Return to Transcripts main page

CNN NEWSROOM

Donald Trump Rides High Atop Latest Polls; Frantic Search Underway for Two Boys Missing at Sea; Road Rage Turns Deadly; Rick Perry: Gun-Free Zones Bad Idea; Hulk Hogan Parting Ways with WWE. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired July 26, 2015 - 17:00   ET

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


[17:00:00] POPPY HARLOW, CNN HOST: On the phone, chief petty officer Ryan Doss of the U.S. coast guard. Chief, thank you for being here.

CHIEF OFFICER RYAN DOSS, U.S. COAST GUARD (via phone): You're welcome.

HARLOW: What can you tell us at this hour? I know you've located the boat. Anything else?

DOSS: Well, so far since the search started, we've searched about 25,453 nautical miles. So it is an area roughly the size of the state of Maine. The seas have been about one to three feet with winds 11 to 13 knots throughout the search. We have had thunderstorms go through in the area, all the search areas in the last few days. The location boat was found about 65 miles off of Daytona Beach. So, Daytona is about a 180 miles north of Jupiter. We've got a coast guard aircraft from Miami up searching now as well as a helicopter. We have also got boat from station caravel out there hunting with the boat at this time.

HARLOW: Can you tell me a little bit about the condition of the boat? What condition you found it in?

DOSS: We found the boat capsized. As far as beyond that, I haven't gotten any reports of damage or anything to the vessel itself. So really all we know at this time is that the boat was capsized and sadly, the boys were not with the boat when we found it.

HARLOW: Did you find any of their belongings?

DOSS: We have not found any belongings yet. We do have the crews out there on scene searching the area to see if we can find any details as to where they may be at this time.

HARLOW: OK. All right, Ryan Doss, chief petty officer with U.S. coast guard. Thank you very much, Ryan. I wish you and all of your team the best of luck on this search.

Also joining me on the phone is Tim Taylor. He is a sea operations specialist. He is very experienced in ocean searches.

Tim, thank you for being here. Look, we just heard there from the U.S. coast guard that they found the boat capsized. They haven't found anything they believe belonging to these two boys who were are looking at photographs, so. The boat was found more than a hundred miles north of where the boys left and nearly 70 miles offshore. Is it possible given the currents this time of year that the boat would drift that far in two days?

TIM TAYLOR, SEA OPERATIONS SPECIALIST (via phone): Yes. This is a time of year when the Gulf Stream is at its peak and it is not uncommon for something like that to drift that far. And if these kids had survived the sinking and are floating on some debris, they could be that far north as well.

HARLOW: Now, it is possible. People have survived things like this before.

TAYLOR: Yes, yes. Of course. I mean, this is -- this is tropical waters right now. The waters are extremely warm. Exposure is on issue, but this is probably the best time -- if something like this is going to happen, it's going to be survivable. This is the optimal time when the water is warm. So yes, they do have a possibility of still being found.

HARLOW: Now, the parents have said that these two boys were incredibly experienced on the water. Now, some people look at this and say 14 years old, quite young. But, you know, by that age, you can get quite a lot of experience out there.

TAYLOR: Yes, you can. And that is young to be on the water, but it -- it just shows you that Mother Nature can rear its head. And even if you are experienced, this can happen to an adult as well. So just because they're children it doesn't mean that that may be the factor. If a squall came upon them, the boat could have had some buoyancy issues. They got a road wave. You know, there's a dozen different scenarios or more that could have happened. But the age can be a factor, but its experience that counts out there.

HARLOW: Yes. Absolutely. Our heart is out to these families and we are all praying for the best.

Thank you very much, Tim. And also to Ryan Doss with the U.S. coast guard.

Now to presidential politics and some brand new poll numbers in showing Donald Trump leading the entire Republican field. Take a look. The new CNN/ORC poll is the first major survey since Trump's controversial remarks about Senator John McCain. This is what it shows. Trump at 18 percent. Jeb Bush there within the margin of error, but at 15 percent. Trailing in third, Wisconsin governor Scott Walker. All other GOP hopefuls, though, in the single digits in this poll. Here's how Trump reacted this morning to the news on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION with Jake Tapper."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There's a movement going on. This is more than me. This is a movement going on. People are tired of these incompetent politicians in Washington that can't get anything done. They can't make deals. They can't do anything. All they care about is getting elected. They don't care about anything else. And they know that - see, I built an incredible company. And you know, a lot of people including yourself, but a lot of people thought that I wasn't going to be running and I wouldn't put in my financials.

I put in my financials. They're much better than anybody ever thought. People said, well, maybe he's not as rich as everybody thinks. You know, well, I turned out I'm much richer. And I built a great company. It has nothing to do with my being rich. But I built a great company. And you know, I wrote a book that was the number one bestselling business book and many best sellers. And you know, just had "the Apprentice" was a tremendous success. I told NBC I'm not going to do anything. And you know, I told them, nobody does that, to turn off a money making show like that. But I do it. And you know, this cost me a lot of money, but I want to see our country be great again. And we have a chance to do it.

[17:05:33] JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: So let me ask you. This is without question a great poll for you. It does however, if you dive deeper in to the numbers, does show some weaknesses potentially with the general electorate as opposed to with Republicans and you lose to Hillary Clinton in a head-to-head matchup. What do you think he need to do to turn those numbers around?

TRUMP: It is just step by step. Honestly, it is step by step. I haven't focused on Hillary. In fact, yesterday in Iowa I made some very strong statements about Hillary. Really for -- I wouldn't say the first time, but they were strong. And the fact is, what she's done is criminal. I mean, what she has done is criminal. I don't see how she can run. Because if the prosecutors who were all Democrats by the way, that's you know, part of the problem with fairness here, they're all Democrats. So they're protecting her. But if you had an impartial prosecutor and they were honorable -- and maybe they are. We're going to find out. But what she has done is criminal.

TAPPER: What exactly are you saying is criminal?

TRUMP: And frankly, what she did is far worse than what General Petraeus did and he's gone down in disgrace. I mean, you know, what he did is not as bad as what Hillary Clinton did. And it similar, but it is not as bad. I mean, she got rid of her server. He never did anything like that. And she did it after getting a subpoena from the United States congress.

TAPPER: What are you saying that she did a criminal?

TRUMP: We'll see what happens. But I think Hillary's got a lot of problems. But you have to (INAUDIBLE) with me. It's step by step. When you and I spoke three, four months ago, I wasn't even going to be in the contest according to, you know, various people. And now, I'm leading easily in a lot of their races because people are sick and tired. So with Hillary, I think I'll beat Hillary easy. I don't think these other guys will.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Our CNN political commentator is here to discuss, Ben Ferguson, host of the Ben Ferguson show and Marc Lamont Hill, a professor at Morehouse University and also CNN contributor.

Guys, thank you for being here. Ben, let's just break down the numbers. What do you make of the fact that Trump is still in the lead, 18 percent, his closest follower Jeb Bush at 15 percent, even after the fire storm surrounding his comments about John McCain?

BEN FERGUSON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes. Look, he solidified his base. And I think there are certain people that are going to absolutely be in love with him no matter what he says. But there is also other things in this poll. They are very interesting. More than 50 percent of Republican likely voters say they think this thing is wide open. And there's also an incredibly high number in the GOP that have him unfavorable where they do not like Donald Trump.

This is still very early on. I think it's going to be hard for him to build on these numbers. And I think once you get him on stage with all the other candidates and they start kind of laying out their message and going after him, I think you're going to see those numbers come down. I mean, he has peaked. This is definitely one thing as I think he's peaked here. And I think it's going to be very hard for him to get above this percentage he already has.

HARLOW: Marc, we heard him say right there at the end of the interview clip that we played that he thinks he can easily beat Hillary Clinton. The other candidates can't, he says. But take a look at these numbers. This is a theoretical matchup in that same poll. Clinton beats Trump 56 to 40. She also beats Jeb Bush, but by a much smaller margin, 51 percent, if we can pull that one up, exactly to 46 percent. And do you think that this is, you know, fodder for those to say, look, you are not going to be the best candidate against a Hillary Clinton. And if that's going to come up in the debates?

MARC LAMONT HILL, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It will certainly come up in the debates. And all of this will be moot in about 90 days. I mean, no one will even be talking about Donald Trump.

Just to give you a perspective, eight years ago, back in July of 2007, not Fred Thompson, Rudy Giuliani was leading the polls in the 30s with Fred Thompson coming in second. Neither placed well in Iowa, New Hampshire, et cetera. Its Fred Thompson obviously didn't even make it that far. So, it's a very different thing to support people in July, a year before the election than it is to support them when you actually have to walk into a voting booth.

And I think the fact that he has high unfavorable among Republicans suggest that when people have to choose between Donald Trump and anybody else, they'll choose one of the other 16 people. And that's why when he goes head to head with Hillary Clinton, he is bigger or imaginary polls, he loses. He lose by a large margin because people -- .

FERGUSON: He loses in a huge margin. HILL: Yes. Even Republicans, a lot of Republicans will choose

Hillary over him.

HARLOW: Well, you know, it's interesting when you look at this as you brought up, Ben, 59 percent of all registered voters, Democrats, Republicans, independents, view Trump unfavorably. But a lot of people still want him in this race. And most of all of the Republicans, they're most interested in him at the debates. Interesting what he said in Iowa yesterday, though. He said he's not experienced at all at debating. He says he doesn't know if he will be a good debater. He's just focused on creating jobs. What do you expect from him, Ben, in this first debate August 6th?

FERGUSON: Look. I think he's going to be classic Donald Trump. (INAUDIBLE) try to cut people off. Try to take over the stage. And if he doesn't do that, I think people will be very disappointed in him, the 18 percent that say they love him. They want him to do what he does, which is, you know, tell a reporter to shut up and you can't come to my next campaign event or tell somebody they are stupid or ignorant.

The question is, can he do that the entire time and turn this into the Donald Trump show? I think it's going to be very hard for him to do that. And I think you're going to see everyone else gang up on him. So you know, you limit expectation by saying, well, I don't know if I'm going to be a good debater. Donald Trump is a good debater. I'll give him that. You know, I think --

HILL: I don't know about that.

FERGUSON: I think -- when I say he is a good debater, he's good at stealing the show. He's good at flipping questions on other people. He's good at cutting people off and digging into other candidates. That is something I think you're going to see him do during the debates. I also think they are going to make a lot of people hate him a lot more than they already did.

HARLOW: Marc, he recently said in an interview on MSNBC this week that sometimes he does identify with some things as a Democrat saying he largely was not a fan of Bush. The poll, this poll out this morning found that a whapping 80 percent of Democrats had an unfavorable view of him. If he were to make it to the general election, I know you say he's not going to be around in 90 days in this race, but if he were to make it to the general election, what would he have to do to win them over?

HILL: I don't think he can. But if -- if I were to lay out a game plan for Donald Trump, I would say you have to walk back some of your comments on immigration. You can't win democratic voters and you side which chuck a black or brown if you're saying things like Mexicans are potential racists. Because black movement are going to say, hey, he is saying about Mexicans, what are you thinking about black people?

So he has to get a big chunk of the minority vote to be successful. His job plan has looks like it is something that's an economic populist at tone as oppose to simply tax cuts for the wealthiest. That's not something that I'm sure he'll be able to effectively project. And he needs a foreign policy plan, one that is smart, one that is specific and one that doesn't reinforce the whole get tough cowboy attitude of the Bush era. And if he doesn't do those things, I don't think Democrats support him. But again, I don't think any of this matters because when he walks in on the debate stage, he's not going to be able to cut people off. He's not going to be able to just make snarky remarks and mock people. He has got to have the same amount of time to talk and respond. And people are going to want specifics. And when those other candidates who actually have run for office and won before, have laid out policy plans, Republicans will say hey, if I want an obnoxious jerk, I'll just vote for Chris Christie. If I want an ideological wing nut, I'll just take Ted Cruz. If I want to mainstream candidate, I'll take Jeb Bush or Scott Walker.

HARLOW: Ben?

FERGUSON: Yes. I don't think that's what they're going to be picking or choosing from. I mean, as a Republican and as a conservative, that is now how we look at the debates. But I'll say this, the main reason by 80 percent of Democrats say they are not going to vote - that you know, that they would have a hard time voting for Trump is because Donald Trump is ripping on Hillary Clinton every single day. Of course, Democratic voters are not going to like him. He is playing this game as a Republican and when you're trashing Hillary everywhere you go, people that are looking at Hillary and they like her, they're not going to look at you and vote for you. So he is done in the Democratic Party.

HARLOW: And he'd talked about that in his interview with Jake Tapper which we will play much more for you at the top of the next hour at 6:00 eastern. So stay around for that.

Ben, Marc, thank you very much. Stay with me. You are going to be with me a little bit later in the show to talk about more.

But coming up next, the horrific shooting in Louisiana this week. The theater shooter there, turns out he was committed years ago. His family very worried about his mental health. So how was he able to legally and clearly purchase a gun? Is there anything that can be done to prevent another tragedy like this one? We'll talk about it next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:17:17] HARLOW: Tomorrow, the two women murdered in that shooting rampage at a Louisiana movie theater will be laid to rest. Throughout the weekend, there have been vigils. So many people remembering the wonderful things about 21-year-old Mayci Breaux and 33-year-old Jillian Johnson. A makeshift memorial has been growing outside of Johnson's store in Lafayette. Look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was just really nice to me every time I saw her. Like, she acted as if, her and her daughter, they just acted so nice to me when some adults just wouldn't talk to me (INAUDIBLE) and she was really nice to me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Of the nine survivors, the most critical patient, a woman has been upgraded to fair condition. The man who shot them all and then shot himself, John Russell Houser, had a distant history of mental illness. His family committed him against his will in 2008. And yet, because he had no convictions for serious crimes, he was able to legally purchase a handgun last year.

With me now, CNN law enforcement analyst Tom Fuentes, former assistant director at the FBI also formerly a police officer.

So many times we say this. Significant history of mental illness, able to legally buy a gun. He bought this gun legally from a pawnshop in Alabama last year. If a background check was done, why wasn't his commitment to a mental institution flagged? Is there something awry in the system that wouldn't flag these things?

TOM FUENTES, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Part of the problem is the way the databases work and the requirements work for gun shops or pawnshops to do the reporting, or for police departments for that matter. You know, we have a very disjointed system in the databases. So in this case, he was involuntarily committed in Georgia, but when he went to Alabama, they don't know that. And so, he goes to a pawnshop, and they legally sell him the gun. And don't know. And they're not required to do any major background check. They're required to check into the system. Some states use their own system. Many states use the FBI's system called NICKS (ph). And in that background check, it's only going to be as good as whatever's put in the system in the first place. And if this kind of data about his mental illness isn't loaded in the system, nobody's going to find it when they do these checks.

HARLOW: I know also the state of Alabama, where he did buy the gun, even though the shooting was in Louisiana, in Alabama there's no waiting period for gun purchases. Do you think that a waiting period would have mattered in a case like this?

FUENTES: Not necessarily, unless you use the period for good purpose to actually complete, you know, an extensive background check. Most of the states passed a waiting period. And the reason wasn't so that background checks could be completed on a buyer. They were put in there so that if a husband and wife got in a heated battle, one or the other couldn't run to the nearest gun shop, buy a gun, go home and shoot the spouse. You know, it was to allow for a cooling off period. It wasn't to allow for law enforcement background period.

[17:20:23] HARLOW: All right. I do want to switch gears here but stay on this movie theater shooting, because this morning, presidential candidate Republican Rick Perry talked to Jake Tapper on "STATE OF THE UNION" about this and about gun-free zones. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) RICK PERRY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I will suggest to you that these concepts of gun-free zones are a bad idea. I think that you allow the citizens of this country who have been appropriately trained, appropriately backgrounded, know how to handle and use firearms to carry them. If we believe in the second amendment and we believe in people's right to protect themselves and defend themselves and their families, that to tell them that they cannot carry a weapon that they are legally obliged to carry, that they have been through the training for, makes sense to me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Tom, you're a former police officer charged with protecting people. Is he right? Should the public who are trained with firearms be able to carry them into movie theaters, places like this?

FUENTES: Well, I think, you know, I would agree with him in theory that it does make sense that if you're authorized to carry a firearm, you ought to be able to carry it in a situation where you might or your family might be in jeopardy. The problem in this situation though that makes it dangerous is that if you had others in there, whether they were private citizens or off duty police officers in plain clothes and they draw their weapons and go to engage this guy, the poor uniform first responding police officers aren't going to be able to tell the good guys from the bad guys in a situation like that. It's going to be a very difficult situation.

So, you know, you don't necessarily want a shootout at the OK corral inside a movie theater with hundreds of people. But on the other hand, what the governor says, it is correct. If nobody's in there capable of stopping an individual until the police arrive, you know, it's problematic.

You know, the only other problem with that theory is when he says appropriately trained. And I think that I find many of the concealed carry courses to be really very short. It's just -- usually just the mechanics of how to operate the gun. There's very little judgment taught the way a police officer gets taught during thousands of hours of police instruction.

HARLOW: And no screening done like the police officers get or not much.

FUENTES: Police officer in a situation would probably not shoot because of a chance to kill innocent person. But a private citizen without the appropriate instruction may just start blazing away. We just don't know.

HARLOW: All right, Tom Fuentes, thank you very much. Good to have you on, as always.

We're going to talk a little bit more about this about what Rick Perry said this morning not backing down at all. For a second on his opposition to more gun control. He says these gun-free zones are a bad idea. We're going to discuss that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:26:56] HARLOW: Former Texas governor, Rick Perry, as heard before the break, is not the only Republican presidential candidate who thinks that gun-free zones are a bad idea. His rival, Donald Trump, calling into CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION" this morning and said this about the July 17th mass shooting that left those five servicemen dead. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Like for instance, the gun-free zone with the marines, that was gist graceful. These are decorated people. These are people that know how to use guns better than anybody, and they're not allowed to carry guns. And this guy shot them. They were like sitting ducks the way that happened. It was a disgrace. And if they would have had their guns, they probably would all be alive or most of them would be alive right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: With me again, CNN political commentators Mac Lamont Hill and Ben Ferguson.

Ben, let me begin with you. Look, two tragic mass shootings, senseless shootings, in the past two weeks. When you talk about talking to their base, talking to Republican voters, how big of an issue do you think this is, gun control and these gun-free zones for Republican voters, at least in the primary?

FERGUSON: I think it's a massive issue and it's one that's very important to many GOP voters. I mean, both these situations, let's put them in different context. If we don't trust men and women in uniform who we train to carry a weapon and to take out the enemy around the world to protect themselves when they are in the recruiting center, what are we even talking about here.

These are the men and women that absolutely know how to protect themselves. And for them, because of political correctness to have to work in a gun-free zone when you're asking people to come in and sign up and protect and defend this country is political correctness at its most violent disgusting form.

When you look at the theater, I will say this and I think it's a little bit different context. If you're a law-abiding citizen, you have a permit to carry and you've gone through a course, you are the first line of defense to protect your own life and innocent people. Unfortunately, police are not everywhere. And as a gun carrying American, I saved my life having a gun. The police were not going to be there in that exact moment to save my life. And I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for having that gun and being able to shoot back at two people that wanted to kill me.

So in my opinion, if you are a law-abiding citizen, you should be able to protect yourself in that situation. And I think most people, they were in that theater wish there could have been at least one good guy with a gun that could have stopped that insanity from happening. HARLOW: Marc?

HILL: I don't disagree. First of all, I'm a pro second amendment person, you know. This character of the left that we don't like guns, that we hate guns, they want to take everyone's guns. The truth is, I just want sensible gun reform, sensible gun legislation that doesn't allow guns to easily get in the hands of bad guys and that allows people to get guns when properly vetted. And I think that there are times when guns can be helpful. I don't disagree with that point. And I'm not particularly invested in trying to take guns away from people out in recruitment centers. That's not - it wouldn't be my first fight. But to suggest that in a dark movie theater, that if people just had guns, they would be able to stop a mass murder from happening is absurd. Ben, you saved your own life, yes.

[17:30:00] FERGUSON: It was dark outside, by the way. There wasn't a lot of light and it saved my life. So you can shoot when it's not exactly right.

HILL: Ben, my argument, if you let me finish, isn't that you can't shoot when it's dark outside. That would be stupid. What I'm saying is that in a crowded movie theater where people are all facing forward have guns in their holsters, if someone stands up and opens fire from the back of the theater, it is very difficult to shoot back and not kill a bunch of innocents. That's my point. And I'm saying it is a very different circumstances on what you are painting. OF course, we can all imagine the circumstance where a gun would save someone's life. But let's not pretend that we can shoot our way out of mass violent.

FERGUSON: I'm not saying --

(CROSSTALK)

HARLOW: Guys --

FERGUSON: We're not going to shoot our way out of gun violence. Here's the difference. When you are in that situation and I've been in that situation, I would much rather have somebody that has a gun that can stop that shooter. Because when everyone is in there dialing 911, they're begging for someone to come with a gun to stop the shooting, whether it be Aurora or what happened in Louisiana.

HILL: No, no.

FERGUSON: Yes, they are. They're not saying send a cop that doesn't have a weapon.

HARLOW: Let me jump in here really --

(CROSSTALK)

HARLOW: Let me jump in here, guys, and it is because Tom Fuentes, formerly a police officer just said on the air, look, the issue with that is when you have police show up and if multiple people have guns, et cetera, and they are, you know, shooting, how do they know who the bad person is, right Marc? That's a point that he makes.

HILL: Which goes to my point. And by the way, Ben misrepresented my argument. I didn't say people want police to come without guns. My point is people aren't calling for someone with a gun, they're calling for a trained professional to come with a gun. And there is the difference. That's why when Joe (INAUDIBLE), it is different circumstance. To your point about Tom --

FERGUSON: Does that carry a desert eagle in a concealed carry situation? If you knew about guns, it's fear mongering.

HILL: Well, I own a (INAUDIBLE). I have a permit to carry in Pennsylvania. So you are wrong. I wasn't mocking it.

HARLOW: I got to --

HILL: But the point is it --

FERGUSON: That's the point.

HILL: I'm not against the gun, but it doesn't save people lives.

HARLOW: I got to --

HILL: If I was in the theater, if there was somebody a gun outside, I'd want them to use it.

HARLOW: I promise you'll be back and we'll talk more about this.

HILL: You promise?

HARLOW: I promise. I promise. Thank you very much.

FERGUSON: Thanks, Poppy.

HARLOW: To Iran now. Is the deal, the nuclear pact with Iran a historic opportunity or is it a Monday mental blunder, one that can open the door for Iran to acquire nuclear weapon of its own. We're going to talk about it with an expert who's been working on Iran deals since the '90s next.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER (voice-over): San Francisco, an American melting pot and culture (INAUDIBLE). The diversity of food on offer reflect the city's heritage. You'll find it in the marina district where the chef and owner Dominique (INAUDIBLE) has created a place of wonder. She is the first female chef in America to have earned this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know how. And I think, you know, food was the way of expressing myself. When people come here, they don't just come to a restaurant. They come to my house.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: While diners relax, the kitchen is an orchestra of harmonious fury. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I remember when I opened the restaurant, I

really thought about this being a love music, I play music, I play piano and flute. And I love the way that it's harmony (ph) very harmonious. And I wanted to do that. I love that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:37:46] HARLOW: The Iran nuclear deal is by no means a done deal yet. It still has to pass the U.S. Congress who are now inside of a 60-day congressional review period. Without a bluff from the House and Senate Republicans, the agreement to lift sanctions on Iran in exchange for a major ramp down in their nuclear capacity will go into effect.

Secretary of state John Kerry urging Republican to allow the deal through both in person in the Senate chamber and also a speech to the council on foreign relations. He says the agreement finally reached between Iran and five world powers is the only deal possible, that there are in his words quote "no alternatives."

Some of the main criticisms of the deal. The term is too short, 15 years. And that any concessions made to Iran means grave, grave danger to Israel.

Let's talk about it with someone who has been following this incredibly keenly since the '90s. Sharon Squassoni joins me now. She's the head of proliferation prevention program at the center for strategic and international study.

Thank you for being here, Sharon. And I want to get to Israel first. We know clearly what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said. He has called this quote "historic mistake." John Kerry sees it very differently. He says this makes the world safer, that this makes the region safer. Who's right?

SHARON SQUASSONI, HEAD, PROLIFERATION PREVENTION PROGRAM AT THE CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDY: It's hard to choose between Secretary Kerry and Netanyahu. But I think you have to put this in context, which is that Iran for the past ten years, has been developing a uranium enrichment capability where it could make material for a bomb and there was very little that the world could do to stop that. We did put sanctions on Iran. It was hurting their economy and that helped. But ultimately, we needed to seal this in a deal.

The other thing I think you need to remember is that no deal was ever going to actually prevent -- no deal can prevent a country from getting a nuclear weapon. All you can do is buy time. And I would say 15 years is a good amount of time.

HARLOW: Here's the thing. You've got some of the critics saying when you lift sanctions on Iran - I mean, big oil multinational conglamorous (ph) are eyeing around big oil companies, technology companies, to get in there and do business. And when you strengthen Iran's economy, that allows them to have more resources to support Hezbollah, other militant proxies in the region. What about those critics? They have a very important point.

[17:40:18] SQUASSONI: Well, sure. There's no doubt about it that with the release of some of the finances that have been frozen that Iran could choose to use that money to supporter terrorism. And that's -- that's a real problem. And the sanctions that the U.S. and other countries have for Iranian acts to supporter terrorism, they are still going to be in place.

But there is no doubt about it. You know, I mean, we are going to be watching over the next, you know, at first, 90 days, to see how well Iran complies with the first part of this deal, and then really over the next eight to ten years, it's going to be a long vigil.

HARLOW: You bring up the other sanctions which a lot of people might now -- this wasn't in the headlines, right, during these negotiations, but Iran is still a state sponsor of terrorism according to the United States. The U.S. treasury still has a number of sanctions that still remain against Iran and will, even if this deal makes it through.

I do want to bring up Bashar al-Assad, Syria's leader, because he compares his struggle with Iran's calling the deal today a quote "success and a victory for Iran." He basically says Iran won here. What do you make of his remarks?

SQUASSONI: You know, I wouldn't say that Iran has won. I think everybody wins a little bit. Certainly this agreement, which is really complicated, has compromises all over the place. You know, Iran did not get everything it wanted. The west did not get everything it wanted. But we have a basis for moving forward.

HARLOW: All right, Sharon Squassoni. Thank you very much for being with me.

SQUASSONI: Thanks for having me.

HARLOW: Still ahead, switching gears here. Probably heard this story this week. Hulk Hogan caught in a major controversy for a racist rant. We'll tell you what he was caught on tape saying and how it's tearing his legacy as a sports icon apart.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:45:23] HARLOW: Hulk Hogan is apologizing for a racist rant that was caught on unauthorized a sex tape about a decade ago. The wrestling super star in the WWE now parting ways, Hogan claiming he resigned at WWE says he was fired.

CNN's Jason Carroll has more on his rant. And I do want to warn you first, the language used is offensive.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Wrestling superstar Hulk Hogan got a smack down from world wrestling entertainment firing the WWE star after he was heard repeating the "n" word in a racist rant.

According to "Radar Online" and "the National Enquirer," Hogan is heard on the tape and recorded in 2006 talking about his daughter, Brooke. He accused her of sleeping with an African-American.

"I mean, I am a racist to a point (bleep). But then when it comes to nice people (bleep) and whatever." Then says, "I mean, I'd rather if she was going to (bleep) some (bleep), I'd rather have her marry in eight-foot tall (bleep) worth a hundred million dollars. Like a basketball player. I guess we're all a little racist."

Hogan's rant captured during his performance in a secretly recorded sex tape and he's suing Garcer (ph) to try to stop the online website from releasing it. Hogan responded Friday in a statement saying, it was unacceptable for me to have used that offensive language. There is no excuse for it and I apologized for having done it. I am disappointed with myself that I used language that is offensive and inconsistent with my own beliefs. It is not who I am.

LISA BLOOM, THE BLOOM FIRM: I don't know who would want to enter into a contract with him after this. I wouldn't be surprised if everybody just drops him cold.

CARROLL: Hogan says he's resigning from the WWE, while the WWE is saying Hogan was fired. WWE terminated its contract with Terry Bollea, aka Hulk Hogan. WWE is committed to embracing and celebrating individuals from all backgrounds as demonstrated by the diversity of our employees, performers and fans worldwide.

HILL: What we saw on that tape is exactly what 21st century racism looks like. You may like black people or be friendly to black children, but you don't want your child to marry a black person.

CARROLL: When Hogan used the n-word during a 2012 radio broadcast, he explained that a black wrestler called him the word during the match.

HULK HOGAN, FORMER WRESTLER: They're all talking trash. Booker t goes I'm coming for you (bleep).

CARROLL: Hogan got a pass that time, but now finds himself in the same position of other celebrities cause using racially charged language. Remember Mel Gibson's rants?

MEL GIBSON, ACTOR: If you get raped by a pack of (bleep), it will be your fault.

CARROLL: And Michael Richards.

Both caught. Others such as Paula Deen, Justin Bieber and Madonna, also caught and also apologized for using the word. Apology alone works for some, not for all. As for Hogan, his name and likeness stricken from the WWE Web site.

We did reach out to Hogan's daughter, Brooke. Her representatives did not return our calls. A number of people have actually taken to twitter to support Hogan. One of those people supporting him, Dennis Rodman who tweeted out, he did not believe that Hogan had a quote "racist bone in his body."

Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Jason, thank you for that. As he mentioned in the story, those comments were made a decade ago. Does that even matter? We're going to talk about it with Ben and Marc next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:52:40] HARLOW: Before the break, we told you about Hulk Hogan apologizing for a racist rant that was caught on tape, a rant he made about ten years ago.

Let's talk about it with CNN commentators Ben Ferguson and Marc Lamont Hill.

Marc, let me begin with you. Do you think that the fact that the WWE responded so quickly cutting ties with him is sort of an improvement from what we've seen from a lot of waffling back and forth before, if you agree that he should have been let go or do you think that this was done with haste, too quickly?

HILL: I certainly don't think it was done with haste. I think that companies have to make market based decisions. I don't think we should eliminate first amendment freedom, but first amendment freedoms come with consequences. And they know their fan base doesn't want to hear that or see that or at least they think the people who are invested in the company don't. This is not a publicly traded company.

I think that they made the right decision, whether they fired him or forced him to resign, I'm happy with that. And for an organization that had a long and deep history of racism, I was actually impressed that the WWE made this choice.

HARLOW: Ben, this was said ten years ago. Does it matter at all?

FERGUSON: No. Because when it becomes public for the first time, it might as well have happened yesterday. We saw that even with Paula Deen. I mean, in society today, everyone is on notice. If you say something like this that comes out, you are probably going to lose your job, especially if it's high profile, especially if you are famous.

And I think they made the right decision here. You can't defend this. You can't go to some sort of check yourself into rehab for this. Hulk Hogan said it. It's probably not the first time he said it. It probably didn't the last time he said it in the last ten years. He's going to say sorry and apologize for it, but they made the right decision by saying we are cutting ties with you because you knew this when you took this job. You knew that you were a celebrity. You knew that these type of comments if they ever came out were going to hurt the brand and this is what happens when you play with fire.

HARLOW: Marc, Dennis rodman, as Jason said in his piece, has come to support Hulk Hogan. He tweeted out this message to other famous African-American athletes including Magic Johnson and Mike Tyson. It reads quote "let's lend our support to the Hulkster @HulkHoagn who most certainly is not a racist."

There was also this tweet from the African-American wrestler Virgil. It said don't be taking Hulk Hogan's words out of context. That man has done more for me than almost anybody. What sort of weight should be given to this?

[17:55:15] HILL: Well, a few things with that. One, Hulk Hogan on the tape said I am racist. So it's hard for me to believe Virgil over Hulk Hogan himself. Typically people don't lie on the side of stage if they are racist. So - look. I met Hulk Hogan a bunch of times. I interviewed him a bunch of times. He's been nice to me. He's been kind to me. We had good times. We laughed. He's been very friendly with my daughter. I mean, I have nothing bad on a personal level to say about Hulk Hogan. But when I hear that on the tape it sounds and feels like a certain sort of racism.

It may not be interpersonal racism. It may be, as I said earlier, the type of racist that says I'll vote for Obama but I don't want black people living next door to me. I like Virgil and I like Dennis Rodman, but I don't want my daughter marrying one unless it is somebody who has the money of Dennis Rodman. And just for the record, Dennis Rodman's track record of judging people isn't exactly perfect here.

(CROSSTALK)

FERGUSON: How about North Korea.

HILL: Just in the states. Dennis has made some questionable decisions so I don't know if I trust his judgment.

FERGUSON: Yes. Dennis Rodman is not somebody that you want coming to your side when you're trouble for bad remarks say, hey, Dennis Rodman likes me so you should too. I will say this, I don't think Hulk Hogan went - was going out there with racist intent in hurting people's lives. He obviously helped African-Americans in the wrestling field to get in the business and help grow some of them, but that also could be for his own personal gain financially or to bring in a new set of individuals --

HILL: Yes, because the black guys always lose.

HARLOW: All right, guys --

FERGUSON: Well, some of them have won some pretty big matches and made some pretty big money.

(CROSSTALK)

HARLOW: I've got to get a commercial break in, gentlemen. Thank you for being here, it's a really important discussion to have. I appreciate it. Bye, guys. Coming up at the top of the hour, Donald Trump's campaign looked to be

in trouble potentially after he slammed Senator John McCain's war record. Not the case. Wait until you see these new poll numbers for the billionaire presidential candidate.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)