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Dr. Craig Spencer is Ebola Free; Ferguson Preparing for Decision in Officer Wilson's Case; Possible Outcomes of Abu Bark al- Baghdadi Death; Bill de Blasio and Craig Spencer's Press Conference

Aired November 11, 2014 - 10:00   ET

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


RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Randi Kaye in today for Carol Costello. Thanks so much for joining me on this Veterans Day. Happening this hour, a New York doctor diagnosed with Ebola after treating patients in West Africa is getting out of the hospital. Health officials say Dr. Craig Spencer is now Ebola-free and is no public health risk. He plans to return to his apartment in the Manhattan neighborhood of Hamilton Heights. Spencer was diagnosed with the deadly virus last month and has been in isolation at New York's Bellevue Hospital. CNN's Deb Feyerick is outside the hospital for us this morning. Good morning, Deb.

DEB FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning there, Randi. Well, we are expecting the press-conference take place - in a half hour. Dr. Spencer will be making some sort of a statement but we're told he's not going to take any questions nor does he intend to do any interviews, he really just wants to get back to his life as a doctor in a different hospital. But this right here, Bellevue, is where he spent the last three weeks in isolation. He did receive a transfusion from another Ebola survivor, Nancy Writebol, an aid worker in Liberia.

Dr. Spencer returned from Guinea where he had been treating a patient there. He was home for about 11 days before he himself began to experience symptoms. He was widely criticized, Randi, as you may remember, because when he got home rather then self-quarantine in his apartment, he went out, he went bowling, he went to a restaurant, he took a subway and a taxi and a lot of people thought that really he should have been at least in a place where he could monitor himself. He was monitoring, taking his temperature twice a day. He did notify doctors as soon as he began to spike a fever.

We are told that the executive director of Doctors without Borders is also going to be at this press conference and we're hoping that we'll get an update from her as to the effect and the impact that his illness has had on the program and on other doctors going overseas to treat this epidemic. But right now we're told Dr. Spencer in a good mood and is expected to leave the hospital right after the press conference. Randi?

KAYE: I'm sure he'll be happy to get out of there and go home. Deb Feyerick, thank you very much. And we will have live coverage of that news conference from Bellevue hospital that is expected to start

within the half hour but we're thinking more likely about ten minutes or so. So do keep it here on CNN. All right. Now let's turn to the terror group ISIS and the man who

leads it. U.S. officials say that they are still unable to confirm reports from Iraq's government that weekend airstrikes may have hit Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. But it raises the question if the hate-spewing leader is dead or seriously wounded, who would take over ISIS and its mission to vanquish the West? CNN's Brian Todd is in Washington with a closer look at that. Good morning, Brian.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Randi. The top contenders to replace Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi have carved their own reputations for brutality in Saddam Hussein's military. They would have the challenge of following a mythical figure who has led ISIS like a corporate chieftain with the $10 million bounty on his head.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: He runs the terror group like a CEO with spreadsheets on missions, assassinations and captured assets, he's cultivated a reputation for viciousness shrouded in secrecy, except for one occasion, a sermon in Mosul where will he emerged from the shadows and, flashing an expensive watch, exhorted his followers.

ABU BARK AL-BAGHDADI, ISIS LEADER (speaking Arabic)

TODD: You should take up jihad to please God and fight in his name.

U.S. officials cannot confirm whether ISIS leader Abu Bakr-al Baghdadi was killed or wounded in coalition airstrikes over the weekend.

How much trouble would they be in without him?

LAUREN SQUIRES, INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF WAR: ISIS likely has a clear line of succession. This is a bureaucratic organization with a deep bench and either they have - either Baghdadi has signed off on a line of succession himself or the Shura council has agreed to a line of succession.

TODD: According to terrorism researchers, Baghdadi has two principle deputies, Abu Muslim al-Turkmani and Abu Ali al-Anbari. Turkmani oversees ISIS operations in Iraq. Anbari feels that role in Syria.

PETER NEUMANN, KING'S COLLEGE: These people who had previously served in Saddam Hussein's army were extremely brutal because Saddam Hussein's regime was very brutal, but they also inherited the disciplines and the military skills that are now benefitting ISIS in its campaign against its enemies.

TODD: Analysts say Turkmani could make a strong case to take the reins of ISIS if Baghdadi is taken out.

NEUMANN: You also would have had to have a lot of outstanding qualities either in the military field or in the political field and that certainly makes him a potential contender.

TODD: There's also a 37-year-old Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, a Syria, chief spokesman for ISIS who in September issued a call for ISIS supporters to launch lone wolves attacks. Analysts say some of Baghdadis top deputies were in prison with him at Camp Bucca, a U.S.- run detention center in Iraq where Baghdadi was held for at least four years.

LAUREN SQUIRES, INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF WAR: He was able to trust these individuals as sharing his ideology, sharing his hatred for the West.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: Analyst Lauren Squires says if or when Baghdadi is killed, look for some kind of retaliatory strike against U.S. interests. She said they would do that to memorialize their martyred leader and to show the coalition they're still a major threat. Randi?

KAYE: And Brian, if Baghdadi was indeed in that convoy that was struck over the weekend. I mean that would be a departure from how he normally operates, right?

TODD: Absolutely it would, Randi. Analysts say he is obsessed with secrecy, obsessed with his own security. He is said to have covered his face even when meeting with members of his own inner circle in the past. So, if he was in fact in that convoy of ten or so vehicles that really would be a departure and a big risk on his part.

KAYE: Certainly fascinating. Brian Todd, nice to see you. Thanks you.

TODD: Thanks, Randi.

KAYE: We've just learned Missouri Governor Jay Nixon is planning to hold a news conference this afternoon about the situation in Ferguson. He comes as the nation waits for the grand jury's decision about the shooting death of Michael Brown by a Ferguson police officer. Meanwhile, Mike Brown's parents are taking their case to the world.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LESLEY MCSPADDEN, MICHAEL BROWN'S MOTHER: We need the world to know what's going on in Ferguson. And we need justice, we need answers, and we need action. And we have to bring it to the U.N. So that they can expose it to the rest of the world what's going on in small town Ferguson.

MICHAEL BROWN SENIOR, MICHAEL BROWN'S FATHER: We're trying to ask for justice for our son. We need Darren Wilson - we need him to be accountable for his actions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: That was Brown's parents Leslie McSpadden and Michael Brown senior speaking with CNN this morning, in Geneva, Switzerland. They've testified there before the U.N.'s committee on torture. And they've said that the shooting death of their unarmed son by a white Ferguson police officer and the way that police treated the protesters in the days after his killing actually violated the U.N.'s anti- torture convention.

Back home in Ferguson, police as well as business owners are gearing up for what the grand jury will ultimately decide about the officer who shot and killed Michael Brown. Business owners are boarding up their shops, some say that they don't know what to expect so they're preparing in case Officer Darren Wilson is not indicted.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If they should come and loot our area, then it's going to cost us and it's already costly to us because we're losing clients.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hate the boards. I don't like them here. But I don't want my windows smashed out again.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to make a statement to the community that I'm here, I'm here, I'm open, I'm not going anywhere.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Missouri State Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal joins me now live from Ferguson. Senator, let me ask you this. I mean you've heard the concerns of some business owners and have you been in contact with any of them personally? And what are they telling you?

MARIA CHAPELLE-NADAL, MISSOURI STATE SENATOR; Well, I have to tell you, I have spoken with business owners on both sides of the issue and many of which are saying that they still support the protesters as long as everything is peaceful. Many of them have constituents or people who work for them who have been harassed previously by police officers so they're very understanding of what this movement is. But I know that others, in fact, if you look on West Florissant or in South Florissant you'll see several of the businesses' windows that are boarded up. But there are some business owners who say "I'm not boarding up my business because I know that things are going to turn out right."

KAYE: And I know that you also sent your constituents some video on what could happen once this announcement comes out about Officer Wilson. I want to just take a quick listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is not a test.

CROWD (CHANTING)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: May God be with you all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: What is it about that video that you thought people needed to see?

CHAPPELLE-NADAL: Well, you know what? That was about police brutality. Many of the things that came up in that video -- one of which my constituents were hog tied -- and I wanted to show that to people. But also they were arrested when they were on sidewalks, which is completely unconstitutional. So I wanted people to know there are two sides to the story. A lot of the media has said that this is one, only a black issue, has said that protesters have been violent, but I wanted to show the other side because the people who I'm with are peaceful protesters and this is what they've endured and I wanted to ensure that the world knows this is what has happened in Ferguson throughout some time and hopefully the Department of Justice has put all law enforcement in Missouri in place so that they do not break our constitutional rights.

KAYE: I also find it interesting that you've encouraged your constituents to turn to social media for updates in Ferguson. Why do you emphasize that?

CHAPPELLE-NADAL: Well, you know what? A lot of people are getting their media from local news and it doesn't - sometimes it does not cover the full story and so you get up-to-date coverage on social media. It's immediate, you don't have to wait for a producer at all, but it's right there right in front of you. And if there are constituents who are in certain places in St. Louis and they need to be cautious of where they are, I want them to be able to look at our Twitter account or our Facebook account to know where to not go and where it is safe.

KAYE: And also, Michael Brown's parents, as you know, are in Geneva. Were you in contact with them at all before they traveled there? Do you think they were on point by taking their case before the U.N. here?

CHAPPELLE-NADAL: I think they did the right thing because the world needs to know exactly what has been going on here in Ferguson. There have been several human rights that have been violated. The First Amendment starting with, one, being gassed. I was tear gassed for three hours myself along with my intern and the world needs to know this is what law enforcement, some of them, did to us here. And you don't see this all across America. You don't even see this in Iraq or Afghanistan. I have to tell you, I've been to Iraq and I've been fired at in a bunker in Iraq and let me tell you, I was more afraid in Ferguson, Missouri, than I was in Baghdad, Iraq.

KAYE: That's a big statement. All right, Maria Chappelle-Nadal, thank you so much for your time today and we wish you certainly ...

CHAPPELLE-NADAL: Thank you so much.

KAYE: Peaceful days ahead there. Thank you.

Winter coats, scarves, gloves, yeah, we have weather for that. In much of the U.S., this morning upper Midwest states shoveling out after some pretty nasty wintery conditions like this storm in Marquette, Michigan, which dropped a foot of snow. CNN meteorologist Indra Petersons is joining me now. All right, so a lot of people are wondering why so cold so early. INDRA PETERSONS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's the big question. Why so

early? Especially when we look at these pictures from Wisconsin. You're talking about some places seeing over a foot of snow in Minnesota and Wisconsin. That's typically the amount they see in the entire month, not what they see from one storm. Now, Green Bay right now only is expected to see about a couple of inches, but still even they don't typically see that for another couple of weeks.

So what does it have to do with it? Actually, it has to do with -- remember that super typhoon Nuri? OK, what is it Nuri have anything to do with what is going on with wintertime? You're talking about a tropical cyclone, right? Well, the remnants of tropical storm Nuri actually intersected with the cold front so the in the Bering Sea, this huge monster storm and what that - it kind of brought this ripple effect to the Jetstream, so there you go, we go forward in time, that Jetstream dives all the way down to the south, all that air that's typically trapped over there in Canada, that is diving down with it. So that's the reason winter has come early.

Now let's talk about what is going on. We are talking about temperature changes - 40 degree drops in Colorado and Wyoming yesterday in just two hours and the story continues. But if you're east of the cold front temperatures are still warming today. If you're behind the cold front, that's where all of the action is. So let's take a look, very easy to see that contrast across the country. Here comes those temperature drops, 40 degrees in one day and it's only going to be continuing even more. You can feel those wind chills already. Yeah, even the last hour they've dropped even further. Rapid City 13 below right now. It's only expected to get worse. You know, by the way? It's only the first round. We have another round right behind this.

KAYE: Oh, that's terrific news.

PETERSONS: Great.

(LAUGHTER)

KAYE: All right, Indra, thank you very much for that good news.

Still to come here, something to chew on from the Beijing summit. President Obama's Nicorette, turns out it offends some people in China. And a New York doctor just declared Ebola-free set to speak in just moments. We'll take you there live when he does.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONAN O'BRIEN, HOST, LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O'BRIEN: President Obama and Vladimir Putin are both in China attending the same economic summit. Those two are together. Yeah. President Obama saw Putin and said "after those midterms it's nice to finally see a friendly face."

(END VIDEO CLIP) KAYE: U.S./Chinese relations may be an important dialogue on the sidelines of the APEC summit, but today's impromptu meetings between President Obama and Russian President Putin took center stage. CNN's Jim Acosta is in Beijing.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Randi, President Obama and Chinese President Xi will be meeting over dinner over the next couple of hours here in Beijing. The two leaders have been cutting business deals on areas where they agree and talking through issues where they disagree. The big development of the day so far is the president did come face to face three times with Russian President Vladimir Putin. They spoke about Iran, Syria, and the crisis in Ukraine. Deputy National Security advisor Ben Rhodes called Russia's recent military moves in eastern Ukraine a recipe for isolation but he conceded the sanctions imposed so far on Moscow have not changed Putin's behavior.

Now the president has one more day here in China and the big remaining question is just how far the president is willing to go in criticizing Beijing over its record on human rights and hacking. So far that criticism has been more polite than pointed and just as the president is raising U.S. concerns about cyber security there are reports in the "Washington Post" that Chinese hackers have been breaching U.S. Postal Service security at the same time there have also been reports in the Chinese media that the Chinese here in Beijing were offended by the president's gum chewing. Mr. Obama was seen chewing his Nicorette gum entering an APEC event earlier in the day. The Chinese may not be aware the president does chew that Nicorette gum from time to time so he does not have to smoke. It is something reporters at the White House see him doing from time to time, Randi.

KAYE: All right, Jim Acosta, thank you very much.

And here at home, the Obama administration is vowing to restore trust with the nation's veterans after a health care scandal rocked the VA. It was a story first exposed by CNN and this morning VA Secretary Robert McDonald spoke to CNN about the specific steps being taken to turn things around.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT MCDONALD, SECRETARY OF VETERAN AFFAIRS: In the last four months, we've had a million more plus veterans get appointments in our system. We've had -- we've reached out to 300,000 plus of our veterans to get them into our system. We've driven down disability claims by 60 percent. Driven down homelessness by 33 percent. But this reorganization is really meant to set the long-term course for the department. It's the biggest reorganization in our history and it's going to be focused on -- focusing on the veteran.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Secretary McDonald added that the agency has taken disciplinary action against more than 5,000 employees in the last year.

All right, still to come, a doctor now considered Ebola-free is going home. CNN's senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen tracking this all from Atlanta. Hi there, Elizabeth.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Randi. Randi, DR. Craig Spencer is discharged from Bellevue Hospital. The U.S. is Ebola-free for now. I'll have more details after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

KAYE: The New York doctor who contracted Ebola after caring for patients in West Africa leaving the hospital today. There you see Dr. Craig Spencer now declared Ebola-free, expected to speak here at this news conference along with the mayor, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio also there. A lot of handshaking and folks very happy to see him being let go from the hospital today. He's going to speak here in just a moment. We are going to listen to that, but in the meantime, let's check in with our senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen as well. Elizabeth?

COHEN: Hi, Randi, Randi, really it's amazing to look at him. We really haven't gotten a good look at him before. I think he looks well. I don't know what he looked like before, but he certainly looks thin. This is something we've seen as Ebola patients have been discharged. You know, I think one of the most notable things as I look at this, this is really a big moment. Three weeks ago, approximately, when he went into the hospital New York was not only scared, they were angry at this man that he'd been in taxis, bowling alleys, et cetera. But you will notice nearly three weeks later no one else has gotten sick and I hope that New Yorkers keep that in mind if ever another Ebola patient lands in their city.

KAYE: Let's hope so. Let's listen in here just a moment while we listen to the mayor and watch some of this certainly very happy moments here.

MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D) NEW YOKAYE: And now the official mayoral hug.

CRAIG SPENCER: Yeah.

(LAUGHTER)

(APPLAUSE)

SPENCER: Thank you so much. Thank you so much.

DE BLASIO: Well done.

It is a good feeling to hug a hero, and we have a hero here in our midst, someone who served others no matter how much danger, and he has been an inspiration throughout the challenges he's faced. And, by the way, Dr. Spencer showed us what it means to help your fellow human, and that spirit was met and answered here by the extraordinary team at Bellevue, especially these nurses.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE) DE BLASIO: These nurses and the medical team and everyone here at Bellevue who was with Dr. Spencer every step of the way, who made sure he was strong and healthy, who even brought him his banjo. That is customer service, ladies and gentlemen!

(APPLAUSE)

DE BLASIO: So it's a very, very good day. New York City's first and only Ebola case successfully treated. Dr. Spencer is Ebola-free and New York City is Ebola-free.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

DE BLASIO: And Dr. Spencer deserves our gratitude for what he chose to do to serve others, to help his fellow human being in the nation of Guinea, but also to protect people around the world, to protect people here at home by addressing the root cause. I said throughout this crisis we honor our men and women in uniform when they go overseas to protect us. Dr. Spencer was wearing a different uniform, but the same exact mission, to help people everywhere and to protect people here. And then, when he was himself afflicted, he showed us an example of strength, courage, dignity, humor. Humor amidst it all. And I had the honor -- yes, they all know. When I had the honor of speaking to Dr. Spencer a few days into this after some normal, respectful conversation, he asked me how I was on the phone while holding a fork and knife at the same time. That's an example of the kind of humor that he kept with him at all times and raised the spirit of actually everyone around him so I want to thank him for who he is and what he's done but, again, everything about his spirit was reflected in the extraordinary people here at Bellevue, the doctors and nurses, all the staff, the professionalism, the courage.

There was never any fear or turning back or lack of desire to serve in this building. People were focused and courageous ...

(APPLAUSE)

DE BLASIO: ... and about the work of helping others ...

(APPLAUSE)

DE BLASIO: And we have to remember that everything that happened here happened because there was preparation, weeks and weeks and weeks in advance that when the time came everyone knew what they were supposed to do. And our first responders, our EMTs, our firefighters, our police knew exactly what they had to do and they did it beautifully. The team here at Bellevue was ready. It is an amazing story of everyone preparing for something they have not experienced before and then executing the plan perfectly. And Dr. Spencer did everything right as well. The moment he had symptoms, reporting them in and following the protocol to the letter. We in New York City are proud to have Dr. Spencer as a citizen and he is part of the medical community of this city and we have the finest medical community in the entire nation, the finest public health system anywhere in the world here in New York City.

(APPLAUSE)

DE BLASIO: I want to thank everyone who works here at Bellevue and everyone who represents them. We're joined by Jill Pharello (ph) of (INAUDIBLE) and Frank Proscia of the Doctors' Council, we thank them for their leadership and support of everyone here. And I have to tell you, the members of our city administration outdid themselves with their focus and their preparation, they were led constantly day and night by our first deputy mayor Tony Shorris who did an extraordinary job as the general of this army.

(APPLAUSE)

DE BLASIO: And you're going to hear from some of the key leaders of the city's effort that worked so well. Let's also think about how everyday New Yorkers responded and I think Dr. Spencer was an example to us all. He stayed cool, he stayed calm, he kept his sense of humor, he kept his focus and his positive view throughout. New Yorkers felt that and they stayed calm and cool and focused throughout. There was never a hint of anything being abnormal in the city. People went about their lives. They understood that Ebola is very, very difficult to contract. They understand that it only occurs through contact directly with the bodily fluids of someone infected and people actually got it. 8.4 million people got it. And just went about their lives. And that says something about the spirit and the soul of New Yorkers. And something we should be proud of.

Now there's work to be done. There's work to be done now. Because the crisis continues in West Africa. We're so thrilled, Dr. Spencer is well. But that is not a cause for complacency, it's a time to refocus our efforts and find more brave people like him ready to go and serve. Two weeks ago, Governor Cuomo and I announced a new program to encourage health care professionals, to help address this challenge at its root in West Africa and we're going to support all health care professionals who step forward so we can end this crisis once and for all. Second, as I've said many times, help the health care professionals of this city if you are an everyday New Yorker and says what can I do? Is there anything I can do help?