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Will U.S. Help Iraq Reclaim Anbar Province?; Record Rains, Floods Kill Six in Texas & Oklahoma; Life as an American Inside Baghdad; Deadly Shootings, Protests Lead to Reforms; U.S. Journalist Accused of Espionage. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired May 26, 2015 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:02] CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Still to come in the NEWSROOM, Iraqi forces say they're making headway against ISIS. Will the U.S. join the fight against a common enemy? Barbara Starr will join us from the Pentagon.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: In Texas and Oklahoma, record rains come down, deadly floodwaters rise up; what looks like a river is actually a freeway running through Houston. This morning the nation's fourth largest city is virtually cut-off. Roads are impassable. Schools are closed. And today's forecast is quite ominous.

Outside of Austin, 12 people are still missing in Hays County and there is little hope for optimism there. As many as 400 homes have been swept off their foundations and simply washed away. One survivor watched in horror as his home broke in half and his wife and kids vanished in those raging floodwaters.

A deluge may be the best way to describe what Houston woke up to this morning, more than ten inches of rain falling in some spots overnight. The flooding so severe, there were 150 calls for help during a mere two-hour time frame.

Senior Captain Ruy Lozano is a public information officer for the Houston Fire Department. He joins me now on the phone. Welcome, sir.

SR. CAPT. RUY LOZANO, HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT (via telephone): How are you doing?

COSTELLO: I'm good. Tell us what you're dealing with now.

LOZANO: Well, the city of Houston has activated its emergency operation center. (inaudible) Unfortunately we do have two confirmed fatalities due to water-related incidents but our emergency crews are still responding. (inaudible)

[10:35:11] The waters, although some have dissipated there are still some very high waters and we urge our citizens to stay home. Let the city dry out.

COSTELLO: And it appears that a lot of people did not stay home. Are the highways still clogged with traffic? LOZANO: There's definitely traffic unfortunately. You have

certain areas that are clear but then you approach an underpass that's obviously under water. They stall out. And that congestion begins. And then because of last night's weather, there's still a lot of vehicles that were just stalled in the middle of the highway overnight so as you're driving, all of a sudden you approach a stranded vehicle from last night causing more congestion.

Highways are congested. We urge a lot of the citizens to stay home and other city personnel to stay home if not essential. And we postpone as much as we can (inaudible) our municipal courts and city services to show the city in a stable condition.

COSTELLO: At the basketball arena, the Toyota Center, there was a game played last night. 200 people had to stay inside because they couldn't get home. And supposedly there's this concert scheduled at the same place today. Should those events have been canceled?

LOZANO: (inaudible) We're making those decisions on (inaudible) schedule when it seemed like the weather report. We'll be putting that information shortly on what changes need to occur.

COSTELLO: All right. Captain Ruy Lozano, thank you for joining me this morning. I appreciate it.

Just within the past hour we've heard from Iraqi officials who say troops have surrounded ISIS fighters. Iraq is trying to free Anbar Province from ISIS control and government forces are also targeting a supply route to an oil refinery held by ISIS. So will the U.S. join the fight?

CNN's Barbara Starr is at the Pentagon with a closer look. Good morning.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning -- Carol.

You know, all of these reports of Iraqi forces on the move. I think it's fair to say everyone has to see what really happens in the coming hours and days. Are they going to be able to move against ISIS in a substantive manner still remains to be seen?

The U.S. has already been in support, of course, of Iraqi forces. We know there's a lot of doubt on the part of the Pentagon about Iraqi forces in the Ramadi area being up to the fight.

So what are we talking about here? U.S. airstrikes -- the continuation of U.S. Airstrikes. What officials are telling me is those airstrikes will continue when the U.S. Has intelligence itself about the situation on the ground and it can pick out those ISIS targets. They don't call them airstrikes just because Iraqis are asking for them. They have to have the intelligence in U.S. channels that indicates its a valid ISIS target, a lot of concern about civilian casualties.

And the other thing is they are only going to strike targets and only support the units that are in support of the central government of Iraq. So the Shia militias backed by Iran, the Sunni tribes that may be out there, all of these other units that may be out there fighting. The U.S. view is they have to come under the control of the Iraqi government and then the U.S. can provide support to them.

It's a really complicated patchwork out there. It may take a lot of time to see how it all sorts out. The Pentagon not backing off what Defense Secretary Ash Carter told CNN over the weekend -- a lot of concern about the will to fight in Ramadi and its centers all around the command structure in Iraq. Are those Iraqi commanders really going to be able to support their own troops -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Barbara Starr, reporting live from the Pentagon -- thank you.

Tens of thousands of people have already fled Ramadi fearing for their lives many of them trying to reach Baghdad which is just 70 miles away. But there are fears that if Iraqi troops cannot reclaim Ramadi the capital city could be next.

My next guest knows Baghdad well. Marika Olson is an Iraq media specialist and former CNN employee who lived in Baghdad for six years before returning to the United States in March. Welcome.

MARIKI OLSON, IRAQ MEDIA SPECIALIST: Thanks for having me.

COSTELLO: I know you left before Ramadi fell to ISIS but you were actually in Baghdad in 2014 when the terrorist group marched toward Baghdad vowing to take over the city. Tell me what that was like.

OLSON: I can tell you amongst my friends, ex-pats as well as Iraqis, there was a sense of fear. No one knew what was going to be happening at that point. And for most of us, our security operation specialists basically advised us at least temporarily to get extracted. And we did temporarily but then we all came back to start working again. But it was definitely -- there was definitely a sense of strong concern about what was going to happen, what was going to happen to our work.

[10:40:00] But for me you have to understand that ISIS is not some abstract notion. I, unfortunately, know two people who have been beheaded, one I know personally and another person lived on the same street as I did. So for me ISIS is personal.

And it's also just a couple weeks ago I was in a restaurant and I was checking up on Facebook on friends of mine and one of my friends was posting about what a great time he was having. And then the next hour our mutual friends posted about how this person had just been blown up by a car bomb.

COSTELLO: Just unbelievable. You lived in the green zone. Tell me what it was like living in Baghdad.

OLSON: I lived for two years in the green zone but I also lived -- after that I lived four years in what Americans call the red zone but the rest of the world calls Baghdad. My life in Baghdad was very, very different from most Americans. Most Americans, most ex-pats, live behind -- live in compounds, live behind high walls, barbed wire and armed guards.

But that was not my life. I was able to get out. I went to restaurants. I went to movie theaters. And in fact I was in a movie theater when the trailer for "American Sniper" played. So I had a pretty --

COSTELLO: Wait a minute. Wait a minute. "American Sniper" played in Baghdad?

OLSON: Yes. I was there for the trailer, which I can tell you as the only ex-pat and the only American in the movie theater at that point it was a little bit unnerving. I found myself wanting to sort of blend in with the crushed velvet seat.

COSTELLO: That would be an amazing experience I must say.

Ok -- back to serious stuff. So do you think there's a possibility that Baghdad could fall to ISIS?

OLSON: No, I don't. I mean I know there's a lot of concern about that. I mean you have to understand from our perspective and I'm not a military strategist specialist, ISIS already is in Baghdad. What you have are sleeper cells. What you have are sympathizers. And they are using tactics that unfortunately the people of Baghdad have been used to for a number of years. They are using car bombs, IEDs. We've seen it all.

But as far as an invading army coming in and taking over Baghdad, I personally don't think that that's going to happen even though it's they say 75 miles away, the distance in Baghdad are not the same as a distance in America. 75 miles is different than it is here in America.

COSTELLO: Ok. So I'll ask you this question. Do you think Iraqi forces have the will to fight ISIS?

OLSON: That's a loaded question. It's not my specialty but I do know that everybody I know in Baghdad, Iraqis, would defend their home turf. I know when at one point when I was at work and my staff came in and they were all talking about how militias were asking for people to come and volunteer and they were quite eager to sort of either join the experience or defend their home turf.

I mean please remember that Baghdad is not Anbar province. And the composition of Shia to Sunni is different in Baghdad.

COSTELLO: Right. I understand. So if you could look into your crystal ball, what do you envision for the future of Iraq?

OLSON: I wish I knew. I mean literally, that's what everyone is talking about and trying to understand. I mean, we all hope that there will be peace there at some point but I don't see it happening for many, many years. And it looks like it's only going to get worse in some way. Although -- I should say though that for many of us who are working there and living there, we just have to go as business as usual.

COSTELLO: Will you go back?

OLSON: I have been invited to go back. What I wanted was a little bit of a break because it's pretty intense having to live and work there. My life and walking about and I walked in Baghdad. I went around in a soft skin car. I took precautions that other people take for granted.

For instance, I would always make sure to look under the car to see if there was a sticky bomb. I would make sure that my patterns weren't predictable so that any bad guys couldn't anticipate where I was going to be. I never stood in front of a glass window because of being afraid it might shatter.

These are things that I took as being normal behavior. And I wanted a little bit of a break so that I didn't have to think about that as being normal anymore.

COSTELLO: I certainly understand that. You're a brave woman.

And thank you so much for joining me this morning. I so appreciate it.

OLSON: Thank you for inviting me.

O'REILLY: I'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:48:04] COSTELLO: In Cleveland, an embattled police department gets ready to announce new reforms but the community is still angry. The weekend acquittal of a white police officer charged in the killing of two unarmed black motorists just the latest incident to underscore a scathing report out of the Justice Department. That report cited a pattern of excessive police force and a toxic climate of distrust.

CNN legal analyst Mel Robbins joins me now to tell us more about this. Good morning.

MEL ROBBINS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Good morning -- Carol. Great to see you.

COSTELLO: Great to see you. So we don't know what's in this deal. What do you suspect it contains?

ROBBINS: Well, Carol, the details are going to emerge and, of course, the city settled with the Department of Justice for two reasons. They wanted to avoid a long and costly legal battle and they also wanted to make sure that they didn't send a message that they were resisting change.

Now what you can expect to see in this settlement, Carol, are things that we've seen when the DOJ has found similar things in other cities. First of all, there will be a court order that oversees this. Secondly, there will likely be independent monitors that are overseeing the changes inside the Cleveland police force.

What kind of changes? Well, you're going see a revised excessive force policy. You're going to see extensive training as well, Carol. And perhaps you'll see a whole round of firings and a clearing house of the department itself.

COSTELLO: I was just going to ask you that because part of this Justice Department investigation into the Cleveland police department blames supervisors for poor training of police officers. So could we see a new police chief?

ROBBINS: You might see a new police chief. But I think that you'll see a real shake-up in terms of the supervising ranks in the Department because you're absolutely right. In the scathing Department of Justice report, Carol, they were talking about the fact that they were firing on people and killing them when use of force wasn't necessary at all and that at every single step of the way, Carol, that supervisors were actually condoning and training this kind of behavior.

[10:50:11] So training will be a huge part of this. I would not be surprised if you see a lot of supervisors fired and this is going to take years of kind of an intervention in order to change the culture and the widespread practice and policy that's been in place that's been violating people's Fourth Amendment -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Mel Robbins -- thanks so much. I appreciate it.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, the U.S. government calls the charges absurd but an American reporter's future is on the line as his spying trial begins in Iran.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: An American journalist is standing trial in Iran, accused of spying for the United States. The first session of Jason Rezaian's trial ended today but it is not clear what happened since it was closed to the public. Both Rezaian and his wife were arrested last July. She has been released.

Joining me now to talk about this, CNN's Brian Stelter, host of "RELIABLE SOURCES". So the "Washington Post", of course, has strong words for Iran but I don't think they're listening.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Unfortunately not -- Carol. The trial began today. We know nothing about it like you said because it is a trial essentially being held in secret. It was even the case that Jason's mother was there. His wife was there. I just spoke to the brother, Ali, who is staying here in the United States to coordinate the press coverage of this. He says they weren't even allowed to see Jason. He says Jason was taken out a back door at the end of the hearing today so nobody was able to see him. And we don't know when the trial will resume either. No date has been given for the next hearing.

[10:55:02] COSTELLO: What did Jason do that's so angered the Iranian government that had accused him of spying?

STELTER: That's the big question that his family still doesn't have the answer to. You know, apparently, according to the "New York Times", the documents that are being presented in court include a message that was sent to the Obama campaign in 2008 by Jason. It was a form letter from a Web site, you know. This is not something that's evidence of actual espionage.

But those are the charges. Those are the trumped up charges that are being presented in court. And to many people it seems like Jason is a pawn here -- a pawn within a very complicated and ugly political game within Iran between the hard liners and the more moderate members of the government there.

COSTELLO: Is it possible he'll be put through this horrible experience of being placed on trial for being a U.S. spy and then serve some time in an Iranian prison and then suddenly and without warning or reason be released?

STELTER: That's one of the scenarios here. You know, his brother Ali, just said to me, "We hope the next date is as soon as possible. We want this trial to move forward as soon as possible." Because he's been behind bars for more than 300 days -- that's longer than any other American journalist ever detained in Iran, in fact, much longer than any other American journalist detained in Iran which does seem to suggest that he is a pawn in this geopolitical game.

COSTELLO: Is the U.S. Government intervening in any way?

STELTER: The government has been trying. The State Department has been trying. They've been saying all the right things. John Kerry and others have called this absurd, which it pretty clearly is. But because Jason is Iranian-American, he holds dual citizenship Iran says he's not an American at all. That's one of the complicating factors in this case.

COSTELLO: Brian Stelter -- many thanks. I appreciate it.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM parents watch in horror as a bounce house with their children inside is sent flying.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: I'll take you out to Houston right now. What you're looking at are emergency workers in a boat obviously. This is in the raging floodwaters of Houston. They're attempting to rescue people from inside of a house. There you see the neighborhood. You can see how dangerous it is.

Apparently there are people inside of that house. I would assume they're in the upper floors. At least I hope so. Of course those emergency workers are going to go inside that house some way in an attempt to get those people out. We'll keep an eye on this for you and when we have more, we'll go back to Houston.

Checking just one other top story before I have to go, the same system pouring rain on the United States spawns a deadly tornado in Mexico. Flipped cars littering the streets; in all 13 people killed here including three children. Another 200 are injured. The Mexican city is located just across the border from Del Rio, Texas. Official says the twister was the worst in the area he's seen in over 100 years.

Severe weather also causing chaos in Florida, this as a waterspout sends a bouncy house flying. Three children were inside that bouncy house at the time. They are now recovering -- one from serious injuries. It happened Monday in Fort Lauderdale. The storm swept the house across the parking lot and into a roadway. One adult was also injured.

[11:00:14] Thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Carol Costello.

"AT THIS HOUR" with Berman and Bolduan starts now.