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American Jihadist, 22, Dies in Syria; West Africans Think Ebola is Witchcraft, Refuse Treatment; American Moves to Tel Aviv to Join Israeli Defense Forces; Palestinian-American Comedian Jokes About Sensitive Issues
Aired July 31, 2014 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST, THE LEAD: This is what Brennan, the director of the CIA, said in March when asked about that. Take a listen.
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JOHN BRENNAN, DIRECTOR, CIA: As far as the allegations of CIA hacking into Senate computers, nothing could be further from the truth. We wouldn't do that. I mean, that's -- that's just beyond the scope of reason --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But she says there are potentially illegal --
(CROSSTALK)
TAPPER: Don, what's key there is nobody is saying these were Senate computers. These were CIA computers, set up specially. He's being a little cute by half there. But we have some Democrats on the committee very, very alarmed. We have Mark Udall, a member of the Senate, saying that he lost confidence in Brennan, saying he's "concerned about his inability to find any flaws in the agency he leads." Senator Ron Wyden, who is demanding a full accounting of what went on, he says, out right, that "Brennan made claims that were simply not true."
There's going to be a big briefing on this at 3:00 for the members of the Senate Intelligence Committee. We'll see if any more shoes are going to drop after that.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Just in time for you to follow up on it at 4:00 eastern.
Thanks, Jake Tapper --
TAPPER: Thank you.
LEMON: -- the host of "The Lead." See you at 4:00.
The image is troubling. An American college dropout turned jihadist. This 22-year-old from Florida died in Syria, a suicide bomber.
CNN's Jim Sciutto reports of a video that just surfaced online. It shows the American delivering an angry rant and a threat to the U.S.
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JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is a chilling warning from a terrorist born and raised in America.
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MONER MOHAMMAD ABU SALHA, AMERICAN JIHADIST: We are coming for you. Mark my words.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: In this video, posted online this week, an American jihadist destroys his passport and warns his home country is not safe from attack.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SALHA: My name is Abu Salha, from America, 22 years old.
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SCIUTTO: He is Moner Mohammad Abu Salha, a college dropout from Florida, who traveled to Syria to join extremists in the fight against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al Assad.
(EXPLOSION)
SCIUTTO: Then this May, he died a suicide bomber, detonating a bomb- ladened truck.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SALHA: We're number one. You will never defeat us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(EXPLOSION)
SCIUTTO: More than three years into a civil war in Syria that has killed tens of thousand and now spilled into neighboring Iraq, thousands of foreign fighters have been drawn into the battle, among them an estimated 1,000 Westerners, including more than 100 Americans. U.S. and European officials are now gravely concerned about what can happen next. Intelligence has found these fighters are being trained to carry out attacks when they return home, including to America.
JOHN CARLIN, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE: The number of foreign fighters that are already in place in Syria and the number of Westerners in that group is one that's unprecedented. And I think is a larger number than we ever saw in the ungoverned spaces of the Pakistan and Afghanistan region.
SCIUTTO (voice-over): Deep fears about U.S. and other Western recruits, like Abu Salha, have led U.S. officials to call the wars in Syria and Iraq a direct threat to the U.S. homeland. It's now a race against time to track them and catch them before they can strike.
Jim Sciutto, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right, Jim, thank you very much.
Next, as doctors in West Africa try to deal with the worst Ebola outbreak in history, they are running into a major roadblock. Some of the people there think it's witchcraft and it's making people sick, and not Ebola. So they're refusing treatment. Next, we'll talk to an expert on Africa's culture who can explain their beliefs and what can be done to overcome this hurdle.
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LEMON: Want to update you on Ebola now. Just a short time ago, the CDC issued a travel warning for three African countries hit by the Ebola outbreak. Health officials believe the deadly outbreak has killed more than 700 in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. There's no cure or vaccine. It's getting worse in West Africa. The CDC director said today it's not going to be quick and not going to be easy. But they know what to do to fight this disease. Part of that is sending 50 more health workers to West Africa to help out. They just announced that plan, all to keep that the virus from spreading to other countries.
But that's assuming those infected want treatment. One doctor told the telegraph that some infected people refuse medical treatment because they believe it is witchcraft.
I want to bring in Barry Hewlett. He and his wife, authors of "Ebola Culture and Politics: The Anthropology of an Emerging Disease." He joins us from Oregon.
Mr. Hewlett, help us understand the culture of believing the virus is witchcraft. Do you believe it's hindering the efforts to fight the disease?
BARRY HEWLETT, AUTHOR: Well, I mean, a belief in sorcery, witchcraft can contribute to certain behaviors. Generally, with sorcery and witchcraft, there's a belief it cannot be transmitted by touch, so that can be problematic. This is not -- basically, all the Ebola outbreaks that I've been familiar with, they generally start out with witchcraft-kinds of accusations. But people have ways to distinguish -- local people have ways to distinguish witchcraft from epidemic types of diseases in their indigenous system.
LEMON: In your book, you get into the cultural practice of local people. Could it be helpful in control procedures?
HEWLETT: Absolutely. In terms of generally -- the people in these areas have been living with these deadly diseases for a long period of time and so they generally have developed some knowledge about how to control them. And in my experience, they have sort of indigenous systems to do that. Often they self-quarantine their own villages. They monitor the people who do have the illness in their own villages. These come from reports from the very early Ebola outbreaks back in the 1970s, 1980s.
LEMON: Are you worried about the virus hitting the U.S.?
HEWLETT: I mean, obviously, at some time, it will come to the U.S. It is relatively easy to control with isolation. So in terms of somebody traveling to the U.S., yes, it wouldn't be unusual, but it's not that difficult to control.
LEMON: Barry Hewlett, appreciate your time. Thank you very much.
HEWLETT: Thank you.
LEMON: Up next, as Israel calls up 16,000 more reservists, we'll speak live with one American who is getting ready to join the Israel Defense Forces. He now lives in Tel Aviv and he says the hotels, the streets are emptier as fears grow. Don't miss this.
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LEMON: Israeli military calling up to 16,000 more reservists as it gears up for a long fight against Hamas. Israel's prime minister says this is just the first phase of Israel's effort to demilitarize Gaza. And he vows to take out Hamas's system of tunnels.
And 750 Americans are believed to be serving in the Israel military right now. Eitan Goldstein plans to become one of them. He moved from the United States to Israel in May.
Eitan, what made you decide to join the Israeli Defense Forces?
EITAN GOLDSTEIN, AMERICAN FIGHTING IN ISRAEL: I have a lot of family here in Israel. That's been very important to me, as well as the fact that I've been coming here for most of my life in the summers. I really want to help build the Israel-U.S. relationship and strengthen it.
LEMON: You sent us video that you shot with your cell phone in early July of Israel's Iron Dome intercepting rockets over Tel Aviv. What's it like when the rockets and sirens are all going off?
GOLDSTEIN: It's a rush that you can never imagine. It's terrifying. You know somebody is actively trying to kill you, shooting a missile at you to try to kill you. Thankfully, whenever we hear the Iron Dome, we know that not only the United States is behind us, but this particular incident is behind us and we also know that we're safe. It's provided a lot of mental comfort to us here in Israel having the Iron Dome Missile Defense System.
LEMON: Let's talk about the people in Gaza. Civilians are believed to be the most killed in Gaza. You sent pictures of your volunteer work with children in a bomb shelter. How do you feel about joining the Israeli army knowing that many children are among the casualties?
GOLDSTEIN: I do know that many children are among the casualties and this is extraordinarily regrettable. I do know I am going into the most moral army in the world. These children that have been killed are not being killed on purpose. We are not actively trying to kill them. These are children that are being basically held hostage by Hamas. Hamas is shooting rockets from young schools, U.N. safe places that are very close by, drawing fire from Israeli forces. Every single civilian life lost in Gaza is extraordinarily regrettable. The fact of the matter is Hamas is putting their own people into harm's way. This is something we just can't take.
LEMON: You said since you've been there, you've seen a marked difference in tourism and people out and about at your own hotel, on the beaches. Talk about that.
GOLDSTEIN: Sure. So, for instance, the beaches are just a lot more empty than they were before the war began. People are canceling in hotels, left and right. The economic situation is really starting to slow down.
LEMON: You said your hotel was about -- had 95 percent capacity, and now is down to about 15 percent. So that shows that people are really concerned about this.
Eitan Goldstein, thank you very much. Joining us from Tel Aviv.
Next, I'll talk to a Palestinian-American comedian who makes jokes about his background. But this time, the conflict in the Middle East has hit very close to him. One of his young cousins beaten, another killed. Has this changed his perspective on the situation and tempered his comedy? We'll ask him next.
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LEMON: We are focused on the increasing bloody conflict between Israel and Hamas. The recent wave of violence erupted after three Israeli teenagers were kidnapped and murdered. They bodies were found in the West Bank about a month ago. Days later, a 16-year-old Palestinian was burned alive and murdered in Jerusalem. The possible revenge killing sparked huge protest. Then this video went viral. A Palestinian teen's cousin, a U.S. citizen, visiting Jerusalem, was beaten by Israeli police near a protest.
It just so happens, a comedian related to both cousins, lives right here in the United States. Aron Kader makes a living by telling jokes on touchy topics like Mideast relations. And I want to bring in Aron Kader now. He joins us from Los Angeles.
How are you doing, first of all?
ARON KADER, COMEDIAN: Hey, Don. Thanks for having me on.
It was such a touchy situation. When I got the news -- I got a text message basically that said, a friend of mine said, I heard about this kid who was murdered. What a shame. I assume he's your cousin. As soon as I saw the name, I knew he was my cousin. Family started talking. Everybody was outraged and depressed. It's been really sad the last few weeks. As everybody is talking about it and discussing it amongst their family, it's just been really, really difficult to pull our attention away from the entire situation. Obviously, my family is sort of thrust in the center of the conflict here this time.
LEMON: Obviously. Let's talk about your comedy. How do you balance trying to make people laugh? That's what you do for a living. You have to continue doing what you're doing. How do you balance that while trying to make a point?
KADER: You know, it's always been part of my comedy, always been something I've done. One of my jokes that's true is it's just politically incorrect to be Palestinian. It always has been. If I'm in a public situation and mention that I'm Palestinian, there's not a lot of follow-up questions.
(LAUGHTER)
It's OK to be Italian, Irish, a lot of things. When you say you're Palestinian, it's almost like it offends people. That's always been part of my --
LEMON: Why do you say that? Why do you say that?
KADER: -- my humor.
There's just -- people just don't know what to say to that. It's like they can't relate or they just go, oh, well, that's a tough situation. It's touchy just to be a Palestinian.
And to this conflict, nobody chooses to be born Jewish or Palestinian. Nobody chooses to be born with enemies. Israelis and Palestinian babies are born with enemies. That's not right. I grew up with Jewish friends. And all my Jewish friends, they are talking about it. We're sensitive to it. We know how to discuss it without yelling and being racist and vicious.
I feel, through comedy, there's a way to start the discussion and let everybody know that there's compassion, that we should see each other as humans --
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Here's the thing. Here's the thing. There's a saying that comedians create laughter through pain and sometimes ignorance. You make people laugh over it. And you can make people learn. Are you still telling the same jokes about the Middle East as you did before this tragedy, especially your cousin's tragedy?
KADER: Interestingly enough, because this seems to be every two to four years, there's this menstruation of blood, this violence. It actually resurrects old jokes. I have old jokes from 14 years ago that are still current, and that's sad. That's sad that I could take an old joke and it can be as current as it is today, meaning the conflict hasn't changed. It hasn't progressed. We could be celebrating the 21st year of the Oslo Peace Accords right now, but instead, we've gone backwards. This conflict really has not helped the conversation. If you go on, obviously, Facebook and Twitter, it's more racist, more extreme. People are more upset. So I just don't see how -- if violence was going to solve this problem, it would have been solved a long time ago, clearly, right? This is just making things worse in my opinion.
LEMON: That is a very good point that you just said, as a comedian, if violence was going to solve this problem, it would have solved it a long time ago. Profound.
Thank you, Aron Kader. Appreciate that. Best of luck to you and your family.
KADER: Thanks for having me on. Appreciate it, Don.
LEMON: Next, a closer look at all the crises developing around the world. CNN International has special coverage right after this.
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