Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Saudi King Salman Skipping Obama Summit; "New Phase" of Terror Threat; Jeb Bush Courting Evangelicals; Healing Through Music, Baseball; Shaq Picks Winning Meme of Epic Fall. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired May 11, 2015 - 10:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:32:18] CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Some are calling it a royal snub and an apparent blow to the Obama administration's plan to build Arab support for a nuclear deal with Iran. Saudi Arabia's King Salman announced that he's not going to meet one-on-one with the President in Washington or attend a Camp David summit with other gulf allies. The White House is downplaying the significance of this last- minute change of plans but others say it's a clear signal from the new leader that he's not happy with President Obama.

CNN's White House correspondent Michelle Kosinski joins me live with more. Good morning.

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hey -- Carol. Yes. Well, both sides, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia are saying this is not a snub. The Saudis are saying, "Look, we're dealing -- we have enough to deal with, with fighting the Houthi rebels in Yemen. There's a cease-fire just happened, they're kind of tying it to that schedule-wise.

And some analysts are saying well, you know, if this was an expression of displeasure, there are other ways of doing that than a last-minute change to attend a summit. At the same time, you know, you could say on one hand it's a long trip. Some of these gulf leaders can't make it for health reasons. They are all sending high level delegations so it's not as if there are going to a lot of holes there. You know, it's not going to continue as planned. It is going to continue this week.

But it is hard to get away from the fact that this doesn't look right. I mean the President of the United States invited these leaders here. It's going to take place at the White House and at Camp David. So this is an involved meeting over the course of a couple of days. And they just don't seem to be treating it as importantly.

The issues at stake are massively important. The White House keeps emphasizing how significant these partners are now in fighting ISIS, dealing with the situations in Syria and Yemen. And regional stability is hugely important to these gulf leaders so, you know, the question is there. Why are so few of the actual leaders going to make it here and is this some kind of expression of things not going well if in their opinion in pending U.S. nuclear deal with Iran I mean they are not happy about that. And are they feeling like the U.S. isn't really reassuring them enough in terms of the all-important regional security and stability -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Michelle Kosinski reporting live from the White House this morning -- thank you.

We are expecting to learn more about last weekend's ISIS-inspired terror attack on the Mohammed cartoon contest at the top of the hour when Garland Police Chief Mitch Bates holds a live news conference. This comes as homeland security chief Jeh Johnson says we've entered a quote, "New phase on the war on terror" admitting the United States has been slow to fight ISIS' of social media.

CNN's Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has more on that. Good morning.

[10:35:02] BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning -- Carol. Well, you know, now we see U.S. military bases at a higher state of alert. We see more concern about lone wolf attacks in the United States. We see the FBI and federal law enforcement trying to find ways to track down more closely hundreds if not thousands of people who may be following ISIS online.

This is social media gone viral with ISIS -- a lot of concern about people acting online. And I want you to listen to a little bit more of what Jeh Johnson, the secretary of homeland security, had to say about all of this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEH JOHNSON, U.S. SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: We're very definitely in a new phase in the global terrorist threat where the so- called lone wolf could strike at any moment, which is why the FBI in my judgment has done an excellent job of interdicting those who are attempting to travel to Syria who commit overt acts in furtherance provide material support to terrorism. It's a new environment. We are not discouraging Americans from doing the things they do on a daily basis.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: So here's the problem with this trend on social media. We used to talk about our attacks inspired by ISIS or directed by ISIS. What officials are saying is it may not make a difference anymore. Once all of this goes online what they are seeing is ISIS doing the same -- inspiring and directing, tasking people all at the same time telling them to go out and attack. It's becoming a viral situation that law enforcement believes is only going to get more difficult to get a handle on -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Barbara Starr reporting live from the Pentagon.

And we just received word from the White House on a journalist's report that the administration did not tell the truth about the killing of Osama bin Laden citing an anonymous source, Seymour Hersh claims the White House cooperated with Pakistani intelligence officials to kill bin Laden but the White House is saying that just it not true.

National Security spokesman Ned Price says quote, "There are too many inaccuracies and baseless assertions in this piece to fact check each one. Nevertheless, the notion that the operation that killed Osama bin Laden was anything but a unilateral U.S. mission is patently false. The President decided early on not to inform any other government including the Pakistani government which was not notified until after the raid had occurred.

Of course, we'll keep following the story and bring you any new developments. I'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:40:48] COSTELLO: Jeb Bush is polishing up his evangelist cred and making a bold statement about the Iraq war. Yes, he would have toppled Saddam Hussein, too. And no he won't distance himself from brother, George W. Bush.

In the meantime, at Liberty University -- a Christian School, Jeb Bush accused liberals of setting up an "us versus them" dynamic.

JEB BUSH (R), FORMER GOVERNOR OF FLORIDA: The mistake is to confuse point so theology with moral principles that are knowable to reason as well as by faith. In this confusion it's part of a false narrative that casts religious Americans as intolerant running around trying to impose their views on everyone. Our friends on the left like to view themselves as the agents of change and reform. You and I are supposed to just get with the program.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Bush needs evangelicals but he also needs Independents. It's a tight rope he's well aware of. Listen to what he said last December to the "New York Times".

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: I kind of know how a Republican can win whether it's me or somebody else and it has to be much more uplifting, much more positive, much more willing to be practical now in the Washington world and lose the primary to win the general.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: All right. Take a look at the latest Bloomberg poll. If the New Hampshire Republican primary were held today, it would pretty much be a four-way tie. Perhaps the most surprising thing in that poll is that Donald Trump comes in fifth. With me now, Mark Preston, CNN politics executive editor. Hi -- Mark.

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICS EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Hey Carol -- good morning.

COSTELLO: So Donald Trump fifth? PRESTON: Donald Trump fifth. Look, he has the name recognition.

He had a widely successful show on NBC. And Carol, He's not a real candidate for president. He says this time that he is seriously looking at it. He seems to be taking steps.

He has hired staffer in key states such as Iowa and New Hampshire, but the fact of the matter is, until he actually runs for president, Donald Trump is not running for president.

COSTELLO: Ok. So let's talk about Jeb Bush -- a man who's actually running for president. At Liberty University, Mr. Bush did not mention traditional marriage. He kept the focus on Religion -- smart?

PRESTON: Very smart. Listen long -- we just talk what Mr. Bush had said earlier when he said you might have to lose the primary to win the general election. That is the candidate right now that Jeb Bush is trying to that Jeb Bush is trying to be. That's what he's trying to cut.

Talking to his advisers just within the last hour or so, they acknowledge this. They acknowledge that he's looking farther down the road. In fact Carol -- So much so that if you look, Jeb Bush hasn't even announced that he's running for president yet officially because by doing so he's able to raise money for his super PAC a lot easier.

So looking for the long ball knowing that he needs a lot of money and then making statements at Liberty University that could be helpful to him with some Christian voters.

COSTELLO: The more interesting comments that Mr. Bush said over the weekend were about the Iraq war. He said that he would do it again. He said he would not disrespect his brother. He said he would consult with him. Is this a good strategy?

PRESTON: It's the only strategy because how could he distance himself from his brother certainly on the Iraq war? He also went on to say that Hillary Clinton would have sent troops into Iraq as well as anyone else who had seen the intelligence at the time.

What is very key to what he said is that there were mistakes made, that security was not the first and foremost thing that happened after they toppled Saddam Hussein and then he left it at this. He said you know who else believes that? George W. Bush? So very interesting from Jeb Bush -- there's no way, Carol, he could separate himself from his brother.

COSTELLO: All right. Mark Preston, thanks for your insight. As always, I appreciate it.

PRESTON: Thanks -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Still to come in the NEWSROOM, as multiple investigations push ahead in Baltimore, the city is trying to heal through music and America's pastime.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:48:19] COSTELLO: The fury that consumed Baltimore last month forced the Orioles to play to an empty stadium -- for the first time ever -- that was the first time in Major League Baseball history. But the city is trying to heal. America's pastime returning to Baltimore tonight as the Orioles play the Toronto Blue Jays as thousands turn out for a benefit concert last night hosted by Prince.

Those are two things that have been going on in Baltimore. CNN's Sara Sidner joins me now with more. Good morning.

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. Yes I went to the prince concert last night. And it was incredible. There were thousands of people there, completely packed.

He certainly did have a message, too. It wasn't just about all of his music and all of his hits that he played. He was trying to bring a message of peace, a rally for peace, is what he called it.

He made a song that was particularly for Baltimore. It did talk about some of the issues both political and the police issues. He mentioned Michael Brown in his song. He mentioned Freddie Gray in his song as well and said that it was for the young people to try and go forward and fix these problems, that it was their time to sort these things out and that he supported them in that.

There's also as you mentioned the game that's going to happen tonight. The last time the orioles played here you remember they played with absolutely no one in the stadium. That will all be different today. We expect to see big crowds going to see that game. They are now letting people in.

And you remember why they did that. There was unrest here in the city. There was a fear that it could trickle down toward the stadium area as well. They decided the safest thing to do was to go ahead and play the game just for the TV cameras and not for live fans. Now they'll have those fans back.

[10:49:45] And is Baltimore coming back, yes but there is still quite a bit of damage leftover from those few days of rioting. But there's also quite a bit of hope here. You hear a lot of people talking about the fact that the city needs to heal and that it can't just all be protesting. There has to be some work done on the ground. People have to get their hands dirty to try to turn the corner here with some of the issues that existed long before the situation with Freddie Gray -- Carol?

COSTELLO: Going back to the Prince concert for just a second, there's some criticism that the state's attorney general appeared on stage with Prince last night. I guess her husband had bought her a ticket earlier for a mother's day gift and she went to the concert. Prince asked her up on stage and she went up there. What was the audience reaction to that?

SIDNER: You know, I think a lot people couldn't tell who it was at first. Those who are close could see who it was. Those sitting sort of far away had a difficult time knowing exactly who was standing there. But generally those who could see her, clapped. She came out, her and her husband. She waved to the crowd. It was literally maybe ten seconds and then she walked back. There was no speech from her. No political anything.

It was Prince saying here she is. She walks up. And she was gone. Didn't even announce her name if I recall correctly. So it was kind of hard to tell. I think they caught on a little bit later on. Her husband bought her the ticket for mother's day. She's a big Prince fan as many people are.

You could see people saying, you know, this is playing politics in some way. I think she was just there to enjoy the concert and she certainly didn't say anything about the case. She's been adamant as you know in not talking about it after she first talked about the charges.

She's not said a word about the case saying she that doesn't want to try this case in the media. She wants it to be tried in the courts -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Sara Sidner reporting live from Baltimore this morning -- thank you.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, Shaq wipes out on set and then asks people to turn his fall into a meme and that's exactly what he got -- the best entries including the winner next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:55:46] COSTELLO: Checking some other top stories for you at 55 minutes past.

New York's governor pledging to protect nail salon workers many of whom earn low wages and are exposed to dangerous chemicals on a daily basis. According to the "New York Times", the governor, Andrew Cuomo, is implementing a task force to conduct salon by salon investigations. His goal is to protect employees from those chemicals and combat wage theft using a language education program. Salons that do not comply or who are unlicensed will be shut down.

A terrifying stage collapse in China --

Looked almost unreal -- right -- 80 people were performing when that stage dropped. Only eight singers were injured. The cause of the collapse under investigation. Wow.

The arraignment at 4:00 p.m. today Eastern time for the four suspects charged in connection with the shooting deaths of two police officers in Mississippi. Officers Benjamin Deen and Liquori Tate were gunned down late Saturday in Hattiesburg. Once the suspects are arraigned the charges will be handed over to a grand jury.

In money news, this master work by Picasso could set a new record for the highest selling priced auction. Christie's of New York says it could fetch $140 million today. But other experts say that price may actually be too low and the final figure could climb even higher. We'll keep you posted.

The next season of "American Idol will be the 15th and last -- Fox pulling the plug on what was once the most popular music reality show on television. The announcement coming just two days before the season finale.

And remember this epic fall? You're going to see it. Shaquille O'Neal eating it on set -- here it is. Well, he promised cold hard cash for the best meme of the spill and he picked his favorite. So, the winner: "A Lilliputian takedown from Gulliver's Travels". The runner-up is good, though. The runner-up is good, too, though.

Here's Jeanne Moos.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When most of us fall, we're embarrassed and we try to laugh it off. When it comes to Shaquille O'Neal's onset sprawl, what's especially rewarding is the reward Shaq is offering to those who make fun of his fall.

Whoever makes the best meme of me busting my (EXPLETIVE DELETED) wins $500 cash.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Down goes Shaq. Down goes Shaq. Down goes Shaq.

MOOS: And up went the tweets. Shaq knocked down by Floyd Mayweather and Muhammad Ali. Shaq sprinting and swimming, playing twister, in a ball hit. Shaq himself was picking favorites saying this guy is winning so far. A guy who added a Kevin Hart joke to the clip of Shaq's fall.

KEVIN HART, COMEDIAN: Shaq, will you fall down again? It's just the funniest (EXPLETIVE DELETED) in my life. This is how you fall properly.

MOOS: This isn't the first time that Shaq has taken a spill on set. But this time it seemed genuine, though who knows. With his 7'1" frame, some joked about the impact of his fall.

SHAQUILLE O'NEAL, FORMER NBA PLAYER: Hit him Kitty.

MOOS: Shaq was shown dancing with John Travolta, joining Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" but our favorite so far was called "Lilliputian Takedown". It took Robin Montoni, about 35 minutes to do it and it was her first ever tweet. Why Lilliputian?

ROBIN MONTONI: He's so big and they're so little. You know, opposites attract.

MOOS: Half of those Lilliputians could fit in one of Shaq's size 23 shoes.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: People are so clever, right? That's awesome.

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

[11:00:00] "AT THIS HOUR" with Berman and Bolduan starts now.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN HOST: Ten people are missing in a small Texas town devastated by tornadoes. A look at --