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Beheading Plot Foiled; Senate to Vote; Punishing Players; Scotland Votes

Aired September 18, 2014 - 14:00   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Wolf, thank you so much.

Hi, everyone. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Great to be with you on this Thursday.

Let's begin with the president of the United States. President Barack Obama now has a plan on the table to strike Syria. The plan, part of the strategy to hit ISIS inside Syria's borders. So far we know the House, the House of Representatives, has given the green light authorizing the U.S. military to train and equip moderate Syrian rebels but -- so now this is all in the hands of the Senate. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel right now making that case to lawmakers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHUCK HAGEL, DEFENSE SECRETARY: The package of assistance that we initially provide would consist of small arms, vehicles and basic equipment like communications, as well as tactical and more advanced training. As these forces prove their effectiveness on the battlefield, we would be prepared to provide increasingly sophisticated types of assistance to the most trusted commanders and capable forces. The goal is not to achieve numerical parity with ISIL, but to ensure that moderate Syrian forces are superior fighters.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: All of this as the ISIS threat reaches beyond Syria, beyond Iraq because right now we are learning about yet another horrifying plot by ISIS. This one to recruit people to target a random citizen and behead them in public. A plan authorities are calling a quote/unquote "demonstration killing" designed to shock and to horrify. The grizzly details coming out of Australia, one of America's closest allies here in this fight against ISIS, where raids across the country are netting alleged ISIS recruits. CNN's Amy LaPorte has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMY LAPORTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The alleged plan was bone chilling. To grab someone, anyone, behead them and drape their body with the black flag of ISIS.

ANDREW SCIPIONE, NSW POLICE COMMISSIONER: The balance was to be perpetrated on a member of the public, on the streets, and certainly at this stage was at a very high level.

LAPORTE: Appearing briefly in court today, one of the men accused in the plot, charged with a terrorism related offense. Twenty-two-year- old Omarjan Azari did not enter a plea. He was caught up in Australia's biggest counterterrorism raids after an intercepted call.

TONY ABBOTT, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: Direct exhortations were coming from an Australian who is apparently quite senior in ISIL to networks of support back in Australia to conduct demonstration killings here in this country.

LAPORTE: Police storming homes across two of Australia's biggest cities, Sydney and Brisbane, after Australia raised its terror threat to high for the first time ever. The heightened alert means authorities don't just think a terror attack on their soil is possible, but that it's likely. The Australian government pointing to this homegrown terror threat as part of the reason for its plan to not just send planes to help the U.S. in Iraq and Syria, but military advisers as well, 600 of them, one of the first U.S. allies to put skin in the game. It's believed at least 60 Australians are fighting alongside ISIS and other militant groups in the Middle East. The fear now is that ISIS is not just trying to recruit from other countries but urging them to carry out attacks on their own soil.

Amy LaPorte, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Amy, thank you so much.

You know, back here at home, this fear of a homegrown terror threat is driving one side of the debate to take this ISIS fight to Syria. Let's go straight to Capitol Hill to our chief congressional correspondent who's standing by for us, Dana Bash.

And so, Dana, how will the Senate vote? Take me behind the scenes.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It looks like it's going to be approved, but that's because the it is very murky. What the Senate is going to vote on is a bill to fund the government. Inside that, Brooke, is the authority that the president asked for to arm and train the Syrian rebels. So it is -- it's going to be hidden and that there's no other way to say it.

This is something that the White House wanted, the president has been making calls, started doing it last week, to say that he wanted this authority to be a part of a must pass bill and funding the government especially before they leave to go campaign full time is must pass. The House got it to do it independently, but the Senate will not. I tried to ask the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, why not just, since he controls the Senate floor, why not just have an independent vote because a lot of senators on both sides of the aisle do think that they're sort of shirking the responsibility and -

BALDWIN: What did he say?

BASH: He didn't answer my question.

BALDWIN: Glad you asked it. Dana, while I have you, can we talk about this rumor. We know Rand Paul repeated this rumor, you know, on the Internet that Senator McCain, when he was overseas, took this photo with ISIS fighters. It's false. But I know that Senator Paul is on the Senate floor now. Is he discussing that at all?

BASH: You know, this has been one of those really sort of head scratching things with regard to that particular rumor. It seems to have been debunked, you're right. The whole idea was whether or not John McCain, when he snuck across the border into Syria in May of last year to meet with some members of the Syrian Free Army, whether some members of ISIS were there as well. Again, debunked. Senator Paul had repeated it.

But what he's doing on the Senate floor now, I'm not sure. I stopped listening about two minutes ago to come on the air with you. I'm not sure if he talked about that. But he is much more broadly, very aggressively, very bluntly talking about the mistakes that members of - the president and members of his own party - and that's not so - it's pretty clear he's talking about John McCain and talking about the hawks really causing this problem, not just helping it. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RAND PAUL (R), KENTUCKY: Had we bomb Assad last year, ISIS would be more of a threat this year. ISIS may well be in Damascus had we bombed Assad last year. Had the hawks been successful last year, we would be facing a stronger ISIS likely in charge of all Syria and most of Iraq. Intervention is not always the answer and often leads to unintended consequences.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: So the hawks he was talking about, of course the leading hawk, especially on Syria in his party is John McCain. It was a thinly veiled reference to John McCain. But I think just to take it up to 10,000 feet, what we're also seeing is the very clear beginning of the debate within the Republican Party for the 2016 presidential race. It's no secret that Rand Paul is seriously thinking about. He is not like many other Republicans. He's saying right there, he doesn't think intervention is always the answer. He's much more -- he doesn't use the term isolationist, but he's much more cautious and he is - he's been on the floor for maybe 20 minutes, 25 minutes just slamming the idea of the United States helping at all in this war that's going on there, which is within the Middle East, and it's not really clear who friends are and who foes are and that's the idea that he's been talking about.

BALDWIN: A preview of the coming attraction come 2016. Dana Bash, we'll let you go back and listen in. And thank you, as always, for asking the tough questions, even when members of Congress don't want to answer you. Dana Bash, thank you so much in Washington for me.

Just ahead, right now, history in the making. Scotland is voting on whether to essentially divorce the U.K. after, you know, 300 years together. From alcohol to currency and tourism to passports, hear how this would impact the entire world.

Plus, yet another NFL player benched after being accused of domestic violence against a woman and an 18-month-old child. But even though it is laughable how the NFL is all over the place on punishment, are potential victims now afraid to come forward based upon what's happening to these players in the league? Stay with me.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: All right, you're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

Another day, another controversy here for the NFL. The league now has four players in the headlines just over this past week over legal issues off the field. First, of course, you have Ray Rice appealing his indefinite suspension after that domestic violence incident. You have Vikings star Adrian Peterson charged with child abuse. The Panthers Greg Hardy deactivated from his team. He's been granted a jury trial after a judge found him guilty. He was convicted of domestic abuse back in July. And now this latest, this fourth, Arizona Cardinal Jonathan Dwyer, deactivated after being arrested over domestic abuse allegations. Police say the two victims were a 27-year- old woman and an 18-month-old child.

So, what is the NFL commissioner to do? That's what we're waiting to see. But how Roger Goodell matters to all of this is really significant because to some people his response sets the tone for what will and what will not be allowed in the NFL. And that got us wondering. What about the tone the NCAA sets for players before they even get to the league? Where does this begin? And why are we just talking about this now? Let's bring in Jessica Miles, she's a domestic violence attorney.

So, Jessica, welcome back to you, first and foremost.

JESSICA MILES, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ATTORNEY: Thank you. A pleasure to be here.

BALDWIN: One thing we were wondering is, given all of this that's happened in the league and now that they have, for the first time, a domestic violence policy period, I'm wondering if girlfriends, wives of current players, knowing the punishment can be severe, aren't speaking up now.

MILES: Well, I think that there is the concern of any policy that there are some women who aren't ready to leave, whether that is because they fear they will be in more danger if they leave. Actually the most dangerous time statistically for a victim of domestic violence is that initial period after she leaves. A woman is most likely to be killed after she leaves a domestic violence relationship. So there is a fear that perhaps this will lead to lethal violence. There is also, of course, sometime the emotional tie or the economic tie and so there could be a chilling effect from a policy that's intended to help. I think a policy that's intended to help needs to give victims

incentives and offer help that will encourage them to report. Punishment will encourage some to report but it would actually discourage some from reporting.

BALDWIN: That's what I'm wondering, if it would discourage, but at least looking at statistics for people who are not at all related to the league, those people who feel themselves in certain sort of precarious, potential violent situations are at least calling to get help.

MILES: Yes.

BALDWIN: So that's sort of this odd dichotomy happening here in the wake of all of this.

Why do you think we're talking about this now? Because, news flash, domestic violence is not a new issue. You know, it's not new. And I realize a lot of this was the video from the surveillance camera inside that elevator for Ray Rice and his now wife. Is it a society thing now?

MILES: I think I'm very glad to see all the attention paid it. It does sadden me that it takes a video of a punch to do that. I will tell you that I showed the video of Ray Rice dragging his wife off the elevator to my domestic violence class last spring and there was concern, but not nearly at the level we see with the punch. I think that when people hear domestic violence, it's a very general term. It might sound generic to people. They might picture a slap or a push or an object thrown. They might not realize how brutal and deadly domestic violence can be until they literally see the punch.

BALDWIN: Why do we need the video?

MILES: I agree we should not need the video. I think that this -- because this impacts so many women, men and children in our society, one in four a victim in her lifetime of physical assault, we should be able to - from knowing friends and family who have gone through this - to see past that, to not need a video. But it would appear that we do. And it appears we've all seen it now.

BALDWIN: I know and it appears things are changing.

MILES: Yes.

BALDWIN: The question again, what will Roger Goodell do? Jessica Miles, thank you so much. Come back.

MILES: Thank you.

BALDWIN: I really appreciate it.

And if you are looking for help for yourself or for a friend, just want to get this in here because this is important, CNN has details on everything from domestic violence shelters to donations for organizations that work to fight, to combat domestic violence and abuse. So just go to cnn.com/impact. Again, cnn.com/impact.

Coming up next, after 300 years of marriage, Scotland is right now voting on whether they would like to divorce from the U.K. This is a big deal. Fallout impacts Americans. We'll explain how.

And the U.S. is already at war with ISIS. It's dropping bombs. Already had an air strike campaign in Iraq. And now considering targets in Syria. But one congresswoman is speaking out against any military action. Hear why coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Today is a big day here. Scots are voting on an issue very familiar to Americans, breaking away from the Brits. We did that a little while ago. That's right, Scotland may decide in an election today to separate from the United Kingdom, go on its own. Some 4 million people are expected to answer the question, should Scotland be an independent country? A survey of six polls says ultimately the answer will be no. But it's close. You see the numbers, 52 percent to 58 percent.

And some names you know have already weighed in. Actors Gerard Butler and Sean Connery say yes. So does tennis superstar Andy Murray. Note all three are Scots. But then you have soccer star David Beckham, actress Helena Bonham Carter and "Harry Potter" creator J.K. Rowling all say Scotland should stay. Of those three English celebrities, Rowling was the only one who can actually vote on the issue. She lives in Scotland.

So let's take you there to Glasgow to CNN's senior international correspondent Nic Robertson, who is standing by.

Nic Robertson, how is turnout so far?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Amazing. I mean turnout's been really high. It was expected to be high. You know, out of those 4.25 (ph) million voters, that is 97 percent of the total electorate registered to vote. That's a huge number. It's -- the issue's been so hotly debated here, it's such a close run thing at the moment statistically too close to call even though the no's shaded. That is when you remove the undecided voters. There's 5 percent to 10 percent undecided. So really this could go either way.

So it's been -- the turnout here has been really much higher than people have seen in the past. I've talked to people who have monitored elections from here before. They say they have never seen so many people coming out to vote. We were here when the polling station opened and you can literally 5:27 a.m. morning time here, when it was silent. A couple of minutes later you could hear - literally hear the footballs coming and it's been an absolute steady stream since then, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Ninety-seven percent turnout. It bears repeating. And then here you have, after 307 years, Nic, why is this issue just now coming up? ROBERTSON: You know, the independence for Scotland movement has really

grown over the last few decades and they've really gathered momentum as there's been dissatisfaction - increased dissatisfaction with the government in London. Why has it really sort of moved and gathered momentum so much recently? I guess just more disappointment in that government in London.

Look, one way you can look at this, we've had the leaders of the three main British parties come up here, labor, conservative and the liberal democrats. They came up at the last minute to put an offer on the table that wasn't on the table before. The offer was, if you vote no, then you will get an increased level of power, increased power over taxes, all those sorts of things. The fact that they only realized that they need to come up here within the past week or so is an indication for many people here that London is out of touch with the politics of Scotland and therefore the Scots are better off running things themselves. That's really the idea behind it. That's what's gathered currency here.

Brooke.

BALDWIN: Speaking of currency, thank you for my segue, Mr. Robertson, let's bring in Alison Kosik here in just a second because, let's move along and talk about money. And if today turns out to be independence day for Scotland, so much is up in the air. It's not actually sure, right, what kind of currency Scotland would use.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Right. All of these things that you're talking about. There are so many things. I mean, think about it, the U.K. has been together for, what, over 300 years.

BALDWIN: Right.

KOSIK: We just don't know what's going to happen with Scotland as far as its economy goes, what's going to happen with Great Britain, its economy. One thing is more certain though, at least in the near term and in the initial term, you would see these economies take a hit because of so much uncertainty. So that's the big picture uncertainty.

There's even a little picture of uncertainty. First of all, what's going to happen with the flag? Union Jack. I mean will the blue of Scotland go away? In fact, there was a survey done by the Flag Institute showing that, hey, 65 percent say they hope the flag is changed if Scotland breaks away. But there's fallout for that. Those logos have to be changed. Think of all those flags flying right now. All that has to be changed. That costs a lot of money.

Souvenirs, that's, believe it or not, a huge industry in Scotland. A $300 million industry. All that stuff would have to be rebranded. Think about it. All those teddy bears, those key chains and all that other - those other tchotchkes that are out there with all that branding.

And finally passports. There's really no certainty what's going to happen, whether or not they're going to need to be redesigned or even if people could have dual citizenship between Scotland and Great Britain as well.

BALDWIN: So beyond the - beyond the tchotchkes, beyond, you know, what about just Americans? I mean I'm not remiss that there is a bottle of booze here on the table.

KOSIK: Oh, yes.

BALDWIN: I mean what -- how does this tie into everything?

KOSIK: OK. So we're not sure how Americans would be affected, just like we don't know what would happen in Scotland and Great Britain. The currency, though, and you mentioned that, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Yes.

KOSIK: That's a huge issue.

BALDWIN: Yes.

KOSIK: That is money. That affects everything because it affects buying and selling and lending and trade and pricing goods. So we're not clear if Scotland's going to go ahead and try to join the Euro, if it's going to come up with its own - with its own currency or if it's going to keep the pound. So all that's really in question. But we can be certain about one thing coming back to the good old whiskey, I'm thinking the whiskey is going to be just fine. I mean it's a source of pride. It's also a huge business. And who wouldn't want to join in a nice shot or two of scotch. Cheers.

BALDWIN: Hey, now. Alison Kosik, thank you very much. Appreciate it.

So there you have that.

Coming up next, got to turn the page and talk about ISIS. If the U.S. doesn't strike ISIS, what is the alternative? One congresswoman disagrees with America's war against the terrorists. Hear her explanation why and how she would solve the growing threat.

Plus, this chilling new video has surfaced of a missing college student on the night she disappeared. Who is the man who's in the video following her? Is that a big clue? We'll talk live to the police chief from Charlottesville, Virginia.

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