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New Day

What Led Another American to ISIS?; Obama on ISIS in Syria: "No Strategy Yet"; Interview with Rear Admiral John Kirby; Joan Rivers in the Hospital; CNN Hero Uses Horses for Healing

Aired August 29, 2014 - 07:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: We're learning more about another American killed fighting alongside ISIS. The family of Abdirahmaan Muhumed says he was killed over the weekend in Syria. Friends of the Minnesota father of nine are trying to figure out what caused him to join the terror front.

Ted Rowlands is live with us with more. Ted?

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDNET: Good morning, Alisyn. Mohammed is the latest in a growing number of young men from the state of Minnesota to go fight overseas for extremist groups. He joins a group that includes two men that met in high school.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROWLANDS (voice-over): According to a friend, Abdirahmaan Muhumed is the latest so-called Minnesota martyr, an American giving up his life to fight with the ruthless terrorist group, ISIS.

OMAR JAMAL, SOMALI COMMUNITY LEADER: He was well known in the community and for somewhere down the road he changed allegiance to a different set of philosophies.

ROWLANDS: Muhumed was killed in Syria where he was fighting along with another American jihadist from Minneapolis, Douglas McCain. While it is still unclear how well McCain knew Muhumed, McCain knew the man in this terrorist recruiting video very well.

TROY KASTIGAR: If you only knew how much fun we have over here. This is a real Disneyland. Come here and join us.

ROWLANDS: Troy Kastigar and Douglas McCain were high school friends, Kastigar who appeared in this training video died in 2009 fighting with Al-Shabaab in Somalia. Kastigar's mother tries to explain how her son and Douglas McCain went from basketball team buddies to terrorists.

JULIE BOADA, MOTHER OF TROY KASTIGAR: There was like wanting to have a -- you know, wanting to have a purpose and wanting to be a valuable human being and not explaining that and then, you know, some of the things that they were told were lies, and I think they felt like they could go help some people who needed help.

ROWLANDS: The fear that a Minnesota terror recruit will someday attack America is a real concern for the FBI. They are investigating exactly how ISIS has been able to recruit.

KYLE LOVEN, CHIEF DIVISION COUNSEL FOR FBI IN MINNEAPOLIS: How are people being radicalized? What methods are being used? And what are the logistics behind the travel of some of these young men?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROWLANDS: And Alisyn, the FBI here in Minnesota estimates that a handful of other young men from the Minneapolis-St. Paul area are overseas in Syria fighting for ISIS -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Ted, fascinating to hear from that mom talk about her son wanting to find a purpose. It seems like that is a critical piece of this puzzle.

ROWLANDS: Yes.

CAMEROTA: Ted, thanks so much.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Christine Romans in for Michaela for some of the day's other top stories.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: All right, thanks, guys. Let's get a look at those headlines. A possible recording of the gunshots that killed Michael Brown has been matched to the time of the shooting.

The makers of Glide, a video chat program, say the recording was made at 12:02 p.m. on the day of the shooting. Meanwhile a group of people arrested during the protest that followed filed a $40-million lawsuit against the police alleging excessive force.

Authorities in Israel now confirm a body found in a forest near Jerusalem is that of missing American Aaron Sofer. The 23-year-old disappeared last week while hiking with a friend there. The student from New Jersey was studying in Israel. Investigators have yet to determine the cause of death, but his family believes no foul play was involved.

You may be eating more transfats than you think. That's according to a study from the New York City Department of Health. A check of more than 2,000 top-selling packaged foods found 9 percent contained partially hydrogenated oils.

Mostly blamed on labels they were free of transfat. Get this, food- makers aren't breaking the law thanks to the federal loophole as long as the transfats is less than a certain amount per serving.

Amazon is building its own fleet of drones designed to make deliveries easier and faster. Google is calling it project wing. Should be several more years before the drones are operational.

Google and Amazon still need to gain government approval to fly commercial drones in the U.S., but there could be a day when one day soon where there will be drone highways in the skies. Can you imagine?

BERMAN: Self-propelled cars, commercial space travel, all of these things.

ROMANS: Anything you want.

CAMEROTA: Very Jetsonnian. I'm looking forward to that.

BERMAN: Here boy, Elroy. Let's go to Meteorologist Indra Petersons now keeping track of the forecast for us -- Indra.

INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I love the Jetsons, totally with you on this one. Let's talk about, yes, Labor Day weekend. Where is it going to be nice and where is it going to be not so nice? Pretty easy to see. Look at all of the tropical moisture hanging around Texas.

That is not a good sign if you're going to be around the gulf the next couple of days. Look at heavy rain, 2 to 5 inches expected as we go through the holiday weekend. Maybe by like Sunday or Monday, we'll start to improve there, and your chances for showers will diminish.

Meanwhile, getting better if you're on the east coast. Cristobal finally kicking out of here making its way offshore, which means the conditions at the beaches are improving. Not perfect just yet.

But look at the difference, 12 feet yesterday. That's how high the waves were. Yesterday around Cape Cod and down about 3 to 5 feet. Still improving as we go through the weekend as Cristobal continues to make its way offshore.

With that, high risk still out there for some of those rip currents now down to about moderate further down to the south on the Atlantic, but again all of that will be improving as we head towards Sunday and Monday. Kind of a quick cheat sheet.

Still a lot of showers as we go through the holiday weekend. Worst spot the plains and the Midwest as we go through about Sunday. See a storm that's bringing a threat for severe weather.

Otherwise day by day, what are we looking at? Yes, we're looking at scattered showers each day. A little bit cool for the start in the northeast. Temperatures there in the 70s and warming up as you go through the weekend.

In the south, more showers as you get through about Sunday or so and Sunday in through Monday looking at showers starting to spread into the northeast. Meanwhile, the temperatures are climbing there as well.

First half of the weekend looks good for the northeast and Midwest not really great, the first half isn't so great. First half kind of bad, second half kind of bad.

CAMEROTA: At least you don't have to go to work this weekend.

ROMANS: I'm actually going to work.

CAMEROTA: For you.

ROMANS: And maybe a couple other million people.

CAMEROTA: All of us, but a soggy barbecue. OK, thanks, Indra.

PETERSONS: Sure.

CAMEROTA: Well, the president says the U.S. does not have a strategy yet to take down is in Syria. Was that a gaffe or an admission? We'll ask the Pentagon spokesman.

BERMAN: Plus, the queen of comedy in the hospital this morning after going into cardiac arrest. We'll have the latest on the condition of Joan Rivers.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The violence that's been taking place in Syria has obviously given ISIL a safe haven there in ungoverned spaces and in order for us to degrade ISIL over the long term, we have to develop a regional strategy. But I don't want to put the cart before the horse. We don't have a strategy yet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Surprising words, some say, from President Obama in a news conference. He says the administration has not developed a strategy yet to deal with the terror groups in Syria. What did he mean by that?

Let's ask the spokesman for the Pentagon, Rear Admiral John Kirby. Admiral Kirby, thanks so much for being here.

REAR ADMIRAL JOHN KIRBY, SPOKESMAN FOR THE PENTAGON: Thanks for having me, Alisyn. Good to be with you.

CAMEROTA: What does President Obama mean when he says no strategy yet?

KIRBY: Well, the president was responding to a specific question about possible military options and action against ISIL in Syria, and the planning options that he expects the Pentagon and the leadership here to provide him.

And we're still working on those options and still working those plans and that's what we're referring to. Obviously we have a strategy to deal with ISIL in Iraq.

We've been executing that strategy for a number of weeks, including boosting their military presence, our aid and support to the Iraqi security forces, flying extra surveillance flights, and we've been executing that strategy now for quite some time.

CAMEROTA: OK. So the president is waiting for you at the Pentagon, and your colleagues to come up with some options. What's taking you so long?

KIRBY: We're working at this very, very hard, Alisyn, I can assure you that. We understand the threat that ISIL poses, not just to Iraq and not just to the Syrian people, but also to the region, and we are -- we're continually working on that.

But planning something this building does all the time, for all manner of contingencies and planning you want to do deliberately and carefully, and you want to make sure that you provide the commander in chief a broad range of options across a spectrum of military operations, not just air strikes, and so that's what we're working on.

CAMEROTA: Here's what General Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, said in a statement about taking action in Syria against ISIS. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GENERAL MARTIN DEMPSEY, CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: Can they be defeated without addressing that part of their organization which resides in Syria? The answer is no. That will have to be addressed on both sides of what is essentially at this point a non- existent border.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: OK. He said they cannot be defeated without attacking them on some level in Syria. By the way, that was August 21st. That was eight days ago. What more needs to be addressed?

KIRBY: Well, the chairman said it can only be -- dealt with by attacking. He said addressing, and what he went on to say in that press conference was that it needs to be more than just a military response. The president said this yesterday. There has to be a political solution here.

There has to be economic solutions here. You have to get a good governance in Iraq and Syria and what the chairman was referring to was not simple police military air strikes in Syria.

Are those the kinds of things that we're planning and thinking about? Of course, we are. We have to do that. That's our job, but the approach to ISIL in the region is going to take a much more comprehensive approach than that.

CAMEROTA: And everyone understands that it's complicated, and everyone understands that it will be a herculean effort by the U.S. and the coalition, and no one wants to rush in before they are ready, but what critics of the administration say is that it's been months.

That actually the administration and the Pentagon have had many months to see the build-up of is and the brutal nature of is and the slaughtering of innocents that they have done, so why has it taken so long?

KIRBY: Well, you're right. We have been tracking ISIL and their movements, their growth, their development for months. Though we were a little surprised with the speed with, which they captured towns and facilities up in the north of Iraq a couple of months ago.

Certainly we've been tracking this organization for quite some time, but it's complicated, and it's going to take a regional approach and it's going to take partners. The other thing that really matters a lot is a solid Iraqi government.

And there wasn't one, and the Maliki government is to blame -- a large part toe for the way ISIL was able to move in so quickly because they didn't keep a security force that was trained and ready and competent to the threat.

Because they fired competent generals and put incompetent generals in place of them so it's going to take -- going to take a little time here and you have to have good partners in the country.

CAMEROTA: Let's talk about what's going on in Ukraine this morning. Is there a Russian invasion under way?

KIRBY: Well, what we see happening today is what we've been watching happening, again, for months. I mean, this is just a continuation of Russia continually -- continually violating the territorial integrity of Ukraine and escalating the tensions and this is nothing more than a continuation of what they have been doing.

CAMEROTA: Increasing their presence, what is U.S. going to do that?

KIRBY: We'll continue to work with our NATO partners and working with the Ukrainian government. There won't be a military solution here. We're continuing to provide assistance to the Ukrainian armed forces and will do that and we'll consult with NATO allies and partners.

CAMEROTA: What is that assistance to Kiev and the Ukrainian partners will look like?

KIRBY: The assistance has been on the non-lethal side. It's been supportive of their general military efforts and ability to sustain themselves, and I think that that will obviously continue.

CAMEROTA: Does the administration consider what's happening there today an invasion?

KIRBY: We're not focused on whether you call it an invasion or an incursion. What's more important to us is what they are actually doing and more important than that, what they have been doing. This is a continuation of behavior by Moscow.

And by Russian forces to violate the territorial integrity of Ukraine, to escalate the violence, to cause violence inside Eastern Ukraine and that's the focus. The focus on getting them to stop the activity that they have been doing for months now, and we're not putting a label on it. CAMEROTA: All right, Admiral Kirby, we know you're busy. Appreciate you taking time for us this morning.

KIRBY: My pleasure. Thanks for having me, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Next on NEW DAY, Joan Rivers is in the hospital this morning. She went into cardiac arrest during routine surgery. What went wrong? We'll get a live update on her condition straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOAN RIVERS, COMEDIAN: I hate old people. I say I hate, hate -- the bodies, their bodies. Enjoy your bodies now. Out a brassiere, and this is how I go to the bathroom.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: She is one of a kind. Comedian Joan Rivers is in a New York hospital this morning. The 81-year-old was rushed there Thursday after complications during minor surgery at a New York clinic. This came just hours after a performance in New York.

Alexandra Field joins us with the latest on Rivers' condition. Hi, Alexandra.

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN ANCHOR: She was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. Her daughter and grandson flew across the country to be at her side and asking people to keep Joan Rivers in their thoughts and prayers this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FIELD (voice-over): A health crisis for legendary comedian, Joan Rivers. The 81-year-old remains hospitalized nearly 24 hours after she stopped breathing, going into cardiac arrest during a throat procedure at an outpatient clinic.

Rivers was then rushed to Mount Sinai Hospital where, according to the E! Network she's in now stable condition. The iconic comedian's daughter, Melissa, says her mom is resting comfortably.

Rivers, in fine, feisty form the night before, doing an hour-long standup event in New York. The Emmy-winning comedian showing no signs of slowing down.

According to her web site, rivers had 27 scheduled standup shows in the fall along with co-hosting "Fashion Police."

RIVERS: Legs go on and on like Gwyneth Paltrow when someone her about kale.

FIELD: Promoting her jewelry line on GVC. And a weekly talk show on YouTube called "In bed with Joan."

RIVERS: What would you do if you had a really hideous child?

FIELD: Rivers never wanting to mince words since her debut on "The Johnny Carson show" in 1965.

RIVERS: I never cooked when I was single. If the law wanted women to cook he'd give her aluminum hands.

FIELD: The funny women and red carpet ruler has been in the spotlight for her controversial jokes ever since.

RIVERS: You look at this, and look nice, I mean, my legs look good. The breasts are in the right place.

FIELD: Today a serious turn for a woman who says she never wants to stop making people laugh.

RIVERS: Only time I'm truly, truly happy is when I am on a stage.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FIELD (voice-over): There has been a tremendous outpouring of support for Joan Rivers, especially on Twitter. Everyone from Larry King to Bravo's Andy Cohen to Ellen Degeneres, and it really speaks to how she has bridged the generational gap from being on Carson to the red carpet. Now, she's really been a trailblazer to women in comedy, especially the late night landscape.

CAMEROTA: She's famous for getting plastic surgery. Do we know what the procedure was that she was getting?

FIELD: She admitted and talked about a lot of plastic surgeries. What we know is she was in the endoscopy clinic here in New York City. It's been reported by E! where she has a show now that they were doing a routine procedure to check out her vocal chords. So it seems like something for a throat procedure somehow concerning the vocal chords.

CAMEROTA: All right, we will hope for a good update from you later this morning. Thanks so much. Let us know what you think. Go to Facebook.com/newday and tell us your memories of Joan Rivers and her funniest bits.

BERMAN: And hopefully there will be any more.

Now on this week's CNN Hero, a woman who's using some big animals to address a big income gap. Hartford, Connecticut, has the second highest income disparity in the nation. Patricia Kelly is turning to horses to keep inner city kids out of trouble.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's tough. It's tough growing up here. It's just so easy to take the wrong path. I was walking around with a lot on my shoulders. I didn't really care about life anymore.

When I met Miss Kelly, everything changed.

PATRICIA KELLY, CNN HERO: Our program provides a year-round urban oasis for children 5 to 19 years old. We use horses to create pride, esteem, and healing. The children take care of animals, take care of the farm. When they get to a certain riding level, young men become mounted park rangers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't tell you where I would be without this program. It changed my life. It's help me set goals for myself. I'm a part of something.

KELLY: When you teach a child how to ride a horse, they learn that they are the center of their environment. Once they make that connection, they can change what happens in school, at home, and the community. It's through their minds and through their hearts. They have ability. They just have to unlock it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMEROTA: What a nice story. It came as a surprise to some hearing the president say the U.S. Does not have a plan in place to take down ISIS in Syria. Was that a gaffe? We'll ask the president's spokesman.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: Under fire, the White House in damage control this morning after President Obama suggested the White House does not have a strategy for dealing with ISIS in Syria. This morning, the White House pushing back. The president's chief spokesman joins us live.

CAMEROTA: Breaking overnight, Russia denying that these NATO satellite images showing Russian troops crossing into Ukraine are real. They say they might be from a video game. This as the fighting rages on. We're live with the latest.

ROMANS: Speaking out, Hillary Clinton weighs in on the Michael Brown shooting, this as CNN obtains new evidence that helps verify the audio allegedly of the very moment, Michael Brown was shot. We have the latest.

BERMAN: Your NEW DAY continues right now.

Good morning, welcome to NEW DAY. It is Friday, August 29th, 8:00 in the East. I'm John Berman.

CAMEROTA: And I'm Alisyn Camerota along with Christine Romans. Chris, Kate and Michaela have fled the building and we are in charge.