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Sanders Surrogate for Clinton; America's Safety 15 Years After 9/11; Fighting Bulimia; Florida in 2016. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired September 07, 2016 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00] CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: They would vote for Hillary Clinton, not Donald Trump.

JEFF WEAVER, FMR. CAMPAIGN MANAGER, BERNIE SANDERS CAMPAIGN: Right.

CUOMO: But what we're seeing in the election is, can you get the people who need to be enthusiastic out? We - in our latest poll, she seems weak on that score. Can Bernie help?

WEAVER: Well, I think he can, Chris. And this is why. I - unfortunately, this campaign has now devolved into a who lies more or who's the worse candidate. I think we have to get back to a discussion of who's the better candidate. And I think what you saw when Bernie Sanders ran in his primary race, he was very much focused on the issues and the issues that affect people's lives. And that's what enthused people, you know, dealing with the - raising the minimum wage, dealing with the cost of health care, dealing with the cost of - high cost of college education, dealing with climate change, dealing with issues of war and peace. If we can get back to a discussion of those issues and which candidate is better on those issues, and clearly that's Hillary Clinton, I think that we will start to build the enthusiasm that the Clinton campaign is going to need for the fall.

CUOMO: Is Bernie Sanders compromised at all in making the positive case for Clinton because of what he said against Clinton, some of which, as you know, Trump is now rerunning and his surrogates parrot about her judgment, about whether or not she did things that were on the up and up?

WEAVER: Well, look, you have a race now where you have two candidates, one of whom is going to be president. It's Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. Those are your choices. As you know, I supported Bernie Sanders. I thought he would have been the best of all the candidates running. I still do. But he's not one of the final contenders.

So you have Hillary Clinton and you have Donald Trump. And as the senator just said in the clip you ran, hands down, Hillary Clinton is a superior candidate on all the issues I just listed, on all the issues that the senator ran on, that Bernie Sanders ran on, and cares about Hillary Clinton is far better than Donald Trump. It's not even a close race. So people who supported Bernie sanders, if you want to move forward on these issues, if you want to raise the minimum wage, if you want to deal with the high cost of college education, if you want to deal with climate change, your choice between those two candidates is clearly Hillary Clinton.

CUOMO: But what do you say to those who respond to the Trump message that I am more like Bernie Sanders? I am the outsider. I reject the system as it is. I will make wholesale change, especially where money in politics is involved. Hillary Clinton can't match that.

WEAVER: Well, look, Chris, I - I - Donald Trump is nothing like Bernie Sanders. Bernie Sanders has fought for working people his entire life, sought to create progressive change in this election and has created a grassroots movement across the country looking for progressive change. Donald Trump has been a self-interested business person his entire life. He is not interested in the little - the little person. You know, he thinks wages are too high. He thinks climate change is a hoax. He may want change, but it's going to be change in the wrong direction.

CUOMO: Lukewarm. That's the word that "The Boston Herald" used to describe Sanders' argument for Clinton. Is that fair?

WEAVER: No, I absolutely reject that. I think the senator has been very clear that he strongly supports Secretary Clinton to be the next president of the United States. I think if you heard his convention speeches in support of Hillary Clinton, I don't think - I think that that is a very unfair characterization. But "The Boston Herald" has not always been a friend of Bernie Sanders, let's put it that way.

CUOMO: How come Sanders doesn't have a bigger role in a potential Clinton government? Why hasn't that been maximized after those who wanted to see Sanders in leadership, that will become part of the Clinton administration? Has there been any talk about that, about a post for Bernie, a cabinet position for Bernie? Does he want that?

WEAVER: No, I - look, he is a senior senator in the United States Senate. I mean not only are we going to elect Hillary Clinton in the fall, we're going to take back the Senate. The Democrats will be in control. He will be chair of the Senate Budget Committee, maybe a different committee. He will be in a very powerful position to help move the issues that he talked about on the campaign trail. And as you know, there were discussions between Senator Sanders and Secretary Clinton on a number of these issues and they came to agreement around college education, providing free tuition at public colleges and universities for families under $125,000 a year. And as a senior senator in a Democratically controlled Senate, he will be able to help move that with the support of the Clinton administration.

CUOMO: Jeff Weaver, appreciate you making the case from the Sanders perspective here on NEW DAY. Thanks for having us.

WEAVER: Always glad to do it. Thank you.

CUOMO: Appreciate it.

Alisyn.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Chris, in just a few days, we will mark 15 years since the 9/11 terror attacks. Up next, we will talk to the chairs of the 9/11 Commission about whether the U.S. is safer today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:38:36] CAMEROTA: This Sunday marks 15 years since the September 11th attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people. What happened in the fight against terror in those 15 years, and are we safer today than we were then?

Joining us now, former New Jersey Governor Tom Kean, and former Indiana Congressman Lee Hamilton. They are the chair and vice chair of the 9/11 Commission, which released, of course, a full report on this attack back in 2004.

Gentlemen, thank you so much for being here.

Governor, let me start with you. Let's just start with that question, are we safer today than we were 15 years ago?

TOM KEAN, CHAIRMAN, 9/11 COMMISSION: Well, we're safer in the homeland. We've done a - spent millions of dollars, done a lot of improvements. Our intelligence agencies are talking to each other. I mean there's a lot of improvements. And we haven't had a large scale attack certainly on the size of 9/11. So we're safer from that point of view.

But we've had smaller attacks. We've had many more attacks around the world than we had even 15 years ago. So we're still - we're still worried. We're not winning the fight yet. We're simply holding our own.

CAMEROTA: Congressman, is that your conclusion as well? I mean after things like San Bernardino, Orlando, Fort Hood, you know, many Americans don't feel safer today certainly than they did 15 years ago. What's your assessment?

LEE HAMILTON, VICE CHAIRMAN, 9/11 COMMISSION: 9/11 was a very traumatic day in the history of America. We lost more people than at any other day in the history of the country. Three thousand people. We haven't, as Tom suggested, had anything like that. So we have made progress in protecting the homeland. Although we've had some serious glitches in the - in the Boston Marathon cases and other cases. So we have to keep our guard up. The threat is serious. It is urgent. It is real. And we have to get better at everything we're now doing. And we are doing a lot. The threat has evolved.

[08:40:35] CAMEROTA: Yes.

HAMILTON: We think - we think less likelihood of a massive attack, like 9/11. More likely the kinds of things that happened in Orlando and California.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

HAMILTON: Those are very, very difficult to guard against.

CAMEROTA: And that's the fear. I mean that is what obviously send a shiver down the spine of so many of our intelligence officials. What is the answer, governor, to the self-radicalization problem that we've seen here in those cases?

KEAN: Well, we think we've - we've basically only done half the job. By that I mean we've protected the homeland very well. We've created a hard shell around us. These attacks have gotten through. There will be more that get through with these kind of small, self-generated attacks of people who've been ideologically convinced of al Qaeda's case. But we haven't done the whole other side of it. Around the world, the terrorism threat has metastasized. It's in more areas. Around the world there's a six fold increase in terrorist attacks from even 10 or 15 years ago.

CAMEROTA: That's scary to hear.

KEAN: That's - yes. So -

CAMEROTA: So where have we fallen down on the job?

KEAN: Well, I believe, and I think Lee believes, that we've only done half. In other words, we haven't really attacked the ideology. We've done a very good job with our military, a very good job with our internal security, but we haven't really used all our efforts, economic efforts, ideological efforts, cultural efforts, all of that, to go after the ideology and defeat it once and for all. Until we do that, we're not going to be safe.

CAMEROTA: And we've heard that many times, congressman, you can't bomb an ideology. And it's the ideology that persists and continues to be so dangerous. So what's the answer? What's your solution to tapping the ideology?

HAMILTON: Well, part of it is to go on the offense. We've got a wonderful story to tell. We treat people decently. We believe in liberty and freedom and we've got to get that message out to begin to erode the attractiveness of the violent deaths like ideology that ISIS and others represent. So we have to state our own case forcefully.

Secondly, we have to get much better at dealing with this threat. It begins with a citizen. In many respects, the first line of defense is to, if you see something, say something. It begins with encouraging the Muslim community in this country and around the world to cooperate. It begins with a much sharper intelligence than we now have. We've made a lot of progress here. We have a national counterterrorism that has awesome capabilities that are getting better at identifying the targets, and the people. They cannot yet identify when the attacks will occur.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

HAMILTON: So in better intelligence is part of it.

CAMEROTA: And - and -

HAMILTON: Look, there are a lot of things we're doing that we just need to do better. CAMEROTA: And, governor, very quickly, what is your plan to do better?

KEAN: Well, we're going to get a group together of intelligence experts out of the bipartisan center in Washington. Lee and I are going to chair it. And we're going to try and prepare a report for the new president on the various things that we should be doing and have to do and - if we're going to beat this threat ideologically, and we're going to kill this ideology once and for all. Until we do that, we're not going to be safe and we're not going to be successful.

CAMEROTA: Sounds like that report will be valuable. Governor Kean and Congressman Hamilton, thank you very much for being on with us and looking back and seeing where we are today 15 years later. Thank you.

KEAN: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: We have a quick programming note. Join us Sunday night at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, CNN Films presents "9/11: 15 Years Later," an updated look at the iconic film with the only known footage from inside the Twin Towers.

CUOMO: Still so hard to watch for so many.

Now, this convention, no matter how you look at it, it's unconventional. Now the question is, is it going to come down to not just the swing states, but maybe just one state. Maybe just Florida, like it did back in 2000. We'll take a look.

CAMEROTA: But first, a woman struggling with bulimia could not find the help she needed until an unexpected turning point from shelter dog saved her life. CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has more on this.

[08:45:03] (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHANNON KOPP: I remember it was one night where my father was missing and my mother and sister were having an argument at the table, and I just started eating and eating and eating and could not stop. Just wanted to kind of shut down the emotions. And went upstairs for the first time and threw up.

I'm Shannon Kopp, writer, eating disorder survivor and animal advocate.

My childhood was a bit chaotic. My father became an alcoholic. The home started being an unpredictable place to be at times.

The bulimia started just before my 17th birthday. I didn't realize that within eight years I would be hospitalized. I couldn't think straight. It hurt for me to swallow. And as I started battling suicidal thoughts, I would find that I could be nowhere but inside of a dog habitat to calm down.

Good girl.

The San Diego Humane Society is the most special place in the world to me. And the comfort of an animal is what really rescued me from myself. I'll celebrate seven years free from bulimia. I work at a residential eating disorder treatment center. I help people who are looking for treatment find the care that they need. I wanted to be the voice on the other line saying, yes, we can help you. And that has changed my life.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:50:17] CAMEROTA: Sixty-two days until election Day and many are pointing to the possibility that the 2016 race could come down to the historic crucial swing state of Florida again.

Joining us now to discuss is long time "Miami Herald" columnist Carl Hiaasen, whose latest satirical novel, "Razer Girl," predicted some of the themes in this real life election.

Carl, great to have you here.

CARL HIAASEN, "MIAMI HERALD" COLUMNIST: Thanks for having me.

CAMEROTA: What themes did you predict?

HIAASEN: Chaos. No, I mean, there's an element of the novel that has a - has a sort of a reality TV star in it who has - attracts a certain strident right wing white support system and -

CAMEROTA: That seems like a jackpot of a theme that you hit on here.

HIAASEN: Yes. I - when I wrote it, I had no idea. I had no idea a real "Duck Dynasty" guy would be addressing the GOP national convention in the year 2016. I mean Tom Wolfe couldn't have dreamed that up. It's too good to be true.

CUOMO: "Bonfire of the Vanities."

HIAASEN: Yes.

CUOMO: Writ large.

So what the hell's going on here when you look at the election? What's going on in the country? What is the dynamic that you see?

HIAASEN: I think it's - I think it's both complicated and simple. I think you have a great performer, terrific performer, stand-up guy in Donald Trump, and I think you have a lot of people that really think there's going to be a wall built, which is not going to happen. But they - you know, he taps into that, you know, we can do this sort of thing. And it - and - and I do think there's discontent. I think there's anger. And I think, to some extent, this candidacy has given hate a home, which is a little terrifying. But, I mean, we - we see - you all see him as a - as a New Yorker and we see him as a Floridian, at his mansion down there. And I think he's going to carry about as many votes in Palm Beach County as he - as he will in Manhattan. I don't, you know, he's going to get his butt kicked in his own county where he lives down there, but -

CAMEROTA: You do?

HIAASEN: Yes. Sure.

CAMEROTA: Why?

HIAASEN: I think Florida is very tough for him. Florida is a tough - it's diverse, for one thing. I mean if you - one way he could win is if they change the election day and they don't tell African-Americans, Hispanics or women.

CAMEROTA: Keep it a secret.

HIAASEN: Keep it a secret. He's got a shot. But those - if those groups show up, he's in trouble.

CUOMO: When you - the magic you're able to capture is the idea of reconciling reality with parity, right?

HIAASEN: Yes.

CUOMO: And when you - and when you do your columns, you're often trying to do that as well in terms of understanding the manufacturer of zeitgeist.

HIAASEN: Yes.

CUOMO: How do you think we got here?

HIAASEN: I don't know. I didn't predict it. I don't - I don't think very many people did. But -

CUOMO: I'm not talking to you as Nostradamus. I'm talking to you as Carl, you know, understanding the culture dynamic.

CAMEROTA: Well -

HIAASEN: I think - I think you've got another thing going on. I think you've got two very unpopular candidates happening. So it's - it's not a question of numbers going up or certain numbers going down. Secondly, I think you have a guy who came to life for America on reality TV, which is a relatively new cultural thing. You know, when you're writing satire, you're looking for targets. But you're looking for targets that you can actually improve on in satire. Now we've got targets that are truly larger than you could have invented in fiction. And that - to that point, I don't know how we got there. It makes my job a hell of a lot tougher, though, because you're trying to be funny and take it - crank it up a notch and it's already cranked up.

CAMEROTA: Yes, when truth is stranger than fiction, it's hard for a novelist.

HIAASEN: No, it is, and especially in Florida, where everything is bizarre and everything is warped and you always expect the worst and then you're never disappointed. CAMEROTA: What are Floridians saying about their role in this upcoming

election and whether or not all eyes will be there?

HIAASEN: Every four years we live and dread we're going to have some responsibility for what happens. Ever since 2000, we would rather not be involved. We feel very lucky that we're still allowed to vote after what happened in 2000. We - and every year we pray that it's going to be Ohio or Pennsylvania, another swing state. But the idea that the whole future of the republic could come down to what happens in Florida in November terrifies all of us. We're all worried that this -

CUOMO: Why do you love "Razor Girl"?

HIAASEN: Why do I love it? I mean I - I love certain characters. And I love the lead character. She's a scammer, but she's brilliant, smart, and - and, again, sort of pulled out of the headlines of real life. I like to sort of poach the headlines for stories.

CAMEROTA: Why? Who's this person modelled on?

HIAASEN: Well, there was a - very highly unusual traffic accident in the Keys a few years ago involving a woman who crashed into a car pool of tourists and the woman driver was doing some personal grooming at the time of the accident.

CAMEROTA: Oh, dear.

HIAASEN: Not texting while driving.

CAMEROTA: Uh-huh.

HIAASEN: And I just thought that's a scene that belongs in a novel. I mean, so I just put it in a file and I couldn't figure out where to put it in a novel, so I said, what the hell, I'll just start a novel with it and see what happens. It's not - it isn't a literary discussion, it's just me looking at clippings saying, that's sick enough to put in a crime book. That will do the job.

[08:55:02] CAMEROTA: Oh, that's great. Oh, a prediction of what's going to happen? Our producer wants you to make a prediction of what is going to happen. Go ahead. You're imaginative.

HIAASEN: What's going to happen is, if Trump wins, I think real estate values in Canada and the Bahamas are going to go up significantly, right? There will be some immigration going on. But I don't know. I think - I worry about the hacking thing that's come up, the Russian hacking. And I think - because of Florida, I think if you're going to hack any place - if you're the Russians and you're looking at a map of Florida, you think, where is the goofiest place that they're going to - you're going to be able to - to affect the election, I think you start in Florida. So that's - I'm worried about that. I do worry about that.

CAMEROTA: For real? That is one of (INAUDIBLE).

HIAASEN: Yes. Yes, yes, it could happen. I could - a six-year-old kid could do it.

CAMEROTA: All right.

HIAASEN: Forget Putin. I mean I'm worried, not just - an elementary school class doing it.

CAMEROTA: All right. Well, let's hope that your prediction is just fictitious. Carl Hiaasen, the book is "Razor Girl." Thanks so much for coming in and talking to us about all of this.

HIAASEN: Thank you (INAUDIBLE).

CUOMO: It doesn't get much better than Carl, but we still have "The Good Stuff," next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: Good stuff. One man's life led to a truly extraordinary gift in death. Listen to this.

[09:00:00] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People are super excited.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was a large donation and came as a total surprise.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: What was it? Robert Morin was a University of New Hampshire alumnus. After graduating he worked at the school's library for nearly 50 years and saved his money.