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CNN Money Now; Turning Points: Pool Player Turns Pain Into Will to Win; Europe on High Alert; Republican Women Weigh in on GOP Town Hall. Aired 8:30-9a ET
Aired March 30, 2016 - 08:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[08:33:32] MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: All right, it's time for "CNN Money Now." Chief business correspondent Christine Romans in the Money Center.
Hey, Christine.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, everybody.
More than 80 CEOs and executives have signed a letter to North Carolina's governor pushing to repeal the state's controversial state law that eliminates anti-discrimination protections for gays and lesbians. Bank of America is based in Charlotte. Its headquarters is there. It's now condemning the measure, calling it bad for business.
All right, the unemployment rate is 4.9 percent, but the U.S. has lost 5 million manufacturing jobs since 2000. The conventional wisdom, America will transition from low skilled factory work to high skilled manufacturing and service jobs. This trend, though, has fueled the angry primary voter this election cycle and was on center stage last night. Cruz says education, vocational training is key to helping the reverse of factory jobs. Donald Trump says the key is fixing bad trade deals and just bringing those old jobs back.
Guys.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you very much, Christine.
A traumatic surgery robbed a young girl of a normal childhood, but she refused to give in. In today's "Turning Points," CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, looks at how the game of pool changed her life.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This look is said to intimidate Janette Lee's opponent. But for this world champion pool player, known as "the black widow," there is more than meets the eye.
JEANETTE LEE, "THE BLACK WIDOW," CHAMPION POOL PLAYER: A common misperception about why I look the way I do is to look intimidating, but it's because my spine doesn't curve up.
GUPTA: Jeanette was diagnosed with scoliosis at 12 years old.
[08:35:01] LEE: We went to this doctor. I think two days later, I'm having surgery. I woke up to absolute hell. I just remember being so - in so much pain. After surgery I grew over three inches.
GUPTA: Her traumatic experience, including having to wear a brace in school, shattered her confidence.
LEE: I really felt broken.
GUPTA: Until she discovered pool.
LEE: I really believe it healed me.
GUPTA: Despite intense back pain, she practiced as much as 30 hours at a time.
LEE: It was my escape. I turned pro when I was 21. I was number one in the world at 23.
GUPTA: Jeanette has undergone more than 10 neck and back operations, developing multiple joint-related conditions, but she refuses to give in. She's a mother of six, a successful businesswoman and a motivational speaker.
LEE: I live every day knowing that there's nothing I can do that I should take for granted because it could be gone tomorrow.
GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Mother of six?
LEMON: Yes.
CAMEROTA: What a woman.
LEMON: Yes.
CAMEROTA: In addition to all of the other accomplishments.
PEREIRA: That's great.
LEMON: We complain about waking up early in the morning.
CAMEROTA: Right.
LEMON: Look at what she's accomplished. Amazing.
PEREIRA: She's an incredible lady.
CAMEROTA: Incredible.
LEMON: Yes.
CAMEROTA: All right, great story.
Meanwhile, we do want to update you on the Brussels terror attacks. Is the manhunt for the fugitive suspects growing cold, as we learn more about the security gaps in Belgium's anti-terror efforts? We'll discuss that, next.
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[08:40:15] PEREIRA: All of Europe remains on high alert following the Brussels terror attacks. The manhunt intensifying for two fugitive suspects in both the airport and the subway bombings. It is raising critical concerns about security gaps in Brussels.
Here to discuss, CNN terrorism analyst Paul Cruickshank. He's also editor and chief of CTC Sentinel. Jean-Charles Brisard is our French counterterrorism expert and chairman of the Center for Analysis of Terrorism.
Gentlemen, really my pleasure to have you here.
And, Paul, you literally just got off the phone. You have been working your connections. Do you have anything more to update us on the investigation?
PAUL CRUICKSHANK, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: One new piece of information on the investigation. At - on that computer that they recovered from that dust bin outside the bomb factory, Belgian investigators discovered pictures and plans relating to two buildings in Brussels, one of them the senate in Brussels and the other the office of the Belgian prime minister, suggesting that this cell behind the airport attack and behind the metro attack also had other targets, were planning a bigger plot as we've previously been told by officials. But -
PEREIRA: Is there a concern that those threats could still be live, if you will? That -
CRUICKSHANK: Certainly a concern that those threats may still be live and they're bolstering security, we understand, at those buildings because of these threats. There are several people connected to this plot still at large, including that person we've all seen on those CCTV images at the airport, including a person on the CCTV at the metro. And what we've learned about this cell is if at first they don't succeed, they try and try and try again.
PEREIRA: They try again. Just go underground and come up again.
CRUICKSHANK: Think of Salah - think of Salah Abdeslam, four months later, involved in another plot.
PEREIRA: And do they feel that they're any closer to getting these suspects that are at large?
CRUICKSHANK: No. There seems to be a bit of a dead end right now in the investigation, being as things have slowed down. They do not know who that person is on the CCTV at the airport. There have been 51 calls being placed to the terror hot line in Belgium, but none of those leads have yet panned out.
PEREIRA: So, Jean-Charles, after this attack, obviously there's been a lot of criticism of how Belgium is handling this, that the counterterrorism efforts are not netting any substantive leads. We hear that Europeans, in fact, are all blaming Belgium, in fact, for the Paris attacks because we've seen now how those two plots have been linked.
JEAN-CHARLES BRISARD, CHAIRMAN, CENTER FOR ANALYSIS OF TERRORISM: Well, we're confronted with not cells but a real larger network that we discover every day larger than the day before. Every country in Europe is currently overwhelmed by the threat and by the networks and by also the number of jihadists going back - going to fight in Syria and Iraq and coming back to Europe. At least 1,500 foreign fighters have came back from Syria.
So we're confronted with that threat. And Belgium, more than other - another country, has less resources. For example, to give you a simple example. There is 600 intelligence agents in Belgium and 600 foreign fighters. So that means they don't have the resource to put everyone under surveillance. And also, again, we're confronted with a large network dedicated, plotting terrorist attacks in Europe since more than two years now we know that. So it is very difficult. In addition to that, we don't have many tools in terms of cooperation inside Europe. Many governments, including France, have been asking repeatedly to reinforce the cooperation between European countries -
PEREIRA: Right.
BRISARD: To reinforce the controls at the border - the borders of Europe. This is yet to be done.
PEREIRA: So many challenges. Our colleague, Chris Cuomo, returned to Paris following the attacks and he presents a special report that will air tonight. It's called "Terror in Paris." I want to show you a clip of this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JULIEN PEARCE, BATACLAN SURVIVOR: When we heard gunshots, explosions, at first I thought it was part of the show. It was fireworks or something dropped. And immediately I turned my head on the left and I've seen three men wearing black clothes and holding assault rifles.
CHRIS CUOMO, ANCHOR, CNN'S "NEW DAY" (voice-over): The men move through the venue shouting "Allah Akbar," Arabic for "got is great." The terrified crowd scatters. Some people try to escape. Others hit the ground and play dead. The terrorists keep shooting.
[08:45:02] CRUICKSHANK: While one was firing, the other was reloading, meaning that they could fire continuously. There's a lot of bloodshed fairly quickly. FRANK, BATACLAN SURVIVOR: I was with a friend at the moment, who was
just next to me, and he said someone is firing on us, stay low and everything and say you were hit and I look at my leg and (inaudible) because the bullet went straight through.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PEREIRA: Terrifying to hear their accounts. We want to point you to the special tonight with Chris Cuomo examining the terror that struck Paris in November. The special is called "TERROR IN PARIS." It will air 9:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN. Our thanks to Jean-Charles Brisard and Paul Cruickshank. Thank you for that new information.
Don?
LEMON: Thank you. Looking forward to that special tonight. The role of women in the Republican Party has not been -- has been, I should say -- a very hot topic. But did women like what they heard last night in our town hall here on CNN? We're going to find out. That's next.
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CAMEROTA: Many big headlines from last night's CNN GOP town hall, including all three candidates reversing course, backing off their pledge to support their party's eventual nominee.
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[08:50:09] SEN. TED CRUZ (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm not in the habit of supporting someone who attacks my wife and attacks my family. I think that is going beyond the line.
GOV. JOHN KASICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I've been disturbed by some of the things that I've seen and I have to think about what my word and endorsement would mean in a presidential campaign. So I want to see how this thing finishes out.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No. I don't anymore. Look --
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: You don't?
TRUMP: No. We'll see who it is.
COOPER: You won't promise to support the Republican nominee?
TRUMP: And he was essentially saying the same thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAMEROTA: All right. Now yesterday we spoke with a panel of Republican women about what they wanted to see at the CNN town hall. Were they satisfied?
Let's bring back Terra Grant, she's a Donald Trump supporter, and Carol Brunner, a Ted Cruz supported. Ladies, thanks so much. Great to have you with us again.
TERRA GRANT, DONALD TRUMP SUPPORTER: Good morning, Alisyn.
CAMEROTA: Nice to see you. Okay. So you both said yesterday when I spoke to you that you wanted to hear substance. You were tired of what I called playground politics. So Carol, let me start with you. Did you get what you were looking for last night?
CAROL BRUNNER, TED CRUZ SUPPORTER: I got what I was looking for from Ted Cruz and from John Kasich, but not from Donald Trump. Donald Trump doesn't --
CAMEROTA: I still -- Yeah, Carol, what do you mean by that?
BRUNNER: Again, all I heard was how great he was. How people love him. He doesn't seem to give me substance. He doesn't seem to be knowledgeable on the issues. It's a lot of rhetoric, but no substance.
CAMEROTA: Carol, we should mention that you are outside because you went to the town hall in Milwaukee last night and we -- I like that we have your positioned outside as though you are one of our correspondents. But Terra --
BRUNNER: I know, and it's cold.
CAMEROTA: I'm sorry. I'm sorry. We're going to find a comfortable studio for you next time. But Terra, I think what Carol is referring to is, again, the attacks on Heidi Cruz, where last night Anderson Cooper gave Donald Trump a chance to either clarify or apologize. Would you have preferred that Donald Trump apologize for that whole line of attack?
GRANT: I don't think he has anything to apologize for, to be perfectly honest. I think Donald Trump speaks his mind. I think he says exactly what he wants to say. And if he wants to say I'm sorry, he does apologize. If he doesn't, well that's okay, too. And it was quite funny when Anderson asked him, do you ever apologize for anything, and he said, oh, I apologized to my mom years ago for cussing. You know, I think it's hilarious.
And you know, I mean, at the end of the day he's going to say what he wants to say and you can either like him, love him, hate him, dislike him, whatever you want to do. But do I think that he stands his ground? Oh, he's definitely standing his ground on this one.
CAMEROTA: And Terra, I want -- Yeah, I mean, I want to stick with you for a second because he basically said I didn't start it and Anderson Cooper even brought up the playground stuff. But you were satisfied with that. You are not looking for an apology.
What about some of the substance, ladies?
Carol, you know, they talked about surveilling Muslim neighborhoods. Let me just play a little portion for you of what each candidate said about that. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CRUZ: Listen, if you want to stop radical Islamic terrorism, the answer isn't to go hang out in random neighborhoods. It is instead to focus on communities where radicalization is a risk.
TRUMP: I think we have to look at the mosques. Lots of things are happening in the mosques. That's been proven.
KASICH: We're not going to police Muslim neighborhoods. We can't afford polarization of people who are in the civilized world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAMEROTA: Carol, did that answer your question about what each of the candidates would do about radicalization?
BRUNNER: Not really. I would like some more specifics. I'm not sure that any of the candidates had the -- a firm answer on that. And I'm not sure there is a firm answer at this point in time. We'll have to wait and see what happens, I guess.
CAMEROTA: Terra, what did you think about the substance and their answers on that one?
GRANT: I really do think that the radicalization of Muslims -- and Donald Trump is right. You know, what's happening in these mosques as a whole? Are they going as in prayer or are they going to concoct a plan? I don't know. I'm not Muslim. I have no idea. And I have only a couple of Muslim friends and they are wonderful people.
So do I think that we should literally categorize all Muslims as terrorists? Absolutely not. Absolutely not. And I really do think that they should double down on this and really explain what their plan is to deal with that issue.
CAMEROTA: Carol --
GRANT: I think it is funny. I'm sorry. But I do think it is funny as far as the polarization. We're talking about a party that can't decide on a candidate and we're talking about polarizations within this particular issue.
[08:55:02] CAMEROTA: Terra, you are pointing out a very irony rich moment.
GRANT: Right?
CAMEROTA: That is a very good point. Ladies, we'll leave it there. You both said great things. I want to get Carol in from out of the cold. Thanks so much. We'll check back with you as this election progresses. Thanks so much, ladies.
LEMON: Our intrepid new reporter Carol --
(CROSSTALK) PEREIRA: That was impressive.
CAMEROTA: I know.
PEREIRA: (Inaudible) then she could get her correspondence badge --
CAMEROTA: I know. I thought she was going to toss back to me. "The Good Stuff" is next.
LEMON: That was good, too.
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PEREIRA: Hey. All right. Ready for some "Good Stuff?" We need it. A heartwarming story honoring our nation's heroes. A customer at a Michigan restaurant saw a group of soldiers eating lunch and asked for the manager. He wanted to pick up their tab, but he didn't want anyone to know.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's the first time it's ever happened to me, so it was pretty cool.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're always grateful for the little things. It is great to see the general public supporting us and doing the little things.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PEREIRA: And support, did he. This guy not only paid the $200 bill --
CAMEROTA: $200? What did they eat?
PEREIRA: It was a big group of guys -- group of people. He also left behind a hefty tip. Now the restaurant, they were so inspired by the man's generosity, they decided they are going to plan their own military appreciation day.
LEMON: Wonderful.
PEREIRA: Isn't that cool? Paying it forward.
CAMEROTA: That is good. That was a big group. There were like two big tables of them. That's wonderful.
PEREIRA: I know. I love that.
LEMON: Congratulations. Congratulations. It's time now for "NEWSROOM" with Carol Costello. See you tomorrow.
