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War on ISIS; Kerry Cites Demands for Russia; President Obama speaks at the annual Prayer Breakfast

Aired February 05, 2015 - 09:00   ET

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

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: They have a whole team around. And Jane says he's going to figure his plans. He is going to keep working at the factory, though. And he has a perfect attendance record. So thank you for making the "Good Stuff" even better.

A lot of news.

Morgan, thank you.

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: Always good to have you.

A lot of news. Let's get you to the "NEWSROOM" with Carol Costello.

No wallabies there.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: No, but I -- but I saw that little wallaby in the makeup room and we bonded.

(LAUGHTER)

Have a great day.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks a lot, Carol.

CUOMO: His hair does look good.

COSTELLO: Thanks, guys. Brought a smile to my face. Have a great day.

NEWSROOM starts now.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

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

Right now the war on ISIS escalates to a new level. Jordan unleashes its first wave of new airstrikes on ISIS and could electrify the U.S.- led offensive on the terror group.

CNN's Atika Shubert is in Jordan's capital where fighter jets have been seen overhead. But let's begin with Barbara Starr. She's at the Pentagon this morning. Good morning.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. U.S. officials telling CNN at this hour Jordanian and U.S. war planes are returning along with other coalition warplanes from that round of airstrikes against ISIS in Syria.

These are the Jordanian airstrikes that King Abdullah has been working on behind the scenes. This is Jordan's retribution for its retaliation for the murder of its pilot.

Is this going to change the coalition? Not likely. This is going to be the same strategy but Jordan making a very, very strong statement in going after ISIS. We are likely to see additional airstrikes in the coming hours.

Jordan is being accompanied in the air by U.S. warplanes. The U.S. providing support with intelligence, reconnaissance, surveillance and targeting support because on the ground the question is, what is ISIS up to? We know the ISIS fighters are basically trying to disappear into the woodwork, if you will. Take off your uniforms, mingle with civilian population, lower their profile so they're not struck by warplanes overhead.

So the target set finding the ISIS targets may be very difficult but Jordanian warplanes now carrying out that strategy -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I was just going to ask you about targets, Barbara. Are the targets within Syria? Within Iraq? Do we know?

STARR: Every indication at this hour, Carol, is that they are in Syria and that Jordan most likely trying to go after ISIS targets in northern Syria, the basic ISIS stronghold where many of the hostages are believed to have been held and killed by ISIS.

This is going to be very direct by Jordan. This is going to be their very precise effort to establish that they are enacting their strategy, their policy, using their warplanes, mainly their F-16s, against ISIS in northern Syria -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Barbara Starr, thanks so much.

So, Atika Shubert, you saw some of those F-16s flying overhead earlier today. Tell us about that.

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. We saw four F-16s flying over the skies of Amman but also the village of Aya. And that's critical because that is where the Jordanian pilot Moath al-Kasasbeh comes from.

And in fact at that moment King Abdullah was meeting with his father, Saif al-Kasasbeh, and we understand from CNN correspondent Jomana Karadsheh who spoke with the father that King Abdullah told him that those fighter jets were returning from a mission in Syria specifically targeting the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa. So it does seem that Jordan's retaliation is now underway. We do hope to get more details from the Jordanian military. They said

they will be putting out a statement shortly with more specifics about what those fighters and other fighters hit over the course of the day.

COSTELLO: And, Atika, the king really means business. On the royal court's Facebook page he posted a picture of himself in full military dress. When he was visiting the United States earlier this week a senator told us that King Abdullah said that payback would remind people of Clint Eastwood in the movie "Unforgiven." And of course in that film Eastwood plays a western gunfighter who makes it his mission to go after the bad guys. So this is all a demonstration that Jordan means business this time, correct?

SHUBERT: Correct. This is not simply a demonstration or a show of power. This has affected King Abdullah personally. I think that's why we see the images that we do now with him in the military uniform. Let's not forget he is a trained helicopter pilot, for example. And he actually told the Kasasbeh family that the loss of Moath al- Kasasbeh feels like a loss of his own family.

And I think it goes to show actually that not only is King Abdullah personally affected but almost every Jordanian I've spoken to here says they feel that this has personally affected them because they feel that this is an insult, not only to Jordan but to the religion of Islam, and this is really rejuvenated their fight against ISIS. It has really solidified public opinion, not just in Jordan but across the Arab world. So this could be a major turning point in the fight against ISIS.

COSTELLO: All right. Atika Shubert reporting live from Amman, Jordan this morning.

Let's bring in Jon Alterman. He's the director at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. I'm also joined by CNN military analyst Colonel Peter Mansoor.

Welcome to both of you.

JON ALTERMAN, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: Thank you, Carol.

COL. PETER MANSOOR, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Thanks, Carol.

COSTELLO: Colonel, I want to start with you. You know, you heard what Barbara Starr said. These ISIS terrorists are trying to blend in with the civilian population to save themselves so what is Jordan targeting exactly you think?

MANSOOR: Well, again they're getting any targets that come out into the open. Any fixed facilities that have been identified as being part of the Islamic State government, and anything that basically that we can identify for them because we have better intelligence assets than they do.

This campaign will actually take -- the immediate revenge campaign will take a number of days because Islamic State fighters can't stay hidden forever. And as they come out into the open they can be targeted and destroyed.

COSTELLO: So would one of their targets be Raqqa in Syria which has become the de facto capital of ISIS, do you think, Colonel?

MANSOOR: I'm sure of it. If you want to send a message to the Islamic State, you have to hit their capital, their self-proclaimed capital of Raqqa. So I'm almost positive that that's on the target list. Any kind of facilities they can identify within that city as being part of the Islamic State will get hit.

COSTELLO: And, John, I would suppose the difficulty of that, there are many, many civilians living in Raqqa. So, you know, ISIS just sort of moved in and took over and is sort of governing that city, but, you know, sadly a number of civilians might pay the price for what ISIS has done.

ALTERMAN: And what ISIS will try to do is take whatever images they have of civilian suffering and turn that into more propaganda videos. If you look at the 22-minute video that ISIS released with the murder of Lieutenant Kasasbeh, more than 15 minutes was an indictment of Jordan and talking about civilian casualties.

They are looking to be in this battle and what they're trying to do is use their weakness as a sign of strength to recruit and try to gain support. I think, though, that the inhumanity of this attack is going to work against them in the Arab -- in the broader Arab public.

COSTELLO: Yes, because, Jonathan, we hear that this is a tipping point. The killing of this Jordanian pilot is a tipping point, but the problem with that -- it may or may not be a problem, I'm going to ask you -- is there is a contingency, a large contingency within Jordan that pledges allegiance to ISIS.

ALTERMAN: Well, I think there are people who are sympathetic to ISIS, but this murder in particular was so inhumane in the way it was done that I think even people who were sympathetic to the idea of Sunnis fighting against Shia, and those sorts of ideas which have been long popular in Jordan, there used to be support for Saddam Hussein in Jordan, but the inhumanity of this to kill a Muslim in this way is not Islamic, it's just barbaric.

And I think what the king is trying to do, one of the reasons you see so many pictures of him in an Arab headdress is he is trying to turn this into a tribal battle where he gets the tribes on his side fighting against people who want to up end the established order and the tribes are a group that the king thinks he can bring to his side. The tribes are a way to push ISIS out of a large part of this area in Iraq and Syria.

COSTELLO: OK. So the United States is helping Jordan in these efforts, but we know, Colonel, that not everybody within Jordan loves the United States. So how does that factor in with what Jon just said?

MANSOOR: I think the king is going to get his people -- rally his people behind his policy in this case. What ISIS did to a Jordanian pilot was just unconscionable. And even though they were trying to make a parallel between civilian casualties, the burning -- the explosions that kill people and burn them and then the burning of the Jordanian pilot, it will backfire on them.

Jordanians are Jordanians first and this will create a wave of nationalism within the country and they will rally around the flag.

COSTELLO: All right. Colonel Peter Mansoor, Jon Alterman, thanks to you both. I appreciate your insight.

ALTERMAN: Thank you, Carol.

COSTELLO: You're welcome.

Secretary of State John Kerry is calling out Russia as the violence intensifies between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists. Right now Kerry is wrapping up talks in Kiev with the president and prime minister there.

Kerry has three demands for Russia -- pull back heavy weapons that can reach big cities and towns, remove foreign troops and equipment from eastern Ukraine and close the border between Ukraine and Russia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: We cannot close our eyes to tanks that are crossing the border from Russia and coming in to Ukraine. We can't close our eyes to Russian fighters in unmarked uniforms crossing the border and leading individual companies of so-called separatists in battle.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Our chief national security correspondent Jim Sciutto is traveling with the secretary.

What else did he say, Jim?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, I'll tell you. What you have here is some truth talking going on from Secretary of State John Kerry, but also Western powers with President Hollande to France arriving later today. Angela Merkel of Germany. The key Western powers coming here now to Ukraine together because of what they call a grave escalation on the ground.

Just in the last several days civilian casualties mounting. Much more Russian aggression in the eastern part of this country. Much more Russian heavy equipment and heavy weapons coming across the border. And we have this just in now, carol, because there is now a Russian peace plan as it were on the table to move out of this. But let me give you the reaction of a Western official to that peace plan.

This Western diplomat says it is not a peace plan, it is a cynical effort to get out of all the commitments made in Minsk. This was the agreement, the talks a number of months ago that were meant to lead to a cease fire and a peaceful path forward here. But really the events on the ground making a mockery of that Western officials telling us here.

That does not mean that Secretary Kerry and others are losing all hope for a diplomatic solution. Secretary Kerry also said that there is still a diplomatic off-ramp available. Here's how he described them.

All right. Well, we had the sound there but the way he described it, he said, this is not to be seen as a battle between east and west, that that's not the way the west sees this, that they simply want an end to military action on the ground in eastern Ukraine.

The sad fact is, though, Carol, it's been escalating, not de- escalating. And that's despite the fact that you have very powerful, very painful economic sanctions being imposed on the Russian economy at the same time as the price of oil is falling. That's really hurting the Russian economy as well.

One thing that Secretary Kerry has announced when he came here is another $16 million in humanitarian aid. But I'll tell you, when you speak to Ukrainians in private, though they are thanking the West and the U.S. in public, in private, what they really want is military help. This is something we talked earlier in the week.

It is said that the U.S. administration is reconsidering the possibility of sending lethal military aid to Ukraine, but that decision is far from made. Meanwhile, Russian forces and pro-Russian separatists making big gains on the ground. Hundreds of square miles gained of territory in the last several months, Carol.

You know, I've been covering this story for a number of months and the descriptions of the situation on the ground that I'm hearing from U.S. officials I've never heard it more grave. The level of concern very intense. That's why you're seeing Secretary Kerry here. That's why you're seeing President Hollande, Angela Merkel coming here as well, trying to get a unified voice in opposition to this from the west and the NATO powers.

COSTELLO: All right. Jim Sciutto, thanks so much. We'll take you live and get reaction from Ukraine, too, next.

Also President Obama is at the Annual Prayer Breakfast, and he's speaking now. We'll bring you back to Capitol Hill, too, after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

All right. This is the Annual Prayer Breakfast In Washington at the Washington Hilton at DuPont Circle. The president is speaking as the president always does at such things.

President Obama now talking about what his faith means to him. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: For all of us. And certainly strengthened me with the power through his spirit as I've sought his guidance, not just in my own life but in the life of our nation.

Now over the last few months we've seen a number of challenges, certainly over the last six years, but part of what I want to touch on today is the degree to which we've seen professions of faith used both as an instrument of great good but also twisted and misused in the name of evil.

As we speak, around the world we see faith inspiring people to lift up one another, to feed the hungry and care for the poor, and comfort the afflicted and make peace where there is strife. We heard the good work the sister has done in Philadelphia and the incredible work that Dr. Brantley and his colleagues have done.

We see faith driving us to do right, but we also see faith being twisted and distorted, used as a wedge, or worse, sometimes used as a weapon. From a school in Pakistan to the streets of Paris we have seen violence and terror perpetrated by those who profess to stand up for faith, their faith. Profess to stand up for Islam but in fact are betraying it.

We see ISIL, a brutal, vicious death cult that in the name of religion carries out unspeakable acts of barbarism, terrorizing religious minorities like the Yazidis. Subjecting women to rape as a weapon of war. And claiming the mantle of religious authority for such actions.

We see sectarian war in Syria, the murder of Muslims and Christians in Nigeria, religious war in the Central African Republic, a rising tide of anti-Semitism and hate crimes in Europe so often perpetrated in the name of religion.

So how do we as people of faith reconcile these realities? The profound good, the strength, the tenacity, the compassion and love that can flow from all of our faiths operating alongside those who seek to hijack religions for their own murderous ends.

The humanity has been grappling with these questions throughout human history. Unless we get on our high horse and think this is unique to some other place, remember that during the crusades and the inquisition people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ.

In our home country slavery and Jim Crow all too often was justified in the name of Christ.

Michelle and I have returned from India, an incredible, beautiful country full of this magnificent diversity, but a place where in past years religious faiths of all types of -- on occasion been targeted by other peoples of faith simply due to their heritage and their beliefs, acts of intolerance that would have shocked Gandhi, the person who helped to liberate that nation.

This is not unique to one group or one religion. There is a tendency in us, a sinful tendency that can pervert and distort our faith. In today's world when hate groups have their own Twitter accounts and bigotry can fester and hidden places in cyber space, it can be even harder to counteract such intolerance, but God compels us to try. And in this mission I believe there are few principles that can guide

us, particularly those of us who profess to believe. And, first, we should start with some basic humility. I believe that the starting point of faith is some doubt, not being so full of yourself and so confident that you are right and that God speaks only to us. And doesn't speak to others.

That God only cares about us and doesn't care about others, that somehow we alone are in possession of the truth.

Our job is not to ask that God respond to our notion of truth, our job is to be true to him, his word and his commandments and we should assume humbly that we're confused and don't always know what we're doing and we're staggering and stumbling towards him, and have some humility in that process.

And that means we have to speak up against those who would misuse his name to justify oppression or violence or hatred with that fierce certainty. No god condones terror. No grievance justifies the taking of innocent lives or the oppression of those who are weaker, or fewer in number.

And so as people of faith, we are summoned to push back against those who try to distort our religion, any religion for their own nihilistic ends. And here at home and around the world we will constantly reaffirm that fundamental freedom, freedom of religion, the right to practice our faith, how we choose to change our faith if we choose to practice no faith at all if we choose. And to do so free of persecution and fear and discrimination.

There's wisdom in our founders writing in those documents that helped found this nation the notion of freedom of religion because they understood the need for humility. They also understood the need to uphold freedom of speech, that there was a connection between freedom of speech and freedom of religion. To infringe on one right under the pretext of protecting another is a betrayal of both.

But part of humility is also recognizing in modern, complicated, diverse societies the functioning of these rights, the concern for the protection of these rights calls for each of us to exercise civility and restraint and judgment. And if, in fact, we defend the legal right of a person to insult another's religion, we're equally obligated to use our free speech to condemn such insults and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with religious communities.

(APPLAUSE)

Particularly religious minorities who are targets of such attacks. Just because you have the right to say something doesn't mean the rest of us shouldn't -- shouldn't question those who would insult others in the name of free speech because we know that our nations are stronger when people of all faiths feel that they are welcome, that they, too, are full and equal members of our countries. So humility, I think, is needed.

And the second thing we need is to uphold the distinction between our faith and our governments, between church and between state. The United States is one of the most religious countries in the world. Far more religious than most Western developed countries, and one of the reasons is that our founders wisely embraced the separation of church and state.

Our government does not sponsor a religion, nor does it pressure anyone to practice a particular faith or any faith at all. And the result is a culture where people of all backgrounds and beliefs can freely and proudly worship without fear or coercion so that when you listen to Darryl talk about his faith journey, you know it's real. You know he's not saying it because it helps him advance or because somebody told him to. It's from the heart.

That's not the case in theocracies that restrict people's choice of faith. That's not the case in authoritarian governments that elevate an individual leader or a political party above the people or in some cases above the concept of God himself.

So the freedom of religion is a value we will continue to protect here at home and stand up for around the world and is one that we guard vigilantly here in the United States.

You know, last year we joined together to pray for the release of Christian missionary Kenneth Bae held in North Korea for two years, and today we give thanks that Kenneth is finally back where he belongs, home with his family.

(APPLAUSE)

Last year we prayed together for Pastor Saeed Abedini detained in Iran since 2012 and I was recently in Boise, Idaho, and had the opportunity to meet with Pastor Abedini's beautiful wife and wonderful children and to convey to them that our country has not forgotten Brother Saeed and that we're doing everything we can to bring him home.

(APPLAUSE)

And then I received an extraordinary letter from Pastor Abedini. And in it he describes his captivity and expressed his gratitude for my visit with his family, and thanked us all for standing in solidarity with him during his captivity.

And Pastor Abedini wrote, "Nothing is more valuable to the body of Christ than to see how the Lord is in control and moves ahead of countries and leadership through united prayer." And he closed his letter by describing himself as prisoner for Christ who is proud to be part of this great nation, the United States of America, that cares for religious freedom around the world.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDETAPE)

COSTELLO: All right, President Obama speaking at the annual Prayer Breakfast. In the audience, 3,600 international and national leaders listening to his message of faith. Also in the audience, the Dalai Lama. Kind of controversial because China doesn't exactly like the Dalai Lama. It will be interesting to see if the president actually co-mingles with the Dalai Lama because China would be very upset if the president did so. We'll keep you posted.

To those of us just -- to those of you just joining me, good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me.