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Migrant Crisis; Biden Attends Labor Day Parade; Campaign Trail Heats Up; Clinton Dropping in Iowa, New Hampshire Polls; Waiting on David Cameron's Proposed Refugee Policy; Brady Speaks Out About Deflategate. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired September 7, 2015 - 09:30   ET

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


IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi Carol. That's right, I mean, the world was reminded about how dangerous this journey can be, even though from where I'm standing in this Turkish resort, it's only about two miles as the crow flies to the Greek island of Kos.

[09:30:07] But the world was shocked by those awful pictures of a little two-year-old Syrian refugee when he washed up lifeless on the beach very close to where I'm standing right now. But that does not seem to have deterred some people from making the desperate journey, trying to make it across the channel to nearby Greece. And we watched last night as Turkish search and rescue crews were out trying to rescue these migrants and refugees from their own very dangerous embarkation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WATSON (voice-over): Under the spotlight of a Turkish coast guard cutter --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You see -- you see the refugees?

WATSON: The silhouettes of more than 20 people stranded in a rubber boat. They are desperate, frightened, but tonight luckily saved by volunteers from the Bodrum Sea Rescue Association, who work alongside the Turkish coast guard.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not all together. Wait. Wait.

WATSON: Among the passengers rescued, five little children. Just four days after the world was shocked by photographs of a Syrian refugee toddler who drown at sea. These people have embarked on the exact same perilous journey. They set off from the Turkish resort peninsula of Bodrum in hope of reaching the Greek island of Kos. Instead of drifting at sea with a failed engine, these people will be brought back safely to Turkey.

The beaches below Bodrum's villas and posh resorts, an unlikely launching point for tens of thousands of refugees and migrants willing to risk everything to reach Europe.

Under the light of the crescent moon, we witness another attempt at a crossing. WATSON (on camera): It's after 2:00 a.m. and we've encountered another

little rubber dinghy loaded with people. They're actually paddling in the direction of Greece. It's incredibly overloaded, this little boat. It's an accident waiting to happen.

WATSON (voice-over): To make matters worse, some wear heavy backpacks over their life jackets.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The coast guard is coming.

WATSON: Before possible disaster strikes, the coast guard comes to the rescue. Tonight, they fail to reach Greece but they will live another day.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATSON: So who are these people that are trying to make this -- this very dangerous and potentially deadly journey, Carol? Well, we're told that they're everything from refugees and migrants from conflicts in Syria and Iraq and Afghanistan, to people traveling from Iran, from Pakistan, from even as far away as Burma or Myanmar. And one of the Turkish rescue workers, a volunteer, he's work for free, basically, at night doing this, he says that his teams have rescued the same woman in one case at least three times after she has washed up on islands with her husband or gotten stranded out at sea. That gives you a sense of how determined some of these people are, how desperate some of these people are, and how committed they are to trying to achieve what they believe would either be physical security in Europe or perhaps economic security just across these straits.

Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Well, with ISIS in my backyard, I mean, some people might not blame them for trying and trying again.

WATSON: Absolutely. And some of the Syrians that we've talked to, when you ask them, listen, we saw pictures of a drowned little boy, would you really consider trying to make this perilous journey? And some of the Syrian refugees that we've talked to have said, listen, for three, four years my country has been ripped apart by a conflict, hit by barrel bombs and air strikes from the Syrian government, torn apart by vicious jihad assassins, nihilists, and murders. I've witnessed the worst that humanity can offer. So I'm willing to take the risk of drowning at sea if I can at least get to some form of safety.

You know, the Turkish government response has been, don't make this journey. You may not have great economic or educational prospects here in Turkey, but at least you're safe here in Turkey. There's not a war that is going to result in your death, like nearby in Syria. Please do not make this journey. But as we saw last night, some of these people are refusing to listen to those pleas from the Turkish government.

[09:35:04] Carol.

COSTELLO: Ivan Watson reporting live from Turkey this morning. Thank you. Still to come in the NEWSROOM, Joe Biden minutes away from delivering

a Labor Day speech, but is he going to give us any hints when it comes to his own job plan?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Is he in or is he out? That's the big question as Vice President Joe Biden attends a Labor Day parade today in Pittsburgh. Biden has said, when it comes to a possible run for the White House, family comes first and that his decision will depend on whether they can handle it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The factor is, can I do it? Can my family undertake what is an arduous commitment that we'd be proud to undertake under ordinary circumstances? But the honest to God answer is, I just don't know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[09:40:15] COSTELLO: Joining me now, CNN's senior political correspondent Brianna Keilar. She's in Pittsburgh, where the crowd is gearing up for Biden's coming appearance.

Good morning.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Carol.

We do expect that Vice President Joe Biden will be addressing this crowd of union members really any minute now. This is the beginning of the Labor Day parade route in Pittsburgh. We can actually see off camera the bands beginning to line up. So this is about to get underway.

But as Vice President Biden nears a decision here, he is seeing some good news politically in a new NBC News/Marist poll as he is here talking to what is really a key constituent for Democrats, union members. Certainly a group that Hillary Clinton is very actively courting at this point in time.

But you saw it there from Joe Biden when he spoke in Florida last week. It's very emotional decision and he's really trying to gauge where his family is on this and where he is following the death of his son, he was tremendously close to, Joe Biden, following the death of his son in May.

But talking about the politics of it, this is the picture that Joe Biden is looking at today. Check out how he's doing in the polls. When you look at general election match-ups between a hypothetical Democratic nominee and Jeb Bush and Donald Trump, Joe Biden is performing better than Hillary Clinton is when you look at the state of Iowa and when you look at New Hampshire. And caucus goers in both states really have -- and we're not just talking Democrats, we're talking Democrats and Republicans have a -- have a better view of Joe Biden than they do Hillary Clinton. So the big picture in these polls, of course, is that Bernie Sanders is besting Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire, really gaining on her in Iowa, but Joe Biden, who still has this decision to make, is looking at how he's performing against Hillary Clinton and putting that into really his consideration as he makes what's a very emotional decision, Carol.

COSTELLO: You know, you know, I wonder about these polls sometimes, Brianna, because, of course, Joe Biden isn't running. We haven't heard a single campaign speech. I know that Democrats are familiar with Joe Biden. But come on, right?

KEILAR: That's right. And the consideration is this -- and we've seen this with Hillary Clinton, although she certainly has some other issues with her latest e-mail controversy. When you get into the political spotlight, your -- your star does not continue to be on the rise. It's a very glaring right and it's something that candidates generally, you know, it takes a toll on them. So that's the other thing that Joe Biden is factoring into his calculus on this. If he does get into the race, is he going to be able to perform at a level where he can actually better his poll numbers? And, you know, that's something that he is looking at right now as he keeps counsel with a very, very tight-knit group of long-time friends and advisors, Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Brianna Keilar reporting live from Pittsburgh this morning. Thanks so much.

As some, and I stress some, candidates slog through Iowa and New Hampshire on this Labor Day, will it really matter? As "The New York Times" points out, Rick Santorum has visited all 99 counties in Iowa. Scott Walker has visited 25 counties. And their campaigns are struggling. Donald Trump, on the other hand, made that splashy visit to the Iowa State Fair. He offered kids rides on his helicopter and then he flew away to appear in countless TV interviews. And let's be frank, he's killing it.

With me now, staff writer for "The Weekly Standard," Michael Warren.

Michael, welcome.

MICHAEL WARREN, STAFF WRITER, "THE WEEKLY STANDARD": Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: Good morning.

So -- so does this prove TV interviews and social media are fast replacing old fashioned campaigning?

WARREN: To an extent. Look, I mean, Donald Trump is a celebrity. He has sort of all these planes and helicopters at his exposure. So he can, you know, zip around and do these things and it doesn't really, I think, affect his position.

But look at who's in second right now in Iowa. It's Ben Carson. Yes, he's got a big following among sort of conservatives and sort of die- hard Republicans, but I think he's also been doing some of that traditional campaigning. He's been in Iowa a lot. And, most importantly, he's been up on TV and radio, particularly Christian radio, which is a -- sort of a big market for Republican caucus goers in Iowa. And he -- and he's doing ads and doing the sort of normal things that we expect from candidates, you know, who are trying to run for president. So I think what we're seeing here is -- is Trump is sort of maybe polling the graph a little bit. I think the -- the -- what you're seeing normal happen is -- is candidates who are putting the time in and maybe aren't as familiar to Republican voters are getting a look, at least in Iowa.

[09:45:01] COSTELLO: Interesting. I see.

So on the Democratic side, and I'm just going to play devil's advocate because I enjoy debating, Hillary Clinton took her Scooby V an to meet people face to face. Right now, she's not granting many interviews. I think she's granted one and she's going to do another one soon with MSNBC.

She has a social media presence, that's true, but in the latest polls Donald Trump now beats her in Iowa and Bernie Sanders is now beating Clinton in New Hampshire. So face to face traditional campaigning isn't working out so well for Hillary Clinton, is it?

WARREN: Well, she's not doing much of it. You mentioned the Scooby Van but when was that? That was in the spring. I mean, she really hasn't done a lot of sort of that face-to-face shaking hands, talking with people. It's all been kind of staged events, as we can see every time she does one, there's sort of cameras all around and a table and she's sitting there.

So I think she would actually benefit from getting out there and talking to people. But she really can't do that because then she might face some uncomfortable questions like she -- going on with this e-mail controversy she has.

Look, in New Hampshire, I think what's interesting I've talked to some people who know New Hampshire politics really well and they say New Hampshire is an open primary. You know, you can vote in the Republican or Democratic one, and all the action's on the Republican side. There's a lot more candidates, it's a lot more interesting. And so you're seeing a lot of sometimes-Democrat voters go over to the Republican side to kind of play in that field.

So what you're seeing is what Howard Dean used to call the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party really I think showing in these polls. And that's why Bernie Sanders is doing so well on top of all the problems that Hillary Clinton has with this e-mail scandal. So, look, I think press in the flesh is important.

COSTELLO: It's interesting what you just said about Bernie Sanders because that was my next question. Why is he doing so well and why is now suddenly Joe Biden surging in the polls?

WARREN: Well, I mean, look, it all goes back to Hillary Clinton. She was supposed to be the inevitable nominee. She was supposed to sort of be really almost coronated into the White House. And it's not happened because voters have gotten a closer look at her. These scandals have caught up with her, I think, and they're really sort of damaging her poll numbers when it comes to trust worthiness and honesty. We've seen that before.

Joe Biden, again, is sort of -- he's not in the race and so he kind of has this allure to him for Democratic voters. And he's sort of a more natural continuation of the Obama presidency. I think there's a lot of Obama loyalists among voters and among sort of Democratic operatives who might think Joe Biden is a better succeeder (sic) to Barack Obama than Hillary Clinton.

I think Bernie Sanders, as well, is just sort of appealing, again, that Democratic wing of the Democratic Party, the part of the party that thinks, you know, Hillary Clinton, she's in bed with Goldman Sachs and is more centrist for the sort of left wing of the party. And Sanders kind of speaks the truth in terms of their view. So I think you're seeing just a lot of discontent and that's really, really bad for the Democratic Party and for Hillary.

COSTELLO: Michael Warren, thanks for your insight. I appreciate it.

We're keeping a close eye on another speech this morning. Within the hour, the British Prime Minister David Cameron will unveil his proposed plan to shelter thousands more migrants in an address before the House of Commons.

CNN's Phil Black is following this from London. Good morning, Phil.

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol. Yes, the key question really is how far is the Prime Minister David Cameron prepared to go? How many Syrian refugees is he prepared to welcome here?

What we're going to be seeing in Britain's parliament today is really a government changing its policy because that policy has been overtaken by a distinct shift in the public mood. This is a government that is always trying to win support by talking tough when it comes to immigration, including refugees and asylum seekers. But over the last week or so, the stories, the headlines, the images, the death, the suffering, it has all come together really to inspire a strong feeling among the British people that they need do more to help these people.

So what we'll be looking for, really, is just what this new policy will look like from David Cameron. The expectation I think is that it won't be anything like that of Germany where Germany has literally open its borders, is welcoming some 800,000 asylum seekers. In this case, the numbers are expected to be much smaller and it's more likely that Britain will widen its existing policy of helping the most vulnerable Syrian refugees who are still in the region, still in those countries bordering Syria. Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Phil Black reporting live from London. I'll be right back.

[09:49:36]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COSTELLO: Well, it took just about seven months but Tom Brady finally broke his silence and spoke to reporters about Roger Goodell and Deflategate. CNN Sports' Coy Wire joins me now with more on that. Good morning.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. That's right. Seven months. The last time Brady spoke to reporters was at a February 2nd news conference after the Super Bowl. He seems to be happy, as many football fans are, that for now at least there will be less Deflategate and more football. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM BRADY, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS QUARTERBACK: You know, obviously I have a lot of personal feelings, but I really don't care to share many of those. I have had so much support with my family that's -- you know, through all this, and for the last 20 years I have been playing football this time of year and it feels to be able to do that again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: In that clip, he mentioned that his family has been supportive of him. Well, on Friday, his father, Tom Brady Sr., stood up for him in a major way in an interview on a San Francisco radio show. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM BRADY, SR., FATHER OF TOM BRADY (on radio): The only person that's testified under oath in this is Tom Brady.

[09:55:03] We know Goodell has lied. He lied in the Ray Rice case. He lied in this case. He has lied in the Peterson case. How many times do you need to know that this guy is a flaming liar?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Tom Brady Sr., everyone, letting it be known how he really feels about Roger Goodell.

Now, the commissioner isn't the most popular fan among Patriots fans. That may be why he's decided that, for the first time during his tenure as commissioner, he will not attend the season opener. Now that game between Brady's Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers is this Thursday night in Foxborough.

Carol, I've played in that stadium on many occasions and the atmosphere is already electric. Now you have Tom Brady's return. He won't be playing with just a chip on his shoulder; it will be more like the whole potato, Carol. It's going to be awesome.

COSTELLO: I know. So Roger Goodell isn't going to show up. I'm wondering if Gisele will show up.

WIRE: Oh, it's a good question. I would imagine she would probably be there to support her man during this big, big game. COSTELLO: Well, we'll see because you know the rumors circulating out

there. I'm sure you've been following those closely, Coy.

WIRE: That's for another hit. We can maybe discuss that at a later time.

COSTELLO: Chicken.

Coy Wire, thanks so much.

The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)