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August Jobs Report; Obama Meets with Turkey's President; Colin Kaepernick Controversy; Beyond the Call of Duty. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired September 02, 2016 - 08:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:32:57] ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: We do have some more breaking news for you right now. The August jobs report has just been released. There are big numbers you'll remember in June and July. Did the momentum continue? Let's bring in CNN's chief business correspondent Christine Romans. She's looking at the numbers.

What do you see, Christine?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi there.

I see a month that wasn't quite as robust as the past two months, but it still is a solid 151,000 net new jobs. They always say the trend is what's important to watch here. So you can see over the summer taking together some solid job growth. So you're talking about - about 1.45 million jobs added so far this year.

The unemployment rate went up. We had expected it to go down because of how much hiring we've had. The unemployment rate went up. Why? When you dig within the numbers, it went up for the right reason. More people coming off the sidelines, people who weren't even looking for a job, suddenly they're seeing these headlines about a labor mark getting better, maybe they're hearing about their friends getting a job, they come off the sidelines, they enter the labor market and that pushes the unemployment rate up.

So these are numbers, I think, that will play out on the campaign trail, no question. I think team Trump will try to find some weaknesses in these numbers, show the number of people who are still working part-time but want to be working full time. That is still a problem in the labor market. But it's been a really interesting trend here. That's what's so

important. The trend is what's so important. And jobs have been added consistently now for several years here. About 1.5 million jobs added so far this year.

A quick note. August tends to be the weakest month of the year when it's first reported. It's something about the statistical nature of how this is done. And then, eventually, the August number has been revised up. So we'll see, there's a very good likelihood that you could see more strong, strong numbers in the future, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Thanks so much. JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Christine Romans, I will take it. Thank you so much.

ROMANS: OK.

BERMAN: President Obama heading to Asia right now. His last trip to the region while president. Among his stops is a meeting with President Erdogan of Turkey, who just, obviously stopped that huge coup attempt. CNN's Fareed Zakaria, host of "Fareed Zakaria GPS," he sat down with the president ahead of this trip and asked him if he is worried about Turkey's stability and its commitment to NATO?

[08:35:01] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We haven't seen a diminishing effect on our security relations. Turkey continues to be a strong NATO ally. They are working with us to defeat ISIL and are an important partner on a whole range security issues in the region. But, you know, no doubt what is true is that they've gone through a political and civil earthquake in their country and they've got to rebuild. And how they rebuild is going to be important. And what we want to do is indicate to them the degree to which we support the Turkish people. But like any good friend, we want to give them honest feedback if we think that the steps they're taking, they're going to be contrary to their long term interests and our partnership.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: And Fareed Zakaria joins us right now.

Fareed, President Obama has a lot riding on Turkey. Turkey, a nation that just survived an attempted coup attempt. Turkey, a nation with a leader right now who, I think, there are a lot of folks around the world, they have a lot of suspicions of President Erdogan right now. It was hard to tell if the president truly seems confident that he has the partner he wants.

FAREED ZAKARIA, HOST, CNN'S "FAREED ZAKARIA GPS": Well, you know, he began - we didn't show that part of the clip, but he began by outlining just how serious the coup was. And he actually compared it to Washington in the sense - he said imagine if we had something like this happen here. You would want to figure out what happened. You would want to go after the perpetrators. So he was indicating support.

But then he said, what I worry about is, Turkey is the - Erdogan came in as a reformer, and he implied that maybe he wasn't much of a democratic reformer anymore. Erdogan's foreign policy has been very erratic. And, remember, we have precious few serious partners in the war against ISIS in Syria who have real traction on the ground. Turkey does. Turkey neighbors Syria. It has a very powerful army, second largest army in NATO. So it's very important that Turkey may - you know, stay a strong NATO alley. It -we house nuclear weapons in Turkey. So it stay a strong partner in ISIS. And the president was being careful to express, you know, words of support. But if you listen - watch the body language -

BERMAN: Yes.

ZAKARIA: It wasn't a very enthusiastic vote of confidence.

BERMAN: No, I've seen him look a lot more comfortable than he did than when he was talking about Turkey right there.

Another area of discomfort for the president might be his signature trade deal, what he wants to be his signature trade deal. TPP, which depending on who you talk to, is simply dead in the water. Donald Trump's against it. Hillary Clinton's against it. A lot of his Republican partners in Congress who were actively advocating for it have all of a sudden disappeared. President Obama seems like the one guy out there still willing to fight for it.

ZAKARIA: And he's going - you're absolutely right, John, he's going to the G-20 and to Asia where a number of those Asian signatories to the TPP - Japan, Indonesia - did a lot of heavy lifting politically, fought a lot of political battles to sign up. Because, remember, those countries are much more closed than the U.S. market is, so they had to make a lot more concessions. They had to open up a lot.

And they've done it. They've taken those political risks and they will be wondering, well, can President Obama deliver? This is not just a signature trade deal for President Obama. This is the signature for his pivot to Asia, because the whole idea behind the TPP is, the United States and its allies will get to write the rules of trade and much more in the 21st century, in Asia, starting with TPP. If this doesn't work, you can be sure in a few years the Chinese are going to come up with their version of TPP. They already have a few of those and say no, no, no, we're going to write the rules for Asia in the 21st century.

BERMAN: So the Asian pivot was supposed to be a hallmark of the president's foreign policy. As he looks back on his nearly eight years in office, does he think the pivot actually happened?

ZAKARIA: Well, I think he'll - he will make the case and you'll hear it in the interview, that there's a lot more to the pivot than TPP. There is - you know, they've - they've opened a base in Australia that's strengthened security cooperation with Japan. They have new - new relations and ties with Vietnam. You know, there has been a kind of shoring up of the - of the alliances, a building of them. The move to - with India is quite significant. The Indians have rarely wanted to seem to be ganging up against the Chinese, but now they are. Again, China is helping with these aggressive actions, but -

BERMAN: Without TPP, it's hard to imagine it meets the expectations that he set for himself on that subject.

ZAKARIA: Right.

BERMAN: The president also has a really interesting meeting with the president of the Philippines. A guy who's ridiculously controversial, you know, homophobic, racist, other things having directly to do, in some cases, with the U.S. [08:40:03] ZAKARIA: It's a very sad situation because the Philippines

has been a very strong ally of the United States. The previous president was actually very tough on the Chinese. He was very, very - and very pro-American in the way he - he talked. This guy, I mean I hate to make comparisons, but there is a kind of Donald Trump element to him. He's just weird. He, you know, he says, as you said, these outlandish things. He's totally erratic. You don't know what you're going to get out of him. And it's troubling because the Philippines is at the front lines of dealing with the - these recent Chinese expansionist moves, you know. So will he suddenly start asking the U.S. to get involved in some controversies of his own making? Who knows? All of the reasons why we should be paying a lot of attention to Asia, because there are a lot of these great powers jostling against each other and then a small country like Philippines says, hey, help us, the United States may be on call.

BERMAN: And why we need to pay attention to this trip, too. It is an important one.

Fareed, you got a chance to talk to the president, you know, over his two terms in office. In general, what's his state of mind right now? We have about a minute left here.

ZAKARIA: He is very confident. I think the president feels as though he made some long-term bets, they're paying off. He is leaving office with one of the highest approval ratings, if not the highest approval rating of any president since Eisenhower. There's a little question about Clinton for a few months during impeachment. But he seems confident. He also seems still somewhat bitter about the lack of Republican cooperation.

BERMAN: It will be interesting to see how he feels about this. A lot, I think, rides on the election for him.

Fareed Zakaria, thanks so much. Appreciate you being here.

ZAKARIA: A pleasure.

BERMAN: All right, you can be sure to watch this interview with President Obama on "Fareed Zakaria GPS," that's Sunday, 10:00 Eastern Time, right here on CNN.

CAMEROTA: OK, John, we continue to track, of course, Tropical Storm Hermine and its powerful winds and the rain slamming the southeast.

Also another story that we've all been watching. San Francisco 49ers quarterback continuing his silent protest during the national anthem. And this time he was not alone. Is his protest getting more support?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:45:44] BERMAN: An update now on Tropical Storm Hermine. The storm is weakening as it moves inland. Winds still at about 60 miles per hour right now. The storm has toppled some trees and power lines. More than 100,000 customers without power, mostly in the Tallahassee area. This is Tampa. It's interesting. This is Tampa, which actually just got a dumping of rain and some serious winds and a very, very tail end of this storm. You can see the seas churning there. The center of Hermine is now over Georgia. More than 23 million people along the East Coast now under watches and warnings. The path of this storm, as we look out over the course of the week, pretty unpredictable, so stay tuned for more updates.

In the meantime, NFL star Colin Kaepernick speaking to reporters after being booed by the crowd in San Diego. This was the 49ers' final preseason game on military night in San Diego no less.

CAMEROTA: Once again, as you're about to see, Kaepernick did not stand for the national anthem. He also did not sit. He knelt with a teammate. It is also going to reveal that the quarterback has been wearing socks at training camp showing police officers as pigs. For more on all of this, let's bring in CNN's sports correspondent and former Atlanta Falcons and Buffalo Bills player Coy Wire, and former Minnesota Viking punter, Chris Kluwe.

Guys, thanks so much for being here.

So, Coy, let me start with you. The crowd booed him when he came out. What are his teammates feeling at this point about whether or not this is a distraction?

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Alisyn, you had the crowd booing as he came out on to the field. You also had them booing every time he touched the ball on a 16-play drive. So, clearly, there were people who were unhappy. But the thing that stood out to me, his teammates, to answer your question, were standing beside him when he chose to kneel during the national anthem. You had one teammate, Eric Green, who got down on a knee beside him. you had former NFL player and Army Green Beret Nate Boyer stand right next to him with his hand on his chest showing support of Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick had invited Boyer down to this game. They had an hour and a half conversation before the game after Kaepernick had read an op-ed piece that Boyer had written showing support of Kaepernick and his right to take a stand against this case. So, to me, seeing now how divisive a topic this is, you have the boos but you also have overwhelming support for Colin Kaepernick.

BERMAN: You know, Chris Kluwe, there's also now this issue over the socks that Colin Kaepernick had been wearing. Socks that have pigs on them right there. you know, pigs with officer's hats on. Obviously that - that is a derogatory depiction of police officers, a slur, if you will. Let me read you the statement that Colin Kaepernick said about this. He said, "I wore these socks in the past because the rogue cops that are allowed to hold positions in police departments not only put the community in danger but also the cops that have the right intentions in danger by creating an environment of tension and mistrust. So before these socks, were worn before I took my public stance or used to distract from the real issues, I wanted to address this issue immediately."

You know, a lot of people look at this and say, maybe he has the right - or he does have the right not to stand for the national anthem. That is your free speech right. But those socks, those socks perhaps offensive, Chris?

CHRIS KLUWE, RETIRED NFL PLAYER: Yes, I think the socks kind of take away from his message because he's kind of making the same mistake that a lot of other people make, in that lumping all members of one group into one profile. And, you know, I don't think that something like that necessarily helps a whole lot. But his underlying issue, he absolutely does have a point, that the, you know, police forces of the United States of America are not being held accountable when they mess up. And that's something that absolutely needs to start happening.

CAMEROTA: So, Chris, you agree with what he's doing? You're comfortable with him, you know, using his - the platform that he has as an athlete at games to make this stance?

KLUWE: Oh, yes, absolutely, because what people seem to forget is that football players, we don't just live in a bubble. You know, we are members of the society that we all live in. You know, we're human beings. We go home. We talk to our family, our friends. You know, we're on social media. And so we're affected by issues like this just as much as everyone else. But all you see us in are the jerseys and the helmets. And so it's kind of naive to think that, oh, you should just shut up and play the game because - well, no, we have to go home and live in this world at the end of the day.

[08:50:03] BERMAN: And you are in this bubble, Coy Wire. You were a professional football player, too. When you're in this bubble on the field, you are surrounded, in many cases, by a lot of law enforcement. I mean there are cops there at the stadium, in and around the stadium. Will this create an uncomfortable situation for Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers throughout the season with, in some cases, their own security?

WIRE: I think it is typical because, as Chris alluded to, this was a blanket indictment seemingly, right, of all police officers. But he did mention - he said that, I have family members and friends who are police officers and he has respect for those who do things the right way. But I agree that that was - he's going about this in a very harsh way, right? I mean he's essentially, by sitting during the national anthem, you might as well take the American flag and throw it on the ground. These are very drastic measures. People see that and they think disrespect to the military, no gratitude for lives lost for your freedoms. You see those socks and you think that Colin Kaepernick is throwing a blanket indictment on the men and women who are police officers in this country who serve in a very valiant and noble manner. So I think that's where he's really pushing some buttons.

You've seen other athletes stand up. You've seen LeBron James where an "I can't breathe" t-shirt in support of Eric Garner's - after he lost his life in a police brutality incident. And you've seen other athletes stand up as well. So I think that the way in which Colin Kaepernick is doing this is very blunt, very brazen and I think that's why a lot of people are having their feathers ruffled.

CAMEROTA: Colin - I'm sorry, Chris, what do you think Colin's future is? Do you think he's going to be cut by the team? KLUWE: I think he will be cut by the team. And it's unfortunate

because, you know, he still has plenty of skills left. He's still pretty young. And the more unfortunate part is that I don't think he's going to get a chance to catch on with other teams because he should have had at least a back-up role for another four to five years. I mean we're talking about a guy who was a pass away from winning a Super Bowl not that far ago. And I don't think that's going to happen based on my own personal experiences and what I've seen of how the NFL operates. And, yes, just hope it was - I hope it turns out differently.

BANFIELD: But meaning what? I mean so when you say your experience and how the NFL operates, you think that they don't - they don't want controversy and they'll get rid of him?

KLUWE: Yes, they don't want anyone speaking out on anything that's not football. And, you know, it doesn't matter what it is. I mean, you know, the prime counterexample is Tim Tebow, right? You know, and, obviously, Tim Tebow has his struggles as a quarterback, but the thing is, is that teams don't want players speaking out on anything at all. It's a very corporate environment.

BERMAN: No, it is interesting, right, the political stance may not matter, but the fact that you are taking a stance doing something other than football often gets you in trouble with these teams, that they just want to focus on the game itself.

Coy, what pressure do you think is on other African-American players throughout the league right now? Because some people, if they remain silent, may judge them on that?

WIRE: That' true. I think we all go about our own ways of supporting our causes. And I love that we have Chris Kluwe on here because he was champion for LGBT community and marriage equality and still is to this day. And I reached out to - for some perspective on this point that you bring up, John, to Brandon Nyenbedajo (ph). Three time pro bowler, Super Bowl champ with the Ravens. He was also a champion for marriage equality. And he said something very interesting to me. He said that Kaepernick is up something - up against a tough situation here because when you have players, athletes and celebrities even who stand up for causes that everyone loves - battling cancer, fighting childhood obesity, supporting the underprivileged, it's all love and we can do it more, more, more. But as soon as it's a touchy subject, topic like racial injustice, like marriage equality, then all it's a sudden, hey, be quiet, you're an athlete, not your place, stand down.

BERMAN: All right, Chris Kluwe, Coy Wire, thanks so much for being with us. Appreciate it, guys.

CAMEROTA: Thanks, guys, great to talk to you.

We do want to know what your take is. You can tweet us @newday or you can post your comment on facebook.com/newday. Love to hear your thoughts on that.

BERMAN: All right, now we have an incredible rescue. A boat capsizes. A mother makes a desperate call to 911 saying her two-year-old is still in the water. Then three officers jump in. Did they save the day?

CAMEROTA: I really hope so.

BERMAN: Come on back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:57:58] BERMAN: All right, a Florida couple's boat capsizes. Their nearly two-year-old daughter nowhere in sight. Two officers rush to the scene and then go "Beyond the Call of Duty" to save her.

CNN's Nick Valencia has their story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK VALENCIA CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's Friday night near Cocoa Beach, Florida, and Brian Bosard and his wife Tammy are in trouble.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): I need the ETA on the dive team. Can anybody advise ETA on the dive team?

VALENCIA: Police infrared video shows the parents standing on their capsized boat. Minutes before they accidentally hit a guide wire in the water causing the boat to flip. Their seven-month-old baby, Charlotte, is safe in mom's arms, but their nearly two-year-old daughter Kennedy is nowhere in sight.

TAMMY BOSARD (voice-over): I'm in the river. My boat crashed and I have a baby still in the water. Please, God, send someone now.

VALENCIA: Lucky for the Bosards, these three Cocoa Police Department officers got the call.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, coming about. Hold on.

VALENCIA: Matthew Rush is the first one on the scene.

MATTHEW RUSH, BREWARD COUNTY COAST GUARD: The first thing that goes through your mind is, it's not going to be good.

VALENCIA: He strips his uniform, jumps from a pier into the water and heads to find the missing baby. He's joined by Corporal Allen Worthy and Sergeant Michael Dilator in the department's boat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're looking and we can't find anything. We're finding debris.

VALENCIA: The desperate search lasts for nearly an hour. Officers make multiple dives searching for Kennedy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not expecting a good outcome of this, you know? I'm preparing to find a two-year-old that may not be in good shape.

VALENCIA: And just when hope begins to fade -

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I head right up to the boat. I listened for a second and I heard her make a noise. It was more of like a whimper or a soft cry. At that point I told Sgt. Dilator, I said, she's under the boat. We've got her.

VALENCIA: Officer Rush dives in one more time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the next thing I see is just this child exploding up out of the water from the pressure from being pulled up with the - the life jacket on.

VALENCIA: Baby Kennedy survives floating in an air pocket under the boat for 45 minutes. She escapes with only minor cuts and bruises. Her parents call it a miracle.

BRIAN BOSARD, FATHER: It's our world. These girls are our world. And that - and we've - you know, without one of them, we just didn't know what we - what we would do, you know? You know, we can't thank them enough.

[09:00:00] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's what we do. It's another day in the Cocoa PD.

VALENCIA: Nick Valencia, CNN, Cocoa, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMEROTA: Oh, my God.

BERMAN: Yes, seeing that girl run around, what a cite that is. Wonderful.

CAMEROTA: I'm going to start crying. That is a miracle. Thank God for those angels too.