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Obama to Reveal ISIS Strategy; U.S. Strikes ISIS Near Iraqi Dam; Inside the Mind of ISIS; Attack Threatens Ukraine Cease-fire; Joan Rivers Gets Celebrity Sendoff

Aired September 07, 2014 - 19:00   ET

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

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening, you're in the CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Poppy Harlow, joining you from New York.

President Obama will reveal his strategy to defeat ISIS this week. The president plans to outline that in his speech to the nation on Wednesday. He says that the United States is preparing to go on the offensive in the, quote, "next phase" of this fight against ISIS.

Our Erin McPike is at the White House.

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Poppy, the president has been clear, no boots on the ground in Iraq or Syria. Listen to how he explained that on NBC's "Meet the Press."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is not going to be an announcement about U.S. ground troops. This is not the equivalent of the Iraq war. What this is, is similar to the kinds of counterterrorism campaigns that we've been engaging in consistently over the last five, six, seven years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCPIKE: And we expect the president to lay out the fine print of his strategy, like whether or not he will seek airstrikes inside Syria, which would be trickier than in Iraq because the U.S. does not support the Syrian government.

Now we also expect the president to say whether or not he intends to seek congressional approval. There are many members of Congress who say he should, like Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who was on ABC this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TED CRUZ (R), TEXAS: It should absolutely take congressional approval.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCPIKE: Now the president also says he wants the American people to understand why ISIS poses a direct threat and that the United States can do something about it. Up to this point, it's been unclear what the American people think. There's been virtually no polling about this and that's why the president has to make his case -- Poppy.

HARLOW: Erin McPike for us at the White House this evening.

Erin, thank you.

And the U.S. military did launch new airstrikes today against ISIS in western Iraq. The largest round targeted areas near the Haditha dam, that is critical because it is the second largest dam in Iraq. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel talked about why that dam is so important.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHUCK HAGEL, DEFENSE SECRETARY: If that dam would fall into ISIL's hands, or if that dam would be destroyed, the damage that that would cause would be very significant. It would put a significant addition and big risk into the mix in Iraq, which are also -- would risk our interests as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: And our correspondent in Baghdad Jomana Karadsheh has more from Baghdad at this moment.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Backed by U.S. air cover and airstrikes, Iraqi ground forces launched an offensive on Sunday morning to regain control of areas around the Haditha Dam. Officials say this is an ongoing operation but they have made some advances, they say, clearing some ISIS positions in the region.

Now Haditha Dam is in Anbar Province, considered to be the Sunni heartland, bordering Syria. That is where we saw ISIS make its first advances earlier in the year in January. It took control of large parts of Anbar Province, including key cities like Fallujah. But the city of Haditha and the Haditha Dam have remained under the control of the Iraqi security forces and the Sunni tribes in the area.

But officials tell us, over recent weeks and months, there have been continuous attempts by ISIS to try and capture that key dam. Trying to do that, they have been targeting the dam, according to officials, using an area called Barwanah District. This is about 10 kilometers or six miles west of Haditha. And officials have been really concerned about these attacks which have included more terror attacks, saying that they were worried it could damage the dam and cause flooding in Anbar Province and other parts of the country.

And that is why they requested the air support from the U.S. military to try and regain control of that area. It is -- this is really an expansion of the U.S. military operations here. As we saw, they've been really focused in the northern part of the country and they have now moved to the western part of Iraq. Yet again, really shifting that balance on the ground in favor of Iraqi ground troops.

(END VIDEOTAPE) HARLOW: Jomana, appreciate the reporting there from Baghdad. Thank you.

As we look ahead to President Obama's speech on Wednesday on the U.S. strategy against ISIS, I spoke a little earlier in the show with Graham Wood, who has written a lot about the leader of ISIS, a man by the name, al-Baghdadi. He has given himself the title of caliph and he talked to me about how using the title as part of the group's interpretation of Islamic history.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GRAHAM WOOD, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, THE NEW REPUBLIC: They have their own view of things and it's not one that's widely shared by Muslims or even widely shared by radical jihadist Muslims so their view of things is that if they try to recreate the early days of Islam, which they consider a golden period, then they will have the favor of god and they will be able to run their estate in Mesopotamia in the best possible way.

HARLOW: When you look at al-Baghdadi versus a bin Laden, what do you think differentiates them?

WOOD: There are a few thing also. One is that he actually controls some real estate. So bin Laden was pretty much on the run for most of the time. He was well-known to Americans. And Baghdadi has controlled a small, fledgling state, based in Raqqah, Syria, for most of that time. But there's also one other thing that's particular to his interpretation of Islamic law and that is that he is from a particular tribe called the Qurashi.

And in Islamic law, there's something called the caliph. He's the head of the caliphate and to be caliph, you have to have that lineage. Osama bin Laden did not have it, but Baghdadi actually does.

HARLOW: So he has that, but you also note in this piece that he doesn't have the support of even a majority of even the ultra-radical Muslims. So does that -- does he have a risk there in terms of how effectively he can stay in power?

WOOD: Right now he really does control the territory. He controls quite well. But there is a risk, certainly, that he would be alienating huge numbers of people, not just everyday Muslims who have no interest in fighting but also in the radical old guard of al Qaeda. And really, the older they are, the less likely they are to be signing on to his claim to be the only true, rightful leader of Muslims.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Our thanks to him for that interview.

Coming up next in the NEWSROOM, the cease-fire in Ukraine began with hope for peace. That hope has already been fractured by fighting.

Also, today, the world said farewell to Joan Rivers. Coming at 7:30 Eastern right here on CNN, our "CNN SPOTLIGHT" special on the comedy legend, Joan Rivers, 7:30 Eastern, right here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: A fragile cease-fire is hanging by a thread between Russia and Ukraine. Three days into the peace deal, a woman was killed.

Our Diana Magnay happened to witness the attack that has left a family heartbroken in a country on edge.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DIANA MAGNAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It should have been quiet. It wasn't. Around midnight on Saturday, a massive artillery bombardment targets Mariupol's eastern outskirts, shattering any notion of a truce.

As we drive east against the flow of traffic fleeing the shelling, we hear machine gunfire. At the side of the road, a (INAUDIBLE) is shot to pieces through the back and sides. The family inside, terribly injured. Too many somehow for this tiny car. Children in shock. This man also bandaged already but covered in fresh blood. The women inside, barely conscious. One of them died later. The first known civilian casualty of the cease-fire.

It's hard to make sense of it. Why a civilian car fleeing the shelling should have been sprayed with bullets on its way into town behind Ukrainian lines. Police say they're investigating.

The rebels have clearly targeted the Ukrainian checkpoint on the road east out of Mariupol. It's still there, but the surroundings are trashed, helpers gingerly lift damaged fuel pumps. The smell of propane gas, thick in the air. The shelling, closer to the city than it's come before.

"I live one kilometer from here," this man says, "and I heard a lot of shelling and bombing. First it was artillery, and then mortars because there was much less time between launch and when it landed, and then lots of shooting."

Ukrainian forces very much on edge, scared of a fresh onslaught which comes soon enough.

(On camera): The cease-fire clearly not even worth the paper it was written on. There were a lot of journalists at checkpoints like this now. We heard the boom of mortar fire, sounded like it was incoming, everyone ran, even the soldiers looked panicked.

(Voice-over): Shells and mortars are merciless. But if and when the artillery guns fall silent, there are armed groups of men on both sides who don't care much for the law. They may make peace an altogether more dangerous prospect.

Diana Magnay, CNN, Mariupol, Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Diana Magnay, thank you for that.

Also, here is an image, a warning of war that many will never forget. It ran 50 years ago today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nine, --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ten, nine, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, zero.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: It the famous ad known as the "Daisy" ad that President Lyndon Johnson used against Barry Goldwater in the '64 election. Goldwater campaigned on a message of taking aggressive military action against America's enemy. The commercial ran only once but it was considered a very important factor in Johnson's victory.

The young girl who starred in that ad at the age of 3 says she never saw the one-minute spot until she was an adult. And you see her right there on the screen.

All right, coming up next in the NEWSROOM, a controlling stake in another NBA team will be for sale and again, an owner finds himself apologizing for comments about race that he never should have made, and he admits that. We will talk about it next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: The NBA is dealing with a new controversy involving remarks that were offensive by a team own. Atlanta Hawks' owner, Bruce Levenson, says he will sell his majority stake in the team after revealing that he wrote an e-mail two years ago complaining about the Hawks' failure to attract more white fans.

It reads, in part, quote, "My theory is that the black crowd scared away the whites and there are simply not enough affluent black fans to build a significant season ticket base." It went on to say, quote, "Please don't get me wrong, there was nothing threatening going on in the arena back then. I never felt uncomfortable. But I think southern whites simply were not comfortable being in an arena or at a bar where they were in the minority."

Levenson self-reported this e-mail to the league last month, just as the NBA was dealing with its punishment for then-Clippers owner, Donald Sterling, for his racist remarks. Back in May Bruce Levenson told our Wolf Blitzer in an interview that he could not work with someone like Donald Sterling.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRUCE LEVENSON, ATLANTA HAWKS OWNER: We quickly, we loudly, we clearly rejected. The fans spoke up. The players spoke up. Our NBA business partners spoke up. And every NBA owner spoke up. Nobody said this was OK. (END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Earlier today, I spoke with Rachel Nichols, our sports reporter and host of CNN's "UNGUARDED." Here's part of our conversation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RACHEL NICHOLS, CNN HOST, UNGUARDED WITH RACHEL NICHOLS: Sterling had a history of being accused of racism. In fact, he was sued for racial discrimination by our own U.S. government. Bruce Levenson has never faced any kind of public accusation of racism and, in fact, he was one of the most vocal owners to come out against Sterling. You just played that clip on Wolf Blitzer's show and I was actually on with Wolf that day.

And Levenson was very strong, saying there has to be a zero tolerance policy. Well, that zero tolerance policy in this post-Sterling era now, of course, applies for him as well and he knows that. It is part of why he self-reported the e-mail and I am told that is why he called Adam Silver last night and just told him that he did not want to go through the court of public opinion with his family getting dragged through the mud, his decisions and words being questioned, that he knew that he was wrong and that he decided it was in everyone's best interests to sell the team.

This is the kind of thing, this e-mail coming out, remember they released the e-mail itself. This is a transparency issue. The NBA and Bruce Levenson, in fact, in this case specifically, has decided instead of allowing for some witch hunt for this e-mail, because you know the e-mail was going to come out at some point anyway, they would get ahead of it, he would admit he was wrong and he would apologize. That does go a long way with people, but he is going to have to sell the team.

HARLOW: A lot of people are asking right now, they want to know, I don't know if they'll ever get the answer as to why he decided to self-report this. I don't know if you have any insight on that, but additionally, you have said, Rachel, that this is the reality in the post-Donald Sterling world for the NBA.

NICHOLS: Yes. I mean, look, it's unclear, only Bruce Levenson knows and he hasn't shared it yet. I asked someone at the NBA offices if they know why he decided in the middle of the summer to suddenly self- report a two-year-old e-mail and they said that they really didn't know his thinking. I don't know if he had a moral crisis of conscience. I don't know if somebody said they were going to do it for him if he didn't do it himself, but he did come forward himself and decide to do it. And I think he does know that this is a more sensitive time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Thank you, Rachel, for that.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver called Bruce Levenson's 2012 e-mail, quote, "entirely unacceptable." He did commend Levenson, though, for self-reporting that e-mail to the league office.

All right. Also, a stunning moment for women's tennis today at the U.S. Open, right here in New York. Serena Williams won her third straight U.S. Open title. Look at that joy and exhaustion. She won it in straight sets. With that win, Williams scored her 18th career grand slam title.

Tennis fans are eager, of course, for tomorrow's unprecedented showdown in the men's singles final. Croatia's Marin Cilic reached the final after crushing Roger Federer. He will face Japan's Kei Nishikori who beat top seed Novak Djokovic. Nishikori will be the first Japanese man to reach a grand slam final.

Also today, the stars turned out for Joan Rivers to remember her. Quite a legend she was. Mourning the lady who left us all laughing and missing her a lot.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: Joan Rivers got the Hollywood sendoff she probably would have appreciated today. It was complete with a star-studded lineup, friends and family gathered at the private funeral service here in New York City.

Our Alexandra Field has more on the comedienne's final good-bye.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A stylish sendoff complete with a bagpipe salute for the original queen of comedy, Joan Rivers. Her daughter, Melissa, and grandson, Cooper, saying good-bye surrounded by thousands.

DENNIS BASSO, FASHION DESIGNER: This is such a private moment and I think that Melissa has handled it with dignity and refinement and the way that the mother, Joan, would really would wanted this to be.

JEFFREY GURION, COMEDIAN: A-list all the way. It was like very regal, very elegant.

FIELD: But not without laughter, a lot of it.

DR. MEHMET OZ, TV HOST: Moment on Howard Stern started off the whole event by talking about how dry Joan's vagina was. And it's such a classic example of how she could take a very sad process and make light of it.

FIELD: Hugh Jackman performed a song, lifting spirits.

OZ: It was like a New Orleans' revival by the time we were done. But for everybody in there, it was a cathartic moment, allowed us to let go.

FIELD: Rivers was remembered with words from her daughter, Melissa, and her closest friends, among them the columnist Cindy Adams and Deborah Norville.

DEBORAH NORVILLE, TELEVISION ANCHOR/HOST: Oh, my god, it was -- it was Joan all the way. The sanctuary is filled with white orchids. You can't see the altar because there's so many flowers. She planned every step of it.

FIELD: New York City's Gay Men's Chorus thrilling the crowd, singing "Big Spender." Celebrities in the audience including Donald Trump, Whoopi Goldberg, Bravo's Andy Cohen and Audra McDonald performing "Inside." Media stars filling the pews, Diane Sawyer, Barbara Walters, Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb. Fellow funny lady, Kathy Griffin, also there to send off a comedy legend.

JEFFREY ROSS, COMEDIAN: She influenced all comedians, not just women comedians. She stayed relevant into her 80s, which just doesn't happen in show business. And I admire her. She was like my comedy aunt. If there's a god, I hope he or she is very well dressed today.

FIELD: Joan Rivers' "Fashion Police" co-stars came together.

GERARDO RIVERA, TELEVISION JOURNALIST: Joan would say it went off exactly as I planned it, exactly as I envisioned it, it happened sooner than I wanted it, but it was perfect when it happened.

FIELD: Designer Carolina Herrera was escorted by her husband.

ROSS: Howard said he didn't know if he wanted to live in a world without Joan Rivers. And I feel the same way.

FIELD: A celebrity-studded sendoff fitting for a star among them.

(On camera): Joan Rivers' friends came out saying that Melissa Rivers', Joan's daughter, was stoic and composed and even able to make the audience laugh just a little bit. Really, very much her mother's daughter.

In New York, Alexandra Field, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Alex, thank you for that.

Earlier on the show, we spoke with Tim Teeman, he's a writer from the "Daily Beast." He sat down with Joan Rivers for her last big interview. He was also at the funeral today and told us more about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIM TEEMAN, SENIOR CULTURE EDITOR, THE DAILY BEAST: Melissa read out this letter that she had left under Joan's door, basically addressed to her saying, you know, dear mother, you are a paying tenant in this house, please stop taking my son to strip clubs. Things like this. It was brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. And some of her friends spoke as well. Again very funny stories were being told.

HARLOW: Was it classic Joan?

TEEMAN: It was classic Joan. I think it was -- I mean, she did leave those instructions about what she wanted for her funeral, which was a wind machine blowing into her casket and things like that.

HARLOW: Did they have that?

TEEMAN: Well, she had already been cremated.

HARLOW: Yes.

TEEMAN: But something that we're not really sure about, but she had pretty much -- it was a real -- it was a real production, a real performance. It was graceful. It was funny and it was very moving as well. So all elements were really, really well balanced.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Next on CNN, a look back at Joan Rivers' life.

I'm Poppy Harlow in New York. Thank you so much for being with us this evening.

"CNN SPOTLIGHT: JOAN RIVERS" starts now.