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Officials Fear CIA Report could Trigger Attack; Did Torture Tactics Help Find bin Laden?; FAA Report Details: Drone, Jet Near Misses

Aired December 10, 2014 - 10:30   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me.

Waterboarding, sleep deprivation and mock executions -- those are just a few of the grisly details outlined in a new Senate intelligence report slamming the CIA's use of enhanced interrogation techniques on suspected terrorists. This morning, major blowback after lawmakers say those techniques were inhumane and did not work. And while many agree those tactics cross the line, others, like the former CIA general counsel John Rizzo, says strategies like waterboarding were given the ok, by the Justice Department.

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JOHN RIZZO, FORMER CIA GENERAL COUNSEL: The waterboarding and the sleep deprivation, yes -- those were approved techniques by the Department of Justice as not constituting torture. Therefore we proceeded to include those in some of the ways we interrogated high level al Qaeda terrorists.

They were very tough. I'm not going to say that these techniques -- the waterboarded and extending sleep deprivation were -- I'm not going to minimize that these were tough tactics.

COSTELLO: Now that the word is out, federal officials are warning agencies across the country to be on alert out of fear that jihadists could retaliate with some sort of attack.

Let's bring in CNN's justice correspondent Pamela Brown to find out more. Good morning.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning to you, Carol. Yes, that's right, we've learned the FBI and DHS sent out a joint bulletin yesterday warning law enforcement agencies across the country that terrorists may want to exploit the torture memo findings as propaganda, perhaps use it as a recruiting tool.

This bulletin points out that in those brutal videos released by ISIS showing the beheadings of American and British hostages that the captives wore orange jump suits reminiscent of those used by U.S.-held prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. That's an example that they will use anything in their arsenal for propaganda. And the bulletin also notes that the findings could spark online reaction and eventually influence homegrown violent extremists. The concern is that even though the memo is unlikely to lead to violence in the near term, it could eventually inflame extremists as it circulates on social media and picks up steam. So essentially give them justification for any actions they may do.

Now James Comey, the director of the FBI, met with reporters here in a round table session yesterday and he echoed that sentiment saying the concern in the FBI is whether this memo will generate any activity overseas or from homegrown violent extremists.

But other than, that Carol, he stayed tight-lipped on the memo. Back to you.

COSTELLO: All right. Pamela Brown, thanks so much.

Let's go back to John Boehner's weekly presser. He's taking questions now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is that what you meant by being the most transparent and open congress in 2010 when you came in?

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: The Congress is very concerned about taxpayer funding of political activities. And if you'll recall correctly, when we did the Children's Research Act, we eliminated taxpayer funding of conventions. And this provision was worked out in a bipartisan way to allow those who are organizing conventions the opportunity to raise the money from private sources as opposed to using taxpayer funds.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Mr. Speaker, that's one provision but that's not the only one that deals with D.C. marijuana law, campaign finance is one -- new light bulbs, rules on torture; this is exactly this is the kind of Christmas tree bill throwing everything on that you campaigned on and you, again, you promised not to do this.

BOEHNER: Understand, all these provisions in this bill have been worked out in a bipartisan bicameral fashion or they wouldn't be in the bill.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (inaudible), how can this new American Congress be voting for this and a few American people are getting anything different than when you had before?

BOEHER: When we get to the end of a two-year session of congress, a lot of work gets built up that never gets across one floor or the other floor. As a result, when we get to the end of sessions members are trying to find a way to get their legislation across the finish line. Because of not really issues on the house side, more issues on the Senate side to facilitate their ability to move legislation some of this stuff ends up in one bill.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (inaudible). You said last week that waiting to this week there would be a lot of negotiations -- marijuana (inaudible). Then lawmakers said wait a minute, you're trying to jam the Senate against the final deadline and then the Senate -- they can then filibuster. Is that one of the reasons you're telling the (inaudible)

BOEHNER: It took this long to put this bill together. When you look at the number of agreements that had to be struck on funding levels, on riders and other provisions, there's a lot in this bill. And the appropriators did, frankly, a marvelous job. I wish it had been done last week but it wasn't. And so here we are. I'm proud of the work that they've done; look forward to it passing with bipartisan majorities in the house and Senate in the coming days. Thanks.

COSTELLO: And that was that.

We expected the House Speaker to talk about this terror report or this CIA torture report but he did not. He did talk about a spending bill. As you saw Dana Bash was in the front row. When she gets out of the briefing room she can brief us about exactly what went on.

Also still to come, a White House briefing -- that's just minutes away. Will the administration discuss the torture report and growing fears of retaliation? CNN's Jim Acosta will be here with a preview.

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COSTELLO: All right. Let's go back to Capitol Hill and bring in Dana Bash. She's our chief congressional correspondent. She was listening to Speaker Boehner's weekly news -- I guess it was his press briefing to be specific and technical. And Dana, I think what I heard from there is there will be no government shutdown. They've averted it, is that right?

BASH: Absolutely. And that is something that the House Speaker has been promising for some time and that's also been promised from Republicans and Democrats in the Senate and the news over the last 24 hours is that they have finally crafted a deal on a very, very large bill, over a trillion dollars to fund most of the government through next year.

And this is really the first time -- people at home may not be surprised considering the way Congress has been working or not working lately -- it's the first time in years that they've crafted new bills to fund the government as opposed to just kicking the can down the road and doing what they call continuing resolutions.

Because of that there is a lot in this many, many, many paged bill to do the basic functions and funding of the government but also sort of as history shows, Congress likes to put goodies on the last train leaving the station and policy riders, as they're called, and that's also in this bill. Things that really have nothing to do with spending like the D.C. marijuana law, campaign finance laws, even something dealing with the way portraits are made and hung in the Capitol.

So those are some things that we were asking the House Speaker about. I should say that part of the frustration that House Republicans have had for years since the Democrats have been in charge in the Senate is that they do, do their job; they do pass their so-called spending bills and then nothing happens in the Senate, it kind of gets stuck there. So that's part of the frustration why they are doing it this way.

But it is certainly not the way business is supposed to be done here in Congress. But I think we have been able to say that about a whole bunch of things that's been happening here over the past several years -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Dana Bash reporting live. Thanks so much.

U.S. troops are on alert this morning as jihadists issue a worldwide call for retaliation on Web sites and in social media Muslims extremists are seizing on Washington's release of that so-called torture report and its description of the brutal interrogation of some 9/11 terror suspects.

And against that backdrop, a White House briefing that's just minutes away. CNN's Jim Acosta will be covering it. He joins us live now. Good morning -- Jim.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. That's right. This is an especially important briefing this morning because it will be the first time we're hearing from White House press secretary Josh Earnest on camera about the release of this torture report. He did comment in a gaggle with reporters on Air Force One yesterday and he was asked, you know, whether or not the President stands by his claim that these harsh interrogation tactic which were laid bare in that torture report, whether he believes that that amounted to torture. And Josh Ernest told reporters yes, the president still feels that way.

What is going to be interesting to hear I think play out during the course of this brief, Carol and I think we heard some of this yesterday, this has been part of the conversation since this report was released is whether or not the White House believe in light of what's been released to the public, and keep in mind the public is seeing for the first time some details they had not seen before whether or not the Obama administration, Justice Department should try to go after some of these people inside the CIA who were responsible for this program and bring about prosecutions. So far the Justice Department has indicated that that is not going to happen and the President has said in his statement yesterday and in some of these interviews that perhaps the country should move forward.

That is a sign, I think that's an indication that the President's inclination is that the Justice Department should not do that. But, of course, you're hearing a lot of critics on the left saying, you know, these are violations of U.S. Law. These are violations of international law and they need to be investigated and they need to brought in to the court system here in the U.S. if not on the international court system level and I think you're going to hear that question come up quite a bit during this briefing in just a few minutes.

Well, it's scheduled to start in just a few minutes. They don't always start on time, Carol.

COSTELLO: We know that very well -- Jim.

ACOSTA: But in just a few moments -- that's right, Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Jim Acosta, you stand by.

I'm going to take a break and hopefully on the other side that briefing will have started. I'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: How critical were enhanced interrogation tactics in finding Osama bin Laden? Like everything else in Washington, there is disagreement, even after the release of the so-called torture report. CNN's Brian Todd has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: One of the most successful intelligence operations in American history, the hunt for Osama bin Laden and the raid that killed him. But top Democrats on the Senate intelligence committee say no meaningful clues, no key evidence in that decade-long search came from enhanced interrogation techniques like waterboarding, sleep deprivation, and stress positions.

SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D), CALIFORNIA: Actionable intelligence that was quote, "otherwise unavailable". Otherwise unavailable was not obtained using these coercive interrogation techniques.

TODD: The CIA and Senate Republicans dispute that saying detainees in CIA custody who had been the subject of those techniques helped lead the agency to a man named Abu Ahmed al Kuwaiti.

SEN. SAXBY CHAMBLISS (R): The al Qaeda facilitator who served as Osama bin Laden's personal courier and the man who ultimately led CIA intelligence analysts and the Navy SEALs to bin Laden himself.

TODD: This interrogation depicted in the Hollywood blockbuster "Zero Dark 30" is believed to be that of Amar Al-Balucci, a detainee who the CIA says told them al Kuwaiti was bin Laden's courier after interrogation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's the target? Where was the last time you saw bin Laden?

TODD: The CIA says that information quote, "fundamentally changed our assessment of the currier's potential importance to our hunt for Bin Laden". The intelligence committee and the CIA are also sparring over the importance of another detainee named Hassan Gul who also gave the CIA information on bin Laden's courier. The intelligence committee says quote, "the most accurate information on Abu Ahmed al Kuwaiti was provided by a CIA detainee who has not yet been subjected to the CIA's enhanced interrogation techniques." The CIA and its former deputy director John McLaughlin say Ghul gave up a very critical piece of intelligence about the courier after his interrogation. JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, FORMER CIA DEPUTY DIRECTOR: It takes us pretty far

by saying this guy delivered a letter from bin Laden to the operations chief, Abu Perez al Libby. That sort of nails the fact that he's in touch with bin Laden and that he's actually doing things for him.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: But McLaughlin acknowledges the information given by those detainees who got stressful interrogation was just one piece of a much larger intelligence mosaic that led to the bin Laden raid. He says years of signals collection, overhead photography, other human intelligence were crucial in taking down the al Qaeda leader.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

COSTELLO: Checking other top stories for you at 50 minutes past the hour.

An aviation task force is calling for all commercial planes to be tracked every 15 minutes. The new global standards unveiled this morning follow the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight 370. The recommendations would allow for real-time tracking if the plane goes off its intended flight path no matter where it is. Airlines that don't have the equipment to perform this tracking have one year to get it done.

Ebola fighters are "Time" magazine's Persons of the Year. The magazine says it's, quote, "the ones who answered the call". "Time" bases its decision each year on the person or persons editors feel had the most effect on the news and our lives.

Among those covered is Ebola survivor Dr. Kent Brantly. Brantly was honored Tuesday for his medical missionary work. Other 2014 contenders included the Ferguson protesters, Vladimir Putin and Taylor Swift.

This morning the FAA announced it is clearing four more companies for commercial drone use. The agency's announcement in this morning's Congressional sub-committee hearing on drones come amid mounting safety concerns, concerns highlighted by the FAA's own report on near collisions between drones and passenger planes.

Rene Marsh has more.

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RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It could be the closest a drone has ever come to crashing into a commercial jet filled with passengers. That's according to a report due this week from British safety investigators. The incident happened as the airbus A-320 was approaching London's Heathrow Airport. At 700 feet in the air, a high risk near collision. A model helicopter or drone flew over the plane's left wing, missing by about 20 feet.

FRED ROGGERO, AVIATION SAFETY EXPERT: Well, that's exceptionally close. That is exceptionally close in an airport. MARSH: It's a disturbing trend. An FAA report last month detailed

dangerous close calls at some of the nation's busiest airports. In just one day, three pilots on different planes reported close calls near LaGuardia airport in New York City.

MARK DOMBROFF, AVIATION ATTORNEY: I think we need to see some vigorous prosecution, both civilly as well as criminally in order to send the message that this is not acceptable.

MARSH: Lawmakers like Dianne Feinstein agree. In a letter to the FAA last week, she raised alarm over more than 190 incidents reported to the FAA in the last nine months, urging stronger enforcement.

Drones are not allowed to fly commercially without FAA approval. Hobbyist cans supply small drones from 400 feet but away from airports. The problem is some people are breaking the rules.

DOMBROFF: People who either want to push the system, who are ignoring the system or who are just so arrogant they don't care about the system.

MARSH: We've seen the damage a small bird can do -- a flock of birds took out both engines on United 1559 forcing the pilot, Captain Sully Sullenberger, to land on the Hudson River. A small drone impact could do the same or worse, a fatal crash.

One frightening possibility, a drone smashes into the wing of a plane where fuel is stored. The impact could cause an explosion.

Rene Marsh, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Still to come in the newsroom, the rain falls on the royals and non-royals alike. It's just the reporters covering them. Actually, Jeanne Moos has a really funny take on this. You'll like it. It's next.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONAN O'BRIEN, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Yesterday, Prince William and Kate Middleton, who are in the United States, yesterday they went to a Nets game where they met Jay-Z. Yes, Jay-Z and this is what happened. Jay-Z ignored etiquette rules and he put his hand on Prince William's arm.

Yes, long story short, we are now at war with Britain. That's a true story. Now Jay-Z has 99 problems and the Prince is one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The media storm over the royal couple's New York visit was no match for Mother Nature, however. Will and Kate had protection from the heavy rain. It was the reporters who needed some help. CNN's Jeanne Moos has the story.

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JEANNE MOOS, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: Reporter: don't you hate to wake up to this on the last day of a trip? While mere mortals battled with their umbrellas and lost their hats, the duchess showed up in bright pink wearing a ponytail on a bad hair day. The kind of day even a Prince trips on a rain mat. They laid flowers at one of the 9/11 reflecting pools and later --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got a problem? What happened?

MOOS: -- sat inches away from a performance by a youth group. But mostly they acted cheerful and were cheered despite the miserable weather.

But don't feel bad for the slightly soggy royals. Save your pity for the bedraggled and berated press. Following the royals doesn't exactly mean they get the royal treatment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Back up, back up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go, go, go -- faster, faster.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on guys.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're not going to get your shot if you're not there.

MOOS: The weather had improved slightly by the time Prince William arrived atop the Empire State Building, though relations with the press, ouch, were still a bit stormy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get out of our space, let us work.

MOOS: Kate, five months pregnant, skipped the Empire State Building stop. Anyway, who wants to smell like wet wool in a $2,300 mulberry coat? Everything she wears seems to sell out. The Goat coat that she wore Monday from a fashion house called "Goat" has sold out. The same goes for the Tory Birch coat she wore to the basketball game where she in the Prince met Jay-Z and Beyonce. But leave it to King James to inquire about the princess' fashion.

LEBRON JAMES, NBA PLAYER: What size shoe are you?

PRINCE WILLIAM, GREAT BRITAIN: Probably half the size as you.

JAMES: I've got to get you some, man.

MOOS: Delivered with an arm slung around the duchess, a breach of protocol, a royal spokesperson told NBC. But if we slung our arm around her, we'd end up in a sling.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Turn around and keep moving.

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not going to tell you again.

MOOS: New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Still, how does she manage to look so perfect in the rain? It's amazing. You know me, I love me my Kate.

Thank you for joining me today. I'm Carol Costello.

"@THIS HOUR WITH BERMAN AND MICHAELA" starts now.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN HOST: Hello everyone. I'm John Berman.

MIKHAILA PEREIRA, CNN HOST: And I'm Mikhaila Pereira at this hour - we're waiting to hear from the White House for the first time since that --