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Republican Candidates Prep for Primary Debate on CNN; Pretrial Motions for Father Who Left 20-Month-Old Toddler in Hot Car; The Miracles of Pope Francis?; Recapping the NFL Opening Weekend. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired September 14, 2015 - 09:30   ET

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


[09:30:01] RON CHRISTIE, FORMER SPECIAL ASST. TO PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: Unfortunately, it's making the Republican party look bad.

CARL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: So Michael, Michael Reagan said the person who most reminded him of President Reagan was Rick Perry, who of course as you know has since dropped out of the race.

MICHAEL WARREN, STAFF WRITER, THE WEEKLY STANDARD: Yes, it's ironic, isn't it? Rick Perry came into this race beefing up on national security policy and all sorts of things, tried to make a serious run of it after his disastrous run in '12. And look it, he's the first one out.

So I don't know, I do agree with Michael Reagan that Donald Trump has a limit here in this Republican primary because he is not someone who is really uniting or brings people together. But he's also raising issues that other Republicans are just diametrically opposed to, particularly on immigration, this sort of Chamber of Commerce wing of the party, which is in real I think tension with the conservative base, who, again, looks at the immigration situation and think how come things haven't been fixed? How come they haven't been changed?

So Trump is limited, but he is bringing up these things that maybe Reagan would be bringing up if he were alive today.

COSTELLO: And frankly his insults are causing other candidates to celebrate, namely Carly Fiorina. In fact, she released a new ad, and the debate is two days away. So let's watch that now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARLY FIORINA (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Look at this face, and look at all of your faces. The face of leadership. The face of leadership in our party, the party of women's suffrage. The face of leadership in your communities, in your businesses, in your places of work and worship.

Ladies, note to Democrat Party, we are not a special interest group. We are the majority of the nation.

(CHEERS & APPLAUSE) This is the face of a 61-year-old woman I am proud of every year and every wrinkle.

(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: OK, so Ron, you don't normally hear the words women suffrage and Republican. I thought that was really interesting.

CHRISTIE: This is a double entendre ad, right? Because you look at Donald Trump from his interviewee from "Rolling Stone", he said that face, can she be president? So Carly is saying, this face. And the other thing she's doing is Hillary Clinton says, Secretary of State Clinton says, are we ready for a woman president? So Carly is trying to two things here, kind of rebut Trump on one hand and say to Hillary, you know what? They're ready for me. I like that ad.

COSTELLO: I kind of like that ad myself. And Michael, I must say I'm so excited to see them on the same stage, and I'm sure there will be fireworks. Aren't you?

WARREN: Oh, yes. I mean, think about what happened in the Fox debate where Carly Fiorina broke out. What was it that broke out for her? She was criticizing Donald Trump for paling around with Hillary and Bill Clinton. So, in fact, if you go to Hillary Clinton.net, which is a redirect to Carly Fiorina's website, now it's a website that has that great big picture from Trump's wedding with the Clintons in the middle.

I mean, it's pretty great. I really think that Trump has given Fiorina a great opportunity here, in all seriousness, to really shine on Wednesday. I think she's going to really sort of deliver on Wednesday, if she has Trump as her foil.

COSTELLO: We'll see. Michael Warren, Ron Christie, thanks so both of you. I appreciate it.

CHRISTIE: Thanks, Carol.

COSTELLO: And as we gear up for Wednesday night, I want to look back at just how important these primary debates really are. Here's more from Brian Stelter.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Will the solemn man (ph) please turn Mr. Reagan's mic off.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 1980, the Republican primary debate. When Ronald Reagan catapulted himself to the nomination.

RONALD REAGAN, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I am paying for this microphone. STELTER: He was funding the debate with his campaign money to try to

include all the candidates. Of course, he went on to win the New Hampshire primary and the presidency.

In 1992, Jerry Brown and Bill Clinton got into a spat on the stage.

JERRY BROWN, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He is funneling money to his wife's law firm for state business. That's number one.

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't care what you say about me, but you ought to be ashamed of yourself for jumping on my wife. You're not worth being on the same platform as my wife.

BROWN: I'll tell you something, Mr. Clinton, don't try to escape it.

STELTER: George W. Bush and John McCain argued about negative ads in a 2000 CNN debate.

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is an attack piece.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That is not by my campaign.

BUSH. Well, it says paid for by John McCain.

MCCAIN: It is not by my campaign.

STELTER: And who can forget when Hillary Clinton was asked about her likability in 2008?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What can you say to the voters of New Hampshire on this stage today who see your resume and like it, but are hesitating on the likability issue, where they seem to like Barack Obama more?

HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: Well, that hurts my feelings.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sorry, Senator. I'm sorry.

CLINTON: I don't think I'm that bad.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You're likable enough.

CLINTON: Thank you, sir.

[09:35:00] STELTER: Former Texas governor, Rick Perry, would surely like to have this moment back from 2012.

RICK PERRY (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's three agencies of government when I get there that are gone, commerce, education and -- what's the third one there? Let's see. I can't. The third one, I can't. Sorry. Oops.

STELTER: And then of course the Fox News Republican debate from just last month. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie argued with Senator Rand Paul over the government's mass collection of personal communications.

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R-NJ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When you're sitting in a subcommittee just blowing hot air about this, you can say things like that.

SEN. RAND PAUL (R-KY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't trust President Obama with our records. I know you gave him a big hug, and if you want to give him a hug again, go right ahead.

STELTER: And this moment needs no introduction.

MEGYN KELLY, FOX NEWS HOST: You've called women you don't like fat pigs, dogs, slobs and disgusting animals. Your Twitter account --

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Only Rosie O'Donnell.

KELLY: No, it wasn't.

STELTER: With this roster of candidates on stage again, you can expect some more fireworks.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Wow. Remember, Wednesday night's debate can only be seen here on CNN starting at 6:00 p.m. Eastern.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, the father accused of leaving his infant son to die in a hot car is in court this morning. Will prosecution claims that Ross Harris was sexting with an underage girl be part of his trial?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:40:51] COSTELLO: The father charged with murder for leaving his toddler to die in a hot car is back in court this morning. The judge is hearing pretrial motions on evidence against Justin Ross Harris, as well as the motion to ban the media from the courtroom. 22-month-old Cooper Harris was left inside his father's car on a hot day in June of 2014. The autopsy showed the toddler died of hyperthermia, or overheating. The father says leaving his son in the car for 7 hours was a tragic accident.

Nick Valencia is outside of the suburban Atlanta courthouse with more for us this morning. Good morning.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. This is a story that gripped the nation last summer -- a man accused of intentionally leaving his 22-month-old son to die in a hot car while he was sexting. A prosecutor paints him as a wannabe playboy desperate to lead a child free life. The defense says that this is merely a tragic accident.

A lot of motions on the docket today. Let's bring in CNN legal analyst Philip Holloway to break some of these extraordinary motions down. Starting with no media, no public. Can this happen? PHILIP HOLLOWAY, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: That is a very, very tall order,

not only Georgia law but under federal constitutional law, Nick. Basically, the court has to find that there is a substantial probability that the defendant's right to a fair trial will be prejudiced, not speculatively, but will, in fact, be prejudiced.

VALENCIA: They need concrete evidence.

HOLLOWAY: And that no reasonable alternatives to closing the court are available to the court.

VALENCIA: Something also that kind strikes me, no private conversation between the wife and the husband, between Justin Ross Harris and his wife. I always thought that a wife could not testify, her husband couldn't testify, if this is a criminal case. But there's something different.

HOLLOWAY: Normally, that would be correct. Under Georgia law, in a criminal case, if it involves cruelty to a child or some other act of domestic violence, there is an exception. And hypothetically if it becomes necessary, the wife could theoretically be forced to come to the stand and testify about anything her husband may or may not have said that would be incriminating.

VALENCIA: Now, we mentioned also this removal of sexual charges. Justin Ross Harris charged with sexting underage girls, one girl as young as 17 years old. Tell us about this motion. What is this about?

HOLLOWAY: They basically want to separate all of the counts involving sexting apart from anything involving the alleged murder because under the defense's theory the evidence that supports those allegations would be irrelevant to anything having to do with the death of the child, in their mind.

VALENCIA: They say one doesn't have to do with the other?

HOLLOWAY: That's correct; they call it improper joining of the offenses. Now, the prosecutor is going to argue that it is relevant because it goes to his overall motive as it pertains to malice murder.

VALENCIA: Now last question, what's the likelihood that these extraordinary motions are accepted by the judge?

HOLLOWAY: Well, we never know for sure, Nick. It's always dangerous to guess, but if I had to, I would say that she's not going to grant the motion to close the courtroom to the public because that is a very, very hard thing to do. It's a tall burden that they must meet under federal law.

VALENCIA: Lots of attention on this case. There was a lot of interest in it last summer just by this salacious nature of this, a man accused of leaving his 22-month-old son, Cooper Harris, in a hot car, in a blistering sun here in Georgia last summer. These pretrial motions, Carol, expected to last several days so it won't wrap up today. Carol. COSTELLO: All right, Nick Valencia reporting live for us this morning.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, the countdown is on. With days to go until his historic visit to the United States, we'll tell you about concerns for the Pope's security.

[09:44:06]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: With just days to go until the Pope's historic visit to the United States, excitement is building but so are security concerns. In an interview over the weekend with ABC's "This Week", the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, Congressman Mike McCaul, said officials have already intercepted at least one threat against Pope Francis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE MCCAUL (R-TX), CHAIRMAN, HOMELAND SECURITY CMTE: The Pope is a very -- I'm Catholic, by the way. He's a very passionate man. He likes to get out with the people. And with that comes a large security risk. We are monitoring very closely threats against the Pope as he comes into the United States. We have disrupted one particular case, in particular. But as that date approaches, I think we're all very -- be very vigilant to protect him as he comes into the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The Pope arrives next week. First on his agenda, to meet with President Obama and address a joint session of Congress. And count yourself lucky if you live in one of these cities. In addition to Washington, the Pope will also visit New York and Philadelphia.

Despite security concerns, the Pope will mingle and maybe, just maybe, he'll get out of his Popemobile and touch the faithful. Many here in New York City are praying he does just that.

I talked with one family who passionately believes that Pope Francis can perform miracles with one touch. And they're not alone.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO (voice-over): -- believes in miracles. Some say he is a miracle worker himself. Back in March, Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe handed the Pontiff a vial of dried blood, a saint's blood. As the Pope kissed the vessel, the blood partially liquefied.

[09:50:05] A miracle, he said. A miracle. Some in the crowd we want because they believe, as do many Catholics here in New York.

LUZ GARCIA, HARLEM RESIDENT: When I heard he was coming, that was the first thing I thought about it. Maybe I have the opportunity, and my children too, so that the Pope can bless them, can touch their belly and cure them.

COSTELLO: Luz Garcia and her sister Vianel Henriquez will spend the night at Vianel's salon, praying that Pope Francis will stop by when he visits a school across the street.

(on camera): So, the night before the Pope arrives, what will your salon look like?

VIONEL HENRIQUEZ, MANAGER, VIANEL BEAUTY SALON: Wow, it's going to be a lot of people because we're going to wait for the Pope to come the next day. We have my family, friends, a couple of clients.

COSTELLO: Some people might be a little skeptical that the Pope can heal or perform miracles.

GARCIA: You know, God can do a lot of things. And he uses him to do and accomplish a lot of things that cannot be done without the faith.

COSTELLO: So, these are your boys. Tell us about your boys.

GARCIA: He's Javier. He's 7 years old. He has Type 1 diabetes. And he is Jarel, he is 14, and he also has Type 1 diabetes.

COSTELLO: Do you hope that you'll get to see the Pope?

JEREL GARCIA, HARLEM RESIDENT: Yes, I hope I get to see the Pope. It would be an honor to see the Pope.

COSTELLO: So if he would walk in right now, what would you say to him?

J. GARCIA: I love you. Because I feel it would be a blessing to be in his presence.

COSTELLO: Do you think that he can cure your diabetes?

J. GARCIA: Have I no doubt in my mind. Yes, I believe 100 percent that he could.

COSTELLO (voice-over): I know, seriously? But my mother believes, too. When she was a girl, she visited a girl named Rhoda Weiss who lived in Canton, Ohio. Mrs. Weiss had the stigmata. On holy days, she bled as Jesus did on the cross. My mother swore Mrs. Weiss laid hands on her and saved her from becoming blind in one eye.

(on camera): Will you sing on the night the Pope, the night the Pope will come to this neighborhood?

J. GARCIA: Maybe.

COSTELLO: I think that's terrific.

J. GARCIA (singing): I will survive, I will survive, oh, oh

(END VIDEOTAPE) COSTELLO: If you want to continue this conversation, head on over to CNN.com. A little later this afternoon, my op-ed will be posted, Mysteries of Faith. You can follow me on Facebook and Twitter and tell me what you think. Can the Pope perform miracles? Can other people of faith perform miracles? I'd love to know what you think.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, some drama, history and lots of hard hits. CNN's Coy Wire has more on the first Sunday of the NFL regular season. Hi, Coy.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS: Hi, Carol. For a lot of NFL fans, yesterday was one of the greatest days of the year. Football is back. Satisfaction, a lot of action. We'll take a look after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:58;06] COSTELLO: The first Sunday of the NFL regular season is in the books, so I was going to ask you how your team did, but that reminded me of how my team did, the Detroit Lions. And Coy Wire, I was excited. The first half was great. But then the same old Lions showed up in the second half and I became depressed and I was glad that I had beer nearby.

WIRE: And probably lots of it. I'm sorry your Lions lost to the Chargers in that comebac0k, but they always have next Sunday against the Vikings, Carol.

It was an action-packed start to the NFL season. Hard hits, historic debuts, dramatic finishes like in last night's primetime game. Cowboys hosting the Giants. Not good news for Dallas, star receiver Dez Bryant streaking across the field, he's escorted to the locker room. Bryant broke his foot. He's out four to six weeks. Well, not good new for the Giants either. Dallas trails by six. Ten seconds to go. Tony Romo touchdown to tight end Jason Witten. A come-from- behind victory, the Boys sneak past the G-Men, their hated rival, 27- 26.

Player of the Day candidate, rookie phenom Marcus Mariota joined Pro Bowl Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton as the only rookies in NFL history that will throw four touchdown passes on kickoff weekend. Mariota was money, completing over 81 percent of his passes, scoring a perfect passer rating. Mariota's opponent in this historic win, the only player selected ahead of him in this year's draft, Jameis Winston, who struggled greatly. Tennessee Titans, 42-14 over the Tamba Bay Bucs.

Carol, Jameis Winston has lost only two games since high school, both of them to Marcus Mariota. A rivalry has begun.

And speaking of rivalries, last night's U.S. Open final featured one of greatest in all of sports right now. The best player in the world, Novak Djokovic, defeated perhaps the best player of all time, Roger Federer, in four sets to win the U.S. Open men's final.

[10:00:00] It's his second U.S. Open title and tenth career Grand Slam tournament. And awesome, indeed, Carol. It was something to witness. This guy's something else. COSTELLO: Yes, and he's going to join us around 10:30 Eastern Time so

be sure to stick around.