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Glenn Beck Reveals Serious Health Problems; Ferguson Braces for Michael Brown Decision; Terror Alliance

Aired November 11, 2014 - 15:00   ET

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

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Any moment, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon is expected to lay out law enforcement plans ahead of that grand jury decision in the Michael Brown case.

The city is bracing for news whether or not Darren Wilson, the Ferguson police officer who shot 18-year-old Brown, will be indicted and if so on what charge. Brown's parents testified before a U.N. committee today, saying they want the world to know -- quote -- "what's going on in Ferguson."

CNN's Ashleigh Banfield talked to Brown's parents and asked what they'd say to Officer Wilson.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LESLEY MCSPADDEN, MOTHER OF VICTIM: Well, there's one thing for sure. He shot our son. He killed him. So anything that he has to say that he didn't say that day, if he felt the he was right, I don't want to hear it.

MICHAEL BROWN SR., FATHER OF MICHAEL BROWN: Well, for one, we're trying to figure out why was he playing the part of a judge, a prosecutor and an executor that day, that moment he interacted with our son.

He had no right to address the law the way that he did, took Michael Brown Jr., our son. And it's a painful deal. We're really lost with words on how to express ourselves about it because we're trying to stay humble and not to be so upset to where it's a situation where I'm surprised where we haven't even lost our mind yet over there over this.

ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: If they don't return an indictment, will you take to the streets and protest?

BROWN: Yes. Yes. Yes, because the fight would not be over. The movement will be like I -- like we said earlier in the last interview, we understand that our son is gone, but the movement will be that we're trying to make sure that this doesn't happen to anyone else, that no one else has to feel how we feel. So, yes, the protests will carry on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: I want to bring in CNN's Sara Sidner. She's in Weldon Spring, Missouri, and Peniel Joseph in Boston. He's a contributing editor for The Root and he's a history professor at Tufts University and he covered this story day in day out this summer.

Sara, you have been in Ferguson. What's the feeling there among people? What are you hearing?

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Look, we have talked to dozens and dozens of people because I have been here for about two months just talking to different folks from protesters to pastors to residents to the police to the prosecuting attorney's office.

What we're hearing on the streets, what we're hearing from residents and protesters and police is that there is a great deal of worry about what is going to happen on the ground when the grand jury decision comes down, especially if that decision is not to indict officer Darren Wilson.

The protesters have made clear that is the only thing ultimately that they want immediately, and then beyond that there are other issues that have been brought up. But certainly there is consternation. We have seen businesses boarding up. We know there's a spike in gun sales for from folks who are concerned about their own safety.

The protesters, for their part, Brianna, have been saying, look, we have been out protesting every day for 91 days now and it has been mostly peaceful. The police will agree with that, but there have been some incidents where that has not been the case, just a couple, but enough to keep people pretty nervous because of what happened for a couple of days back in August -- Brianna.

KEILAR: And you're seeing on your screen now we're awaiting comments from Governor Nixon.

That's the thing, Peniel. We're waiting for him to announce what the preparations are, how police will respond to these possible protests once the grand jury decision comes out. But is this really something he can plan for?

PENIEL JOSEPH, AUTHOR, "DARK DAYS, BRIGHT NIGHTS: FROM BLACK POWER TO BARACK OBAMA": Well, yes, I think he can plan for it, Brianna.

But the plan has to be with in mind what happened last August when we saw the overmilitarization of the Ferguson police. People will go to the streets to pursue justice. The plan by activists there is going to be to do it nonviolently. In all nonviolent movement, there's always going to be people who are on the fringes on those protests who try to do some kind of violence.

But overall what the governor can do is make sure that whether it's the National Guard or the local Ferguson police or Saint Louis County police that the measures they do are going to be protective measures, but they're going to be nonviolent against civil rights demonstrators that are in Ferguson.

KEILAR: I want to tell you what some of those protesters are saying, this coming from a group of protesters. And this is a quote that says: "Until the governor chooses to truly address the systemic issues that the murder of Michael Brown brought to the surface for many Americans, no press release or commission board will truly help this community move forward from this tragedy."

So this goes beyond, they're saying, what a grand jury decides. This case is something that revealed so much mistrust between people of Ferguson and the police and that's something that we see duplicated in communities across the country, right?

JOSEPH: No, absolutely.

This is a case about democracy. Race and class intersect here. It's a case about poverty and it's also about voting because the local people in Ferguson don't have local political power. And if they did, if they had a mayor or a city council, irrespective of the color, but who were attending to their needs, we wouldn't have seen the violence that we saw this past summer.

So this is really a movement about democracy. And it's interesting because next year is going to be the 50th anniversary of Selma and the passage of the Voting Rights Act.

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: Can I ask you about that, though? You say they're not able to vote, and yet we saw I think it was last week on the ballot was the local prosecutor who's been so controversial in all of this and yet only four in 10 people in Ferguson voted.

So, I mean, I look at that and I see maybe is there a lack of organization telling people that they can make a difference? Do they feel disenfranchised, Peniel?

JOSEPH: Well, yes. I do think they feel disenfranchised. They have the right to vote in Ferguson, but there's been I won't even say political apathy, but local people haven't had a reason to vote. Right?

So there hasn't been the kind of grassroots organizing that's telling people if they vote, this is how the vote is going to change and transform their lives. And at the same time, they have been harassed by the local criminal justice system. So many young black men have outstanding traffic violations and traffic warrants and are being shipped from prison to prison for unpaid traffic fines and these are men who -- young men and women who are largely unemployed in Ferguson and the Saint Louis County area.

KEILAR: Sara, one of the, I think, criticisms that we saw of authorities when the protests were going on early on was that they focused on protesters. They overly focused on some peaceful protesters and that they weren't effective in defending some of the businesses in Ferguson, that really this was a place where you could almost see it become sort of an economic desert.

How are businesses preparing, besides, as you mentioned, maybe owners are buying guns? What else are they doing?

SIDNER: Well, look, a lot of them have just been boarding up. The city is helping kind of with that effort if they felt like they needed to board up to keep, for example, their windows intact. They are doing that. Some of them telling us they're going to not be in there businesses when that announcement comes out or perhaps they will close their doors.

But to be fair, again, over these past 90 plus days, the police have changed their tactics. They have really stood down in light of a lot of the protesting that had been going on, trying not to escalate the situation and they were roundly criticized, especially because of the military apparatus that came out in those first couple of days in August.

There have been conversations that a lot of folks aren't talking about because, you know, it hasn't been front and center and they have been privately meeting, but there's been a lot of meetings going on in the background between residents, protesters, police talking, trying to talk through some of this to try and keep things peaceful, many, many, many protesters. There were 3,000 protesters a couple of weekends ago and police themselves told me, look, that all went smoothly.

There were lots of people in town from out of town, but it went smoothly. We have been there nightly watching the protests happen and for the most part they have been peaceful, and a lot of folks are hoping that's what's going to happen going forward. However, we do know there is a small group of folks that are planning something other than that and the protesters have been telling people if you plan on being violent, you are not a part of this movement -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Yes. And we are actually -- it looks like things are moving there near Ferguson, Missouri. We are expecting the governor to be coming in very shortly and to announce what his preparations for Ferguson are as we expect this grand jury decision to come down. Let's listen in.

(BEGIN LIVE PRESS CONFERENCE COVERAGE)

DANIEL ISOM, DIRECTOR, MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY: Good afternoon.

For those of you here from out of state, my name is Daniel Isom. And since September 1, I have been the director of the Missouri Department of public safety. Previously, I was chief of police for the Saint Louis Metropolitan Police Department and most recently a professor in the Criminology and Criminal Justice Department at the university of Missouri, Saint Louis.

I made the decision to join the Department of Public Safety 10 weeks ago because of the critical issues that were before all of us in law enforcement and because of the opportunity to make a difference in the community, my community, where I grew up and where my family and I make our home.

But also key to joining DPS was the promise that Governor Nixon gave me. He told me he was committed to bringing people together, to establishing Missouri as a model for improving relations between police and the community we serve. He understood that this was not simply a law enforcement issue, and he was committed to more than simply getting through a crisis situation.

He was committed to confronting issues that had simmered below the surface in American society for too long. That's why I signed up. And that's why all of us are here and committed to accomplishing that end.

It is my honor to introduce the 55th governor of the state of Missouri, Jay Nixon.

GOV. JAY NIXON (D), MISSOURI: Thank you, Dan.

We are tremendously fortunate to have someone with Director Isom's law enforcement experience and academic credentials leading the Department of Public Safety. We're also joined today by Chief Sam Dotson of the Saint Louis Metropolitan Police Department, Chief Jon Belmar of the Saint Louis County Police Department, Captain Ron Johnson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, also Major Bret Johnson, head of field operations for Highway Patrol, as well as Colonel Replogle, the commander of our Missouri State Highway Patrol.

As governor, the most important part of my job is keeping the people of Missouri safe. Families must be able to see their kids off safely to school in the morning, walk their neighborhoods at night, and keep the doors of their businesses open without fear for their lives or property. Citizens must also have the right to express themselves peacefully without being threatened by individuals intent on creating violence and disorder.

In the days immediately following Michael Brown's death, peaceful protests were marred by senseless acts of violence and destruction. Vandals smashed the windows of small businesses. Criminals looted and set fire to stores. Gunshots and Molotov cocktails endangered citizens exercising their First Amendment rights and law enforcement attempting to maintain peace.

That ugliness was not representative of Missouri and it cannot be repeated. The Saint Louis County prosecutor has not announced the exact date of the decision will be made, only that it will be in mid to late November. The U.S. Department of Justice is also conducting both civil and criminal investigations.

That is why we have been working around the clock to prepare to keep the residents and businesses of Saint Louis region safe, regardless of the outcome of the parallel local and federal investigations. Officers from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Saint Louis County police and Saint Louis City police will operate as a unified command to protect the public.

The National Guard has been and will continue be part of our contingency planning. The Guard will be available when we determine it is necessary to support local law enforcement. Quite simply, we must and will be fully prepared. The law enforcement planning efforts also include coordination with

fire service, EMS and other services that may have to respond. Law enforcement agencies are prepared to extend shifts and limit leave while the patrol will be bringing in officers from across our state to provide support as needed to local jurisdictions.

The Department of Public Safety has distributed additional equipment to make sure the agencies involved can communicate effectively with each other. These measures are not being taken because we are convinced that violence will occur, but because we have a responsibility to prepare for any contingency. The public demands and I demand that.

This coordinated effort will be guided by our core principles, keeping the public safe while allowing people to speak. This is America. People have a right to express their views and grievances, but they do not have the right to put their fellow citizens or their property at risk.

Over the past two months, more than 1,000 law enforcement officers have gone through more than 5,000 hours of specialized training with an emphasis on protecting the constitutional rights of peaceful demonstrators. The law enforcement leaders behind me have spent the last few months going into the community, to churches, schools, businesses, to listen to people's conference and develop strategies to specifically address them.

We also continue to have productive conversations with faith, civil rights and protest leaders about concrete ways that we can facilitate peaceful expression while maintaining public safety. With these shared principles comes a shared expectation that peaceful protesters, community leaders and clergy will work with law enforcement to identify individuals intent on causing violence and committing crimes so that law enforcement may address those individuals in order to protect public safety.

As I have said before, violence will not be tolerated. The residents and businesses of this region will be protected.

With that, I would like to turn it over to the leaders of the unified command. These three men with us today represent thousands of law enforcement officers here in the Saint Louis region who have been working day and night in difficult and often dangerous circumstances to keep the peace and protect the public.

First, let me introduce the chief of the Saint Louis Metropolitan Police Department, Chief Sam Dotson.

(END LIVE PRESS CONFERENCE COVERAGE)

KEILAR: All right, you are listening there to Governor Jay Nixon of Missouri talk about preparations that are in place once a grand jury does issue a decision in the Michael Brown case. We don't know what that's going to be. We don't know if there are going to be any charges against the officer who shot and killed Michael Brown, doctor -- or pardon me -- officer Darren Wilson. But, of course, as I bring in Mel, there are a lot of concerns that

protests may result from this. We have heard from the Justice Department. It looks like there aren't going to be civil charges, so then a lot of folks think maybe he's not going to be charged at all and that is obviously going to upset people, not just in Ferguson, but all across the country.

MEL ROBBINS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Right. Right.

KEILAR: I guess my question is watching this here, is this P.R.? Is this him saying we have all these people in place or can he actually prepare for fallout if there are not charges?

ROBBINS: It's a terrific question.

I think the tone of that press conference that we just saw was don't even think about it because we're going to be ready for this. And it's important because he does have an obligation and he said it multiple times and it was very refreshing to hear him say that our obligation is to not only protect the safety of the residents and businesses here in Ferguson, but also to make sure that people have an outlet to be able to voice their grievances.

Now, interestingly, we keep focusing on the fact that we're gearing up for protests, right? But if there is an indictment and they're not ready, you could see people storm the streets in celebration, which we have seen with sporting events where people turn violent and start looting and lighting things on fire.

(CROSSTALK)

ROBBINS: So I think in either case, whether you have an indictment or not, you could see and will see people take to the streets. And I am very happy, as I'm sure both Michael Brown's family is and the residents of Ferguson are, to see that they are getting themselves organized and prepared for what will be a very emotional reaction to this verdict.

KEILAR: Either way, do you think they're ready, do you think they're ready here?

ROBBINS: I think that they're as ready as they can be. And certainly looking at Daniel Isom, who is now going to be the head of the Department of Safety, and looking at his background as the former chief of police of Saint Louis and his academic background, and that with him joining forces with Captain Ron Johnson, who seems to have been a very powerful force in terms of having the tipping point occur from violence to actually people being able to express themselves...

KEILAR: He was much more empathetic, as we saw in the days...

(CROSSTALK)

ROBBINS: Absolutely.

And I also think's been very, very clear frustration between the folks that live in Ferguson and Michael Brown's family and supporters, who are saying, hey, there's a message to get out here, but let's do it without violence and people that are coming in from the outside and trying to take advantage of the situation and agitating things.

KEILAR: Yes. Protesters don't want their named besmirched because of looters who take advantage of it.

ROBBINS: Correct. Correct.

KEILAR: Mel Robbins, CNN legal analyst, thanks so much for joining us.

ROBBINS: Great to see you.

KEILAR: Just ahead, as ISIS releases a new propaganda video involving President Obama and George W. Bush, there is a new report suggesting al Qaeda in Syria is trying to form a killer alliance with ISIS terrorists, with new terrorists. We will break that down.

Plus, controversial radio host Glenn Beck reveals that he's suffering from health problems that could threaten his career and his life. You will hear his emotional revelation.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: ISIS has just released a new violent and graphic propaganda video.

That is an explosion in the Syrian border city of Kobani, where much of this documentary-style video is set. We won't show you the most horrific images of ISIS' victims, but this video also uses clips of correspondents reporting from the besieged area, and news reports from Western media showing world leaders -- at one point showing world leaders really disapproving of what ISIS has done.

At one point, a voice-over calls President Obama and President Bush liars and vowing that ISIS won't be defeated, while another clip right here appears to show ISIS fighters shooting down a military helicopter in Iraq.

Three different terror groups could be uniting to form a killer alliance in Syria. They are all target in U.S.-led airstrikes in the region. But now The Daily Beast is reporting that jihadi veterans known as the Khorasan group are brokering a merger with Syria's al Qaeda cell, al-Nusra, and the barbaric Islamic militants known as ISIS, this while Egypt's most dangerous militant group is pledging allegiance to ISIS, according to a report by "The New York Times."

Let's bring in Robert McFadden. He's the senior vice president with the Soufan Group and also a transnational terrorism expert.

There's so much to talk about here. Before we talk about this Egyptian group that is saying it wants to be part of ISIS, what strikes me as odd is when you're talking about these three groups in Syria banding together, the al-Nusra Front, this is a group that didn't al Qaeda reject ISIS because it tried to kind of do a grab of al-Nusra?

ROBERT MCFADDEN, THE SOUFAN GROUP: Absolutely.

KEILAR: So, what's going on here?

MCFADDEN: Well, first, I might be a little bit of contrarian here, but put into historical perspective, never has been a monolith and little chance there will be even at this point. OK?

KEILAR: Yes.

MCFADDEN: So,with that being said, you're absolutely right. At the leadership levels, al Qaeda core back in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Ayman al-Zawahri has rejected ISIS and its leadership over this Islamic State thing.

So where on the ground we're seeing circumstances that may speak to alliances of convenience which will likely be fleeting and maybe even some of the senior down-range people from al Qaeda into what we're calling Khorasan right now might be brokering these kind of things. But understand at the top, it can never work because, again, of the Islamic State. There's no chance Zawahri and al Qaeda would ever say, OK, we're throwing in under ISIS.

KEILAR: So it feels like safety in numbers. It feels like these guys are just trying to band together and be more scary, and ISIS is the scariest name so let's join up with ISIS. Is that what we're seeing in Egypt when we see this military group that wants to sort of be a part of ISIS? Is that just this group trying to be more legitimate?

MCFADDEN: I think you hit the nail on the head. We're talking about Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, which has been fighting against the Egyptian military and border guards in a very violent way in Sinai.

KEILAR: And many Americans maybe have never even heard of the group, but they have certainly heard of ISIS.

MCFADDEN: That's right.

But, see, this group in Egypt, though, where the biggest deal is, is for Egypt itself.

KEILAR: Yes.

MCFADDEN: The chilling effect that it would have on tourism or outside investment, and if the group then decides to indiscriminately go against civilian targets, which really hasn't been the thing up to this point, but, again, for international notoriety and latching on to ISIS.

But also within the group we're talking about in Egypt, there are reports that there's a fractious nature between the leadership in Sinai and that to the west of the Nile. So, you see, what happens with these groups, they really form along local circumstances, tribes and clans. And so even themselves under the same banner at the end of the day often aren't in alignment. KEILAR: Yes. Thanks for explaining it to us, Robert. Really

appreciate it.

MCFADDEN: My pleasure.

KEILAR: Just ahead, attacks against Israelis on the rise, as tensions break out from Jerusalem to the West Bank. Hear what Israeli Defense Forces are doing in response.

Plus, Ricki Lake is adding her voice to the push to legalize medical marijuana. Coming up, she will tell her story to CNN, why this is a deeply personal issue and why she wants to legalize medical pot.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)