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Iran Threatens Deal; Congress Empowered to Renew Future Deal; ISIS Closing in on Another Iraqi Town; Inside War-Torn Sana'a Airport; Hillary Clinton Kicks Off Day Two in Iowa; Politics and the Gender Pay Gap; Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired April 15, 2015 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00] CUOMO: And then became its best.

PEREIRA: Absolutely.

BERMAN: It's even more meaningful now up there. It's great to say.

PEREIRA: It really is.

All right, thanks for that, Chris.

Let's head to the "NEWSROOM" with Carol Costello.

Good morning to you, Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. You have a great day.

PEREIRA: You, too.

COSTELLO: NEWSROOM starts now.

Happening now in the NEWSROOM, a key panel votes to give Congress final say on any new deal with Iran, but could that decision derail negotiations?

Plus, ISIS making big moves. Another key city in Iraq could be hours away from falling to ISIS. Are more airstrikes on the way?

And it's a hard video to watch. An officer rams a suspect with his car. The man not only waving a rifle but shooting it into the air and pointing it at officers. Was this use of force justified?

Let's talk, live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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

A threat this morning, Iran nuclear talks are about to crumble just as a divided Washington finally finds common grounds on those talks with Iran. Tehran threatens to walk away. This morning Iran's president says it won't accept any deal unless that agreement guarantees that all sanctions will be lifted immediately.

This latest blow even more daunting because the White House finally agreed to allow Congress a final say in any final deal. This after the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted unanimously that Congress have a say. The committee chairman Bob Corker who sponsored the bill for congressional approval tweeting this, quote, "The simple fact is that the White House dropped its veto threat of a congressional vote because they weren't going to have the votes to sustain a veto."

Michelle Kosinski has more for you from the White House this morning.

Good morning.

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Carol, yes. That statement there by Corker, well, this goes both ways because the reason the Republicans were able to get so many Democrats on board with this is because this bill was ultimately changed. I mean, after weeks of the wrangling and the battling and lobbying over this, this does look like a real compromise.

Here is how the White House is framing it. That this bill as it stands now, and it was passed unanimously by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is not going to be a vote exactly on up or down on the Iran nuclear deal. What Congress will be voting on will be whether or not to lift the sanctions on Iran that were imposed by Congress itself.

So what anti-climactic about this is that, well, that's what Congress had the ability to do and would have done anyway, right? Well, the bill, if it does go all the way through and is passed, it would make the White House do certain things in turn. It would make them present the Iran deal in its completed form, to Congress for review. During that review period, which is -- which was cut down because of the White House's lobbying, but it's still at least a month, the White House wouldn't be able to unilaterally lift those congressional sanctions on Iran.

There were other stipulations, too, like the White House is going to have to report to Congress periodically to certify that Iran is keeping up with the deal. So there's this real back and forth. On Congress's part they had to remove certain language that was really rankling the White House, too, and that would have made this impossible, things like the White House having to certify that Iran was not supporting terror around the world, or a stipulation that one senator raised that would have made Iran a state that Israel has a right to exist.

Those things were seen as, you know, no-goes, so they were taken out. So that's where the compromise lies. The question is, and what keeps this very interesting is, even though Congress is just going to be voting on these sanctions, does that in effect make it an up or down vote on the Iran deal? And we're hearing Iran saying yes, it is, because they're saying if all the sanctions aren't lifted, then this is going nowhere -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Michelle Kosinski reporting live from the White House this morning. Thanks so much.

So let's take a look at this uneasy truce between the White House and Congress.

Jim Sciutto has that for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After months of the White House fighting to keep lawmakers out of the Iran nuclear negotiations, Congress forcing its way in.

SEN. ROBERT CORKER (R-TN), CHAIRMAN, FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE: More fully than ever, I believe Congress should play a role in ensuring that all the details that need to be in place are there.

SCIUTTO: Republicans and Democrats united behind a compromised bill giving lawmakers oversight of any final agreement.

SEN. BEN CARDIN (D-MD), RANKING MEMBER, FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE: I think this is congressional prerogative, and we are the ones to impose the sanctions, we're the ones who are going to have to take it up for permanent changes.

SCIUTTO: Under a compromise struck between Republican Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker and Ranking Democrat Ben Cardin, the original 60-day review period cut to 30 days, and a provision requiring the president to certify every 90 days that Iran is no longer backing terrorism against Americans, watered down to periodic reports on Iran's terror and missile-related activities.

[09:05:07] Faced with what looks increasingly like a veto-proof majority in the Senate, the White House said the changes appeared to be enough to merit the president's signature.

JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The Republican chairman working closely with the Democratic Ranking Member Ben Cardin have agreed to address a large number of the concerns that we've raised and provide the kind of clarity we need to give our negotiators the time and space to try to reach an agreement.

SCIUTTO: For Iran, however, congressional action injects new doubts into already difficult nuclear talk, and highlights a key sticking point -- sanctions.

MOHAMMED JAVAD ZARIF, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: As long as this instrument of coercion and pressure is kept there, I think people would never have the peace of mind that is needed in order to implement a good agreement.

SCIUTTO: The Iran deal is already an issue in the 2016 presidential race. Republican candidate, Marco Rubio, agreed to remove his amendment that would have required Iran to recognize the state of Israel.

(On camera): The Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed the compromised bill unanimously will now go to a full Senate where it's expected to get the support of a veto-proof majority. I ran reacting to that vote. I spoke to a senior Iranian diplomat who said, quote, "We only deal with the administration." And expected to deliver by any method it deems appropriate.

Jim Sciutto, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And when it comes to the fight against ISIS, President Obama is also facing a steep hurdle in Congress. The House speaker, John Boehner, is pushing back against the president's request to use military force, reportedly calling it, quote, "virtually impossible" to approve.

The request limits President Obama's authority to fight a military campaign against the terror group for three years. Boehner saying there's no need to limit his authority until the president, in Boehner's words, has a strategy that makes sense and gets serious about fighting ISIS.

But for the people of Iraq, the battle is not political, it's life and death. The city of Ramadi is begging Iraq forces for more airstrikes as officials warn it could just be hours away from falling to the terror group. That would put ISIS just 70 miles away from Baghdad.

CNN senior international correspondent Arwa Damon is just outside of Baghdad to tell us more.

Hello, Arwa.

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol. It's a pretty grim scene where we are. This is one of the few areas that people are trying to flee, that ISIS onslaught into Ramadi, from the eastern part of the city, are able to use to cross into Baghdad. They're only able to cross through this area on foot, and even seeing these wooden and metal large carts and wheelbarrows packed with people really being pushed to cross on that as well.

Everyone with this incredibly shocked expressions across their face. The few that will stop and speak to us, just talking about how terrified they were, they were fleeing ISIS. This onslaught this morning. We spoke earlier to the deputy head of the provincial council, and he was begging for additional Iraqi troops to come. He was begging for more airstrikes, both Iraqi or coalition airstrikes.

He was saying that they have been requesting this for days and weeks now, warning that Ramadi was falling to ISIS. And earlier today, this morning that the city itself could fall within hours. The last time we were able to get through to him, he was trying to stand guard with his own machine guns, taking up position along with his security guards and again putting out that desperate plea.

ISIS has been trying to take over Ramadi for months. Over the weekend they managed to advance towards the city from the north, and now, just today, just earlier this morning, shutting it off, accessing it from the east.

We were just in a town where some of the wounded from the fighting in Ramadi were taken there. One of the local tribes that have been trying to fight against ISIS, he was wounded and taken a sniper bullet to the chest and it barely missed his heart. They're saying that all morning they were begging for airstrikes, begging for additional support. It did not come and ISIS attacked them and took over that eastern part of Ramadi.

And it's not just fighting that's confined to Ramadi, Carol. We were in that hospital, we're speaking to people in this town that have been wounded by ISIS mortar rounds, ISIS rockets, that are regularly fired into the town, shortly after leaving the hospital, the building that we were in had a mortar and a rocket fall very close to it.

And you know, Carol, we have the options of leaving, and driving away from that town, driving past the refugees that are walking. One was really struck by how horrific their reality is and how dire the choices they have. To either stay and live under bombardment or leave everything behind, and just take what they can carry and hope that they're going to be able to reach relative safely.

[09:10:20] And that is why it is so important at this juncture that both the Iraqi government send those reinforcements, prevent ISIS from entering these civilian areas and so they can even (INAUDIBLE) them and even more so for those U.S.-led coalition airstrike to intensify.

COSTELLO: All right. Arwa Damon, reporting live from near Baghdad this morning.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, 21 days of Saudi-led airstrikes has decimated Yemen's capital. Now much needed aid in medical supplies arrive and it's video you will only see on CNN.

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COSTELLO: An exclusive look this morning inside Yemen's war-torn capital of Sana'a wrought by 21 days of Saudi-led airstrikes as coalition forces battle Houthi rebels that took control of much of that country and drove the president into retreat.

The United Nations says nearly 16 million people desperately need humanitarian aid. Yesterday a brief ceasefire just long enough for UNICEF to deliver a plane load of critical aid.

CNN's Nick Paton Walsh was there. He was granted rare exclusive access inside Sana'a's international airport. He joins us now to tell us about it.

Tell us more.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Carol, an extraordinary small window for this UNICEF plane to bring in vital food and medicine for frankly the millions who need it inside Yemen. They needed it before the bombing -- campaign started. Now it's significantly more vital and urgent.

[09:15:12] We saw 75 metric tons turn up. I have to say it was remarkable that both the Saudi air force and the Houthis who control that airport allowed this two-hour window in the fighting for these planes to land, not just the one UNICEF and we were on board. Civilian airplanes taking people away, in fact bringing some Yemenis even back to try and rescue what they can of their lives in the capital.

But that runway is the only intact piece of concrete frankly left in that airport. It's been hit heavily by Saudi airstrikes, and we saw ourselves frankly just how tense that situation is. We had to leave in a hurry when they said they were closing the airport. And those 75 metric tons, while a huge amounts that took hours themselves to unload, it is just a fraction of a fraction of what that country needs and it is that airport alone, Carol, that can really provide guaranteed access to aid agencies, the sea ports, they're often contested, and it's a very long road towards the capitol, as the capital that has been hit extremely hard.

It's very tough times on the humanitarian sense, let alone the violence seizing that country now -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Nick Paton Walsh reporting live from inside Sana'a. Thanks so much.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, Hillary Clinton is on the campaign trail in Iowa, drumming up support for her White House run. Why one Democratic commentator says if she wins Clinton should take a pay cut. We'll tell you why.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:20:05] COSTELLO: Long before Hillary Clinton's use of private e- mails sparked political controversy the presidential hopeful was asked about the issue in 2012. That's according to the "New York Times." Congressional investigators sent Clinton a letter while she was still serving as secretary of state. Clinton reportedly ignored the letter that asked, quote, "Have you or any senior agency official ever used a personal e-mail account to conduct official business? If so please identify the account used."

Well, the State Department eventually answered once Clinton left office but did not answer that specific query. Clinton came under fire last month after she admitted to using a private e-mail server instead of an e-mail issued by the State Department.

All right. Let's head out to the campaign trail because as you know Clinton's minivan is not your average minivan. I'm talking about Hillary Clinton's real-life mystery machine that she personally dubbed Scooby. The presidential hopeful driving from Monticello, Iowa, to Norwalk, just outside of Des Moines today to kick off day two of her campaign.

In case you're wondering, that van has everything to keep the presidential hopeful comfortable while she's on the road. The Chevrolet Express 1500 isn't cheap. It retails for about $50,000 to $60,000. Quite the Scooby mobile, right?. According to Bloomberg, it has a raised ceiling so passengers can stand up. It's also equipped with swivel seats, a 26-inch television, nine speakers and a subwoofer. Clinton reportedly opted for black interior instead of gray.

So let's bring in CNN senior political correspondent, Brianna Keilar. She's on the ground in Iowa getting ready for today's action.

Just the kind of van the middle class would drive.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's not a bad ride, is it, Carol? Not too shabby at all. Well, the Scooby should be rolling up here in a few hours bringing Hillary Clinton with it to Capital City Fruit, just outside of Des Moines here in Norwalk. She'll be having a roundtable with business leaders, with small businesses, and this comes on the heels yesterday of another roundtable that she did at a satellite campus for a community college.

She talked about education, she talked about family issues. And she also really struck a populous tone. For instance, she talked about supporting a constitutional amendment to do away with super PACs. Of course there is a super PAC, Priorities USA, that's supporting her run. Her campaign making it clear as of now they would not unilaterally disarm in that sort of super PAC race. But she also took on Wall Street and middle class wage stagnation.

Listen to what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The deck is still stacked in favor of those already at the top and there's something wrong with that. There's something wrong when CEOs make 300 times more than the typical worker, there's something wrong when American workers keep getting more productive as they have, and as I just saw a few minutes ago is very possible because of education and skills training, but that productivity is not matched in their paychecks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Iowa Democrats are used to getting a little more attention than they've been getting this presidential cycle, Carol, just because of how quiet the Democratic field has been there. So they've pretty excited that Hillary Clinton is showing up here in Iowa.

But check out this scene that was caught yesterday. Maybe they're not as excited as some of the reporters who have been waiting to cover Hillary Clinton for so long. This was sort of a stampede of a lot of local media and some national media at her event. They understood that she would be coming through the front of the building. Well, no, the Scooby mobile went to the back of the building and this sort of chaos ensued.

But, you know, it's hard to get cardio out on the campaign trail and I guess these folks managed to do it.

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: They did. It is good for the heart. Thanks so much, Brianna Keilar, reporting live for us this morning. So Hillary Clinton is owning her gender this time around, positioning

herself as a champion of women, so why not put her money where her mouth is?

CNN political commentator Sally Kohn penned an op-ed urging Clinton to pull a political stunt that matters. It sounds like an oxymoron, I know, but this is what Sally thinks Clinton ought to say. Quote, "Today in America, women are on average 77 cents for every dollar men earned. That's unconscionable. As president my top priority will be fixing inequality and ensuring that 100 percent of the population is paid 100 percent of what they are worth, and so I'm announcing that if elected president I will take a 23 percent pay cut equivalent to the current gender wage gap to stand in solidarity with working with women in America," end quote.

Sally Kohn is here to talk about her big idea. Yes.

SALLY KOHN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I mean --

COSTELLO: She can afford it, right?

KOHN: Well, look, Bloomberg when he was mayor of New York City, our fine city, you know, took a $1 salary, right? It was -- yes, of course it was symbolic, it didn't matter to him, but it also said, look, I don't need the money, and look, we all know Hillary Clinton doesn't need the money, and back to the issue of contention in the campaign is her wealth and sense of out of touchiness, but as we also just saw from that phenomenal video of the reporters chasing her down --

[09:25:21] COSTELLO: Somewhat embarrassing to see, right?

KOHN: I mean --

COSTELLO: But sometimes you've got to do what you've got to do.

KOHN: You know. Like she also this celebrity factor, right? And she should use that to draw attention to issues that matter most. So I think it has a symbolic power as an idea of saying look, there is a wage gap, we should do something about it, and also she can bring attention to it by sort of doing something.

COSTELLO: Yes, interesting stats about, you know, what that wage gap means in real dollars lost for women. I found that the most interesting and kind of depressing, part of your article. You say on average a woman loses $431,000 in pay over a 40-year career because of the wage gap. In fact it takes a woman about 469 days to earn what a man earns in one year.

KOHN: Right. And it is abominable. And I think a lot of the reaction to the piece I wrote was, it was an offensive suggestion, the commander in chief if a woman should deliberately and intentionally be paid less than a man doing the same job, that is exactly the point. It is a precisely offensive proposition. It is offensive that any woman in America would be paid less than a man, especially for doing exactly the same job. Let's highlight how offensive that idea is. COSTELLO: Do you think that particular issue will be talked about on

both sides of the aisle?

KOHN: You know, I think this is one where, look, Hillary is going to -- is going to stand to gain because Republicans have not only consistently failed, and at this point all of the Republican contenders who've announced included, have consistently failed to not only do something about the gender pay gap but have actually denied that it exists.

COSTELLO: Democrats have done something but they certainly haven't taken care of the problem?

KOHN: No. But at least they say there is a problem, right. At least -- whereas on the Republican side, a lot of the contenders have said it's a myth, it doesn't really exist, it's not true in arguing with all of the overwhelming data and research on this, so I think, you know, not just because she is a woman but because she actually says, look, this is a real problem, it's sort of up there with climate change and other things that are real and exist, and we as a government need to do something about and can do something about as part of solving the middle class wage crisis.

COSTELLO: OK. Have you called the campaign yet?

(LAUGHTER)

KOHN: I'm waiting.

COSTELLO: I wouldn't put it past her. She'll call.

Sally Kohn, thanks so much.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, a police officer confronts a man holding a rifle, even firing that rifle into the air. What happens next is hard to watch. We'll talk about it next.

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