Return to Transcripts main page

New Day

Carson, Rubio, Cruz Take Part in S.C. Town Hall; O'Connor: Appoint a Justice and 'Get on With It'; Pope Francis Calls for Compassion for Migrants. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired February 18, 2016 - 07:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Just yelling "liar" doesn't make it so.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: These things are disturbing, and they need to be addressed. And I'll address them.

DR. BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The political class who thinks that they rule us when, in fact, this country is of, for and by the people.

RUBIO: 2016 is a turning point.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: These stories cannot be just ones that provoke our emotions. They must move us to action.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're doing something extremely radical. We are telling the American people the truth.

CLINTON: We will make progress for the future.

GOV. JOHN KASICH (R-OH), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It was one minute after his death when the politics started.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The level of obstruction you see is mind-boggling.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The Second Amendment is under siege.

SANDRA DAY O'CONNOR, FORMER SUPREME COURT JUSTICE: I think we need somebody there, and let's get on with it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY, with Chris Cuomo, Alisyn Camerota, and Michaela Pereira.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN HOST: On her best day.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN HOST: Good morning. Welcome to your NEW DAY. Alisyn is off, obviously. John Berman sits with us this morning. With the South Carolina primary just two days away, Republican

hopefuls appealing directly to voters in CNN town halls. Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio the featured players last night, taking questions, attacking their rivals records, and defending their own.

CUOMO: Donald Trump was not there. He will be tonight, but it felt like he was. Trump will get his chance for his rebuttal. He'll be teamed up with two other of the candidates tonight. Anderson Cooper will moderate once again at 8 p.m. Eastern.

So the headline from last night, though, was Ted Cruz daring Donald Trump to sue him and saying he'd love to depose him if he did. Is that going to help in South Carolina?

Let's begin our coverage with CNN's Athena Jones, live in Columbia, South Carolina. Good morning, Athena.

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Chris.

It's gotten vicious out here on the campaign trail. These relentless attacks, often brutal attacks. Last night the candidates kept hitting each other as they tried to win over undecided South Carolina voters.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONES (voice-over): Three out of six Republican candidates sitting down for an in-depth CNN town hall. The night's hot topic: the truth and who's telling it. Marco Rubio says it's not Ted Cruz.

RUBIO: I've said he's been lying, because if you say something that isn't true, and you say it over and over again, and you know that it's not true, there's no other word for it. And when it's about your record, you have to clear it up.

JONES: Cruz says it's not Donald Trump or Rubio.

CRUZ: Both Donald Trump and Marco Rubio are following this pattern, that whenever anyone points to their actual record, to what they've said, to what they've voted on, to what they've done, they start screaming, "Liar, liar, liar." I mean, it is the oddest thing.

JONES: And Trump, in a dueling town hall, says it's not Cruz.

TRUMP: We certainly want to keep somebody honest.

JONES: The billionaire even sending the freshman senator a cease-and- assist order for one of the Cruz campaign's ads about him.

CRUZ: I don't think anyone is surprised that Donald is threatening to sue people. He's done that most of his adult life. But this letter really was -- look, I practiced law 20 years, and this letter really pressed the bounds of the most frivolous and ridiculous letters I've ever seen.

JONES: Dr. Ben Carson says the American people will decide who's being deceitful. CARSON: I think the American people are smart enough to be able to

understand bluster and rhetoric versus truth.

JONES: But all three candidates agree that Apple should abide by a court order to aid federal investigators in hacking the iPhone of one of the San Bernardino shooters, something the tech company sees as government overreach.

CRUZ: We should have done more to prevent that attack, but after the fact we ought to be using every tool we can.

CARSON: There's probably very good reason for people not to trust the government. But we're going to have to get over that.

RUBIO: I do know this. It will take a partnership between the technology industry and the government to confront and solve this.

JONES: Rubio taking the stage just a day after President Obama criticized him for distancing himself from an immigration bill he once supported, predictably shot back.

RUBIO: President Obama has no standing to talk about immigration, because his party controlled the White House, the House and the Senate for two years, and they did nothing.

JONES: Later addressing a topic that's been a mainstay of the Democrats' campaign: U.S. race relations.

RUBIO: I also know that in this country there is a significant number, particularly of young African-American males, who feel as if they're treated differently than the rest of society.

And here's the bottom line. Whether you agree with him or not, I happen to have seen this happen. I'm not sure there's a political solution to that problem, but there are things we can do.

JONES: Something else unexpected: the candidates' taste in music.

CARSON: I primarily like classical music.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: You like EDM...

RUBIO: I do.

COOPER: ... electronic dance music.

RUBIO: Yes.

COOPER: Have you ever been to a rave?

RUBIO: No, no. I've never been to a rave. No.

COOPER: Well, I don't know.

RUBIO: It's the Republican primary, Anderson.

COOPER: Well, I just...

CRUZ (singing): I just called to say I love you. I just called to say I care.

(speaking): I cannot sing to save my life.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JONES: So there were some lighter moments last night. Today, we're looking ahead to tonight's CNN town hall, where we'll hear from Donald Trump, John Kasich and Jeb Bush but not before another long day of campaigning here in South Carolina.

And in Jeb Bush's case, we're expecting the arrival later today of a special guest, Barbara Bush. She's joining him again on the campaign trail to try to help her son in a contest that could be make or break for him -- Chris, John.

CUOMO: All right, Athena, thank you very much.

Let's bring in CNN political commentator, former Reagan White House political director and Trump supporter, Mr. Geoffrey Lord; and CNN political commentator, Ben Ferguson.

Gentlemen, good to have you this morning.

GEOFFREY LORD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good morning.

CUOMO: So let's take a look at what the headlines were last night. Nikki Haley gives the big endorsement to Marco Rubio. Ted Cruz says to Donald Trump, "Sue me, and I will depose you, my friend."

So Ben, let's start with this endorsement. How big a deal? Does it make Rubio the man who ultimately becomes Trump versus fill in the blank?

BEN FERGUSON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I think Rubio has to now come in first or second at bare minimum with this big endorsement. Otherwise, it's going to be looked at as a disappointment. I mean, he got the endorsement in the state that people wanted him to be able to talk about. They brought it out, perfect timing, while people are paying attention and watching what he's doing everywhere.

But now the big issue is going to be can he back that up? And I think if he comes in third or fourth, he's going to be in real trouble now moving forward, because he got that one you really want; and he wasn't able to back it up.

BERMAN: So Ben Ferguson, this morning would you rather be Ted Cruz, out in front in a national poll for the first time since forever? Or would you rather be Donald Trump, out ahead in every poll in South Carolina, or would you rather be Marco Rubio, having just picked up the endorsement of Nikki Haley? Ben, you decide.

FERGUSON: Look, national polls are great. They're great talking points. However, if you're leading here that's all that matters. Today is the game through Saturday, and then this state, they move on to the next one. Momentum is everything. So if I -- if I had to pick, I would want to be Donald Trump this morning and have that lead. I could care less about the national poll if I win here.

CUOMO: Geoffrey Lord...

LORD: Yes.

CUOMO: ... your man, Donald Trump, teams up with his buddies last night, does his own town hall, competing with his party, having represented us out on the stage and is threatening to sue somebody once again, which is not one of his best, though signature, traits. Defend both propositions, sir.

LORD: Well, you know, we're coming -- we've got, what, 48 hours before people start voting. I think what Senator Cruz did yesterday, if this were a football game, it would be called a "hail Mary pass." You know, he's behind, and he's behind by a lot. So you know, you're going to have to do what you're going to have to do, and Donald Trump is just going to keep going and keep the momentum going.

CUOMO: Right, but Geoffrey, he couldn't have thrown the ball -- Geoffrey, he couldn't have thrown the ball if your guy didn't give it to him. He did make overtures that he's going to sue him, not just about his eligibility for president, which you said Donald Trump wouldn't do on this show. But he's also saying, "I may sue you over your ad." So Trump is providing the potential for this, not Ted Cruz.

LORD: Yes. You know, I just think at this stage, Chris, it's a lot of noise. I mean, I think the interesting thing really is Governor Haley's endorsement, because I think that that takes some momentum away from Senator Cruz. So in effect, what I think is happening here is that Governor Haley unintentionally is helping Donald Trump.

BERMAN: You have a Trump guy praising an endorsement for Rubio, because it hurts Cruz. This is such an exciting game of chess.

Ben Ferguson, you had Cruz going out yesterday, saying all those things. And it was an unusual event for Ted Cruz. I have to say, Cruz has been the most focused candidate I have seen in a long time on this campaign trail. That event yesterday, that news conference, wasn't as focused as I've seen. He made a lot of strong points, and he said he was going to depose Donald Trump, but it was a little all over the place.

But is it worth the risk for him, Ben? Is it worth the risk for him, Ben, because he gets to say that Donald Trump used to be pro-choice, which he was. He gets to say Donald Trump said there are wonderful things at Planned Parenthood, which he just did at the debate. Is it all worth it for Ted Cruz?

FERGUSON: Yes, it is, because I think his point was put up or shut up. And I think that's the big issue here, is that Ted Cruz and his supporters and others are sick and tired of, you know, Donald Trump being a bully now, trying to say, "I'm going to sue anybody." And it also brings up the issue of, as president of the United States of America, can you just sue anybody you want to if you don't get your way or someone's challenging you on Capitol Hill?

What happens when a senator or congressman doesn't agree with Donald Trump if he becomes the president? Is he going to threaten to sue them?

And I think his point was, "I'm irritated by this because of the absurdity of it. I'm sick and tired of having a guy, every time he doesn't get what he wants, or every time he wants to look right, saying, 'I'm going to sue you.'"

And I think that's something that's going to not connect well with voters when they think, "You're just going to bully people by saying, 'I'll hire my rich lawyers and I'm going to sue you.'"

[07:10:03] And I think Ted was saying, "Bring it on. I'm tired of this. Either do it or shut up about it, because I don't think you're going to sue me."

[07:10:09] CUOMO: Geoffrey, you're saying that this is just noise; this is the back and forth in a campaign. That's what happens. OK. Let me ask you to take on this, then.

Marco Rubio had a lot to prove last night after what happened in the debate. A town hall is not a debate. It's a different format. It's much more about performance and your ability to connect.

Do you believe that Marco Rubio showed what he needed to show last night? Or do you still have a question mark on him of what happens when he gets pressed?

LORD: Yes, I do think there's a question. I noticed this morning there was an endorsement, as a matter of fact, it was for Senator Cruz from Congressman Jim Bridenstine of Oklahoma. But he makes reference in there to Marco Rubio's position on Libya. And I was just reading this Rubio speech delivered a the Brookings Institution, in which he -- four or five months before Benghazi -- said that things in Libya had worked out just fine. Well, they didn't work out just fine. I mean, it's a mess. It's a mess, and the place is filled with ISIS over there.

So this really does get to the question here. I mean, he thinks foreign policy is his greatest strength. And here we've got a mess over there. And he was saying, you know, how wonderful everything was. I think he's really -- you know, the door was open here to question him on what he thinks is his strength, his foreign policy credentials.

BERMAN: Ben Ferguson, we haven't spoken about Jeb Bush yet this morning, and a lot, I think, is going on inside that campaign. So I would like you to finish this sentence for me. It's a simple sentence: "Jeb Bush is, dot, dot, dot"?

FERGUSON: Over -- over if he doesn't win or come in second in South Carolina. This is a must-win place for him or at least second place. If he doesn't I don't see how there's any way for him moving forward to the White House. This is where Bushes are supposed to do well. Historically, they have. He's got a lot of money. He's got a good ground game. He just doesn't seem to have momentum still, even with him spending so much time here.

BERMAN: Barbara Bush showing up today, will that make a difference, Ben?

FERGUSON: Yes, I think he should have brought his family out a lot earlier. I said that from the very beginning. Don't run away from your brother. People actually like his brother a lot. And you saw that there was excitement when they were on stage together. There was -- there was an excitement in the room that's been lacking from all of his events.

And so I think he should have brought his brother months ago and embraced him and had him onstage and also his mom. People love the former first lady. I don't know why they waited so long.

I think he should have done -- said kind of what Donald Trump does, you know, "Hey, this is who I am. If you don't like it, deal with it." And he should have said that with his family: "This is my brother. If you don't like it, deal with it. This is my mom. If you don't like it, deal with it." But it may be a little bit too late for it to have an impact.

BERMAN: Geoffrey Lord.

CUOMO: America's such a big family place, also. I think that was the miscalculation, that he's so much better when he's around his family, because it matters to him. You know, he really wants to bring in his game, to support that relationship, as well. Too little too late. We'll see.

CUOMO: All right, Geoffrey, Ben. Appreciate it, guys.

Do not forget, there is more tonight, much more. Tune in as the other three Republican candidates -- John Kasich, Jeb Bush, Donald Trump, they will answer questions from South Carolina voters in the CNN town hall moderated by Anderson Cooper. It all begins at 8 p.m., only on CNN.

PEREIRA: Retired Supreme Court justice, Sandra Day O'Connor, is not holding back when it comes to the bitter battle over who should nominate a successor to her former colleague, Antonin Scalia. CNN's Chris Frates is live in Washington with more for us -- Chris.

CHRIS FRATES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Michaela.

So there's a lot of news out of the White House today, but let's start with Sandra Day O'Connor. The retired Supreme Court justice who, of course, was nominated by a Republican president, Ronald Reagan, is breaking with Republicans who want to block any nominee Democratic President Barack Obama puts forward and leave the pick to his successor. Here's what she had to say. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANDRA DAY O'CONNOR, FORMER SUPREME COURT JUSTICE: I don't agree. I think we need somebody there now to do the job, and let's get on with it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRATES: So sitting Supreme Court Justice Steven Breyer also spoke yesterday. He talked at Yale. But he made no mention of Scalia's replacement.

Still, O'Connor's words are pretty unlikely to sway Republicans, either on the campaign trail or Capitol Hill. Both Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, two Republican senators running to replace Obama, have said the choice should be made by the next president. That echoes a position Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell staked out soon after news of Scalia's death broke last week.

And Republicans are already pointing to several new polls that show that the public is split on whether the Senate should hold a confirmation vote this year or wait for the next president.

And all this political jockeying comes even before Scalia's funeral in Washington on Saturday. President Obama and the first lady are expected to pay their respects on Friday when Scalia will lie in repose at the Supreme Court.

And some other news coming out of the White House today. A senior -- a senior administration official tells me that later today the White House will announce that the president will visit Cuba next month. The trip comes after the administration reopened diplomatic ties with the island late in 2014 and opened an embassy this summer.

And I can tell you, after spending a little time in Cuba last summer, Chris, this historic visit is going to be a huge deal on that island, Chris.

[06:15:09] CUOMO: It will be a big deal. This is the time in the tenure when presidents start to travel abroad to places they haven't been yet. This will check that box, as well.

Chris Frates, thank you very much.

And of course, the country is divided on Scalia. They're divided on everything, right, along partisan lines. That takes us to the man who wants to break through that and call for compassion and unity. Pope Francis giving exactly that message about migrants in an historic mass on the Mexico-U.S. border.

We've got CNN's Ed Lavandera, live in El Paso with the details -- Ed.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Chris.

Well, it was a poignant ending to a five-day trip for Pope Francis, culminating yesterday afternoon with a massive mass, just feet from the U.S.-Mexico border.

More than 200,000 people turned out, including about 400 or so who sat next on the bench next to the border fence in El Paso, Texas, looking into Mexico with a great glimpse of the mass there.

In one of the more poignant moments, Pope Francis walking up a platform, looking toward that group in the U.S. It was a moment with great symbolism, looking into the United States. It was actually a moment to pay tribute and respect to the thousands of people who have died crossing the border. Also a moment to kind of highlight the -- what he calls the forced migration and the humanitarian crisis existing throughout Central America and into the United States.

Pope Francis's words, really, a criticism of governments on both sides of the border. He says that the issue of migration and immigration is really a threat to thousands of younger people who make these treks. So of course, Pope Francis criticized by Donald Trump several times over the course of the last week for being overtly political, the Vatican shrugging all of that off, saying sometimes Pope Francis' words do have a political tone to them -- John.

BERMAN: With some remarkable images and some very loud, loud messages being said. Ed Lavandera, thanks so much.

Breaking news this morning. Turkey's prime minister now says a Syrian national with links to Kurdish separatists is behind the deadly attack in the heart of Turkey's capital. Nearly 30 people were killed after an explosion hit a military convoy in Ankara. Fourteen other people have been detained. Turkey is responding with force this morning, launching airstrikes on Kurdish militants in Iraq.

PEREIRA: A Los Angeles hospital paying a hackers -- a group of hackers a ransom of $17,000 in bitcoin currency in order to get its computer system back online. Malware locked most of the computers at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center about two weeks ago. The hospital's CEO says paying the ransom was the quickest, most efficient way to restore the system. The hospital says patient care and records were not compromised. But this is a really extraordinary and unusual hack.

BERMAN: Indeed.

All right. The stakes in Nevada, just two days away, oh, so high. The Democratic caucuses will be held. Who will prevail? It is tied there, folks. What is going to untie this race in the next 48 hours? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:22:14] BERMAN: So is the United States ready for a woman to be president? Even Hillary Clinton is not so sure. She tells "Vogue" magazine people may still have concerns which they can't articulate.

This just days ahead of the Nevada caucuses, two days to be exact, with CNN polling showing the race dead tied right now, a one-point separation between the two candidates. Joining me now, Clinton supporter Brad Woodhouse. He is the president

of Correct the Record and Americans United for Change; and Georgia state senator Vincent Fort. He recently switched his support from Hillary Clinton to Bernie Sanders.

And Senator, let me start with you, with that statement from Hillary Clinton in the "Vogue" magazine article, in which she says she's not sure if Americans are ready, because there might be issues which they cannot articulate. Do you think America is ready to have a woman as president? Are you ready?

VINCENT FORT (D), GEORGIA STATE SENATOR: I'm ready. I'm supporting Bernie Sanders, because he's right on the issues. But whether or not a woman is ready, I think the American people are ready for a change. And I think Bernie Sanders is that change.

BERMAN: One other thing that Hillary Clinton said in this "Vogue" interview, Senator, was that she thinks one of the issues might be messaging for her. Let me read you a quote from that. She said, "I'm great at advocating for other people. I'm great at saying we need to solve problems, but I'm not good at really promoting myself. I just find it hard to do."

Do you think there is a messaging problem for Hillary Clinton, Senator?

FORT: Well, I think -- I don't know that she has a messaging problem. What I do know is that Bernie Sanders has done a great job in communicating to the American people and to Democrats what the issues are, what's important to him: Medicaid expansion and healthcare reform, minimum wage, and reigning in Wall Street. He's done a great job.

And his message is pushing through, and it's -- and that's why I'm supporting Senator Sanders. I looked at his positions and found that his positions were most similar to mine.

BERMAN: Brad, just over the last few minutes the Clinton campaign put out a new advertisement, a new campaign ad which is very interesting. It sends some powerful messages. It deals with the issue of immigration. Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My parents, they have a letter of deportation. I'm scared for them, because they have the deportation. I'm scared they are going to be deported.

CLINTON: Come here. I'm going to do everything I can so you don't have to be scared.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: That's the first time, certainly, I'm seeing that ad. It's the first time a lot of Americans are seeing that ad. Brad, explain to me... BRAD WOODHOUSE: Powerful.

BERMAN: Well, why? Why do you say that? What's the message there, and will it appeal to the voters she wants it to appeal to?

[07:25:03] WOODHOUSE: Well, look, I think it's powerful and I think it speaks to what she said in that "Vogue" interview, that she really is a strong advocate for other people.

I mean, what she did there is she put her arm around that 10-year-old whose parents had received a deportation letter, and said, "Let me worry for you. Let me worry for you. This is the thing that I want -- I want to be helpful on. And I want to help you. I want to help other Americans."

And she's been an advocate all -- all her life. And I think she's probably right. She's probably better at advocating for other people, children at the Children's Defense Fund, women around the world as secretary of state, that little girl and her family there in Nevada.

And I think that's going to break through that she really does want to advocate. She wants to break barriers for the American people, just like she wants to break barriers, obviously, for women and others.

BERMAN: Why didn't it break through in New Hampshire, Brad? And why isn't it seeming to separate her from Bernie Sanders in Nevada, which is a state which I think was thought to be a stronger state for her, right? Now again, the latest CNN/ORC poll has her with a 1-point lead. Caucus is two days away.

WOODHOUSE: Sure. Well, first of all, let's talk about New Hampshire. There was a very interesting set of polls that came out from Public Policy Polling yesterday, that showed Hillary Clinton ahead in 10 of the 12 states that hold primaries between the first of March and the eighth of March.

And it was interesting. Vermont is one state that Bernie Sanders had a lead in. He's in the lead, 86 to 10. He has a 76-pointlead in Vermont, which neighbors New Hampshire. So I think that explains a lot about what happened in New Hampshire.

In Nevada, look, we had never seen a public poll in Nevada before the last few days. So this idea that she had some big lead there and this wasn't going to be close was just people's speculation. So it may be close in Nevada. We expect it to be close. I've talked to a lot of people out there. I think she will pull it out.

And ultimately, that's what it's about. It's about winning. You know, if you win close in the Super Bowl, you get to take home the Vince Lombardi trophy, so you know, we hope she'll win in Nevada. We expect her to win in Nevada, and of course, she's got a big lead in South Carolina.

BERMAN: So Senator, one of the arguments from the Clinton campaign and Hillary Clinton herself over the last few days, she's given a lot of speeches to minority groups about the issue of outreach and relationship building. And she says, "You can't begin to build a relationship just weeks or months before an election." The implication there is that is what Bernie Sanders is doing. And now that he's running an election, he's talking much more about race. He's talking much more directly to minority voters. What's your response?

FORT: Well, you know, the fact of the matter is that Bernie Sanders has a relationship. His relationships are reflected in the things that he's done. When he was in Chicago about 50 years ago, getting arrested, standing up for freedom, justice and equality, you know, that reflects his commitment to issues that are important to African- Americans, as well as his -- his position since and his positions now.

So I am comfortable that African-American voters, when they look at his record, healthcare for all, reigning in Wall Street, $15 minimum wage, I'm comfortable that, when they hear those positions, get familiar with those positions, that they'll feel more than comfortable. And I think we see that happening even as we speak.

BERMAN: Senator, Brad, thanks for being with us. Just two days till the next round of voters get to pick -- Chris.

CUOMO: All right. And the other side of the game, you've got Donald Trump repeatedly threatening to sue rival Ted Cruz. Cruz says, "Bring it on. I will depose you." How will Trump respond at tonight's CNN town hall? A top Trump advisor will answer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)