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Suspicious Envelopes Found at Brussels Mosque; Turkish President Says He Won't Apologize for Downing of Russian Jet; Putin and Hollande to Meet in Russia; Chicago Outrage: Second Night of Protests Over Teen's Death; Govt. Warn States Against Refusing Refugees. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired November 26, 2015 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:01] CAMEROTA: Happy Thanksgiving out there. Thanks so much for joining us today. It's time now for "NEWSROOM" with Carol Costello.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Is that little Siena out there?

CAMEROTA: That's Siena.

PEREIRA: See how much she's grown. She says hi. Say hi to Carol.

COSTELLO: Hi, Siena. Hi, everyone. Hi, Gabby. So awesome. Happy Thanksgiving, all.

NEWSROOM starts now.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

COSTELLO: And good morning to you. I'm Carol Costello, thank you so much for joining me.

We do begin with breaking news out of Brussels. Right now police are investigating suspicious envelopes containing white powder at the city's Grand Mosque. This is according to an emergency medical spokesman.

Residents there still very much on edge after those brutal terror attacks in Paris. So let's head right to Brussels and CNN's Alexandria Field.

What can you tell us, Alexandra?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via phone): Hey there, Carol, we're just arriving at the mosque right now. Law enforcement officers just put up gates to keep people back. And we're seeing a crush of emergency vehicles including a number of ambulances.

What we're being told right now from fire department and the police department is that at least 10 envelopes were found and white powder was discovered in those envelopes. It is not at all clear yet what that powder is or whether that powder poses a threat. But a spokesperson for the police department and the fire department are both saying that, as many as 11 people may have come into contact with the substance, so they are taking precautions, they're having all of those people checked out by medical professionals right now.

It will take some time, however, to determine just what that powder was. And we know that the testing has started but it could take hours, possibly as many as eight hours, so there may not be an answer until later tonight in Belgium. But this is a city that has been under the highest terror threat level for days now.

The partial lockdown that people were living under was only really lifted yesterday when schools began to open and the metro began to open but people are certainly aware of the threat level here, they are feeling the urgency in this case and obviously law enforcement, police, fire units want to respond as quickly and swiftly, and they are really trying to take every precaution here and figuring out what this substance is and whether or not it's threatening.

COSTELLO: And I'm going to ask you a question that you may not know the answer to, Alexandra, but are such threats unusual when it comes to the city's mosques?

FIELD: Not entirely clear to us, Carol. I think, at this point, any threat would naturally be taken more seriously, given the climate. What I can tell you, though, is that this is a very prominent mosque in this city. It's a large mosque. It's a very old mosque and certainly integral part of the community. So it is a mosque that would draw attention and some focus, one might assume, and it's certainly being taken seriously right now.

I'm actually doing a lap around the mosque since we tried to get a live picture up for you and really it's ringed by emergency vehicles. So you know that law enforcement here is taking this very seriously. And that certainly would be accelerated by the nature and the climate these last few days here in Brussels.

COSTELLO: OK. So I'll let you run around that mosque and get some good reporting for us.

Alexandria Field reporting live from Brussels.

With me now CNN contributor and senior editor for "The Daily Beast," Michael Weiss. He's also the co-author of "ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror."

Hi, Michael.

MICHAEL WEISS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Hi, Carol. How are you doing?

COSTELLO: What do you make of this?

WEISS: Honestly, I mean, we don't know. This just happened. You know, as the correspondent said, Brussels has been on lockdown for about three or four days, and the highest terror alert warning. This could be something that is picked up in this kind of massive counterterrorism dragnet, or let's not forget, there are a lot of nut jobs out there who like to exploit anxiety and fear and these high tension moments, who might have just sent some stuff to a mosque.

Remember, after 9/11 there's this huge anthrax scare, particularly in New York and Washington, D.C., and, you know, a lot of white powder started turning up at newsrooms and government buildings and so on. So you can't discount the fact that it could just be people who are essentially capitalizing on a very, very, you know, fearful news cycle.

COSTELLO: All right. Michael Weiss, thanks so much.

Just minutes ago, this just in to CNN, too, Turkey's president ratchets up the tension over his country's shootdown of a Russian warplane. He sat down for an exclusive interview with CNN and said Turkey will not apologize. This as the U.S. and its allies urge both countries to calm the rhetoric.

CNN's Becky Anderson is in Ankara, Turkey. She has more on her interview with the Turkish president.

Good morning.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. And this is exactly what he said, and I'll quote you, "I think if there is a party that needs to apologize it is not us. It is those who violated our air space. Those are the ones who need to apologize. Our pilots and armed forces simply fulfilled their duties which consisted of responding to violations of the rules of engagement."

[09:05:08] I think this is the essence President Erdogan told me in an exclusive interview that I've just finished and got back to this live position to speak to you.

Listen, he also, once again, reiterated what the Turkish authorities say were the circumstances of the downing of this jet. Despite the fact that we have had the navigator, the co-pilot of the downed jet, speaking to Russian media, saying that there were never warnings, cannot believe that this happened, they never violated Turkish air space, the president repeating to me, once again, that there were two planes, one entered Turkish air space for as long as 17 seconds.

The plane was warned 10 times, and at that point, when it continued on into the Turkish air space the rules of engagement dictated that air space should be defended and that they shot the plane down. And despite the fact, Carol, that this situation risk really escalating, there have been calls not least from the U.S. president, from NATO, from Angela Merkel, from leaders around the world to really de- escalate the situation, words echoed by the president of Turkey, he stood defiant today in this interview when I asked him to respond, for example, to what the Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had said.

He said that this was a planned provocation. Effectively he said that was nonsense. I put it to him that President Putin says that he's been stabbed in the back and accused Turkey of being an accomplice of terror. He was outraged by that comment. And outraged by the fact that Dmitri Medvedev, the Russian prime minister, had -- that the supply chain on ISIS oil coming from Syrian facilities, outraged by the suggestion of that as well.

So we had, despite the fact that you have a president here who clearly wants to, and is mindful of the fact, that this fiery rhetoric from Russia isn't going to be useful going forward, this isn't a man who -- in the face of criticism. He said -- will speak to President Putin on Sunday in Paris perhaps --

COSTELLO: All right.

ANDERSON: President Putin has picked up the phone to him. Back to you.

COSTELLO: All right. All right. I'm sorry for our technical difficulties. But of course, as you might expect, it's difficult to get a shot live out of Turkey these days.

But, Becky Anderson, we get your point. Turkey's president talking tough. And against that backdrop, and just a couple of hours, France's president will sit down with the Russian president Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Francois Hollande will call on the Russian president to join a united front against ISIS rather than go it alone. It's a mission made all the tougher given Russia's rising tensions with Turkey.

Turkey's a NATO ally, keep in mind. Jill Dougherty is in Moscow, where she served many years as CNN's bureau chief.

Jill, what's the word from Moscow?

JILL DOUGHERTY, INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR DEFENSE AND SECURITY: One way that Russia can show its displeasure with Turkey shooting down of that SU-24 is economically. And the economic relationship between Turkey and Russia is very significant to the total of $44 billion in trade and services.

Russia now says that it's going to tighten controls over the import of food from Turkey. That totals alone $1.7 billion. It includes vegetables, fruits, meat, et cetera, coming from Turkey. Now the Russians are not saying that it is directly linked to that shootdown, but they are saying it's a safety and security measure, that 15 percent of the imports from Turkey don't meet Russian standards.

Whether that's the case or not, they are also hinting that there may be other steps. Certainly tourism is one of them. There are 3.3 million Russian tourists who go to Turkey every year. And that would be a significant hit to the Turkish economy. Also they're saying there are other products, children's clothing, cleaning products, et cetera, that they have concerns about.

Now at the same time, in connection with Syria, you have the visit of the French President Hollande to Russia, meeting with President Putin. Now President Hollande is talking about creating some type of grand coalition to fight ISIS, that is his mission here to talk to President Putin, to see even in this situation, whether they could work more closely. The situation, of course, is complicated by the shootdown by turkey,

and also by a longer-term question, the difference between France and Russia on the fate of President Assad. But the hope is that somehow, in spite of all these complex challenges, that they can work together more closely to attack ISIS.

[09:10:08] COSTELLO: We'll see. Jill Dougherty, reporting for us this morning.

In Syria, an ISIS operative suspected in the Beirut terrorist attacks has reportedly been killed in an ambush. The man is believed to have transported the two suicide bombers who killed 43 people in Beirut one day before the Paris attacks.

In London, a dramatic shift in strategy toward ISIS is now unfolding. The prime minister, David Cameron, now wants his country to conduct air strikes directly against ISIS targets in Syria. He went before his parliament today, to argue that Britain security depends on taking the fight to terrorists in their Syrian strongholds.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We shouldn't be content with outsourcing our security to our allies. If we believe that action can help protect us, then with our allies, we should be part of that action, not standing aside from it. And from this moral point, comes a fundamental question. If we won't act now, when our friend and ally, France, has been struck in this way, then our allies in the world can be forgiven for asking, if not now, when?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Cameron says he will not call for a vote on air strikes in Syria until he is sure it will pass.

The threat of ISIS not only on the minds of people in Europe but also raising concerns right here at home in New York City. Just a live look along the Thanksgiving day parade route where security has become a major focal point. The New York City Police Department says there will be sharpshooters on rooftops, radiation detectors will be checking for dirty bombs in backpacks, plainclothes officers will be on hand along with about 200 officers from the department's new counterterrorism unit.

In the meantime, New York's Mayor Bill de Blasio says people should be vigilant but enjoy themselves.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D), NEW YORK: We know that what terrorists are trying to do is intimidate. Well, the people of New York City are not intimidated. You can see it here today, they're coming out in droves to celebrate everything great about this city and everything great about this country today. And the NYPD is doing an incredible job of keeping people safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: And people are out in force. Take a look. It's a beautiful day here in New York City. Three million plus expected to line the parade route today. And I was out there just a little bit ago. And I can attest, there are a lot of people out there, and all of them have smiles on their faces.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, a new video, and another night of anger in the streets of Chicago and New York over that police shooting of an African-American teenager.

CNN's Ryan Young has more for you.

RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A tense night here in Chicago. We saw protesters trying to take officers' bikes. We also saw them try to take out a Christmas tree. We'll have the whole wrap for you coming up on NEWSROOM live, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:16:56] COSTELLO: A second night of protests on the streets of Chicago and New York after police release video of an African-American teenager being gunned down by a white police officer, anger ramping up over the 2014 death of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald. Officials say Officer Jason Van Dyke shot McDonald 16 times in 15 seconds. And new video obtained from "The Chicago Tribune" now shows a different angle from that night.

This appears to be the view from Van Dyke's car. You can see McDonald was chased down moments before his death.

Let's bring in CNN national correspondent Ryan Young. He's live in Chicago this morning. Good morning.

RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. I can tell you, it looks like the crowds have changed just a bit. First night, we were out with protesters, we walked with them over four miles the first night -- really not many confrontations between them and police officers. But last night, that seemed to change.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(EXPLETIVES DELETED)

YOUNG (voice-over): A second night of unrest in two major cities, as hundreds of protesters returned to the streets.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: New York City Police Department.

(EXPLETIVE DELETED)

YOUNG: From Chicago to New York, demonstrators marching in frustration, over the shocking death of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Violation of New York state penal law. YOUNG: Police arresting several protesters in New York City. Their

passion spilling into the Macy's flagship department store, in the heart of Manhattan. Their voices raging.

In Chicago, demonstrators stage a sit-in blocking a major intersection. Some trying to take police officers' bikes.

This, as newly released dash cam video, obtained by "The Chicago tribune," captured the moment before and after 37-year-old Jason Van Dyke shot McDonald 16 times last October.

This is Officer Van Dyke's own vehicle dash cam, while out of focus, you can see McDonald cutting across the front of his police car and passing a nearby Burger King. Moments later, six seconds after getting out of his vehicle, Officer Van Dyke begins to shoot the teen as he walked down the street wielding a knife, continuing to fire, even after McDonald fell to the ground.

Just minutes later, this dashcam from another police car shows McDonald lying on the street. The other officers at the scene never opening fire.

Van Dyke's attorney says, the officer was in fear for his life and says videos don't show a complete picture, saying McDonald was.

DAN HERBERT, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Harassing business owners, waving a knife for about 18 minutes on a busy street. Him stabbing a squad car windshield that was manned with two police officers inside there.

YOUNG: Late Wednesday, President Obama reacting to the deadly shooting saying he was, quote, "deeply disturbed by the footage and is grateful to his hometown for keeping protests peaceful."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[09:20:00] YOUNG: We also saw a bit of the destruction last night. We'll show you this video from Millennium Park, where protesters attacking the Christmas tree there.

We can also tell you, we just confirmed during this live shot, that four protesters were arrested last night during the protest. Things have changed here a bit.

Now we do know Black Friday's coming. We've been told by several protesters they do plan to take action here on the Magnificent Mile. Tell you that first night, it was calm and peaceful. Last night was a bit different.

So, you have to wonder, what's next -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Ryan Young, reporting live from Chicago this morning.

Still to come on NEWSROOM: a Mississippi town embracing its Christian duty and welcoming refugees, even as the state of Mississippi promises to turn them away. We'll hear from the mayor, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: President Obama wishing everyone a happy Thanksgiving this morning.

[09:25:00] He's using his weekly address to remind fellow Americans that this country was founded by refugees.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Nearly four centuries after the Mayflower set sail, the world is still full of pilgrims, men and women who want nothing more than a chance for a safer, better future for themselves and their families what happen makes America America is that we offer that chance. We turn Lady Liberty's light to the world and widen our circle of concern to say that all God's children are worthy of our compassion and care.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: And now, the government is reminding states they have a legal obligation to provide that compassion and care, sending a letter, warning states that refuse to take in Syrian refugees will have funds cut to their aid-related programs. The state of Texas has vowed to defy those threats.

But one small town in Mississippi is ready to help. The town board in Louise, Mississippi, says it's their Christian duty to take in refugees.

I'm joined on the phone by the mayor of that town, Ruffin Smith.

Good morning, Mr. Mayor.

MAYOR RUFFIN SMITH, LOUISE, MISSISSIPPI (via telephone): Good morning. Happy Thanksgiving.

COSTELLO: Happy Thanksgiving to you, too.

How would you characterize Christians who feel that we should halt the refugee program, at least for now?

SMITH: I'm sorry, halting the refugee program?

COSTELLO: Yes. Do they have a point?

SMITH: I believe a large degree the issue has been led by fear and uncertainty, fed upon by people in positions, their politics to do so.

COSTELLO: Why do you believe it is your town's Christian duty to accept these refugees from Syria?

SMITH: Well, we adopted a resolution in support of the United States. We did not specifically say Syrian refugees. We only addressed refugees from the war-torn areas of the world. But we agreed that to express our willingness to accept said refugees to the fullest extent of our abilities. COSTELLO: I know that not everyone in town is happy about this

decision. What have they said to you?

SMITH: Well, each side of any issue has its arguments. Again, we've had lots of positive results, praise, and accolades from the community. Not everyone is -- feels that way, that that's the case in any issue.

COSTELLO: How many refugees have you seen in your town?

SMITH: To date, we have no refugees in Louise. We have not been contacted by the federal government or any aid organization.

COSTELLO: So, are you reaching out?

SMITH: We have made ourselves available. I feel from a small town, we've done what we can do at this point. We have made ourselves available and we look at this point for someone else to carry the ball for us.

COSTELLO: The state of Mississippi is not exactly opening its arms to welcome refugees. Are you at odds with your own state? How do you handle that?

SMITH: Well, we respect the opinion of others and everyone has their own politics and the reasons for what they do. We felt that this is the right thing that we should have done. We've aligned ourselves with, you know, what we think the Lord would have us do and the federal government, we don't recognize any higher powers than that.

COSTELLO: You've said that politics has made its way into this crisis. What do you mean by politics? Who's to blame for Americans fearing these refugees so much?

SMITH: I'd really rather not take away from the positive message that we're trying to send. Louise is on the forefront of trying to be an example to the rest of the country in a positive action.

COSTELLO: Mayor Ruffin Smith, thank you for joining me on this thanksgiving day. Appreciate it.

SMITH: Thank you. Have a blessed day.

COSTELLO: Thank you.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

COSTELLO: And good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you for joining me.

Breaking news out of Brussels this morning, right now police are investigating suspicious envelopes containing white powder at the city's grand mosque, this according to emergency medical spokesman. Residents in Brussels very much on edge after those brutal terror attacks in Paris.

CNN's Alexandra Field has been reporting from Brussels. She has new information for us this morning.

Good morning, Alexandra.

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPNDENT: Good morning, Carol.

More and more emergency vehicles arriving to the grand mosque. One of the oldest and largest mosques in the city of Brussels, situated amid a number of government buildings here.