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Donald Trump Holds Rally in Iowa; Bernie Sanders to Visit South Carolina; U.S. Agrees to Take in 10,000 Syrian Refugees; Phoenix Investigators have Person of Interest in Interstate Shootings; President Obama Warns Russia about Supporting Assad in Syria; NYPD Officer Mistakenly Arrests Former Tennis Pro; Serena Williams Upset in Tournament. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired September 12, 2015 - 10:00   ET

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


[10:00:00] CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: Four days before the next GOP debate Donald Trump rallies in Iowa where he maintains a strong lead in the polls. Does he keep the same strategy?

And Democratic hopeful Bernie Sanders takes his message to the south where he'll connect with African-American voters and try to take them away from Hillary Clinton.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Developing this morning, police in Phoenix say they have a person in interest in the serial freeway shooting incident. Are they closer to solving this mystery?

PAUL: And that the U.S. agreed to allow 10,000 refugees into the country, Americans offer to open their personal homes to help.

You are in the CNN Newsroom.

And we are always so glad to see you. I'm Christi Paul.

SAVIDGE: And I'm Martin Savidge if for Victor Blackwell. It is 10:00 on the east coast, 7:00 on the west. It is good to be with you.

All right, we're gearing up for what is said to be a busy day on the GOP presidential trail. As Donald Trump is building his lead from his rivals, the campaigning among GOP hopefuls is getting tight today. Look at GOP candidates out on the stump, Donald Trump, Scott Walker, Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, all expected to do some tailgating outside the Iowa State football game in the coming hours.

PAUL: Meantime in New Hampshire John Kasich, Carly Fiorina, George Pataki all scheduled to show up at a chili fest there, the same one, in fact. This comes four days ahead of the GOP presidential debate live right here on CNN. Frontrunner Donald Trump, meanwhile, appeared late night with Jimmy Fallon to talk about, well, he talked about targeting who he's going, you know, to look at in this debate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I just think, in terms of targeting any voters, that's what I'm targeting, but I want them to vote. I want them to love Trump. And I want them to know I'll do a great job. As far as candidates, you know, to me, they're all the same. They really are.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: And the thing is, he's being serious in some of the answers and he's still getting laughs. Sara Murray joining us live from Boone, Iowa, where Trump is expected to hold a rally soon. So Sara, we know that he's still ahead in the polls. What are you hearing there this morning?

SARA MURRAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, so right now everyone's still getting set up. We're waiting on Donald Trump to pull in a big rally here. And then, like you guys pointed out, all these candidates are headed over to a tailgate this afternoon. This is a great opportunity for the candidates to get up close and personal with Iowa voters.

And look, for a lot of these guys, they need the time. They need to put in some work here. You take a look at the latest Iowa poll of likely Republican caucus goers from Quinnipiac University, you see Trump with a very wide lead. He has 27 percent support. The closest guy next to him is Ben Carson with 21 support. So it's really a moment for these outsiders.

Scott Walker, who we're going to see at this tailgate later today, has collapsed in the state. He used to be the frontrunner here. He's drawing just three percent support. So today it's going to be a day where I'm sure Donald Trump will bask in his very high poll numbers, maybe try to win over a couple of new supporters. We're going to see candidates like Marco Rubio, Scott Walker, and Rand Paul hustle and regain some ground here.

PAUL: So what's the possibility some people are wondering if we could see some fireworks between Trump and Paul, specifically?

MURRAY: Yes, we're starting to get the sense that Rand Paul is just fed up with Donald Trump. He held an event here in Iowa yesterday and said it's time to go to combat with Trump. He said he thinks the Trump wave has crested and his downfall is coming. We're expecting him to bring the feisty demeanor to the tailgate today as well as the debate stage.

PAUL: All right, Sara Murray, we so appreciate it, thank you.

I want to talk, meanwhile, about Bernie Sanders in Columbia, South Carolina, this morning, holding a town hall at the historically black school of Benedict College. Sanders is closing in on Clinton in the latest CNN/ORC poll, 27 percent support there, still ten points behind Clinton, but he's moving forward as her support seems to begin lagging. Political reporter Nia-Malika Henderson following that story. What are you hearing, Nia?

NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Well, Bernie Sanders is trying to introduce himself here in the city of Columbia, South Carolina, Benedict College, to African-American voters. There are actually two schools here, Benedict and Allen. As you can see the line forming behind me, largely African-American, this very much is his attempt to eat into some of Hillary Clinton's support. She does very well among African-Americans nationally, does very well with African-Americans in this state. There was a recent poll that showed her gaining 60 percent of the black vote. He's at three percent. Joe Biden is at 30 percent of the African-American vote. Joe Biden, of course, a bit of a wild card in this, don't know if he's going to enter this race.

But talking to the folks organizing this event here, they very much have low expectations in terms of thinking about how this crowd sort of identifies with and what they know about Bernie Sanders. They know he's a new face.

[10:05:04] You look inside where this event is going to start in about an hour, there's very little signage about Bernie Sanders. There's an American flag. There's Benedict College signage. There's a palmetto state flag as well. So they very well know rather that rather than assuming that this crowd should be revved up for Bernie Sanders, that, first, they have to introduce him.

One of the things that they've done is they've paired Bernie Sanders with Dr. Cornell West who was a surrogate for Obama in 2008. He's since become very much a critic of Obama. He will also be part of that introduction of Bernie Sanders to African-American voters who will be crucial in this state. They'll be a majority of voters on that February 22nd -- 27th primary. Hillary Clinton, so far, leading among African-Americans. Bernie Sanders trying to make up some ground.

I talked to some of his aides and they say that time is the biggest challenge they have at this point. So they're getting something of a start today.

PAUL: All right, Nia-Malika Henderson, we appreciate it. Thank you.

SAVIDGE: Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders, as you've heard, both headed to rallies in early voting states today. Trump attending that rally in Boone, Iowa, Sanders holding a town hall event. Trump will likely be touting his latest poll success as a new CNN poll shows that he is the first candidate to top more than 30 percent support, well ahead of his nearest competitor.

So let's talk about this with CNN senior political analyst, Ron Brownstein. Ron, good to see you. Days away now from this debate right here on CNN, and Trump is talking about strategy. He did that with Jimmy Fallon last night. Let's take a listen, and I'll ask you on the other side about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: You do what you do. I mean it is what it is. You -- you've learned and you're an intelligent person, you have to understand that about yourself, otherwise you're not going to be very good up there. The first debate I won every single poll, where they did polls on who won the debate.

JIMMY FALLON, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW": Yes.

TRUMP: And I would say I was not asked the nicest questions. I would say the questions, you know, they were a little bit, in my opinion --

FALLON: Tricky.

TRUMP: -- they were unfair, but these are minor details.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: You know, we really get the sense there is not a lot of preparation that Donald Trump does. Is that the right call?

RON BROWNSTEIN, SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, look, I mean, first of all, you know, the obligatory caveat that we need is that, at this point in 2011, Rick Perry, who dropped out of the race yesterday, was ahead in the polls. At this point in 2007 Rudy Giuliani was in the lead in the national polls, and both ended up leaving the race without winning a single state. A lot can happen between now and February when people start voting.

But Donald Trump has built a significant base in the Republican Party, has support across the party, but especially with blue collar Republicans, non-college Republican, really extraordinary numbers in a field this big. In recent polls he's running 40 percent among non- college Republican men who are very unhappy about the economy, culturally conservative, very alienated from Obama. So he has a real base. The other candidates have to figure out how to dislodge him.

What Donald Trump has done, I think, successfully is turn the axis of the Republican race into more of a kind of personal series of attacks and personal qualities rather than the policy arguments that have been the real fissure in these primaries before. And if the debate ends up being a series of ad hominem attacks kind of back and forth, even if he is the target, I think in some ways he wins by that. Ultimately I think the other candidates have to kind of raise doubts about both his temperament and his agenda and whether that is something that the Republican electorate truly wants. But they have a real challenge. He has put down some roots.

SAVIDGE: Trump has managed, so far, to deflect many of his missteps, racist comments, insulting John McCain, sexist comments. Is there anything he could say or do what would be too big for his campaign to move past?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, I think you don't know if the iceberg is too big until you hit it. So, you know, we obviously have not hit that point yet. I do -- generally, though, I think if Donald Trump is dethroned from his position leading the race, I think it is less likely to be a single event, a single iceberg, than a death of 1,000 cuts.

I think there are two big lines of argument out there for the rivals to focus on. One, as I said, is temperament. In that Quinnipiac recent national polling, only half of Republicans and a third of voters overall nationwide said they thought Donald Trump had the temperament to handle an international crisis. And I think you will see the other Republican candidates making something like that Hillary Clinton 3:00 a.m. phone call argument at some point. Is he someone you want at the helm in a crisis?

And I think the second question is the agenda issue. Is this someone who represents the conservative values of the voters that he is attracting? I think you've seen Jeb Bush trying to make that argument, and I think the others -- Scott Walker, Ted Cruz, as much as Ted Cruz has been cozying up to Donald Trump, they can't win Iowa. I don't think there's a strategy for them if he does. So sooner or later I think they have to challenge him from the right.

[10:10:00] SAVIDGE: All right, well, let's switch now to the other side, the left, Bernie Sanders. He says that he was stunned over a new poll that showed him closing on Hillary Clinton, 27 percent to her 37 percent. Are you stunned? And was this really momentum building?

BROWNSTEIN: Yes, I think it is striking. But I think it says more about Clinton than about Sanders. Sanders is building a real audience in Iowa and New Hampshire. But I think when you look at national numbers, what we're seeing, I think what they reflect concern among Democrats about Hillary Clinton, who has had a very rough summer, who has not shown that she can transcend this e-mail controversy.

And I think that what you are seeing both in the interest of Vice President Biden and the growing numbers for senator Sanders I think is mostly a function of concern about Hillary Clinton. I think in Sanders' case there is also an ideological dimension.

Look, the parties are polarizing. The Democratic Party electorate is more liberal than it was when Bill Clinton ran in 1992, there's no question about that. So there is a bigger audience for Bernie Sanders, just as the Republican electorate is more conservative than it was 25 years ago. So as parties polarized, candidates that represent more the vanguard, the ideological vanguard, have a bigger audience to talk to than they used to.

SAVIDGE: Ron Brownstein, as always, we appreciate the insights. Thank you.

BROWNSTEIN: Thank you.

PAUL: And be sure to tune into the next Republican presidential debate. It's hosted by CNN. It is Wednesday, September 16th, right here, 6:00 p.m. eastern.

New developments to tell you about this morning in that series of shootings along a highway in Phoenix. Police now identifying a person of interest. We're taking you live to Phoenix to see what's happening there this morning.

Also, the fallout over how a New York police officer took down a former tennis star. We have the video, and what we're learning about that officer now, a live report ahead.

Plus, where do you put 10,000 refugees from Syria in the U.S.? Meet a woman who is willing to open up her home to do this. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:15:21] PAUL: It's 15 minutes past the hour right now, and new details for you in a rash of shooting in downtown Phoenix. Police are talking, we understand, with a person of interest as he's been characterized. The man, Oscar De La Torre Munoz, taken for questioning less than 24 hours ago. Here's his picture, was taken into custody but has not been charged in connection with highway shootings. Sara Sidner, live in Phoenix, right now. So, Sara, what are we learning about this person of interest this morning?

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We know a few things, that they detained him and another person yesterday, let one person go, and continued to question him about a myriad of things, including questioning him about any details he may know along this I-10 corridor considering the shootings that have been going on.

That's all we've got. They are not calling him a suspect, but they did eventually arrest him after questioning him, arresting him for something completely different, possession of marijuana. And they're saying this case is not solved. We still want the public to remain vigilant and send in tips.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER: After nearly two weeks with at least 11 vehicles hit with bullets or projectiles along an eight-mile stretch of Interstate 10, DPS troopers have detained and are now questioning a man in connection with shootings.

BART GRAVES, DPS SPOKESMAN: We're calling him a person of interest, but we really wanted to talk to him about a lot of things. So it's fair to say this will probably come up, but we basically want to spend some time with him and find out what he knows.

SIDNER: The man, along with a woman were detained at a traffic stop. Investigators released the woman but continued questioning the man.

What can you tell me about what the circumstances were that led you to tip-related or was this something that investigators figured out?

GRAVES: It is reasonable to say a combination of the two.

SIDNER: But so one has been arrested, and police are still asking for citizens to call in tips. This as two other incidents, one along Highway 17 and another off Interstate 10, are being investigated to determine whether they are linked to the recent shooting spree. Interstate 10 has been a target zone for a serial shooter or shooters. Cars or big rigs hit during all times of date and night with no apparent pattern. Tremain Jackson is one of many DPS troopers driving the zone. He said the department is adding numerous resources to the investigation.

TREMAIN JACKSON, PATROLMAN: It's never one-man situation. And that's from the troopers to the police department so the citizens, it's a total team effort. SIDNER: This is not the first time police and the public here have

had to deal with serial roadway shootings. A decade ago eight people were killed as two gunmen stalked the roadways in Phoenix. That case took more than a year to solve. The man heading the current investigation was a lieutenant working at Phoenix Police Department during those shootings.

COL. FRANK MILSTEAD, DIRECTOR, DPS: That was what they called the serial shooter case. They were literally driving down roads and with a .410 caliber shotgun, they were shooting people walking down the street and killing them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER: And that case was actually solved in about 15 months. You know how they solved it? They actually talked to a friend of the two shooters who heard them bragging about shooting people. Again, police saying, yes, there has been someone detained and now arrested for something completely different. They still say this is an open case and they are still looking for the potential shooter or shooters.

PAUL: That being key -- is it one, is it more people? All right, Sara Sidner, thank you so much for the update. We appreciate it.

SAVIDGE: New York police released this surveillance video that shows the takedown of former tennis star James Blake. And now we're learning it's not the officer's first controversial arrest. A live report on that.

And speaking of controversy, President Obama gives us stern warning to Russia about it, rather, increasing its military presence in Syria.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:23:01] SAVIDGE: New this morning, we now have surveillance video from the Manhattan hotel where former pro tennis player James Blake was tackled and body slammed. Take a look at this. You can Black standing casually in front of the hotel, and then suddenly an undercover cop tackles him, sits on him, before handcuffing and leading him away. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner William Bratton have apologized to Blake for what turned out to be a case of mistaken identity, but Blake says that's not enough. So let's bring in CNN's Boris Sanchez. And Boris, what is Blake asking now of the NYPD?

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He's asking them to take specific steps to keep this from happening again. He says he's using this incident as a platform to try to improve relations between police and the people that they serve.

The NYPD released that video you showed just a few moments ago yesterday. It appears to corroborate a lot of what Blake said about the incident Wednesday morning. You can tell in the video the officer not in uniform. It does not appear that he's wearing a badge. It also doesn't look like Blake is trying to flee. After the video emerged, Blake put out a statement, essentially again

saying he was going to use this as a platform. He also writes, quote, "When this incident was reported in the news media, Mayor de Blasio and Commissioner Bratton both called me to extend their personal apologies, and I greatly appreciate those gestures. But extending courtesy to a public figure mistreated by the police is not enough."

Blake is not stopping there. He says he wants a significant financial commitment from the NYPD to try to improve relations between police and the community. In response to that statement, Mayor de Blasio put out his own statement, saying that the NYPD has spent almost $30 million in retraining about 22,000 police officers.

And on the heel of all of these statements we're learning more about James Frascatore, the police officer that took down Blake. It turns out he has at least two civil cases, two civil complaints, against him in court right now alleging that he took down suspects with excessive force.

[10:25:04] This could potentially be his third. I spoke with Blake's attorney yesterday, Kevin Marino, and asked him if a civil suit may be in the works. He told me he would get back to me. CNN has also reached out to Officer Frascatore but we have yet to hear back.

SAVIDGE: I get his point when he says that really, here he is, a celebrity, and everyone's apologizing, but the other people who filed the civil cases, apparently no action was taken on their behalf. So Boris Sanchez, thank you very much for the update.

And stay tuned, James Blake is going to be live right here on CNN today at noon eastern time with Fredricka Whitfield. Christi?

PAUL: Martin, President Obama warning Russia to stay out of Syria and stop helping the Assad regime. And speaking of Syria, the U.S., as you know, preparing to receive 10,000 Syrian refugees. Where are they going to go? You are going to meet one woman who is willing to open her home to some.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: So glad to have you with us. Half past the hour. Candidates hitting early voting states today, Donald Trump heading out to Boone, Iowa, taking part in a rally before heading out to a college tailgate party. Bernie Sanders in South Carolina holding a town hall event at a historically black college there. No more campaigning, though, for Rick Perry. The former Texas governor bowing out of the race for the White House, making that announcement yesterday afternoon in a statement. He took, some are saying, a bit of a dig at some candidates touting celebrity over conservatism.

And new developments in that series of shootings along a highway in Phoenix. Police are talking with a person of interest, as they've characterized him. Oscar De La Torre Munoz was taken into custody, has not been charged in connection with the highway shootings. But over the last two weeks 11 vehicles have been struck by bullets and projectiles on or around the I-10 corridor. [10:30:00] SAVIDGE: Also new this morning, President Obama is warning

Russia against helping the Syrian regime. This comes as U.S. officials say that Russia is building up its troop levels in Syria and helping to prop up Syrian president -- the Syrian president's government. President Obama says, that won't change U.S. strategy in its fight against ISIS, which includes air strikes in Syria.

So let's bring in CNN's Sunlen Serfaty. Sunlen, what's the reaction from Washington on the Russian military presence in Syria?

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Martin, I think it's notable that we're hearing from President Obama on this for the very first time. In essence, he's basically giving a warning shot to Russia amid all of these reports in the move of Russia ramping up their troop presence in Syria.

The president speaking out on this yesterday more forcefully than we've heard other U.S. officials say in recent days when they were saying it basically was unclear what these moves meant in Syria by Russia. But now President Obama really taking one step farther, really connecting the dots more bluntly than other officials in have in the past, really intimating that Russia is trying to prop up Syrian president Bashar al Assad more than previously known. The president saying bluntly that he believes the strategy, in his words, of doubling down by Russia is a mistake. Here's more of what President Obama said yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The bad news that is Russia continues to believe that Assad, who is their traditional partner, is somebody that is worthy of continuing support. And it has been my view and the view of the United States government that as long as Assad is there he has alienated so much of the Syrian population that it will not be possible to arrive at a peaceful ceasefire and political settlement and you'll continue to have this vacuum filled by extremists.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SERFATY: Both President Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin will be in New York in just a few weeks later this month to attend a U.N. a General Assembly meetings, that annual meetings that are held. It is unclear at this point, Martin, whether the two leaders will meet directly, but certainly all of this, moves by Russia, and of course the refugee crisis which just grows more heartbreaking by the day, that just sets the stage for some very important discussions.

SAVIDGE: And I wanted to follow up and ask you about that. The U.S. says that it's going to allow 10,000 Syrian refugees into this country next year. Tell us more about it.

SERFATY: That's right. The announcement made by the White House this week that president wants the administration to accept additional refugees, the goal, number 10,000 in the next year. And certainly the United States has received some criticism that they have not done enough, not taken in enough refugees.

Now, to note this increase is about nine-times increase from what the United States accepted in the last year. But it's also, over all, if you compare to what other countries are doing, it's certainly modest. So expect to see that criticism, that pressure on the United States to do more, to really continue.

Now Secretary of State John Kerry was on Capitol Hill this week speaking to lawmakers on talking about the quotas, talking about their goals, and also, of course, security concerns, which the administration takes pains, of course, to bring up in the context of these discussions. And Kerry indicated to lawmakers according to sources in the room that he gave a range of numbers that indicated that this number could potentially grow, Martin, to potentially even 100,000.

SAVIDGE: You're right. As more refugees are seen, more will be wanting to come here. Sunlen Serfaty, thank you very much.

PAUL: Meanwhile, the streets of London packed with protesters this morning. What are they doing? They're showing solidarity with the millions of Syrian refugees desperate to find a better life. Nations all over the world bracing for a flood of men, women, and children this weekend from Syria. Nearly 100,000 sought asylum in Germany alone since Syria's bloody civil war started.

Take a look at this map here. Even that number is expected to skyrocket. German officials tell CNN, as of late, 10,000 migrants have been arriving in their country every day. Syria's neighbors have been overwhelmed as well. Turkey, for example, now home to nearly 2 million registered Syrian refugees. The White House recently announced plans to take in at least 10,000 more refugees here into the U.S.

My guest, Shirin Etessam, thinks the U.S. can do even better, though. She's part of this growing number of people offering to host a Syrian family. So Shirin, thank you so much for being with us. We appreciate it.

SHIRIN ETESSAM, OFFERING TO HOST SYRIAN FAMILY: Thank you for having me.

PAUL: I want to read something, if I could, please, that you wrote on your Facebook page. You said my kids and I live in Mill Valley, California, and would host a family in a heartbeat. What prompted you to make a desire so public there?

ETESSAM: Because it's the truth, and I think that I -- I don't think that I'm alone in that sentiment.

[10:35:00] And I -- I think that if there's a means for people to help in the crisis, that people would. And I think that this is a way of going about that. It's not a political movement in that way, it's just a social movement.

PAUL: It's a humanitarian issue, right. Listen, I wanted to let folks know we were showing pictures of her kids, as well, because you've got two kids. And I am wondering if there's something that you read, something specific that you saw, that moved you enough to say, you can come into my home and I will help you?

ETESSAM: I don't know if it was anything specific. I mean, I think, you know, revolving watching the images and reading the stories about the crisis and not really feeling like we could do anything about it.

And there was an article, actually, in -- I can't remember what publication -- but talking about the Iceland citizens opening up their homes. And in that was the link to the Facebook page that I went to and posted what I did. And it just seemed like, like the first wave, first vehicle for us really participate rather than watching these, you know, clips and reading these, you know, clips and these articles and just commenting that it's heartbreaking and not being able to do something about it. This is something we can do. And I would -- I would definitely do it in a heartbeat.

PAUL: I know we had those pictures of your children, two beautiful adopted children, I understand. And I'm wondering if you have prepared them. What do you say to them? What have they said about the possibility of having maybe another family moving in with you for a while?

ETESSAM: You know, I -- I haven't really had that conversation with them. I certainly will and would should that come about. You know, but I think that having, you know, the family that we have and having, you know, a melting pot of our own, and the fact that, you know, we've had guests and friends stay that I don't think it would be any different for them. What's age appropriate I'm not quite sure given that they're seven and nine, but I would most likely ease them into understanding.

PAUL: Do you have any concerns, like others are voicing some concerns right now, about ISIS operatives who may be trying to infiltrate some of these groups coming in?

ETESSAM: Frankly, it drives me crazy. I mean it just -- I don't know what to say to that, but all I see is millions of people, these aren't ex-pats. These aren't people looking for a free meal. These are people who are escaping a war torn country, and it's like your neighbor's house being on fire and you just watching it going, sorry. You know, of course you would take them in.

And I -- the ISIS -- I can't even -- I don't -- I can't wrap my head around that, and frankly I don't care. If there's a possibility of that, it feels so minute, you know.

PAUL: Yes. I mean, the pictures we're seeing, the pictures we're seeing right now on the screen, I know, it's really tough. And at the end of the day, these are people who are professionals, a lot of them are educated, they have families, and it's just heartbreaking, I know, to watch. Thank you so much for sharing your perspective on this. And we appreciate your time this morning.

ETESSAM: Of course. Thanks for having me. PAUL: Of course. Take good care.

Martin?

SAVIDGE: In other news, a construction crane comes crashing down on the largest mosque in the world, killing more than 100 people inside. We'll tell you what may have caused that disaster.

Plus, we have a Facebook exclusive to check out. A mom did a bold social experiment. Amy Pence wore a bikini out in a busy place in Boise, Idaho, to promote self-acceptance. Hear about her experience and the reaction she got. Please tell us what you think. Go to our Facebook page and tweet us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:43:08] SAVIDGE: Chilling footage now from Saudi Arabia as a construction crane came crashing down on the Grand Mosque in Mecca and killing at least 107 people. You're looking at that amateur video that captured the crane fell. It was Friday in the chaotic aftermath. More than 200 injured.

Officials are now blaming the accident on a powerful sandstorm. Mecca's Grand Mosque is the largest in the world. It's currently undergoing expansions and multiple cranes are in the area. Our Ian Lee joins us now live from Cairo with the latest. And so Ian, that does beg the question, why this particular crane?

IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That really is the question right now, Martin. They're looking at all of the cellphone footage, they're going to scour the site and look at this crane. Was it secured properly? Was there a structural defect to it that would cause it to topple over? As you point out there were a dozen other cranes surrounding the Grand Mosque, and so the question is why weren't they affected during this storm, which did have winds that reached up to about 50 miles per hour. There was heavy rain, mixed with sand. There was lightning, a lot of things to go over there on this.

This comes as Saudi officials are preparing for the annual Hajj pilgrimage, a little over a week's time. This is every year when roughly 2 million Muslims descend on to Mecca, into Saudi Arabia. They -- officials are going to want to alleviate these people that show them that this won't happen again. They were expanding the mosque to accommodate that large number and also to make it safer.

But it is unlikely to deter many of the pilgrims. This is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. Every Muslim must make the Hajj if they are physically and financially able to do so. But Saudi officials also want to give that reassurance that everything is safe, they have sped up this investigation, hopefully to have it concluded before the Hajj begins, Martin.

[10:45:13] SAVIDGE: Of course. It's a horrific, horrific tragedy. Ian Lee, thank you very much.

PAUL: It's not the headline most people expected. Unknown Italian player knocks Serena Williams out of the U.S. Open and ends her run for a Grand Slam. She is not unknown now. But how much do you know about her, yes, Miss Vinci? We'll talk about it.

Also this little girl whose viral video caught at eye of the tennis star herself. Well, this little one is here with us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIMI HARRIS: Go, Serena!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: Go, Serena! We're going to talk to her, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: It was all about certain headlines expected to read "Serena Williams joins an exclusive group of calendar year Grand Slam winners," but unseeded Roberta Vinci had other ideas. Andy Scholes joins us live from the U.S. Open with more. We've used just about every possible adjective to describe this, but it's amazing the turn of events, Andy.

[10:50:03] ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Martin, absolutely. Everyone here was just shocked, stunned, yesterday when relatively unknown Roberta Vinci pulled off one of the biggest upsets in tennis history, maybe even sports history, knocking off one-seed Serena Williams, ending her 33 Grand Slam match winning streak, ending her bid to become the first woman to win a calendar year grand slam in 27 years.

And as you can imagine, Serena obviously very disappointed at that outcome. You can take a look at daily news. It's got her picture. It says "Slammed." Her season is now over. She no longer is going for that grand slam later today. And after yesterday's loss, she didn't really want to talk about disappointment. Instead she wanted to reflect on what's still been a very good season for her. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SERENA WILLIAMS, TENNIS PLAYER: I never felt pressure. I think -- I don't know, I never felt that pressure to win here. I said that from the beginning. I win three grand slams this year, so, yes, and I won four in a row. So it's pretty good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: So later today is going to be Roberta Vinci taking on Flavia Pennetta, a final none of us saw coming. Let me tell you, demand for tickets for the match without Serena, they've gone -- they started yesterday before the semifinals at $280. Now, guys, you can get in for under $80.

SAVIDGE: Wow, talk about the change of fate. All right, Andy Scholes, thank you very much. Christi? PAUL: So Arthur Ashe stadium was tense, to say the least, during the

plays leading up to Serena Williams's stunning defeat. I can't imagine anyone else who was rooting harder for her than three-year-old Mimi Harris. Let me remind you who she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIMI HARRIS: So here I said, this the last one, hit it right up in the air. And I was like Serena Williams!

KIMBERLY HARRIS, MOTHER OF MIMI HARRIS: Who told you that you were like Serena Williams?

HARRIS: Daddy. I was like Serena Williams!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(LAUGHTER)

PAUL: The video went viral, reached Williams herself who gave the pintsized fan a care package complete with tickets to watch yesterday's match. She's with us now as well as her mom, obviously, Kimberly here. Mimi cannot hear us. So her mom's going to ask some of the questions that we have. Kimberly, thank you so much for being with us, so appreciate it. Can you do me a favor and ask Mimi how did she feel seeing her hero play live.

KIMBERLY HARRIS: Mimi, how did you feel when you saw Serena play live yesterday?

MIMI HARRIS: Sad.

KIMBERLY HARRIS: You were sad because she lost?

MIMI HARRIS: Yes.

KIMBERLY HARRIS: But were you excited to see her?

MIMI HARRIS: Yes.

KIMBERLY HARRIS: Yes.

PAUL: Kimberly, how was it, as a mom, to watch your daughter watching her hero? That's got to be an experience.

KIMBERLY HARRIS: It was. It was outstanding. We really appreciate the fact that JP Morgan Chase sent us to the open yesterday and today because it was an excellent experience for Mimi to not only root for an idol that she sees on television all the time, but to be there in person was excellent. And whether she won or loss, she's still our hero.

PAUL: Can you ask her quickly, what would she like to say to Serena, if she could.

KIMBERLY HARRIS: If you were to see Serena, what would you say to Serena?

MIMI HARRIS: Can I play the game with you?

KIMBERLY HARRIS: You would say can you play the game. If she said yes, who do you think would win?

MIMI HARRIS: Maybe Serena.

KIMBERLY HARRIS: Maybe.

PAUL: Maybe Serena.

(LAUGHTER)

PAUL: I love it. OK, Kimberly, you have just got such a gem there in that little girl, in Mimi. Thank you for taking time to talk to us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:58:13] PAUL: Did you know nearly 30 percent of parents in America cannot afford diapers for their children?

SAVIDGE: So this week's CNN hero went on a mission to help.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Go!

As a single mother providing for my children is a struggle. Diapers are super expensive. Making sure that my children have everything and wanting to provide for them really does cause anxiety.

CORINNE CANNON, CNN HERO: Diapers are a very challenging expense. Diapers are not covered by food stamps or by other social service programs. When I had my first child I was just really amazed how hard it was to care for a newborn. It's emotionally very exhausting, physically very exhausting.

Once thing started to ease up, I wanted to help other moms. I started calling organizations. And I heard over and over, we need diapers. I was heartbroken because I started thinking about how difficult it would be to be that mom who didn't have the diaper.

We have donated nearly 2 million diapers to families in the D.C. area. We partner with organizations who are helping families. A lot of our families are at a breaking point. We're using diapers as a way to have them engage with social services for their other needs, let them know there is a network there that's going to help them and support them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is it diaper day?

Receiving diapers means one less thing I have to worry. It allows me to put more money towards other things that are beneficial for my children.

CANNON: Knowing we're able to help moms at a critical point and bring them a little bit of a relief is huge.

[11:00:00] I want them to have everything they need to thrive.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL: If you know someone who should be a CNN Hero, let us know, CNNHeroes.com.