Return to Transcripts main page

CNN NEWSROOM

Joe Biden Run; Arizona Freeway Shootings; U.S. Believes Bomb- Maker Killed; Crane Collapse in Mecca; Netanyahu to Visit White House; Prior Complaints about NYPD Cop. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired September 11, 2015 - 14:00   ET

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


[14:00:00] JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Every single one, like your friend sitting home on couches still suffering from having done their duty, are required additional help and they're entitled to every single, solitary help the United States government can provide them until the day they die.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Well said by the vice president of the United States.

The news continues next on CNN.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thank you so much for being with me on this Friday.

Some major political events in the next two hours, so, heads up, we're going to take a couple of things live as soon as we see them pop up. First up, President Obama, he is set to hold a town hall with members of the military today at Ft. Meade, Maryland. We'll take that, of course. Also, Dr. Ben Carson, who is currently feuding, we'll call it that, with Donald Trump, he's in Ferguson, Missouri, today. He is expected to address reporters. There will be a Q&A. So we'll take that. And minutes from now, of course, what Carson is saying is getting more and more traction and attention as he's gaining in the polls. The latest CNN/ORC poll indicates Carson running number two to Trump. Both of them in double digits.

But let's begin on the flip side, what's happening with the Democrats. Hillary Clinton, she is losing support. Check out the numbers. While a man, who is not even officially running, is gaining on her. In this new CNN/ORC poll, the man, who happens to be the vice president of this country, Joe Biden, has the support of 20 percent of Democrats. And that number could grow after the incredibly authentic, revealing interview he did last night on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert." Biden, as you very well know, has lost his son, Beau, to cancer three months ago. The vice president showed the audience he is still putting his personal life above any presidential aspirations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't think any man or woman should run for president unless, number one, they know exactly why they would want to be president and, two, they can look at the folks out there and say, I promise you, you have my whole heart, my whole soul, my energy and my passion to do this. And - and I'd be lying if I said that I knew I was there. It's a - it's - I'm being completely honest. I -

STEPHEN COLBERT, LATE NIGHT TALK SHOW HOST: I believe you.

BIDEN: I - so - so - but no - nobody has a right, in my view, to seek that office unless they are willing to give it 110 percent of who they are. And I am - I am - as I said, I'm - I'm optimistic. I'm - I'm - I'm positive about where we're going. But I find myself - and you understand, I - just sometimes it just sort of overwhelms you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: The vice president also opened up about how vulnerable he still is to breaking down over the loss of his son.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: I went out to Denver and I landed at a military base and I met a whole group of military families. All of - and it was going great. And a guy in the back yells, Major Beau Biden, bronze star, sir, served with him in Iraq. And all of a sudden, I lost it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Joining me now, CNN national political reporter Maeve Reston. And with me here in New York, Nomiki Konst, a support of the Draft Biden movement, a Democratic strategist.

So, ladies, wonderful having you both on.

Nomiki or Nomi, sitting with me, let me just turn to you and ask you the first question. As the - the, what, the so-called CEO of the Joe Biden fan club -

NOMIKI KONST, SUPPORTER, DRAFT BIDEN: Self-appointed.

BALDWIN: So, listen, I mean, watching him last night, I mean you had the crowd chanting "Joe, Joe, Joe!" Just - your heart goes out to him, listening to him last night. But really he did hint at, maybe he's really not interested.

KONST: You know, he was very honest and open, which is, I think, what makes people love him so much is that he is vulnerable in front of people. But, you know, I don't think he rules it out. This is a big decision. This is something - you know, he's dealing with loss. He has to talk with his family. Like he said, if he - why -

BALDWIN: Don't you think he has been, though? I mean that sounded like a "no" to me last night.

KONST: Why would he be on? Why would he be going around and giving speeches? Why would he be in New York yesterday talking about minimum wage? I mean, yes, he's the vice president and, yes, he's been advocating for these things, but he's been full force over the past week. And I would - I mean, personally, I think that he's going to run because he's sending all of the indicators. He's sending all the signs. You know, the Draft Biden movement, which is not, you know, affiliated with Joe Biden, they are setting up operations across the country. You know, there's tons of support. They're raising millions of dollars. It looks, from a political analyst's perspective, that they're setting up an operation just in case he announces. But it's going to come down to Joe and Jill.

[14:05:05] BALDWIN: Right. And let me come back to you in a second, but, Maeve, I mean, again, going back to the numbers, it is pretty stunning. I mean the vice president has 20 percentage points here and he is not even in the race.

MAEVE RESTON, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER: Right. And, you know, we've seen those numbers grow over time and I think a lot of people in the Democratic Party are looking at those numbers, and particularly the head-to-head matchups, and saying, wow, maybe Biden could be stronger in this moment. Obviously a lot of voters out there want someone who is straight talk, you know, not - not scripted and that's been one of Biden's biggest problems. So there are - you talk to Democratic strategists about the fact that they think that really Biden could be a good force to have in the race against Trump, for example. There are a lot of people who are not as enchanted with Hillary Clinton anymore.

But at the same time, I agree with you, Brooke, I think that he really did sound generally torn last night and that certainly is what we've been hearing from people who are close to him, that he is genuinely torn about running and very well could decide no.

BALDWIN: Let me come back to Joe Biden, but you mentioned Hillary Clinton, so let me stay with you, Maeve, and ask you about that. When also you look at some of the numbers, I mean when you - when you put Hillary Clinton in, you know, a hypothetical head to head against Republicans, her lead is vanishing. That's a big deal.

RESTON: That is a big deal. And, like I said, you know, when you talk to voters out there on the campaign trail, they are paying a lot of attention to those numbers rather than just like the horse race numbers. When she starts to look less formidable against, you know, people like Trump or even Carson, it just gives people much more pause about whether or not this is really the right time for her. She's clearly having to deal with sort of the drip, drip, drip of this e- mail controversy that her campaign feels is completely unfair, but a lot of people are taken back by how long it has dragged out and really feel like it's dragging down her poll numbers. So it does give Biden a clear opening here.

BALDWIN: So with the drip, drip, drip, Nomiki, just last quick question, do you think - how long could he wait to finally say? Aides say it should be October. Do you think he can wait until November to decide because -

KONST: I don't think he can wait until November.

BALDWIN: You don't? KONST: I think, you know, we're seeing - obviously the Benghazi hearing is going to begin in October and so that's going to be a big indicator. I think it would be a - not a smart decision for him to jump in, in the middle of the Benghazi hearing because there's going to be so much attack against the Democratic Party. And even though it will be, you know, focused on Hillary, it's still not smart. Obviously this is a fundraising game. We've got to be real here. The sooner he can start fundraising for a campaign, the sooner he can set up a real operation across all 50 states and really catch up. And I think that's beginning. I think he's starting to have those meetings. That's what the word is. I give it another, you know, two or three weeks, but what do I know?

BALDWIN: Draft Biden, CEO of the fan club, so, there you go. Nomiki Konst, thank you so much.

KONST: Thanks.

BALDWIN: Maeve Reston, thank you as well.

RESTON: Thank you.

BALDWIN: And a reminder, the Republican presidential candidates facing off in back to back debates next Wednesday night, September 16th. We will be there, 6:00 and 8:00 Eastern, only here on CNN.

And we want to hear from you as well. What do you want to hear from the candidates? Send us your tweets. Make sure you do the #cnndebate. Send us your debate questions and maybe you will hear one of those candidates answering one of yours.

Now this.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

BALDWIN: Getting some breaking news in to CNN. A major development in the investigation of a series of shootings along a busy highway in Arizona. Sara Sidner is live in Phoenix.

Sara, what's happened?

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, we heard from - in Spanish, on a Spanish radio station, one of the public information officers from the Department of Public Safety talk about the fact that they are now - they now have a group of people that they have detained who they are questioning in relation to the shootings that have been happening here along I-10. We have not been able to get a second confirmation on that from the Department of Public Safety, but that is what we heard on a Spanish language television - or, sorry, Spanish language radio station, that the Department of Public Safety, an officer named Raul Garza (ph), talking to them about several people who have been detained, who are being questioned in relation to the shooting. He said they are not arrested and made that very clear.

Could this be a potential break in the case? We just don't know yet. And we do want to caution people, you know, we talked to the head of the Department of Public Safety yesterday. We talked to some of the officers today and they said, they are getting hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of calls and tips and they are trying to check out every single one of them. And yesterday they didn't have anything that led them to the possibility of arrests. That may have changed today. But we want to make it very clear that everyone is in a heightened state and they are trying to look at every possibility at this point.

But again, we heard on a Spanish language radio station one of the officers at the Department of Public Safety going on saying several people detained, being questioned in this I-10 shooting here in Phoenix.

[14:10:05] Brooke.

BALDWIN: Heart goes out to people in Phoenix. Just, you know, all of these, one after another after another on this highway. Hopefully this is the connection that they're looking for. Sara Sidner, we'll check back with you, thank you so much, in Phoenix.

Also breaking, sources tell CNN the United States believes a notorious bomb-maker with ties to al Qaeda has now been killed in an air strike. To the Pentagon we go to our correspondent there, Barbara Starr.

Barbara, what do you know?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Brooke.

Two U.S. officials are telling CNN they do believe now that a notorious French bomb-maker named David Drugeon was killed in July in northern Syria in a coalition air strike.

This is somebody they've been trying to get to for a very long time. He had ties to an al Qaeda group called the Khorasan group. He had operated in Syria. He also had ties to westerners. The fear always was because of this French man's bomb-making skills, he could get westerners to put devices on airplanes, essentially non-metallic bombs, very difficult to detect. They tried to get him before. There had been several efforts at this.

I want to say, our own terrorism analyst, Paul Cruickshank, noticed on some social media accounts late yesterday from jihadi groups an announcement that Drugeon had died. This became one of the key elements in making the U.S. believe indeed that they had gotten him when they saw some of these announcements on social media by these groups. So it looks now the official call hasn't been made but it definitely looks like they were successful in targeting and killing this bomb-maker. It's just the latest incident of one of the high- value targets in the Syria/Iraq area that the U.S. has been able to get.

Brooke.

BALDWIN: Barbara, thank you so much.

STARR: Sure. BALDWIN: Next, more news just in as the president's deal with Iran,

nuclear deal, pass as big test. We're now getting word that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is making big plans. We have that for you.

Also, this decision breaking now involving the campus police officer who shot a driver in the head. You'll remember this. The entire thing caught on body cam video.

You're watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:16:24] BALDWIN: You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

More breaking news here. These are images we're getting in from Mecca. This is in Saudi Arabia. At least 50 people, we're told, are dead after a crane collapsed. This is happening at a massive mosque in Mecca.

Let's go straight to our senior international correspondent, Nick Paton Walsh, who's on the phone with me right now.

And, Nick, as we're watching this video play out, it looks like total chaos. How did this - do we even know how this happened?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, this is - you have to bear in mind the context of this. This is the holiest of sites for the Muslim faith. Mecca, the Grand Mosque. Inside which is the caba (ph) to which all Muslims have to make the Hajj, the (INAUDIBLE), if they can during their lifetime. This is the holiest site in which a crane has plunged through the roof just literally a week before the Hajj is supposed to begin.

Now, we learned that the million - million Muslims have already traveled to Mecca and you shared over 60 have lost their lives, over 150 injured. According to our weather team and to reports from the ground, this crane may well have fallen because of very high winds that were blowing at the time. Apparently a storm began at 4:00 local time, not long after the busy time of Friday prayer. And that caused the temperature to drop significantly, about 30 degrees Fahrenheit (INAUDIBLE). That obviously was a strong wind. It seems, perhaps, to have been the cause for the crane being knocked over. Saudi authorities are launching an investigation as urgently as possible.

But, Brooke, this is just a seismic, awful set of images for any Muslim to be seeing around the world. The most holiest of sites really just a week before Hajj, the holiest of times in Mecca where the key site (ph) (INAUDIBLE) their faith and they're seeing this (INAUDIBLE). people being pulled from the wreckage, lives lost, at such an extraordinary what should be holy time of the year in that area.

Brooke.

BALDWIN: Nick Paton Walsh, let's stay in close contact and find out exactly how many Muslims were perhaps even in the mosque as the crane plunged through that roof. At we get more information and more pictures, we'll bring it to you on CNN.

Nick, my thanks.

Also just in to CNN, President Obama's deal with Iran passes a huge test, we are now learning that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is making significant travel plans this fall.

Let's go to our White House correspondent, Michelle Kosinski.

What are we learning about Benjamin Netanyahu?

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we know it will be sometime in November. The exact date hasn't been set yet. But this is going to be interesting. I mean you look at the relationship between these two nations and the White House keeps emphasizing that it is unshakeable, that these two allies share unprecedented cooperation in intelligence, in military, in security. But the two leaders haven't spoken since the Iran deal framework was final.

The last time they met face-to-face was in October of last year. And back then, it was all very polite. Prime Minister Netanyahu did criticize the possibility of an Iran nuclear deal, but it was pretty subdued with the president. The president also had very subdued criticism or sort of encouragement of both sides in the Gaza conflict, remember that, of taking care to make sure there weren't casualties on either side.

So always very nice and polite, but then, remember, it was in March that Netanyahu came here at the invitation of Congress, spoke to both houses but did not meet with President Obama and it's hard to overstate how critical he was. I mean how this made global headlines saying that an Iran nuclear deal would actually pave the way to a nuclear bomb instead of the opposite as the White House feels about it.

So this is the first time they're going to meet in person. And you know, again, the world is going to be watching what is said, what the body language is and you know also that both sides are going to continue to emphasize that as many disagreements as there might be over this issue, the underlying relationship is going to remain strong, Brooke.

[14:20:17] BALDWIN: All right. So meeting at the White House is, you're saying, probably early November. Michelle Kosinski, thank you.

Next, any minute now, we are expecting to hear from the number two Republican in this race thus far when you check the CNN/ORC polls, Ben Carson. Live pictures out of Ferguson, Missouri. It's a place, obviously, where the Black Lives Matter movement gained traction in the wake of a death there last summer, Michael Brown. Dr. Carson has been critical of the movement in the past. He's holding a news conference (INAUDIBLE). He is feuding now with Donald Trump very personally, if I may add that.

A decision breaking now - in addition to what's happening in Ferguson, a decision breaking now involving the campus police officer who shot a driver in the head. The entire incident caught on body cam.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:25:18] BALDWIN: We are getting new details here just in the last hour about that police officer who tackled former tennis star James Blake at a New York hotel when he mistook him for a crime suspect. What we know is that this officer, whose name is James Frascatore, is also named in not just one but two pending federal lawsuits for excessive force. When you look at one complaint, a man says NYPD officer stopped him on a sidewalk in 2013, followed him into a deli, punched and pepper sprayed him while yelling racial slurs. Frascatore is one of eight officers named in that particular suit. This send pending complaint, also from 2013, alleges that Officer Frascatore was one of six officers who took down a man and beat him for riding his bicycle on the sidewalk.

Now, the city is denying the charges in both cases, but the NYPD said it is taking a closer look at the officer involved in this recent - most recent incident involving Blake. Frascatore has not responded to CNN calls for comment.

So I have with me one of our favorites, CNN's senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin.

So, let me just begin with this, and I'm going to pivot to something else but if, you know, you hear with those two cases, you know, the city is saying, no, no, no, but that has to factor in to what's happened just recently this week.

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Where there's smoke, there may be fire.

BALDWIN: Right.

TOOBIN: You know what I keep thinking about during all this is, remember during the Eric Garner case, Mayor de Blasio, who has an African-American son, said, you know, all of us who have African- American sons, we warn them about dealing with the police. We say you have to be very careful.

BALDWIN: Which really frustrated the police.

TOOBIN: And - and - and the police union attacked him for it.

BALDWIN: Yes.

TOOBIN: Look at what's going on.

BALDWIN: (INAUDIBLE).

TOOBIN: This is exactly why the parents of young African-American men say, don't mess with the police because you could get into a lot of trouble. I mean think - as bad as this situation is -

BALDWIN: They're saying this guy -

TOOBIN: What if - what if James Blake had resisted, as he probably had a right to do.

BALDWIN: Right.

TOOBIN: You know, this is why it's just - it can be a very ugly relationship.

BALDWIN: So we just - with the other two cases, how would that factor into this one?

TOOBIN: Well, you know, probably not directly.

BALDWIN: OK.

TOOBIN: But, you know, people - investigators are human beings, too. And if they know that this guy has this sort of history, they are going to look even more closely at what's going on here. It's not directly relevant, but, you know -

BALDWIN: Contextually significant.

TOOBIN: Yes, indeed.

BALDWIN: The other thing I wanted to ask you about, I want to get your thoughts on some new developments today in the case of Sam Dubois, a driver who was shot and killed by University of Cincinnati Police Officer Ray Tensing. We saw this whole thing play out because the officer's body camera was rolling on it. So let me take you back to that original incident.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OFFICER RAY TENSING, UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI POLICE: OK. Do you have your license on you? OK, do you know where (INAUDIBLE), or what?

DUBOSE: (INAUDIBLE).

TENSING: OK. I'm going to ask you again, do you have your license on you?

DUBOSE: I have a license. You can take - run my name.

TENSING: So you - do you not have your license on you? I'm asking you a direct question, do you have your license on you?

DUBOSE: I thought I did. (INAUDIBLE). What did you pull me over for?

TENSING: Again, the front tag.

DUBOSE: But it's not illegal to not have a front plate in Cincinnati (ph).

TENSING: OK. Actually - I'm going to ask you again, do you have a license on you?

DUBOSE: I have a license. You can run my name.

TENSING: OK. Is that not on you, then?

DUBOSE: Uh, I don't think I have it on me.

TENSING: Be straight up with me, are you suspended?

DUBOSE: No, I'm not suspended.

TENSING: Then why don't you have your license on you?

DUBOSE: Because I don't - I just don't. (INAUDIBLE).

TENSING: OK. Where do you stay at, down here?

DUBOSE: Right around the corner.

TENSING: OK. Well, until I can figure out if you have a license or not, go ahead and take your seatbelt off for me.

DUBOSE: I didn't even do nothing. (INAUDIBLE).

TENSING: Go ahead and take your seatbelt off. Stop. Stop!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So, shots fired. That was when, you know, the man was killed. Now, shortly after that shooting and the public saw that tape play out, the local district attorney in this case spoke and it was the most fiery statement any of us had really heard from a prosecutor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[14:29:42] JOE DETERS, HAMILTON COUNTY, OHIO, PROSECUTOR: I've been doing this for over 30 years. This is the most asinine act I've ever seen a police officer make. Totally unwarranted. It was - it's an absolute tragedy, in the year 2015, that anyone would behave in this manner. It was senseless.