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LEGAL VIEW WITH ASHLEIGH BANFIELD

Race for the White House; Hunter Returning to Public Life; Stranded on Europe's Doorstep; Thousands Honor Illinois Police Officer. Aired 12-12:30p ET

Aired September 7, 2015 - 12:00   ET

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


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[12:00:33] ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone, I'm Ashleigh Banfield, and welcome to LEGAL VIEW.

It is Labor Day today, the traditional fall kickoff of the political season. I know you feel you're already in it, but, trust me, today's the day and the candidates are out in full force. Hillary Clinton is out stumping in Iowa at this hour, but it's New Hampshire where she really might need to head there and focus because a brand new poll shows that Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is leading her in New Hampshire.

Our political team is in place. Senior Washington correspondent Jeff Zeleny is near Iowa in -- or he's in Iowa near Hampton, Illinois, I believe. And national correspondent Sunlen Serfaty is in New Hampshire. And senior political correspondent Brianna Keilar is in Pittsburgh, where the vice president, Joe Biden, just wrapped up a speech.

So I'm going to go effectively left to right. I'm going to start with you, if you can, Jeff, and let's talk about this New Hampshire big surprise in the polls where Hillary Clinton, all of a sudden, is no longer the top dog. What happened there?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Well, what happened is, Senator Bernie Sanders, of course, that Democratic socialist from Vermont, next door Vermont, really has been capturing the hearts and minds of these Democratic voters in New Hampshire. He's saying exactly what -- what they want to hear, taking on the billionaires, going after Wall Street. So his message is just a little more hot and fiery than Hillary Clinton's is. So that's what's happening in New Hampshire.

And, of course, it's spilling over here into Iowa. Hillary Clinton is -- is going to have to make her case more passionately, more forcefully. That's what the Democrats tell me. So she is -- her lead in Iowa has dropped to 11 points over Bernie Sanders and that is down from 24 points, Ashleigh, just a month or so ago here. So the trend lines are similar in both states. Hillary Clinton know that she has to amp it up a little bit here in the -- the five month stretch before the Iowa caucuses, launch this 2016 campaign.

BANFIELD: OK, let me skip over to Sunlen Serfaty, who's in New Hampshire right now.

There was another surprise maybe for people who aren't watching really deeply into the polls and that is that John Kasich is actually number two in New Hampshire. And I'm wondering if a lot of people are aware of that, if that was kind of a -- not a big surprise or that he's been focusing a lot of his attention and money in that state, perhaps not as much elsewhere.

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, he really -- it is surprising numbers but to the campaign I don't think it is all that surprising because we have seen Governor Kasich really put in the ground work here in New Hampshire. He's tried to build a solid foundation slowly. He has put in a significant amount of time. He's held regular town halls and made many appearances here in the state. But he's also put in the money. He really has done the ground work in his campaign, responding to CNN today said that they're pretty much not surprised by these numbers. That they have -- he has made a positive message out on the trail.

So it's something that we've seen recently, additional numbers going up for Kasich. He has gained six percentage points in the last month. That's pretty much in line with the leader here in New Hampshire, Donald Trump. Trump has gained seven points, so he's really on par and I think we suspect that much of that support going to Kasich is being stolen from Jeb Bush, who is seeing his numbers really dwindle in this state.

Ashleigh.

BANFIELD: All right, I want to head south to Brianna Keilar, who is standing by right now live.

And, listen, I don't think people realize that Joe Biden isn't running yet because it always feels like we've got a reporter on his trail, that he's giving a speech and that he's polling really well, again, not having declared that he's in the running. Talk to me a little bit about the head-to-head contests, though, that were matched up in these polls.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: These head-to-head contests, Ashleigh, would be very encouraging to Joe Biden because he actually bests Hillary Clinton in pair-ups, matchups, against Jeb Bush and Donald Trump both in Iowa and New Hampshire. But let's check out the Iowa numbers. He's within striking distance of Jeb Bush, two points behind him. He bests Donald Trump by three points. And then the favorability of Joe Biden is very high in Iowa. Higher than Hillary Clinton's. You'll see there among Democrats they both are doing pretty well on favorability, but Joe Biden bests her on favorability among all caucus goers, Democrats and Republicans.

[12:05:03] If you watched him last week, it was a really tough speech that he gave in Florida. You might have thought, he's not running, he seems just overcome by grief for the loss of his son Beau Biden back in May. But if you saw him here today in Pittsburgh, you really might think that he is running. He was very fiery as he spoke to union members here at the beginning of this Labor Day parade. He talked about -- a lot about the middle class. I asked him about this as he started off on the parade route. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Mr. Vice President --

JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Hey, how are you?

KEILAR: Sounds like you have a rationale for running.

BIDEN: I'm going to run part of this parade.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you running? Is that a declaration?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: And that, Ashleigh, is literally what he is doing as we speak. He is zigzagging across the parade route, jogging to talk to supporters on each side of the parade. Some are saying you should run, some are telling him that he can beat Hillary and he's -- he's taking selfies, he's taking photos with kids. Today this is a very spirited, passionate Joe Biden that we're seeing here in Pittsburgh.

BANFIELD: That is a fun assignment. I'm not going to lie. When you get to cover Joe Biden, that is fun. Brianna Keilar who's working on Labor Day and having fun, thank you. Sunlen Serfaty, good to see you. And, Jeff Zeleny, also to you, too, thank you for working on Labor Day.

We've got someone else who's been busy despite it being a weekend, that's Sarah Palin. And she says she knows the position that she wants if Donald Trump becomes president, in his cabinet, energy secretary. She spoke with Jake Tapper on "State of the Union" and she said a whole lot about that and a whole lot about a whole lot more. Have a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH PALIN (R), FORMER V.P. CANDIDATE: I think a lot about the Department of Energy because energy is my baby, oil and gas and mineral, those things that God has dumped on this part of the earth for mankind's use instead of us relying on unfriendly foreign nations for us to import their -- their resources. I think a lot about Department of Energy. And if I were head of that, I'd get rid of it and I'd let the states start having more control over the lands that are within their boundaries and the people who are affected by the developments within their states. So, you know, if I were in charge of that, it would be a short-term job, but it would be -- it would be really great to have someone who knows energy and is pro-responsible development to be in charge.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: So the governor also had a few nice words for another GOP hopeful, and you betcha, those words were in American.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) PALIN: It's a benefit of Jeb Bush to be able to be so fluent in Spanish because we have a large and wonderful Hispanic population that, you know, is helping to build American. On the other hand, you know, I think we can send a message and say, you want to be in America, a, you better be here legally or you're out of here, b, when you're here, let's speak American.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: So she did go on to clarify that she meant English. And my accent, I say that because I am from pretty much the same area, north of the 49. So I have that accent, too.

Just a reminder, CNN's going to host the next presidential debate. The top Republican candidates facing off September the 16th. And then in October, CNN's going to host the first Democratic debate. So stick with us for the latest on the race for the White House.

Coming up next, he killed the legendary lion named Cecil, and now he's talking about that killing. The Walter Palmer interview we've all been waiting to hear.

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[12:12:10] BANFIELD: We got this news just into CNN. A top lawyer in New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's administration was shot early this morning and rushed to the hospital. Apparently he's in critical condition, 43 years old. His name is Carey Gabay. He was appointed first deputy council to Governor Cuomo in January. The governor says he was wounded by, quote, "a seemingly random bullet." And in a statement, Governor Cuomo went on to say, "this tragic shooting is the latest heartbreaking reminder that the crime of gun violence must stop. Enough young, innocent people have died and it must stop now," end quote. We'll continue to follow that story for you.

And then there's this. Few news stories have stirred more international outrage than this one, the killing of Cecil the lion. In the six weeks since Walter Palmer, an American, was exposed as the hunter whose arrow killed the legendary Zimbabwean lion, the Minnesota dentist has faced a world-wide attack on social media. There have been protests. And he's been shamed on evening newscast and late night talk shows. But he himself has said virtually nothing. That is until now. He's given an interview. It's with the Associated Press and "The Minneapolis Star Tribune." And during that interview he said that despite ongoing threats he is ready to return to a life in public and get back to work as well. CNN's Boris Sanchez fills us in.

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BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Breaking his silence in his first interview, the Minnesota dentist who sparked an international firestorm after killing Cecil the lion on an African safari. Walter Palmer, who has kept out of the public eye since killing the 13-year-old beloved big cat in July, telling "The Star Tribune" that Associated Press that he will be resuming work at his suburban Minneapolis practice this Tuesday. He says he's, quote, "heartbroken" at the toll this has taken on his dental staff and family, saying about his wife and daughter, quote, "they've been threatened in the social media and again I don't understand that level of humanity to come after people not involved at all."

Since facing worldwide backlash after the hunt, including a clamoring cry for his extradition by Zimbabwean officials, Palmer has not been charged with a crime. In previous statement he said he relied on the expertise of his guides. In his interview he expressed regret, but insisted the controversial hunt was legal saying, quote, "if I had known this lion had a name and was important to the country or a study, obviously I wouldn't have taken it." Palmer didn't address whether he would return to Zimbabwe for questioning, only saying, quote, "Zimbabwe has been a wonderful country for me to hunt in and I have always followed the laws."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BANFIELD: And Boris Sanchez is here with me now.

[12:15:01] I keep thinking about him going back to this office tomorrow when there is a -- a genuine threat against his life.

SANCHEZ: Certainly we can expect protesters at his office tomorrow, similar to what we saw after the news broke of this. Interestingly, the Bloomington Police Department has said they're not going to have officers there ahead of time, in anticipation of the protesters. Rather, they're going to wait and see if things get out of hand.

BANFIELD: There's an upside to this. Like, worldwide, people have come out in support of the cause.

SANCHEZ: Certainly. You mentioned the late night talk show host that kind of came out and spoke about how this affected them. Jimmy Kimmel was one of them, gave a very almost tearful response, right. Is the kind of thing --

BANFIELD: You know, a -- yes, yes. He was so -- he was really moved.

SANCHEZ: Part of his response was pushing people to donate to the Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe, where Cecil lived. They've raised about a million dollars, almost a million dollars since the incident.

BANFIELD: Wow.

SANCHEZ: That's four years' worth of running an operation as big as the Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe. So it's a pretty big deal and it is a silver lining to an otherwise sad incident.

BANFIELD: And then -- and then just quickly, there's a whole staff that -- that works at that dental office. Maybe Walter Palmer hasn't been there, but the staff did go back. Have they been OK? Have they been harassed?

SANCHEZ: For what we can tell, there haven't -- haven't been any incident there. But, obviously, his return is what may incite some kind of action or some kind of visceral response from protesters. BANFIELD: Yes. We're going to have to watch to see what happens

tomorrow. Thank you, Boris, for being on that story. Appreciate it.

Coming up next, the new flood of refugees from Middle Eastern wars and the growing crisis in Hungary and Austria and Germany. The situation more desperate with each passing day. And so many of them are just so little.

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[12:20:09] BANFIELD: Britain is the latest European country to offer refuge to all of those families who are fleeing the war in Syria. Late this morning, the prime minister there, David Cameron, told parliament that the U.K. will welcome 20,000 of these people over the next five years. Earlier, France made a pledge to take in 24,000. And those numbers are on top of the 17,000 plus who flooded the train platforms in Munich over the weekend.

And still this crisis is far from over. Refugees by the thousands are continuing to stream toward Hungary, a country that has made it really clear the refugees are not welcome to stay there. The government there is vowing to put up a fence saying it wants to seal its border with Syria, or at least seal its border where they're come from Syria.

And we go now to CNN's senior international correspondent Arwa Damon, who is watching what it looks like upon entry.

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Ashleigh, what we have here is a sit-in being carried out mostly by the Syrians who make up a good bulk of the population here at what is supposed to just be something of a holding area before people are then transferred on to the transit camp where they begin the process of registration. But instead we have this sit-in. You see that sign the man is holding up, "we are human, we need help."

This is something we have been hearing throughout our experience in Hungary at every single step of the way.

(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

They've been here for the last two days trying to live in these really decrepit conditions in the field back there and that is why at this point they're absolutely fed up. You have a man over there who has "S.O.S." written on his hand and another woman who on her arm also written is, "we are not animals."

And here you have the police that is blocking their route. Down the road is actually the transit camp that they are all meant to be going to, to begin this process of registration. Things have been fairly tense here in this border area, and this is basically what greets the refugees when they finally do arrive from the end of these train tracks. These are the train tracks that they follow, Ashleigh, as they move from Serbia into Hungary.

BANFIELD: Our Arwa Damon on the Serbian border with Hungary. Just a remarkable story developing there. And where do these people go next? CNN's senior international

correspondent Frederik Pleitgen joins me live now from the train station in Vienna, Austria.

Fred, you're going to have to help me navigate this story because Arwa was reporting that so many of these refugees were on the march or on the trains trying to get out of Hungary, bound for Austria or Germany. You're in Austria. It would seem this is the promise land that they would -- they would be going on to some better lives there, but it seems like it's -- it's yet another stopping point. What's happening?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it certainly is yet another stopping point. You know, it's so interesting because over the weekend there were about 17,000 people who went through Austria since the floodgates opened on the night between Friday and Saturday because what happened was, you know, beforehand, the Hungarians weren't allowing anybody to pass into Austria. But then all of a sudden they said they're going to put everybody on buses and bring them to Austria. There was a huge influx of people here to Austria, but almost all of them want to go on to Germany.

So 17,000 who were brought here to Austria over the weekend and all of them except a couple dozen decided to go on to Germany. And they actually -- the area that you're seeing behind me is the west train station of Vienna and that's where a lot of this happens. The Austrian railway company has put forward a lot of special trains to help people get to Germany. Their first station there is usually Munich. And then what happens is, that that is the first place that they actually get registered as refugees here in Europe is actually in Germany.

But virtually everybody, Ashleigh, that we've been speaking to is telling us they're going through Austria. They're actually getting a lot of help here in Austria. (INAUDIBLE) really is stepping up. There's a lot of nations that are being brought forward. But the vast, vast majority say their final destination is going to be Germany, Ashleigh.

BANFIELD: And, Frederik Pleitgen, I have so many more questions for you but your signal is -- is breaking up in Vienna, Austria, so I'm going to let you go.

In the meantime, what Fred was just reporting is it's just remarkable. Germany has already said it's going to take in up to 800,000 refugees. Just think about that for a moment. Nearly a million people that country is going to absorb, the chancellor saying that earlier last week.

[12:24:57] Coming up next, an incredibly sad day in Illinois as friends and family and fellow police officers say good-bye to an officer who was gunned down in the line of duty.

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BANFIELD: Pictures sadly we are seeing all too often, another officer -- fallen officer being laid to rest by so many of his colleagues. Friends and family, neighbors, admirers, fellow men and women in blue converging this hour on this high school. It's the alma mater of Fox Lake, Illinois Police Lieutenant Joe Gliniewicz. This six days after Gliniewicz was shot dead while pursuing three suspects. Antioch High School near the Wisconsin boarder is hosting this wake and funeral for a man many called G.I. Joe.

CNN's Ryan Young is also there.

You know, Ryan, it's so frustrating to constantly have these stories where I go out to a correspondent who's giving me the mood among so many officers who come from so far away to bury one of their own and I feel like I have to do this again, even though it's repetitive, but, you know, Joe Gliniewicz was a special guy. A lot of people there really liked him and a lot of people from far away got to like him, too.

[12:30:04] RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And a lot of people are touched by this story. In fact, you know, you talk to police officers who he worked with all the time and the way this has impacted them has been so very different.