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NATO Drawing Up Plans on Ukraine/Russia; 3rd American Tests Positive for Ebola; Panic as Suspected Ebola Patient Escapes Clinic; Putin Denies Cease-Fire with Ukraine; France Holds Off on Warship Deliveries to Russia; 2 Congressmen Seek Legislation to Take Fight to ISIS; Joe Biden Comments on ISIS Beheadings.

Aired September 03, 2014 - 14:30   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: And staying on ISIS, President Obama vowing to destroy this group and also make them a, quote, unquote, "manageable problem." An apparent contradiction, leading critics to ask what exactly is the president's plan here? This, as he gets ready to arrive at an incredibly significant NATO summit.

Also, panic as a man suspected of contracting Ebola escapes a clinic in West Africa. This video here is just now surfacing as the CDC is issuing a dire warning. Those details are next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

Moments ago, President Obama arrived in Wales for this NATO summit, where NATO nation leaders are drawing up plans to confront Russia and Ukraine. President Obama vowing NATO will come to the defense of its allies, and by that, he means every ally.

Let's go to the White House correspondent, Michelle Kosinski, live in Wales for us.

So, Michelle, we know Ukraine, not a NATO nation, but the alliance has indicated that it will support the capital, will support Kiev in the wake of this very bold move from Putin. What should we, the world, expect out of this NATO meeting?

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, President Obama made that very clear. And it's something we have been hearing about for months now. But what we have been hearing about again in the last two weeks or so is the possibility that Ukraine will apply, will try to get approval, for NATO membership itself. Now, that is a process that starts within its own country, of course. But they were talking about this back in April, as well, as this Russian activity was really getting under way and the world was watching, thinking what is this?

And what are he we going to do about it? Back then, Russia saw that talk of new NATO membership as a provocation. And we heard Russia used some of that similar language in the last two days, as this has all come up again. So all of this sort of getting together collectively and talking about what to do within NATO has been going on since Russia started this campaign. But now it's here. So the president in this speech he just gave in Estonia before leaving laid it out in these sorts of five points or five goals for all the NATO nations.

And they included things like more boots on the ground, more NATO troops, patrolling over the skies. That's -- some of that has already started in the last few months, but he wants to see more of that. He wants to see NATO collectively build up the militaries as some of these more vulnerable NATO members. And by vulnerable, we mean closer to Russia or sort of within Russia's path. And also things like more money contributed by European countries to NATO defense. Now that this has gotten critical, it's kind of become glaringly obvious that the U.S. contributes most to that pool -- Brooke?

BALDWIN: And we know Jim Sciutto will be sitting down with the defense secretary, will be asking Chuck Hagel about these moves from Russia in eastern Ukraine and this cease-fire/no cease-fire talk here between Poroshenko and Putin.

Michelle Kosinski, thank you so much, in Wales ahead of that NATO meeting.

And now to Ebola. A third American conducting missionary work in West Africa has been infected with the Ebola virus. He has been identified as Dr. Rick Sakra, working for SIM USA, the same group linked to American Nancy Writebol. She, along with Dr. Kent Brantly, they, amazingly, recovered at Emory University in Atlanta after being treated and since released. But complicating matters here for Dr. Sakra, CNN has learned he was actually not treating Ebola patients, unlike those others who were maybe more in close contact. He was actually working in an obstetrics unit with pregnant women. Totally separate.

This today, from the president of SIM USA, about his dream. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRUCE JOHNSON, PRESIDENT, SIM USA: As we learned yesterday, our -- one of our SIM missionary doctors in Liberia tested positive for Ebola. We're exploring all opportunities, and options, but right now our focus is the care of Rick right there in Liberia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: And now here we have this video, a patient suspected of having Ebola escaping from a Liberia clinic Monday before he could be examined. And this set off panic in a nearby public market when he began running through the streets. That happened in the same city where Dr. Sakra was working.

So let's talk about this with our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who covered this really from the get-go.

You were in Africa this year. DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah.

BALDWIN: First, what do we know? If Dr. Sakra was working with pregnant women, and babies, and wasn't working directly with these Ebola patients, how did he get it?

GUPTA: It's obviously unclear, a little mystery. Could one of these women who he was caring for, a pregnant woman, even, also have been caring the Ebola virus? We don't know. And some of those details may come out. It's sometimes hard to figure out, even with Dr. Brantly and Ms. Writebol, not entirely clear, if these are doctors who know how to protect themselves. As you point out, you've got to know if you're coming in contact with the virus ahead of time. So that would become more clear. He's 51 years old. He and his wife have been volunteering with this organization since the 1980s.

BALDWIN: Oh, wow.

GUPTA: I thought it was interesting. He decided to go to Liberia after Dr. Brantly and Ms. Writebol got sick with Ebola. So he was well aware of these risks, again, not working in the Ebola isolation center but still aware of these risks. He got a fever Friday evening and decided to isolate himself at that point. Fever stayed up Saturday and Sunday. And by Monday, he was diagnosed officially with Ebola. So he stays in isolation. But it sounds like he's doing OK right now. But that's sort of the sequence of events for him. A few questions still, but sounds like things OK for the time being.

BALDWIN: What about this drug that we know the other two had taken, ZMapp, right? Isn't there a new contract? Won't they now be, what, making new additional vaccines or --

GUPTA: They could be making more of the ZMapp, a medication for people affected with the Ebola virus. The vaccine trial started yesterday, as well.

BALDWIN: Yes.

GUPTA: That's to prevent people from getting infected in the first place. There's not the ZMapp right now, though. Dr. Brantly, the first person in the world to receive it.

BALDWIN: The first human being.

GUPTA: They didn't plan on making this more widely available. That process is happening now. But that particular medication is not likely to be available to him. There may be other medications. There were a few different manufacturers, as we found out, that have been working on these medications. So it's possible he may still get something. But again, sounds like he's doing well. And just another stat. Out of that same Ebola isolation area, 12 patients released yesterday who had been treated successfully for Ebola. They got the fluids back, sort of maintained, supported. Didn't get medication, but recovered. So recovery is happening among these patients. It's important to point that out.

BALDWIN: Dr. Gupta, thank you very much.

GUPTA: You got it. Thank you.

BALDWIN: And don't forget, make an appointment with "Sanjay Gupta, M.D.", every Saturday, 4:30 p.m. eastern, right here on CNN.

Just ahead, Ukraine has said it has reached a cease-fire with Russia. Russia says, hang on a second, our troops aren't even in Ukraine, how could there be a cease-fire? We will try to make sense of all of this for you, this back and forth.

And President Obama has been called indecisive with a weak strategy when it comes to dealing with is. And now the pressure is coming on from members of his own party.

Stay with me, you're watching CNN.

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BALDWIN: And you're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

200 American troops will be on the ground in Ukraine in two weeks for this military exercise. All of this comes as Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, issues a fresh denial. A Putin spokesperson says Russia does not have any troops in Ukraine, so Putin cannot confirm any possible reports of a cease-fire there. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's office says he and Russian president Vladimir Putin had agreed to the cease-fire following a phone call.

One more significant development here just a short time ago. France did decide to hold off on delivering those military warships to Russia because of what's been happening in Ukraine.

So Phil Black, let me bring you in, please, in Moscow. All this talk over what Putin did or didn't say. What kind of conversation he had with, you know, Poroshenko over this notion of a cease-fire. Can you clear it up for us?

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's pretty complex, Brooke. But after this phone call, the Ukrainian president said we've agreed to a cease-fire. The Russian government, the Russian president, his office, said, no, no, we didn't, because Russia can't have anything to do with a cease-fire chat or process or negotiation, because we're not actually fighting, we're not party to this conflict. Russia maintaining that denial that it even has soldiers on the ground there in eastern Ukraine. Russia says it's up to the Ukrainian government and the pro-Russian separatists on the ground to agree to a cease- fire. What president Putin says they did talk about was a possible terms for a cease-fire. He's drawing distinctions here. And he's also outlining what he thinks these terms should be. Pretty obvious stuff like pulling back forces, exchanging prisoners, ensuring that refugees and aid gets in, that sort of thing. He believes that this can be agreed to when representatives from Russia, Ukraine and those pro-Russian separatists get together for a talk this Friday. He seems to think that an agreement can come together. But his belief is that Russia must support this process, it can't actually make it happen, Brooke.

BALDWIN: OK. I'm with you, but I'm not. If Putin is saying that there are no Russians in Ukraine, and that they did not discuss cease- fire but he would consider discussing terms of a cease-fire, wouldn't that infer there would be -- I'll move on. This is Vladimir Putin. Let's talk about the news of these American troops on the ground shortly for this NATO military exercise. How is Russia going to react to that, Phil?

BLACK: Well, Russia won't like it. And I think Russia's response will be unpredictable. We already know that Russia is pretty unhappy with NATO's talk of ramping up its it activity in this region, talk of more exercises, rotating more soldiers through, replacing equipment here and so forth. Russia says it's provocative and it's going to readjust its own military planning as a result.

BALDWIN: OK. Phil Black, thank you so much from Moscow.

From ISIS to what's happening there as we have been discussing in Ukraine and Russia, President Barack Obama taking a lot of criticism for his action, or perhaps inactions, on major international standoffs, foreign policy here. Now taking some heat from members of his own party. We will air some of those complaints for you, some of the requests.

Plus, mere minutes from now, do not miss this, a 20-minute live question-and-answer session here from that stage. See those empty chairs? Jim Sciutto will be sitting in one and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel in the other. Time to get some answers. Don't move.

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BALDWIN: Let me remind you, we are moments away from our interview here on CNN with defense secretary, Chuck Hagel. CNN's chief national security correspondent, Jim Sciutto, questioning the secretary of defense about plans or lack thereof for confronting the terrorist Army that is ravaging parts of Iraq, parts of Syria, and how ISIS beheaded a second American. That will take place on that stage live from Newport, Rhode Island, at the top of the hour. Do not miss that.

As you know, President Barack Obama has been really getting an earful about his ongoing search for a strategy, and as if to prod him, two members of Congress say they will seek legislation soon to take the fight to ISIS.

CNN's chief Congressional correspondent, Dana Bash, joins me live from Washignton. And also in Washington, Gloria Borger, our chief political analyst.

Ladies, welcome.

Dana, to you first.

Congress isn't even in session. They'll be back next week. But, you know, not for long. I mean, what can, what will members of Congress do in the short amount of time they have before that midterm election? DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is an open

question. And even the House speaker is very much putting onus on the president. There are, as you said, more and more calls for Congress to do something, to act to give the president new authorization. That's coming from Senate Democrats, it's coming from some House Republicans, and various forms. But the reality that the House speaker talked about just this week, while, again, on recess, there is only so much Congress can do when it is the president who has to make the decision on what the strategy is. It's very difficult for Congress to authorize something that doesn't really exist. So that's really where they are now.

I can tell you, the House Republicans are actually going to have a conference call in about five minutes, 3:00 eastern, to kind of touch base with one another as they have been away for five weeks. They're going to talk mostly budget. But this issue, this question is certainly going to come up, because you can bet they are hearing about it from their constituents back home.

BALDWIN: OK. So that is Congress. We have to talk about Vice President Joe Biden.

(LAUGHTER)

Gloria, this is coming to you.

But first, for our viewers, got to play sound. He talked a little while ago this afternoon, absolutely went off talking about ISIS, the beheading of a second American, Steven Sotloff.

Gloria, I'm coming for you on the other side.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And when people harm Americans, we don't retreat. We don't forget. We take care of those who are grieving. And when that's finished, they should know we will follow them to the gates of hell until they are brought to justice --

(APPLAUSE)

BIDEN: -- because hell is where they will reside.

(APPLAUSE)

BIDEN: Hell is where they will reside.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: That, Gloria Borger, is in stark contrast from some of the words we have heard from the president. Is there a disconnect? GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, you know, Joe Biden

and Barack Obama are like the into each other's yang, right? They're just such different kinds of politicians. And believe it or not, Joe Biden was probably saying the same thing that Barack Obama was saying today. But in it, you know, in a very different way. I mean, the president --

BALDWIN: Do you think that the vice president's role?

BORGER: Yeah, I do. I think he's got the passion that people believe the president ought to have more of, OK, and doesn't. What the president did today in a speech was kind of lay out a checklist for what he's going to do. He says he doesn't want this to be what he called the one-off. He said, you know, we've got to have our objective. We've got to have our targets. We've got to make the case to Congress. We've got to make the case to the American people. We've got to get our allies on board. So he goes down his checklist, and Joe Biden says, you know, starts talking about the gates of hell. And I think when the president said we have to destroy them, he meant the same thing. But, of course, said in a very different way. So I think they're coming from the same place. But they're two different guys.

BALDWIN: OK. Gloria Borger with the perspective, Dana Bash, thank you so much, on what's going on or maybe not with Congress and hearing from those constituents.

Coming up next, you know, we're staying on this issue, CNN special event, one-on-one interview, live, with U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. He will speak out on ISIS, Russia, Ukraine, and the beheading of those two Americans. What will the U.S. do? That interview right after the break.

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