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Violence in Israel as Netanyahu in Washington; Fourth GOP Debate Tonight; DHS: Concerns over Vetting of Airport Workers. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired November 10, 2015 - 13:30   ET

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


[13:30:00] WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: And we know that the president met in the Oval Office with the prime minister yesterday. And the last time that the prime minister was here, he delivered the controversial speech. Has that relationship been repaired?

MARK REGEV, ISRAEL GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN: I can tell you that we were in the room yesterday, and it was a very good meeting. And we thought that the Iran nuclear deal was a mistake, but we are looking ahead. And it is clear that now the goal has to be one to prevent -- to the ensure that Iran keeps its part of the deal, which is not clear at all, and, two, to check Iranian aggression in the region. We know that Iraq is active in many places, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Libya and Yemen. And we have to check Iranian aggression. And thirdly, not talked about enough, Iranian support for international terrorism. We have had Iranian terrorism and terror cells in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, the Europe, and even in this hemisphere. We have to check the aggression.

BLITZER: Many U.S. officials and many people in Israel are deeply irritated that the prime minister nominated somebody by the name of Ran Baratz, who on the Facebook page, called the president of the United States an anti-Semite, and he said that John Kerry had the mental age of a 12-year-old, and ridiculed the current president of Israel, President Rivlin, as well, but he is not fired. What is going on there? Because it is a source of deep concern.

REGEV: He has not been employed, so he hasn't needed to be fired.

BLITZER: Will he be the communication chief for the prime minister?

REGEV: Well, the prime minister publicly totally dissociated with the remark, and he said that it is not the way they think or the policy of the government of Israel. And so Baratz, himself, has apologized and said what he said was wrong. That's important.

BLITZER: Will he continue on as communications chief?

REGEV: Well, the prime minister said when he returns to Israel, he is going to talk to him to say what is going to happen. And I don't want to prejudge, but the following, this guy has criticized the president of Israel, my prime minister and members of my government, and he has been out there on Facebook, and who doesn't know somebody who has said something irresponsible that shouldn't have been said on Facebook. BLITZER: And you don't want to nominate somebody to be in charge of

communications to be someone who has called the president of the United States an anti-Semite.

REGEV: When the name was put up there, the prime minister was not aware of it.

BLITZER: Did he know that he ridiculed the president of the United States?

REGEV: I did not know.

BLITZER: So he has a big reason to dissociate with him when he gets back.

REGEV: I don't want to prejudge.

BLITZER: You will be the Israeli ambassador to the U.K. You have a big job ahead of you.

Quickly, the prime minister yesterday, meeting with the president, went out of his way to say he supports a two-state solution, Israel and Palestine living side by side, but he brought into the cabinet several key leader and ministers of the cabinet, and those who oppose the two-state solution, and including nominating a new Israeli ambassador to the U.N. who is opposing a two-state solution. How do you balance that, because it seems as that he is sending the conflicting messages?

REGEV: No, you have covered Israeli politics for years and we have a coalition government. And you have differing opinions, but in the coalition, it is the prime minister who is among the equals, and his opinion that counts. And yesterday among the prime minster, he firmly believes in a two-state for two-person solution. He wants to restart the peace talks with the Palestinians without any preconditions whatsoever, and ready to move forward.

Our problem has been, on the Palestinian side, is a failure to condemn the terrorism, and running away from the negotiating table. My prime minister has been in office for six years, since he has been in office for 2009. We've only had six hours of negotiations with the Palestinian leadership, and I ask you, Wolf, how can you move forward in peace if one side refuses to talk.

BLITZER: And let's hope that the peace process is going to get back on track.

I congratulate you. When do you move to London?

REGEV: Within the next few weeks.

BLITZER: Congratulations, Mark Regev, the next Israeli ambassador to the U.K.

Appreciate it very much. Good luck.

REGEV: Thanks for having me.

[13:34:19] BLITZER: The Republican presidential candidates get together for their fourth debate later night. Next, the Republican National Committee chairman, Reince Priebus, is standing by live. There you can see him there in Milwaukee. More when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Round four of the Republican presidential debates only a few hours away. Let's take a closer look at what is at stake for the Republican candidates. This is the first debate for Jeb Bush since he hired a media coach. That could help to deliver a stronger performance. And Marco Rubio may be under attack, but how will the junior Senator from Florida defend himself. And Ben Carson is under scrutiny with his details from the autobiography, and will that play out tonight if at all. And Donald Trump is facing a challenge from Dr. Carson, who has a narrow lead among Republican Republicans.

And last night, Trump ridiculed the neurosurgeon and the remarks of his violent past.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & CEO, TRUMP ORGANIZATION: You stab somebody, and the newspapers say that you didn't do it, and you say, yes, I did it, I did it. No, you didn't. Yes, I did, I stabbed him and it hit the belt. And they said that you didn't do it. And if they said that I didn't do it, I would be so happy. This is the only election in history where you are better off if you have stabbed somebody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[13:40:20] BLITZER: Joining us is Reince Priebus, the chairman of the Republican National Committee.

Reince, thanks for joining us.

What are you anticipating tonight?

REINCE PRIEBUS, CHAIRMAN, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE: Well, look, forward to getting a good debate under our belt. We have a lot to look forward to in the party. We have a young diverse party showing off here yet tonight. And because of the CNBC debate, obviously, it can't come soon enough. I have been telling people two things that we need a good debate tonight, and the other thing is the lions are playing the Packers this Sunday, and they need that, too. So we are kind of on the same page on that.

BLITZER: I know that you are a big Packers fan, and from Wisconsin, and you had a little influence in getting that debate in Milwaukee. Are you OK though with the way that the Republican candidates are going after each other, because occasionally it gets ugly.

PRIEBUS: And the clip that you are showing, it is not really ugly. There are jabs and elbows, and I agree that people should treat each other respectfully. I agree with Reagan's 11th commandment that candidates should not speak ill of each other, but even Ronald Reagan came through tough primaries. But it does not equate to losing. Look at 1992 and Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in '03, very tough primary, and Barack Obama won easily. So the idea that the candidates are jabbing at each other and really bad stuff is going to happen isn't really true.

BLITZER: The focus of tonight's debate, according to the two moderators from the FOX Business Channel, is going to be the economy. And it is the economy, obviously, issue number one for so many Americans, but recently the economic numbers have been good under President Obama, and 271,000 jobs added in October alone, and unemployment down to 5 percent, the lowest in seven years, and the Dow Jones has gone from 7,000 when he took office to 17,000 or 18,000 now. So it is going to be harder for the Republicans to of the president's record on the economy?

PRIEBUS: Wolf, if you are out here -- and I know you travel around the country -- but people in Milwaukee are not feeling better as they have in recent years. Not putting money in the bank, and college cost is out of control, and the president has promised an agenda that have not come to fruition. If you are female, it is not better, and if you're black or Hispanic, it is not better. But tonight, it is a night to talk about the economy. And you are right, that I believe that FOX business is going to deliver on the promise, and candidates will have more time to answer. It is going to be a great night for everybody out there watching.

BLITZER: I assume that the two moderators, Neil Cavuto and Maria Bartiromo, are going to press the candidates for specifics. Some have refused to offer specifics on an economic plan. Isn't that right?

PRIEBUS: Well, I am not sure. We will wait to see, because the candidates are preparing for that kind of debate. The moderators will press the candidates. And by the way, we are not worried about the hard questions, and nobody is afraid of pressing the moderators, but the issue is if it is respectful and appropriate. I believe it will be tonight. Obviously, it is going to be a good time for us to turn the chapter on the last debate, which is going to be great.

BLITZER: And are you and the campaigns -- and I know that there is a little bit of disagreement or tension or whatever you want to call it -- are you ahead with all of the campaigns moving forward?

PRIEBUS: Sure. Some of the campaigns wanted to mix it up, and some of the concerns were heard and addressed. And obviously, we moving forward here, and the Republican National Committee is moving on with the debate calendar. But it is a team effort, and the campaigns have to be involved and feel like they are involved and talk to the networks. We are doing all of that. And as your executives know at CNN, they, too, talking to all of the campaigns moving forward into the next debates. So it is a team effort, and you learn as you go, and you will get better, and that is what we are trying to do, and that is what is going to happy to night.

BLITZER: And one final question, because I take it that you are talking to NBC about the debate of NBC that was suspended for February, and what is the latest that?

PRIEBUS: Well, the latest, I did have a good talk with Andy Lack (ph), but it is something that I don't have to deal with now, because it is a debate at the end of February. Obviously, get through tonight and December and then revisit NBC. But it is a matter of talking to the candidates and seeing what we can do or can't do, and making decisions. We will have a debate on that night. But the question is, who is it with? That is the issue. Again, I don't have to deal with that now, but deal with that later.

[11:45:29] BLITZER: We will watch the debate tonight, and hope it is a strong one, and the voters out there in the caucus states and the primaries will have a better idea of the candidates.

By the way, tonight, after the debate, you can watch a special report of "A.C. 360," and Anderson Cooper is going to fact check the candidates, and look at who came out ahead. And that is at 11:00 p.m. eastern later tonight.

Much more news coming up after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:50:20] BLITZER: As we have been reporting, U.S. officials say they are almost certain a bomb took down that Russian passenger jet in Egypt killing 224 people on board. There's also suspicion that the bomb may have been planted by someone inside the Sharm el Sheikh Airport where the airplane took off. U.S. security officials are looking to address vulnerabilities involving the vetting process of the workers at American airports. Russian officials said just a little while ago that Russian flights to Egypt will be suspended for months at least.

Let's bring in our panel, our aviation analyst, Mary Schiavo, a former inspector general of the U.S. Department of Transportation; and Paul Cruickshank, our CNN terrorism analyst.

Paul, if this was a bomb, is it within reach of ISIS or affiliates to undertake more of these kinds of attacks?

PAUL CRUICKSHANK, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: Wolf, that's a big concern right now that ISIS and affiliates may have other insiders at other airports in the Middle East. I think that's one of the reasons why the Department of Homeland Security has imposed additional screening on flights coming from some Middle Eastern airports into the United States, notably Cairo, Kuwait and Amman. If you look at the countries where ISIS has a significant presence right now, that includes places in North Africa, like Tunisia, and places like Turkey. There are going to be additional opportunities for them to recruit insiders at airports. The ISIS affiliate in Sinai has had a good track record recruiting insiders, so certainly within its capabilities to recruit somebody at the airport at Sharm el Sheikh or pay off someone at the airport -- Wolf?

BLITZER: Mary, what needs to be done at airports here in the United States? MARY SCHIAVO, CNN AVIATION ANALYST: I think one of the most important

things to do right now is close those loopholes on the security on the persons working at the airport. We don't have to guess whether ISIS al Qaeda and other terrorists are coming for us. There's been at least a dozen convictions of persons who had worked at or had ties with airports for terrorist activities or supporting al Qaeda or ISIS. So we already know they have made that education link to people who worked at the airport and then recruit them for ISIS. So we also know from September 11th the investigation that they very carefully cased the airports. They went through and knew the as a results. If we know the vulnerabilities, is ISIS working to exploit them. It's too easy to do with what they did with low tech bombs planted on planes.

BLITZER: Mary, the Russians have suspended flights from Cairo International Airport. The U.S. and U.K. still have flights into Cairo. Is this a mistake?

SCHIAVO: I think it is. Because we can't be sure of the kind of security we're getting there. And we also don't know their vetting, unless they have shared it with homeland security and the FAA, but because you can't say that remember one of the worst terrorist plots in history that fortunately was foiled was going t/to plant the bombs on the planes before they made it to U.S. soil. They were going to put them in the life vests under the seat. I think it's a mistake to fly there.

BLITZER: I heard earlier this hour, Paul, from a member of the House Homeland Security Committee. He thinks that it ISIS or whatever ISIS affiliate was responsible for this bombing, really their target was mainly Egypt, not necessarily the Russians themselves. What do you think?

CRUICKSHANK: I think it was probably both the Egypt and the Russians. The affiliate in Sinai has been targeting Egyptian security forces. They want to bring down the regime in Cairo. And this attack could decimate the Egyptian tourism sector and lead to more unemployment in Egypt. If it is them, they will be hopeful this could help to destabilize the regime in Cairo. But I think if it was ISIS in the Sinai, they would be looking to go after the Russians because the Russians have been launching some airstrikes against the group in Syria and Iraq.

Also this attack at a time when this huge anger in the Sunni Muslim world for support the Assad regime that would turbo charge the popularity in the movement and that leads to more recruits, more fundraising, more successes in the future for the group, and more recruitment for this group in Sinai. They may be hoping that the Russians launch strikes because that would create more anger and recruitment opportunities.

[13:55:21] BLITZER: Quickly, Paul, how much coordination is there because there's a whole bunch of them. Do they work together?

CRUICKSHANK: There are several groups operating in Egypt. But this group does dominate the scene within the Sinai Peninsula. Many of those have associations with al Qaeda. The groups are not working together so much at this point -- Wolf?

BLITZER: Paul Cruickshank, Mary Schiavo, thank you both very much.

That's it for me. Thank you very much for watching.

The news continues right after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)