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New Day
Clinton Hopes to Lure GOP's Trump Skeptics; Zika Outbreak in Florida Grows to 15 Cases; Interview with Florida Governor Rick Scott. Aired 6:30-7a ET
Aired August 03, 2016 - 06:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:32:00] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news. Just a short time ago, an Emirates jet crashed after landing in Dubai. You just saw that fireball. That's video we just got in of this incident.
Authorities say that all 275 people on board were evacuated safely. That is good news. So far, we have no reports of any injuries. At this point, it's not clear what caused the crash or that fireball you just saw.
We're going to get more details in. We'll have more for you throughout the morning.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: All right. We're also learning the Baltimore woman who was killed in a shootout with police as she held her son, was trying to live stream the seven-hour standoff. In one video posted to social media, a tactical officer can be seen in the apartment pointing in their direction of 23 year-old Korryn Gaines. Her five-year-old son was wounded in the gunfight but is expected to be okay. Gaines was wanted on a bench warrant for failing to appear in court over cases of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, as well as various traffic offenses.
BERMAN: The White House insists there was no quid pro quo, but "The Wall Street Journal" reports that a secret $400 million payment to Iran coincided with the release in January of four Americans. Three of them pictured here. They had been detained by Iran.
A State Department spokesman says the money for Iran was related solely to the settlement of the suit dating back to a 1970s arms deal. He says those negotiations were completely separate from discussions about bringing the Americans home.
CAMEROTA: OK, back to the presidential race. The great state of North Carolina, of course, is --
BERMAN: Tar Heel State.
CAMEROTA: Well done -- one battleground that could swing the presidential election. So, up close, a look at the battle for the Tar Heel State as John calls it. That's in our special series next.
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[06:37:45] BERMAN: What is the one state that could decide this entire election? It might just be North Carolina. Polling from before the convention showed a slight tilt toward Hillary Clinton, but it went blue in 2008, red in 2012. It is decidedly a bright big purple.
CNN's Sunlen Serfaty with the latest in our battleground series joins us live in Raleigh.
Good morning, Sunlen.
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, John.
I can tell you, we talked to a lot of voters here in North Carolina this weekend. There are so many undecided voters still waiting to make up their mind. So, both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are sensing a big opportunity.
And keep in mind, like you said, this is a state that really has been a roller coaster in past elections, razor close. Obama winning here in 2008 by only 1 percent of the vote, Romney flipping it back to Republican control in 2012 by only 2 percent of the vote.
Put simply, North Carolina is once again a toss-up state.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm going to be in North Carolina so much that you're going to get so sick and tired of me.
SERFATY (voice-over): In North Carolina --
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're going to fight for every vote in this state.
SERFATY: -- this is where the rubber is meeting the road, hand-to- hand political combat being fought door to door --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Would you vote for Republican Donald Trump or Democrat Hillary Clinton?
SERFATY: -- and one phone call at a time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're trying to get busy registering voters. So, we need all hands on deck.
SERFATY: And the stakes couldn't be higher.
STEVEN GREENE, PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, NC STATE UNIVERSITY: If Hillary Clinton wins North Carolina, it's almost a sure thing that she's won the election. For Donald Trump, it's an absolute must-win state.
SERFATY: On the ground, a stark contrast in approaches. Team Clinton has 12 field offices open throughout the state in coordination with the Democratic National Committee with a paid Clinton campaign staffer in each of the 25 regions.
The Trump campaign has a smaller footprint, relying almost exclusively on the Republican National Committee for offices and staff.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I saw Donald Trump mock a disabled person, I was just shocked.
SERFATY: The Clinton campaign has spent $5 million on TV ads in the state since early June, with another $2.5 million coming from its allies. The Trump campaign has not spent any money on TV ads yet.
[06:40:03] Only one group supporting Trump is on the air, the NRA, with a modest $250,000 buy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hillary as president? No, thanks.
SERFATY: Another factor affecting the dynamics of the race, North Carolina's rapidly demographics. The state is growing more diverse, more urbanized, with an influx of college graduates.
And the Clinton campaign is hoping to capitalize on these trends to mobilize a coalition of voters that helped then-Senator Obama become the first Democrat since Jimmy Carter to carry the state in 2008.
It's why the president and Hillary Clinton made North Carolina the place for their first joint campaign appearance last month.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm ready to pass the baton.
SERFATY: But Clinton campaign officials say one of their top targets in the Tar Heel State are gettable Republicans skeptical of Donald Trump.
PATSY KEEVER, NORTH CAROLINA DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHAIR: Certainly whereas Secretary Clinton may not be the person some of the Republicans or unaffiliated really want, she certainly is a much, much better choice.
SERFATY: The Clinton campaign is directing its efforts towards college-educated, suburban women, bringing in celebrities to help make the case.
KRISTIN DAVIS, ACTRESS: I know that I would not want to vote for someone who calls women dogs. If ever there was a year where people might be open to changing how they would traditionally have voted, I feel like this is it.
SERFATY: Like Rafaela George, who has voted Republican before, but not this year.
RAFAELA GEORGE, NORTH CAROLINA VOTER: And I've said this to my friends, I know she has lot of baggage and people have criticisms of her, but I just can't go for Trump.
SERFATY: But others aren't convinced. TRACY RICHARDS, NORTH CAROLINA VOTER: I wish there was honestly a
better candidate to run as a Republican this year, but I again feel so strongly about the other option that I won't vote for her.
SERFATY: The Trump campaign is tailoring its outreach, too, focusing on getting out their core base of supporters.
KARA CARTER, RNC NORTH CAROLINA COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: We're looking to identify, persuade, and turn out GOP conservative unaffiliated voters.
SERFATY: A strategy being carried out step by step by Trump volunteers. Not visiting every house, only knocking on doors they know --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, how are you?
SERFATY: -- are open to voting for their candidate.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SERFATY: And there has been a pretty major development on the ground here in North Carolina just in the past week. A federal appeals court struck down a voter I.D. law, ruling that it stood in the way of many African-Americans being able to come out and vote. This is really seen as a big win for voting rights activist and certainly, Alisyn, could be potentially a big win for the Clinton campaign, being able to register more people from their base -- Alisyn.
CAMEROTA: Sunlen, thanks so much. Very interesting to hear how people there are feeling today. Thank you very much.
Well, two new rulings from Judge Curiel. Of course, you knew that name, that's the judge that Donald Trump attacked for his Mexican heritage. So what has the judge decided about Trump University? That's next.
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[06:46:56] CAMEROTA: Dozens injured following two suspected chemical attacks in northern Syria. The first attack targeting an area under opposition control where a Russian helicopter was shot down Monday. Russia, Syria's key military backer, vehemently denies that a chemical attack took place there. Meanwhile, the Syrian government says terrorist groups carried out the second gas attack on Tuesday in Aleppo.
BERMAN: The public will not get to see Donald Trump's video depositions in the legal case against Trump University. This is the ruling from Federal Judge Gonzalo Curiel, whose Mexican heritage came under attack from Trump this summer. The judge cited a potential for a media frenzy and refusing the request from several outlets including CNN.
Judge Curiel did rule against Trump's lawyers who wanted the case thrown out entirely. This case will go forward.
CAMEROTA: The parents of the late actor Anton Yelchin filing a wrongful death suit in connection with the accident that killed the actor in June. The suit is against Fiat Chrysler and it alleges that the recall issued by the automaker in May was too late and too little was done to enforce it. Yelchin known for his work in "Star Trek Beyond" was killed when his Jeep Grand Cherokee rolled backwards and pinned him against a fence.
BERMAN: All right. A new case of Zika virus surfaces in a Miami area in a different zone than the one that had been called out already. What does that state now do to contain the outbreak? Governor Rick Scott joins us next.
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[06:52:00] CAMEROTA: State health officials in Florida say the number of Zika cases has risen to 15. The CDC issuing an unprecedented travel warning advising pregnant women and their partners not to travel to one Miami neighborhood as a result. So, here to discuss the outbreak is Florida Governor Rick Scott.
Governor, thanks so much for being here.
GOV. RICK SCOTT (R), FLORIDA: Good morning, Alisyn.
We have 15 cases. We have one square mile north of downtown Miami where we're trying to make sure there's not continued spread of Zika. We have very aggressive mosquito control efforts.
We have a very good department of health, state health department. We brought in the CDC. They have a team that's helping us.
CAMEROTA: Yes.
SCOTT: We're giving free pregnancy tests to all the pregnant women in the impacted area. And we're going to do that across the state.
So, we're treating this like a hurricane. We started working on this in February when we had our first travel-related case. We're going to keep everybody safe.
CAMEROTA: OK. I mean, it sounds like you guys are on top of it, but realistically, governor, how big of a threat do you think Zika is to Florida?
SCOTT: Well, look, we're taking it very seriously. The way to do anything like this is to take it seriously. We've been able to control other mosquito-born viruses like chikungunya and dengue fever because we have great coordination. We have 20.3 million people. We've probably already had 65 million tourists. And we have 15 cases of local transmission.
So we're working hard to make sure we don't have anymore. I can tell you we're open for business. We're going to continue to take care of our citizens and all our visitors. While I'm frustrated the federal government hasn't been a good partner, I can tell you the state level will allocate all the dollars we need to.
CAMEROTA: Yes.
SCOTT: I've allocated $26.2 million and I'll do more.
CAMEROTA: What do you mean the federal government hasn't been a good partner?
SCOTT: Well, the president and Congress haven't come together. They haven't provided hardly any funding. The president called me a couple weeks ago and said they would send us $5.6 million from the CDC. The Congress went into recess and provided no funding.
So, they need to come together just like I work with my legislature. The president and Congress need to come together and come to an agreement. They need to help us make sure we have all the resources we need.
This is not a state issue. This is a national issue. We're just at the tip of the spear.
CAMEROTA: Well, it sounds like what you're saying is the president has called for more funding for this possible crisis in your state, but that Congress hasn't voted on it.
SCOTT: Well, I don't get off the hook by saying I asked my legislature to do something. They've got to figure out how to work together. Congress and the president have to work together to deal with this issue.
This is a national issue. We're dealing with it in our state. I'm going to allocate all the dollars I need to, but the federal government has not been a good partner.
CAMEROTA: You were talking about tourism. The CDC issuing this unprecedented warning about the Wynwood neighborhood there in Florida that, people can't be traveling there. That can't be good for tourist dollars.
SCOTT: You're right, Alisyn. It's a one-mile radius north of downtown Miami. But we have boots on the ground.
[06:55:01] We have local spraying. We're going to be doing some aerial spraying.
We are testing everybody there. We've already tested over 20,000 mosquitoes in our state, and not one of them have the Zika virus. So, we're doing everything we can to make sure everybody's informed but also to make sure we don't see a spread of this.
CAMEROTA: So, what are you telling Floridians today in terms of how to protect themselves?
SCOTT: Well, what we have been telling people since February. No standing water. Make sure you use bug repellant. This is a local mosquito. It's not going to go very far. So, you, by yourself, you can take care of your house. So, make sure
you're doing that. No standing water, wear longer sleeves, and wear bug repellant. If you do that, you should be able to control this.
CAMEROTA: Governor, while we have you, I want to ask you about what's going on inside the GOP today. There have been a couple of high profile Republicans, I'm thinking of congressman from New York, Richard Hanna, as well as CEO Meg Whitman, who have said not only are they not supporting Donald Trump, but in fact they're going to vote for Hillary Clinton.
What do you think is going on with the GOP?
SCOTT: Well, as you know, I'm the chairman of the super PAC that's spreading the ads right now. They're both on jobs. This election is going to be about jobs, just like my race in 2010. It's like my race in 2010. It's all going to be about jobs.
Hillary Clinton doesn't want the ad up that we have up because it talks about her saying she's fine with outsourcing. I'm not. I want the jobs in my state. Of course, we want them in my country. But she is.
She's okay with outsourcing to India and other places. I want the jobs here. This election is going to be about jobs. That's why I support Donald Trump. Hillary Clinton has never created a private sector job in her life. She had her chance to destroy ISIS. She failed. She does not support our military or law enforcement. Donald Trump will destroy ISIS. He'll build jobs.
CAMEROTA: I mean, Governor, you say this is all about jobs, but Donald Trump has been speaking about other things besides jobs, including this sort of war of words that he's gotten into with the Khan family, the father and mother of that fallen soldier.
Have there -- you were an early supporter of Donald Trump. Have there been moments lately in the past week or so that have given you some pause about your support?
SCOTT: So, Alisyn, I served in the U.S. navy. My father did all the combat jumps in the second World War. I appreciate everybody that puts on the uniform, that's willing to put their life at risk.
Here's what I know about Donald Trump. He believes in our military. He will support our military. I can't say that about Hillary Clinton. That's why it's an easy choice for me to support Donald Trump. Jobs, support our military, destroy is, take care of local law enforcement.
It's the opposite, Hillary has done none of those things.
CAMEROTA: You know, Senator John McCain, House Speaker Paul Ryan, and Senator Kelly Ayotte all supported Trump. Two of them, Paul Ryan and John McCain, endorsed him, but he's not returning the favor.
What do you think is going on in terms of their races? He's not saying that he necessarily supports them or endorses them. SCOTT: You know, Alisyn, I'm never going to agree with every
candidate on everything they do. I don't know the inside workings of every campaign, but what I look at is I need a partner in Washington. I need somebody that's going to say, I want lower taxes. I've cut taxes 55 times. Our federal government is not cutting taxes. I need someone that's going to cut regulation.
I hear every day about companies that the federal regulation is just strangling them. I need a partner in Washington that's going to say, I'm going to -- they're going to get up every day and say I care about jobs.
CAMEROTA: But do you think Donald Trump should endorse these fellow Republicans?
SCOTT: I do (ph) -- I mean, that's an issue for him. What I want to do is I want to make sure he gets elected so I have a partner in Washington so we get more jobs. We've added 1,127,000 jobs in our state. But just think about what we could do if I had somebody in Washington that cared about jobs.
CAMEROTA: Governor Scott, thanks so much for being on NEW DAY with all the information about Zika and more. Thank you.
SCOTT: Thanks, Alisyn. Have a good day.
CAMEROTA: You too.
We're following a lot of news this morning, so let's get right to it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TRUMP: He'll go down as the worst president in the history of our country.
OBAMA: He doesn't appear to have basic knowledge around critical issues. He's woefully unprepared.
TRUMP: Hillary Clinton will be worse. She's got a temperament of a loser.
CLINTON: We would like to see those tax returns, wouldn't we?
CAMEROTA: The Republican Party reportedly growing frustrated with their candidate.
TRUMP: I don't regret anything. I said nice things about the son.
KHIZR KHAN, FATHER OF FALLEN U.S. SOLDIER: If a soldier like Humayun can have that much empathy, where is that in the candidate of Republican party?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you know about the Zika virus that's going around?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anywhere in the U.S. where this mosquito is present, there is a risk.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I didn't know it was that bad.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mosquitoes may be resistant to the insecticides being sprayed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tell the community to protect themselves.
ANNOUNCER: This is "NEW DAY" with Chris Cuomo and Alisyn Camerota.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CAMEROTA: Good morning, everyone. Welcome to your NEW DAY. Chris is off this morning. John Berman joins me.
Great to have you here in studio.
BERMAN: Good morning.
CAMEROTA: There is trouble in the Trump campaign.
