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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
Police Release New Video, Timeline Of Dayton Massacre; Warren On The Rise In Iowa, Widens Ground Game; NY Times: Epstein Criticized Illegality Of Sex With Teen Girls. Aired 9-10p ET
Aired August 13, 2019 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[21:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, ANDERSON COOPER 360: Good evening. Chris Cuomo is off this week. I'm Anderson Cooper with the Special Edition of 360.
Police have released new surveillance video of Dayton, Ohio, gunman. They have also revealed the minute-by-minute account of how the massacre unfolded, leading to the deaths - the murders of nine people. This comes one day after a federal court in Ohio unsealed their first arrest in the investigation.
Gary Tuchman joins us now from Dayton. So Gary, explain what we learned today from police.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Anderson, the surveillance video that we've seen for the first time is both dramatic and disturbing.
But it has taught us quite a bit. We've seen what the killer was doing for about two hours on the street, beginning around a 11 o'clock on Saturday night two weekends ago, and continuing shortly after 1 in the morning.
The most horrifying moment, 1:05 A.M., when he started firing shots, right across the street from me, killing nine people, including his sister, wounding 17 people, including a friend.
32 seconds after he started firing the shots, you see on the video, he has shot himself, killed by police, who were on the scene very quickly. The killer started the night going to two bars in the street, including this bar right across the street, Ned Peppers, and police today tell us what happened after he left this bar.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The shooter actually comes out of Ned Peppers and walks right in front of that police cruiser. He's aware of where they were. And now he's traveling eastbound, and you'll see that he has the backpack, and he's in long sleeves, and the backpack is weighted down. It's not empty.
And there he goes. And we know that he's been firing, then paused for a second because just past this umbrella is the taco stand on Fifth Street. That's where our first three facilities occur, one of them his sister, who had obviously just heard the gunfire.
And you'll see on the right-hand side the path of Officer Rolf (ph). So, he's engaging right now. That was the shooter that just went by.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: And Gary, I mean are they saying whether the - the - the murder of his sister was intentional, or I mean, do they know at this point?
TUCHMAN: All right, so here are some of the key things we've learned, including that, Anderson. They do not know if he intentionally shot at his sister and his friend, killing her and wounding him. They don't know the answer to that question. It certainly is a puzzle.
Another thing we've learned, and perhaps the most important thing, this was a deliberate and planned act. This wasn't a spur-of-the- moment thing. He was in two bars in the street. He came with his sister and his friend, but he then ditched them.
And he walked across the street, went into a parking lot, he was wearing casual clothes. He then changed. The camera shows that he changed in the car into a hoodie, into a sweatshirt. He brought out a backpack, which had his weapon with him.
And then he purposefully walked down the street. He actually passed a police car while he was walking down the street with the policemen in it to get this stuff. And then he came up the street, and he started firing, so that's clear.
One another thing we don't know at this point, and this is really important, Anderson, we don't know what the motive was. We do know from the investigation that police have done, that this man liked violence that they say, quote, he was obsessed with violence. But they don't know why he came here and when he came here and what he did.
COOPER: Yes.
TUCHMAN: They don't know why it was chosen to be right here at this time.
COOPER: You know the Dayton police have - have been very upfront about response time and things like that. Obviously, the - the - they're being greatly praised, not only for their - for their quick response, and also for their transparency.
I'm wondering what the latest from El Paso is because there's a lot we still don't know about the timeline, the police response. We know the first police officer arrived six minutes after the first calls were received.
But we don't even know when three officers were there, if that is what it took to go in, we don't know if they went in, and how the killer was able to get in a vehicle and drive away.
TUCHMAN: Right. I mean El Paso has not released any such video like the one we saw today here in Dayton, not nearly as much information, and that's an important fact that this accused killer, he wasn't shot. He - he turned himself in.
[21:05:00] One thing we have heard that over the past several months, there's been a lot of complaints in the City of El Paso that the police force isn't large enough. The Head of the Union said they needed about 20 percent more police officers to serve a city the size of El Paso.
I talked to a police officer on the phone this afternoon in El Paso, here in Dayton. I talked to him on the phone. He told me that is a problem that there is still the shortage of police.
But he would not say - he said he could not say he did not know if it affected that day when police got to the scene, or if it's in fact affected - sorry for saying that - or if it's affected the investigation.
Well we just don't know at this point. We may learn. But we do know is that there is through many people, for the police, and through people who live in the City of El Paso a shortage of police in that city.
COOPER: All right, thanks very much.
Democratic Congressman Tim Ryan joins me now. Congressman Ryan represents a district in Northeast Ohio, currently running for - for President. He's also criticized the President's response to the massacres in Dayton and El Paso, demanding Senate Republicans and the President pass gun control.
There is silence, basically, from Senate Republicans on this. You can argue Mitch McConnell is essentially, you know, trying to slow-walk this as much as possible--
REP. TIM RYAN (D-OH): Yes.
COOPER: --so that people will lose outrage about it. They'll lose focus on it. The President's already out tweeting conspiracy theories about--
RYAN: Yes.
COOPER: --Jeffrey Epstein. Do you - do you think that's what Republicans are trying to do, essentially?
RYAN: No - no question. This has been the strategy for the 17 years I've been in Congress, and long before that.
Slow-walk it, Potomac two-step, hey let's have a conversation about it, hey let's have a conversation about something else, President says the same thing, and then nothing happens, and the new cycle changes.
I think it's different this time. The American people are fed up. Moms Demand Action, for example, is one group that is totally fed up. There's going to be rallies this Saturday across the country. They're not giving up. I'm not giving up. And I think what happened, Anderson, two things. One is it's been an accumulation over time. It's - people say what's different now. We went to bed with - with El Paso. And the first alert we got on our phones in the morning was Dayton, and I think that little fire in the country.
And when I was in Dayton, we stayed a couple hours after the vigil. I had more Republicans come up to me, and say, "Congressman, get our party on line. I don't know what they're doing on this. This has got to stop."
And so, when you start seeing Republicans move like that on the ground, you know you're going to be able to--
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: But I mean just look, just to, you know, argue the counter on that, that's what people said after Parkland, and there were demonstrations across the country, and you saw kids mobilize in ways that no one ever had before on this issue, and the President talked about the same things he's talking about--
RYAN: Yes.
COOPER: --you know, to your point, you know.
RYAN: Yes.
COOPER: I think back then, he was talking about even raising the age of - of someone being able to buy a long gun.
RYAN: Yes.
COOPER: The - and then that just disappears.
RYAN: Yes.
COOPER: And - and now he's talking about meaningful background checks. We don't even know what that means.
RYAN: Yes. Well if it doesn't happen, there will be consequences at the ballot box. There's no question that there will be a--
COOPER: Do you think this is going to become an issue people - because traditionally, while this is outraged people and affected people, it's not an issue that was top of the ballot for many people.
RYAN: Yes. I think parents, kids are afraid to go to school. I'm - I'm hearing that from a lot of people I know. They're afraid to go out. I think the video from Times Square, a week or two ago, when the motorcycle backfired--
COOPER: Yes.
RYAN: --on multiple times, and people went fleeing, I think that is the state of anxiety in the United States today. And inaction is not acceptable. And so, the President could ignore this at his peril, Republicans can ignore it at their peril.
The suburbs are already moving away from Trump electorally because of his behavior, because of his actions, because of his incompetence. And you throw this into the mix, a bunch of moms who are really upset that their kids can't be safe in schools, and kids that are upset about it, I think it's going to move the needle in the election.
COOPER: Do you - you know, there - there's a number of folks I've talked to, Democrats who believe that well look the - the NRA has all these internal problems. There's infighting--
RYAN: Yes.
COOPER: --budgetary issues, allegations are flying back and forth, lawsuits. Do you believe they are still a - a power to be reckoned with that - that can basically squash this?
RYAN: I think their power is diminished because of their internal and external problems. But the - the anti-groups are so much stronger than they were when I started Congress 17 years ago, and even five years ago.
When you see Moms Demand Action having rallies all over the country, when you see Gabby Giffords out there, every town, Sandy Hook, it is now built itself into its own machine that can combat the NRA.
And again, Trump is alienating these same voters on a variety of other issues, the way he behaves, the way he tweets, the way he does this and that, and then inaction. And they think the American people are stupid. They think they can slow-walk this thing, which is why we brought that caravan down the Louisville.
COOPER: In - I mean you know Ohio. Ohio is obviously, you know, incredibly important state.
[21:10:00] If - if the economy, if there's not a recession, and there is - and the economy continues as it has been and, you know, Trump has much to, you know, to - to take credit for, and - and certainly he will take credit for that, and much more than maybe he shouldn't take credit for, will that - is that what this election is going - going to boil down to, economic issue--
RYAN: I think--
COOPER: --political (ph) issue?
RYAN: --I actually think economics is going to be a huge issue, and I think Trump's making a big mistake. Vast majority of the people in the country are still living paycheck to paycheck, about 75 percent. People are still struggling to keep their head above water.
COOPER: Right.
RYAN: And we lost the General Motors facility, 4,000 jobs in the last two years, and all the suppliers. And people - people can't get ahead, Anderson. That's the reality of it. And I think Trump is making the same mistake that Hillary made, and
Democrats made in '16. They kept saying "The economy's going well, let's keep it going, vote for the Democrat." And most people were going, "Wait a minute, it's not going well for me--
COOPER: Right.
RYAN: --I can't keep my head above water," and they voted for Trump. Trump's, of course, he's going to say how great the economy is going. It's not going well for people. People are still struggling.
COOPER: Yes.
RYAN: The middle-class is still eroded. Healthcare costs are still eating up a vast majority of people's income, and they can't get ahead. And so, if Trump runs down that - that lane, he's going to have a lot of trouble.
COOPER: It is also amazing that, you know, two years in whatever, there's still no healthcare plan from the Republican.
RYAN: No.
COOPER: I mean for all the talk of--
RYAN: Yes.
COOPER: --of - of the camp - you know, Trump during the campaign about, you know, it's going to be done simultaneously, and I mean it's just--
RYAN: Everything he said during the campaign was a lie. I mean he said he was going to raise taxes on the rich. He cut taxes on the rich. He said he was going to do an infrastructure bill, $1.5 trillion. Nothing!
He said he was going to expand healthcare. Both healthcare plans cut 20 million people from the healthcare rolls. And now he's saying "Well we're not going to do the gun issue or we're going to talk about it, but this is a mental health issue."
Then why do you have plans to cut 20 million people from their healthcare, which includes mental health coverage?
COOPER: Yes.
RYAN: It just shows how disingenuous he is. We got to go in another direction. The country's got to heal. We're so divided right now, Anderson. I mean like when you hear slogans like "America, love it or leave it," and we heard that first during the Vietnam War, and we're literally having the same culture wars.
COOPER: Yes.
RYAN: People are like "I'm done."
COOPER: Well we're having culture wars of--
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: --that were used against immigrants, you know, at the turn of the century of--
RYAN: Yes.
COOPER: --you know, "Go back home--"
RYAN: Yes.
COOPER: --which is, you know, the sort of a - it's just the - the definition of - of a racist sentiment, of a bigoted sentiment, you know--
RYAN: Yes.
COOPER: --telling people who were definitely--
RYAN: And it's not just somebody on a bar stool saying it.
COOPER: Right.
RYAN: It's the President of the United States.
COOPER: Yes.
RYAN: So, you know, we're looking for change, I've been saying, it's not about Left or Right. It's about new and better, and we've got to get past this Left-Right divide in the country, or we're not going to be able to move forward.
We're not going to be able to do guns. We're not going to be able to get the economy going, income inequality, healthcare, anything else, so we're inviting people to go to timryanforamerica.com, and if they want new and better, and want to break this Left-Right divide, I'm offering big solutions to try to solve those problems.
COOPER: All right, Congressman Tim Ryan, appreciate it.
RYAN: Thanks, Anderson.
COOPER: Thank you very much--
RYAN: Thanks.
COOPER: To have you.
RYAN: Yes, sir.
COOPER: The rise of Elizabeth Warren in Iowa, we're going to see how her debate performances have impacted her campaign, one of the most crucial battle sites, this election season.
And later, Straw Dogs, the President using the issue he can - can to divide and conquer. We'll explain why plastic straws have become a part of his re-election attempts.
[21:15:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: The past week and a half has seen the country in heated debates over guns and race. And before that, it was the President telling four Congresswomen, Americans, to go back to where they came from.
They're hot-button wedge issues certainly that the President and his supporters don't shy away from. In fact, the President embraces them. And it's the topic of a new Washington Post story.
And I'm quoting now, "From straws to wind turbines to socially conservative issues, Trump is deliberately amplifying public tensions by seizing on divisive topics to energize his base, according to campaign aides and White House advisers."
Joining me now to talk about that, CNN Political Analyst and Washington Post White House Reporter, Toluse Olorunnipa, who shares the byline on that article. Also with us is Political Consultant and former Romney Campaign Adviser, Stuart Stevens.
So Toluse, your piece is fascinating. You make the point that other political figures have leveraged cultural flash points before. This is nothing new. We've seen it, George W. Bush, you remember there were freedom fries, Sarah Palin.
But - but no one really has done it on this scale before, and so kind of nakedly. Usually, it might be, you know, some commercial that popped up from some organization that would - insinuated things.
This is the President, you know, allowing chants of "Send her back!" to - to fester.
TOLUSE OLORUNNIPA, WHITE HOUSE REPORTER, THE WASHINGTON POST, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: That's exactly right, Anderson.
This President is really using these cultural issues as the centerpiece of his campaign. It's not just sort of a side issue. It's not something to add to a broad policy agenda that this President has.
This is the agenda, cultural issues, divisive issues, everything from immigration to climate change, trying to paint the Democrats as extreme on all of these issues, and try to galvanize his base.
He realizes that in 2016 he won by putting together a coalition of people who are very, very excited to vote for him, his base voters, but also people who just didn't like Hillary Clinton.
And, in part, they didn't like Hillary Clinton because the President spent so much time trying to drive up her negatives, and paint her as someone who was corrupt with the nickname of Crooked Hillary.
So, at this point, the President's trying to use those same types of divisive issues to galvanize the people who really like him, who maybe not benefiting from the economy, but they like what he's doing on cultural issues, while also trying to paint the Democrats as extremely far to the Left, so that people who are on the fence about the President would back away from thinking about voting for any Democrat--
COOPER: Yes.
OLORUNNIPA: --and maybe hold their nose and vote for him again, so that's - that's the strategy we're seeing.
COOPER: Yes. Yes, and Stuart, he's - he's sort of trying to make the Democratic Party be represented by the four Congresswomen who he - he went after. Does this - do - do these wedge issues, sort of prying us apart into groups, does that work?
STUART STEVENS, POLITICAL CONSULTANT & WRITER, FORMER ROMNEY CAMPAIGN ADVISER: Well if you look at the last election, Trump got 46.1 percent, and was able to win. Romney lost with 47.2 percent.
So, the central question here is if Trump got every vote that he got last time, would that be enough to win? And I would argue probably not, unless there's some strong element of a third-party that pulls from center-left. 46.1 isn't going to get you to glory.
So, I - I think, you know, the - the key for the Democratic Party, I think, is turnout. And for the first time, in 20 years, African- American turnout decreased in 2016.
And I think if we got together, Democrats got together and tried to come up with a plan to generate more enthusiasm for African-American and non-White voters, it'd be difficult to come up with anything better than what Donald Trump is doing.
[21:20:00] He's absolutely mobilizing these voters. He asks in the campaign, what do you have to lose, and he seems dedicated to proving it every day.
COOPER: Toluse, I mean it does seem like the Trump campaign is happy to seize on the President's more divisive moments, even going so far as to, you know, develop marketing strategies around them. It's not like they're running from them.
OLORUNNIPA: Yes, that's exactly right.
If you look at this straw campaign, they realize that the fact that there are cities and companies that use paper straws in part, to try to protect the environment is something that his voters and even some Democrats are not happy about.
So, they're leaning into this, trying to use it, not only to raise money, but also to paint the Democrats who are going against them as someone who would export some of these policies, not only in major cities, but take them all the way across the country.
So, they are leaning into some of this. There are some issues where they feel a little bit less comfortable where the President kind of crudely enters some of these cultural divides like race, and talks about things like "Send her back!" or that Congresswomen should go back to their countries, they're not as adept at trying to figure out how to package that - that issue for the broader public.
But there are some issues where they feel like they're able to take a message on a cultural issue, where they don't have a policy issue to talk about, and focus on--
COOPER: Yes.
OLORUNNIPA: --how to export that to the entire country.
COOPER: Stuart, I mean the idea that you can make buying a plastic straw with the name of the candidate on like a patriotic issue is just a sign of the times. But when you look at how the President is - is courting voters, it does seem like he's employing a lot of the - the same tactics, frankly, that he did in 2016.
STEVENS: Sure. Sure he is. You know, I think that there's a trap that we fall into, trying to attribute some great strategy to what Donald Trump does, because otherwise you kind of have to come to grips with the fact that he may be a blithering idiot.
And I - I think he's just a blithering idiot. I don't think "Send them back home," they didn't focus-group this. Nobody said this is a way to get more voters.
I mean, ultimately, politics is about addition and not subtraction. But Donald Trump, really, he is a racist. And so, eventually, you're going to see this side of him, and it keeps coming out, and keeps coming out.
And I think if you're inside that Trump campaign, it's very frustrating to you because they're smart, they're - they've got really good people over there working for him, they're going to put together a better campaign, and they don't want to be the people out there trying to defend a lot of what Trump does.
And stuff like straws, it's just - I mean that is - it's a great con to be able to get money - get people to give money to a billionaire. But to get people to give money for - to protect paper straws may be the ultimate con.
COOPER: Yes. Or - or to go against paper straws, in this case. Yes.
STEVENS: Yes.
COOPER: Talk about Paper Tigers. Stuart, thank you very much. And - and Toluse, thank you very much, really appreciate having you on, his first time, appreciate it.
The 2020 race is heating up in Iowa. The stakes, of course, there are high. And one candidate, in particular, is on the rise. She's doing well. How Elizabeth Warren has been getting her numbers rising so fast, we'll take a look at the Senator's ground game in Iowa, next.
[21:25:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK) COOPER: Nearly two dozen candidates paraded through Iowa this weekend, Elizabeth Warren drawing some of the largest crowds. A Monmouth poll released last week points to a big surge for her. She is now in second place in the state behind Biden, at 19 percent, with Sanders slipping from April, his number's slipping.
CNN's Jeff Zeleny is in Iowa, taking a look at Senator Warren's ground game, and what it means less than six months, out from the caucuses.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Hello Iowa State Fair.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Elizabeth Warren is making a big summer splash in Iowa.
But beyond the teeming crowds, her campaign is building something that's even more impressive to many Democrats here, a muscular ground organization with a person-to-person network, growing by the day, in backyards like this.
WARREN: And it's great to be here at someone's home. I want to say a very special thank you to Drew and Kara. Where are you? There you are.
ZELENY: Drew and Kara Kelso have been following the 2020 campaign closely, but not this closely until one of Warren's young organizers reached out and asked if they would host the Massachusetts Senator.
KARA KELSO, WARREN SUPPORTER: It was a great fight. It was awesome to have her here. The neighbors, everybody was excited that she was here.
ZELENY: Do you plan to volunteer for her at all?
DREW KELSO, WARREN SUPPORTER: Yes. I mean I think we'd entertain the idea. I - I definitely support her enough to do that.
ZELENY: Across town, Carrie DeVries is already a dedicated volunteer in Warren's army. She hosts organizing events right here in her living room where she even painted a campaign logo.
CARRIE DEVRIES, WARREN CAMPAIGN VOLUNTEER: Once I found Warren's campaign, then I felt like "Oh, here's a place I can really feel like I'm making a difference."
ZELENY: How many hours a week do you think you spend trying to elect Elizabeth Warren?
DEVRIES: Me?
ZELENY: Yes.
DEVRIES: Probably more than most people.
Probably 12 or 14 hours a week--
ZELENY: Oh!
DEVRIES: --just doing different things.
ZELENY: The Warren campaign started building an Iowa operation before any of its rivals, with eight field offices now open, and more to come. The campaign has held organizing events in all 99 counties.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is there a chance that you and your wife might be interested in helping us out?
ZELENY: Inside the Des Moines field office today, volunteers made calls and plans for future events. Emily Parcell is a Senior Adviser for Warren. 12 years ago, this summer, she was Political Director for Barack Obama.
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Because we built the best grassroots organization on the ground here in Iowa, people power from the bottom-up.
ZELENY: Who's winning Iowa campaign is still the aspiration for this crowded field of Democratic candidates.
EMILY PARCELL, WARREN CAMPAIGN SENIOR ADVISER: In my experience, doing the Iowa caucus, you need to be here for a year. It's going to take time. And the interesting thing about this campaign, and I don't think it's unlike the Obama campaign, there's a real focus on building a community of supporters.
ZELENY: Of course, so much has changed since that summer of 2007 when Barack Obama had his rise here in Iowa. Social media in its infancy then now is a critical tool in organizing campaigns.
Elizabeth Warren, of course, first on the ground here, others now, may be catching up. Pete Buttigieg, Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, all investing considerable time and money in organizing their campaigns here, Anderson.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[21:30:00] COOPER: Jeff Zeleny reporting for more on the intensifying race, and the all-important say, I want to bring in former Clinton Campaign Manager, Robby Mook who now serves as the President of a House Democratic Super PAC. Also with us, former Obama White House Communications Director, and CNN Political Commentator, Jen Psaki.
So Robby, you helped Senator Clinton win the caucuses in Iowa in 2016. She came in third there in 2008. What is the most important thing to keep in mind right now as - as folks at home are watching this, and as the candidates are working that state?
ROBBY MOOK, FORMER CLINTON CAMPAIGN MANAGER, PRESIDENT, HOUSE MAJORITY PAC: Well you heard a lot of it just on this segment before this. You know, Iowa is about two things. It's first of all building that universe of supporters that you turn out to those caucuses. But then there's what happens in that caucus room. You know, I - the Iowa caucuses are not a popular vote. You actually have to physically get people to stand with your candidate group, and then you're allocated a certain number of delegates based on that.
This year, a big change is that some people can decide to caucus early, and a certain number of delegates will be allocated there. Other delegates will be allocated on caucus night.
So, every human being that's coming, that's showing up at these caucuses is strategically really important, and training, motivation, commitment, loyalty, all these things matter so much, and that really comes down to the relationship that the campaign has built with them.
So, the number of organizers you have, how talented they are, how they've nurtured those relationships, all these things matter so much in a way that they just don't in a big primary.
COOPER: Yes. I mean, Jen, I know you echo that. You - you said you don't win Iowa through a "Campaign commercial," or by being around for a long time.
The fact that Elizabeth Warren is not only well organized field teams but has gone out of her way to reach out to voters, and done all those - those Town Halls with - with voters, off-camera, she's done a bunch on-camera as well with CNN and others, but has Vice President Biden, what is his ground game like?
JEN PSAKI, FORMER WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR FOR PRESIDENT OBAMA, FORMER UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE SPOKESPERSON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well he's a little later, surprisingly, into the Iowa game this cycle, it seems.
You know, Elizabeth Warren is, we just heard in that piece, did something very smart, which was, she not only visited Iowa quite a few times, but she's also kind of built this movement army.
You know, it's not just about the candidate appearing, it's also about creating, you know, a volunteer base, and a base of people who are going to be your ambassadors when you're not in the state.
So, Biden had - there's a lot of affection for him in the state. And if you look at the polls, like the Monmouth poll and others, there is still a belief across the state that he is the one, who's the most electable, who can defeat Donald Trump.
So, yes, that's a good base to start on in September, but he clearly needs to be doing more organizing on the ground, needs to open more campaign offices, and really needs to be more present, not just him as a candidate, but with more volunteers.
He needs to call more, you know, the - the activists who've been there for decades, who I knew when I was there for Obama, and even for John Kerry. That's something that needs to pick up from his side. But there's - there's certainly time to do that.
COOPER: Robby, if you're advising the - the Warren team right now or the Biden team, I mean, how do you answer the question on so many Democrats' minds, which is electability, and more specifically, you know, who can beat President Trump?
MOOK: Yes. I mean this - this is a - a concern that a lot of voters are stating. I - I think sometimes we're over-analyzing that and not thinking enough about momentum. You know, Iowa and New Hampshire matters so much, and we can talk about how the delegates are really in other states.
But the issue is that Super Tuesday comes so fast. And, by the time, you get through that, over 40 percent of the delegates in this whole contest are already allocated, I think, it's over 60 percent by mid- March.
If you're not succeeding in Iowa and New Hampshire, you know, you - you can be electable in sort of conventional theories, but you can really fall behind, and we saw that, you know, in 2008, how Hillary's numbers just moved so quickly in those later states, purely based on how President - you know, later, President Obama did in Iowa.
COOPER: Yes. And Jen, I mean, obviously, Iowa hasn't been the easiest state for Biden. I think he finished fifth with, you know, less than 1 percent of delegates in 2008 after losing there.
PSAKI: That's true. You know, and I think there are a lot of lessons to take from the past races that some of which Robby mentioned.
I mean the electability argument, which - which obviously Biden is holding - holding solid on, is one where back in 2008, Hillary Clinton was ahead of Barack Obama by 30 or 40 points on the electability argument.
COOPER: Right.
PSAKI: It didn't actually switch back to have, you know, see Barack Obama as the most electable, according to national polls until around the March - the March Super Tuesday timeline. So, it doesn't necessarily lead to where voters are going to go on Caucus Day.
And, as Robby kind of touched on in the beginning, you need people not to just to be saying they're with you. You need them to be dedicated.
COOPER: Right.
PSAKI: To be people who are going to be volunteering for 10--
COOPER: Yes. Yes. Like--
PSAKI: --15 hours a week, because caucuses are hard.
COOPER: Right. Like that--
PSAKI: They require work.
COOPER: --like that lady - like that lady who's hosting stuff in her room. PSAKI: Yes.
COOPER: And painted the thing on the floor. We're going to leave it there.
PSAKI: Exactly.
COOPER: Jen.
PSAKI: She's going to be fighting for--
COOPER: Yes.
PSAKI: --Elizabeth Warren on Caucus night. And - and that's the kind of people you really need on your side.
COOPER: Yes. Jen Psaki, Robby Mook, thanks so much, appreciate it.
MOOK: Thanks.
[21:35:00] COOPER: A new fall-out tonight after Jeffrey Epstein's apparent suicide. Up next, changes at the jail after he was taken off suicide watch, and left alone in his final hours, plus a new report on Epstein's disturbing views, sickening views, of sex and rape of minors.
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COOPER: A shake-up is underway at the federal jail where convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein apparently took his own life. He was awaiting trial on new sex trafficking charges.
The warden at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York is being temporarily reassigned. Two employees who were assigned to Epstein's unit are being put on administrative leave, we're told.
Meanwhile, some of Epstein's disgusting views are being revealed for the first time. New York Times Columnist, James Stewart met with the multi-millionaire at his New York mansion a year ago this week for an unrelated story.
Stewart now reports, and I quote, Epstein "Said that criminalizing sex with teenage girls was a cultural aberration and that at times in history it was perfectly acceptable. He pointed out that homosexuality had long been considered a crime and was still punishable by death in some parts of the world."
Randi Kaye, tonight, has more on the outrage from women who once again feel victimized by Epstein.
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VIRGINIA ROBERTS GIUFFRE, ALLEGED EPSTEIN VICTIM: It ended with sexual abuse, and intercourse, and then a pat on the back. "You've done a really good job," like, you know, "Thank you very much," and here's $200. [21:40:00] RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Virginia Giuffre was just 16 when she says she was recruited to give Jeffrey Epstein erotic massages. Now, Giuffre fears Epstein's secrets died with him. Through her attorney, Giuffre shared with CNN her frustration that Epstein will never answer for his conduct.
"We've worked so hard to get here, and he stole that from us, too." Her lawyer, David Boies represents at least eight clients. He says all of them hoped Epstein's trial would provide vindication and closure. But Epstein's death has enabled him to escape, having to confront his victims in court.
Before he was investigated for child sexual abuse and trafficking underage women, Epstein was a hedge fund manager. The multi- millionaire worked on Wall Street for years at Bear Stearns before opening his own investment firm.
Back in 2006, the FBI began investigating his alleged activities with young girls, who today are in their 20s and 30s. Some spoke to the Miami Herald.
GIUFFRE: And he would want us to stand next to him, and he would masturbate, while he stared at us, touched us. All Jeffrey cared about was "Go find me more girls." His appetite was insatiable.
KAYE: Dozens of them, all with similar stories of sexual abuse, even down to the details of what Epstein's genitals look like.
Here at Epstein's Palm Beach home is where much of the alleged abuse took place. According to court documents, as far back as 2001, it's believed Epstein began luring underage girls here with the help of those who worked for him.
Most of the girls ranged in age from 13 to 16, and came from disadvantaged homes. They'd never before seen the exclusive Palm Beach Island.
GIUFFRE: The training started immediately, everything down to how to be quiet, be subservient, give Jeffrey what he wants. Then, you know, before you know it, I'm being lent out to politicians and to academics.
KAYE: Years later, in a 2014 court document, one of the women claims she had been an underage sex slave to Epstein, claiming he forced her to have sex with some of his powerful friends, including Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, once at an orgy on Epstein's Island. She would have been 17 at the time. Buckingham Palace has strongly denied the accusations.
Florida Attorney Spencer Kuvin represents one of Epstein's victims, who has not been identified publicly.
SPENCER KUVIN, ATTORNEY FOR EPSTEIN VICTIM: She went into the massage room, and was convinced to give Mr. Epstein a new massage. At the time that he was being given a massage by her, he reached out, and he would touch her, and feel her in various areas of her body. KAYE: What is your client's reaction to Jeffrey Epstein's death?
KUVIN: I think there's a mixture of satisfaction that this person could never perpetrate a crime on a young lady again, knowing that he's gone forever. And secondarily, she's been robbed, I think, of true justice, so there's a - a level of frustration.
With his suicide, apparent suicide, you know, they've been robbed, again, of that chance to face their accusers in open court.
KAYE: Court documents say Epstein often ran with the rich and powerful, Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, and his two high-profile defense attorneys, Ken Starr and Alan Dershowitz.
In 2002, New York Magazine quoted Trump saying this about Epstein. "He's a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side."
That same woman who accused Prince Andrew also claimed in that court filing from 2014 that Epstein required her to have sexual relations with Dershowitz on numerous occasions while she was a minor, in Florida, and aboard his private plane.
Dershowitz denies all of it.
ALAN DERSHOWITZ, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: She said I had sex with her on Jeffrey Epstein's airplanes. The flight manifest will prove conclusively I was never on any airplanes with her. I never met this woman. I never touched her. I was never massaged by her.
KAYE: More than a decade ago, federal investigators had identified at least 36 girls, and were still building their case, when suddenly in 2008, Epstein made a sweetheart deal.
That deal allowed him to plead guilty to a lesser charge. He did have to register as a sex offender and serve 13 months in a County Jail. But it shut down the FBI's investigation.
The deal also granted immunity to his co-conspirators. The deal was signed off on by then U.S. Attorney in Miami, Alexander Acosta who then became President Donald Trump's Secretary of Labor.
ALEXANDER ACOSTA, FORMER UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF LABOR: We believe that we proceeded appropriately.
KAYE: Acosta resigned last month, facing growing scrutiny of his handling of the Epstein deal. Still, if Epstein's original plea deal goes away in light of his death, his co-conspirators may be in trouble.
Does your client still hope to gain justice from Epstein's co- conspirators?
[21:45:00] KUVIN: All of the people that were involved should be held accountable for what occurred back then. Mr. Epstein could have never done what he did on the sheer volume that
he did, and he perpetrated these crimes, and taking these underage women, and abusing them in the way that he did without the people around him that allowed it to occur.
KAYE: He says his client also wants to know why Jeffrey Epstein, whose sources said may have attempted suicide in jail already, was no longer on suicide watch?
KUVIN: Someone failed. Someone failed astronomically when it comes to bringing this man to justice, and allowing this to occur.
Either, he should have been on suicide watch, and this would have been prevented, or alternatively, why would they ever make the decision to take him off suicide watch, or finally, someone was paid intentionally to look the other way.
KAYE: So, you're not - you're not sold on the fact that this was indeed a - a suicide?
KUVIN: Not yet. Not until the full investigation is undertaken, all of those jailers are interviewed, all of their bank accounts are looked at, you know, I would not be surprised if someone within that jail has an offshore bank account somewhere that just got a lot larger.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Randi Kaye joins us now. It sounds like his victims and their attorneys have a lot of questions about what really happened here, regarding Epstein's death.
KAYE: So many questions, Anderson. I spoke with three lawyers who all represent Epstein's victims, and they all want a thorough investigation by the Department of Justice.
One of those lawyers actually deposed Epstein twice, back in 2008, during the original case, and he described him this way. He said he was snarky, he was arrogant, he didn't show any remorse, and he blamed everything on these young women.
So, for him, in particular, he has real questions about someone like that who didn't show any remorse, would they really harm themselves? That's what he wants to know.
We, of course, have learned here at CNN that there were budget cuts at that jail facility. Many of these guards were also working overtime, so it's unclear what really happened. But certainly, these lawyers and the - the victims have a lot of questions, their clients.
But the bottom line is, Anderson, these women want justice. They say this is not over. They plan to sue Epstein's estate. And if his co- conspirators are named publicly, they plan to sue them as well.
Justice, Anderson, is their priority.
COOPER: Well, Randi Kaye, thanks very much. We'll continue to follow it.
There was chaos in one of the world's busiest airports as protesters clashed with police. We'll tell you what sparked the confrontation, more ahead (ph), next.
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(I-CABLE NEWS - PROTESTERS PROTESTING IN HONG KONG AIRPORT VIDEO)
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[21:50:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: It has been a chaotic, sometimes violent, 24 hours at Hong Kong's airport. Pro-democracy protests began there five days ago and have escalated to massive disruption.
CNN's Ivan Watson has the latest.
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IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Overnight confrontations in Hong Kong turning violent, as thousands of pro- democracy protestors flooded the country's busy international airport, paralyzing it for a second day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Time out (ph).
WATSON: As the growing tension played out on live television, police moved in, carrying shields, and wearing body armor, pushing the crowd back. At times, it was hard to tell who sided with whom.
We were there as this group of protesters turned on a man they suspected of being a Chinese agent. Some tried to protect him, as others kicked him. Medics eventually succeeded in taking the injured man away. He's since been identified as a Reporter for the Chinese state news outlet, Global Times. Other protesters blocked passengers from reaching their planes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't have this medical (ph). I don't have water. I don't have here. After today, I can tell (ph). Finished go out (ph).
WATSON: Forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights and stranding thousands of passengers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We cannot avoid this. It's somehow unavoidable because we fight for our final goal, that is, our freedom.
WATSON: Hong Kong's leader, who's effectively appointed by the Chinese government, admits she's losing control.
CARRIE LAM, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF HONG KONG: (FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
LAM (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Hong Kong society is not safe or stable. The rioters have pushed Hong Kong to the brink of no return.
(CROWD PROTESTING VIDEO)
WATSON: The protests here began peacefully two months ago, as millions of pro-democracy demonstrators took to the streets to oppose a proposed extradition law with Mainland China.
But some hardliners who don't want this former British Colony to be controlled by Communist China have grown increasingly violent, clashing week after week with police, at times leading to showdowns with tear gas and night sticks.
The protestors were spoiling for a fight. And now, they've got one.
Tonight, the Central Government in Mainland China is sending increasingly ominous warnings, showing off security forces close to Hong Kong. What's not clear is if China will use that force to quash the dissent or if protestors who seem motivated for a fight for their freedom will back down.
President Trump tweeted about intelligence reports that China is moving troops to the border, and he appealed for calm.
But this is the worst political crisis this city's seen in decades.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Ivan joins us now from Hong Kong. What's happening right now? What's the latest?
WATSON: It's pretty striking. Within hours of practically seeing the protestors get close to lynching that Chinese reporter, the airport here is back up and running. They've covered over the spray-painted graffiti. They've cleaned the leaflets up.
And they put in new measures to try to stop protestors if they show up again in large numbers, from blocking passengers, from trying to fly out of here, as they've done for the previous two nights.
The bigger question though is about long-term stability in this city. The government shows no signs of wanting to compromise. Some of the demonstrators are more radical and more desperate and violent than ever. And it just seems like this city is more polarized and divided than I've ever seen it, Anderson.
[21:55:00] COOPER: Ivan Watson, be careful. Thank you very much.
Here at home, we have an update on a story that's tugged at hearts nationwide. You remember this little girl seen sobbing for her dad after he was stripped away from her in those ICE raids last week. Her family was desperate to find him. And now he's been found. We'll tell you where he is. That's next.
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COOPER: Well her name is Magdalena. You may remember her from the heartbreaking video that was shown to you that's now gone viral.
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MAGDALENA GOMEZ GREGORIO: My dad didn't do nothing. He's not a criminal. Government, please put your heart. Let my parent be free with everybody else.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Well she is a 11-years old. She's one of many children stripped of their parents, their father, in this case, after recent immigration raids. She begged for her dad's release, after ICE took him into custody in Mississippi last week.
