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Earthquake Death Toll at 267 and Recovery Enters Day 3; Trump Shifting Stances; Lochte Charged with Falsely Reporting A Crime; Heroin Overdoses; Looks at Trump Rallies. Aired 9:30-10:00a ET

Aired August 26, 2016 - 09:30   ET

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


[09:30:00] FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The destruction here. But you can also see how big this rescue effort actually is. In front of there, you can see there's a team of rescue dogs that's taking a little break right now, but they've been in that ruble all morning. And you can see down the street just how many police trucks, fire trucks, other agencies here as well, heavy equipment, bulldozers. They've mobilized here to try and get this rescue effort working as fast as possible.

Now, they know it's a race against the clock. And I have to say, in the past couple of hours, they really haven't found any survivors that we've seen. And really have only been able to pull dead bodies from the rubble. But that doesn't mean that they're giving up. They say - you know, they've done the past couple of days, they've done throughout the entire night and they're going to stay here until they're absolutely sure that there is no one still buried underneath that rubble. It's a huge effort and I have to say it's one that's actually quite well coordinated by the Italian authorities, Erica.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Fred Pleitgen for us this morning in Italy. Thank you.

Good morning. I'm Erica Hill, in this morning for Carol Costello. Thanks for being with us.

Maine Governor Paul LePage left a profanity laced voicemail for a state lawmaker. We're going to play it for you in just a moment. But first, here's a little bit of background. Earlier this week, the Republican governor doubled down on comments he has made in the past about drug dealers in his state, saying that 90 plus percent are black and Hispanic people. The local media then reported a state representative called the governor a racist. That is something the lawmaker denies. According to "The Portland Herald Press," though, LePage then left him this message.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. PAUL LEPAGE (R), MAINE (voice-over): This is Governor Paul Richard LePage. I would like to talk to you about your comments about my being a racist, you (EXPLETIVE DELETED). And you - I want to talk to you. You want - I want you to prove that I'm a racist. I've spent my life helping black people and you little son of a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) socialist (EXPLETIVE DELETED), you - I need you to just friggin - I want you to record this and make it public because I am after you. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: CNN has reached out to both the state rep and LePage's office for comment. No response yet from either party.

Donald Trump sending some mixed messages on immigration and that seemed to be a que for Jeb Bush.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEB BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (voice-over): I can only say that whatever his views are this morning, they might change this afternoon, and they were different than they were last night, and they'll be different tomorrow. So I can't comment on his views, because his views are - they seem to be ever - ever changing depending on what crowd he's in front of. Sounds like a typical politician, by the way, where you get in front of one crowd and say one thing and then say something else to another crowd that may want to hear a different view. All the things that Donald Trump railed against, he seems to be morphing into - it's kind of disturbing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Jeb Bush not the only one with recent observations. Not lost either on conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUSH LIMBAUGH, CONSERVATIVE RADIO HOST (voice-over): Who knew? Can you imagine what it's like to be Jeb Bush today? Who knew? I'm sorry, folks. She's a bigot!

They tried everybody they could think of to try to convince the Republican base to support some form of amnesty for illegal immigrants. And who - I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Who knew? I know it frustrates you to hear me - I'm sorry. Oh, yes, let me regain my composure. Who knew that it would be Donald trump to come out and convert the GOP base to support amnesty?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: With me now, Republican strategist Justin Sayfie, who was a campaign surrogate for Jeb Bush's presidential campaign, and also served as communications director for Jeb Bush while he was governor.

Nice to have you with us this morning.

A lot to talk about here.

JUSTIN SAYFIE, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Good morning, Erica.

HILL: And we heard a little bit, of course - good morning again - from Jeb Bush. Donald Trump, of course, spoke with our own Anderson Cooper last night and basically was back to the position that he had had in the primaries after that interview. As someone who has spent time in campaigns, as someone who has been behind the scenes with candidates, both when they're in search of, you know, vying for office and in office, how do you reconcile these messages to voters, especially 70- some odd days out from the election?

SAYFIE: Well, I think that's one of the big concerns for the Trump campaign. He was very clear, very emphatic during the primary campaign when he was trying to win the Republican nomination about his position on immigration. One of the things that a lot of Republican voters gravitated toward was Donald Trump, they felt, was someone who said what he thought and wouldn't back down and would stand firm. Now all of a sudden we're seeing that he may be changing his position on the immigration issue, one of the most emotional issues in the Republican primary and for our country. So I think the Trump campaign - apparently the - Trump is going to give a speech next week in Phoenix on immigration, but that's the risk that he's running is hurting his own brand that he developed during the campaign.

[09:35:23] Now, as a Republican, I support Jeb - the Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio position on immigration. So from that perspective, I think if he does change his policy, he's coming more to where most Americans are and to the reasonable, realistic position. But in terms of his brand of saying what he means and not backing down, he's got a huge risk there.

HILL: Can he come out and say, though, as we heard earlier from Scottie Nell Hughes, well, this is - this is a result of maybe speaking with Republican lawmakers, speaking with folks in Washington who have given him a better sense of how things can work at this - at this point, what you actually can do with existing laws. Would Donald Trump be better served to come out and say, yes, I did, you know, I've talked to a lot of people, I'm evolving my position because this is what I've learned, come out in the immigration speech and say, but this is all you'll hear from me?

SAYFIE: I think I - I would welcome that for one. As a Republican, I would welcome that. I think it would be great to have the Republican nominee take a reasonable and realistic position that was advocated by Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio and others during the presidential primary. And if he says, listen, I've changed my view or I've altered my view or I've modified my position, based on the people that I've spoken to on the campaign trail, I think that's absolutely fine. But, at the same time, there are a group of people, and we heard that clip from Rush Limbaugh, and others in the Republican Party, that are going to be dismayed to hear him change his position, and that's the part that he's going to have to really - to work on.

HILL: As we know, he's working on getting certain voters. So is Hillary Clinton, of course. There's been a lot made of different Republicans who have said that they will support Hillary Clinton. Her message was very clear, and really stood out. I want to play a little bit of what she had to say yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: The party of Lincoln has become the party of Trump. The week after 9/11, George W. Bush went to a mosque and declared for

everyone to hear that Muslims loves America just as much as I do. In 2008, John McCain told his own supporters that they were wrong about the man he was trying to defeat. Senator McCain made sure they knew Barack Obama, he said, is an American citizen and a decent person. We need that kind of leadership again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: So Hillary Clinton clearly making a push there for Republican voters. Sort of a two-part question on this. Number one, is that an effective message for Republicans who don't feel they have a place to turn? And, number two, are most Republicans actually listening to what Hillary Clinton is saying? Are they interested in making that move over to supporting Hillary Clinton?

SAYFIE: Well, I think that Hillary Clinton's speech, trashing and bashing Donald Trump, was a great campaign strategy to distract from the AP report earlier this week that basically indicated or implied that she was putting a for sale sign on the secretary of state's office by meeting with people who had given millions and millions of dollars to the Clinton Foundation. So, you know, kudos to the Clinton campaign for the art of distraction and the art of changing the topic.

Now, having said that, I think that she - sure, she's going to try to get Republican votes. But at the same time, none of the people that she cited when she mentioned all those Republicans, none of those people are backing Hillary Clinton for president. Most - the party of the - the Republican Party, the party of Lincoln, is still the party of Lincoln. It's not just the party of one person. It's the party of John McCain. It's the party of Jeb Bush. It's the party of a number of other Republicans. So we have a broad and diverse Republican coalition in this country, and I think that the -- Hillary Clinton's issues with the e-mail, her putting our national security at risk, those types of issues are going to ultimately keep her from getting a lot of Republican votes.

HILL: Just a real quick question for you. You say it's the party of Lincoln, it's the party of George W. Bush, it's the party of John McCain, of Jeb Bush. Is it the party of Donald Trump?

SAYFIE: Donald Trump is a Republican right now. And he is part of the Republican Party. But I absolutely disagree that the Republican Party is the party of Donald Trump. We have a number of Republicans running all across this country, from California to New Hampshire to Iowa to Florida and all in between. We are a huge, large diverse party. We're a major party. And right now I think that's what I like to focus on, because we are a very, very diverse party. I'm speaking to you from Miami. We have a number of great Republicans here in Miami. It's our party, too.

HILL: Justin Sayfie, appreciate your time this morning. Thank you.

SAYFIE: Thanks, Erica.

[09:39:55] HILL: Still to come, the Olympics may be over, the drama, though, for Ryan Lochte certainly is not. Criminal charges. We'll tell you what they are, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HILL: The California judge who drew outrage for sentencing a Sanford University student to just six months in jail for rape is now being reassigned. At his own request, Judge Aaron Persky will no longer hear criminal cases. Persky came under harsh criticism for the lenient jail sentence. Critics are now supporting an effort to have him recalled from the bench.

Criminal charges to tell you about for U.S. Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte. Brazilian authorities now officially charging Lochte with falsely reporting a crime after his infamous robbed at gun point story. CNN's Coy Wire joins us now with more.

All right, so, Coy, fill us in on these charges.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS: Hi, Erica.

Yes, he'll be summoned to Brazil according to officials in Rio to answer questions about the gas station incident. But Lochte does not have to be present. He can send a lawyer in his place. You think that will probably be the case there. And, if convicted, Lochte could face between one to six months in jail, or the judge could order him to pay a fine instead. And, remember, Lochte's teammate, Jimmy Feigen, was ordered to pay $11,000 approximately to a charity in Rio just to get his passport back so he could return to the states. So, Erica, Lochte's attorney told CNN Sports that he hasn't heard from anyone yet in Brazil.

[09:45:22] HILL: So no one yet in Brazil. As we're looking at that piece of the puzzle, there's also the question of, what happens back here at home when it comes to any potential punishment that Lochte could face in the pool. Any more word on that this morning?

WIRE: Right. Right. Will he be able to jump back in the pool? We still haven't heard from USA Swimming, nor the U.S. Olympic Committee as to whether or not they will suspend Lochte. But CNN contributor Christine Brennan is reporting that Lochte eventually will be suspended according to her sources with knowledge of the investigation.

And we know that four companies already distanced themselves and ended their business partnerships with Lochte, including Speedo and Ralph Lauren. And, remember, in a separate incident in Rio, U.S. Soccer suspended goalie Hope Solo for six months just for calling her opponents cowards after they lost to Sweden. So, Erica, you think that in some form or fashion punishment will be coming Lochte's ways from USA Swimming and/or the USOC.

HILL: Yes, that final decision I guess what everyone is waiting on.

You mentioned the couple of endorsements that Ryan Lochte lost, but as I understand it, he actually has a new endorsement deal now?

WIRE: Yes. Can you believe that that's the country we're living in. you know, you have all this negativity surrounding someone, but Pine Brothers throat drops say they want Lochte to appear in commercials and print ads for their company. And there are multiple reports that he may even be in the upcoming season of "Dancing with the Stars." So that's what we're dealing with here.

HILL: As one does.

WIRE: That's right. So that's the latest on the Lochte case.

Erica.

HILL: All right, and we'll dance of stage with that one.

Coy Wire, always good to see you. Thank you.

WIRE: You as well.

HILL: Still to come this morning, heroin laces with an elephant tranquilizer, hitting the streets, and now authorities are trying to track down the source as the number of drug overdoses spikes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:51:27] HILL: Authorities, right now, are trying to track down the source of tainted heroin they say may be link to dozens of heroin overdoses and multiple deaths in at least three state. A deadly ingredient is a powerful synthetic opioid that's normally used to tranquilize elephants. On Wednesday, in Ohio alone, officials reported more than 30 new overdoses. Meantime, in New York, officials make a major drug bust, seizing more than 65 pounds of heroin hidden in a truck axle.

We want to bring in now CNN national correspondent Deborah Feyerick.

And so you've been digging into this. I know you've talked to a number of people to get a better sense of what we're actually dealing with here.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Yes, absolutely. When we talk about carfentanil, which is an elephant tranquilizer, to put it in perspective, it's 100 times more powerful than fentanyl, 2,500 times stronger than heroin, 10,000 times stronger than morphine. But what we're seeing is a knockoff. This is a synthetic opioid that's being made in Mexico and China, according to federal sources. Authorities believe it is responsible for this overdose outbreak. In Ohio, more than 90 people overdosing since the weekend. There were multiple fatalities. And that's what they're tracking right now. The overdose outbreak also in Florida, Indiana and West Virginal as well.

Why is it happening? Well, the bottom line is money. Drug dealers are buying pure heroin, much like the kind you saw in the truck axle, and they are dividing it, mixing it with fillers, and then adding this ingredient, either fentanyl or carfentanil, which is much stronger and much more potent. And that's what's giving it the high. But the guys who are mixing this, they're not chemists. They're not scientists. And so what you're getting is you're getting a very, very lethal dose. You think of carfentanil, two milligrams can knock out a 2,000 pound

animal, a 2,000 pound elephant. The reason police believe it's in clusters is because dealers have areas that they sell to and so you're selling the same tainted narcotic to multiple people. They may be using it individually. They may be using it in these sort of shooting galleries, these houses that they - that they go to in order to shoot this, but they're all reacting the very same way. In one county in West Virginia, they called it basically an emergency response because they simply ran out of emergency vehicles, ambulances, and the DEA is now investigating these fatal overdoses not as simply a health epidemic, they're investigating it as a homicide. There's a new charge called death resulting, and so if somebody dies because of a heroin overdose, police on the ground are being trained how to look at the evidence as a crime scene, not just as sort of a health issue. So it's a game changer.

HILL: It's amazing. It's amazing to think about. It's a game changer and it's scary.

FEYERICK: Yes, really scary.

HILL: Deb Feyerick, appreciate it. Thank you.

FEYERICK: Of course.

HILL: Still to come, the eyes have it. We take a look at the scene stealing looks at Trump rallies. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:58:21] HILL: Sometimes the biggest show is the one happening behind the podium. Jeanne Moos explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What happens behind Donald Trump doesn't stay behind Donald Trump.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Hillary Clinton is a bigot.

MOOS: It goes viral. The latest Trump supporter to react with shock to The Donald's words was pounced on by a critic who wrote, "we are all this woman's face."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That was a classic look (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, it's hilarious.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This lady, eeeh.

MOOS: Just over two weeks earlier, it was Daryl Vicar's (ph) jaw that dropped.

TRUMP: Although the Second Amendment people, maybe there is, I don't know, but -

MOOS: When The Donald riffed (ph) on how gun supporters might stop Hillary.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't believe he said it.

It was a joke.

MOOS: Daryl says he's still voting for Trump.

TRUMP: We can't play games.

MOOS: We've seen one guy feed another chips behind The Donald. And who could pay attention to Hillary when a guy covered with stickers chewed over her speech.

MOOS (on camera): What are the different nicknames you've had?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've gotten sticker boy, sticker man, idiot.

MOOS (voice-over): At a Trump rally in Texas, we watched a hyped-up supporter display his Trump shirt, wag a finger, give thumbs up, thumbs down, signal to cut off immigration, pray when prayer was mentioned, and even climb -

TRUMP: To restore the ladder of success.

MOOS: His own invisible ladder.

MOOS (on camera): But sometimes it's hard to tell genuine supporters from pranksters who manage to sneak in to clown for the cameras.

MOOS (voice-over): Pranksters like the guys who got behind Clinton.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I'm so incredibly grateful.

MOOS: Wearing "settle for Hillary" shirts. At a Trump rally, the same pair showed up wearing arm bands.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Trump arm bands.

MOOS: The Donald may say -

[10:00:01] TRUMP: Hillary Clinton is a bigot.

MOOS: But Trump is a spigot of startling statements. This woman's face was more mobile than her hands, which only managed a feeble two claps.