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Wake to Be Held for NYPD Officer; Seven Arrested for Threats Against NYPD; Sony's 'The Interview' Drawing Crowds; Jordanian Pilot Being Held by ISIS

Aired December 26, 2014 - 07:00   ET

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


MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Police have come, sometimes alone, others in groups. All with a show of respect, their grief unmistakable.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's sad. It's really hurting me. Even though I'm not a police officer, but it just -- it really got to me, to watch this on TV with my family.

MARQUEZ: Like NYPD funerals before, an enormous display of respect and grief will blanket the Glendale section of Queens, as officers from across the country remember one of their own.

MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO, (D) NEW YORK: Now bow our heads in memory of Officer Ramos and Officer Liu.

MARQUEZ: Wenjian Liu's funeral is still being planned as the city and country grieve. JetBlue Airlines is working to fly family members from China and has offered to fly two officers from any law enforcement agency along its route to the funerals.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUEZ: JetBlue says that they have now some 600 individuals that they'll bring from different departments around the country here to New York. That will add to the number that NYPD is preparing for here.

Organizations across the city have raised thousands of dollars for each of the families. The New York Mets even extending an invitation for the Ramos family to come to a spring training camp. All of this as we wait for this neighborhood in Queens to be transformed into a wall, an absolute ocean of blue -- Poppy.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Remembering them and thanking them for their extraordinary service to the city. Miguel Marquez, thank you very much.

Let's talk more about the shooting deaths of those two New York City police officers followed by months of protests against police over what some deem as harsh tactics, too harsh tactics being deployed in black and minority communities. This national debate has connected different cases, different shooting deaths across the country.

In Milwaukee, the decision not to indict a police officer for the shooting death of a mentally ill black man back in April has sparked anger and more protests this week. Let's talk about that and a whole lot more.

Joining me to discuss all of this is Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke.

Thank you for being with me, sir, and thank you for your more than three decades of service. We appreciate it.

DAVID CLARKE, MILWAUKEE COUNTY SHERIFF: It's my pleasure. It's been a pleasure to serve.

HARLOW: Let me ask you this. Seven people in New York City right here, arrested in connection with 40 different threats online against New York City police officers. This following the assassination of those two officers last week. Have you seen any similar threats in your community?

CLARKE: Well, police officers on a daily basis live in a state of hypervigilance about their exterior surroundings.

But what's going on in New York right now, and many other cities across America, here in Milwaukee, as well, is this unjustified, if you will, hatred toward the police. And that pathway was created recently by some very powerful people in the United States who have made some very inflammatory comments about our American police officers. That being Mayor de Blasio, that being President Obama and that being Eric Holder.

So I don't -- I'm not going to engage in hyperbole and say that they caused what's going on. But like I said, they created that pathway for purely political purposes, and I think that's what the shame is here.

HARLOW: Let me ask you this. Because I watched live on CNN as this news unfolded over the weekend about the two officers being killed. I watched Mayor de Blasio speak at the press conference, and I've seen him in the days after going to the memorial site, et cetera.

And my question to you is, see I've also watched the video of the police officers, some of them turning their back on the mayor, right, believing that he has not been supportive of them. What would you like to see happen? What would you like to see from Mayor de Blasio, from the president, from Attorney General Eric Holder?

CLARKE: Well, both of these individuals have had several chances to come out of the gate and say something responsible and say something to calm things down.

What I'd like to hear from Mayor de Blasio right now, because I think there's a way forward for him. But the first thing he's going to have to do is disavow any further association with race hustler Al Sharpton. Al Sharpton is a vulgar human being. He's divisive, and he spews hate. I think that would be a huge first step, and it would be a good-faith gesture toward the New York Police Department, where the mayor could exemplify that he's going to change his tune; he's going to start supporting that police department.

And if it weren't for the NYPD officers, that city would collapse into utter chaos, and he knows that. But again, politics trumped reasonableness from the mayor, and now he's paying for that. The chickens are coming home to roost.

HARLOW: Sheriff, let me ask you about this case with -- in Milwaukee and the protest of the shooting of Dontre Hamilton back in April. The D.A. just decided -- it's taken months -- just decided not to press any charges here.

This was a mentally ill man that the officer says grabbed the officer's baton, struck him with it.

Then the officer shot and killed the man. You call these protesters anarchist groups exploiting tragic situations to create chaos. Are you saying there is no merit in these protests?

CLARKE: None whatsoever. Unequivocally, none whatsoever.

Let me give you a brief statistic in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 2012 and 2013, 80 percent of the murder victims in our city are black. Seventy-five percent of the suspects in those murders are black. It's the black-on-black homicide we ought to be outraged about and we ought to be protesting instead of the slight...

HARLOW: But can't we have...

CLARKE: Well, wait a minute, wait a minute, though. These things that happen with law enforcement officers, tragic. No doubt about that. But they are a sliver of what's going on in America's ghettos today, and it's the black-on-black crime. So if we want to have the discussion, let's have an objective one.

HARLOW: OK. But can't we have both of these discussions side by side? Because looking at this data, from a brand-new CNN/ORC poll, what it showed is that 42 percent of the nonwhite community believe that most or some police officers are prejudiced against blacks.

Given what the numbers bear out, do you not think that there is a basis to have a conversation about this, alongside of a conversation about black-on-black crime? Why can't we have them both? Why are they not both important?

CLARKE: Well, I'm not saying we can't have both. But -- but many of the individuals who are in this thing for nefarious purposes, they don't want to have the other one that I'm talking about.

So the 42 percent, I'd say show me the data, that supports your position. And let's have an objective reasonable conversation. Strip away the emotion. Strip away the distortions. Strip away the lies and the myths about America police officers, and then we can have that discussion.

But until somebody shows me -- I'll give you another piece of data here. Since 1999, police deadly use of deadly force against black males is down 75 percent. In 2011 and 2012, 386 white people were killed by police officers; 140 black people were killed by police officers in that same time period.

So I'm just saying let's put the data out there. And let's have an objective discussion minus the emotion and the rhetoric.

HARLOW: Sheriff, let me ask you about this. On December 23, just a few days ago, Mitch Smith, a reporter for "The New York Times," tweeted that he followed you, and then within hours you blocked him and sent him this message. I'm going to read the tweet that he says was a direct message from you to him.

Quote, "If only these faux protesters were asked by media about all the black-on-black killing or black babies aborted in the U.S. every year." A, is his reporting correct? Did you send him that message? And B, if so, what did you mean by it?

CLARKE: Yes, I did. And that's -- you know, when I hear these things that black lives matter, the only people that really believe that statement are American police officers, who go into American ghettos every day to keep people from killing each other. All right? So yes, I did send that, and I meant it.

The abortion, black lives, if they really mattered, that's where the outrage would be, that's what we'd see protests about. But when you see the black-on-black homicide that happens on a very frequent basis, we don't see protests. We don't see marches. We don't see demands for change.

So this has been a one-way conversation that I'm just trying to present a counter-narrative to balance this thing. And so that we can have that discussion.

But what I'm sensing from the media, I mean, when you started out this thing, you talk about a mentally disturbed man in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Yes, he's mentally disturbed. But the fact is he was attacking a police officer with a nightstick made out of hickory, that's designed -- the police officer's nightstick -- that's designed to break bones, and if used in the wrong area like a head -- and we train our officers, don't use this thing toward the head, because you could kill somebody or cause great bodily harm.

So this individual took that nightstick and was wielding it in an offensive manner against a police officer. And we want to brush that aside and talk about the fact that he was died and 14 shots were fired. And that stuff's all true. But that officer was under attack, and he responded appropriately under the rule of law.

HARLOW: And what I said at the outset was that he struck the officer with the baton.

Let me ask you this, because we're going to have the memorial today for Officer Ramos and then a funeral tomorrow in New York City. The vice president, Joe Biden, will be attending that funeral. You have accused the White House, as you were telling me earlier, about fanning the flames of political discourse. Are you encouraged to see that the vice president is going to go to

this funeral? Are you encouraged at what you're seeing in reaction from the White House to these two slain officers?

CLARKE: Not at all. I think they're offering up the J.V. team, as the president phrased it, he's used recently at some world events. I'd like to see the president of the United States show up in New York at this funeral. That would be a good-faith...

HARLOW: You think he should come back from Hawaii for this, be here?

CLARKE: ... step, and that would be -- Yes, I -- yes, I do.

HARLOW: Continue what you were saying. That would be a good-faith step and...?

CLARKE: That would be a good-faith step toward calming the waters, if you will, here. You know, sending a surrogate -- I don't know. I've got a little respect for Joe Biden. Joe Biden has been a supporter of law enforcement for many decades.

But again, you know, with what's going on, I think leadership is needed from the top, and the top would be the president of the United States. That would be powerful if he showed up at these funerals today or this weekend, I should say.

HARLOW: Sheriff Clarke, again, thank you for your service and your time this morning. We appreciate it.

CLARKE: It's my pleasure. Happy new year.

HARLOW: All right. Christine.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, Poppy. Great conversation.

Sony Pictures' controversial comedy, "The Interview," enters its second day now in theaters, after Sony pulled the satire over the huge cyberattack and threats of real-world violence against anyone going to the theaters to see it. Sony then reversed that decision. So far "The Interview" selling out in many of the 300-plus independent movie houses that have decided to run it. Online, it's the No. 1 seller on Google Play and YouTube.

Meanwhile, Sony's PlayStation and Microsoft's Xbox gaming networks both experiencing widespread problems, but there's no evidence the hack is related to "The Interview."

Rosa Flores is here now with what people are saying about the movie.

Good morning, Rosa.

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine.

A lot of the people that I talked to said that this was probably the best thing that happened to "The Interview." Why? Because of basic economics. Low supply, high demand, lots of people flocking to these independent theaters to watch the movie.

So what about the controversy versus the comedy? I talked to a lot of folks yesterday here in Manhattan, and they said all they wanted was a good laugh. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL ROSEN, MOVIE GOER: Anyone who should take this thing as being anything more than good satire.

MARISSA BALBNON-ROSEN, MOVIE GOER: It was very cartoony, as well. And just, like, biting off fingers, and it was funny. Funny humor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FLORES: So what about the box office numbers? Hear this. Now, these are industry estimates, reported by "Variety" today. One million dollars for "The Interview," which is huge for a movie that released in 331 theaters around the country. Some of these theaters only had one showing. So that is absolutely huge.

So what about the rentals? That's the other big question. Well, hear this. That's up to the company to release, and right now we don't know if those numbers will be released. But let me tell you something, Christine, if those numbers are good, the company is going to want to release those numbers, so they can brag about it.

ROMANS: Yes. But they would really like it to be in 3,000 screens, not just 300. So the best thing that could have happened is it recouped more of its $44 million investment in that film.

Let me ask you this. What about the apparent hack on Sony's PlayStation and Microsoft's Xbox Live? Do we know if it's related or who's behind it? Because somebody in my family sat down and made the decision to watch "The Interview" and then couldn't do it.

FLORES: You know, let's start with this: what a mess for parents who had cranky teenagers on Christmas who were stuck without gaming. This is one of the biggest gaming days of the year.

And so here's what we know. So the hacking group Lizard Squad took responsibility for this. They said that they overwhelmed servers. Of course, users went to Twitter. They were angry, pissed off that they couldn't use their gaming machines.

But here's what we do know. We do know that it has nothing to do with "The Interview." It was not related. And so there you have it. It's kind of an inconvenience on Christmas day, especially for a lot of parents who -- you know, they wanted to just keep their kids busy, and they couldn't do it with gaming.

ROMANS: Darn, they just had to watch TV. TV on Christmas day, the day after Christmas.

FLORES: I know.

ROMANS: Thank you so much, Rosa.

Let's get to Pamela Brown with some of the day's other top stories. Hi there.

BROWN: There's nothing wrong with TV, right?

ROMANS: I love TV. We love the news. Watch the news.

BROWN: Yes, we do. And on that note, let's take a look at some of the headlines on this Friday morning.

President Obama marking the end of the war in Afghanistan by spending Christmas night with the troops at a Marine Corps base in Hawaii we see here. He thanked the soldiers for their sacrifices in the months and years after 9/11, going so far as to declare Afghanistan will never be the source of another terror attack. Most of the remaining U.S. combat troops will be out of Afghanistan by the end of the week. The costs of the conflict, by the way, just over $1 trillion.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is playing Scrooge this year, canceling the holiday vacations for governor (SIC) -- government ministers. Most Russians can still take new year's holidays off from the 1st to the 12th, but Putin dropped a humbug on the Kremlin, saying the government cannot afford such expensive holidays. Russia's economy has been battered by falling oil prices and the plunging ruble.

Police in Hong Kong say they arrested 37 pro-democracy protesters overnight for disorderly conduct and criminal damage. That's on top of the dozen arrested the previous night in the central commercial district. And the first demonstrations since a huge protest camp was torn down earlier this month.

And talk about a special Christmas delivery. Two Pennsylvania Transit workers jumped into action when a woman went into labor on a subway train. With their adrenaline pumping -- you can only imagine -- they helped deliver the infant right there on board. On board the train. The mom and baby were taken to a Philadelphia hospital. They're said to be in good condition and doing just fine this morning.

HARLOW: And video of all of it. Video of all of that.

BROWN: I know, right?

HARLOW: The officer looked so happy carrying the little baby around.

BROWN: I'm sure.

ROMANS: That's the most terrifying thing that could ever happen: having a baby on a train.

BROWN: Quick labor.

HARLOW: It seems like, wow.

ROMANS: Thanks, for that, Pamela. A Jordanian pilot, part of the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS, is

being held hostage this morning by ISIS militants, his family now pleading for his freedom. We're going to look at what's being done and what should be done.

HARLOW: Also coming up, we're going to dig deep into the latest Ebola scare right here in the United States. A CDC worker exposed to the disease without knowing it. How did a mistake like this happen at the CDC? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: Welcome back to NEWS ROOM. For the second time in a month, a coalition airstrike has killed ISIS-appointed governor of Mosul in Iraq. He'd only been in office for 25 days since the former officeholder was also taken out by the U.S.-led coalition.

This comes as ISIS holds a Jordanian pilot whose plane came down in Syria earlier this week. The U.S. and Jordan reject ISIS claims that the group shot down that plane. But now the family of the pilot is left pleading for his freedom, and the Jordanian parliament is threatening grave consequences, should he be harmed.

We're joined now by retired Major General James "Spider" Marks. He's a CNN military analyst and the executive dean of the University of Phoenix. So nice to see you this morning. Happy holidays, sir.

MAJ. GEN. JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Hi, Christine, happy holidays.

ROMANS: Let's talk about this shoot-down, non-shoot-down of this Jordanian plane. This was a plane that was working with the coalition, hammering on these ISIS positions. For whatever reason, this Jordanian pilot is in the hands of ISIS. That has got to be terrifying for the Jordanian military and for all of the allies who are trying to -- to try to root out ISIS.

What do you make of the claim that they somehow shot this thing down? The government saying it's not possible.

MARKS: Well, Christine, I think the real point is the one that you made, which is we are where we are now. Whether he was shot down or not, I think is important in terms of our ability to continue to assess ISIS in their capabilities. And, oh, by the way, ISIS has a surface-to-air capability, which means they can probably go after targets like this.

ROMANS: You think they could take down a plane? They have the ability to take one down. Just maybe not in this case?

MARKS: Well, no, they do. Yes, they do.

I think what's important is what happens at this point going forward. Clearly, what we realize is any operation like this is not without its risks.

ROMANS: Right.

MARKS: And we have a view of what we've been doing in this ungoverned space of Iraq and Syria for the past many months as being somewhat antiseptic, in that there's little risk to use. We can go after these targets, and ISIS then kind of is going to try to disperse and we're going to go after them as best we can where they are. Clearly, there is risk, regardless of the type of operations that we take on.

ROMANS: What should be the proper response? Because clearly, military planners must have sat down at some point and said the number of strikes that we're going to undertake, the number of planes that are in the air, if there's an accident that happens or if someone winds up in the hand of ISIS, this is how we should respond. How should we respond?

MARKS: Oh, yes. There are plans in place. There are tactics, techniques and procedures. There are capabilities that the coalition has.

For example, there are -- there's a capability called DART, D-A-R-T, Downed Aircraft Rescue Ream. And that means, if a pilot is known to still possibly be alive, if there's a downed aircraft and there's a possibility of recovering the members of that aircraft, the coalition will go after and execute that mission. Obviously, it has to be done in a safe way. There has to be a risk mitigation. There are factors that you have to go through. But the capability exists to return those members back to their -- back to their brothers and sisters that are in those units.

ROMANS: Bottom line, if you're holding this Jordanian pilot, you're sleeping with both eyes open.

MARKS: True.

ROMANS: Because no question, there will be an attempt to get him back.

What about a blow to the coalition forces? Is this a blow to coalition forces? Or does it show that the coalition has been successful in these airstrikes? They've been bombarding these positions.

MARKS: No, it is -- it is certainly a blow to the coalition. But again, these are the types of calculations that go into the execution, the decision to execute these missions and then the execution, very precise execution. And certainly, challenges happen; things go bad.

ROMANS: Right.

MARKS: This pilot now is in bad guys' hands. Everything will be done to try to get him back. I'm not sure what that looks like right now, other than what we just discussed.

But clearly, there are risks associated with this. The key thing, in my mind, is how long will our coalition be able to sustain this type of new activity that it has? This is kind of -- Christine, it's not unlike a new form of

containment. In other words, we geographically bound this ungoverned space. And then within it do we let this barbarity occur?

ROMANS: Right.

MARKS: And we just kind of accept it? Or do we continue to go after targets one by one? If I was the next guy up in Mosul appointed by ISIS...

ROMANS: Yes.

MARKS: ... talk about sleeping with both eyes open.

ROMANS: yes, absolutely. Or maybe passing on that assignment.

Kurdish and Iraqi forces gearing up for another offensive to take Mosul. I'm glad you brought it up. What are we doing there? It's been taken by ISIS since June.

You've got another mayor, governor of that area has been taken down. Is that a sign that we are making progress, that perhaps Mosul could go back into the hands that the coalition wants to see?

MARKS: Absolutely. If we didn't think that was a possible outcome, if the Iraqi forces didn't want to reclaim this major city in the north, they wouldn't be taking this mission on. The United States wouldn't be -- wouldn't be in Iraq, back in Iraq providing the assistance necessary in order to get this job done.

Clearly, progress is being made, but as has been assessed, it's probably years before the ISF, the Iraqi Security Forces...

ROMANS: Right.

MARKS: ... are in a position to do something against threats like ISIS. And ISIS is going to morph.

ROMANS: Yes.

MARKS: If we were to eliminate ISIS tomorrow, it would morph into something else. Radical Islam, this form of terrorism, has an endurance that really is going to kind of baffle all of us. This is really a new type of an engagement that we're a part of.

ROMANS: So what should U.S. response be? Specifically, let's talk about Mosul. If you're talking about the Iraqis being able to try to retake Mosul: should there be advisers on the ground? Should it be more airstrikes? What should the U.S. do to help that process?

MARKS: Well, what the U.S. should do and what the U.S. can do at this point are essentially two separate things. The U.S. certainly could lend much more of a military hand to the Iraqi security forces. That has not been the position moving forward.

And I don't think the Iraqi security forces are in a position to absorb that type of help right now. So what's taking place is certainly air strikes, a lot of great intelligence. There's some additional command and control type capabilities.

The United States and its coalition partners have an immense amount of resources that -- enablers, if you will, both ground and air -- that can be used in order to effectively help the Iraqi and the Kurdish forces as they go after Mosul. There's a lot of outside as well as inside type of support that can be used.

ROMANS: And still, as you talk about that mutating cancer that is the radical Islam, the terrorism, you worry about the lone wolf attacks in the United States, even as you try to contain what's happening there in those borders. We'll talk about that next time.

Spider Marks, nice to see you. Thank you -- Poppy.

MARKS: Thanks, Christine.

HARLOW: Fascinating interview. And gosh, we just hope that that Jordanian pilot gets released.

MARKS: Coming up, a CDC worker being monitored after being exposed to Ebola, with -- having no idea that it even happened. How does something like this happen, especially at the CDC? What needs to change to prevent it from happening again? We're going to speak live with a former CDC disease detective.

Also, what is the latest innovation in science that will leave an indelible mark on all of us? We're going to get Fareed Zakaria's take, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: Welcome back to NEWS ROOM. Nice to see you all this morning.

Let's get to Pamela Brown for some of the day's top stories. Good morning.

BROWN: Good to see you all. Happy holidays.

Good morning to everyone at home, as well.

The New York City Police Department on heightened alert following the arrests of seven people. They're accused of making threats toward the NYPD. Two of the suspects allegedly targeted the home precinct, the very home precinct, of two officers shot dead.