saving others.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Phyllis and Darren Sudman lost their son Simon at just three months old to sudden infant death syndrome.

DARREN SUDMAN, FOUNDER, SIMON'S FUND: Our pediatrician and coroner said, go get your hearts checked because babies just don't die.

Phyllis was diagnosed with Long QT Syndrome, which is an arrhythmia. It causes the heart to beat irregularly.

GUPTA (on camera): Although genetic Long QT was never confirmed in Simon, the Mayo Clinic attributes about 10 to 15 percent of unexplained infant deaths to the syndrome, and also heart defects like it are likely causing deaths in later childhood as well.

PHYLLIS SUDMAN, FOUNDER, SIMON'S FUND: At the time, there were really no organizations out there that were checking kids' hearts. We don't want another family to go through what we've been through.

GUPTA (voice-over): The Sudman's started Simon's Fund, which provides free heart screening for kids.

D. SUDMAN: Over the past 10 years we've screened about 12,000 students. Approximately 1 percent discover some kind of heart condition.

GUPTA: Kids like Drew Harrington (ph).

DREW HARRINGTON: I went to a Simon's Fund screening and I found that I had a structural issue with my heart.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The opportunity of drew having a heart screening allowed us to prevent an incident that could have been life changing.

[08:45:02] GUPTA: Stories like the Harringtons and over a hundred others are Simon's legacy.

P. SUDMAN: If we save one life, it's amazing. But to impact so many other lives because of Simon, who's three months old when he passed away, it is pretty amazing.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN reporting.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: What is it like to be a Muslim in America in the midst of Donald Trump's plan to ban others from entering the U.S.? You know our next guest, Dr. Qanta Ahmed. She's an accomplished doctor, she writes about a host of Muslim issues, she's a author of "In the Land of Invisible Women." But this week is particularly significant for her. This Friday she becomes a U.S. citizen.

DR. QANTA AHMED, AUTHOR, "IN THE LAND OF INVISIBLE WOMEN": Yes.

CAMEROTA: Dr. Ahmed, great to have you here.

AHMED: My pleasure.

CAMEROTA: What a significant week to have you on our program. You have been on many times talking about Muslim issues. But this week you, the success story of who came to America in 1992, you came to the U.S. from London, where you grew up, to do your medical training on a special immigration program the U.S. had for doctors. You became a highly trained pulmonologist, internist, a sleep specialist. You then had to leave the country because that program, that visa program sort of ran out.

AHMED: Right.

CAMEROTA: You went back to -- You went to the Middle East. You went to Saudi Arabia. You practiced medicine --

[08:50:02] AHMED: Because of the strength of my American credentials, exactly.

CAMEROTA: They wanted you because of the strength of your American credentials.

AHMED: Yes.

CAMEROTA: And then when you could, you came back here to the U.S. and you have been working here and trying to become a citizen ever since.

AHMED: Even more powerfully, the American immigration system gave me a national -- gave me a green card in the national interest. So our concept of U.S. immigration has been so under siege, but it's extraordinarily generous because it can develop individuals people like me who come with a basic degree and turn into a specialist who helps people all over the world.

CAMEROTA: You are exactly the person that America has always wanted to attract to our (inaudible) -- to be trained and to work here. When you hear Donald Trump saying no more, we're closing the door, no more Muslims allowed in, what do you think?

AHMED: It astonishing and I find it a complete departure from American values. It is also very much contributing to the dehumanization of Muslims without differential. We've talked many times here that Islam is not monolithic. Islamists want Islam to be seen as monolithic. Excluding all Muslims from America is a monolithic response. This is not really about immigration, what Donald Trump is saying or recommending, it is about making us all into one group, one other that is to be feared and excluded. That is highly dangerous.

CAMEROTA: People have also talked about how it could have the opposite effect. It could breed extremism. You have an interesting take on this because you represented the U.S. when you went to Saudi Arabia. You write in your new piece here, "Acutely aware of my actions, that they reflected the United States to many who knew it only as a caricature in hostile media or an anonymous military superpower, I felt responsible for representing America to the best of my abilities."

AHMED: I do believe that some of America's best ambassadors are its intellectual exports. This is an enormous gift that the United States has in all fields, not just medicine, science, arts. So when you come from this society and go to other societies, you are judged as a representative of America and you can do enormous good or you can have a different experience.

CAMEROTA: But look. This week people are scared. People are scared. In the wake of San Bernardino attacks, they say there are Muslim extremists who are already here. There are other who want to come here. The terror attacks that we've had here in the United States -- not just 9/11, there have been others as well -- they believe that they have all been at the hands of Muslim extremists. That's the thread that ties them together. So what do you say to Donald Trump?

AHMED: I would say that those fears are shared by myself and other Muslims. We do know that. Three years ago I did testify to Congress about the issues of domestic radicalization in the United States and we do need surveillance and I do have confidence in our authorities, in our federal agencies, in the NYPD, for instance, to make these distinctions and to gather data.

But to exclude us uniformly, and perhaps even exclude American citizens who are Muslims from coming back, which seems to be a possibility, is highly dangerous. It doesn't just promote xenophobia, by which I mean physical act or damaging act, desecration of a mosque in Philadelphia or to individuals, it also is the fuel and food on which all Islamism breeds and becomes stronger. And that is that Muslims are under siege in the secular West.

So this -- if we give this to them, it doesn't just help recruitment in ISIS, it strengthens Hamas, it strengthens Hezbollah, it strengthens the Muslim brotherhood who often are nonviolent Islamists attempting to seek political power in Egypt. This is highly dangerous.

CAMEROTA: We only have a few seconds left. How are you feeling on the cusp of becoming an American?

AHMED: Extraordinarily privileged. And I will find it -- Until it happens, it will be hard to believe that I will have a blue passport. A remarkable privilege and it's a salute to every American patient, every American professor that ever trained me. This is a gift they gave me.

CAMEROTA: Congratulations. We'll be thinking of you on Friday. So great to see you.

AHMED: Thank you, Alisyn. [08:54:22] CAMEROTA: "The Good Stuff" is next. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PEREIRA: As always, Donald Trump making his way into the late night schedule. Here is what you missed last night.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SETH MEYERS, LATE NIGHT TALK SHOW HOST: When asked in an interview this morning if he's bothered by his growing association with Hitler and the policies of Nazi Germany, Trump simply replied no.

(LAUGHTER)

But when she heard this, Hillary Clinton simply replied yes.

JIMMY KIMMEL, LATE NIGHT TALK SHOW HOST: Jeb Bush today tweeted that Trump is unhinged. Marco Rubio said the plan is offensive and outlandish. Even former Vice President Dick Cheney said the ban goes against everything we stand for and believe in. And this is a guy who shot one of his friends.

(LAUGHTER)

TREVOR NOAH, LATE NIGHT TALK SHOW HOST: Donald J. Trump wants to ban every single person from the world's second largest religion from entering the United States of America. Even Zayn Malik.

(LAUGHTER)

You really want to piss off One Direction fans? Really? You want a real insurgency on your hands?

(LAUGHTER)

MEYERS: President Obama reportedly met Hillary Clinton yesterday for a secret lunch at the White House. And then when lunch ended Hillary said, okay, thanks for coming over.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREIRA: That's funny. That was good. I like Fallon's beard - No, Jimmy's beard.

CUOMO: All right. So we're going from the tension, then we went to the humor, now let's go to "The Good Stuff." All right?

Carter Harris just turned five. He's riding his big gift. It's a bran new bike. Almost didn't get it. Listen to this. Day before his birthday someone drove off with his family's car with the bike in the back and his mom just couldn't afford another one. So? Responding officers hear the story. What do they do? Pool their money for a new bike. PEREIRA: All right.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRITTANY LAMERE, CARTER'S MOM: Thank you. I can't say thank you enough. And I'll be sure to pay it forward because that is what they did for me.

CARTER HARRIS, BIRTHDAY BIKE WAS STOLEN: Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREIRA: I love that part. Pay it forward.

CUOMO: Officers said they didn't want to see Carter go through the holidays without it. They found the car, severely damaged, but the original bike was still missing.

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[08:32:29] CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: We have a lawmaker joining us now who says he can prove all this this talk about banning Muslims is dangerous. Democratic Congressman Andre Carson of Indiana, one of two Muslims in Congress. >