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THE LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER

Chris Christie Interview, Part 2; John Kerry Says U.S. Will Commit To Accepting More Syrian Refugees; Passengers Escape Inferno On Runway; Apple Unveils New Iphone, iPad, Pencil. Aired 4:30-5p ET

Aired September 9, 2015 - 16:30   ET

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


[16:30:02]

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Welcome back to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper.

In our politics lead, my conversation with Republican presidential candidate New Jersey Governor Chris Christie continues.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER: Governor, I don't need to tell you that there is a fierce, nasty race going on just between Donald Trump and Jeb Bush. It's gotten very, very heated as of late. Take a look at Governor Bush making Trumpian-like statements about the Iran deal last night on Stephen Colbert's new late-night show.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT")

JEB BUSH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I would build a wall between the United States and Iran, and make Mexico pay for it.

(APPLAUSE)

BUSH: Thank you. Trucks are strong. I will turn the National Mall into a luxury golf course, and China will respect that.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Now, it went on from there. And in a clip that apparently was edited out, but Jeb Bush talked about this morning, Stephen Colbert dressed up as Donald Trump with a cotton candy wig and invited Jeb Bush to eat some of the cotton candy and he did. We haven't gotten to see that delicious satire.

These are two of the front-runners of your party. What do you make of this?

CHRISTIE: Well, I think what these two gentlemen have forgotten is that this isn't about them. It's about the American people.

And when you see the middle class suffering the way it has, 15 years of no increase in their wages, when you see the frustration they feel that Congress hasn't reformed the tax code, dealt with immigration, dealt with Obamacare, and these guys are just throwing schoolyard insults at each other and think we care. We don't care.

We don't care whether they like each other. We don't care if they respect each other. They should be talking about the problems of the American people. And that's not what they are doing.

TAPPER: I have to ask you about this move. Yesterday, United Continental's CEO resigned in connection to a federal probe of one of your appointees, David Samson, who headed the New York/New Jersey Port Authority.

Apparently, he's accused of using that power to allegedly rack up tabs at posh restaurants, even get the airlines to restore a route from Newark direct to South Carolina, near where Samson vacation.

I know you know nothing about the Samson and the United Continental CEO, but you appointed him. And this isn't the first time one of your appointees has come until legal fire. Should people question your judgment when it comes to your appointees?

CHRISTIE: Jake, I have been in public life now for 13 years.

And my entire life has been about making sure the law is enforced, making sure people hold to certain ethical and legal standards in their conduct in office. I have stayed by that standard my entire career, and I hold everyone who works for me to that standard.

And if they don't hold to that standard, then they're fired. And that is the way it works. And so we will see what happens with this situation, but the fact is when you have 60,000 people working for you, there are going to be occasions where someone doesn't hold up that standard.

I don't know if this is one of those instances or not, but when I have had instances of that, I have acted strongly, and decisively and continued to keep myself where I need to be, which is focusing on the work of the people and making sure that the standards I hold myself to are always the highest standards.

TAPPER: Tax policy has emerged as a big issue, and just in the last few weeks, both Donald Trump and Jeb Bush now supporting increasing taxes on hedge fund managers. They're taxed at about 15 percent right now, making it higher. Marco Rubio says if you want to raise taxes, the Democratic Party is right over there. Where do you land?

CHRISTIE: I'm not in favor of increasing taxes on anyone.

And in New Jersey, I have proven that. We haven't raised taxes on anyone in six years. In fact, Americans for Tax Reform just said two weeks ago that I vetoed more tax increases than any governor in American history. I vetoed over 400 bills that the Democratic legislature has sent me that would have increased spending and increased taxes. And every veto has been sustained.

The fact is you either have to hold the line on taxes or you don't. Once you let them get their foot in the door, they're coming for your wallet next. Whoever the person in the middle class is who thinks higher taxes on somebody else is going to lead to higher taxes on them, it is.

So I disagree with Mr. Trump and I disagree with Mr. Bush on this, and I have a record to show that I not only will cut spending, veto bills that need to be vetoed, but as Americans for Tax Reforms said, more vetoes of tax increases than any governor in American history.

TAPPER: Far be it from me to advocate in favor of tax increases, but isn't the New Jersey economy kind of a mess? And isn't more revenue needed?

CHRISTIE: Jake, I don't think making government bigger makes an economy better.

And the economy is not a mess, by the way. In the eight years before I became governor, they created zero net private sector jobs, because they were raising taxes and increasing spending 56 percent. In the six years that I have been governor, we have created nearly 200,000 new private sector jobs.

That's hardly a mess. What we are doing in New Jersey is taking a state like ours that was on life support, drowned by regulation and higher taxes and higher spending by a liberal Democratic governor and liberal Democratic legislatures. And what we are doing now is releasing it.

It is breathing and doing well. We have got nearly 200,000 new private sector jobs in six years, when in eight years they had zero. That's not an economy that is hurting. That's an economy that is coming back, and that's exactly what's happening in New Jersey, because we won't put higher taxes on the backs of the people who are already taxed more than enough.

[16:35:05]

TAPPER: Governor Chris Christie, I will see you in a week on the stage at the Reagan debate. Are you ready?

CHRISTIE: I will be looking for you, baby. Don't you worry.

(LAUGHTER)

TAPPER: Governor Chris Christie, thank you so much.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER: This programming note. You can catch that next Republican presidential debate right here on CNN. That's coming up one week from today, next Wednesday, September 16, at the Reagan Library. I will be moderating, believe it or not, and I'm looking for your questions for the candidates. Tweet them to me using #CNNdebate, or Facebook is good for that, too.

Be sure to tune in to CNN tomorrow for all your politicians news. Donald Trump will appear on "NEW DAY" at 7:00 a.m. Eastern. Jeb Bush will join me right here on THE LEAD Thursday at 4:00 p.m.

Our world lead, refugees making a perilous journey for several days, including a pregnant woman who gave birth and then carried her newborn on this walk for 11 days after giving birth, all so her daughter can possibly have a better life -- that story next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:40:05]

TAPPER: Welcome back to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper.

Our world lead now, the refugee crisis continues to unfold as Secretary of State John Kerry today said the U.S. will commit to accepting more Syrian refugees.

Meanwhile, thousands are still trying to make their way through Europe, hoping to find a better life for themselves, and in many cases for their children, at least one of whom was born on this trek.

Let's get right to CNN senior international correspondent Arwa Damon, who is on the ground in Hungary.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Jake, this is the wall that Hungary is in the process of building, its attempt to try to control or stop the flow across its borders, people taking a little bit of a break in the shade, because just getting this far takes them anywhere from two to five weeks.

They are mostly refugees of the wars in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. Their journey begins in Turkey, where a dinghy takes them to the Greek islands. From there, they move on to the mainland, and eventually to the Greece-Macedonia border.

They walk across that border. They then board trains that take them through Macedonia, where again they walk from Macedonia to Serbia, taking various forms of transport that drop them at certain points along these tracks. They follow these tracks into Hungary and they reach this point, this, the entry to the European Union.

But at the end of these tracks for many, the most difficult and what they say inhumane portion of the journey begins. The holding area conditions are less than ideal, and growing even more frustrated, many of them have been pushing through police lines, a group this morning managing to get down the road, then was surrounded by the police. They negotiated for a bus to come and take them to Austria.

And among them was a woman who arrived almost about to give birth in Greece. She got off the dinghy. She wasn't able to move and her baby girl was born. She then carried her newborn baby this entire way, just 11 days old. People are doing this because they firmly believe that this is the only way that they can secure a future for themselves and for their children -- Jake.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER: Arwa Damon, thanks so much.

As Arwa just mentioned, many of these refugees first make their journey to Europe by sea, cramming into rubber rafts, attempting a perilous journey across very difficult waters. There's so much traffic across the sea that this image you see, the fluorescent orange glow, those are all life jackets abandoned by refugees once they made it to the shores of Europe.

Thankfully, those jackets are from people who did make it to the shores of Europe.

Let's right go to CNN senior international correspondent Ivan Watson, who is somewhere in the water between Turkey and Greece right now -- Ivan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Jake, we're broadcasting to you from a boat in the Aegean Sea. It's a body of water that many migrants have used to try to get to Greek islands in Europe.

They leave from the Turkish coast, which you can see over here. And they cross this body of water to Greek islands like Lesbos, which you can see in the distance, Greek islands which have been receiving from 1,000 to 3,000 refugees and migrants arriving a day.

How do they get there? They're paying smugglers the going rate of around 1,300 U.S. dollars to pile into barely seaworthy inflatable rafts. We have gotten footage of this from within the last week-and- a-half of a boat setting out in brought daylight from the Turkish coast, more than 30 refugees on board.

You see a Turkish smuggler abandoning the boat as it sets out and then the migrants struggling, the boats having to turn circles as they struggle to figure out how to steer the raft in the direction of Greece.

And the Europeans who are feeling overwhelmed by the flood of migrants refugees crossing their borders, they better get ready, because in the last couple of days, we have talked to Syrian refugees who are arriving still by the day from Syria flying into Turkey determined to cross this channel.

And when you tell them, hey, people are dying, drowning trying to make this journey, they say, we don't care, our goal is to get to Europe. They see Europe as a key to physical safety and security, and to economic safety and security -- Jake.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER: Ivan Watson, thank you.

And if you would like to help, visit CNN.com/Impact for information on how you can make a difference in the Syrian refugee crisis.

Coming up in the national lead, panic on a plane when an engine catches fire, the mad dash to evacuate the flight -- now another rush to figure out what went wrong on this very popular passenger plane.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:45:11] TAPPER: We're back. Terrifying scene in the National Lead today, that's a passenger plane on a runway in Las Vegas on fire. Flames igniting and plumes of thick black smoke billowing around the British Airways flight as passengers slid down inflatable chutes to the tarmac.

Now a special team from the NTSB, the National Transportation Safety Board, is arriving in Nevada to look into exactly how that engine caught fire. The crew meanwhile is being heralded today for getting everyone off that plane alive.

CNN aviation correspondent, Rene Marsh, joins me now. Rene, this was a Boeing 777. I don't need to tell you that's a workhorse plane at commercial airports. That's why everyone is scrambling today to find out what just went wrong. This could have ramifications.

RENE MARSH, CNN AVIATION AND GOVERNMENT REGULATION CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. That intense smoke, that fire, that is not something you see every day. Tonight, we have learned the fire indication light came on and the engines on this airplane are equipped with fire suppressant equipment, but it didn't extinguish the fire.

[16:50:02] So the question now, did the equipment fail or did a fuel line rupture cause that fire to spread?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARSH (voice-over): Flames ripped through British Airways Flight 2276 shortly before takeoff at the Las Vegas Airport, and thick black smoke engulfed the airplane with nearly 200 people on board.

JAY JENNINGS, BRITISH AIRWAYS PASSENGER: We heard a big thud, and I saw flames on the engine.

MARSH: The pilots of the London-bound Boeing 777 were roaring down the runway when the left engine failed and caught fire. The pilots were forced to abort takeoff.

UNIDENTIFIED PILOT: Mayday, Mayday, Speedbird 2276. Request fire services.

UNIDENTIFIED AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL: Heavy, fire services are on the way.

UNIDENTIFIED PILOT: Speedbird 2276 heavy. We are evacuating on the runway. We have a fire. I repeat, we are evacuating.

JENNINGS: The captain said emergency, evacuate. MARSH: Emergency slides deployed in seconds. Everyone on board was evacuated from the airplane. This troubling photo shows some even stopped to grab their luggage before making the escape.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are wasting your time with bags, it's only a delay of three seconds, but all people do that, we're talking about a serious --

MARSH: One local hospital says they treated and released 27 people from minor injuries most hurt as they exited the plane. Chris Henke, the British Airways captain at the controls is being hailed as a hero for his quick action to stop the plane and get everyone off alive.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For that much smoke that I saw, that's highly suggestive that we had fuel lines involved. Something that happened that ruptured a fuel like ingesting something --

MARSH: The Boeing 777 has an exemplary safety record. The crash landing of Asiana Flight 214 at San Francisco was the first fatal 777 crash after 18 years in service with more than 1,300 777s currently in operation in recent years there have been only five cases including MH370 where a 777 has been damaged beyond repair.

This is what's left of British Airways Flight 2276. Federal investigators must now figure out what caused this catastrophic failure.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARSH: Investigators will look at the plane's recorders. It's a tedious task going second by second to see how the engines were performing. They will also look at the burn patterns to determine where this fire started.

One thing about the pilot here, he's been with British Airways 42 years. This was almost his last flight. He was just about to retire and again, people calling him a hero because everyone got off safely and alive.

TAPPER: The guy you just showed us that was the pilot?

MARSH: Yes.

TAPPER: Interesting outfit. Rene Marsh, thank you so much.

Navigation upgrades, fancy selfie features even Siri can do new stuff now, but can Apple convince you to buy these devices? What's soon going on sale next in our Money Lead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:57:13]

TAPPER: Welcome back to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper. Our Money Lead today, it is the best day of the year for legions of Apple nerds. Apple just in the last hour wrapped up its annual fall product unveiling, revealing all those new gadgets you didn't know you needed.

So if you made it this far without dropping your iPhone in the parking lot, you only have a couple more weeks to go. Let's get right to CNN Money Tech correspondent, Laurie Segall.

Laurie, this Apple pencil introduced today seems like an old-schooled reboot of the stylus. Is there anything new about it?

LAURIE SEGALL, CNN MONEY TECH CORRESPONDENT: The irony here, Jake, is Steve Jobs famously said he hated the stylus and went on a rampage against the stylus, but let me get to some of the announcement. The newest one, the iPad Pro, that's going to be a very big deal.

This is not like any iPad that's come out before. Tim Cook has said that this is the biggest news in iPad since the iPad. A new Apple TV, getting into your living room and revamping their Apple TV, which hasn't been revamped in three years.

And also an upgrade to the iPhone, iPhone 6S and iPhone 6 Plus, a lot of cool features people are excited about, better camera, faster processing, a really interesting feature called 3D touch, which recognizes gestures like pressing and holding.

And an interesting photo feature that almost makes your photos look like they come alive and also updates to the Apple Watch. They teamed up with different companies, one if you want to get fancy that is coming along the lines soon -- Jake.

TAPPER: And what can we get most excited about do you think and when can we get it?

SEGALL: You know, I think the most exciting part of this is the Apple TV. They hadn't revamped it in three years. Everybody is trying to get in the living room through the connected home thing. There are some really interesting updates.

Apple TV now enabling you to talk to your television through Siri. You can interact with your voice. You can ask what show you should watch, or search, that's really interesting. That's in October.

The iPhones, you can preorder September 12th, the new phones will hit the stores September 25th. The Apple TV is interesting because it gives the ability to now play games in your living rooms with multiple people, opening it to developers to build on this O.S. So it will be interesting to see where this goes in the future -- Jake.

TAPPER: And what number IPhone is this? I have the most recent one, I forgot what it's called.

SEGALL: They were looking to iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S-plus. That's all coming very soon, but maybe next year we'll look for the iPhone 7 every other year.

TAPPER: OK, Laurie Segall, thank you so much. Appreciate it. Don't miss my interview with Republican presidential candidate, Jeb Bush, tomorrow right here on THE LEAD at 4:00 p.m. Eastern. That's it for THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper. I turn you over to one Wolf Blitzer. He's in "THE SITUATION ROOM." Thanks for watching.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Happening now, the arc of the deal, the man who wrote the book on deal making slams the Iran nuclear agreement.