Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

One-on-One With Gretchen Carlson; Secretary Ash Carter Says Al- Baghdadi's Days are Numbered; Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired January 13, 2017 - 10:30   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:32:02] CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me.

She's the former FOX News anchor who brought down one of the biggest, most powerful bosses in media. Gretchen Carlson was fired from FOX News but instead of taking it, she fought back with the truth. An explosive lawsuit that detailed years of sexual harassment at the hands of Roger Ailes.

It was an incredibly brave thing to do. I tweeted my support early on, I told Gretchen, you're amazing, you go. Two weeks ago I interviewed Carlson for "Good Housekeeping" magazine about her journey. It was emotional.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Hi, Gretchen. Do you mind if I hug you?

GRETCHEN CARLSON, COMMENTATOR AND AUTHOR: No, of course not. Great seeing you.

COSTELLO: You're awesome.

CARLSON: Thank you for all your kind words about me. I really, really appreciate them.

COSTELLO: I meant every one of them.

CARLSON: Thank you.

COSTELLO: I think you're an awesome person.

CARLSON: Thank you so much.

COSTELLO: You're courageous. And you're doing such important things now and you should be so proud of yourself.

CARLSON: Thank you because there weren't a lot of supporters at the beginning and you were one of them. So thank you.

COSTELLO: Any time. Let's do it.

(END VIDEOTAPE) COSTELLO: All right. So Carlson, she is amazing because she made what happened to her much bigger than herself.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: So how have you been?

CARLSON: I think good. I've been -- I've been busy, but I've been spending time with my family.

COSTELLO: So what has been something that you're doing that is most satisfying to you right now?

CARLSON: I've signed on to become a columnist, a marquee columnist for "Times Motto" which is online and it reaches 37 million young people.

COSTELLO: Wow.

CARLSON: And specifically I'm going to be writing about female empowerment. And so I'm really looking forward to that.

COSTELLO: I think women once thought we were all on the same page. But some women, with the election of Donald Trump, don't think that way anymore.

CARLSON: I think a lot of women don't think that we're all on the same page. A lot of women voted for Donald Trump. And you know what, that's OK, because that's their right in America. So they think that, you know, for them, he brings a bright future.

I can't comment on whether or not that's right or wrong for society. But what I can say is that he has said that he loves women and that he believes in women. And I challenge him to those comments. I challenge him to then put women in high-ranking positions. Show America that your words are true.

COSTELLO: Some women say, though, since the majority of white women voted for Donald Trump, that all those terrible things he said about women were OK with them.

CARLSON: Hmm. I really believe that a lot of people in the election looked at policies and things that they were fed up with, with regard to policies, and that that superseded some of the basic tenets in the way in which we treat one another.

COSTELLO: But as a woman who fights against sexual harassment and against such language in the workplace, how can you now say to young men out there that this kind of language is unacceptable when a man who is president of the United States used such language?

[10:35:03] CARLSON: I'm still going to say to young men and young women and frankly young men and women of all ages, it's unacceptable. But we've elected other presidents who also had major flaws. So I take it as an opportunity, as a learning experience. You know, I have two young children. My daughter is 13 and my son is

11. This was a topic of conversation in our home, as I'm sure it was all across America.

COSTELLO: I know you can't talk about what happened to you. But I do want to know where you found the strength to start something new after that happened to you so publicly.

CARLSON: What's happened to me in the last six months, not on my radar screen. So I'm all about recreating myself in the moment in time. You know, I'm setting up a fund to empower girls and women to speak up on all issues, not just sexual harassment. For me, it's about -- it's about inspiring women to come together, whether you feel good or bad about the election.

COSTELLO: There is this perception that conservative women want one thing and liberal women want something totally different. Are we really that different?

CARLSON: Well, I think that women in general, Republican and Democrat, feel differently about the way in which the country should be run. But I think it's fascinating that more and more people in America are registered independents, like myself. You know, it's the biggest swath of the voting public. So why is that? That signifies to me that that group of people sees some things over here and some things over here. And you know what that means? We might find compromise.

COSTELLO: Get out.

CARLSON: I know. And I know that that is such a bad word for so many people. But what's interesting about women, when they work together, is that oftentimes they do find compromise, and it doesn't mean giving up every single thing that you believe in.

COSTELLO: When a little girl or a little boy sits back and looks at the entirety of your career and what's happened to you and what you've become, what do you want them to take away?

CARLSON: I want them to think about what I look at every day on my wrist, which is carpe diem, seize the day, be brave, and be fearless, and for god's sake, stand up for yourself.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Carlson is not only standing up for herself. She started a foundation called Gift of Courage to inspire girls and young women to do the same. And you can check it out on her Web site, gretchencarlson.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:42:06] COSTELLO: Secretary of Defense Ash Carter says ISIS leader al-Baghdadi's days are numbered. In a PBS interview with Charlie Rose, Carter also makes unusually revealing comments about Baghdadi's movements. CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has more on this. Good

morning.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. Well, Secretary Carter did this interview with Charlie Rose and it ran last night. And some of what Carter said really grabbed our attention because when you ask the Pentagon do they know where Abu Bakr al- Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS, you always pretty much get the same answer. We don't know where he is and if we knew we'd go after him.

But Carter last night -- pardon me -- said something just a little bit different, quite tantalizing. Let me read you what he told Charlie Rose when Rose asked him. Carter said, "Let me put it this way, if I knew exactly where he was, first of all, I wouldn't tell you, and second of all, he wouldn't have long. He moves around. He moves around." We're going to come back to that. "Well, I'm just confident. I don't want to say any more than that."

So let's go back to that phrase, he moves around. For a U.S. Defense secretary to say a top target moves around so definitively pretty much is a clear indication that Ash Carter has some intelligence, some current intelligence that Baghdadi is moving around. So it's pretty tantalizing. Is he in Syria? Has he moved across the border into Iraq? Is there an area of Iraq, perhaps around Mosul, where we know Baghdadi has been before, where U.S. intelligence is focusing its attention?

Very tantalizing. We don't really know the answer. But it's something very much to watch, because these statements are not made lightly by the U.S. government. And it was just a couple of weeks ago when another administration official said we've been aware of Baghdadi's recent movements. So maybe the clues are adding up, Carol.

COSTELLO: Maybe so. Barbara Starr, reporting live from the Pentagon.

Checking some other top stories for you at 44 minutes past. An Arizona trooper recovering this morning after a passing driver shoots the trooper's attacker to death. This unfolded Thursday morning, 50 miles west of Phoenix. The trooper was responding to an accident scene when a man came along with a gun and opened fire on the trooper. The man then shot the trooper in the shoulder and then began beating him. Well, a driver passing by noticed this, he pulled up, he told the attacker to stop beating the trooper. And when the attacker did not stop, the driver pulled a gun and fatally shot the attacker, possibly saving the wounded trooper's life.

President Obama makes one more policy change on Cuba before leaving office, announcing an end to the so-called "Wet foot, Dry Foot" immigration policy. That means Cuban migrants who make it onto U.S. soil will no longer be granted automatic residency. In a statement, the White House said this now brings policy toward Cuban migrants in line with that of migrants from other countries.

[10:45:07] Here's a live look for you outside the International Space Station. NASA astronauts are now halfway through a six-hour-long space walk. They're working on a complex upgrade to the station's power system, working to install new lithium ion batteries.

A major report due today on the Chicago Police Department. In any minute now the attorney general, Loretta Lynch, will lay out whether or not the department has been violating the constitutional rights of the city's citizens. This after a year-long investigation sparked by the deeply disturbing dash cam video showing the fatal police shooting of Laquan McDonald. The outrage extending beyond Chicago and resulting in nationwide protests. Now the city's residents will finally get some answers.

We'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: One week from today the Trump family will walk into the White House and like those before them, the Obamas will say goodbye to the place they've called home for eight years. In an open letter, the Bush daughters are offering some advice to the soon-to-be former first children Malia and Sasha Obama.

[10:50:03] It's not partisan but it is heartfelt. It touched us so much that we just wanted to share it with you in its entirety. So I'll read it now. Here goes. This is from the Bush twins.

"Malia and Sasha, eight years ago on a cold November day we greeted you on the steps of the White House. We saw both the light and wariness in your eyes as you gazed as your new home. We left our jobs in Baltimore and New York early and traveled to Washington to show you around, to show you the Lincoln bedroom and the bedrooms that were once ours, to introduce you to all the people, the florists, the ground keepers, and the butlers, who dedicate themselves to making this historic house a home.

"The four of us wandered the majestic halls of the house you had no choice but to move into. When you slid down the banister of the solarium, just as we had done as 8-year-olds and again as 20-year-olds chasing our youth, your joy and laughter were contagious.

"In eight years, you have done so much, seen so much. You stood in the gates of the Robben Island cell where South Africa's Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for decades. Your arms around your father. You traveled to Liberia and Morocco with your mom to talk with girls about the importance of education, girls who saw themselves in you, saw themselves in your parents, saw who they could become if they continued to study and learn.

"You attended state dinners, hiked in national parks, met international leaders and managed to laugh at your dad's jokes during the annual Thanksgiving Turkey Pardon all while being kids attending school and making friends. We have watched you grow from girls to impressive young women with grace and ease. And through it all, you had each other, just like we did.

"Now you're about to join another rarified club, one of the former first children, a position you didn't seek and one with no guidelines. But you have so much to look forward to. You'll be writing the story of your lives beyond the shadow of your famous parents, yet you will always carry with you the experience of the past eight years. Never forget the wonderful people who work at the White House.

"Our greeter as 7-year-old at our grandfather's inauguration was Nancy, the White House florist, who ushered us in from the cold. She helped us make colorful bouquets of winter flowers for our grandparents' bedside. 20 years later Nancy did the flowers for Jenna's wedding. Cherish your own Nancy.

"We stay in touch with our Secret Service. They were part of growing up for us. They were there for our first dates, the first dates, and even an engagement and a honeymoon. We know it wasn't always easy. The two of you and the two of us were teenagers trailed by men in backpacks. But they put their lives on hold for us.

"Enjoy college. As most of the world knows, we did. And you won't have the weight of the world on your young shoulders anymore. Explore your passions, learn who you are. Make mistakes. You're allowed to. Continue to surround yourself with loyal friends who know you, adore you, and will fiercely protect you. Those who judge you don't love you and their voices shouldn't hold weight. Rather, it's your own hearts that matter.

"Take all that you have seen, the people you have met, the lessons you have learned, and let that help guide you in making positive change. We have no doubt you will. Traveling with our parents taught us more than any class could. It opened our eyes to new people as well as new cultures and ideas. We met factory workers in Michigan, teachers in California, doctors healing people on the Burmese border, kids who lined the dusty streets of Kampala to see the American president and his kids with HIV waiting to get the antiretroviral drugs that would save their lives.

"One tiny girl wearing her finest lavender dress looked young, but she was not. She was little because she was sick. Her mom admitted that she might not live to see these drugs work but her brothers and sisters would. After meeting this girl, Barbara went back to school and changed her major and it's her life's path.

"You have lived through the unbelievable pressure of the White House. You have listened to harsh criticism of your parents by people who never even met them. You stood by as your precious parents were reduced to headlines. Your parents who put you first and who not only showed you but gave you the world. As always, they will be rooting for you as you begin your next chapter. And so will we."

That's so nice. That's really nice. And with that, I thank you for joining me today. I'm Carol Costello. "AT THIS HOUR WITH BERMAN AND BOLDUAN" after a break.

[10:54:30]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News. JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone, I'm John Berman. Kate is

off this morning. We do have breaking news this hour. Any moment now the Justice Department will announce the findings of a 13-month civil rights investigation into the Chicago Police Department. You're looking at live pictures from Chicago right now.

This investigation was launched after the shooting death of Laquan McDonald and a video of that shooting released.