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Kerry Calls Moscow On Syria Build Up Concerns; U.N.: 2,000 Migrants Arrive Daily in Hungary; Police: Close to Identifying Suspects in Shooting; Clintons Paid State Department Staffer To Maintain Server; Kentucky Clerk Jailed For Denying Marriage License; 24 Officers Killed This Year; Black Lives Matter Activists Marsh to Minnesota State Fair Gates; Scott Walker: Racial Tensions Rise Under Obama; Tom Brady Apologizes for Deflategate Inconvenience; Eagles Cut Tim Tebow. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired September 05, 2015 - 17:00   ET

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


[16:59:50] SETH JONES, RAND CORPORATION: It's created friction within governments and then among them in Europe. And I think as ISIS looks at this, it's chaos in Europe right now. And it's being played out hourly around the clock on television shows. So this is -- it's a psychological and it's an information victory at least in the short run for ISIS.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A victory for ISIS and possibly another opportunity. Analysts say with so many migrants streaming into Europe, it's easier for ISIS to infiltrate these groups, possibly smuggle their sympathizers or maybe even operatives into Europe with them. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN ANCHOR: And you are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Deborah Feyerick in for Poppy Harlow. U.S. officials are very concerned this weekend that something is happening overseas that could escalate the conflict in Syria. Here's the concern, that Russia is building up its military presence in Syria. Secretary of State John Kerry has already spoken by phone to his counterpart in Moscow. The U.S. and Russia have very different ideas about dealing with Syria. When it comes to the civil war there and also about how to fight ISIS. The U.S. State Department says, more Russian involvement in Syria means more people will die and the desperate refugee crisis will only get worse. On that subject, a little while ago I spoke to the senior U.S. Senator from Minnesota who says that the United States needs to step up, open its doors and do more to help the displaced people fleeing Syria in such great numbers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D), MINNESOTA: I think everyone has to share in the solution. Certainly Europe must take the lead because of their proximity but also the U.S. has really only taken less than 1,000 refugees and that's why before this current crisis erupted, Senator Durbin and myself, we wrote a letter at 14 senators asking the State Department to take in more refugees to our country, obviously spread out across the country, vetted, legal refugees. (END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: And another development from Syria. This weekend, word that President Bashar al Assad is going to hold early elections and that he's willing to share power with some of his opponents. The Syrian and Russian governments are positioning that decision as one that will create a broader coalition to fight extremist groups like ISIS.

Well, let me get Michael Weiss in here with all his knowledge, he is a CNN contributor, writes on global affairs for "The Daily Beast," also the co-author of the book "ISIS: Inside The Army of Terror." So, Michael, the U.S. State Department saying, they believe Russia that there's no military buildup inside Syria. What do you find?

MICHAEL WEISS, SENIOR EDITOR, THE DAILY BEAST: Well, the evidence has been mounting, especially over the last week or two, it was an Israeli newspaper that came out with the report about two weeks ago saying that Russia plans to send an expeditionary force to Damascus which will include actually Russian Air Force pilots who will engage in combat missions. In other words, fly Russian -- and MiG jets not just to bomb ISIS but possibly also to bomb other rebel groups, including those that might be backed by the west. Now, this evidence has been, you know, added to the following. A video was posted actually by a pro-Assad militia group showing a BTR, that's an infantry fighting vehicle operating in Latakia, the coastal province from which the Assad family hails.

The people inside the VTR (ph) were speaking Russian. They were taking instructions from Russian soldiers. So, this indicates that Russia may already have an active combat role on the ground. I just published a piece today in The Daily Beast quoting Syrians, including one family that has fled from Aleppo, went to Damascus and then flew out of Damascus to Turkey, saying, they were stopped at a military checkpoint in Damascus and at the check point there weren't just Syrian soldiers but also Russian soldiers imbedded. This comes amid of flurry of other corroborating bits of evidence, including citizens in Damascus saying, we see Russian officers all over the place here.

They are liaising on a daily basis on restaurants and cafes with not just Syrian military brass but also Iranian military officers. So, it seems like we are almost reaching a point of, if this is a big conspiracy or a myth, somebody is manufacturing a lot of disinformation and false evidence about it because everyone is talking about this.

FEYERICK: And when you think about it, you have Russia, Syria, Iran, all of them now in that country.

WEISS: Right.

FEYERICK: Meanwhile, the eyes of the rest of the world are on every other country because you have this flood of refugees, so many of them from Syria. Is Putin simply making a move right now at this moment because nobody's watching what's going on in Syria too closely? WEISS: It's very interesting, isn't it? He came out yesterday and

said, as you mentioned, let's have early parliamentary elections, there will be some kind of power sharing government in Syria but one that will consist with what he termed the healthy opposition. He didn't dame to describe what he considers the diseased opposition but I can bet you a lot of that will include people that the Pentagon and CIA have been supporting. Also, what has happened in the last two weeks. Another unsuccessful and instantly violated cease-fire in Ukraine where the world's attention has now been taken off that conflict. Again, another Russian invasion in Eastern Europe in this case, amidst, of course, the geopolitics of the Middle East.

There's an Iran nuclear deal that's been inked and it will be implemented in late July, Qasem Soleimani, he's the commander of course of the Quds Force of the revolutionary guard core of Iran traveled to Moscow, violating an international travel ban, meeting with top Russian officials to discuss, I am sure, a joint proposal for increasing security and defending the Assad regime. So if what the Russians are looking to do is essentially ring-fence those areas of Syria that they consider the so-called strategic corridor, namely from Damascus into Lebanon to secure the resupply lines for Hezbollah and also into the coastal regions such as Latakia where I mentioned earlier, evidence has emerged of Russian combat missions, that would make perfect sense. The Russians and the Iranians will work cheek by jowl to make sure that Assad's regime survives.

[17:05:56] FEYERICK: So, very quickly. Just --

WEISS: Yes.

FEYERICK: Is Russia going in in order to either crush ISIS, crush the bad opposition, or simply to gain an intractable foothold that everyone else in Europe, in the United States, will have to deal with when it comes to trying to find some sort of negotiated solution?

WEISS: Well, this is the thing. U.S. intelligence official told The Daily Beast in this report I put out today that, you know, that if the Russians were coming in just to fight ISIS that would be one thing but we suspect not. They are coming in to prop up the regime and also as I mentioned earlier, probably to take the fight to rebel groups that frankly the U.S. still relies upon to recruit from. You know, in terms of building up the so-called train and equip program of Syrian, Sunni, Arab rebels that will then fight ISIS. You know, the Russians do not consider any opposition other than that which they have approved. In other words, an opposition that exists only in name that is really actually loyal to Assad to be worth talking to. And this has been the case for the last four years.

FEYERICK: So an incredible humanitarian crisis, these people likely will not get back to Syria for a very, very, very long time. Michael Weiss, thank you so much. And of course, you can all go and see his article on The Daily Beast. We appreciate it. Thanks, Michael.

WEISS: Sure.

FEYERICK: And now to the unprecedented migration of people pouring into Europe from the Middle East. The logjam of stranded refugees and migrants in Budapest, Hungary, has finally been broken. Most if not all are finally on their way west. Some by train, others by bus. Still others by foot. But many more are coming in behind them. The wave of people they just keep arriving. These colonies of people are following rail tracks through Serbia into Hungary. The U.N. estimates that 2,000 are crossing the border each day. UNICEF says, one in four are children. Well, the crisis has touched a nerve across Europe. People in Paris turned out for a very large rally today to show empathy and support for the migrants.

CNN's senior international correspondent Fred Pleitgen is at the Austrian border as the weary travelers stumble across by the thousands.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was Saturday in the early morning hours when the standoff between the refugees and the Hungarian government ended. Budapest provided dozens of buses to take thousands of asylum seekers to Austria. Once they crossed the border, their fatigue and frustration turned to elation. Some like this man who lost a leg in Syria's civil war finding strength for the final walk into Austrian territory. I left about a month ago, he says. The journey across the sea was very hard, and so was the border with Macedonia. Everything was hard. Nothing was easy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know. I'm very happy. All people, very happy. Thank you, Austria. Thank you, Germany.

PLEITGEN: As more and more buses arrived, the lines of people kept moving west towards the Austrian border guards.

(on camera): Even though these people are obviously absolutely exhausted, many of them have been on the road for months, have endured horrible things while they were trying to make their way over here, you can still see smiles on almost everybody's faces, simply because they are so happy to finally have made it to Austria.

(voice-over): The small town of Nickelsdorf launched a massive aid drive on very short notice. Clothes, food, drinks, supplies kept arriving throughout the day, making sure the busloads of refugees received a warm welcome. "I had to wake my colleagues up this morning and get them out of bed," the police officer in charge says. I think in light of the circumstances, we have done quite well. Austria says it received thousands of asylum seekers this day and the people in Nickelsdorf made sure they were taken care of. Austria's rail company launched a special train service that will bring many of the refugees to other places in Austria or to Germany and a chance to begin a new life.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Nickelsdorf, Austria.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: Leaving because so many had no option to stay. Well, switching gears, police say that they want any tips that the

public can offer. Coming up, a community seeks help raising reward money to find a cop killer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:13:20] FEYERICK: In Illinois this hour, police are searching for suspects in a cop killing. Right now investigators pouring over what they call a significant piece of evidence that was recently discovered at the scene where Officer Joe Gliniewicz was murdered. They aren't saying what the evidence is. What they are saying is that they're close to identifying either suspect or suspects. A short time ago the FBI sent out this tweet, appealing to the public for tips related to the murder. This billboard also went up in Fox River, Illinois this morning announcing a reward fund to help draw out information on the three individuals.

Let's bring in CNN's Rosa Flores, she is following this for us from Fox Lake, Illinois. And Rosa, they are saying that they are close to identifying the suspects. Are they simply guarding some of the evidence they have to make sure they get these guys before they know they're on to them?

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, investigators are being very tight-lipped Deb about what they do have and even though they are telling us, you know, tidbits of information about the evidence that they have gathered, but they don't give us a clear picture and they don't give us a clear description if they do know who these people are, if they are ready to announce who these people are or who they believe are these cop killers. Here's the latest that we have learned. And that is that they discovered a significant piece of evidence at the scene, evidence technician was back at the scene scouring through the original scene and found a significant piece of evidence.

We don't know what that is because they're not telling us. But we do know that it was found four days after the killing. Now, we also know that surveillance video was obtained from D.O.T. cameras. Now, that's an interesting note, because we know that they don't have video of the actual killing but they're trying to piece together the puzzle of what happened around that, what happened before, what happened after. And as we look ahead to next week, Deb, I can tell you that the FBI is trying to sequence all of those videos and we are expecting to hear from them. Homeland Security has a hard drive with other video that investigators here say that they didn't have the equipment to view. So we're expecting to hear from that and of course, crime lab results, very important, Deb. Very important. All of these pieces of this puzzle and people here hoping that it helps them find the critical piece and that's those three cop killers they hope end up behind bars.

FEYERICK: And Rosa, we know that when they do get them hopefully soon, you will be there covering the story. Thank you so much for all your work on this. We appreciate it.

And Hillary Clinton tries again to explain the e-mail scandal that shadows her presidential campaign. But apologizing for confusion isn't quite the same thing as apologizing for what she did. We'll talk about it, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:20:05] FEYERICK: Well, look who's excited about coming on "State of the Union" tomorrow at 9:00 Eastern. Sarah Palin exclusive. She is tweeting quote, "Look forward to joining Jake Tapper on State of the Union this Sunday from Alaska. We'll discuss what the President missed during his visit there."

New developments today involving the story Hillary Clinton simply cannot get away from. Two Clinton campaign aides now telling CNN that Bill and Hillary Clinton personally paid a State Department staffer to set up and maintain their private e-mail server. Well, Bryan Pagliano who is an I.T. specialist and State Department employee maintained the Clintons' home server. The story first appeared in the "Washington Post," some of them confirmed by CNN. Pagliano this week informed the Congress through his lawyer that he is going to invoke his Fifth Amendment right not to testify about Benghazi or any Congressional investigations into the Clinton's e-mail server. Meantime, Clinton says that there are answers to everyone's questions about the server but she's stopping just short of apologizing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Certainly wish that I had made a different choice and I know why the American people have questions about it, and I want to make sure that I answer those questions starting with the fact that my personal e-mail use was fully above board, it was allowed by the State Department as they have confirmed, but in retrospect, it certainly would have been better, I take responsibility, I should have had two accounts, one for personal and one for work related. At the end of the day I am sorry that this has been confusing to people and has raised a lot of questions but there are answers to all these questions and I will continue to provide those answers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: So, let's talk about Hillary Clinton and other hot topics in the White House race. Marc Lamont Hill is here, he is a professor at Morehouse College and a CNN political commentator. Also joining us, radio host Lenny McAllister, he joins me from Pittsburgh. Marc, Hillary Clinton calls this confusing but many people don't think it's confusing at all. They simply think she tried to get around and circumvent the ability to foyer her e-mails or even keep them on a permanent server. What do you think?

MARC LAMONT HILL, PROFESSOR, MOREHOUSE COLLEGE: Well, I want to see a full investigation before I draw any hardcore conclusions. This is what I will say. Here's what I know for sure. It doesn't look good. It doesn't smell good. When the American people have their eyebrows raised and then one of your aides pleads the fifth to avoid self- incrimination it's not a good look for a presidential candidate. My gut tells me that the Clintons haven't broken any laws, not because I have any profound belief in the Clintons honesty or integrity but because the Clintons are so careful. I doubt, I suspect they bent the rules, they did everything but break the rules. And I think that it's not a question of whether or not Hillary Clinton will end up in a jail cell, but more importantly whether or not she will end up being sworn in as president because this has affected her approval rating.

FEYERICK: Lenny, do you think it was a coincidence that the person that the Clintons chose to set up this personal e-mail account was in fact an employee of the State Department?

LENNY MCALLISTER, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: No. It's not a coincidence. And what she's having a problem with is this. She can't feign ignorance because she has been telling everybody for 25 or 30 years how smart she is. And she is a smart woman. However, people think of Clintons and lawyers as being slick. And the more she goes down this path the more she looks like a slick politician trying to skirt the truth and people don't trust that, at a time where people were looking for change 2007 going into 2008 with President Obama and now here we sit in 2016 again, where people are looking for a different type of politician, she sounds like the same old type of politician, skirting the truth, being slick, trying to evade answering questions. And even evade just giving an honest apology. And as she continues down this path, it's going to continue to slam her on the campaign trail.

FEYERICK: All right. So let's switch gears a little bit, because this distraction for her is not going away. May keep her from focusing on larger issues. But let's talk about Kentucky's same sex marriage license controversy. Got a lot of play this week. The county clerk in Rowan County refusing to issue all marriage licenses but of course, that was triggered by the decision and the ruling in same sex licenses.

Marc, you tweeted this. Quote, "Rather than come up with a reasonable solution to this problem, we have turned Kim Davis into a martyr and once again, abused the prison system." Marc, what did you mean by that?

HILL: I whole-heartedly 100 percent disagree with Kim Davis, both on moral grounds, that is to say, I think it's wrong to deny anyone access to marriage but particularly gay people given the fact it's the law of the land and again, it's a moral issue to me. I think it's a moral to deny people access to marriage. But I also think that as a state official, she has a duty to impose and enforce the law. So she's wrong legally and she does deserve a penalty. Ultimately we want to see her removed from the job. That requires a complicated legal and political process. My concern is, is that we have made her into a martyr.

As an anti-prison activist, I don't want to see the prison used for essentially any social resolution but especially stuff like this because now she's a hero. There are memes going around the internet putting her face next to Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King. I mean, they're calling her Martin Luther Kim. I mean, it's absolutely absurd. And so, I'm wondering if instead of making fund-raising opportunities for the anti-gay movement, we can perhaps come up with a resolution that will impose some sort of penalty, allow gay people to be married but not make her into a hero. [17:25:36] FEYERICK: Well, the judge also said, though, you know, if

you're an elected official, if you're an official with the government, you simply cannot decide which laws you will going to pick and choose. She is violating it. She said the licenses can be issued as long as her name is not on them. She does have other rules. Because we are a little bit tight on time. Lenny, I am going to go to the next question. And that is Joe Biden. Okay, Joe Biden speaking out about a potential White House run. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VICE PRES. JOE BIDEN (D), UNITED STATES: The factor is, can I do it? Can my family undertake what is an arduous commitment that we would be proud to undertake under ordinary circumstances? But the honest to God answer is I just don't know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: I mean, you see him Lenny as almost just a saddened, reluctant candidate but perhaps he could capture the popular imagination of people who want to give him a chance. What do you think, Lenny?

MCALLISTER: I don't buy -- I know he's gone through a lot, trust me, and God bless his soul. At the same exact time he's been looking to be president since the 1970s. It was one of the last things his eldest son said to him before he left this earth and now he is looking at the only candidate that could stop him on the democratic side, basically self-sabotaging herself. Of course he can do this. And of course his family would be behind him. I think what he's trying to see is whether or not the field will be clear enough so that if he gets into it, he has a legitimate shot to win versus just being part of some reality show on the democratic side to give Hillary quote- unquote, "competition." If he gets a chance to actually win the nomination, he's in and I expect him to announce that within 30 days.

FEYERICK: All right. Marc, Lenny, stay right where you are. We will going to talk in a few more minutes. Stand by.

And I'm sure you will both be watching when CNN hosts the next republican debate on September 16th. Look at all the people who will going to be talking. The candidates will gather at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California. CNN will also host the first of six democratic debates, that's going to be October 13th in Nevada.

And coming up, police officers across America on edge after a disturbing rash of police murders.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:30:54] FEYERICK: Seven officers killed in the line of duty. That is just this past month. 24 since the beginning of the year.

As CNN's Nick Valencia tells us, America's police officers are feeling very vulnerable.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A manhunt in Illinois for three wanted in connection with the killing of a veteran police officer. A sheriff's deputy gunned down at a gas station near Houston, Texas. A Memphis policeman shot and killed during a traffic stop in Tennessee. And that's just in the last five weeks. Already this year, at least 24 officers in the United States have been shot and killed in the line of duty. By comparison, it's still less than the number of officers shot and killed all of last year when 47 were victim to gunfire, according to the nonprofit Officer Down memorial page.

While the numbers may be down, it's a sentiment of vulnerability among officers in 2015 that's cause for concern, says CNN law enforcement analyst, Cedric Alexander.

CEDRIC ALEXANDER, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: There are some real challenges out there in this country right now. It is a very tough time to be a police officer at this moment.

DERAY MCKESSON, BLACK LIVES MATTER ORGANIZER: The only charged rhetoric of the movement has been about holding officers accountable. Has it been about fair police contracts and independent investigators and body cameras?

VALENCIA: Activist and organizer, DeRay McKesson, says the Black Lives Matter movement is not to blame.

MCKESSON: It is specifically about ending violence.

VALENCIA: Even so, chants like this from a Black Lives Matter march this month in Minnesota --

(CHANTING)

VALENCIA: -- and ominous graffiti like this in Texas, has made more and more cops on edge.

RON HICKMAN, SHERIFF, HARRIS COUNTY, TEXAS, SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: This rhetoric has gotten out of control. We have heard Black Lives Matter, all lives matter. Well, cops' lives matter, too. So why don't we just drop the qualifier and just say lives matter.

VALENCIA (on camera): The seeming increase in charged language across the United States may not be to blame for police officers deaths, as some might suggest. Certainly, for police officers all across the country, the current climate is enough to take notice.

Nick Valencia, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: The slogan Black Lives Matter emerged as a movement sparked by the incident last year when a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, killed an unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown. Police groups say the movement has simply gone too far, the rhetoric, the language.

CNN commentator, Marc Lamont Hill; and radio host, Lenny McAllister, are back.

Lenny, you're in Pittsburgh, and there's an awfully loud rainstorm going on there right now. But the topic is serious.

Marc, demonstrators marched to the gates of the Minnesota State Fair last weekend, raising a banner that read Black Lives Matter, chanting "Pigs in a blanket, fry them like bacon." How can the head of that movement say this is about accountability when you're hearing chants like that?

MARC LAMONT HILL, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, it's important to be clear. You quoted DeRay McKesson, an important activist. He is not the leader of Black Lives Matter but he is a powerful voice, who is right and correct in saying this isn't the sentiment of the movement. The movement is about accountability. The movement is about respecting the dignity and possibilities of black life, about making sure we live to fight and breathe and educate and grow and raise our families another day. That's what this movement's about. It's not about attacking or killing certainly police officers. If you go to any movement, whether the Tea Party movement or a movement in the 1960s, there will always be outliers, people on the margins who jump in and say things that don't represent the center of the movement. Remember the racists in the Tea Party movement? They said that's a few crazies in the corner there, are people who are excited, angry and filled with passion and say things that don't represent the center or mainstream of the movement. Let's not hold Black Lives Matter for two or three people. Let's hold them accountable for the good work they've done.

FEYERICK: But are comparing the people who say, "Fry them like bacon," are you saying they're crazy?

LAMONT HILL: I'm not calling anybody crazy. What I'm saying is that the sentiment they are articulating is not representative of the Black Lives Matter movement. I believe in humanistic activism. It has to represent the fundamental value of all lives. The reason we say Black Lives Matter is not because white or police lives don't matter. It's because black lives need to be put back in the center of the conversation. Nobody wants to see police fried like bacon in the Black Lives Matter movement.

[17:35:21] FEYERICK: So, Lenny, let's talk about the argument that the groups like Black Lives Matter are raising. These are important issues. Without them, we may not even be aware of some of the most publicized cases of police misconduct. Do you think that when you hear the police officers say all lives matter, is that what needs to happen right now, or do you think that still the focus has to be on black lives?

LENNY MCALISTER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: You have to look at the disparities. Again, you don't deal with a sick patient by focusing on where they're well. You have to look at where the sickness is compared to where it's well and fix the illness. We need to hear from more police officers when there is misconduct, when it comes to policies such as Stop and Frisk. When you see some of the disparities that you see such as in Ferguson, Missouri, and things along those lines, when they are targeted driving cars, targeted in different situations, there's a way to go after the disparities but keep both sides safe.

I 100 percent agree with Marc, there is always going to be outliers. But you have to stay focused on the true mission and start looking at the disparities. That's the only way we are going to be strong as a nation is to be honest, be accountable on both sides of the badge, and keep all citizens safe, both the police officers and that African- American that's going up against the police officer in a traffic stop, in a situation on the street. We have to make sure we are looking at the disparities and being honest moving forward on both sides of the badge. It's extremely important.

FEYERICK: We talk about disparity. Republican presidential candidate, Scott Walker, wrote an op-ed on Wednesday on the conservative site Hot Air. He noted that fatal police shootings in Texas and Illinois, and he wrote, quote, "In the last six years, under President Obama, we have seen a rise in anti-police rhetoric. Instead of hope and change, we have seen racial tensions worsen and a tendency to use law enforcement as a scapegoat.

I will ask you both this question.

Marc, do you agree or disagree?

LAMONT HILL: I disagree 100 percent. I disagree with the implicit point which is that somehow the Obama administration is responsible for officer deaths or for this narrative. That's not to say that I don't have issues with the Obama administration and how they handle and talk about race and law enforcement. You can't hold the Obama administration accountable any more than you can hold the Bush administration accountable per se. Why are we talking about law enforcement? Because police are acting worse than eight years ago? Because black people are more disrespectful to law enforcement or more lawless than eight years ago? Neither of those things are true. The truth is that we now have technology, we have political will, we have a generation of young people that are willing to put the spotlight on every day citizens who are killed at the hands of state violence, killed at the hands of extra judicial violence at the hands of law enforcement. That's what this is about. We now have video cameras, body cameras, iPhones, Galaxy phones, all kinds of technology to hold people accountable. That's the only difference between now and eight years ago, or now and 10 years ago. And I'm actually glad, not that people are dying, but that we are able to find out how they're dying so that we can begin to address this question.

Scott Walker should be ashamed of himself. He should be talking about how can we end state violence, how can we stop people from dying in the streets, not how can we score political points at the hands of dead police officers or dead black bodies.

FEYERICK: Marc, do you believe that the rhetoric has empowered some people to simply disregard what police are telling them or simply to essentially do what they want and say, I don't have to show you my license?

LAMONT HILL: No, I don't think that's the case. I think that in general, people want to leave encounters with law enforcement with their lives intact. People aren't running around being lawless and doing things to provoke police towards violence. They are recognizing and using their rights. Are there people who disrespect police? Yes. Are there people who don't follow the law? Yes. They always have existed. Police are now opportunistically seizing on those opportunities to point to those people and say hey, see what happens when you people protest.

FEYERICK: Lenny, you jump in. I want to hear your perspective on all of this. Do you think -- it doesn't seem to me, looking at both sides of the story, that this rhetoric is helping anyone.

MCALISTER: Well, the rhetoric, what exactly is that rhetoric, the fact that African-Americans are American citizens and therefore, there are certain unalienable rights they should enjoy as well and should not be pushed aside for the sake of safety. These are things that African-Americans for decades now realize that when they deal with police, there is a completely different set of rules that they have to adhere to in order to stay safe versus other American citizens.

For right or wrong, the one thing President Obama has done since January 2009 has bubbled up a lot of where we are when it comes to racism in America. We glossed this over in the '90s when you had "The Cosby Show" and everybody was feeling good about diversity, but now that we have had hard economic times and the first African-American president we are getting a true glimpse as to where we are in regards to race in America. Some of it is still ugly, especially when it comes to things such as police interactions with urban residents that are actual American citizens that have the same rights that others enjoy.

[17:40:25] FEYERICK: OK. All right. Marc and Lenny, this is clearly so much more discussion to be had on this topic.

Again, I'll get to the #alllivesmatter, but I want you stick around because we're going to end on a lighter note. I want to get your take on sports stories that have everyone talking.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: America, NFL star Tom Brady has something he wants to say to you: He's sorry. The man accused of deflating footballs for competitive advantage feels bad about the scandal and says that he's just ready to play the game. That's after a judge threw out his four- game suspension. On Facebook, Brady wrote, quote, "While I am pleased to be eligible to play I am sorry that our league had to endure this. I don't think it has been good for our sport. To a large degree, we have all lost. I'm also sorry to anyone whose feelings I may have hurt as I have tried to work to resolve this situation."

So Lenny joins me again.

Lenny, you are a Steelers guy. Your team gets Brady in week one. Is it good for America that he's back and that we can put this sort of national nightmare of Deflategate behind us?

[17:45:03] MCALISTER: Well, Deb, I appreciate you coming to me first. As a Pittsburgh Steelers fans, I will know a lot more about football than Mr. Philadelphia Eagles over there.

With that said, I think it is good for America because, number one, you want to see the best of the best. When the Super Bowl champions come out and they will do their thing. You want your team to go up against them. The Pittsburgh Steelers are America's team. You have two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL going up against each other. I think that as well as the Steelers fan, we have seen Roger Goodell go after particularly our defense when it comes to hits and playing rough aggressive defense for the last several years. It's about time Roger Goodell learned his place, takes a step back and hopefully learns a lesson, and the league will grow as a result.

FEYERICK: So, Lenny, Deflategate -- we can still hear the rain in Pittsburgh, Deflategate was tedious. The NFL is also dealing with questions about the safety of its players. For example, there is going to be a great movie coming out in December with Will Smith about concussions. The sport is more popular than ever. Can football survive just about anything?

MCALISTER: I don't know if football can survive anything. I think that's part of the reason why it goes back to Goodell once again when Spygate came out in 2007, you could see the inconsistency. He really went after Brady in 2015 but in 2007 with Spygate, he handed down his punishment and destroyed the evidence. One of the things that will take down the NFL, if they ever find these games are fixed in any way or there is such a disadvantage that one team has versus another, that will ruin the reputation of the league which is why Spygate was such a big deal in 2007 and why Deflategate caught the nation's imagination in 2015.

FEYERICK: Marc, your Eagles just cut Tim Tebow, the quarterback fans love, or love to hate.

LAMONT HILL: Yes!

(LAUGHTER)

FEYERICK: Apparently, you love to hate him.

This is the fourth team to cut him. Is it simply over for Tebow?

LAMONT HILL: Yes. Here's the thing.

(LAUGHTER)

I have gotten about 24 hours worth of hate mail because yesterday I expressed frustration on Twitter that Tim Tebow might get signed by my Eagles. I like Tim Tebow. I think he's a nice guy. I literally sent him a note earlier today: I think he's a class act and a great guy. He's great at life, great at faith, just not great at football. He would fit in perfectly actually with Lenny's Steelers. He's not good at football because he's not. I don't want him on my team. He also has another problem. This is the problem that a lot of guys

have who bring a media circus with them. He doesn't justify the attention. If he were just the average third stringer, nobody would care. He probably would be on the Eagles if he were an average third stringer. Who cares whether we have him or Matt Barkley. The issue is he brings the circus, frustrates other players. It's not his fault. He's an awesome guy. But its the time for him to hang it up and look for the broadcast booth or maybe, as an uber long shot, think about trying to play tight end or some other position and probably be a third stringer or practice-squad player.

FEYERICK: Given that the season hasn't even begun, the logical question, Super Bowl. Who's going to win?

Lenny?

MCALISTER: Pittsburgh Steelers. Who else?

FEYERICK: Marc?

LAMONT HILL: Clearly, they don't do drug testing in Pittsburgh or at Lenny's job.

(LAUGHTER)

Pittsburgh has no shot. Philadelphia Eagles will go to the Super Bowl. They will have a very tough fight.

FEYERICK: All right.

LAMONT HILL: They win it, though.

(CROSSTALK)

FEYERICK: We will see. It will be a long, exciting season.

Marc Lamont Hill, Lenny McAlister, thank you, gentlemen, as always for all your insights. We really appreciate them.

(CROSSTALK)

FEYERICK: Be sure to tune in to CNN's "Pro Football Preview," with Rachel Nichols, joined by co-host, Dan Marino, including special guests, including Peyton Manning, Sunday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. eastern on CNN.

We'll be right back.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I new something had to change on my end to stay healthy. I go in, everybody's sitting at the desk. You may be working a lot, but you're at the desk, sitting.

DR. DAVID SABGIR, CARDIOLOGIST & CNN HERO: How far do you think you could walk before you had to stop? The number one problem I see my patients face, as a cardiologist, is a

sedentary life-style. I was frustrated at my ineffectiveness to create change in my patients.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello!

SABGIR: How are you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm fine.

SABGIR: So I said, how about if my family goes to the park, would you be interested in joining us?

So see you tomorrow at the walk?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, yes.

SABGIR: The response was phenomenal.

I wanted to talk about how easy taking care of ourselves can be.

There's no better way than you can show a patient that you care about them than by going the extra mile with them. There's no fear of bad news. It's just the patient and the physician talking about whatever the patient wants to talk about.

(HORN)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the beginning, I used to walk a mile or two. By end of the year, I've completed a full marathon. I'm thinking of signing up for my second marathon. The doctor taught me you can achieve things that are really big. But it all starts with small steps.

SABGIR: How many miles do you have in already?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 2.7.

SABGIR: 80 percent of cardiac disease is preventable if we just go for a walk. If people just take that first step, they will never look back.

(SHOUTING)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: High five!

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:54:41] FEYERICK: Checking our top stories, in Winnsboro, Louisiana, a local high school football player has died from injuries while playing in a game last night. According to the coroner's office, Terrell Camden died shortly after being transported to Franklin Medical Center. He will live on in the memory of those who love him. Prayers for his family. A salmonella outbreak linked to cucumbers grown in Mexico has killed

one person in California. Hundreds more have been sickened in 27 states. Arizona has been hit hardest with 66 reported cases. Cucumbers sold under the Limited Edition label are being voluntarily recalled.

[17:55:25] Cadets at the West Point Academy have given a long- practiced tradition a black eye and worse. Look at this. The annual pillow fight, supposedly a way to blow off steam after a grueling summer of training. It turned violent. Some cadets packed their pillows with hard objects. 30 cadets were injured with everything from bloody lips to broken bones. 24 had concussions.

More news coming up after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: CNN quiz master, Anderson Cooper, is back with another CNN quiz show, the TV edition.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, A.C. 360: It's a quiz show about television, people who are on television.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Are we qualified to do this?

COOPER: These are TV dramas.

(LAUGHTER)

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: There's so much television.

COOPER: Your category is animated TV stars.

(SINGING)

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN CO-HOST, NEW DAY: You think, oh, television, that will be easy.

(TELEPHONE RINGS)

(LAUGHTER)

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN CO-HOST, NEW DAY: Ah, this is awkward.

CAMEROTA: Turns out it's really hard.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)