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Wall Street Continues to Focus on Greece; Officials Warn Americans Could be Targets of July 4th Attack; Obama Pushes for Paid Overtime; Backlash in Texas over Supreme Court Same Sex Marriage decision. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired June 30, 2015 - 09:30   ET

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

[09:30:00] PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: To Wall Street now, about to open for business as the markets come off their worst day of 2015 over fears of a Greek default. Stock futures are up today, even though that threat of default, as Richard said, will very likely become a reality within hours.

CNN Money correspondent Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange with more.

Alison.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN MONEY CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Pamela.

Wall Street continues to focus on Greece a day after the Dow had its biggest sell-off of the year, wiping out its gains for the year. Now, we are watching European markets at the moment, they're mixed, but as the opening bell just rang, we do see green arrows. The Dow up 60 points. So a little bounce back there. But the story's not over by a long shot, as you heard from Richard.

Today is the day Greece is expected to default on its $1.7 billion payment to the IMF. Now, Greece has already said it's not going to pay its debt today, but German Chancellor Angela Merkel, a short time ago, said the door is still open to dialogue. So the fact that anything can still happen, that is going to keep the volatility in play here on Wall Street.

Now, today, you will see the move really be driven by the headlines that come out of Greece. But the fact of the matter is, the big worry for Wall Street, what seems to be the great concern here, is about the unknown, the fall-out, if Greece were to leave the Eurozone. That concern will continue to linger in the background, even though you see those green arrows popping up as we speak.

Pamela.

BROWN: A very fluid situation here. Alison Kosik, thank you so much for that.

And still to come right here in the NEWSROOM, more Americans think President Obama is doing a good job with the economy. Will it help him sell a plan to expand overtime pay for millions of Americans? That's the big question today. And the Supreme Court ruling, same-sex couples can get married in all

50 states, but some Texas counties say they have the right to deny marriage licenses and they will. CNN talked to one of the officials disregarding the high court's decision.

We'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:36:07] BROWN: U.S. officials are warning Americans could be the target of terror attacks this 4th of July weekend. Although no specific or credible threats have been identified, the FBI says ISIS recruits here in the U.S. want to attack on a high-profile holiday. They also say ISIS is calling for attacks on Ramadan, which we're in right now. CNN national security commentator Mike Rogers spoke about the threat earlier this morning on "New Day." Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE ROGERS, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY COMMENTATOR: They're getting lots of pieces, little bits and pieces of information of about - about an event that will happen, might happen, could happen, trying to inspire it to happen. You take last night, the attack in Yemen, shows that ISIS is - still has a bit of a reach outside of Syria. And I think all of those factors lead them to say, listen, something's going on. We don't know exactly where, we don't know exactly what, but they clearly have some intention here to do some type of activity. Let's be extra cautious and make sure people are paying attention.

BROWN: CNN contributor Michael Weiss joins me now to discuss.

You know, Michael, ISIS-inspired recruits are seemingly answering calls to wage attacks anywhere and anyhow. We've seen it around the world recently. We've, you know, seen attempted attacks here in the U.S. Do you think that this lends more credibility to the alert right now around the 4th of July holiday?

MICHAEL WEISS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, they do this every major holiday.

BROWN: Right.

WEISS: And particularly Ramadan. If you go back to the first sermon the Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who's the head of ISIS, gave almost a year to the day from Mosul. He says that Ramadan is the time to sort of escalate the jihadi attacks. The mujahedeen have to come together now and really kind of write their name in the stars.

Most recently ISIS' spokesman, Abu Mohammed al-Adnani said the same thing, this is the time to rain fire on the kuffar. Now, we associate Ramadan as a holy month. Muslims are, you know, fasting, they're praying. For a Jihadi organization, it's the opposite. Now is the time to become even more belligerent. So they would exploit any and all opportunities to strike in the American homeland if they could.

BROWN: And, you know, and I've been talking to counterterrorism officials, I know you have been too, that there is a feeling that the threat is - is in some ways higher than ever given how it's evolved with ISIS using social media, the lone wolf threat.

WEISS: Sure.

BROWN: And you wonder if this whole notion of, we don't have any credible, specific threats right now around the 4th of July holiday. Is that really the standard given how difficult it is to track the lone wolf in the basement who could any day do something?

WEISS: Yes. Well, I mean, if we are to assume that all of the three attacks that occurred last week on three separate continents were ISIS related - we know two of them most certainly were - they do have the capacity to wage these simultaneous - it's a matter of discombobulating the enemy and showing that they're everywhere. They're already in our own neighborhoods. They're already, as you say, you know, kids in their mom's basement who are coordinating with the brothers in Raqqa.

The real thing to pay attention to here is this. When ISIS succeeds on the battlefield, they don't just take terrain, and they don't just sack cities, they also expand their networks. They bolster their proselytization and their recruitment methods because nothing succeeds like success. If you are an Islamist or a jihadi who is inclined to the ISIS ideology, you see what they're doing, you see how they're defeating the coalition time and time again. This makes you more inclined to want to link up with them than say al Qaeda or some competitive brand or franchise.

BROWN: But there is still al Qaeda, AQAP -

WEISS: Absolutely, yes.

BROWN: Which has a different strategy than ISIS, but still concerning nonetheless. And we've seen they like to strike on symbolic holidays like the 4th of July.

WEISS: For sure. And another danger here is that al Qaeda and ISIS are in a state of war with each other.

BROWN: Right.

WEISS: And one of the things they're going to do is try to one up each other. And how are they going to do that. By trying to escalate attacks in the west and even in the Middle East and North Africa as well because, again, every successful attack is just another way of increasing your - your - swelling your ranks.

BROWN: Very quickly -

WEISS: Yes.

BROWN: I want to go to the sound bite from Mike Morell, what he - the former CIA director, what he said on CBS. Let's take a listen.

[09:40:05] Oh, it's a full screen quote. OK. "I wouldn't be surprised," he says, "if we're sitting here a week from today talking about an attack over the weekend in the United States." I have to ask you though, do you think - do you agree that the threat is that serious or do you think that we are sort of hyping it up?

WEISS: I think the threat is extremely serious. I think comments like that are essentially designed to preemptively cover one's butt, if you like.

BROWN: Right.

WEISS: Because the worse thing to do is lower your guard and say, no, everything's fine, we've got it all sorted, and then something going off. Even worse than something going off in my view is what they could do very easily, which is just get an assault rifle and shoot up a school.

BROWN: Right. Right.

WEISS: That would be the kind of attack ISIS would probably wage in America.

BROWN: And it doesn't take much time.

WEISS: Yes.

BROWN: And what's so scary is seeing people so rapidly going from planning to operational. That is how we're seeing the threat evolve.

Mike, thank you so much.

WEISS: Sure. My pleasure.

BROWN: We appreciate you coming on and sharing your analysis.

And coming up right here in NEWSROOM, the president's poll numbers are looking up. So is that good news for Democrats eyeing the White House? We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:46:01] BROWN: President Obama says from day one he's been driven by strengthening the middle class, and in an op-ed for "The Huffington Post", he unveils a plan he says will help achieve that very goal, making more American workers eligible for over time pay.

He writes in part, "Right now too many Americans are working long days for less pay than they deserve. That's partly because we failed to update overtime regulations for years." And President Obama's push comes as his approval rating hits a two-year high, 50 percent of Americans saying they approve of his job as president. That's a six point gain from November. 47 percent disapprove.

And here to walk through all of this with us, Jeff Zeleny, CNN's senior Washington correspondent, and Sara Murray, CNN political reporter. So great to have you both on.

Jeff, I'm going to...

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Morning, Pam.

BROWN: ... start with you here, a lot to break down. So, President Obama had quite a week. He began it saying that he was fearless, we know he scored big wins in the Supreme Court and he had a widely hailed speech at the funeral of Clementa Pinckney in Charleston.

So, in my - in your opinion, how do you think this momentum is playing into this issue right now that he's bringing up?

ZELENY: Well, Pam, there's no question, he has had a big week. I mean, you were there, you were at the Supreme Court during these significant rulings for him, but look, he now has a bit of wind at his back here. But the number I was struck by most was 52 percent of Americans say that they approve of how he is handling this job on the economy. That is a mark that we've been sort of watching over the years, and that's the highest point in six years. So, doing something like this increase of overtime workers really is designed to bring up the income of lower income Americans and expanding the opportunity in the middle class.

Of course this is controversial. Congressional Republicans say this will actually slow the economy because it will increase the amount of money that business owners are having to pay here. But this is something that is broad -- has some broad popularity. And, Pam, the big sort of out take of all this is if his job approval is better, is higher, that is good for Democrats and good for Hillary Clinton here because she's not running for a third term of his, but she is certainly strengthened by his strength at this point.

BROWN: And Sara, I want to go to you on that and to this issue also in particular because it's not the first time we're hearing about it. We've heard two Democratic candidates, Martin O'Malley and Bernie Sanders, urge action on overtime.

So, do you think that this could play out on the campaign trail as well?

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Yes, I absolutely think that's right. I think this is part of a set of issues that we are going to hear Democrats talking about when we talk about overtime pay. They're also going to be talking about paid leave for parents, they're going to be talking about equal pay for women. This is a set of issues where Democrats think they have the edge over Republicans and they can say, look, we care about middle class families and we care about getting people on an even playing field. Whether that means people who are sort of in these working class jobs and even playing field with higher paid workers or whether it means women on an equal playing field with men, and that's really where they see they have an edge.

BROWN: So, do you think that by President Obama bringing this up now that this will help the Democrats on the campaign trail?

MURRAY: Yes, I think that's right. I think that having President Obama bring it up sort of starts a conversation and allows them to continue talking about it. It also means that Republicans are going to have to answer the question of what they would do on these issues and it means they're going to have to answer if they don't want to make these changes and explain why they think it would actually be harmful for the economy.

It's very easy for people to understand getting additional pay for overtime, it's harder for people to understand the economic argument, I think, that you would then lose jobs because of it or people would get their hours cut. And so, Republicans will have to be very clear in defending their positions.

BROWN: And speaking of Republicans, Heff, the field is set to grow by one today, Chris Christie launching his bid later this morning and he's using the hashtag "telling it like it is," touting his blunt style that many of us have seen and come to know. But his popularity is tumbling, really, in the wake of Bridgegate.

ZELENY: Sure.

BROWN: How does he come back from that?

[09:50:02] ZELENY: Well, Pam, he is number 14, the 14 Republicans already in the race where he becomes the 14th person. So really, he's trying to tell it like it is, but it's not like it used to be for Chris Christie. I mean, a year ago he seemed like he had a, you know, was one of the leading figures in the Republican party. Now he is really suffering from home, or from things happening at home. The economic record and the fiscal record in his home state is not very strong at all, but he believes there is still an opportunity, an opening in this wide Republican field. So, he is going to go immediately after he makes his announcement this morning to New Hampshire and he's really putting all of his eggs in the New Hampshire basket, believing that there will be some opportunity for straight talk up there.

It's happened before with John McCain in 2008. He was sort of resurrected by New Hampshire. So, that's what Chris Christie is hoping to do. But, Pam, it is such a crowded Republican field. Everything would have to go right for Chris Christie, and some things would have to go wrong for some other Republicans, some other Republicans like Jeb Bush or others might have to fall for Chris Christie to have an opening.

BROWN: And Christie isn't the only one fighting for New Hampshire. That is a popular place to be right now for the Republicans.

Jeff Zeleny, Sara Murray, we appreciate it. Thanks so much.

MURRAY: Thanks, Pam.

ZELENY: Thanks, Pam.

BROWN: And you might remember the story of former police officer Drew Peterson, remember him? He was found guilty of murdering wife number three, and he is still suspected of killing his fourth wife, Stacy. Now he's about to stand trial for hiring a hit on the prosecutor who put him in jail. It is an unbelievable twist in the story that CNN's Jean Casarez has been covering for a year.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): October 28th, 2007, the day Candace Akin's (ph) niece Stacy Peterson vanished without a trace.

CANDACE AKIN (ph), AUNT OF STACY PETERSON: I thought that she had been murdered, most likely by Drew.

CASAREZ: Akin was not alone. All eyes were on Stacy's husband, Illinois police officer Drew Peterson, a man whose third wife, Kathleen Savio, had been found dead in the bathtub about three years earlier.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I walk into everywhere I go and there's this little hum that goes through the establishment, there's Drew Peterson, there's Drew Peterson, there's Drew Peterson.

CASAREZ: Joe Hosie (ph) staked out Peterson's suburban home when news broke of Stacy's disappearance.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This morning Drew Peterson spoke to reporters through his front door.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The first few days he was just peeking out his front door, but then he was letting people come in to talk to him.

CASAREZ: Hosie (ph) was the first.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was eerie. I had a view of the living room and I was watching the kids watching the TV and it was kind of strange.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Stacy Anne Peterson ...

CASAREZ: Strange because they were watching the news coverage.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was last heard from on Sunday morning.

CASAREZ: About their missing mother.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the investigation remains a missing persons case...

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: And be sure to tune in tonight at 9:00 for "MARRIED TO A MURDERER: THE DREW PETERSON STORY" from our Jane Casarez. We'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:57:06] BROWN: Major backlash in Texas today over the Supreme Court's decision to legalize gay marriage. A number of county clerks there now refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. They argue it goes against their religious beliefs, and they're being backed up by the state's own attorney general who says lawyers are at the ready to defend any clerk choosing to deny a license.

CNN's Ryan Nobles is in Hood County, Texas, and the clerk there is - that you spoke with, Ryan, is one of those refusing to issue licenses to same-sex couples. I'm also joined by Elizabeth Wydra, chief counsel of the Constitutional Accountability Center and a lawyer.

Ryan, I'm going to start with you now because you spoke to this clerk. What did this clerk have to say?

RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, she didn't have much to say, Pam, and we tried to talk to her all day. My producer talked to her on the phone earlier in the day , we went into the office and talked to her receptionist, politely asked for an interview. She told us she wasn't doing any interviews today, so we waited for her as she left the office for the day and this is what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

NOBLE: Hi, Miss Lang (ph), how are you? Ryan Nobles from CNN. I was just hoping you could provide us some clarity as to how your county is going to handle the same sex ruling from the Supreme Court.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I already gave an interview, so I don't really want to talk to you guys right now.

NOBLE: Well, you're a public official, ma'am. Can you just explain - I mean, there's a lot of people...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm going to my car.

NOBLE: ... have the clarity as to exactly how your county is going to handle this. Could you explain that to us?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I already gave an interview and I have --

NOBLE: You didn't give an interview to us, ma'am.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know., but ...

NOBLE: Are you not going to issue the licenses then?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm going to post something on my website, so you can read about it tomorrow. Okay. Thank you.

NOBLE: So you can't tell us one way or the another whether or not the county is going to do it then?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you. Appreciate it.

NOBLE: Thank you.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

NOBLE: And so today, Pam, we are still waiting to see what she's going to post on her website. She did do an interview with the "Fort Worth Star-Telegram" and also with a television station in Dallas where she reiterated this point, that she believes that it's her first amendment right to not issue the same-sex marriage licenses, but we'll have to see if she's a little more clear when she releases that statement later this morning.

BROWN: Okay, so, let's talk about this first amendment right she talks about, freedom to religion. The ACLU of Texas released a statement saying in part that government officials who take an oath to uphold the law are required to treat all Texans equally ,regardless of who they are or whom they love. Yet, Elizabeth, freedom of religion is protected in our Constitution, so from your legal perspective, as state workers working in their, you know, public capacity, do they have a right to do this?

ELIZABETH WYDRA, CHIEF COUNSEL OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY CENTER: You know, when she is acting as a public officer, as a public clerk, in her public capacity, she is required to follow the United States Constitution, and here the Supreme Court has said without any doubt that the Constitution protects the liberty and equality rights of same-sex couples to get a license when they want to enter the institution of marriage just like any of us, just like any other Texan.

And so, while she does certainly unquestionably have the right to go to her church and have a different belief and her church has the -- as Justice Kennedy noted in his opinion, her church has the right to refuse to perform same-sex marriages. When she is acting as a public county clerk, she does not have the right to treat people unequally when the Constitution says they must be treated the same as everyone else.

BROWN: So, you're saying because the clerk is acting in an official capacity, that's different, that changes things. Really interesting to hear both of your perspectives.

Ryan Nobles, Elizabeth Wydra, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

And the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM begins right now.

Happening now in the NEWSROOM, prison break plans revealed.