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Trump & Clinton Face Off in Final Debate Tonight; Dodgers Take 2-1 NLCS Lead Over Cubs; Protest Turns Violent Outside U.S. Embassy in Philippines. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired October 19, 2016 - 06:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:32:48] ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: All eyes on tonight's final presidential debate. So, what strategies will Trump and Clinton use? What should they do?

We have our own rapid fire mock debate for you. We have CNN political analyst and editor in chief of "Daily Beast", John Avlon, and CNN political commentator and former George W. Bush White House staffer Margaret Hoover, and in a bit of brilliant casting switch up, Margaret is going to be playing Donald Trump and you are going to be playing Hillary Clinton.

I mean, are you going to be doing impersonations or just channeling them?

MARGARET HOOVER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It may -- we're going to channel, but may work into the accent and the intonation as we get going.

CAMEROTA: Very good.

JOHN AVLON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: We've been practicing all night.

HOOVER: In our sleep.

CAMEROTA: Disturbing.

(LAUGHTER)

CAMEROTA: And you have done presidential mock debates in the past. So, you are the perfect person. Both of you to come to.

OK. Let's talk about the topics that are sure to come up tonight. Number one, accusations from women against Donald Trump.

What should Donald Trump say tonight, Margaret?

HOOVER: Well, we know he'll say I have the greatest respect for women and nobody respects me more than women.

But what he should say is, he should really focus on the policy details of how he is going to make lives for American women better. He should say I support six months paid maternity leave for women, because women need to be paid fairly for the hard work they do. And they have an extra burden.

By demonstrating empathy for the plight of women in America, he can ease the fears that women who are watching have seen about his potential misogyny.

CAMEROTA: OK. So, if it comes up, he pivots away, as Margaret suggested from what might have happened to what he plans to do for women. How does Hillary respond to that?

AVLON: I think Hillary is likely to go aspirational to talk about how, you know, she has been so inspired that her campaign has inspired so many women and girls that that is a special responsibility. And she sidesteps sexual assault entirely because of the Bill factor.

But I think what she should do is go directly at Donald Trump from the last debate, and say, in the last debate, America heard Donald Trump say that nobody respects women more than him. As we keep learning every day with every new allegation, that's just one more thing about Donald Trump that isn't true.

CAMEROTA: OK. But you don't think that she will actually go for the jugular in that way.

AVLON: I don't. I think she's going to side step it because of the potential vulnerability.

CAMEROTA: OK. Fitness to be president is something that is sure to come up.

[06:35:00] So, Margaret, what will Donald Trump say about his fitness to be president?

HOOVER: I think he's going to demonstrate that, he's going to go biography, right? He's going to say, I built a billion dollar industry, I have people who testify every day to how it is to work for me.

He's going to probably cite people and he should probably cite people from his convention speech, Tom Barrack, for example, the very successful sort of third party validator, right? Somebody who said, I've done business with Donald Trump and I've see how he has built his business, who can act as sort of a character witness for him. I think that's probably Trump's best route.

CAMEROTA: OK, character. When character comes up, what should Clinton do and what do you think she will do?

AVLON: I think she's first of all going to go biography, talk about a lifetime of service from the Children's Defense Fund to first lady, Senate, secretary of state. But I think she should also talk about how character is something that happens when nobody's watching, and that, you know, she's seen the decisions up close in quiet moments and that requires a degree of trust. And she may not have everybody's trust right now, but that's the essential factor, not in the radicant (ph).

CAMEROTA: Chris Wallace, the moderator, has not said that one of the topics tonight will be the rigged political system, or election system, but that is sure to come up because Donald Trump made an issue of it on the campaign trail.

What should Donald Trump say about that tonight?

HOOVER: Here's what's interesting, Alisyn, when he gets in rallies, his rhetoric gets much more ratcheted up and much more severe in terms of the future of America's political system. That's when the rigged political system comes up. But when Donald Trump is in the format of a very civilized debate, he tends to water down that really ratcheted up rhetoric. So, I don't think he's going to say it is a rigged political system.

I think what he's going to say, I'm not the one who is saying it is rigged. Bernie Sanders is saying it's rigged. Elizabeth Warren is saying it's rigged. There are people who feel disenfranchised and then he'll probably say, I encourage all my supporters to go to the polls and watch our political system and participate in it. He is going to take the water down path, if he's smart, because that will tamp down on all the criticism that he's getting.

CAMEROTA: What does Hillary say?

AVLON: I think Hillary, first of all, says it's incredibly dangerous for candidates to be saying that the outcome is illegitimate. America's political system for all its faults is the envy of the world and we need to understand that.

However, we need to recognize it's not perfect and we need to take proactive steps to solve what's wrong and that's why I support election reform and get specific. Open primaries. You know, appeal to the disaffected voters in that way. But talk about how a candidate running down America's system is running down what's best about America.

CAMEROTA: OK, one topic we know will come up tonight, immigration. So, what does Donald Trump say tonight? His closing pitch, basically, to the American people in this form at least about immigration?

HOOVER: Again, like he's not going to talk with the really elevated rhetoric that he does in rallies. He's going to water it down and try to make his policy proposals feel more humanized because that's what he does in these debates. He sort of reflects back the tone of the audience. The tone of the audience is serious.

So, I think he's going to put a serious patina on his "build a wall" rhetoric. So, I think he's going to say, look, we need rules. We need laws. We're a country of laws. We need a real immigration policy.

AVLON: This is Trump all grown up, but I think Hillary Clinton says, look, here's the clearest contrast. It's walls versus bridges. I think what she should do, however, is go even further and go personal, and talk about how Donald Trump's family and her family are immigrants. Their vice presidents are Irish-Americans and not so long ago, the original know nothing movement was sought to restrict Irish immigration.

So, we need to remember our history and then also go policy with regard to Republicans who supported comprehensive immigration reform. Drive that wedge within the Republican Party on substance.

CAMEROTA: We should mention, neither of you guys are surrogates.

HOOVER: The hardest thing you had us do.

CAMEROTA: I know. That was so good. You guys really did study last night because you don't support these candidates, but maybe they are listening to you.

HOOVER: They should.

CAMEROTA: Maybe they'll say those words tonight on the debate stage.

John, Margaret, thank you very much.

Stay with CNN for live coverage of tonight's debate beginning at 4:00 p.m. Eastern. Be sure to watch the debate right here on CNN, 9:00 p.m. Eastern.

Chris?

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Certainly, they would both have much lower negatives if they were more like the Hoovalon.

All right. So, in other news, the National League Championship heading to L.A. The Dodgers and Cubs squaring off in game three. Did the home field advantage help? We've got the answer in our bleacher report, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:42:57] CAMEROTA: Time now for the five things to know for your NEW DAY.

Number one, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will face off tonight in their final debate. Both candidates facing controversies that are certain to show up in their showdown.

CUOMO: A would-be suicide bomber killed in the Turkish capital of Ankara during a shoot out with anti-terror forces. Authorities say the suspect with possible ties to ISIS refused demands to surrender. They say explosives were found inside the suspect's home.

CAMEROTA: The search is on for four men suspect of targeting a female student in a shooting outside of a San Francisco high school. Four students were shot Tuesday. The female victim is in critical condition.

CUOMO: Ecuador temporarily cutting out WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's Internet access at its embassy in London. Ecuadorian leaders say they do believe Assange who's trying to influence the U.S. election following its release of damaging e-mails from Hillary Clinton's campaign.

CAMEROTA: Take a look at this, Chris. President Obama hosting his final state dinner honoring Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, the first lady dazzling at the star-studded affair in a floor length rose gold Atelier Versace chainmail gown.

CUOMO: Very nice.

CAMEROTA: That's a mouthful.

CUOMO: Very nice. My brother was there.

CAMEROTA: And what did he wear?

CUOMO: Same thing.

CAMEROTA: Wow.

CUOMO: Awkward.

CAMEROTA: Awkward. Embarrassing.

For more on the five things to know you can go to newday/ something something dot-com.

CUOMO: All right. Billy goats, black cats, Bartman and now this. Is it time for panic for Chicago Cubs fans? You thought it was a Halloween gag.

CAMEROTA: I do.

CUOMO: But no, there's a lot of mythology when it comes to baseball.

Hines Ward has more in this morning's "Bleacher Report".

What do you see, my friend?

HINES WARD, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, I don't know it's too early to talk about the panic button, but I'm sure the fans of Chicago, they're starting to feel a little nervous, because you remember, it's been 100 years since the Cubs have won the World Series.

Now, nothing went as planned for the Cubbies last night. Dodgers catcher who hasn't had a two-run homer off the Cubs star pitcher Jake Arrieta.

[06:45:00] Cubs fans are saying, oh, no, here we go. And Dodgers pitcher Rich Hill, he wasn't even in the Majors over a year ago. He pitched the game of his life. Dodgers win, 6-0, to take a 2-1 series lead. Game four is tonight at 8:00 Eastern.

And then in the ALCS, the Blue Jays won yesterday to stay alive. They're down 3-1 to the Indians. Game five on TBS 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time today.

Now, Coach Belichick, Head Coach Belichick, he's fed up, he's tired of using the Microsoft tablets on the sidelines say they're too undependable.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL BELICHICK, PATRIOTS COACH: I'm going to stick with pictures which several of our other coaches do as well, because they're just isn't enough consistency in the performance of the tablets. And so, I just can't take it anymore.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WARD: The league supplies tablets to all the NFL teams and Coach Belichick, he did announce yesterday that he's going to be a new grandpa. So, maybe, I don't know, maybe his grandkids can kind of show him how to use the tablet some time because he's old school. He's old school.

CUOMO: He's old school, and why does the league have to give him tablets? Like, the teams don't make enough money?

Anyway, Hines Ward, thank you very much.

CAMEROTA: Thanks, Hines.

WARD: You're welcome.

CAMEROTA: All right. I think it's fair to say the 2016 race has been unprecedented. Next, we will examine some of the presidential ways have achieved things never before seen.

WARD: Also, overnight, violence outside the U.S. embassy in the Philippines. What led up to what you're seeing on your screen right now? We have a live update from there, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:50:48] CAMEROTA: We do have some breaking news. We want to show you these protests outside the U.S. embassy in Manila. They have turned violent, as a thousand demonstrators clashed with police. The protesters support the foreign police of their new president, Rodrigo Duterte, who has not minced words, of course, about President Obama.

CNN's Alexandra Field is live in Hong Kong with all of the breaking details.

Tell us what you're seeing, Alexandra?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Alisyn.

First of all, fair warning to our viewers here that this video does get graphic and it does get violent. But it shows the tensions that erupted outside of the U.S. embassy in Manila earlier today when this crowd about 1,000 people gathered. That's a police van that you see there accelerating and backing up into the throng of people and moving forward, trampling some people in the crowd. You can see at least one person caught under the wheels of that van.

This all started, the police are saying, after a group had surrounded that van and some images would show hitting the van with sticks. At one point, the police unleashed tear gas, and they used water to try to break up this crowd. The crowd was demonstrating outside the embassy, at one point throwing red paint on the embassy.

This is a group that says the Philippines foreign policy with the U.S. is unequal. They're calling for greater separation.

This very violent scene broke out, though, while the Philippines president, Rodrigo Duterte, is on his state visit to China. He's there to try and strengthen ties with China on the heels of several tirades during which the Philippines president, Rodrigo Duterte, has said -- threatened to break up with its staunch ally, the U.S. Even at one point saying that President Obama could, quote, "go to hell". This was his response to widespread criticisms coming from the U.S. about the Philippines current war on drugs -- Alisyn, Chris.

CAMEROTA: Oh, my gosh. Alexandra, what video. That was so shocking to see the police trying to run over the protesters there.

Alexandra, thank you for that reporting.

CUOMO: A little bit of the good news is it seemed like people kept getting up despite being hit by that truck. And that video was looped. So, that wasn't a constant flow of people being trampled. We were showing you this one scene repeatedly.

So, we'll find out if there are injuries reported. We'll find out if there are injuries reported. We'll tell you about it, but that is the reality on the ground right now.

All right. Another piece of reality to deal with what will happen tonight, the final presidential debate. Everyone who knows anything knows that this election has been like anything else that we've seen in a long time and not in a good way, historic new lows. Candidates who openly call each other terrible things all the time.

Here to discuss, CNN media analyst Bill Carter and CNN political analyst David Gregory.

We can deal with this within the purview of us as journalists and dealing with it.

Bill, first of all, safe assumption, never seen anything like Trump. You can compare to McCarthy. He was never a presidential nominee. It was never this ugly. The level of steady rhetoric and the impact on the media in terms of how we do our jobs and how we're judged for our jobs never been like this.

BILL CARTER, CNN MEDIA ANALYST: No, never like this and partly because even though there has been one thing after another that we haven't seen before and gets reported on, it doesn't have the impact you would expect, because the media's position has been eroded in a way. There's a group that will not believe any of the things that are reported. They just reject them.

I mean, they're rejecting all of these claims, for example, by these women. They don't care that there is a presidential candidate saying I prefer the leadership of a dictator who's hostile to the United States. That's not resonating. It's quite remarkable, actually.

CAMEROTA: OK. So, David, that's one unprecedented, it's the relationship with the media and, of course, another unprecedented thing is that this election seems to be taking place often in a fact- free zone. Exhibit "A" was Trump supporter Newt Gingrich, former speaker, of course. I interviewed him about the level of violence in this country.

Let me remind everybody of what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: But violent crime across the country is down. We're not under siege in the way that we were in say the '80s.

NEW GINGRICH (R), FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER: The average American looking at Dallas policemen. Look at the list of cities, states he listed.

[06:55:01] The average American, I will bet you this morning, does not think crime is down. Does not think they are safer.

CAMEROTA: But it is. We are safer and it is down.

GINGRICH: No, that's your view. I just told --

CAMEROTA: These are FBI facts, statistics.

GINGRICH: What I said is also a fact. What I said is equally true. People feel more threatened.

CAMEROTA: They feel it, but the facts don't support it.

GINGRICH: As a political candidate, I'll go with how people feel and I'll let you go to theoreticians.

(EDND VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: There you go, David.

DAVID GREGORY, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes. I mean, it's a perfect illustration of a fractured media environment and a polarized country politically. We can't even agree on what the facts are, let alone what the remedies are, which is tremendously challenging in a political environment and leads what I think the former speaker is alluding to, which is the candidates are talking about feeling and are talking about their own version of facts.

Crime statistics can famously be spun in a particular direction. So, can facts about Medicare or Medicaid, entitlement programs and other areas. Because we have a fractured media environment that leads people to be able to confirm their viewpoint on demand by choosing how news and information comes to them.

And I would add one other thing to what Bill said which is we have a candidate in Donald Trump who has met the media moment. If you think to FDR and his use of fireside chats really dominating the medium of radio, Reagan, Kennedy, and television.

Here you have Donald Trump mastering social media in a way that we haven't seen before, and exposing all the seams in media. Taking advantage of how diffuse it is to directly reach his supporters and creating a multiplier effect because of how we in the media cover his Twitter feed in a way we've never seen before.

CUOMO: Also, makes you wonder, Bill, if he wind up being hoisted in his own petard, Donald Trump, that, you know, that this bomb that he's made of his ability to say random, nasty things that stoke people's anger will ultimately be what keeps a certain percentage of people whom he needs to vote for him from doing exactly that.

CARTER: It looks like he can't get above a certain number and has abandoned the opportunity to do it. It's interesting what David said. It reminded me of what Stephen Colbert said, created the word truthiness for what people believe. They believe the feeling of the truth. They don't care about the facts. It's what --

CUOMO: That's what the Newt interview with Alisyn shows, right? Newt is a very skilled politician. Regular people don't talk like that when you're having a conversation. Either you're right or you're wrong about what a number is.

But one thing leads to another. Great song by The Fix.

So, you have Newt Gingrich say you can have -- I'll go with feelings. You go with your theoreticians which is probably --

CAMEROTA: In other words, were facts.

CUOMO: But that creates an atmosphere where someone like Trump comes in and says, who cares about being right. We're all angry about something. All these politicians lie anyway.

CARTER: What does the PolitiFact said? Seventy percent of what he said is not true? It's just, the facts are not relevant.

CUOMO: But people are sitting there. They see what seems like, what feels like crimes with Hillary Clinton with the e-mails, and then the FBI, they're being told they are all crimes on one side of the aisle, but then there's no prosecution, and then they're being told not to believe the FBI, David. They believe that because people are suspicious.

GREGORY: Right. And many people in the FBI have their own point of view, too, about politics. So, there's polarization everywhere.

I'm teaching a group of Tuft students this fall. So, these are people really engaged in the election but also pretty turned off. One of these issues goes to the kind of pressure that the media is under. The fact that there is a lot of skepticism about what passes as good journalism these days, which is why you want to see so much more fact checking on people that we're talking to.

CAMEROTA: Yes. I mean, look, we are on the front lines and it's hard to fact check in real time, which is why we have to go back and say we've clarified something. I mean, this is what the challenge has been, obviously. This election one of the many challenges.

David, Bill, thank you very much.

CUOMO: All right. There is a lot of news going on with the war and in the election. Let's get right to it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know what her debate prep is? It's resting.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They're going to use a, quote, "scorched earth" strategy. That just shows how desperate they are.

TRUMP: The press has created a rigged system and poisoned the minds of the voters.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I advise Mr. Trump to stop whining and try to make his case to get votes.

TRUMP: You got dead people voting. How did that happen? I don't know.

CLINTON: We have learned who Donald Trump is and what we have to prove in this election is who we are.

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

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CUOMO: Good morning. Welcome to your NEW DAY.

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are going to face off in their final debate in just 14 hours. Clinton widening her lead, according to the polls. Trump needs to do something to increase his reach.