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Accused Killer in the U.S. Illegally?; Ferguson Erupts in Angry Protests; Final Hearing for Journalist Jailed in Iran; U.S. Lawmakers Go to Israel to Discuss Nuclear Agreement; Donald Trump Says Megyn Kelly Should Apologize To Him. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired August 10, 2015 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:05] PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Pamela Brown in for Carol Costello. Thanks for joining us.

An undocumented immigrant's alleged role in a brutal murder is renewing the debate over U.S. immigration policies. Investigators say Victor Martinez, one of two men facing charges for the rape and murder of Marilyn Pharis, was an undocumented immigrant from Mexico who has been arrested several times but never deported.

CNN's Stephanie Elam is live in Los Angeles with more on this story.

Stephanie, this is just so disturbing.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's a very upsetting story when you listen to it, Pamela. This goes back to taking a look at what happened on July 24th. They are saying it's around 10:00 a.m. when two men broke into the house of Marilyn Pharis, a 64-year-old woman who worked for the Air Force. They say that this woman was brutally beaten, that she was sexually assaulted including beaten with a hammer.

What they say is that this woman was actually able to call authorities, saying that she needed help. They responded and they were able to track down one of these individuals that they say played a part in this beating at a nearby house where he was apprehended.

Now what I can tell you about Marilyn Pharis is that she went on to die on August 1st of a coronary embolism.

Now back to this person whose picture you see on TV right now, that would be Victor Martinez. He's 29 years old, he is from Mexico. This is not the first time that he has tangled with law enforcement. He has since been charged with first-degree murder, sexual assault and residential burglary with special circumstance of torture.

They believe there is a second man involved. They apprehended Fernando Villagomez. He's 20 years old but he was born in San Francisco. Both of these men could face the death penalty. But obviously, Pamela, a lot of interest surrounding Martinez since he is not an American.

BROWN: A lot of questions raised.

Stephanie Elam, thank you so much.

Meantime in Ferguson, Missouri, peaceful protests turned violent on the one-year anniversary of Michael Brown's death. Police say a man fired at them with a stolen gun. Just one of three shootings throughout the night. He was critically injured when officers shot back. The gunfire igniting chaos and anger in the crowd.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTER: We're ready for what?

UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: We're ready for war.

UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTER: We're ready for what?

UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: We're ready for war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Some protesters chanting "We're ready for war" as we hear in this video. Throwing bottles and bricks as police use tear gas to break it up. All of this as more protests are planned for today.

To discuss all of this, I want to bring in Kevin Powell. He is a political activist and author.

Thank you so much for being here, Kevin.

KEVIN POWELL, POLITICAL ACTIVIST: Thank you for having me.

BROWN: When we look at these images of the violence, the chaos last night, it's really not that different from what we saw about a year ago in Ferguson around the death of Michael Brown.

POWELL: Yes, and --

BROWN: Have we made any progress?

POWELL: You know, unfortunately, I was out there a year ago, I was out there a few months ago, and I'll be going back hopefully to do some more work in that area. I hate to say it, but it feels like we have not made much progress in the last year or so. There's still ugly tensions between the police and the community. There's still a lot of anger. Some of it rightfully so, but at the same time, I need to say, that we cannot condone violence in any form.

I don't think we should be ready for war, we should be ready for peace, I think we should be ready for love, I think we should be ready for organizing and building our communities back and having some real, honest and open conversations which we seem to keep avoiding about race and racism in this country.

BROWN: And Loretta Lynch, the attorney general, echoed that sentiment, Kevin.

POWELL: Yes. BROWN: And here's what she said today. She said, "I strongly condemn

the violence against the community, including police officers in Ferguson. As we have seen over the recent months and years, not only does violence obscure any message of peaceful protest, it places the community as well as the officers who seek to protect it in harm's way."

POWELL: Yes.

BROWN: So that's a little bit of what she said. There has been a lot of talk and dialogue about the tensions between law enforcement and the community over the past year.

POWELL: Yes.

BROWN: And not only with the Michael Brown killing but also other incidents this past year that have been controversial. But what is the solution? We're -- we're talking about it, we've been talking about it for a year, what is the solution?

POWELL: Well, number one, you know, I think that real leadership has got to emerge out of these communities. I'm not quite sure who the leadership is in places like Ferguson or even in some of the other places that exist. When I say real leadership, people that actually understand the social and economic conditions that create a tinder box that explodes in places like Ferguson or Baltimore in the first place.

And I know there are dynamic leaders out there, Reverend Jamal Bryant in Baltimore, other folks who are on the ground there in places like Baltimore, but the issue is that, you know, a lot of the folks at the bottom feel like their voice is not being heard, which is why you see these kind of scenes. But at the same time, we're saying to folks, you know, just like we don't want the police to shoot at us, but can't shoot at the police. That's all unacceptable. All violence is unacceptable.

BROWN: And several police officers have been killed this year in Memphis and New York and also elsewhere.

POWELL: Absolutely. The solution is that clear headed people have got to be willing to come together to have the kind of difficult, uncomfortable conversations and that's got to include the social, economic conditions in our communities around poverty, around racial segregation which still exists in many parts of this country including Ferguson as we've learned in the last year.

[10:35:14] People in my opinion are skirting those issues. Putting a black police chief in place is not a solution. That's part of it but it's a bigger issue like well, I haven't even gone to this place for the last 20, 30 years, where it seems like there's one racial profiling case after another the board to the point where people are just angry and outraged.

And what I'm saying to folks is that, you know, we've got to sit down and talk with each other and listen to each other. Not just black and white people, all people, Latino, Asian, this affects all of us in this country. And as I've said on CNN several times, the world is watching us. They are watching us as they did in the 1960s. What is actually happening in America at this point, especially when you have a black, biracial, multicultural president in the -- in the White House. It's really ironic.

BROWN: And Loretta Lynch.

POWELL: Yes. And Loretta is the attorney general.

BROWN: The attorney general who has been very outspoken.

POWELL: Yes.

BROWN: Do you see -- do you see this being resolved? Do you have hope that we will come together and --

POWELL: I have hope because I travel this country extensively as an activist, as a speaker, as a writer. I see the conversations, especially with younger people, but you know at the same time I think we've got to create spaces. When I was in Ferguson, we had a space where people spoke and it was very, very peaceful, but they also spoke their minds.

The very next day I was part of a second town hall meeting where they have the police chief there for St. Louis and it was ugly and vicious and people were yelling and screaming at each other. I think it's how we bring people together. You know how -- what is the context of bringing them together? And what are the parameters of it? Because you know people want to say what's on their minds, but at the same time, you know, we've got to -- some of us have got to say, OK, I've got this anger but is it going to be proactive and about being a bridge builder or am I going to be destructive and reactionary, and I'm just going to tear things down?

We need to build up our communities up because at the end of the day, the people who suffer the most from this stuff happening are the folks in those communities at Ferguson who are not getting the opportunities that led to all of this stuff in the first place.

BROWN: All right. Kevin Powell, we'll leave it there. Interesting discussion with you.

POWELL: Yes, thank you.

BROWN: Thank you so much.

And still to come, the final hearing today for a "Washington Post" reporter being held on spying charges in Iran. What the waiting game has been like for his family, up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:41:33] BROWN: In Iran the final hearing in the trial for a jailed "Washington Post" reporter has ended. No verdict was announced and it's still not clear what happens next. Jason Rezaian, who is accused of espionage, has been held by the

Iranian government since 2014. The "Washington Post" calls the trial a sham and denies all of the allegations.

Joining me now to discuss, Jason's brother, Ali Rezaian.

Thank you so much for being here.

ALI REZAIAN, BROTHER OF AMERICAN DETAINEE IN IRAN: Thank you, Pam.

BROWN: Ali, your brother's lawyer finally got to present his defense. Any idea how that went?

REZAIAN: You know, we know that they had a comprehensive defense. Jason's lawyer, Leila Ahsan, has been able to review the entire case file. She knows all the charges and all the evidence that was brought against him, and she's made it very clear there's no basis in that evidence for the charges and we know that they were able to bring that information into court, present their case and now we just have to wait for the verdict.

BROWN: Really quickly if you would, Ali, refresh our memory, our viewers' memory on what this stems from, what Iran says this is all about, these espionage charges?

REZAIAN: Sure. It started back 384 days ago. They came and took Jason and (INAUDIBLE) away. Jason is the "Washington Post" correspondent over there. They've charged him with four charges, the most serious which is espionage but also collaborating with hostile powers and propaganda as well as working under the guise of a journalist.

All these things are false. They really don't have any proof. What they've done is they've mulled through his e-mail, looked for e-mails to his friends and colleagues and made claims about, you know, different things. Things like an application to the Obama administration where he said that he really wanted to help our countries get closer together and not have the anonymity that they've had in the past.

Those are the kinds of things that they put forward as evidence that he was collaborating with the hostile power. So it's just, you know, absurd on its face. Jason was a reporter. He did the kinds of things that reporters do and there's just -- it's just been very, very unfair and inhumane this last year.

BROWN: I'm curious to hear your thoughts, Ali, on the Iran deal because we know Congress must vote on the deal by September 17th. And there have been several key Democrats that have announced that they won't back it. Are you worried that opposition to the deal in the U.S. could impact what happens to your brother?

REZAIAN: You know, I think that any of it brings more attention on my brother's case is going to help him. I think it's important that the world see what's going on in Iran in Jason's case. And I think that it gives an opportunity for the Iranians to show that they can do the right thing. They can follow their own rules and their laws. They haven't done that for the last 13 months but now here's an opportunity for them to do that.

You know, people are going to make their decisions for political purposes one way or another. Whatever they're going to do with the deal. But I'm just very glad that people are talking about Jason, talking about the other Americans and you know, it doesn't get forgotten.

BROWN: And we are still waiting for a verdict. Of course, the hope is for him to be freed and for your family to finally have peace.

Ali Rezaian, thank you so much.

REZAIAN: Thanks so much, Pam.

BROWN: And still to come right here on the NEWSROOM, President Obama pushing forward on the Iran nuclear deal. But could a congressional trip to Israel derail the deal?

We'll be right back.

[10:44:55]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Well, Congress is set to vote next month on the Iran nuclear deal. And nearly 60 U.S. lawmakers are traveling to Israel to discuss the matter. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is firmly against the agreement saying it poses a grave threat to Israel's security. And now 22 Democrats and 36 Republicans from the House of Representatives will hear from Israeli officials directly.

I want to bring in now CNN White House correspondent Michelle Kosinski. She has the latest from Martha's Vineyard.

So to be clear here, Michelle, this is trip that happens every two years. It apparently was planned before the Iran deal was reached, but is the White House concerned that Israel might convince the majority in Congress to vote against the deal?

[10:50:00] MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I mean, it's possible. The White House isn't expressing concern about this. Of course, they wouldn't want to openly say they are worried necessarily. What they have been expressing over and over again is confidence that even if Congress did reach the level of opposing the deal, that they vote disapproval of it, the White House feels like the votes are still there to maintain a presidential veto that would absolutely happen if Congress voted it down.

So the timing of this trip is really interesting because as you said, yes, this is something that happens every two years. They take about the same number of people in the House, mostly freshman members, but this time around, I mean, it's a critical time. They are going to be meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Democrats met with him yesterday. I mean, he's probably the most vocal person in the world right now against the deal.

This trip is funded by the charitable arm of AIPAC, the American- Israel group that is staunchly opposed to the deal. Now someone from AIPAC said that they are not going to lobby these members, some of whom are indeed undecided. In fact, even the leader of the Democrats, the House minority leader whip, Steny Hoyer, he himself is still undecided.

So the trip is not supposed to be all about the Iran deal. They are going to cultural sites, they are going to meet with various leaders, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, they're supposed to be talking about, you know, reaffirming the strong relationship between the U.S. and Israel regardless of disagreement over this Iran deal. But you know that that deal is going to be a focus during this trip -- Pamela.

BROWN: Yes, I imagine it's going to be a centerpiece of a lot of discussions.

Michelle Kosinski, thank you so much.

KOSINSKI: Sure.

BROWN: And right now two Russians cosmonauts are right outside the International Space Station as you see right here. Take a look at this video. They're installing equipment and taking new pictures right outside of the station.

When we come back inside, they're going to have -- when they come back, we should say, inside they're going to have a special treat. Get this, red romaine lettuce grown on the space station for the first time ever. And here's a picture of that lettuce. It's all part of NASA's plan to eventually grow food on spacecrafts. Pretty interesting.

And still to come right here in the NEWSROOM, Donald Trump defiant. Refusing to apologize for inflammatory comments made to a FOX News anchor. But the question now is, how will she respond?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:56:37] BROWN: Well, Donald Trump isn't just refusing to apologize for that remark about Megyn Kelly which critics say implied she was menstruating, but he now thinks that FOX News owes him an apology. The FOX News host, rather.

Check out what he told MSNBC's "MORNING JOE" earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The fact that she asked me a very inappropriate question, she should really be apologizing to me. You want to know the truth. And other candidates have said that, you know, during the debate and despite what you said earlier in the morning, Joe, every poll, virtually every poll has said that I won the debate. You said I didn't win -- I didn't do well. And I don't understand how you can say that because I actually felt -- and especially in light of the horrible questions that I was being asked.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: All right. So to break this down, let's bring in CNN senior media correspondent Brian Stelter, who joins me now with the very latest.

Megyn Kelly has for the most part been staying late, you know, laying low since Donald Trump made those remarks.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

BROWN: I have a feeling she's not going to issuing an apology to him any time soon.

STELTER: No. I think I can report that as fact.

BROWN: What did she say? Yes. Yes, exactly.

STELTER: That she will not be apologizing. What she did was her job on Thursday night asking tough questions to the GOP frontrunner. She was absolutely doing the right thing. And she was fair about it, in my view, but I understand some of Trump's supporters thought it was unfair.

Bottom line is, if you can't handle Megyn Kelly, you're not going to be able to handle all of the tough assignments that come to you when you are commander-in-chief. So what we were seeing was Megyn Kelly trying to prepare Donald Trump, so to speak, for a very big job. But regardless that, what we're seeing now is this is vicious attack from Trump and from his supporters against Megyn Kelly.

She's laying low, not commenting. Maybe she'll speak up in the bottom of our show tonight but for now, she's trying to take the high road and not encourage this story to go on anymore.

BROWN: What do you think is a smart strategy for her in dealing with this?

STELTER: Yes. When you think about this, this is a true Clash of the Titans. This is the number one candidate for the Republican nominee for president right now in the polls versus the number one network for conservatives for Republicans is FOX News.

You know, I haven't seen anything like this before where you've got a candidate attacking the network that frankly he should be hoping for attention from. FOX has backed off covering Trump. He hasn't been on the network in days. There's talk about maybe him coming on for an interview tonight, but nothing has been booked. And I can tell you, Megyn Kelly I don't think has any interest in talking to him because he has been so offensive toward her.

And this morning even dredging up an old story about -- about Megyn Kelly talking about her sex life. You know --

BROWN: Sort of relentless. STELTER: Almost like he's trying to shame her. He would have been

smart to back down days ago but he hasn't. It seems like he wants to continue to pick this fight. And I don't see how it's a winning strategy for him given how influential and powerful FOX News is.

BROWN: So you mentioned, he may or may not be back on FOX,

STELTER: Yes.

BROWN: But do you think that the -- FOX really invite him to be on the air after his comments about Megyn Kelly?

STELTER: You know, the Iranians magnet, it would be one of those things where you're kind of making a corporate calculation maybe wanting the ratings that would come from a moment like that. On the other hand, even though they're not saying this publicly, folks at FOX are privately disgusted by what Kelly -- by what Trump said about Kelly. They're disgusted by his behavior over the weekend.

They're not interested in seeming to be giving him attention. Maybe, though, they want to bring him on in order to take him down a notch or two.

BROWN: And of course Donald Trump has denied that he was implying what many people think he was.

STELTER: Right.

BROWN: So he, of course, has defended himself and continues to attack.

STELTER: And we've spent three days talking about this instead of policy, which of course other candidates would like to talk about.

BROWN: Absolutely. Brian Stelter, thank you so much.

STELTER: Thanks.

BROWN: And thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Pamela Brown. "AT THIS HOUR WITH BERMAN AND BOLDUAN" starts now.