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Alleged Planned Parenthood Gunman Talked About Baby Parts to Investigators After his Surrender; Leaders From Around the World Will Gather in Paris; Carson Is Returning Today from Jordan; Carson: Refugees Want To Stay In Syria; Tennessee Lawmaker Suggests Sending Recent Refugees To Ice; Inside The Islamic State's Propaganda Machine; First Officer In Freddie Gray Case Goes On Trial Monday. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired November 29, 2015 - 14:00   ET

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


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[14:00:14] FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Happening now in the NEWSROOM.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shots on the south side of Planned Parenthood.

WHITFIELD: New details about the suspect accused in that deadly mass shooting in Colorado. Agents swarming his remote home, piecing together a motive. And what his neighbors are now saying about him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He gave us anti-Obama flyers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a lot of recluse out in the middle of nowhere out here.

WHITFIELD: And clashes break out in Paris. Police firing tear gas at protesters taking to the streets over global climate talks.

And Ben Carson in Jordan, getting a firsthand look at the refugee crisis.

BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There is so many people who think that the ideal for everybody is to come to America and to be settled here. But that is not the ideal for everybody.

WHITFIELD: NEWSROOM starts now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Hello, everyone. And thanks so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

New details in a possible motive for Friday's deadly shooting at a Colorado Planned Parenthood. Suspect Robert Lewis Dear talked about baby parts to investigators after his surrender. A law enforcement official says Dear told police he has anti-government and anti- abortion views but did not explicitly say that is what moved him to kill three people including a veteran police officer. Five other officers and four civilians were wounded. We have also learned that propane tanks were found near the suspect's

car, possibly intended to create an explosion. Meanwhile, the department of justice is reviewing this incident as possible domestic terrorism. They're also looking at possible hate crime charges.

CNN's Dan Simon is live for us now in Colorado Springs.

So, Dan, you're learning more about the remote area where the suspect lived.

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredericka. The portrait of the suspect, 57-year-old Robert Dear that is emerging is that this is someone who is a loner. And certainly someone who lived in isolation in the middle of Colorado. We know he had a little bit of a criminal record but no charges really ever stuck.

Over the years he did have some encountered with law enforcement. In 1997, for instance, his wife at the time accused him of domestic assault but no charges were filed. A few years later he was charged with being a peeping tom, apparently someone in North Carolina accused him of peering into a house but, again, those counts were dismissed and in 2003 he was charged with two counts of animal cruelty but was found not guilty. And it was about a year ago that he moved to the community of Hartsell, Colorado. And their neighbors say he had a companion, possibly a girlfriend who lived with him in that trailer and this is how they describe him.

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ZIGMOND POST, PLANNED PARENTHOOD SUSPECT'S NEIGHBOR: They were nice. Really nice guy. Talking to us and everything. Gave us some anti- Obama flyers, little pamphlets and I didn't even really read them. I just -- I think I used them to start the fire in our campfire that night and I saw them at the office on Wednesday. Said hi to him.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Did he have anything to say?

POST: No. Asked me how I was doing, I said doing great. And we were passing each other in the parking lot.

LISA HAWKINS, PLANNED PARENTHOOD SUSPECT'S NEIGHBOR: When they first moved in they were real -- like I said, they kept to themselves. They didn't bother anybody, nobody bothered them. I would be coming out and he would come out and I would wave and he didn't wave back.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Really?

HAWKINS: And she was a very outgoing.

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SIMON: Well, as authorities work to come up with a firm motive, we know that the suspect basically surrendered, gave up inside the clinic itself at nearly six hours. It was an armored vehicle, what's called a bear cat, essentially rammed into the building. The suspect felt like he was cornered and gave up. We know that his first court appearance will be tomorrow afternoon -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Dan Simon, thank you so much in Colorado Springs.

Colorado, Governor John Hickenlooper said this morning that these kinds of shootings are happening too often and that the U.S. needs to think about how to prevent it.

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GOV. JOHN HICKENLOOPER (D), COLORADO: I think as a state but as a country we've got more thinking about this of how to make sure to keep guns out of the hands of people that are unstable. I think we have to come back and look at all aspects of why these shootings have continued to occur in Oregon or South Carolina and Colorado. The frequency is unacceptable. And I don't -- you know, I'm not willing to say well, we just have to sit back and accept this as a cost of the freedom.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Planned Parenthood is calling this domestic terrorism. Do you agree with that assessment?

HICKENLOOPER: Well, certainly, it's a form of terrorism and maybe in some way it's a function of the inflammatory rhetoric that we see on all - I mean, so many issues now. There are bloggers and, you know, talk shows where they really focus on trying to get people to that point of boiling over. Just intense anger. If people are in some way emotionally unstable or psychologically unbalanced, that intensity of rhetoric sometimes seems to pull a trigger in their brain that they lose contact with what reality is.

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[14:05:40] WHITFIELD: Governor Hickenlooper ordered flags on all public buildings in the state to be lowered to half-staff.

So let's talk more about this with Colorado Springs mayor John Southers.

Mr. Mayor, good to see you. So the U.S. attorney says they are working with the department of justice on what charges to bring against the suspect and you just heard from the governor who said he believes it's a form of terrorism and that inflammatory rhetoric may assist in pulling the trigger, so to speak, his words. Do you agree with him? Do you believe this is domestic terrorism?

MAYOR JOHN SOUTHERS, COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO: I think it could be a form of it. But, you know, we have to deal with a couple realities. Number one, the first amendment is not going to go away. We're going to see inflammatory rhetoric. And the question is what can we do constitutionally to deal with these situations? In the past as attorney general, I was a head of a committee looking at violence incidents like this and looking for common scenarios. And one of the things that we came to the conclusion is we don't do a very good job of identifying people with potential mental health issues. In this situation, you know, we have a guy that's basically off the

grid, very much so. And it's very, very difficult for law enforcement to deal with. This was a guy who did not have a serious criminal record and was holed up in a cabin 65 miles from here in the mountains (INAUDIBLE) to a lot of people. He was literally off the grid.

WHITFIELD: He was off the grid but he does, you know, quote/unquote "have neighbors." There are people you heard from, people earlier in this show who saw him at the post office that interacted with him. They say hello, you know. So they are aware of him. They are aware of the way he lives and there are others who live like him as well. So why should those be kind of flash points or even red flags that he or anybody like him may be potentially up to no good?

SOUTHERS: The problem is, he didn't say anything that would -- that we know of that would give anybody an indication of what he was up to. Pretty much of a loner.

WHITFIELD: Right. So that seems that's the quandary, then, in terms of prevention. You know, we are hearing from the governor, we hear from others who say more has to be done to prevent. But if -- but if, you know, you really can't identify what someone's intentions are, how do you go about it? You just said at the beginning that, you know, there are constitutional, you know, issues that would preclude new restrictions to go in place.

So what is the answer? Because it sounds like everyone is saying the same thing that something has to be done to help prevent incidents like this. So what's the beginning point?

SOUTHERS: Well, you know, I think everybody's open to a discussion about what can be done constitutionally in terms of access of people with mental health problems, for example, to weapons. But once again it has to be done within a constitutional framework.

In Colorado, we have a constitutional protection to bear arms that actually are much more specific than the United States constitution. And all the remedies that we talk about have to be discussed within a constitutional framework.

WHITFIELD: And how are people doing there in Colorado Springs? What is next for your community?

SOUTHERS: You know, we are in the process of healing. Our community is sending a very strong message that we are not going to be defined by this tragedy. We are going to be defined by our response to it. In particular, the incredibly brave and heroic response of the first responders.

I was in the command center watching the communication between the officers in the command center monitoring the movements of the perpetrator on security cameras and conveying that to the SWAT team inside. I'm absolutely positive that the way that the police handled themselves saved some lives in this instance and we are going to honor the police officer that died. We are going to honor the victims of this tragedy, but we are going to ensure it's how we respond that defines us and not the tragedy itself.

[14:10:14] WHITFIELD: All right. Mayor John Southers, we wish the best to you and your community. And, of course, our hearts go out to the family members of those who were kill and injured. Appreciate your time, Mayor John Southers.

SOUTHERS: Thank you very much.

WHITFIELD: The family of campus police Officer Garrett Swasey is asking for privacy during their time of grief. His wife Rachel releasing this statement just moments ago saying this quote "our loss cannot be expressed in words. While the nation now knows Garrett as a hero who gave his life for others, he was also a devoted husband of 17 years and a wonderful father to his two children. His greatest joys were his family, his church, and his profession. We will cherish his memory, especially those times he spent tossing the football to his son and snuggling with his daughter on the couch."

And we are also learning more about Officer Swasey's passion for his skating. Before becoming a police officer, Swasey was a champion ice skater - ice dancer, rather. And he was also skating partners with a former U.S. national champion Nancy Kerrigan. The two were childhood friends growing up in Massachusetts. And Kerrigan says she is heartbroken by his death and said he was like a little brother to her.

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NANCY KERRIGAN, FORMER TRAINING PARTNER OF OFFICER SWASEY: A true friend, just very loyal and loving, caring person. Good listener. He was sort of passionate about everything. Everything was done with great big giant smile and he had fun in life. So sad, he's got two young kids that they literally run to him every time he comes in the door.

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WHITFIELD: Officer Garrett Swasey was 44 years old.

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[14:15:01] WHITFIELD: Some terrifying scenes in Paris today and protesters clashed with police.

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WHITFIELD: Hundreds of protesters arrested on the streets and police fired tear gas to help control the crowd. They are demonstrating a big climate conference that begins tomorrow. Police banned big protest marches planned ahead of the conference because of the terror attacks two weeks ago. Leaders from around the world will gather in Paris, including President Barack Obama who is on his way there right now.

Senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta joining me live right now from Paris. So Jim, the Paris attacks obviously looming very large over the

conference. So, is it expected much business will get done as it pertains to climate change?

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I think so. The White House is determined to get that business done. President Obama is determined to get that business done. He posted a message on Facebook just before he left the White House and the U.S. for Paris earlier today saying that this is something that has to get done to protect the planet for future generations.

But make no mistake right now, Fredricka, Paris is going to be a city on edge this week with more than 100 world leaders descending (ph) on the French capital for this climate summit under very tight security. We saw some of that tension play out on the streets of Paris earlier today as we saw protesters clashing with police, those demonstrators were protesting. These new rules that were set by French authorities to essentially bar large-scale demonstrations in the aftermath of the Paris attacks.

And the French president, Francois Hollande, after seeing the results of these protests earlier today, some 200 arrests were made, described the scene that was reported to him as being quote "scandalous." So the French president very upset about what happened earlier today. And he said these new rules have sort of justified themselves because of the behavior of these protesters.

Now, getting back to the summit, President Obama, he lands here later tonight, he will have two days of meetings on climate. He will be giving a major speech here. And what he is hoping and other world leaders are hoping is they will be able to put together an agreement over the next couple weeks that would essentially bind all of the -- nearly all of the countries on earth to a commitment to lower carbon emissions. And so that is something that the president is very determined to get resolved over the next couple weeks. Maybe not while he is here, but maybe in the next couple of weeks.

But make no mistake, as you said, Frederica, what happened in Paris on November 13th is looming large. It is hanging over everything here. President Obama, he will be meeting with Francois Hollande, the French president. They will be having dinner tomorrow night. President Obama will also be offering his sympathies to the French people. The White House, because of security reasons, aren't saying exactly how that will go down.

But also ISIS will be discussed, obviously. The president may meet with Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of these talks, these climate talks here in Paris so a lot for the president to really work on while he is here in the French capital, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: A full play indeed.

All right. Thank you so much, Jim Acosta in Paris.

ACOSTA: Absolutely. WHITFIELD: All right. Coming up, deadly storms wreaking havoc across

this country on one of the busiest travel days of the year. A look at areas being hardest hit next.

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[14:22:05] WHITFIELD: A busy post-thanksgiving travel day with deadly weather still slamming parts of the south central U.S. At least now 10 weather-related deaths are reported in Texas and Kansas. And right now some 11 million people are under flood warnings. Eight million others are under winter storm warnings.

Meteorologist Derek Van Dam joining us now.

So Derek, this is a massive winter storm and we're not even quite into winter yet.

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. That's right, Fredricka. This is the dangers of early winter storms. There's still fall foliage on the trees and you add in a half to an inch of ice, this is the result. Trees not able to hold on to that weight and there is some improvement in the forecast for places like Oklahoma city but we still have the potential of a quarter to a half inch of that wintery precipitation today. That's why we have a winter weather advisory east of North Platte into the central portions of Nebraska, even southern sections of South Dakota, Southern Minnesota. That's thanks to an oncoming winter storm that will impact travel conditions there late Monday night into Tuesday. More on that in just a second.

Now, the warm sector of the storm in front of the cold front was warm enough to produce heavy rainfall. In fact, Texas received anywhere between four to six inches of rain across the Dallas-Fort Worth area causing some flooding concerns along the interstate 20 corridor. And get this, they broke their annual record rainfall for the year. Nearly five feet of rain has fallen in Dallas, Texas, average around 33 inches of rain year to date. They are just smashing records across that area. And interesting to note, much of Texas was under drought conditions this year.

Now, the rainfall continues to move eastward across the mid-Tennessee river valley, Memphis to Cincinnati just north of Atlanta, then we focus on our snowstorm late Monday into Tuesday. So there could be travel delays anywhere between Omaha and into the Minneapolis/St. Paul region. We are anticipating six to twelve inches of snow. Early season snowfall. What do you think about that, Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: I say that is a whole lot of snow.

VAN DAM: It is for thanksgiving.

WHITFIELD: I only like snow like that if skiing. But other than that I would call it a nuisance.

All right. Derek Van Dam, thank you so much. Good to see you.

All right. Still ahead, Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson now talking about his visit with Syrian refugees in Jordan.

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CARSON: In these camps they have schools, they have recreational facilities that are really quite nice.

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WHITFIELD: We asked our political panel if his trip will give him a boost in the polls.

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[14:27:44] WHITFIELD: Hello, again. And thanks so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

New details are emerging on Friday's shooting at a Planned Parenthood clinic Colorado Springs. Here's what we know right now.

The suspected gunman dropped hints about his political views moments after he surrendered to authorities. A law enforcement official tells CNN the suspect mentioned quote "baby parts" to investigators and in later interviews he expressed views opposing abortion and big government. Authorities say it's too soon to determine motive and the suspect's views might not be the reason he allegedly targeted a Planned Parenthood clinic.

Also we're learning about the accused shooter's possible plans for even more destruction. Authorities found propane tanks near his car in the parking lot. They believe he was trying to shoot at the tanks in an attempt to spark an explosion.

Republican presidential candidates are speaking out about the shootings. Mike Huckabee called the rampage an act of domestic terrorism on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION." And he also commented on the suspected shooter.

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MIKE HUCKABEE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Regardless of why he did it, what he did is domestic terrorism and what he did is absolutely abominable. Especially to those of us in the pro-life movement because there's nothing about any of us that would condone or look the other way at something like this.

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WHITFIELD: One of Huckabee's GOP rivals, Ben Carson, also condemned the shooting calling it a hate crime and he urged for peaceful dialogue on both sides of the abortion debate.

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CARSON: You know, let's get away from the rhetoric and talk about the real problem. The real problem is that we have become coarse and hateful toward each other. (END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Carson is returning today from Jordan where he visited two Syrian refugee camps. The presidential candidate said he wanted firsthand knowledge of the situation to better answer how the United States should respond to the crisis.

Joining me from the White House is Sunlen Serfaty.

So Sunlen, Carson has not been in favor of bring Syrian refugees to the U.S. What was the strategy behind his overseas trip?

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, certainly, this trip comes as an important time for Ben Carson as a candidate. He has really been under an intense period of scrutiny about his foreign policy credentials, his mastery of these issues. And really, his experienced level with foreign policy.

So certainly a big part of this trip is to really beef up his knowledge about the situation, what's going on in the region, potentially give him a chance to stand out, show a little leadership as opposed to other candidates in the Republican field.

As you said, Ben Carson called this trip a fact-finding mission. He had the opportunity to speak firsthand to some Syrian refugees at that Jordanian refugee camp and this does seem to be the key take away he brought back from this trip.

Today when he is speaking from Jordan, he said he had the opportunity to talk to a lot of those refugees and he asked them point blank would they prefer to come over to the United States and be resettled in the United States or would they prefer to be in those refugee camps in Jordan and here's what he said he concluded after hearing straight from them?

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BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Their true desire is to be resettled in Syria. But they are satisfied to be in the refugee camps if the refugee camps are adequately funded. Recognize that in these camps they have schools. They have recreational facilities that are really quite nice.

And they're putting in all kinds of things that make life more tolerable. Would it be better to integrate them into the society? Yes, and I certainly talked to some people about that but you have to make progress as you go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SERFATY: And Ben Carson later went on to say that he thinks that the United States should be boosting up, increasing aid to these refugee camps, Fred, rather than trying to work out any resettlements for these refugees -- Fred.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Sunlen Serfaty, thanks so much.

So let's talk more about Carson's Jordan trip. Ellis Henican joins me now from New York. He's a "Newsday" columnist. Good to see you, and co-author of "How The Parties Over? How The Extreme Right Hijacked The GOP and I Became A Democrat."

And also Republican strategist, Brian Morgenstern, is joining me from New York. Brian, you first, a top state lawmaker in Tennessee is suggesting that using the National Guard to round up refugees who are settled in the U.S. and send them back. Here's how Carson responded earlier today on CNN.

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CARSON: I think that may be a little bit extreme, to be honest with you. But rather than have face situations like that, let's support the efforts that already exist that will take care of millions of people and -- why would we continue to increase the complexity of the situation without solving the problem by bringing people over here who are not adequately screened? That doesn't make a lot of sense.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So Brian, does his trip and the philosophy that we are just now hearing from here versus philosophy we've heard earlier, does this help him in terms of conveying or showing a certain readiness as it pertains to foreign affairs?

BRIAN MORGENSTERN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: It certainly doesn't hurt. He has a long way to go, obviously, and he's been hit pretty hard, I think rightfully so, for his lack of experience on foreign policy.

One thing he's doing effectively, though, is steering the conversation back to the point. . For all of our partisan yammering about vetting on the Republican side, and Democrats calling conservatives bigots because they don't want refugees, nobody asks the refugees what they want.

They want to go home. The best way to help refugees is to bring about stability in the region. To pursue military and diplomatic solutions to get rid of ISIS and make it so they can go back to where their families and friends and jobs and lives are. So I think that's a product of this trip that is very helpful.

WHITFIELD: And Ellis, you said he wanted to see for himself what the situation is. He said he talked to a number of people from medical professionals to refugees themselves and, yes, they want to be repatriated and he still is challenging, however, the U.S., that the U.S. needs to do more to assist the refugees abroad. Is that a reasonable discovery based on the trip he just made?

ELLIS HENICAN, "NEWSDAY" COLUMNIST: Well, listen, Fred, you have to doubt the guy's judgment. His main description seems to be that the Ritz-Carlton is running the place. It's absolutely lovely, there.

WHITFIELD: He said it's nice. HENICAN: Maybe we ought to all move over to those refugee camps. Listen, this is a guy who clearly does not know what he is talking about, right? And after Paris, after the rabid dogs which was the last phrase that he used in this realm and after -- six or eight other blunders.

I think this coming to the edge of the point where he can continue to say well, don't worry because when I'm elected I'll have a lot of advisors around me who will help me. I just think each time he shows he isn't up to this part of what we expect from a presidential candidate.

[14:35:06]WHITFIELD: And Brian, isn't that the objective? When a candidate goes overseas -- and we've seen it before -- Chris Christie, we saw Mitt Romney, we've seen it before. Even President Obama did the same thing as Senator Obama.

Doing that to show that I'm comfortable or maybe you tell me, why do they do it? Is it to show I feel comfortable in another place? I feel comfortable being able to address or be aware of concerns abroad as it pertains to the U.S.? What is the primary objective when a candidate does this and has the backdrop of somewhere overseas?

MORGENSTERN: Well, it's two, I think, primary objectives. First of all, I think there is value in fact-finding and these guys being familiar with the regions they're going to have to talk about and that they're going to have to visit.

On the domestic political front, it's putting the image in the voters' minds of them as the president and chief diplomat. That is really a key thing.

And the Obama campaign, in his first run for president, he did that very well in his speaking tour throughout -- in Egypt and in Germany and really showing some enthusiasm for his candidacy and his speaking ability which, of course, is very strong.

It's leveraging that to the international stage so that voters could picture him in that role. So in terms of the theatrics, the political side, that's very, very important.

WHITFIELD: So then, Ellis, mission accomplished? Does it assist Ben Carson to be abroad particularly with the Syrian crisis being top of mind for so many? Does it assist to allow him to look more presidential regardless of what he is learning or verbalizing now?

HENICAN: Well, listen, it's a fine and time-honored strategy. No doubt about that. But one caveat, when you go there, you have to know what you're talking about. He's learning, I guess it would have been better if he did this two or three years ago, but he's got a long way to go, let's be honest.

WHITFIELD: OK, well, I think you were being pretty honest with us there, Ellis and Brian, no one doubts that. All right, thanks so much, Gentlemen. Appreciate it. Don't forget, the next Republican presidential debate is right here on CNN Tuesday, December 15th. That's 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Don't miss it.

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[14:41:02]

WHITFIELD: All right, ISIS is known for being a social media machine. Its propaganda is well documented. And recently the "Washington Post" revealed stunning details about how ISIS spreads its messages.

Joining me now, Greg Miller, who wrote "Inside the Surreal World of the Islamic State's Propaganda Machine." Greg, it's a fascinating, incredible detailed read. It's so good to see you.

GREG MILLER, "WASHINGTON POST": Thank you.

WHITFIELD: You interviewed people in six countries on three continents including a former ISIS member now imprisoned in Morocco. Why did they agree to talk and reveal so much which we've all come to think was kind of secret?

MILLER: Yes. Well, as you said, we've interviewed a -- we interviewed six or seven former Islamic State operatives in Morocco in prison. All of them had defected. All of them left Syria and came back to Morocco because of some falling out with the group, some fear with their safety.

There was a breach. They went wrong and decided to get out. So we relied on them for the detail that we got about just the mechanics of how the Islamic State's media enterprise operates.

WHITFIELD: And we'll get you how they got out because that is fascinating that anyone is allowed to get out. But you know something that is so profound I found from your article, we learned by way of the Moroccan you speak of.

That he says so much is scripted and choreographed, from executions, bloodbaths, et cetera, almost as if it was like making a movie. He was part of the media arm of the Islamic State and shipments of cameras and video equipment are being shipped from Turkey regularly.

So Abu Hajjer says impacting ISIS really means destroying its propaganda machine. Is it even possible?

MILLER: He was a cameraman for the Islamic State for a year and we described it in our story as this sort of medieval reality show because so much of what happens inside the caliphate, as they call it, is scripted and staged.

Including public beheadings where officials were reading from cue cards and where executioners were asked to raise and lower their sword repeatedly so camera crews could get the right angles.

We wanted to get inside the Islamic State's media apparatus because it has been so important the group's success. U.S. intelligence officials over the past several years have marveled at the sophistication of its propaganda.

And described it as by far the most potent and large propaganda apparatus ever put together by a terrorist group. Much, much more sophisticated than even al Qaeda.

It accounts for a large number of recruits and other resources that come to Syria and Iraq to join the group. Destroying it and countering it has been really hard.

The State Department has tried. The CIA has efforts that are clandestine to try to counter this propaganda, but no government has come up with any formula that's made any difference so far.

WHITFIELD: Is that in part because as you write "While Twitter and Facebook have banned, no longer allow ISIS to carry on the way it was for a while, they have gone so underground using these very clandestine kind of sites where they can still infiltrate, they can still influence, but they're difficult to detect?

MILLER: Well, it's part of it. There is some encrypted communication within the group that lets them coordinate but even though Facebook and Twitter and other social media sites have tried increasingly to shut them down, they're very good at finding ways around these blockades.

So on Twitter, the Islamic State still has a massive presence. Even though accounts get knocked off all the time, they get around it through the use of hashtags to mobilize around a new set of accounts. Every time one gets shut down, two more pop up.

[14:45:09]WHITFIELD: I guess many of us may have envisioned that this propaganda machine was being controlled by maybe a handful, one two people, but you write hundreds of people are part of this kind of media arm of the Islamic State and that there are great incentives to recruit these members of the media and they have they are paid more than the fighters are.

They're even treated like emirs. You write even assisting in strategy and territories. Elaborate on the power of those who have been recruited who have the expertise of media, of knowledge, of videotaping, editing.

MILLER: Right. The propaganda operatives in the Islamic State are part of its -- are a central part of the organization itself and it comprises an entire professional class. As you said, there are cameramen, there are people behind the scenes, editors, there are producers and there are directors.

And it's a huge organization that fans out across the caliphate every day to gather footage and brings back that footage from cameras to production sites in each of its districts.

Every single district in the Islamic State has its own media headquarters where they put together their own videos and release them and rely on the chaos of the internet and social media to reach a massive audience.

WHITFIELD: Incredible. Fascinating and frightening. And then to that last question, I said I wanted to get back to this. You fall out of favor. This young man managed to get out. It's surprising anyone is allowed to get out.

He fell out of favor because he disagreed with the Islamic State on religious court. That he escaped, and granted he is in jail in Morocco, does that exemplify that it is that simple for some who fall out of favor and they can leave willingly or is it some harrowing escape and he's watching his back wondering if he'll die or be taken out in jail?

MILLER: He's still very concerned about his security and the security of his family back in Morocco now. His decision, as you allude to there, he decided he would rather be in jail many Morocco and knew he would end up in a Moroccan prison when he came back.

Rather do that than risk sticking around in Syria because he believed he'd become such -- under such threat there. It was not easy and we know of many, many cases where people have tried to defect from the Islamic State and are not allowed to.

They'll either end up in prison or killed. This cameraman got out through help. He had some inside help that gave him the paperwork he needed to get past Islamic State checkpoints on his way out of Syria into Turkey, got his family on a flight from turkey back to Morocco. But he's now in prison for the next two years at least in Morocco.

WHITFIELD: Greg Miller of the "Washington Post." It's both fascinating, but it's also very frightening. Thanks so much for bringing that to us. I'm sure a lot of that information could assist U.S. intelligence if they don't already know these details already. Greg Miller, thank you so much.

MILLER: Thank you so much.

WHITFIELD: All right, the first of six Baltimore police officers charged in the Freddie Gray case going on trial tomorrow. What the defense strategy could be next.

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WHITFIELD: Jury selection begins tomorrow in the trial of William Porter. He is the first of six Baltimore police officers to stand trial in connection with the death of Freddie Gray last April. He is charged, Porter, with second degree assault, manslaughter, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment.

Five other officers in the case are also charged, separately. The driver of the van, Officer Cesar Goodson, Jr., on the far right of that lineup there, faces the most serious charge of second degree murder.

Gray died from a spinal injury he suffered while riding in a place van after being arrested back in April. His death sparked protests and rioting.

Let's now discuss these trials, particularly the one that begins tomorrow, Officer Porter. Joining me now is criminal defense attorney and constitutional attorney, Page Pate.

So this is very fascinating because we're now going to see six separate trials as opposed to one trial involving these six officers. To whose advantage is this setup?

PAGE PATE, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I think it's to the advantage of the defense team. In fact, they asked for this. They wanted the trial separated so that the jury could focus on each individual officer and what involvement that officer had in the death.

When you bring a bunch of people together and you're trying them in a serious high-profile case like this there's always the chance that there could be some prejudice, overspill. We really think Freddie Gray's death should be -- somebody should be held accountable and we'll hold them all accountable. This helps them focus on each individual officer.

WHITFIELD: Does it help the jury and the jury selection that you've got the judge, Judge Berry, who is now ordering that the identities of the jurors, the prospective jurors, be kept secret?

Is this in large part because if you have jurors who come from the area, the neighborhood where Freddie Gray died or sustained his injuries many people have already said in so many -- so much of the reporting we've done and other networks have done that people don't trust the police.

They feel intimidated by -- they don't want to be forthright with information. So now identities are being kept secret. Does that assist in selecting jurors who are indeed that of the peers?

PATE: Well, the idea is it will help the jury make a fair and unbiased decision at the end of the day.

[14:55:03]If you're on that jury and you're concerned that, if we acquit this officer and the public responds by protest or they're upset, are they going to direct that at me because they know who I am and I was on the jury that let this officer go?

If you protect their identity and the public doesn't know the individual jurors, then I think they'll feel more -- not relaxed but at least comfortable that they won't be personally accountable for whatever decision is at the end of the trial.

WHITFIELD: OK, and so now say you're representing Officer William Porter and he is accused of refusing medical help to Freddie Gray and did not give him a seat belt, although he was handcuffed and shackled. So if you're the attorney, jury is seated, what is your best defense? How do you defend those allegations?

PATE: The state has to prove that Officer Porter knew that Freddie Gray was injured and he didn't do anything about it. Some of the good facts for Officer Porter is that he did report what Freddie Gray told him about his injuries, both to the driver and another officer who arrived on the scene. So if I'm representing Officer Porter, I'm going to remind the jury that he didn't keep quiet. He did tell somebody.

WHITFIELD: So that relays responsibility now to someone else?

PATE: Exactly. That's why the prosecution wanted to try this officer first. They want to use him as a witness against the other officers in these trials that are going to come forward next year.

They were hoping I think that he would agree to a guilty plea and agree to testify on behalf of the prosecution. So they're thinking maybe if we can convict him that he will agree to be a witness for us.

WHITFIELD: Lastly, real quick, this, whatever the outcome is, you see it impacting the other five no matter what?

PATE: I think the first thing is in jury selection can we get a fair and unbiased jury? If not, will we move the trial for the others officers and if we convict Porter -- and I think they have the weakest case against Porter, will the other officers plead guilty?

WHITFIELD: All right, Page Pate, thanks so much. We'll talk about this because jury selection tomorrow. Appreciate it. We'll be right back.

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