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Ted Cruz Running for President; Crisis in Yemen; ISIS Group Calls for Killing of U.S. Troops. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired March 23, 2015 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:00] BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: An American and Canadian are believed to be among 11 young medical students suspected of traveling to Syria to work in ISIS-controlled hospitals.

So, you're looking now at nine of them, photos of nine of them. This Turkish official insists they have been brainwashed. This is how Turkey is characterizing it. And, as medical students, they may have gone to Syria simply to provide medical care even if their patients could be ISIS militants.

But, now in this new statement, some parents say they were just treating refugees. Let me quote part of this for you.

Quote: ""They have come to Turkey willingly to offer voluntary medical help to those refugees who are in need of medical care on Turkey's borders, but they have disappeared since and we do not know their whereabouts."

Many of the families are now living near the Turkish border right there with Syria vowing not to leave without their children.

Meantime, some 100 U.S. troops could be the target of ISIS -- not on the battlefield of Iraq or Syria, right here on American soil. This mysterious group known as Islamic State hacking organization releasing this so-called hit list, posting the names and addresses, even some photos of service men and women online.

It's important for me though to mention here that much of this information, the names, photos, they're publicly available. The most disturbing part is what this group apparently wants its ISIS supporters to do, that being attack and stab or behead these military American heroes.

Joining me now, J.M. Berger, editor for Intelwire.com, author of "Jihad Joe," contributor for "Foreign Policy" magazine."

J.M., welcome back.

J.M. BERGER, EDITOR, INTELWIRE.COM: Thanks for having me.

First, this group, how much do you know about this group, how much validity should even be given here?

BERGER: Well, ISIS has been developing a very robust hacking capability for some time. Some members of the group who have been posting this link are

connected to that organization and some of them aren't. So, the exact origins of this information aren't quite clear. As you suggested, some of this could have been obtained through other means. But it's to their interests to represent it as hacking. But they do have a serious hacking operation.

BALDWIN: OK. And again, as you understand it from DOD, how did they get the names, the photos, the addresses?

BERGER: I haven't seen the chain of acquisition for this yet. So I don't know exactly how they got this information.

Certainly, as it was suggested, it could have been from public reports. Some of the information was inaccurate, so there is a good possibility that they just did it by mining the open Web.

BALDWIN: I have read potentially news articles, even social media. I read an official from DOD saying some of these individuals weren't even involved whatsoever in any of these air campaigns, thus that being erroneous from initial reporting.

But I guess it's one thing for the United States to target ISIS in either Syria or Iraq, but it's quite another to try to anticipate the next ISIS, call him a lone wolf, a sympathizer, someone sitting in his basement inspired by propaganda and listens and goes out and tries to attack an American soldier. How much should this concern the White House here?

BERGER: Well, you know, lone wolf incidents are few and far between.

And ISIS has been more successful than almost any other terrorist group in inspiring these kinds of incidents. So there is definitely an increased focus on that kind of attack. But they're still really outliers, especially for an attack to be successful.

I mean, where ISIS has sort of shown some initiative is, they're really -- their propaganda and their outreach is targeted to people who might already be kind of unstable emotionally, people who might be prone to violence anyway. And then this will adopt that person after the fact as being an ISIS supporter.

BALDWIN: J.M. Berger, thank you very much.

Now to the crisis in Yemen here. It's being called one of the most dangerous countries in the world and there is growing concern there that this ally to U.S. counterterrorism is "on the brink of civil war." Not only that, U.S. officials fear the country is turning into a breeding ground for terrorists.

And so now the United States and Britain are pulling out; 125 special U.S. special operations forces have evacuated. The embassy has closed. And Britain has also removed its military troops, all of this as rebels have taken over the province of Sanaa and the international airport in the city of Taiz.

Sectarian violence and protests are rampant. The State Department says the security situation there is deteriorating.

CNN senior international correspondent Nic Robertson has been following all this from London.

First, Nic, the question as far as U.S. being an ally with a now ousted president using this country as a launching pad, drones, what now that the U.S. presence is gone?

[15:05:00] NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly, there are drone possibilities just beyond the borders of Yemen from Saudi Arabia and across the sea from Djibouti.

So, those are still possibilities. But what you lack is the sort of connectivity on the ground with spies on the ground who people within al Qaeda or maybe even ISIS who can provide tiny snippets of real-time information that could potentially be used to help target and ISIS.

The other part of the equation here, of course, is that with a civil war going on, al Qaeda and ISIS in Yemen only have to look at their brethren in Syria to see, look, make use of a civil war, grow your areas, get stability in those areas, take over towns, set up operational bases and take control of chunks of territory to use them potentially to attack let's say the United States and Europe in the future. So the implications for this pullout of the last troops and everything that has been happening over the past few months is very serious, Brooke.

BALDWIN: So ISIS could capitalize on the situation. We're reporting the tragedies, the lives lost during prayer at the mosques in the capital city in Yemen on Friday, ISIS claiming responsibility there.

I'm curious, though. This is al Qaeda headquarters for al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Can you just -- not that I care how al Qaeda feels about the ISIS presence now in Yemen because they're both enemies of the United States, but I know there has been this sort of sense of competition. Would al Qaeda allow for ISIS to grow in Yemen?

ROBERTSON: You know, right now they have a common enemy with the Houthis. Just in the last few minutes, al Qaeda has claimed that it successfully killed another 30 Houthis. So they're both trying to fight the same enemy here. That's the bigger enemy for them.

Look, the al Qaeda leader in Yemen, Wahishi, is the number two at al Qaeda core across the globe. So he's been a very strong adherent to trying to keep out the sort of growth of ISIS, drawing people away there al Qaeda. We have seen it all over the globe.

But it is happening in Yemen right now. And certainly there will be a competition between the two, certainly, and al Qaeda will want to keep a hold of its people. It will want to have the strongest fight that it can. But the reality is that the ISIS message is becoming pervasive. And the propaganda and those bloody pictures that they were able to get through that attack in the mosques in Sanaa on Friday, that plays to their strengths.

This is the model that ISIS continues to use. It's the most dramatic pictures and it tries to win over young recruits. And they will probably be hoping to do precisely that through what they're doing at the moment.

BALDWIN: Nic Robertson, our senior international correspondent, knows this part of the world so, so well. Thank you so much for your perspective, as always. I appreciate it.

Coming up, it was the controversial "Rolling Stone" story about an alleged gang rape at the University of Virginia. Came out last November. Grabbed national headlines last fall, followed by intense scrutiny and questions about portions of this article. Breaking moments ago, we now have heard from police in Charlottesville, Virginia, major revelations into the investigation into this alleged gang rape. We have that for you.

Also ahead, Senator Ted Cruz becomes the first high-profile Republican to announce he's running for president. But is there an advantage to being the first candidate out of the gate?

Plus, what happens as the star of "The Jinx," Robert Durst, returned to court there? You see his head there? A lot of talk about the stent in his head.

Stay with me.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:13:04] BALDWIN: You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

We have just learned the long-awaited result of this investigation, the police investigation into that alleged gang rape on the University of Virginia campus. Police in Charlottesville now say they did not find any evidence to support that a gang rape had happened at a fraternity back in 2012.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIM LONGO, CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA, POLICE CHIEF: Unfortunately, we're not able to conclude to any substantive degree this an incident that is consistent with the facts contained in that article occurred at Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house or any other fraternity house for that matter.

Now, I want to be clear about something. That doesn't mean that something terrible did not happen to Jackie on the evening of September the 28th, 2012. We're just not able to gather sufficient facts to conclude what that something may have been.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Now, police have been investigating after "Rolling Stone" magazine published this story detailing this just horrific account of this woman they called Jackie, a college student who said she was gang-raped at the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house.

Its article was called "A Rape on Campus." It horrified readers when it was published last November. The article also suggested the school failed to respond to the alleged assault. But inconsistencies, questions, discrepancies in Jackie's stories emerged, causing "Rolling Stone" to apologize and investigate what went so wrong.

Remember, they didn't reach out to the other side of the story, feared retribution for the alleged victim and they later apologized for that.

Let me bring in University of Virginia student reporter Catherine Valentine.

We have talked a number of times since. So, great to see you.

And let me just remind all of our viewers your sort of involvement in all this, because in the wake of the "Rolling Stone" piece, Catherine, November, you sat down and really pressed the associate dean of students on the fact that no student had been expelled for committing sexual assault, even when there was an admission.

[15:15:05] So this is part of that interview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CATHERINE VALENTINE, WUVA STUDENT REPORTER: Do you not think that it's damaging for sexual assault victims to see the person who sexually assaulted or rape them on grounds?

NICOLE ERAMO, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: I think it absolutely can be.

VALENTINE: So, why are they allowed back on grounds?

ERAMO: Because I think we're trying to balance the rights of the individual who is being accused as well as the rights of the complainant. And sometimes that's very difficult.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Catherine, this story sparked a national conversation. A lot of questions there at the University of Virginia. Fast forward to today, you hear police Chief Tim Longo there downtown saying it doesn't mean something didn't happen that night back in 2012, but they have no evidence to prove anything did.

You're talking to students. How are students responding to that news today?

VALENTINE: Hi, Brooke. It's good to see you again.

Well, obviously, this article is one that has deeply impacted our community. So I think after talking with students, we're confused and frankly unsatisfied by today's press conference.

BALDWIN: What specifically are students saying to you? Why are they confused?

VALENTINE: Well, as I'm sure -- I believe you were watching as well, Chief Longo mentioned at least four incidents that Jackie had described and that was news to me. And I think that was news to my fellow students as well, also the fact that Chief Longo said that in today's press conference that this is still open, it's not technically closed.

But it is very inconclusive. I just think students are confused and looking for answers.

BALDWIN: You mentioned the other assaults. And I was sitting here watching the whole thing live unfolding and I was talking to some colleagues of mine. And none of us were aware of those. It sounds like with those as well there were inconsistencies in those stories.

Still, Chief Longo was very careful to say she could have been a victim of sex assault, just no evidence that we, Charlottesville police, have found.

To your point, though, it isn't case closed. It is case suspended. But your concern is how, Catherine, how this might affect other young women, other president victims in their willingness to speak out.

VALENTINE: Yes. I do think that after the incident, women were coming forward with their stories. We were walking down the corner. I have never before heard fraternity boys talking about sexual assault and consent. That is huge.

I'm sure you would have been shocked if you were walking down the corner as well. So I do think women were more comfortable sharing their stories. And my fear is that with all of this confusion, with "Rolling Stone" kind of retracting their statement, I'm worried that women are not going to come forward because they're going to be afraid that they are going to be deemed liars.

But I do think that some good did come out of this "Rolling Stone" article.

BALDWIN: Let me ask you quickly. You mentioned the fraternity, some fraternity brothers. I know you know some members of the fraternity. Granted, this did happen back in 2012, so some of these who are purported to have been involved may not even be at UVA anymore. But I know that this fraternity, they really haven't been talking. Have they shared anything with you?

VALENTINE: They have.

This is very personal for all of us. But it is very, very personal to them. They were frankly devastated in November when the article was released. I think they were ashamed. They were confused. They joined this fraternity, this brotherhood with this idea of friendship and kind of brotherly love.

And they still love each other very dearly. But November really shook them. I think now they are really hoping to move forward. I know that they are planning some fun events with friends. And I think that they are trying to move forward the best they can and kind of restore their fraternity's name.

BALDWIN: Catherine Valentine, a student reporter there at the University of Virginia, thank you so much.

VALENTINE: Thank you, Brooke.

BALDWIN: You got it.

Coming up next, we will delve deeper into Senator Cruz's big announcement this morning that, yes, indeed, he's running for president. We will get complete reaction and a closer look at his wife, Heidi Cruz. That's next.

And more on ISIS. This time, they're recruiting inside Afghanistan. CNN has exclusive access to one of these recruitment meetings. We will take you inside coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:23:36] BALDWIN: He's known for government shutdowns, but today Senator Ted Cruz officially opened the Republican race for presidency. He's the first on either side to announce a run and he did it today at the conservative Liberty University.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TED CRUZ (R), TEXAS: I believe in you. I believe in the power of millions of courageous conservatives rising up to reignite the promise of America. And that is why today I'm announcing that I'm running for president of the United States.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Love him or love to hate him, this is a man who played a key role in prompting that government shutdown just two years ago.

For his stand, he certainly gained credibility within the Tea Party, but a lot of critics inside, Republicans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PETER KING (R), NEW YORK: Ted Cruz is a fraud and he will no longer have any influence in the Republican Party.

REP. DEVIN NUNES (R), CALIFORNIA: Now you have to keep up with this Ted Cruz lemming strategy. It has got to move forward.

QUESTION: Has Ted Cruz hurt your party?

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: I think the tactical choice that he embraced hurt our party. Our party's been hurt. Our brand name is at the lowest ever.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: David Chalian and Rachel Smolkin from our CNN superstar politics team joining me now. David Chalian, you're up to bat first. Here he is Jerry Falwell's

Liberty University here speaking at this convocation. I heard you earlier today saying, listen, this is sort of a built-in audience.

[15:25:04] Was I reading somewhere they would be fined if these students didn't show up?

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: I haven't seen the actual fine language, Brooke, but it was required attendance.

They have these convocations all the time at Liberty University every week and students are required to attend. So in that way, it was a built-in audience and it was an enthusiastic one. He certainly got a good reception there in the hall and it was him laying down a marker that that evangelical base part of the Republican Party is the part that he will start upon which he will build this campaign for the presidency.

BALDWIN: Surrounding by some -- I read 8,000, 10,000 people here at this university.

Rachel, but I know you noticed not everyone in this crowd was in Ted Cruz's corner.

RACHEL SMOLKIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Most of the crowd very enthusiastic, but there was notation in the office and on Twitter that we saw a couple of red "Stand With Rand" T-shirts, so very good optics, but not perfect ones.

He also took a little bit teasing on Twitter because he was very much playing to the crowd in the room, not the crowd on the cameras, meaning that for a large part of the top of the speech, his back was actually to the cameras. So we saw quite a few puns about Ted Cruz backing in to his presidential campaign on Twitter.

BALDWIN: But, OK, just maybe a little bit in his defense, isn't it a 360? He's surrounded by people. Are you saying that's just kind of a rookie move knowing he's on national TV?

SMOLKIN: It's the difference between playing to the cameras on TV in a presidential campaign and being very good and very effective in the room.

Lots of commentary about how he is an effective orator and he gave a speech with a lot of passion and enthusiasm, but those are just optics to consider for a national television audience as you do move into the heat of a presidential campaign.

BALDWIN: OK.

David Chalian, I know our colleague Jeff Toobin, he wrote this phenomenal "New Yorker" piece on Senator Cruz. This is from a year ago, but I yanked up part of it.

He says: "He has hardened his positions, delighting the base of his party, but moving farther from the positions of most Americans on most issues. He denies the existence of manmade climate change, opposes comprehensive immigration reform, rejects marriage equality, and, of course, demands the repeal of every blessed word of Obamacare."

That's Ted Cruz. How are -- we saw how establishment Republicans felt about him two years ago at the government shutdown. How do they feel today?

CHALIAN: Listen, he will not win any popularity contests among the establishment in the halls of Congress, Brooke.

But you know what? Ted Cruz wears that as a badge of honor. That was a big part of his message today was to get up there and say Washington is not going to be where the problems get solved. It will be by a groundswell of conservatives across the country, what he calls courageous conservatives.

So I think he loves and embraces this battle he has with the establishment. However, when it comes to fund-raising, when it comes to all the foot soldiers you need, when it comes to the infrastructure of a big national presidential campaign, the establishment is not a bad thing to have. You want that state party apparatus. You want a lot of the activists to be involved. And so there is only so far you can go without also taking a piece of that establishment wing of the party, which he will have to figure out a way to do.

BALDWIN: It's fascinating learning not only about politicians, but their other halves, sometimes better halves. And, Rachel, I just wanted to ask you about his wife, Heidi Cruz. I know she's announced she will be taking this unpaid leave of absence from her job as managing director of Goldman Sachs to help with the campaign.

Can you just first tell us a little bit more about her?

SMOLKIN: Sure.

Heidi Cruz very accomplished in her own right professionally, worked in the Bush, managing director at Goldman Sachs, a very high executive post at the firm, and announced today, or Goldman Sachs did, that she will be taking a leave for the duration of her husband's presidential campaign.

So she is going to be out there helping him. That means she's also temporarily giving up her benefits, which includes the family's health insurance. So it will be interesting to see how they handle that.

BALDWIN: Keeping everything with how he feels on Obamacare.

SMOLKIN: Exactly.

BALDWIN: Right. Rachel Smolkin and David Chalian, thank you, two, very much.

CHALIAN: Thanks, Brooke.

SMOLKIN: Thank you. BALDWIN: Next up -- you got it -- a rare and exclusive look behind

the scenes of an ISIS recruitment session attempting to lure fighters from Afghanistan to Syria. We will show you the video.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)