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Execution-Style Killing of Deputy at Gas Station; Poll: 2016 Race Tightens in Iowa for Both Parties; Cheney on Clinton Emails: 'Sloppy and Unprofessional'. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired August 31, 2015 - 07:00   ET

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


JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's begin our coverage with CNN's Ed Lavandera in Houston -- Ed.

[07:00:08] ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John.

Well, we don't know much about the suspect in this case, Shannon Miles. He will be in court here later on this morning in downtown Houston, where he faces capital murder charges. And in Texas, that means the death penalty is on the table.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Nearly 1,500 people marched in honor of slain Texas Deputy Darren Goforth Sunday, as the motive behind his execution-style killing remains a mystery this morning.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are also asking for donations to Blue Ribbon.

LAVANDERA: The Houston suburb community where he worked banding together. It has raised more than $120,000 over the weekend in support of his wife and two young children.

BRIAN MCCULLAR, FUNDRAISER ORGANIZER: I would want the family to know, and they know, that he was already a hero, even before all of this. He was a person that felt like he could make a difference.

LAVANDERA: The suspect, 30-year-old Shannon Miles, is scheduled to appear in court today after gunning down the 47-year-old deputy in what police say was an unprovoked attack. Authorities say the uniformed deputy was refueling his patrol car Friday night at this Chevron gas station when Miles, caught on surveillance video, came up behind him and opened fire.

DEPUTY THOMAS GILLIAND, HARRIS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: The deputy then fell to the ground. The suspect then continued over to him and shot the deputy again, multiple times, as he lay on the ground.

LAVANDERA: Police say there is currently no evidence they ever crossed paths. But the sheriff suggests the killing could be related to the uprising against police brutality.

SHERIFF RON HICKMAN, HARRIS COUNTY, TEXAS: We've heard Black Lives Matter, all lives matter. Well, cops' lives matter, too. So why don't we just drop the qualifier and just say "lives matter" and take that to the bank?

LAVANDERA: The wife of the ten-year veteran released a statement calling her husband "an intricate blend of toughness and gentility" who was guided by "the right thing to do."

DEVON ANDERSON, HARRIS COUNTY DEFENSE ATTORNEY: There are a few bad apples in every profession. That does not mean that there should be open warfare declared on law enforcement. The vast majority of officers are there to do the right thing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA: And John and Alison, despite what officers and investigators here in the Houston area are saying, an exact motive or any kind of details from any possible confession have not been made public. We do know that Shannon Miles was taken into custody Saturday morning and spent several hours being questioned by investigators before he was formally charged on Saturday afternoon -- Alisyn.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: OK, Ed. Thanks so much for all that background.

We want to bring in now Texas State Representative Garnet Coleman.

Mr. Coleman, thanks so much for being here. Let's start with what you just heard from the Harris County sheriff there. He says -- he blames dangerous anti-cop rhetoric for this. And he even tied it to the Black Lives Matter movement. Do you think that the rhetoric is behind this?

STATE REP. GARNET COLEMAN (D), HOUSTON: Well, first of all, my heart goes out and my prayers go out to the Harris County Sheriff's Department and especially to the wife and children of Deputy Goforth.

I think it was unfortunate that the sheriff tied it to the Black Lives Matter movement or anything that has to do with police brutality, because as the story said, we don't know the motive of the individual. But I do know that they shot him; they caught him. If he's found guilty, he will get the death penalty.

CAMEROTA: But do you think that the rhetoric in this country has become overheated in terms of what some protesters say about police?

COLEMAN: In general, I think the overall rhetoric is overheated. And it only leads to more injury and death. And we're going to have to figure this out, whether it's training for police or having a sit-down to decrease the rhetoric, particularly if it discusses violence at all.

CAMEROTA: I don't know if you saw this protest in St. Paul over the weekend. They had a Black Lives Matter banner. And they were saying unpleasant things about police. Let me play for you a portion of this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pigs in a blanket, fry them like bacon! Pigs in a blanket, fry them like bacon! Pigs in a blanket, fry them like bacon!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Pigs in a blanket, fry them like bacon! Pigs in a blanket, fry them like bacon! Pigs in a blanket, fry them like bacon!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pigs in a blanket, fry them like bacon! Pigs in a blanket, fry them like bacon! Pigs in a blanket, fry them like bacon!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: I don't know if you can hear that, but they're saying, "Pigs in a blanket, fry them like bacon." I mean, just -- exactly playing into what the sheriff is saying about the anti-cop rhetoric. Do you have a message for -- I don't know if this was Black Lives Matter. They claim to have been Black Lives Matter. Do you have a message for them?

COLEMAN: Yes, do not incite violence or even suggest violence towards anyone. Lives do matter. Police lives do matter. I understand, because I am African-American, that what it really means is our lives matter, too. But they aren't -- they aren't any more valuable than the life of Mr. Goforth.

[07:05:03] CAMEROTA: The D.A. in this case, who's investigating the shooting of Mr. Goforth, also used some interesting language this weekend. Let me play for you what he said about this crime.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF RON HICKMAN, HARRIS COUNTY, TEXAS: We have not been able to extract any details regarding a motive at this point. As far as we know, Deputy Goforth had no previous contact with the suspect, and it appears at the outset to be clearly unprovoked. At this moment, as of this morning, our assumption is that he was a target, because he was in uniform.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: All right, that was the sheriff. He was talking about how -- they fact that they don't have an actual motive yet. I'll read to you what the D.A. said. He said it's time for the silent majority in the country to support law enforcement. There are a few bad apples in every profession. That does not mean there should be open warfare declared on law enforcement.

The silent majority is a term that Donald Trump has using. It's a term that's been coming up in the past couple of weeks. And it's loaded, some people say. It has a history. How do you interpret what the D.A. is saying about it's time for the silent majority to rise up?

COLEMAN: That's one of the challenges I have had with the rhetoric out of our D.A. and sheriff is that it really is political rhetoric. Just as they don't like the political rhetoric of Black Lives Matter, this -- this creates tension as well. It makes everybody more apprehensive in concern. And I think police ought to be concerned, but it's very clear that if

law -- if elected officials, the D.A. and the sheriff, raise the level of the discourse to more animosity, that's a problem.

But I understand the sheriff and I understand people's fears. I've talked to peace officers, and they are afraid. But these are elected officials. And these are our lead criminal justice prosecutors. And I just hope they understand that before -- if they find out that the motive was that the gentleman or the man who killed the officer was doing it because he was an officer, then let's have at it.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

COLEMAN: And that rhetoric is appropriate.

CAMEROTA: State Rep Garnet Coleman, thanks so much for being on NEW DAY. We appreciate it.

Let's get over to Michaela.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: All right. In other news, Iowa voters described as mad as hell, sending a clear message to the political establishment and giving Donald Trump more bragging rights. The brash billionaire leading the GOP pack in a new "Des Moines Register"/Bloomberg Politics Iowa poll. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson making an impressive surge, just five points now behind Trump.

Athena Jones joins us now from Washington to break down all of the numbers for us on this Monday. Hey, Athena.

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Michaela.

Well, this poll shows that the politicians that Republican caucus goers in Iowa are flocking to are the non-politicians. Trump and Carson, neither one has held elected office. You can see them leading there. No. 3 right now, 10 points off of second place, is Wisconsin governor, Scott Walker. He's from a neighboring state. You can look up this -- look up this scrap we can put up on the screen to show that Walker has fallen as Trump and Carson have surged. Walker was in the lead in Iowa for months, and now he is losing ground.

And he is not the only so-called top-tier candidate that isn't looking so top tier in Iowa right now. Florida governor, Jeb Bush, is at 6 percent, as is Florida Senator Marco Rubio.

And I should mention that a lot of Trump's strength comes from Tea Party activists and first-time caucus goers. And that has some shades of 2008. Barack Obama drew a lot of first-time caucus goers into the process and was able to make a big win in Iowa. That's something that Trump is hoping to do.

And he -- his favorable numbers are looking much better now. That could help him do that. Let's put that up on the screen. You can see 61 percent of caucus goers have a favorable view of him, versus just 35 percent unfavorable. A big change from May. So, he is making strides, despite his controversial statements. He's really striking a cord -- John.

BERMAN: All right, Athena. Thank you so much.

On the Democratic side, Bernie Sanders on the move. The latest poll shows Hillary Clinton support eroding in Iowa while Sanders is soaring. So could Hillary Clinton be in trouble, and could this influence Vice President Joe Biden's decision whether to enter the race?

CNN's Michelle Kosinski at the White House for us -- Michelle.

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hey, John.

So Bernie Sanders, who's been running on this progress, pro-middle- class, anti-billionaire-class platform and hitting Hillary Clinton, now finds himself 7 percent away from her in this new poll. So this is a poll just in Iowa of likely Democratic voters, showing Hillary Clinton still in the lead with 37 percent, but Sanders right behind with 30.

And Biden, the guy who's not even in the race yet, with 14 percent. So, this means that Hillary Clinton has lost about a third of her supporters over the last few months while Biden's have nearly doubled.

[07:10:08] And taking a look at favorability ratings, right now Biden has had the highest lately. But between Sanders and Clinton, just in this poll, these voters, 39 percent of them view Sanders very favorably. Only 8 percent unfavorably.

But for Hillary Clinton, 27 percent said very favorable, and 19 percent said unfavorable. So over time, she's seen that favorability rating eroding. Sanders, meanwhile, is pulling a lot of younger voters.

Back to you guys.

CAMEROTA: OK. Thanks so much, Michelle.

Meanwhile, former vice president, Dick Cheney, and his daughter, Liz, have teamed up to write a book. It's called "Exceptional: Why the World Needs a New America." It hits the stores Tuesday. Well, now former Vice President Cheney talks to CNN about Hillary Clinton's email scandal and whether current V.P. Joe Biden should jump into the race. So here is a preview of what he tells CNN's new special correspondent, Jamie Gangel.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DICK CHENEY, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I found it surprising that somebody as high-ranking as secretary of state, is dealing with classified and sensitive information all the time would think that it was OK to have a private server in your home, where you put, you know, information and so forth, where you send e-mails.

JAMIE GANGEL, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: So how would you describe her handling her e-mails this way, in a word? CHENEY: Well, I think it was sloppy and unprofessional. That it

reflects a lack of understanding about how easy it is for adversaries to tap into communications, get involved, for example in reading e- mail. We know it is very extensive.

The Chinese recently picked up the files of everybody who is currently working for the federal government. Now the situation strikes me, maybe she went into it ignorant. But I find that hard to believe. She's an intelligent woman. She spent a lot of time in the White House. You should not operate in the way she did. I have to believe it was not consistent with the State Department personnel. It certainly wasn't consistent, apparently, with the way we handle classified information in the federal government.

GANGEL: She should have known better?

CHENEY: I think she should have known better.

GANGEL: You think the Russian and the Chinese have her emails?

CHENEY: They've got my personnel records. How can they not have her emails?

GANGEL: Do you think this undermines or disqualifies her candidacy?

CHENEY: I think there's a very real possibility of that.

GANGEL: I know you' re not in the business of giving the Democratic party advice, but what do you think of Joe Biden and do you think he should be in the race?

CHENEY: I'd love to see Joe get in the race.

GANGEL: Because?

CHENEY: Go for it, Joe. He's tried twice before. He obviously is interested. I think there's a lot of support for him in the Democratic Party. I think it would stir things up. They're short candidates on their side. So I think Joe could have a shot at it.

GANGEL: Who do you think is a more formidable candidate, Biden or Clinton?

CHENEY: There was this notion that Clinton somehow had inherited the nomination and that nobody could really challenge her for the nomination. I think that's now pretty well gone by the boards because of her problems. And I think that's why there's some potential support out there. So she does have some opposition now. And my bet is Joe is going to run.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMEROTA: All right. Well, you can watch more of Jamie Gangel's interview with Dick Cheney tomorrow night on "AC 360" and more right here on Wednesday morning. And of course, we'll be talking more about the Democrats with Paul Begala, coming right up. PEREIRA: All right. We look forward to that.

President Obama kicking off an historic three-day trip to Alaska. He is expected to rename the country's tallest mountain from Mt. McKinley to Dinali. For more than a century, the tallest peak was named after the 25th U.S. president, William McKinley. He was born, by the way, in Ohio. To Alaskan natives, who had always called it Dinali, the president is changing it back. Already, some Ohio lawmakers oppose the change, accusing the president of overreach.

BERMAN: The famed neurologist and author Oliver Sacks has died. He wrote so many well-known books. He was the inspiration for Robin Williams' character in the 1990 film "Awakenings." Among other books that Sacks wrote, he wrote so much about his experience with patients. He wrote, "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat." He was also on the staff at the NYU Medical School. He died of cancer at his home in New York City. He wrote about his death, as well. He was 82 years old.

CAMEROTA: Well, the new poll numbers in Iowa showing a much tighter race between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. Should Clinton be worried about her chances in Iowa? We'll discuss that with Paul Begala and so much more. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:18:20] BERMAN: New numbers out of Iowa. Donald Trump says, "Hey, great news for me," maybe not so great for Hillary Clinton. These new numbers show Bernie Sanders has now pulled within seven points of Hillary Clinton in Iowa.

So what does this mean now for her chances there and beyond? We're going to talk about that and so much more with one of her staunchest supporters, CNN political analyst Paul Begala, who also runs a pro- Hillary super PAC.

Paul, I want to talk about the polls at length. So much I know you want to get to in the polls. But first, I know you want to talk about Dick Cheney. Because you just heard a clip on CNN moments ago. Jamie Gangel, with this interview which we'll air tomorrow night on "AC 360." Dick Cheney says that Hillary Clinton should have known better on the e-mails at the State Department, potentially disqualifying in the race for president. And Dick Cheney wants Joe Biden to run. Your reaction?

PAUL BEGALA, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Right. Well, first off, he looked great. Let me just be -- even his staunchest political opponents wish him good health. And thank God he has generous government health benefits to keep him in good shape. So that's the most important thing. And I mean that.

Politically, though, the guy is a sociopath. Dick Cheney's chief -- he is a sociopath. I actually looked up the Mayo Clinic definition.

BERMAN: I hope you never say anything nice about me, because the next thing out of your mouth is... BEGALA: Disregard -- disregard for right and wrong; persistent lying

or deceit to exploit others; intense egocentrism; sense of superiority and exhibitionism; repeatedly violating the rights of others by the use of dishonesty and misrepresentation; lack of empathy to others; lack of remorse. A.k.a., Dick Cheney.

This is a guy whose chief of staff -- he was the vice president of United States. His chief of staff was convicted about lying about his role in outing a CIA agent, our most precious national security secrets. And Dick Cheney is now going to lecture somebody else?

As a political matter, obviously, he's -- he left office at a 13 percent favorable. Thirteen. The lowest, most hated public official in American history. So it's only good for Hillary if Mr. Cheney attacks them. And maybe there's some sort of Machiavellian evil genius strategy here where Cheney is trying to help my friend Hillary. If so, thanks, Dick.

[07:20:23] BERMAN: So you disagree with Dick Cheney? I'm going to jot you down as a mild disagreement with Dick Cheney on that.

BEGALA: I might disagree.

BERMAN: Let me ask you about the new Iowa poll which shows Bernie Sanders closing the gap with Hillary Clinton in Iowa, now within seven points. And the pollster, the highly-respected pollster -- we're not talking about Dick Cheney here -- Ann Selzer writes, "This feels like 2008 all over again."

You know, we lost Wes Craven, a great horror film director, today. So condolences to his family. But for you, 2008, a horror film in terms of Hillary Clinton in Iowa. She finished third there. So if this feels like 2008 all over again, that's not a good thing, Paul.

BEGALA: Yes. First, and there's no back-door insult. Ann Selzer is the gold standard of polling in Iowa. And so I'm not going to dispute her numbers at all.

And her analysis, "This feels like '08," I guess I equate it with this. We're 156 days out; 156 days. Barack Obama came up and slingshotted around Hillary and the rest of the field very late in that race. And I think it did catch Hillary and her campaign by surprise.

I've said from the beginning -- and you know this, John -- this is going to be a race. It's going to be a tough race. Bernie Sanders is now within striking distance in both Iowa and New Hampshire. This is what Democrats want. I would point out that in the "Des Moines Register" poll, 96 percent of the people who are for Bernie say it's because they're for him, not against Hillary. Ando only 17 percent of the people in the poll think the email thing is a big deal.

So this is a pro-Bernie surge, which I think is very healthy for the Democratic Party. They're not rejecting Hillary. Her favorable is still 77 or something out there. It is that Bernie Sanders is saying something a lot of Democrats like. And we need to have those ideas in this election. I don't see it as a bad thing that Hillary has a very tough, competitive race.

BERMAN: So let me ask you if you see this as a bad thing. Bernie Sanders keeps on rising in Iowa.

BEGALA: Yes.

BERMAN: Let's say he wins in Iowa. Bernie Sanders right now is leading in New Hampshire. Say he wins in New Hampshire. Can Hillary Clinton go on to win the nomination if she loses both Iowa and New Hampshire?

BEGALA: Yes. Absolutely. I mean, as you well know, Berman, because I listened in the previous hour, I worked for a fellow who lost both Iowa and New Hampshire, and he did all right, Bill Clinton.

This could easily happen. Bernie could win Iowa. He could win New Hampshire. And he -- if he does, he will win it the right way, which is on the power of ideas. As opposed to insults, which seem to dominate the Republican side.

My Democrats now are talking about ideas and issues and about the collapse of the American middle class. Hillary is, I think, really well-suited to engage in that debate. But that's the debate Democrats want. They want a race. They insist on a race. They do not want a coronation. And so by golly, they're going to get it. And I think it's great. It's striking, the tone and the difference in tone. Everybody says Bernie Sanders is just like Donald Trump. Not at all. Not at all.

BERMAN: Your super PAC, will you run an ad any time between now and February that mentions the name Bernie Sanders?

BEGALA: No. We don't have any plans to, put it that way. I guess you guys have to have some weasel word in there. But no, we're about promoting and electing Hillary, certainly not about...

BERMAN: Does she need to take on -- does she need to take on Bernie Sanders directly?

BEGALA: She needs to take on -- no, she needs to take on the middle- class squeeze. Bernie has not attacked Hillary. Hillary has not attacked Bernie.

And mostly, I like negative campaigning, OK? You know me: I'm a horrible person. But I think it's very good for the Democrats that these two have kept it completely on ideas. And that's the debate we want.

Hillary has, I think, a terrific policy on student debt and trying to help poor and middle-class kids get to college. Those are the things she needs to be talking about. Senator Sanders has terrific ideas of his own. No, I don't want them to go negative on each other. There will be plenty of time for us to attack Republicans when -- when the time comes.

BERMAN: You heard it right here. Paul Begala says he has no plans to launch any kind of negative ads on Bernie Sanders. We'll play this sound back for you in January when the ad goes up.

Paul, great to have you here.

BEGALA: Berman, no way.

BERMAN: Thank you so much. Appreciate it.

Michaela.

PEREIRA: Well, we know a lot of interesting things are being said right now in this season of politics. You probably heard about the idea of a wall along the border with Mexico. How about a border between the U.S. and Canada? Uh-huh. That's what one 2016 hopeful says he won't rule out. We're going to see if John King can kind of explain this for us, coming up, "Inside Politics."

I think it's an idea Berman supports. I'm going to talk to you about that. I'm going to talk to you about that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:28:31] PEREIRA: The man accused of killing a sheriff's deputy near Houston is due in court today. Authorities say Deputy Darren Goforth was shot in the back Friday night as he was filling his patrol car with gas. The sheriff believes he was targeted because he simply was wearing a uniform. More than $70,000 so far has been raised for Goforth's family. The suspect, meanwhile, 30-year-old Shannon Miles, had previous run-ins with the law for misdemeanors but had not been arrested in several years.

BERMAN: The death of a fan who fell from the upper deck at Atlanta's Turner Field raising concerns about safety at sporting events. Police say it appears 60-year-old Greg Murray's death was a tragic accident, pending the medical examiner's report. This is the third fan death at Turner Field since 2008. One case was ruled a suicide.

CAMEROTA: Well, a month after it was found in the southern Indian Ocean, investigators still do not know whether a part of a wing belongs to the doomed Flight MH-370. Earlier this month, Malaysia's prime minister said confidently the part is from the missing plane. But then French authorities have not confirmed that.

So let's get right to CNN's Martin Savidge, live in Paris with the latest. What is taking so long, Martin?

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know what? That is the question we've been putting to so many investigators and those that are close to this investigation here.

It's been a month, of course, that this flaperon -- that's the part -- has been in the hands of French authorities. So why don't they know? And here's what we're now being told.

The initial hope was that there was some kind of serial number in the flaperon itself that quickly you could look at, check back with Boeing and Boeing would be able to then say, yes, it was on MH-370. Boom, positive I.D.

That clearly has not happened, and our sources indicate that, for whatever reason, that number is not there.