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Obama Holds Lengthy Meeting Seeking Answers to Police/Community Discours?; U.S.-Russia Deal Proposed To Share Intel For Syrian airstrikes; U.S. Strikes Confirm One Terror Leader Killed; Newt Gingrich Shares Insights About Donald Trump's Likely VP Choice; Funerals Today for Philando Castile, Two Fallen Officers in Dallas. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired July 14, 2016 - 10:30   ET

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


[10:30:00] ANA CABRERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: While President Obama is now trying to force a new dialogue. And he led a four hour plus meeting with police officials and civil rights leaders to discuss the problems with race and policing in our country. This meeting ended with a stark prediction from the President. More anger and more unrest is likely to come.

CNN's Athena Jones is at the White House with more now. Athena, what was the outcome, what's the big takeaway?

ATHENA JONES, CNN REPORTER: Hi Ana. Well you ask what's going to change, that's what yesterday's meeting was about. It was about what actions can be taken to improve relations between the police and the communities they're policing.

We heard the President say in Dallas that words are inadequate to solve these problems, we've got to focus on what steps can be taken. That's what that meeting -- a four hour long meeting with some 40 participants -- was about.

It wasn't just the President who was there, of course also members -- officials from the Justice Department, civil rights leaders and activists, representatives of law enforcement agencies from across the country, and elected leaders.

The President said these people offered a lot of different perspectives. People didn't agree on everything but there were some areas of broad agreement. I'll tell you about some of them. One is the need to build confidence in investigations after officers use force. Another is the need to improve police training and hiring processes.

We know that promoting diversity is one of the recommendations of the President's 21st Century Policing Task Force. A third is the need to fix data collection issues, to encourage departments all around the country -- we're talking about 18,000 law enforcement agencies -- to begin to collect more data, to better manage their police departments. And also to determine what best practices are working. What's working in a community and what isn't.

The President also, though, made the point that this is something that's going to have to be a sustained conversation. This is not something that's going to be solved overnight. This is an issue that has deep roots and a long history. And we can expect the President to continue to be part of this sustained conversation -- at least on some level -- even after he leaves office just a few months from now, Ana.

CABRERA: All right, Athena Jones from the White House, thanks. So there aren't any clear answers in sight just yet with race relations and policing. And so this issue took center stage in a very pivotal conversation held on CNN last night. I want you to listen to a portion of it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHARLES BLOW, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Can we just take a moment, as America, and register how profound and immoral it is that we should have to give a certain group in this country a toolbox to survive what should otherwise be an innocent interaction?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: With me now is Sherrilyn Ifill, the President and Director- Counsel of the NAACP's Legal Defense and Educational Fund, a separate organization from the NAACP. Thanks so much for being here with us, Sherrilyn.

SHERRILYN IFILL, PRESIDENT, DIRECTOR-COUNSEL, NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATIONAL FUND: Thank you, Ana.

CABRERA: You were inside that meeting. Set the scene for us, what was it like?

IFILL: Well first of all, the scene is the context. And the context is the last week. In which we had the killing in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the killing in St. Paul, Minnesota, and then the tragic murder of the five police officers in Dallas.

So there was a heavy vibe in that room. Many of us are coming laden with pain and a tremendous amount of sleepless nights and work. And so we came and we sat around the table. And President Obama set the stage by asking us to be candid and blunt with one another, but to speak respectfully. And most of all to focus on solutions.

He asked each of us to share what we think is a core issue that can be addressed. It's important to remember that this is the Federal Government, the President is the President of the United States. And law enforcement happens largely at the local level.

CABRERA: Yes.

IFILL: So we were aware of the limitations of the portfolio. But it was still a very, very important, I think, and very rigorous conversation.

CABRERA: Did anybody have their guards up or were people pretty open- minded, do you think? IFILL: I think everybody initially had their guard up. And I'm not

going to say it fell entirely. What the President asked us to do was listen. And I have to say that I think the most moving part of the meeting was that we were listening to one another. And we were hearing.

We talked about the pain, you just in that clip had Charles Blow talking about the toolkit that African American children need to survive in their encounters with the police. And we talked about what that -- the demoralization of that pain. And the need for law enforcement to acknowledge the reality of racial bias in policing.

CABRERA: It's not just perception. No.

IFILL: It's not perception, it's not imagination, it's real. And I think that's why those two videos from Louisiana, but particularly from Minnesota, so moved this country. Not just African Americans, to hear Diamond Taylor narrating the aftermath of this shooting. And narrating the death of her fiance. And not able to comfort her child, but having to create a record. Because we've not been believed when we've described what happened. And we know what will happen if we don't have a record.

CABRERA: What contributions did you bring to the table?

IFILL: Yes, I talked about two things. One of them, Athena just discussed, and one of them she didn't. The first thing I talked about was the federal role that can be played through funding. The federal government gives over $2 billion in grants to police departments and local law enforcement ...

CABRERA: That's a lot of money.

IFILL: ... a lot of taxpayer money -- every year. And that money needs to be contingent on police departments demonstrating that they don't engage in discrimination -- that's required under the civil rights act of 1964. So what we've been asking is for the federal government to really scrub those grant programs and ensure that local jurisdictions are doing anti-bias training. That they're collecting the data, that they're training police officers in how to deal with the mentally ill, how to de-escalate and so forth.

That was one issue. And we spent actually a great deal of time talking about those resources. And then the second one was one Athena mentioned. Which was the accountability piece. There weren't enough, in my view, prosecutors in the room -- there was one Attorney General -- they're part of the equation.

We've got to ensure that when police officers break the law, that they're held accountable. And that they're subject to the rule of law just like average citizens.

[10:35:50]

CABRERA: Real quickly, how optimistic are you that that meeting is going to make a change, going forward? IFILL: I think the meeting was really important because we were all

face-to-face. Some of us were in a room with people that we otherwise would never be in a room with. And I do think that when you have an opportunity to talk to someone face-to-face -- they're people we can follow up with, because I think the follow-up is the most important thing ...

CABRERA: And knowing who's who also ...

IFILL: Knowing who's who and being able to say ...

CABRERA: Who the players are ...

IFILL: ... you -- listen, we talked at that meeting, I want to talk to you about what's happening today in Baton Rouge. In fact, I'll be making some of those calls myself.

CABRERA: Good, good.

IFILL: Because we have lawyers in Baton Rouge working around the issue of protesters and violence by police officers. So we at least have the opening to begin to continue that dialogue at the local level.

CABRERA: Well that is very good to hear. Thank you so much ...

IFILL: You're welcome.

CABRERA: Sherrilyn, we really appreciate it. Still to come, why Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says the U.S. doesn't have the will to fight ISIS.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:41:10]

CABRERA: This could be a first when it comes to U.S.-Russian relations. A potential agreement to share intelligence and data for airstrikes in Syria. But there is one problem. This is not a deal the Pentagon wants to see happen -- at least not yet. And it comes as Russia is conducting a new wave of airstrikes against ISIS.

Let's bring in CNN's Pentagon Correspondent, Barbara Starr. Tell us more, Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Ana. This has massive military implications for the U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, in Moscow to present this proposed deal, by all accounts, to the Russians.

And what it calls for, what's being worked on, is a deal for joint operations, possibly. Sharing of intelligence, sharing of targeting, possibly joint air strikes over Syria between the U.S. and Russia. One very key thing that the U.S. would agree to would be to strike a group called Al-Nusra. This is the Al-Qaeda element in Syria. And remember, until now, the Obama administration is only bombing in

Syria to bomb ISIS. This is a huge shift. It's something the Russians want because if the U.S. will bomb Al-Nusra with them, that takes the pressure off Assad. Al-Nusra has been going after Assad. And in fact, Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, in an interview with NBC, still critical of the United States. Have a quick listen:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BASHAR AL-ASSAD, PRESIDENT OF SYRIA: The United States doesn't have the will to defeat the terrorists. It have the will to control them and to use them as a card, like they did in Afghanistan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

So why is the Pentagon so opposed? Because, number one, they do not trust the Russians. The Russian promises are something the Pentagon isn't counting on. They think the Russians may still just move ahead, bomb civilians, bomb Assad opposition groups, and not go after ISIS all that much.

So talk about staying tuned. This, if it happens, could be a big problem for Defense Secretary, Ash Carter. Ana?

CABRERA: All right, Barbara Starr, you'll of course stay on it for us, thanks. The U.S. military is also trying to confirm today that an airstrike near Mosul, Iraq killed a senior ISIS commander known as Omar the Chechen. Now the Pentagon thought it had killed Omar al- Shishani in Syria back in March. But now thinks he may have only been wounded in that incident.

In a separate action, the Pentagon can confirm a commander of the Pakistani Taliban was killed in a drone strike in Eastern Afghanistan back on July 9th. We're just learning about this this morning. Coming up, just in on Trump's veep frenzy, Newt Gingrich talking to our MJ Lee on who he really thinks the billionaire will pick, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:48:05]

CABRERA: We have some new reporting just in to CNN. Newt Gingrich speaking out. He expects to find out who Donald Trump is going to pick for his VP candidate in just a few hours. Our MJ Lee spoke to the VP contender this morning. I understand he had a lot of good things to say about Mike Pence. What else did he tell you?

MJ LEE, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER: That's right, Newt Gingrich is hunkered down today waiting to hear of Trump's decision. He tells me that he expects to hear the decision around 1:00 or 2:00 p.m. today. And interestingly, he appeared to downplay his chances of being chosen as Trump's VP nominee. He said he would not be at all surprised if it ended up being Pence. And he mentioned the fact that Pence is a lot younger than he is. He said, "I think having someone who represents a somewhat younger voice would have some advantages." This is something that he said yesterday as well, saying he wouldn't

be surprised if it was Pence. So it seems like Gingrich, right now, is trying to downplay his chances to reporters. I have to, of course, mention that a Trump advisor told CNN earlier today that Trump is leaning towards Mike Pence. Of course, until we hear it directly from Trump's mouth, this decision is not final.

CABRERA: We know Newt Gingrich has flown to Indiana yesterday when Trump was still there.

LEE: That's right.

CABRERA: He said that they met for a couple of hours talking with FOX News last night. And he said it was a very, very candid conversation. So you wonder if what he's putting out there is coming from something that he and Donald Trump actually discussed. If he was already kind of given the "it's probably not going to be you."

LEE: Right, and we don't know right now if Newt knows that he is -- for sure that he is not going to be chosen. But I think reading the tea leaves, and the way that he's talking about it seems to suggest that he might be better off downplaying his chances. And I have to say, he has said for a while -- and Trump has said, himself -- that he wants Newt to have a role in the Trump -- his administration.

We don't know whether that could be a Chief of Staff role, or some other role of maybe in the Cabinet, even. But we know that Trump and Gingrich have spoken a lot and have communicated a lot in recent weeks. And so it shouldn't be surprising if Gingrich ends up getting some kind of role in a Trump administration.

CABRERA: And sources have said, that some of Trump's children have wanted him to go with Newt Gingrich as his running mate. It'll be interesting to see who the ultimate selection is. MJ Lee, thanks for your reporting, nice to see you.

All right, still to come, a horse-drawn carriage leads mourners through the streets of St. Paul, Minnesota as friends and family gather to remember Philando Castile.

[10:50:40]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: In Minnesota, a funeral procession just came to an end moments ago for Philando Castile, who was fatally shot by police last week during a traffic stop in suburban Minneapolis. His body was carried to a cathedral of St. Paul in a white coffin on a horse-drawn hearse.

Now the Governor is among the people who will be celebrating Castile's life when his funeral begins. It's set for 1:00 Eastern. And in just a matter of hours, family, friends, and fellow officers will say goodbye to Sergeant Michael Smith. He's a father of two. He was one of the five victims killed in that horrible police ambush in Dallas one week ago. On Wednesday during a memorial service to honor Smith, Reverend

Michael Forge shared a very powerful story about a conversation he had with Smith's family.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REVEREND MICHAEL FORGE, CHURCH OF THE INCARNATION: But then Caroline asked me, "why did God do this?" I immediately answered and said, "Well Caroline, God didn't do this. The anti-God did this. The evil one did this." Then a little while later, Heidi shared with us that before Mike left for his shift that evening, he told Caroline to kiss him goodbye, like it was his last time.

I immediately looked at Caroline and said, "Caroline, now God did that. That's what God does."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: I want to bring in CNN's Sara Sidner in Dallas. Sara, you listen to a story like we just heard from the Reverend and it just reminds us all you can't take each other for granted.

SARA SIDNER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, there are so many stories being shared from the five officers who died, their families coming forward. I wanted you to listen to the story of the first Dallas area rapid transit officer killed in the line of duty. He had just gotten married to a fellow officer just two weeks prior to the shooting. And she came forward and she talked to the crowd just about who he was and who she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMILY THOMPSON, OFFICER BRENT THOMPSON'S WIDOW: Though I'm heartbroken and hurt, I'm going to put on my badge and my uniform and return to the street, along with all of my brothers and sisters in blue. To the coward that tried to break me and my brothers and sisters, you -- know your hate made us stronger.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[10:56:00]

SIDNER: Brent Thompson, she is talking about, that was her husband. He had six children. There was also a funeral for Lorne Ahrens, where people gathered in the hundreds to say goodbye to him. And we're expecting those same numbers for Michael Smith. They initially had a funeral that was private, for the family. The media was allowed to show some of that funeral. But today the public can say their final goodbyes. Ana?

CABRERA: All right. And we look at the pictures of these five men who lost their lives serving their community. Sara Sidner, thanks for bringing us their stories. And thank you for joining me today. I'm Ana Cabrera, this is CNN NEWSROOM. I hand it off to my colleagues, Berman and Bolduan with AT THIS HOUR, after a quick break. Thanks for being here. [10:56:40]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)