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Trump Considers Third-Party Run; Rahm Emanuel Apologized for Chicago Police Misconduct; Trump Comments Causing Concern for U.N. Refugee Program; Georgia Pastor Helps Resettle Syrian Refugees; Rahm Emanuel Creates Task Force on Police Brutality. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired December 09, 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] RON BONJEAN, FORMER SPOKESMAN FOR FORMER SENATE MAJORITY LEADER TRENT LOTT: I think more Republican candidates and Congress needs to get out there and disavow his comments to make sure that once we select a nominee we're not tarred and branded with this guy's rhetoric. It's -- I think over the long term, it could really hurt us.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Let's take a look, Rebecca, a listen to this, and talk about it on the other side.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: This is both a shameless and a dangerous idea. Some of his Republican candidates are saying that his latest comments have gone too far. But the truth is many of them have also said extreme things about Muslims. Their language may be more veiled than Trump's, but their ideas are not so different.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Their ideas are not so different. Rebecca, she is painting that party, those candidates, as the same pretty much as Donald Trump. I wonder what your reaction is to that among just the voters and how they will read that and also if perhaps another Republican candidate could pull away, run as an Independent and have any sort of shot if they feel like they're all being painted with the Trump brush.

REBECCA BERG, NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER, REAL CLEAR POLITICS: To address your first question, Poppy, I think this is exactly what the Republican Party and the rest of the Republican field has really feared from Donald Trump's candidacy, that it puts their party in a bad light. The Republican Party has worked so hard over the past couple of months and years since 2012 to try to broaden its appeal, broaden its base, reach out to minorities, reach out to women in new ways. And what Donald Trump does is completely bring the party in the opposite direction. So what we're going to probably see more of from Democrats, as we already have begun to see from Hillary Clinton, is this classic guilt by association, painting with a broad brush saying that all Republicans even if they don't necessarily agree with Donald Trump are basically in the same camp as him. And this is the risk that a lot of the candidates run right now by not condemning him more actively. This goes back to what Ron was talking about. We've heard some members of Congress, some Senators, come out and rebuke Donald Trump's remarks. But on the campaign trail we're hearing some very tepid responses to what he has said because at least candidates frankly are afraid of upsetting his supporters because they want to win them over and that could be a problem in the general election.

HARLOW: Ron, quickly, leading up to the GOP debate Tuesday night, what do you do if you're one of those candidates who is trying to break through, not polling as well as Donald Trump and now being painted with the same brush as him?

BONJEAN: Quickly, first of all, I'd have to say that I think President Obama has created the situation where Donald Trump is reacting to a weak commander-in-chief. So I think if other candidates were to show how strong they can be as a leader dealing with ISIS, as a leader dealing with these big issues facing our country in a responsible way, that would be really helpful.

(CROSSTALK)

HARLOW: Haven't they done everything possible? Lindsey Graham yesterday today Donald Trump to go to hell.

BONJEAN: I'll tell you, what I think, Speaker Paul Ryan, who is a hero of the GOP, said it right, that this is not conservativism. This is not what we stand for as a party. And look, yes, Lindsey Graham was helpful. I think the candidates will be asked and put on the spot and they'll be ready to answer forcefully, hopefully.

HARLOW: We'll be watching next Tuesday night. Big GOP debate. I think the world will be watching.

Thank you, Rebecca and Ron.

Speaking of Donald Trump, the front-runner sitting down with our very own Don Lemon today. You will see that entire interview at 10:00 p.m. eastern on "CNN Tonight" with Don Lemon.

Back to our breaking news. Take a look, protesters amassing in Chicago right now as Mayor Rahm Emanuel holds a news conference for a city on edge. The mayor today apologizing for police misconduct and for the investigation over the shooting death of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald. We will continue to monitor this. Live reports from Chicago ahead. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:38:17] HARLOW: Breaking right now, protests erupting in Chicago. As we speak, you see people filing down the streets for blocks and blocks, middle of downtown Chicago, middle of the workday. This, as Mayor Rahm Emanuel apologizes for the entire city over the investigation of the shooting death of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald last video. The video just being released in the past few weeks. The protests moving into the heart of Chicago. We will speak with a member of the mayor's task force straight ahead.

First, Donald Trump's proposal to temporarily ban Muslims entering the United States is now causing concern for an agency that is helping Syrian refugees. The United Nations high commissioner for refugees says that Donald Trump's remarks could jeopardize the entire resettlement program. The spokesman, Melissa Fleming, says, quote, "We are concerned that the rhetoric that is being used in the election campaign is putting an incredibly important resettlement program at risk that is meant for the most vulnerable people, the victims of war that the world is unable to stop." Strong words from her.

But despite the political rhetoric, there's a pastor in Atlanta who is helping resettle a Syrian refugee family who arrived recently in Georgia.

Bryant Wright is the senior pastor of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church and also the former president of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Thank you for being with me, sir.

BRYANT WRIGHT, SENIOR PASTOR, JOHNSON FERRY BAPTIST CHURCH & FORMER PRESIDENT, SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION: Good to be with you.

HARLOW: This is something that the governor of your state does not want to see. Governor Deal has called for a temporary halt on allowing Syrian refugees in. Your congregation came together, you are helping them. Walk me through that decision.

[14:39:50] WRIGHT: Well, we've been in the works on this decision for many months, and working with a Christian minister called World Relief. And offering our assistance as a local church to help these Syrian refugees be resettled here in the United States.

My wife and I were over in the Middle East last fall, and we were ministering and partnering with ministries that are ongoing to the Syrian refugees, and it is a humanitarian disaster there. So our church, Johnson Ferry, we just want to reach out with the love of Christ and recognize that Christ himself in this Christmas season was a refugee when Joseph and Mary had to take him to Egypt because of an evil ruler that was seeking to kill all those boys in Bethlehem. So at Johnson Ferry we just want to share the love of Christ with these folks when they come to the United States.

I understand Governor Deal's concern. He has a different responsibility in being concerned about the security of the citizens of the state. But as Christians and as a church, we want to reach out with the love of Christ to these folks.

HARLOW: So let me ask you this. I assume, as in any big group, not everyone is politically aligned or on the exact same page. I'm wondering if any of your parishioners have expressed concern over this, and if you are all politically on the same page or if there is sort of a divide there and how you're handling that.

WRIGHT: Well, I certainly can't speak for all the parishioners of Johnson Ferry. I'm sure there would be those that would be concerned because people throughout the United States are fearful because of Islamic terrorism today. That's very understandable. But at the same time, we know that we're called to reach out to those who are refugees, those are who strangers or aliens, as scripture talks about, and we want to share with them the love of Christ, hoping that they can become good citizens here in America one day in the future.

HARLOW: How many are you taking in?

WRIGHT: Right now, we have just been connected with one family, but we're certainly open to other families, as they come in.

HARLOW: If people want to help, what can they do?

WRIGHT: Well, for one thing, you can call the Global Missions office at Johnson Ferry if you'd like to be of assistance, as we're caring for the needs of this family right now.

But also I would say it would be great for Christians all over the country to be praying for these Syrian refugees and recognize the tremendous opportunity we have to share the love of Christ, especially now at this Christmas season, as these people have faced incredible hardships and difficulties in Syria.

HARLOW: Pastor Bryant Wright, thank you very much. I appreciate it.

WRIGHT: Very good to be with you. Thank you, Poppy.

HARLOW: Back to our breaking news. Take a look at this, live pictures out of Chicago. Protesters gathering right now in the heart of Chicago, as Mayor Rahm Emanuel holds a news conference. The city on edge. The mayor apologized earlier today for police misconduct into the investigation over the shooting death of Laquan McDonald.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:47:12] HARLOW: Breaking right now, take a look at that aerial shot. Moments ago in Chicago, protests erupting in Chicago as Mayor Rahm Emanuel apologizes about the investigation over the shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald. Protesters on the move in the heart of Chicago. We have reporters on the ground right now talking to protesters. As soon as they are able to come up live and give us a live report, we will bring them to you.

But first this. Every time you log on to your personal computer or use your Smartphone to make a purchase, you must wonder in the back of your mind -- I know we all do -- am I going to get hacked?

"CNN Money" tech correspondent, Laurie Segall, infiltrates the hidden underworld of hackers in a fascinating new special. She finds people who know how to gain access to our secrets online, our browsing secrets, bank accounts. They know a lot about us and we know so little about them.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAURIE SEGALL, CNN MONEY TECH CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "Hamster, Egypt, virus," no, not random words. They're actually code names for hackers I met as I delved deeper into hacker culture. The farther you go, the weirder it gets. And here's what you begin to pick up on. There's no one-size-fits-all definition of the word hacker. Everyone hacks for different reasons. Some hack for a cause. It's called hacktivism. Here we have three hackers and three different stories.

You've probably heard of Anonymous, a loosely connected group f hackers all over the world. Under the mask, varying ideas, countries, enemies. Their targets range from government to ISIS.

I spoke to a member. I knew he was legit based on conversations we've had during prior attacks.

ANONYMOUS MEMBER: This is Anonymous, a legion of people who want freedom.

SEGALL (on camera): What do you say to the folks who say Anonymous breaks the law?

ANONYMOUS MEMBER: If freedom is breaking the law, there's something wrong with the law.

SEGALL (voice-over): In the hacking community, people play by their own rules. He'll hack your website if he doesn't like what you stand for. One example, a Nazi sympathizer forum. I was connected with him by a respected security consultant.

ANONYMOUS MEMBER: We had a vulnerability that a lot of privileges to compromise the whole -- find out where they were holding a meeting, called people in on the meeting. Call people into the meetings, call cops in the meetings and things like that, trying to cause as much disruption and chaos as possible.

SEGALL: While he says he's hacking for justice, he also might be helping people steal your credit cards. To make money, he writes software to find security flaws and then sells those flaws online.

ANONYMOUS MEMBER: I don't ask what they use it for. They could use it for horrible purpose or for good purposes.

SEGALL: He says he got into these after he became unpopular with a community of good hackers.

ANONYMOUS MEMBER: It came to a point where I had to make some choices, continuing to do what I do or live on the street, I guess.

SEGALL: Then there are those who use hacktivism to protect.

Morgan isn't hiding behind a mask or phone line, but it doesn't mean his work isn't risky.

[14:50:05] UNIDENTIFIED HACKTIVIST: I've analyzed hard drives that revealed that the people working in Syria, aide workers, had actually been compromised by pro-state actors that search out these e-mails that contained malicious documents. The malicious document purported to be a list of Syrian opposition insurgents. You receive this list and you want to open it to see if you're on it. Like wildfire, everyone is opening these malicious documents, which causes the implantation of spy ware on their computer.

SEGALL: He's helped uncover digital spying in China, Syria, Morocco.

UNIDENTIFIED HACKTIVIST: I was coming out for this interview with you. A lot of people making the joke, and they're like, am I actually going to turn out to be one of the groups of people that I pissed off.

SEGALL: For Morgan, this work isn't his day job, but he says he has a responsibility.

UNIDENTIFIED HACKTIVIST: I think I have a fairly fundamental belief in the value of privacy and free expression as human rights.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Laurie, thank you very much. It is fascinating.

You will not want to miss it. Laurie's special report "The Secret Lives of Super Hero Hackers." It airs this Saturday 2:30 p.m. eastern here on CNN.

We are continuing to follow breaking news out of Chicago. Take a look at protests amassing in the heart of the city on the same day that Mayor Rahm Emanuel has apologized. We have CNN reporters on the ground talking to protesters. As soon as their cameras are ready, we'll bring you their report live.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:55:54] HARLOW: Take a look. These are aerial images, live pictures out of Chicago. The middle of the busy workday in Chicago, just before 2:00 p.m. local time there, people amassing, protesting in the wake of an apology from Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel today as he spoke before the city council. He took responsibility for police misconduct. He said, "I own it, I take responsibility for what happened because it was on my watch." Talking about the police investigation into the shooting death of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald last year. He also said Chicago needs, quote, "a painful and honest reckoning." And that was regarding what happens with police officers and the use of excessive force. Again, you'll remember the dash cam video of the shooting death of Laquan McDonald was released just a few weeks ago. Subsequently, the officer involved in the shooting, Jason Van Dyke, has been charged with first-degree murder.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAHM EMANUEL, (D), CHICAGO MAYOR: What happened on October 20, 2014, should never have happened. Supervision and leadership in the police department and the oversight agencies that were in place failed. And that has to change. I am the mayor. As I said the other day, I own it. I take responsibility for what happened because it happened on my watch.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HARLOW: That was Mayor Rahm Emanuel this morning.

Just moments ago, though, he did address directly the protesters amassing in the streets of Chicago, right now. Let's listen to that.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: What do you tell those people who are in the street as we speak demanding your resignation who don't believe you, who basically say you're a liar? I mean, what do you say to those people to change the conversation, to prove to them that that's not true?

EMANUEL: Well, Charles, the best thing I know is to not just say things but also do things that are consistent with what I say. If you look at my record on a host of issues, you'll see that's true. But this one is of a different nature and I know that.

HARLOW: Rahm Emanuel just talking about the protesters you see gathering right now in Chicago. We have reporters out with them. We will bring you a live report from them as soon as we can.

But in the wake of these high-profile police-involved deaths in Chicago, the mayor has formed a task force on police brutality.

I'm joined by Lori Lightfoot, a former federal prosecutor. She's a member of the mayor's task force and president of the Chicago police board.

Lori, thank you for being with me.

LORI LIGHTFOOT, MEMBER, MAYOR'S TASK FORCE & PRESIDENT, CHICAGO POLICE BOARD & FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: It's my pleasure.

HARLOW: We just heard what Rahm Emanuel said to the reporter there. As we show the live pictures of the protesters amassing, what is your reaction to what's playing out in your city today?

LIGHTFOOT: I think what you're seeing is a number of things, but in particular people who care about the city, care about their neighborhoods, care about their streets. And they are stressing to us their concern and demanding action. And they will get it. I think the mayor laid that message very clearly this morning in his speech. And of course, the words won't matter if we don't follow them up with decisive action.

HARLOW: Sure.

LIGHTFOOT: That's exactly what the task force is intending to do.

HARLOW: You say they're demanding action and they will get it. For a lot of folks in Chicago who feel this way and it has boiled over and we're seeing it play out on the street now, they feel like action has been slow in coming or justice delayed, if you will. Can you talk to me, Lori, about some of the action we will see? Because the "Chicago Tribune" recommended today hiring a seep senior officer for civil rights? Can you talk about that, what we might see? LIGHTFOOT: That was one of the recommendation that the task force

made to the mayor early on. Clearly, one of the things that's we have to wrestle with, and we've already started that process, is better and more proper engagement between the police department and the city that it has sworn to serve and protect. That is mission one.