Return to Transcripts main page

NEW DAY SUNDAY

Down-To-The-Wire Election Battles; ISIS Kidnaps, Kills Iraqi Sunni Tribesmen; Branson Vows to Find Cause of Crash

Aired November 2, 2014 - 07:00   ET

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


CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: Hey. Good morning. It is 7:00.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.

PAUL: Check your clock a second time. It is 7:00 right now.

BLACKWELL: All your clocks are wrong. They're all wrong.

PAUL: (INAUDIBLE)

BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. Good to be with you.

It is decision time. In just two days, the balance of power in Washington could shift if the GOP takes their first Senate majority in nearly a decade.

PAUL: Yes, get ready to see candidates throughout the country. They're shaking hands. They're holding babies all day, as races in at least five crucial states are really coming down to the wire here.

BLACKWELL: Let's count them off -- Colorado, Kansas, Iowa, Georgia, North Carolina, all separated by less than 3 percentage this morning. And could all come down to voter turnout on Tuesday.

PAUL: This is what's at stake here -- a GOP victory. That would give the party complete control on Capitol Hill, as well as the ability to constrain the final two years in office.

BLACKWELL: Yes, let's check in with senior political correspondent Brianna Keilar. She's live in New Hampshire where the Scott Brown and Jeanne Shaheen race is very, very tight there.

Brianna, good morning.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Victor and Christi.

And this is where Hillary Clinton is going to be today, as she appears trying to really rally people here in New Hampshire to get throughout and vote for the incumbent Democrat Jeanne Shaheen. We've seen Hillary Clinton sort of barnstorming all over. She was in Iowa earlier this week. She was Kentucky and Louisiana yesterday for Democrats in really tough races. And you've also seen some big name Republicans like Mitt Romney

come up here to New Hampshire, trying to do the same thing for Scott Brown. You probably recognize that name. He is the former senator from Massachusetts who is now running for Senate here in New Hampshire.

And his real tactic throughout this -- I should say this strategy throughout this whole election has been to tie Jeanne Shaheen to President Obama, really on whatever issue is in the news. If it's Obamacare, if it's ISIS, if it's Ebola, he is painting her as walking in lock step with President Obama.

So, really, the question here in this state is an interesting one. It's -- what is it sort of better to be or worse to be in this kind of election environment that so tough for Democrats? Is it to be essentially a carpet bagging Republican who just moved to New Hampshire 10 months ago or is it being a Democrat? Is that worse? And that's the question that we're expecting to be answered here on Tuesday.

This race is a key one to watch. You really want to keep an eye on it on Tuesday. That's because it's -- the polls close at 8:00 p.m. It's one of the first polls to close.

And this is a state where President Obama won in 2008, he won in 2012. So, if Democrats, Victor and Christie, can't win here, you'll see that very quickly, we would expect on Tuesday night, they're going to have a really tough time in places like Arkansas and Alaska.

BLACKWELL: And we are expecting some runoffs potentially in other states as well.

Hey, Brianna, we know that overall women are really key here in New Hampshire where you are. What kind of impact are they having? What are the candidates appeals to the women voters there in New Hampshire?

KEILAR: You're seeing this overall. And we're seeing this in all of the race that's have to do with hot button social issues, contraception. But also that have to do with economic issues. Even when candidates are talking about contraception, they're often talking about how it's paid for. So, that's something that's been resonating with women.

It is so key. And you're seeing that in all of the ads and all of the appeals because normally what you have is women overall giving Democrats that edge over Republicans when Democrats are successful. But you look at the polls and you're seeing that women just really aren't as energized as men. And that's why this is such an important race to see how they turn out because Republicans are performing very well with men -- by and large, when you look across the board here, Victor and Christi.

BLACKWELL: All right. Just about 48 hours until polls open.

Brianna Keilar, thank you so much. And remember, get all your election night coverage right here on

CNN this Tuesday. Special coverage begins at 5:00 p.m. Eastern.

We're learning chilling new detail of what ISIS is doing in Iraq.

PAUL: And the details are horrifying. A Sunni tribal leader in Anbar province tells CNN the militants kidnapped dozens of men and boys from their homes this weekend, pulling some from their beds. It's feared they've been executed, along with hundreds of fellow tribal members who tried to resist ISIS.

BLACKWELL: A tribal leader says his fighters are ready to strike back. But they need help from Baghdad and the U.S.

Let's bring in CNN's Nick Paton Walsh in Southeastern Turkey.

Nick, tell us more about these kidnappings this weekend.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, as is so often the case when ISIS take over areas, they disappear or execute those who do not share their ideology, who don't want to pledge allegiance to them. Now, the Albu Nimr tribe have lived in the area around Hit for quite some time. That's in the Sunni Anbar province in western Iraq.

And while having historically has a lot of potential to resist against al Qaeda in the past and ISIS now, they've been living amongst this controlled area for some time. But in the early hours of Saturday morning, 50 of their men were taken away from one particular town near here Hit and then we don't know the fate of women and children from that area as well.

So, one of a number of potential massacres that ISIS has been accused of. We are talking potentially hundreds from the Albu Nimr tribe having been killed in the past week or so by ISIS.

The key issue, they're part of the Sunni tribes. Remember, ISIS is predominantly a Sunni organization, moving into Sunni areas. But not all Sunnis there agree with their ideology.

This tribe, the Albu Nimr, potentially could have risen up against them. Now they're saying they're gathering men nearby, near a city called Fallujah. They have the potential to move against ISIS there. That will be a key moment for anti-ISIS efforts. Everyone accepts the coalition can only do so much with air strikes.

They need people on the ground reclaiming areas from ISIS and the Sunni tribes who resist them are key to that. The Albu Nimr tribes say they want weapons from the Iraqi government, and the backing of the Iraqi government. Traditionally, more pro-Shia in this war and not so keen on assisting Sunni tribes. They're very suspicious of. They need arms from that government if they're going to take the fight to ISIS.

The U.S. frankly is saying unless the government gets onboard with that plan anyway, they're not sure how much more help they can provide in this fight too. So, a lot contingent on what happens with this one tribe near Hit right now. ISIS on the move. This tribe really the potential to slow them down.

BLACKWELL: ISIS' M.O. we've seen before.

Nick Paton Walsh there in Southeastern Turkey -- thank you.

PAUL: Thanks, Nick.

Well, investigators say it could take up to a year to discover what caused that Virgin Galactic space shape disaster. Test pilot Michael Alsbury was killed in Friday's accident over the Mojave Desert.

BLACKWELL: The second pilot, Peter Siebold, is recovering in a hospital. He's alert and talking to his family and doctors. The big question now whether Siebold may be able to provide critical clues to investigators.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTOPHER HART, ACTING CHMN., NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD: The question is have we interviewed the surviving pilot. We have not because the surviving pilot is not medically -- the doctors do not recommend that we do an interview at this stage. So, we are in contact with the surviving pilot's wife and we don't want to interview that pilot before the pilot is ready.

RICHARD BRANSON, FOUNDER, VIRGIN GROUP: Most importantly, our thoughts remain with the families of the brave, skilled pilots and all those who have been affected by this tragedy. The bravery of test pilots generally cannot be overstated. Nobody underestimates the risks involved in space travel. As I say, we owe it to our test pilots to find out exactly what went wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: Yes.

BLACKWELL: Well, there is a lot of work to do in a large area to search. Investigators say the debris field spans five mile.

PAUL: Can't imagine. You know what? It is November. You don't see this often in the south. And Victor loves it.

BLACKWELL: No, I don't.

(LAUGHTER)

PAUL: No!

BLACKWELL: Come on! Nearly two feet in some spots. Y'all can have it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Welcome back to NEW DAY. Twelve minutes after the hour. Let's get you caught up with your morning read.

PAUL: Yes, if you have any questions, let me tell you, winter has come early, at least in parts of the South. Snow fell yesterday in several high altitude places from the Smokey Mountains where nearly two feet fell in some places to North Carolina. And then you've got parts of South Carolina that they got two to four inches of snow. So, tens of thousands lost power, driving was a mess. And a freeze warning is still in effect from Ohio to the Gulf Coast. So, do be careful.

BLACKWELL: In business, Virgin Galactic has identified the pilot who lost his life in Friday's failed test of SpaceShipTwo, really not a business here. Officials say 39-year-old Michael Alsbury had almost 2,000 hours of flight experience. Investigators say it could take as long as a year before they figure out why the high-tech space plane broke apart over the Mojave Desert.

PAUL: And Virgin Galactic owner Richard Branson pushing back against critics who say the company's enthusiasm doesn't match the technology. And that even if SpaceShipTwo had a successful launch, it could have never made it to space.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRANSON: And to be honest, I find it slightly irresponsible that people that know nothing about what they're saying can be saying things before the NTSB makes their comments.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: So, let's dig a little deeper with CNN's Rachel Crane.

Rachel, good to see you again.

I know that earlier this year, in June, you gave access into Virgin Galactic's secretive manufacturing facility there in California.

So, what did you see behind the scenes that might support what Richard Branson is saying?

RACHEL CRANE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, what I saw actually was that they were working on a fleet of space ships. So when I was there, they were working on SpaceShipTwo serial 2. It's about 60 percent done at this point. So, it would have been the second addition to this fleet of hopefully five.

I was really surprised to learn was a lot of the space ship was actually bonded together by this special glue that they had developed. It actually -- there were very few welds in the design. And the spirit of the engineers working on the spaceship was incredible. I mean, they're all pretty much space nerds themselves. And they're really hoping that these flights would take off in a matter of months. You could certainly feel that fervor in that manufacturing facility.

PAUL: OK. So we know that SpaceShipTwo obviously total loss. Talk to us about some of the other space planes that may take its place once this thing gets going again.

CRANE: Right. The space tourism industry is just beginning. And Virgin Galactic is not the only player in the game. There's another company called XCOR Aerospace that's looking to transport people into suborbital space.

Now, none of these flights have actually happened. None of these people, there are no space tourist at the moment just yet. Certainly, this is a huge blow to the entire industry seeing as it's an industry that is dependent on the public's perception and their confidence in these companies to be able to carry out these missions successfully, safely. People are paying a lot of money to go on these flights.

And, you know, they're not wanting it to be a one-way journey. They obviously want to know that everything is going to go off smoothly. And this tragedy certainly tarnishes some of the company's reputations.

PAUL: Yes, $250,000, I understand, to try to get the suborbital flight.

Rachel Crane --

(CROSSTALK)

PAUL: Go ahead.

CRANE: No, I was just saying, just to be clear, none of these passengers who have paid this $250,000 have asked for their refund. So, there's certainly a lot of support behind Virgin Galactic. These passengers are fully confident that hopefully, this technology will take off very soon.

PAUL: Yes. Very good point to make there. Hey, Rachel Crane, thank you. We appreciate it so much.

CRANE: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: One hundred days and counting in an Iranian jail and now a mother and the brother of "The Washington Post" journalist, they're now speaking out.

PAUL: Senior media correspondent Brian Stelter is joining us to discuss the case of Jason Rezaian and the chances that Tehran could set him free.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Well, did you know that Thursday marked 100 days since a correspondent for "The Washington Post" was jailed in Iran. Jason Rezaian still has not been charged and now, his mother and his brother are calling his incarceration a, quote, "farce", urging Tehran to release him.

BLACKWELL: Joining us now is our senior media correspondent Brian Stelter, host of CNN's "RELIABLE SOURCES". Brian, good morning. And what are his relatives saying?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: They have put out a statement trying to use this 100-day mark as an opportunity to remind people about this case, just really an outrageous case. This is a very prominent journalist. He is a "Washington Post" correspondent in Iran.

There are only a few Western correspondents in Iran to begin with. So, to have one put in jail without charges is really outrageous. And just to speak how prominent Jason is, when our own Anthony Bourdain went to Iran for that part of an episode that's going to air tonight, he went and spent time with Jason and his wife because Jason is so well known, such an excellent example of journalism in that country.

But let me read part of the statement you to that the family released earlier this week, because I think it was very telling. They came out and said, "If Iran has any evidence against Jason, then why have we not heard it? If after 100 days, Iran's professionally trained and liberally employed interrogators have found evidence against Jason, then why has he not been charged and allowed to employ an attorney and defend himself?"

They went on to say, "After 100 days, it's time for Iran to concede Jason's innocence and release him."

Victor, Christi, there have been some hints in the past few days from authorities in Iran that maybe they are prepared to actually release him. But so far, nothing.

PAUL: You know, Brian, we know Rezaian's wife was detained at one point. She's no longer in jail. What did she say about, you know, her time being held by them and what happened to her?

STELTER: This potentially seemed like a good sign when she was released a number of years ago. She is also a reporter. She reported for the newspaper in the Middle East.

I don't think we've heard much from her since. She's being very careful, as are the rest of the family members not to say the wrong things, not to reveal too much. The same is true for "The Washington Post." The editors there continued to call for Jason's release. I remember the top editor of "The Washington Post" was here in New York during the U.N. General Assembly because he was trying to pressure Iranian officials and work with other country officials like Switzerland, for example, in order to gain his release.

But so far, the family is very circumspecting and very careful beyond that statement, because they don't want to say the wrong thing or send a wrong message.

BLACKWELL: All right. We look to hear more about that. What else do you have coming up on your show?

STELTER: On "RELIABLE SOURCES" this morning, there's this very interesting storm involving the Weather Channel. There is a co- founder coming out saying climate change is a hoax, it's not real. It's not serious. And that caused the Weather Channel's current owners to actually come out and disavow him.

So, we actually have the co-founder from about 30 years ago and the current CEO on to talk about that dispute. You know, for a channel like the Weather Channel to be out there talking about climate changes is critically important. So, it's very interesting discussion this morning.

BLACKWELL: Yes, I had to go back and look at that headline again. The co-founder of the Weather Channel says that climate change is a hoax.

All right. We'll look forward it to. Thank you so much, Brian Stelter.

STELTER: Thanks.

PAUL: Thanks, Brian.

BLACKWELL: Be sure to stay with CNN for much more. "RELIABLE SOURCES" airs this morning at 11:00 a.m. Eastern.

And tonight, Anthony Bourdain steps into the heartbreaking, confusing, inspiring world that is Iran. His long awaited journey begins at 9:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

We'll be right back with the host of "INSIDE POLITICS," John King, live next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: It is serious business, both parties zeroing in on Tuesday's midterm election.

BLACKWELL: Yes, the balance of power is at stake. A changing tide could carry the GOP into a majority in both houses.

John King, anchor of "INSIDE POLITICS" and our chief national correspondent, joins us from Washington.

And, John, in truth, there's a chance that by the time people wake up Wednesday morning, we won't know if the GOP has taken control of the Senate.

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There is that chance -- Victor and Christi, good morning to you -- and that's because a number of things.

Number one, there is an Alaska Senate race that's very important. The Republicans are expected to win that one. But Democrats are making a late get-out-the-vote push. Some of the rural areas way up, where indigenous Alaskans live, they don't count the votes until early morning, sometimes a day or two. We may be waiting on that one. Plus, you guys are sitting in Atlanta this morning. The state of

Georgia a good possibility that Senate race goes to a runoff between Democrat Michelle Nunn and the Republican David Perdue. We'll see what happens on Election Day. But if nobody gets 50 percent plus one, that's a runoff. The runoff in Georgia is in January.

Also, a possibility of the Louisiana Senate race goes to a runoff if nobody gets 50 percent plus one. That one would be in December. So, we could wake up Wednesday morning having a clue but not the final answer.

PAUL: All righty.

Hey, John King, what else is coming up here?

KING: Well, we're going to you go through this in "INSIDE POLITICS". We're going to go through the map. We're going to take you to some of the great races, and also some of the unanswered questions.

In this environment, the president's poll numbers are low. It's the sixth year itch midterm election. The president's party usually suffers a big hit.

So, why isn't this a done deal for Republicans? Why don't they have control of the Senate almost assured? Why are so many races so close to the very end?

So, we'll look at the president's problems but also problems with the Republican brand.

And, Christi and Victor, let me end with this -- don't forget the House. Yes, we know the Republicans are already control the House and the Republicans are expected to add to their House majority. But the number is important, because they're trying to get as close. They're at 234. They're trying to get as close to 250 as they can because they expect in a presidential year, they'll suffer some setbacks.

A lot of this is -- we're focusing on the Senate but the House majority and how that plays out, that matters as well on Tuesday.

PAUL: All right. Good point. John King, we'll be watching. Thank you so much.

KING: Take care, guys.

PAUL: You can see him in an hour -- you, too -- at 8:30 Eastern for "INSIDE POLITICS."

BLACKWELL: All right. So, listen to this beautiful rendition of the Canadian anthem.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

PAUL: It's really a beautiful anthem.

BLACKWELL: It is.

PAUL: And, boy, doesn't she just do it justice? Nineteen-year- old Carly Alison (ph), she is battling a rare form of double lung cancer. So she is singing "O, Canada" in front of 20,000 people this weekend. Good for here.

BLACKWELL: All right. Thank you so much for watching this morning.

"SANJAY GUPTA, M.D." starts now.