Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Trump Considers General "Mad Dog" for Defense Secretary; U.S., China Hold Military Drills Despite Tensions; Pope Grants Priests Power to Forgive Abortions. Trump to Pull Out of TPP; Trump Conflicts of Interest Under Scrutiny; 6.9 Earthquake Hits Japan; Another Day of Intense Bombing in Aleppo, Syria. Aired 2-2:30a ET
Aired November 22, 2016 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:00:10:] ISHA SESAY, CNN ANCHOR: This is CNN NEWSROOM, live from Los Angeles.
Ahead this hour --
(HEADLINES)
SESAY: Welcome to our viewers around the world. I'm Isha Sesay. This is NEWSROOM L.A."
President-elect Trump said one of the first things he will do as president is pull out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations. The Japanese prime minister responded, saying, without the U.S., the TPP was meaningless. Trump made the announcement in a video released online. It was one of six actions he vowed to take during his first 100 days in office.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: I've asked my transition team to develop a list of executive actions we can take on day one to restore our laws and bring back our jobs.
I'm going to issue a notification of intent to withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a potential disaster for our country. Instead, we will negotiate fair bilateral trade deals that bring jobs and industries back onto American shores.
On energy, I will cancel job-killing restrictions on the production of American energy, including shale energy and clean coal, creating millions of high-paying jobs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: The enormous task of filling his administration has shifted back to New York. Among the string of visitors who met with Trump on Monday, Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Texas Governor Rick Perry, and former Republican Senator Scott Brown. No new job announcements were made.
Trump's sprawling business empire is almost guaranteed to present potential conflicts of interest in the foreseeable future.
As CNN's Drew Griffin explains, separating the president-elect from his global brand may not be possible.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CHIEF INVESTIGATIVED CORRSPONDENT (voice-over): It's started with what was billed as a courtesy call. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe slipping in a back elevator at Trump Tower to meet the president-elect. Trump's daughter, Ivanka, in attendance. But neither reporters or their cameras were in a meeting, which reportedly included a gift to Trump of a golf club, like this one, a gold driver worth nearly $4,000.
Then came the two businessmen from India who own Trump-branded properties south of Mumbai.
According to the Trump Organization, it was just another social call and --
KELLYANNE CONWAY, DONALD TRUMP PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN MANAGER: I'm very confident he isn't breaking any laws.
GRIFFIN: But the meeting is raising questions. While it is not illegal for a sitting president to run a business, it is a question of optic and ethics.
A CNN analysis shows Trump has business dealings in 25 countries, including Saudi Arabia, China, Azerbaijan.
A month ago, there was worry that the Trump brand was being destroyed by his run for office but since November 8t h, things have changed. And financial experts say the only possible solution to end all of the conflicts of interest is for Trump to sell it all, put the money in a blind trust and end the Trump empire.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Of course, a blind trust can work but you have to sell the assets. You can't put them in a blind trust and pretend you don't own them.
GRIFFIN: Here's why it probably won't happen. A large part of the business is Donald Trump. Trump partners a I cross the globe are buying this right to license that brand. It brings more rent money for office space, condos and hotel rooms. The brand also comes with the Trump Organization expertise in design, marketing, operations, almost like a franchise, business partners buy in because it sells. And the Trumps stay involved to make sure the brand doesn't get tarnished.
Daniel Liebersohn (ph), a south Florida developer, took over a failing Trump property and fought to keep the brand because he wanted to make sure he had access to Ivanka and Eric Trump in almost every part of the con deal.
DANIEL LIEBERSOHN (ph), REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER: We want the association and they wanted the continuity of brands, and it is profitable for everybody.
GRIFFIN: In a FOX News debate, Donald Trump said, instead of selling off the brand, his solution is to pass the brand to the people he has groomed to take it over, all named Trump. Not exactly a blind trust.
TRUMP: I have Ivanka and Eric and Don sitting there.
Run the company, kids. Have a good time. I'm going to do it for America.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[02:05:11] SESAY: Drew Griffin reporting there.
Trump is dismissive of any suggestion that his business interests will hamper his ability to run the U.S. He sent out this tweet about the scrutiny, saying, "Prior to the election, it was well known I have interest in properties all over the world. Only the crooked media makes this a big deal."
Let's get more on who may be in line for cabinet positions in the incoming Trump administration.
Rosemary Church has the latest round up of possibilities.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRSPONDENT (voice-over): Donald Trump's election as U.S. president sent shock waves through Washington. And now the billionaire businessman's cabinet selection is also prompting much debate.
Trump has been tasked with appointing the heads of 14 key executive departments with varying degrees of influence. The Senate will meet to confirm them, too. Several additional White House positions will also be filled before the new president's inauguration.
Perhaps the most divisive appointment so far is Jeff Sessions, who Trump has tapped to head up the Department of Justice as attorney general. The Alabama Senator was nominated to become a federal judge back in the 1980s but was block in the Senate after a colleague said he made racist remarks. Sessions has always denied making such comments.
Most of the remaining key positions have yet to be filled but the rumor mill is in full swing.
The secretary of state oversees the United States' relation with other countries around the world. The names in the frame include former presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, previously a fierce critic of Trump, and ex speaker of the House Newt Gingrich.
Another important role on the international stage is secretary of defense, controlling the country's military and the largest government agency from the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. The current favorite for the post is retired Marine General James Mattis, a respected four- star general, who led forces in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The Department of Homeland Security is a relative newcomer to Washington's corridors of powers, created in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks in 2001. Its leader has the responsibility of preventing attacks on American soil. And one of the top contenders is Rudy Giuliani, who was New York mayor during those attacks.
Taking control of money matters, from printing cash to collecting taxes, is the secretary of the treasury. Several big names are in the running for this pivotal job, including investor, Carl Icahn, JP Morgan boss, Jamie Dimon, and former Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke.
Many cabinet positions attract little attention overseas, such as the secretaries of agriculture, education, and health and human services.
But one person who certainly won't escape the international spotlight is Donald Trump's press secretary. Potential candidates include current Trump staffers, Jason Miller and Sean Spicer, along with conservative radio host, Laura Ingraham.
Whoever takes this post may become as familiar a face as President Trump himself.
Rosemary Church, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: We are keeping an eye on the northeast and coast Japan after a 6.9 earthquake struck on Tuesday. It triggered tsunami waves as high as 1.4 meters. All tsunami warnings and advisories and warnings have been cancelled. It hit the same area hit five years ago. Authorities say residents can expect aftershocks for several days.
I'm joined by journalists, Kaori Enjoji, in Tokyo.
Kaori, good to have you with us once again.
A very worrying time for millions in japan. Has everything returned to normal?
KAORI ENJOJI, TOKYO JOURNALIST: Yes, especially here in Japan in Tokyo, Isha. I think there's a sense of relief throughout the country that this very powerful earthquake that jolted many residents across the northeast and in Tokyo awake this morning did not lead to serious injuries.
There was a lot of concern, especially because the epicenter of the quake was near Fukushima, which was the site of the worst nuclear disaster in Japanese history.
You have to remember this coast around the region where the tsunami warnings were put in place have been lifted about three hours ago. Many people here are displaced and living in temporary shelters as a
result of that huge earthquake back in 2011. I think right now, there's a sense of relief there were no immediate casualties, major casualties as a result of this.
[02:10:10] However, I think it was a stark reminder, particularly of the vulnerability of these nuclear reactors, particularly in Fukushima. I think initially early on, when we had these reports, and we felt the quake there was concern about the cooling system at Fukushima because that needs to be in place for the security of the spent fuel that exists there. That went off line for about 90 minutes. This is an automatic feature that clicks in to place when there is a earthquake of this magnitude. The TEPCO, the utility company that runs the nuclear facility, said it is normal and went back on-line in 90 minutes and there was no immediate danger or threat to the plant as a result of this. Subsequently, they have said radiation levels have been very normal at the plant since then.
Evacuations were called throughout coastal cities along the pacific coast. There are tens of thousands of residents in these areas. They think these new alarm systems that have been put in to place since the 2011 disaster kicked in.
A lot of people got messages on their mobile phones as the quake hit at 6:00 a.m. and were told to flee to higher ground and move to higher floors. As the tsunami warnings have lifted, many people are starting to leave these evacuation centers.
SESAY: Good to hear things are getting back to normal and the situation is, as it turned out.
Kaori Enjoji, we appreciate the reporting. Thank you so much.
Well, authorities in China are blaming snow, rain and fog for a deadly car pileup. 17 people were killed in the 56-vehicle accident on a northeastern highway. China's Xinhua News Agency reports 31 were injured. The highway is still closed. Shocking pictures there. An official investigation is underway.
The new report produced by Credit Swiss is assessing the damage to the British economy after the Brexit vote. They found a $1.5 trillion loss in household wealth in the U.K. and said it was a direct result of the decision to leave the E.U. It includes financial investments and assets like housing. Over the past 12 months, that has fallen 10 percent. Declining value of the pound is down 15 percent from the time of the vote.
Taiwan's TransAsia Airlines is going to out of business. The airline cancelled all flights Tuesday without giving a reason at first. After a board meeting, TransAsia's chairman said they decided to dissolve the company because of financial problems. Taiwan's News Agency said the government launched an investigation in to insider trading over airline stock. Trading was suspended on Tuesday.
A source close to Kanye West's family said he is in the hospital treated for sleep deprivation. The rapper has been on a tear lately, ranting about the U.S. election and racism in America. He cancelled a show in Sacramento after just two songs. The next day, he cancelled the remainder of his tour.
Still ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, the man known affectionately to many U.S. Marines as "Mad Dog Mattis" may be the next U.S. defense chief. We will look at who he is.
Plus, more deaths reported as Syrian government forces continue to bombarding eastern Aleppo. And the U.S. is directing its anger at Russia.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:17:34] SESAY: Activists say another day of intense bombing in eastern Aleppo killed at least 27 people on Monday. Syrian regime forces resumed air strikes on rebel-held areas a week ago. More than 300 people have died since then. It's the worst bombing Syria's civil war started in 2011. Schools and hospitals have been targeted. And there are reports of chemical attacks on civilians.
The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations shamed Russia for its silence on the Syrian government's actions on Aleppo. Ambassador Samantha Power read out the name of Syrian commanders involved in deadly assaults against the civilians and called for Russia and Syria to end the merciless attacks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAMANTHA POWER, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: Will Russia ever condemn even a single air strike by the Assad regime here in this chamber today or any day? Choose any of the hospitals that the Assad regime has destroyed or any of the schools. Will Russia ever condemn its ally, Bashar al Assad, her at the council for a single one of these attacks. We have been attending sessions like this for more than five years. Despite all of the carnage inflicted by their regime partners, they have uttered not one critical word.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: Let's bring in CNN's Jomana Karadsheh live in Amman, Jordan.
Jomana, with this escalation in the campaign in Aleppo, it is almost difficult or impossible in some ways to truly convey to our viewers the level of terror the civilians find themselves caught up in.
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. It's so unimaginable. You find yourself at a loss of words to try to describe what people are going through in eastern Aleppo, especially in other parts of the country, Isha, when you talk about these military assaults, when you talk about the dire humanitarian situation. It's not just living under the constant bombardment we are seeing, especially in the besieged parts of eastern Aleppo over the past week. There are also been claims of the use yet again of so- called poisonous gas, according to some reports that we are getting from on the ground. Activists and rescue workers say that on Friday, Isha, they believe canisters of chlorine gas - that these barrel bombs are infused with chlorine gas, they claim, were dropped on a number of civilian neighborhoods. We have reports of at least one family of six, a mother, father and four children, killed in one incident.
There's also a video circulating, Isha, really heart-breaking video, of a parkway who's probably no more than 10 years old, who medical workers on the ground say was also a victim of one of the poisonous gas attacks.
Here's a little clip of what this little boy was saying.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(CRYING)
[02:20:40] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED BOY: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGAUGE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED BOY: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGAUGE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED BOY: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGAUGE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KARADSHEH: Isha, a short time after that clip was filmed, the hospital this little boy was in, was attacked, once again, as we have seen hospitals coming under attack over and over again, leaving this city that is in desperate need of medical care with barely any facilities that can provide this assistance to people.
That's the story of one child. According to the United Nations, there are about 100,000 children out of the more than quarter million population in eastern Aleppo and they are suffering right now.
SESAY: Yeah, according to though U.N., almost a million people living urn siege in Syria. It's hard to imagine it could get worse and yet every day it seems to.
Jomana Karadsheh, joining us from Amman, Jordan. Jomana, always appreciate your reporting. Thank you.
CNN is learning more about ISIS from former members of the terror group in Iraq. They are now prisoners in a secret facility after being captured during last month's assault on Kirkuk.
CNN's Phil Black spoke to three men about what motivated them to join the fight, and has this exclusive report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A secret jail in northern Iraq. 1,000 men are held here, accused of supporting ISIS. Kurdish authorities allowed this exclusive access. Three agreed to speak to us. They insist freely and about coercion about the important and different roles they played in a recent and large-scale attack.
One was one of the fighters who stormed Kirkuk on October 21st. This security video captured the operation designed to distract the Iraqi forces from their main focus, the battle for Mosul. The video shows the moment he was shot in the leg. He was crawled away to be captured by furious locals.
(SHOUTING)
BLACK: He tells me when ISIS took over his village two years ago, they offered him a salary, so he signed up. On the day of the Kirkuk attack, he says he was driven there and told to fight. Now he says he wants nothing do with ISIS.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): I made a mistake. I didn't know how to read or write. Everything I did was wrong.
BLACK: This man was responsible for reconnaissance. He is 20, grew up in Kirkuk and worked in a mobile phone repair shot. He liked the religious messages he heard from ISIS, but it seemed distant to him until he was asked to help the group directory.
He says an ISIS member approached him and told him to shoot video of key strategic sites around the city, army and government buildings, a key road and bridge. He did. This is the video and the sites were later attacked.
(on camera): How you to feel about the suffering your actions have caused?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): Everything that happened is my fault. I always think about it.
BLACK (voice-over): This man says he was the money man. After pledging allegiance to ISIS, a year ago, he says he was used by a sleeper cell in Kirkuk to make cash delivers to fighters and their families. He also admits driving a gunman to murder someone on the orders of a local ISIS commander. He says he strongly believed in the group, its teachings and its many horrific acts of violence carried out against those considered un-Islamic.
(on camera): What do you believe should happen to nonbelievers like me?
[02:25:06] UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): I'm speaking in the past. We believe that nonbelievers should be killed.
BLACK: Do you still believe that? UNIDENTIFID MALE (through translation): Now, no. Someone in prison
explained to me that the prophet's neighbor was a nonbeliever and he never attacked or killed him.
BLACK (voice-over): Just weeks ago, these mean secretly worked to spread ISIS's murderous ideology, launching an attack that killed 96 people. They now disavow the group. A Kurdish court will judge their actions and sincerity.
Phil Black, CNN, in northern Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: To turkey now, and the state news reports the government is dismissing 10,000 public employees in connection to a failed coup in July. The group includes civil servants, military officials and police officers. The total number of people impacted is up to 100,000. The latest crackdown includes the shutdown of 515 institutions, including charities and news outlets.
And police in the U.S. are charging an elementary school bus driver with multiple counts of vehicular homicide after a deadly crash Monday. At least six children were killed after the bus turned over and slammed in to a tree. Nearly two dozen people were taken to the hospital. They are looking in to speed as a factor.
Quick break now.
"State of America" with Kate Bolduan is next for our viewers in Asia.
And next here on CNN NEWSROOM L.A., U.S. and Chinese militaries are putting their differences aside to work together this week. The reason for the rare joint exercise, after the break.
And the pope offers a path for some women to return to the Catholic Church.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:30:27] ISHA SESAY, CNN ANCHOR: You are watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. I'm Isha Sesay.
The headlines this hour --
(HEADLINES)
SESAY: Few cabinet positions carry as much direct international impact as defense secretary.
Jim Sciutto has a look at the former Marine general known as "Mad Dog," who's considered the front runner for the job.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: All I can say is he is the real deal.
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President-elect Donald trump is, quote, "extremely impressed" with retired Marine General James Mattis following their meeting this weekend.
Sources tell CNN Mattis is now the leading candidate for secretary of defense.
GEN. JAMES MATTIS, RETIRED, U.S. MARINE CORPS: The U.S. military is quite capable of giving our enemies our longest and worst days if order to do so.
SCIUTTO: Mattis is a seasoned combat commander with 44 years of service in the Marine Corps and key appointments in Afghanistan and Iraq.
He won praise for his role in the deadly 2004 battle of Fallujah. His ferocity earning him the nickname of "Mad Dog."
Reaction to his possible nomination so far has been positive.
MAF. GEN. JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS, CNN MILITARY ANALYSHT: Jim Mattis understands how the military can influence and is influenced by those other elements of power. He's very much a strategic thinker.
SCIUTTO: But his career has not been without controversy. In 2005, he came under fire for remarks he made in a panel discussion, which seemed to make light of killing in combat.
MATTIS: It is fun to shoot some people. I'll be honest with you, I like brawling.
SCIUTTO: Mattis compared Israeli expansion to apartheid.
MATTIS: If I am Jerusalem and put 500 Jewish settlers out here somewhere to the east and there are 10,000 Arab settlers in here, if we draw the border to include them, either it ceases to be a Jewish state or you say the Arabs don't get to vote, apartheid.
SCIUTTO: Mattis' nomination would face an immediate significant legislative hurdle. Federal law requires the Pentagon be led by a civilian or a military veteran who's been out of uniform for at least seven years. Mattis has only been retired three years. So, Congress would have to vote to give him a waiver.
Congress only used the waiver once in history, in 1950, allowing President Harry Truman to appoint General George Marshall to the position of defense secretary.
The law is rooted in a long-standing American principle of civilian command of the military.
WILLIAM COHEN, FORMER U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: There's nothing magical in the seven years. They want to have enough time to say are you separate enough from the military ethic and culture to be the civilian boss?
SCIUTTO (on camera): Donald Trump, of course, has majorities in the House and the Senate that could give him the votes he needs to get this waiver for General Mattis. But I have spoken to Democrats on the Hill who say this is not one they would stand in the way of.
Jim Sciutto, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: Well, the U.S. and China are carrying out a rare joint military exercise this week. It comes as concern grows as to how President-elect Donald Trump's past comments about China could affect its relationship with the U.S.
CNN's Matt Rivers has a report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATT RIVERS, CNN ASIA-PACIFIC EDITOR (voice-over): Scenes of cooperation in southwest China has U.S. and Chinese soldiers work together to free a victim trapped in rubble or to treat an injured person or to build a bridge to rescue people trapped on the other side of the river. It's a joint disaster relief exercise overseen by top U.S. and China commanders.
(on camera): This is the fourth such disaster relief drill since 2013. And is it a show of goodwill from both sides but it's a stark contrast to what is going on not far from here where the U.S. and China navies are locked in a tense standoff in the South China Sea.
[02:05:19] (voice-over): Since 2012, the Chinese have militarized islands in the region. In response, the U.S. has sailed warships and flown planes nearby.
The delicate stalemate is part of a complicated relationship between the world's two largest militaries that the new commander-in-chief will have to manage.
But what will President-elect Donald Trump's military policy towards China look like? It's hard to tell. He avoided the message on the campaign trail.
TRUMP: We can't continue to allow China to rape our country. That's what they're doing.
RIVERS: Some analysts have speculated that they could give China more of a free pass in the South China Sea. Instead, focusing on other issues like trade.
But others point to who might join Trump's administration and say a "tough on China" policy could be in the works.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very conservative people who really embrace very anti-China rhetoric. RIVERS: Trump's pick for national security adviser, retired General
Mike Flynn, has said that China should, quote, "certainly, be viewed as an enemy of the United States."
Retired General James Mattis, a top contender for defense secretary, last year, called for a, quote, "policy to build a counterbalance if China continues to expand its bullying role in the South China Sea."
(SHOUTING)
RIVERS: Back at the disaster relief exercise, CNN asked another expert, four-star General Robert Brown, commander of the U.S. Army, Pacific, what advice he would give to the Trump administration on China if asked.
GEN. ROBERT BROWN, COMMANDER, U.S. ARMY, PACIFIC: The more you can build relationships, it leads to trust. When you lead to trust, you can have differences.
RIVERS: The differences were put aside at this joint training.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.
RIVERS: But it will be up to Donald Trump and his administration if any more group photos will be taken in the years to come.
(APPLAUSE)
RIVERS: Matt Rivers, CNN, China.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: A quick break now. The pope's stance on a controversial issue remains the same but offers more room for forgiveness. The action he's taken, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:40:25] SESAY: Pope Francis is granting Catholic priests the power to forgive abortions. He is suspending indefinitely a special dispensation he granted last year in a letter during the Year of Mercy. In a letter, Pope Francis reiterated that abortion is considered a grave sin but he added there is no sin that God's mercy cannot reach.
Earlier, I spoke with Father Allan Deck is a distinguished scholar in theology at Loyola Marymount University, about the pope's actions.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
Thanks for joining us here, Father. Let me read more of what Pope Francis had to say on this matter. If we can put this on the screen. He said, "I wish to restate that abortion is a grave sin since it puts an end to an innocent life in the same way, however, I can and must state that there is no sin that God's mercy cannot reach and wipe away when it finds a repentant heart looking to be reconciled with the father."
Father, why did the pope take this action? What message is he sending here?
FATHER ALLAN DECK, DISTINGUISHED SCHOLAR IN THEOLOGY, LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY: He did this a year ago, when the Year of Mercy started. And all he's done now is simply made that forever.
SESAY: Ongoing.
DECK: An ongoing, and ongoing power or faculty that all priests would now have.
In the United States, this really wasn't much of an issue because for at least the past 30 years in the United States, most priests have also had that power or faculty to absolve, you know, the sin of abortion, if a person repents of that and so forth and asks for forgiveness. For many of us this is not anything new however it is very consistent with what the pope has been trying to do and that is make mercy the central focus of our understanding of who God is and how we relate to God. He is not trying to diminish the seriousness of abortion. But he is pointing out to those who repent -- and it's not just about the mother, by the way. It's about anyone who is an accomplice or involved in doing an abortion -- how if the -- if these people repent, they can receive absolution. That's very consistent with the idea that our God is a merciful God.
[01:35:14] SESAY: It can also be seen as the pope trying to make the Catholic Church more opening and for people to come back to the Catholic Church.
DECK: That's right.
SESAY: This is something he had set in motion during the Year of Mercy. Did it have the intended impact? Did you see a change and more people coming to the church?
DECK: I think, by all reports, we did. We have -- the number of people that are taking -- going to confession has gone up all year long. And we've had confessions here in Los Angeles, for instance, all night long in some of the parishes. One day was designated for opening the church and keeping it open for those who would like to come, and many, many people did come.
SESAY: How controversial is this within the church? We know that the pope has his critics. How controversial is this -- making this something that goes beyond the Year of Mercy? Making it ongoing, especially to those who are more doctrinally minded?
DECK: I don't think there is hardly any controversy about it because it's very consistent with what we teach and what we believe. And as long as it's not confused with trying to diminish the seriousness of the sin of abortion -- which it isn't -- it's just trying to make accessible the grace that is always there for those who approach the sacrament.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. I'm Isha Sesay.
"World Sport" is up next. You're watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WORLD SPORT REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:00:09] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Face to face with former ISIS members.
