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Former Chicago Officer Not Surprised by Shooting Video; Searches Continue in France, Belgium for Terror Suspects; Obama Statement on Security During Holiday Season; Trump. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired November 25, 2015 - 14:30   ET

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


[14:30:00] LORENZO DAVIS: Yet state's attorney, Olivarez, refused to charge Mr. Sierra who killed that young man on the film. However, she has decided now to --

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: I think we just lost you. I wasn't sure if -- we just lost Lorenzo.

Forgive us for that. We will bring him back as soon as we can. B

Breaking news, more breaking news from here. We're now learning Belgium is looking for at least 10 suspects believed of being terror threats. What does that mean? Those details ahead.

Plus, did the Paris attackers have a safe house in the city? Disturbing new information about why a second wave of attacks may have been imminent.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:35:10] BALDWIN: All right, Lorenzo Davis, forgive us, technical difficulties that happened. Welcome back. We're live on CNN.

23 years you spent with Chicago police, most recently as a commander. We were talking before the break about how you were not shocked at this video of this young man shot and killed by a Chicago police officer. 16 bullets fired. Let me ask you this because that happened October of last year. Flash forward, we now know that this officer is facing first degree murder charges, the first time in nearly 35 years the city has charged an officer with an on-duty killing. Are you surprised by that?

DAVIS FORMER CHICAGO POLICE DEPARTMENT COMMANDER: No, I'm not surprised. As I said before, there have been more than 400 police- involved shootings since 2007, and the independent police review authority has determined that all of them up until now have been justified. And the state's attorney's office has investigated all of them as well and has chosen to only charge one person, and they lost that particular case in court, the case of Detective Donte Serven (ph) who killed Rakeel Boyd. Other than that, there have been no charges.

BALDWIN: The fact there is a first degree murder charge is, then, to your point, new in Chicago.

DAVIS: That's new, but it almost seems like that's because of people like myself have shined the light on what's going on in the city. And because of shootings, killings in other parts of the country, now it's no -- really no surprise to me that the city has decided to do something to blunt the criticism and to blunt the demonstration that's are to come.

BALDWIN: Mr. Davis, four or five people arrested. Who knows how much larger the demonstrations and protests could be. But let me ask you about something I heard from a lawyer this morning, saying that the fact that this video of this young man's death has been released may actually hurt the prosecution. He cited the potential for pretrial prejudice. Is that something that, as a whistle-blower, would worry you?

DAVIS: That would not worry me. I think that he might be more worried about the mayor of the city of Chicago, Mayor Emanuel saying that the video was horrific and then saying he had not seen it. Now, that might be a reason, you know, to be concerned about prejudice in the case.

BALDWIN: So many people have seen it now. To your point, hopefully for the most part in Chicago despite the gruesome, horrific video, that it remains peaceful in your city.

Lorenzo Davis, thank you so much for the time.

The search for at least two terror suspects in the Paris attacks continues. The city here remains on heightened alert.

And in nearby Belgium, authorities say they're looking for at least 10 people.

And as the United States prepares to head into the Thanksgiving holiday, we heard from President Obama earlier this afternoon saying there was no specific threat against America, but warned travelers to, of course, be aware, be vigilant.

CNN's Tim Lister is joining me now here in Paris with a little bit more.

You have some new information on what happened with one of these men who is still on the run, as far as what happened that night, two Fridays ago.

TIM LISTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Salah Abdeslam, the man they're looking for who they think is in Belgium. On Friday night, according to phone records, they detected where his phone was at a particular time. He spent five hours in a southern suburb of Paris supposedly in a parking lot. But was he in a house nearby? Is there a safe house? We know he abandoned the car he had. It's 15 kilometers away. He didn't walk it. He had a suicide belt. He probably didn't take the metro. So someone took him there. Was it Mohamed Abrini, the guy he's seen with on the 11th of November? The take-away is they need to know so much more and this is expanding the whole time. A new name every day.

[14:40:10] BALDWIN: Yes. LISTER: So according to one investigator we spoke to today, they

think this is the largest plot since 9/11 in Europe, given the numbers that are appearing. We've had another guy, Mohammad Delvaughny (ph), who we know came across Italy from Greece on a ferry. He was arrested in Turkey. Does he know more? Then, the 10 in Belgium.

BALDWIN: What about the 10 in Belgium? We know Brussels is on lockdown, the most heightened alert in the country. Who are these people? What are they suspected of conspiring to do?

LISTER: According to the Belgians they were plotting multiple attacks on shopping malls or similar venues --

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: In Belgium?

LISTER: Yes. You have to realize it's very easy to obtain weapons in France, Belgium, A.K.-47s.

BALDWIN: Why?

LISTER: Because they come from the Balkans, a massive amount left after the Yugoslavian war. Now they're finding a new market. That's the biggest fear. It would be a coordinated gun attack that would cause mass casualties. Remember the suicide vest caused very few casualties. Almost every person killed that night was shot dead. That is the big concern for the Belgians and their biggest problem is they don't know who's come back from Syria. And they admit that.

BALDWIN: With the driver who was in Syria as recently as last year who somehow slipped through the cracks, came back to this part of Europe undetected.

LISTER: Exactly. There's at least four or five people in this part alone who were in Syria, came back to Europe, some of them perhaps using the migrant passports, but they came back to the Europe undetected. Belgians didn't know they had come back, neither did the French analysts.

BALDWIN: It's incredible the information they're getting from cell phone intel. Have we learned more about what they believed to be a suicide vest found south of the city?

LISTER: Where it was found is exactly where Salah Abdeslam --

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: His cell phone.

LISTER: His cell phone records show him in that area where the suicide vest was dumped.

BALDWIN: Incredible.

LISTER: And the vest definitely had TAPT, the same explosive used in the attacks at the Bataclan and elsewhere. They've tied him there. Why would he go all that way to just dump a suicide vest? He must have gone for another reason. His friends arrive from Belgium at 5:30 a.m. to take him back to the Belgium.

BALDWIN: So many pieces of the puzzle still missing.

LISTER: Oh, yes.

BALDWIN: Tim Lister, thank you very much.

LISTER: Thanks.

BALDWIN: Next, Donald Trump tells voters in South Carolina he can do almost anything, and his supporters will not leave him. Is that right?

Plus, Jeb Bush telling CNN this morning that Trump just preys on people's fear. We will discuss that and so much more. We're talking politics next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: -- between a bunch of Turkeys trying to win their way into the White House.

(LAUGHTER)

Some of you caught that.

(LAUGHTER)

Well, today I can announce that the American people have spoken and we have two winners. Their names are Honest and Abe. I can confess that Honest looks like good eating. But this is a democracy.

(LAUGHTER)

Abe is now a free bird. He is TOTUS, the Turkey of the United States.

(LAUGHTER)

Yes.

(APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: Is he attacking you? Are you OK?

My political director is getting pecked by TOTUS.

(LAUGHTER)

[14:45:12] I want to thank the chairman of the National Turkey Federation, Dr. Douglas, as well as farmer, Joe Headen, who personally raised this Turkey in California's Central Valley. America is, after all, a country of second chances, and this Turkey

has earned a second chance to live out the rest his life comfortably on 1,000 acres of open land, complete with a barn called the White House on Turkey Hill --

(LAUGHTER)

-- which actually sounds pretty good. If for some reason Abe can't fulfill his duties to walk around and gobble all day, Honest is in an undisclosed location ready to serve as the TOTUS -- in the TOTUS line of succession.

(LAUGHTER)

Yeah.

(LAUGHTER)

Oh, boy.

(LAUGHTER)

By the way, can I just -- I am going to publicly thank Malia and Sasha for once again standing here with me --

(LAUGHTER)

-- during the Turkey pardon.

(APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: They do this solely because it makes me feel good --

(LAUGHTER)

-- not because they actually think that this is something I should be doing.

(LAUGHTER)

And, you know, as you get older, you appreciate when your kids just indulge you like this. So I'm very grateful.

Where was I?

(LAUGHTER)

Later today, Michelle, Malia, Sasha and I will take some of the less- fortunate Turkey brothers with us. They will have been packed and frozen to help serve a Thanksgiving meal to homeless veterans here in D.C. And it's a reminder --

(APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: It's a reminder not only of the spirit of giving during this holiday season but our national obligation to make sure all those who serve and sacrifice for our country have a place to call home. My administration considers this one of our top priorities, making sure that we're bringing about the reality of zero homelessness for our veterans.

And I want to thank Jandall (ph) Turkey Farm in Pennsylvania for donating the Turkeys for us to share with others for the seventh year in a row.

(APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: It is hard to believe this is my seventh year of pardoning a Turkey. Time flies even if Turkeys don't.

(LAUGHTER)

MALIA OBAMA, DAUGHTER OF BARACK OBAMA: That's good. That was good.

OBAMA: I thought it was pretty good.

(LAUGHTER)

You think it's funny, too, don't you?

(LAUGHTER)

I know some folks think this tradition is a little silly. I do not disagree.

(LAUGHTER)

I've gotten to listen to my critics say I'm often too soft on Turkeys. And I'm sure the press is digging into whether or not the Turkeys I've pardoned have really rededicated their lives to being good Turkey citizens.

(LAUGHTER)

But I do enjoy this chance to wish America a happy Thanksgiving.

You know, we go into challenging times, and so often the news of the day can make folks discouraged. But the fact is that we live in the greatest country on earth, and we are blessed in so many ways, most of all because we have families and friends and people we care about. We look out for each other. We looked out for our neighbors and our friends. We're grateful for the brave men and women of our military who serve all around the world and for the families that miss them.

I'm especially grateful to have the privilege and the honor to serve as your president. I'm also grateful for the fact that the Bears are going to beat the Packers this weekend.

(LAUGHTER)

With that, I hope that everybody has a very, very happy Thanksgiving.

And I now am going to go over and, with the power vested in me, officially pardon this Turkey.

(APPLAUSE)

(TURKEY GOBBLE)

(LAUGHTER)

(TURKEY GOBBLE)

OBAMA: Don't interrupt.

(LAUGHTER)

[14:50:18] By the power vested in me, you are hereby pardoned.

Give Abe a big round of applause.

(APPLAUSE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hear, hear!

OBAMA: He's a natural.

(LAUGHTER)

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Great to have you.

(LAUGHTER)

See you guys.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Oh, the Turkey pardoning, time-honored tradition at the White House. We all needed a moment of levity here, didn't we? The president, the daughters, Turkey jokes, all happening there at the White House ahead of the big Thursday Thanksgiving.

Of course, the president doing this just hours after a much more serious tone at the White House, just reminding all Americans in the wake of what's happened here in Paris and in fears of what could happen with regard to any other potential attacks, saying, listen, take the train, hop on a plane, continue on with your daily routines. There are no specific threats of any kind of attack.

So, with that, we're going to take a quick break here from Paris. We're back after this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As a young electrician back in 1992, the prime of Hector Pickard's life was in front of him. But as he was climbing a transformer to dismantle it, tragedy struck.

HECTOR PICKARD, DOUBLE AMPUTEE: Made contact with my right arm and 13,000 volts of electricity went through my right arm, down my side and blew out my foot. 30 days later I wake up from a coma, my entire right arm is gone, half my left and burns over 40 percent of my body.

GUPTA: But he says he never let the "why me" attitude take hold.

PICKARD: Then I started thinking, OK, I've got to get my life back, but I've got to learn how to do all these thing for myself.

GUPTA: He accepted that challenge and learned a whole new set of skills to achieve it. And then he discovered triathlons.

PICKARD: It's a great way to go out there and challenge myself, be competitive.

GUPTA: He swims on his back, bikes using his knees to break and steer. You may recognize him from this popular YouTube video changing a bike tire with his teeth and feet.

119 races later, Hector says he's never felt better.

PICKARD: I'm happy to be alive. I got a second chance at life. I want to live it to the fullest.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:56:04] BALDWIN: You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Talking politics. Donald Trump says he can say whatever he wants and his supporters won't care. Case in point, Trump suggests he has a sixth sense, that he can predict terrorism before it happens.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & CEO, TRUMP ORGANIZATION: The other thing I predicted is terrorism. A friend of mine called who is very political. He said, forget that. You're the guy who first predicted terrorism. I said in that same book, this is -- I can feel it. They say Trump can do almost anything and nobody believes me -- leaves me. I took heat because I said in Jersey City -- I said very strongly and very correctly, there are people over there that were dancing in the street and they were dancing on rooftops. And a lot of people said -- if you watch the show you'll understand. I'm not making that up. There are a lot of people, they said actually tailgate parties.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BALDWIN: Republican rival, Jeb Bush, slammed Trump's tactics when he talked to CNN. Here he was.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEB BUSH, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & FORMER FLORIDA GOVERNOR: Donald Trump says these things to prey on people's fears, their anger, their frustration with Washington. He's quite effective at it. But he doesn't know what he's talking about, and he's not a serious leader. We're living in difficult times. We need serious leadership to be able to solve the problems that we have domestically and lead America around the world so we can create peace and security for ourselves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Let's marinate on this. I have CNN political commentator and contributor editor for "The Atlantic," Peter Beinart, joining me; also Trump supporter, Scottie Hughes, of the Tea Party News Network.

Great to have you both on.

Peter, first to you.

This is what you've written. Quote, "Most importantly, like McCarthy, Trump has responded to Americans' fear of foreign threats by arguing that the real menace lies within."

My question is, you heard Jeb Bush. Would you agree that Bush is correct, that Trump is effectively preying on people's fears?

PETER BEINART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, absolutely. I think he's not only preying on people's fears which are right but playing on people's exhaustion with America's involvement in the Middle East. While the other candidates are talking about establishing no fly zones in Syria and arm Syrian refugees, Trump said, you don't have to worry about that. We will build a wall, close down mosques and basically by oppressing our Muslim population here, which he is demonizing by unfairly saying that thousands of them were cheering 9/11, we can simply solve the problem here, which is similar to what McCarthy said about the threat of communism in the '50s.

BALDWIN: Scottie, I know Trump is your man. Jump in.

SCOTTIE HUGHES, TEA PARTY NEWS NETWORK: Well, he's not my only man. I'm not paid by the Trump campaign to go along with every word he says. But I'll say this. 69 percent of Americans according to the latest CBS poll believe there is an attack imminent here, terrorist attack, here on our soil in America. It's not necessarily preying upon fears. It's actually telling the truth that the majority of American on both sides of the aisle feel.

Now, about his sitting there and saying -- he doesn't say we need to ignore what's going on in Russia. In fact, he's continuing to say, no, we need to let Russia handle Syria and worrying about our borders. He's handling both sides of the issue. For Bush to swing at him when he only has 5 percent of the poll and is ranked fifth place shows how desperate they are to take out the top without realizing they need to go after people below Trump like the Cruzs and Rubios. But Jeb continues to fail at all efforts of taking Trump down.

BALDWIN: Peter, to Scottie's point with regard to the poll and you have the majority of Americans who are fearful, you also say Republicans won't abandon Trump because of this increased focus, because of what's happened here of course in Paris. Terrorism is dominating headlines globally, domestically.