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10 Dead, Dozens Hurt In Somalia Hotel Attack; Trump Signs Orders Advancing Controversial Pipelines; Marquette Shocks #1 Villanova; Trump To Issue Orders On Border Wall & Immigration; Sen. Wyden Spars With Tom Price In Contentious Hearing. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired January 25, 2017 - 06:30   ET

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

[06:30:00] MUHAMMAD LILA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And there's a takeaway from this. This will be called a complex attack in military terms. Meaning, it was planned well in advance and highly coordinated, and there's a takeaway from that. But first, here is the latest, the first explosion happened, five gunmen stormed into this hotel that's close to the government building. It's a place that's used by government officials as five gunmen stormed inside that building. That second explosion that you see on the cameras there on that footage. That second explosion went off, the latest death toll is that 10 people were killed, plus the five attackers, at least 30 people wounded, and that death toll, of course, may go up.

And you can see the footage there, people literally running for their lives as that second explosion happened. And you know, Alisyn, sometimes we talk in this part of the world about the terror groups that can pull off attacks like this. Oftentimes, we talk about ISIS. We've seen what ISIS can do both here, but also the ISIS-inspired attacks in United States and Europe. Well, this is a reminder that ISIS isn't the only game in town when it comes to terror groups. This blast in this attack was claimed by a group called, Al-Shabaab, which is an Al-Qaeda affiliate, and this is just more proof that Al-Qaeda still is powerful enough, at least in Africa, to pull off these kinds of devastating attacks, Chris.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Unfortunately, Muhammad, these other groups are even more incentivized to do attacks like this now to show they're still relevant. Thank you for the reporting. Let us know the updates on those affected.

President Trump reviving two controversial oil pipelines, with one stroke at a pen. The move is triggering protests across the country. What are these pipelines? What is the protest about? What are the facts? We're going to give you them, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:35:00] CUOMO: Protests breaking out in cities across the country after President Trump took action, reviving two controversial pipeline projects. So, the Keystone and the Dakota Access Pipelines. You've heard those terms but what do they mean and what is this all about. Let's get some answers with CNN Chief Business Correspondent and "EARLY START" Anchor, Christine Romans.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT AND EARLY START ANCHOR: Hi, Chris.

CUOMO: Give us the five Ws on this. The who, the what, the where, the when, the why about these two pipelines.

ROMANS: Here is the who the who, what, and the where here. This right here, this green one, is the proposed Keystone expansion. And you can see that connects Canadian oil with existing pipelines so they can get down to the Gulf of Mexico and do -- and do refineries. So, that's what this is.

This one here this is the Dakota Pipeline, and I want to show you what exactly that I'm talking about. It was like 1100 miles, 470,000 barrels a day from the (INAUDIBLE) region, getting into refineries down there, are the Army Corps of engineers looking for alternative routes. And here's why, because when you look at this, this is where that Dakota Pipeline goes through. You saw all of those people protesting in the freezing cold, day after day after day. The Native American tribes are worried here about sacred grounds. They're also worried about water. And you can see other of this -- look at how carefully it were to go around water and around the reservation here. They don't like the location of this. They think that's just much, much --

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: So, is that the only leaks on the positive side, you would have energy infrastructure? You know, helping things move more quickly, get more refining done on the negative side. It's just the Indian reservation or is it more?

ROMANS: You know, it's more to than when you look at some of the cons here, you're talking about the destruction of the resources. Check what the environmental impact of drilling all of that stuff and sending it down the pipeline and refining it, but the pros will say there's going to be jobs for both of these projects -- this Dakota one in particular. You're going to help decrease the reliance on foreign oil (INAUDIBLE) moving in that -- in that way. The safer to move it in a pipeline than on a truck or on a train, so those will be the pros that you'll hear on Dakota.

I suspect on Dakota Pipeline, you're going to have a whole bunch of people who are going to be out there in the freezing cold again, concerned about that and rallying for the -- for the cameras again. This is the keystone pros. You hear 42,000 temporary (INAUDIBLE) jobs, 3900 construction jobs. Only 50 that needs state department numbers. 50 of those will be permanent jobs. So, when the president talks about all of this job creation from this energy infrastructure, the job creation is kind of temporary quite frankly. It's more about moving oil and letting these companies get in there and move some oil.

CUOMO: So, is this largely a political debate about people who like oil and people who don't like oil, and the people who want to respect Native American rights, and those who don't or is there a deeper concern here people have to watch out for?

ROMANS: Well, you know, I think -- I think there is a real environmental concern here that these, especially in the Dakota Pipeline, I mean, they're really concerned about that. And they feel as though they like another route from the Army Corps of Engineers, but I'll tell you, you know, the president had said that he wants to give the green light for this to happen. And that's what happens when you win elections. You're able to bypass some of the public debate and get it going here.

He's also -- another part of this I think is really interesting, he's saying these must be built with American materials -- that was another one of his executive orders yesterday. And as we -- the plan as for both of those pipelines --

CUOMO: Simple that he hasn't even followed.

ROMANS: This is true, this is very true. And as it stands now, only about half or maybe two-thirds was going to be U.S. steel. So, they're going to -- these companies, if they do this, they're going to have to figure out how they're going to get those American materials.

CUOMO: So, it's going to change the cost structure. Which will be more --

ROMANS: It's going to -- it will change the cost structure, absolutely.

CUOMO: -- expensive. And then the question is who pays for that expense? So, the reason that President Obama was against these versus why President Trump is for them, is there anything to be found in that difference?

ROMANS: President Obama said he wanted more study. He wanted more study to Keystone pipeline in particular. That Keystone Pipeline, Chris, goes right through -- they're called the Sandhills of Nebraska. I actually went out here and looked at where that pipeline would go through, and there's grazing -- there's ranchers there, it's grazing. It's really actual sands, almost dunes, and then there's greenery that comes out of that that they -- it's fragile and there's a big water table very close to the surface of the -- of the ground. So, that was always their concern. For now, on the Dakota Pipeline, it's the route, it's really the route. What -- the protestors are very concerned about the route. Tribes are very concerned about the route. And they feel as though it's just big energy company with the approval now of the American government that will get their way.

CUOMO: With whom does the buck stop? If the president says this goes forward by executive order, is that it?

ROMANS: He's giving them the green light, but he's saying he wants them to be open to renegotiation. So, that gives, I think, the White House and the Army Corps of Engineers and the interior department, it gives them some room to maybe go in there and renegotiate this thing afterwards if something goes wrong. But that is, I guess, up for debate, the renegotiating after the fact.

CUOMO: But the president can be the final word.

ROMANS: He's the final word right now. Yes.

[06:40:02] CUOMO: Christine, thank you very much, very helpful. Alisyn?

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Well, with the stroke of a pen, President Trump will kick start his signature campaign promise, building that wall along the Mexican border. How will congress respond? We will speak with a veteran democratic senator ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: Tom Brady and Bill Belichick will be making their record seventh Super Bowl appearance together. How do they do it? It is known as the "Patriot Way". Andy Scholes has more in this morning's "Bleacher Report". Hi, Andy.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Hey, good morning, Alisyn. Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, they're going to go down as the greatest coach quarterback combo ever. Their run is just been incredible. Just think about this, Brady's played 15 seasons as the Patriots' quarterback. He's going to hit his seventh Super Bowl, likely never see a run like this ever again. And a winning attitude in New England has really become infectious and CNN's own Hines Ward, we asked the team, what is the "Patriot Way"?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HINES WARD, CNN SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR: What is it about you guys that make you guys so special?

ROB NINKOVICH, PATRIOTS LINEBACKER: I think it's just the mental toughness. You know, being able to fight through adversity.

LEGARRETTE BLOUNT, PATRIOTS RUNNING BACK: We have arguably the best coach to ever coach the game of football. We have arguably the best quarterback to ever play the game.

[06:45:02] JULIAN EDELMAN, PATRIOTS WIDE RECEIVER: Secret weapon, just worrying about what we got to do and not falling into the noise or the hype and preparation and practice.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCHOLES: What a night in college basketball. Three of the top four teams, falling including number one's Villanova, Marquette coming back from down 13 in the final minutes to beat Nova. It was just their second win over a top ranked team in their 100th year history, and you could tell, by the way, all the students stormed the court. For the first time ever, the selection committee is going to put out what the top 16 seeds in March madness bracket will look like right now. They're going to do that this Saturday, so you can look forward to that this weekend, Chris?

CUOMO: Controversy, every time the Brackets come out because of schools not getting the benefit of their own schedule, blah, blah, blah, but we all love to watch them. Andy, thank you so much. President Trump, promising a big day ahead that includes an order to begin construction on the border wall. We're talking to a senate democrat about Trump's immigration plans, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:49:56] CAMEROTA: President Trump is expected to sign a series of executive actions on the border wall and immigration. The president tweeting late last night, "Big day planned on National Security tomorrow among many other things. We will build the wall." The president's actions will make sweeping and controversial changes. So let's discuss this and so much more with Democratic Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon. He is the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee. Good morning, senator.

SEN. RON WYDEN (D), OREGON: Good morning.

CAMEROTA: Great to have you here. So let me put up for you and our viewers at home, the series of executive actions that President Trump is planning in just the next 48 hours. He says, he will sign something to build the wall along the Mexico border and the catch and release system for undocumented and illegal immigrants, add 5,000 additional border patrol officers reveal to the American public, how much aid is given to Mexico?

Also, ban travellers from terror prone countries, end the Syrian refugee program, end 'Sanctuary Cities', triple ICE Enforcement Agents. Where do you want to start, senator, on how you feel about this?

WYDEN: I can tell you, this is an awful lot of symbolism and we'll have to see the details, but if you look, for example, yesterday, in effect symbolic withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific, you know, partnership, that doesn't do anything for American workers who are getting hammered by Chinese dumping steel and aluminum. We heard about the keystone pipeline, great for Canada, not very good for American taxpayers who could be on the hook if oil is spilled.

They'd be on hook for the clean-up if oil is spilled by a foreign company. So there's a lot of symbolism here. We'll have to see the details.

CAMEROTA: But senator, I mean, actually, a border wall is the opposite of symbolism. It is concrete, literally and figuratively. He is planning to build a wall, an actual wall, not a virtual wall along the Mexican border. The estimates are that it could cost something like $14 billion. He says Mexico will pay for it. So what are democrats going to do?

WYDEN: Well, certainly, when you hear about the pay (INAUDIBLE) we've seen now the president all over the map on that. Initially, he said the Mexicans were going to pay for it, then they weren't and then he said, we'll start it. The bottom line here is this is another divisive policy and it is another polarizing policy. Contrast that with what senate democrats did yesterday. We proposed a major roads and bridges and infrastructure program. That would put Americans to work. We were talking about clean energy,

getting rid of subsidies and promoting more good paying jobs and cleaner renewable energy. I think the American people are going to be able to see through this. And the finance committee, for example, we were told constantly that there would be a replacement for the Affordable Care Act. We haven't seen that either.

CAMEROTA: Before we get to the Affordable Care Act, I want to talk about what you've just brought up and that's the keystone pipeline because President Trump is now green lighting the keystone and the Dakota pipeline. His rationale, he says that it will create jobs. State department has said that it would do that. That it would create 42,000 temporary jobs. A number that President Trump used was 28,000.

I'm not sure where he's getting that number but in terms of permanent jobs, it's 50. But still, President Trump said that all of the materials to build it will be U.S. made. So there could be a ripple effect of jobs going to Americans. So what's your issue with it?

WYDEN: First and foremost, this is going to help Canada. We're also going to see oil companies. We're very interested and exporting. We're going to see them benefit. But let's remember what this means for American taxpayers in an American community. If you have an oil spill because of the gaps in the law with respect to responsibility for these oil spills. The American taxpayer will be on the hook for cleaning up the spill of a foreign oil company.

CAMEROTA: So you think the risk of an oil spill is bigger than the promise of new jobs?

WYDEN: I think the risk is very substantial. And this is like much of what we're seeing from the new administration. You hear a lot of impressive, you know, rhetoric, like we heard with respect to the Affordable Care Act. We were always told people would get better care. When I asked questions yesterday of Congressman Price, I couldn't get him to commit when I -- when I said, will you assure Americans they won't be worse off? So there's a lot of rhetoric, a lot of symbolism, but when you really dig in to these policies, there's not a lot there.

CAMEROTA: We had that moment from yesterday, when you aggressively pressed the HHS nominee Tom Price, let's play that for everyone.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

WYDEN: Yes or no. Under the executive order, will you commit that no one will be worse off?

[06:55:00] REP. TOM PRICE (R-GA), SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES NOMINEE: What I commit to, senator, is working with you and every single member of congress to make certain that we have the highest quality of health care and that every single American has access to affordable coverage.

WYDEN: That is not what I asked. I asked, will you commit that no one will be worse off under the executive order? You ducked the question. Will you guarantee that no one will lose coverage under the executive order?

PRICE: I guarantee you that the individuals that lost coverage under the Affordable Care Act, we will commit to making certain that they don't lose coverage under whatever replacement plan comes forward. That's the commitment that I provide.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

CAMEROTA: Senator, did you get your question answered?

WYDEN: Of course, not. And let's examine one of the classic health care weasel words. The Congressman said that people would have access to health care. That's not coverage. You can have access to lots of things in America but if you don't have the money, you don't have anything real that will really help your family. So he ducked, he bobbed, he weaved, he wouldn't answer about his plans to shred the Medicaid safety net that's responsible for insuring that our older people get nursing home coverage. There are a lot of Americans that would get hurt here. We see women lose health care choices.

CAMEROTA: Yes, but you heard he said. He turned it to say that it was actually under Obamacare that people were worse off and they did lose their doctor and of course, that it was promised that they never would and their premiums went up and it was promised that that it would never happen. And he says that what they're doing is going to correct those things.

WYDEN: He's going to have trouble explaining that to a lot of Trump voters. A lot of Trump voters heard the president say, oh look, I can make it better. We'll have great care for everybody. What we learned is those voters who heard that in the campaign, they heard yesterday from the person who wants to be the captain of the Trump health care team that he wouldn't make a commitment to making sure that people didn't get worse coverage.

CAMEROTA: But since you also know that people were energized by their displeasure, dissatisfaction with the Affordable Care Act, what is your answer?

WYDEN: My answer is, we ought to see -- if you're going to repeal this, we ought to see a real replacement. That was what the American people were told again and again in the campaign. But the two of them would be intertwined. The president said there would be no gap at all. Congressman Price is the architect of the repeal and run strategy. He proposed repealing it and then basically said something like over a year later, we could come back and talk about how to replace it. That's going to hurt a lot of the working class families. The Trump voters weren't told that.

CAMEROTA: So senator, will you vote for Tom Price?

WYDEN: I don't announce how I'm going to vote on an early morning show like this. But I'll tell you there are an awful lot of unanswered questions particularly with respect to his ethics. Like, he got private placement deals. He under reported the value of his stock. He didn't correct it until the last minute. He did all of this trading while he was a member of the health care committee. And I can just tell you George W. Bush's ethics lawyer, not exactly a far out liberal said with respect to Congressman Price that he had never seen anything like this in his 30 years.

CAMEROTA: I'm no psychic but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that it sounds like you're not going to vote for him.

WYDEN: Well, a lot of unanswered questions. I certainly wouldn't commit to voting for him this morning.

CAMEROTA: Why don't you want to announce it on a morning show like this?

WYDEN: Because I want to see the answers to those questions. We believe that we have a serious oversight responsibility. We're not supposed to be rubber stamps. We're not just supposed to be automatically vetting an individual. There are unanswered questions particularly with respect to an individual's ethics.

CAMEROTA: Senator, I want to ask you about the claims that President Trump has been making about voter fraud. He says that millions of people voted illegally in this last election. What is your response to that?

WYDEN: Well, first of all, it's a false claim number one, but because we always want to suggest that there is a constructive path forward, if the president is serious about strengthening the system of voting in this country, we ought to support my proposal which would take Oregon vote by mail national. We have a system that has worked now for well over a decade. We haven't seen fraud. It ensures that there is a paper trail. So I hope the Trump administration will be supportive with my proposal.

CAMEROTA: Do you think there was illegal voting this time around?

WYDEN: I think what he said was completely false.

CAMEROTA: Why do you think he's saying it?

WYDEN: I think we've heard in the last few days about alternative facts and these sorts of things.