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New Day

Obama on ISIS in Syria: "No Strategy Yet"; Interview with White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest; Interview with Russian Duma Parliamentarian Ilya Ponomarev

Aired August 29, 2014 - 08:00   ET

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

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Chris, Kate and Michaela have fled the building and we are in charge.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: And we are in charge. Sound like, hey, that's my second time --

(LAUGHTER)

BERMAN: We begin this hour with the White House in damage control, after the comment from president Obama when he was talking about the fight against ISIS, he surprised a lot of people by saying, quote, "we don't have a strategy yet." Now his spokesman later clarified the president was only talking about ISIS in Syria, but the remark has a lot of people talking and asking what the strategy is.

We'll speak with the president's spokesman in just a moment but first, the White House correspondent Michelle Kosinski joins us with the latest.

Busy morning there, Michelle.

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hey, John. Right.

And, you know, everybody was kind of waiting here with bated breath. I mean, first, you have this big national security team meeting in the Situation Room here, and then, suddenly, the president was going to speak. So, everybody wondering OK, what is going to happen in Syria?

But the answer the president gave was to some surprisingly clear that we are just not there yet.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I've directed Secretary Hagel and our Joint Chiefs of Staff to prepare a range of options.

KOSINSKI (voice-over): Another address by the president. There have been many lately, but it was these words regarding Syria that many were not expecting.

OBAMA: I don't want to put the cart before the horse. We don't have a strategy yet. KOSINSKI: His critics quick to pounce. The Republican Party tweeting, "What's the Obama strategy? To have no strategy, Ukraine, ISIS, Russia."

But the White House was equally quick to explain.

The press secretary coming to CNN "SITUATION ROOM"

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: The commotion those words generated was enormous. So, go ahead and tell us what the president precisely was remembering to.

JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: He was referring to military options for striking ISIL in Syria. Those options are still being developed by the Pentagon. The president has been clear for months about what our comprehensive strategy is for confronting the ISIL threat in Iraq.

KOSINSKI: That is true, very clear and very careful. Some say to the point of being too slow.

U.S. airstrikes are still presented as being for the primary purpose of protecting American personnel and then supporting Iraqis and adding a humanitarian component. The president still repeatedly emphasizes the need for a unified Iraqi government so that country can solve its own problems.

OBAMA: And the options that I'm asking for from the joint chiefs focuses primarily on making sure that ISIL is not overrunning Iraq.

KOSINSKI: But the terrorist spread has been fast and furious. The White House's view of the Syria component is even more deliberate.

OBAMA: It's not simply a military issue. It's also a political issue. It's also an issue that involves all the Sunni state in the region and Sunni leadership recognizing that this cancer that has developed is one that they have to be just as invested in defeating as we are.

KOSINSKI: But he did say a long-term strategy will involve a military aspect. What will not? The situation in Ukraine -- and the U.S. will not call Russia's latest moves an invasion even though some in Ukraine are.

OBAMA: I think it is very important to recognize that a military solution to this problem is not going to be forthcoming.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: That was Michelle Kosinski, our thanks to her.

We want to go back to the White House now, because joining us now, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest.

Josh, thanks so much for being with us this morning.

EARNEST: Good morning, John.

BERMAN: Let me read you a couple of the headlines in the papers and the web today dealing with the president's press conference yesterday. "Obama's Strategy Misfire" from "Politico". "Why Obama's we don't have a strategy gaffe stings" from "The Washington Post." "Obama confesses with he don't have a strategy yet for Islamic State", "Washington Times." "White House walks back Barack Obama's 'We don't have the strategy yet'", that is from "Business Insider".

Josh, are you happy with the headlines this morning?

EARNEST: Well, John, what's important for people to understand is the president laid out very clearly in his news conference yesterday that we do have a comprehensive strategy for dealing with ISIL. What the president is still waiting on are military options that are being developed by the professionals at the Department of Defense for possible military strikes against ISIL in Syria.

But when it comes to our strategy for dealing with ISIL in Iraq, the president's been clear about what that strategy is and it starts with pushing Iraq's political leaders to take the kinds of steps that are necessary to form an inclusive government to unite that country, to counter the threat that is posed by ISIL in their country.

The United States is no longer going to be in a position under this commander-in-chief to be responsible for the security situation in Iraq. What we're going to do is we're going to support the Iraqi people so they can take responsibility for providing for security in their own country.

BERMAN: So, Josh, you say the president was saying that what we don't have yet is a comprehensive strategy for dealing with ISIS or ISIL as you say in Syria, but we do have one in Iraq.

Here's the thing: is has been in Syria for quite a long time. How can you have a comprehensive strategy for dealing with ISIS at all if it doesn't include Syria?

EARNEST: Well, because, John, what the situation is simply is this -- military action is one component of a broader strategy. The president authorized military action against ISIL in Iraq. The president has not at this point authorized military action against ISIL in Syria. Those plans are currently under development by the Defense Department.

The president is not going to authorize military action in Syria without a plan and before we're ready but what we have been engaged in for quite some time is implementing a comprehensive strategy for dealing with ISIL that starts with putting together an Iraqi government that can unite the country to confront that threat. It includes supporting training and equipping Iraqi and Kurdish security forces so that they can take the fight to ISIL on the ground in their country. It includes engaging regional governments who have a clear interest, a clear vested interest in making sure that ISIL can't wreak havoc and perpetrate terrible acts of violence in their backyard.

It involves the president of the United States to engage world leaders to unite the world against this threat and it includes the president authorizing military strikes in Iraq to protect American personnel to avert humanitarian disasters and to try to mitigate the terror threat that ISIL poses.

So, the president has implemented a comprehensive strategy. The president talked about all of this at the beginning of his news conference yesterday.

The one thing that we have not yet determined is exactly what the smartest path is in terms of pursuing a military strategy in Syria against ISIL. That continues to be an open question.

The president was asked yesterday whether or not congressional authorization would be required before authorizing or before ordering military strikes in Syria, and that's when the president said we don't have a strategy yet and that's because we don't yet have plans. We don't yet have military options in terms of striking ISIL in Syria, that's what the president described as putting the cart before the horse.

BERMAN: So, Josh, if the United States does have a comprehensive strategy for dealing with is, despite whatever the president said, whatever words he chose to use yesterday, if the United States does have a comprehensive strategy, is it now working?

We've seen reporter James Foley beheaded last week by ISIS. We've seen many Syrian troops in the video released by ISIS massacred over the last several days. They just took over an airbase in northern Syria. They're still operating albeit perhaps on the run in Iraq.

But is this comprehensive strategy you say the White House has, is it working?

EARNEST: Well, John, if you take a look at exactly what's happened over the last several weeks, you can see that we've made important progress, because of the military action that the president authorized, we prevented a humanitarian disaster at Sinjar Mountain, where there were some religious and ethnic minorities that had been cornered by ISIL. Those individuals have been freed.

Just in the last few weeks, ISIL was aggressively making an advance on Irbil, because of the military strikes that the president authorized, that advance was blunted. That insured that American personnel who are not in harm's way.

Because of the American support for Iraqi and Kurdish security forces, they were able to retake Mosul dam, a critical piece of infrastructure in Iraq, from ISIL. And on the political front, we've seen the Iraqi political leaders start to make some of the difficult decisions. Prime Minister Maliki stepped away from the process and in his place, another Shiite candidate assumed the reins as prime minister of the country, and they've set about the hard work of forming a cabinet so they can have the kind of inclusive government that will be required to unite that country to face the threat.

BERMAN: Did you -- EARNEST: So, if you look at -- if you look at the last three weeks or

so, John, those four important things have happened and that is evidence that this strategy that the president has put in place is making progress to try to mitigate the threat that's posed by this situation. But there's no question there's a lot more work to do and we are engaged in a strategy to continue it.

BERMAN: Did the president just announce to ISIS leaders that he has no intention to strike them with military action in Syria in the next few days or weeks?

EARNEST: The president made clear that he is not going to authorize military action in Syria before there is a good plan in place for dealing with the military options that we have in Syria.

So, I don't know what kind of message this sends to ISIL. I know it sends a clear message to everybody around the world and to the American people that the president is not going to go off and order military action in Syria without a very specific plan for what that action is going to look like and what we hope to accomplish.

BERMAN: With all due respect, Josh --

EARNEST: Once a plan is in place the president will reserve the right to take that action to protect the American interests and to protect the American people.

BERMAN: With all due respect, I think the fact you're still out this morning talking about it shows that it wasn't exactly a clear message that was sent on Syria. But it I don't want to let you go before talking --

EARNEST: With all due respect, John, anybody who looked at the news conference and looked at the president's opening remarks saw very clearly that he laid out the strategy. So, you're welcome to focus on whatever aspect of the news conference you would like, but if you want to actually understand what the president's trying to communicate, I would encourage you to take a close look at his words.

BERMAN: And we have and we would like to talk about strategy going forward and we have and we do appreciate you being here to discuss that.

I also want to talk about what's going on in Ukraine right now.

EARNEST: Sure.

BERMAN: The president was asked about this yesterday.

What do you make -- I want to ask you, because I think you'll get a kick out of this, the foreign minister of Russia, Sergey Lavrov, talked about the images that NATO released over the last 24 hours which show tanks moving in to Ukraine, which show artillery in Ukraine. He said these could be images from computer games.

Are they from computer games, Josh? EARNEST: Well, you have to check with NATO about the images they

released.

But what we have seen over the last several weeks is very clear evidence that Russia has continued to allow weapons, materiel, and even troops to cross from the border between Russia and Ukraine from Russia into Ukraine. And that is evidence of Russia inappropriately and in a way that flouts international norms, interfering with an independent nation. That is the nation of Ukraine.

This is something that the president has criticized in very strong terms, and what the president also has united the international community to send a very clear message to Russia that this is something that the international community will not tolerate, and that is why these sanctions regime have been put in place, it's put a significant toll on the Russian economy in terms of their weakening currency.

We've seen a significant curtailment in terms of the economic projections for Russia's economic growth. We've seen significant capital flight from Russia.

So, Russia's continued efforts to interfere in Ukraine have put costs on the economy. And the president is travel to Europe next week, or he'll be meeting with our NATO allies to discuss what more can and should be done to make it clear to President Putin that the international community will not abide their flagrant violation of Iraq's territorial integrity.

BERMAN: Josh, you said the sanctions had a significant cost to Russia. The president yesterday said the sanctions have been effective. What does it matter if they've had a significant cost if Russia is still sending troops and heavy weaponry and tanks and artillery over the border and according to the Ukrainians invading Ukraine?

EARNEST: Well, you know, obviously, Vladimir Putin has some difficult choices to make. Right now, he is continuing to pursue a course of action that opens up his country and his economy to even greater economic costs. These are decisions that he'll have to make. Right now the international community remains united in standing up for the territorial integrity of the nation of Ukraine, and making sure that we're sending a clear message to Vladimir Putin and to Russia that the international community cannot abide the flagrant violation of the territorial integrity of an independent nation.

BERMAN: That territorial integrity may have already been impeded on.

Josh Earnest, thank you so much. I really do appreciate you coming in and talking to us this morning.

EARNEST: Sure, John. Thank you for the opportunity.

BERMAN: We'll talk soon.

Let's get to Christine for the rest of the headlines. CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Thanks for that, John.

And here are the top stories we're watching this morning. Efforts were under way to free dozens of U.N. peacekeepers detained by militants in Syria. Forty-three of them being held near Syria's border with Israel, following a rebel takeover of that space this week. Another 81 personnel trapped in the surrounding area. Peacekeepers are from the Philippines and Fiji.

The dire Ebola situation in West Africa is getting worse. The World Health Organization says the outbreak could infect as many as 20,000 people. The U.N. health agency unveiled a new road map for containing the virus. Scientists are trying to fast track efforts to find a treatment or vaccine as an experimental test gets under way next week.

The NFL announces a tougher policy now on players who commit domestic violence. The league commissioner, Roger Goodell, he admits his two- game suspension for Baltimore Ravens star Ray Rice for beating his fiance was too lenient. Under the new policy, players will be suspended for six games for a first offense. Two-time offenders would face a lifetime ban.

Miley Cyrus's date at the Music Video Awards turned himself to police in Oregon. Jesse Helt made a splash with his plea for homeless youth at the award show. But it turns out an arrest warrant was issued for Helt in 2011 for failing to check in with his parole officer after a criminal trespass conviction. Helt is out of jail after posting $2,500 bond but faces a year in jail for violating his parole.

BERMAN: Interesting (INAUDIBLE) for that story.

CAMEROTA: I see a future in modeling or acting for this man.

BERMAN: What are you suggesting?

CAMEROTA: I believe he'll have a bit part on some sitcom coming up within six months.

BERMAN: You're saying he's a handsome young man, is what you're saying.

CAMEROTA: And he's friends with Miley Cyrus. I think it's going to come together for the formerly homeless young man.

BERMAN: All right. Other news: Vladimir Putin comparing Ukrainians to Nazis after Russian troops appeared to cross into Ukraine. But at least one member of the Russian government doesn't support all these tactics. We'll speak with him right after the break.

CAMEROTA: Plus, the Ebola pandemic expected to get worse in West Africa. Dr. Sanjay Gupta weighs in on the outbreak and new measures to slow it down.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: NATO says satellite images show Russian troops fighting in Ukraine. But Moscow says the images are fake from computer games. This is the latest in a trend we've seen for months -- world leaders level accusations against Russia and then Moscow denies them. This goes back to the event leading to the annexation of Crimea.

But at least one member of Russia's government does not support the tactics. Ilya Ponomarev is a member of the Russian state Duma. That's their parliament. He is the only one to vote against the annexation of Crimea and to be critical of Putin.

Mr. Ponomarev, thanks for joining us.

ILYA PONOMAREV, RUSSIAN DUMA PARLIAMENTARIAN: Good morning. Thanks for having me.

CAMEROTA: OK. Ukrainian officials say they are experiencing an invasion by Russian troops and equipment. Is Russia invading Ukraine?

PONOMAREV: You know, I think yes, unfortunately. At least it's very clear that our troops are there, and now, across Russia, we are witnessing first casualties, dead bodies which are returning from Ukraine. Our ministry of defense tries to hide it and there are secret funerals.

But there are a lot of media leaks and people are discussing that there are dead troopers returning home.

CAMEROTA: We appreciate your candor about this. It's been hard to get to the actual facts about what's happening on the ground.

What do you think Vladimir Putin's plan is with this action?

PONOMAREV: You know, he I think wants to try to start negotiations with the West. I think he mounts up the heat to make West more susceptible for potential talks, and he wants Crimea to be out of question. So, he wants the situation in eastern Ukraine to be as heated as possible there so there will be negotiations about the fate of eastern Ukraine rather than Crimea.

CAMEROTA: It's an interesting tactic and strategy that he uses, because he wants to engage the West, he wants more talks, yet the West considers leveling more sanctions. So, what's going to happen here?

PONOMAREV: You know, his logic is a logic of a person who grew up in a very common neighborhood in the yards -- you know, in a more mafia type environment. So, he thinks that West responds only to brute force, and he tries to apply as much brute force as possible, mounting up the heat every day. And I think that the only sensible tactics in this situation is not to follow his plot and not to agree what he offers.

CAMEROTA: What's the story inside Russia? What are everyday Russians thinking and saying about what's going on in Ukraine?

PONOMAREV: You know, for common Russians, we are restoring our national dignity. We Russians, as Americans, we have mission. Like Americans promote freedom across the world in Syria and Iraq and in other places, at least what you think you do, and we think that we promote freedom in Ukraine, because our media tells us every day that in Ukraine now, pro-fascist, pro-Nazi government and Europeans sponsoring a fascist coup in Kiev.

So, we are liberating Ukrainians. We are not protecting Russians in eastern Ukraine. We are protecting Ukrainians themselves, even against their own will.

CAMEROTA: Interesting. We've also heard there's this nationalistic fervor, as you're describing in Russia, and that has taken root recently in fact. President Putin just last month had in a Gallup poll a tremendous approval rating. He has something like an 83 percent job approval rating.

So, how can you argue with what he's doing?

PONOMAREV: No, I think that genuine numbers and that's exactly what I am saying. You know, Russians believe that at last, we are back to the fight for freedom for democratic values, not democratic as it's been understood in the West but like we understand it. And that's the same thing why Joseph Stalin is so popular in Russia still because he defeated fascism and Russians can forgive him for all the repressions inside the country for liberating the world from the threat of fascism, and we think that fascism is resurrecting itself in Ukraine right now.

So, majority of Russians would take all the toll that has been associated with sanctions, all the toll just to fight the fascism in Ukraine.

CAMEROTA: But as we've said, you were against the annexation of Crimea. How do you feel about what's going on in Ukraine?

PONOMAREV: I think it's all forged. Yes, the current government of Ukraine is very much neo-liberal and nationalistic, and that's an alliance which is not close to my personal political belief, because I am more on the left side of the political spectrum. But at the end of the day, that is a choice of majority of Ukrainians right now.

And I think that Putin is just trying to cover his own defeat in Kiev, when he was supporting former President Yanukovych who had to flee the country, and by annexation of Crimea, Putin wanted to disguise this defeat.

Of course, I voted against because as a result, we are facing this huge humanitarian tragedy. We are facing a lot of casualties among the civilians, among our own troopers, and the relationship with our brother nations of Ukrainians is spoiled for years to come.

CAMEROTA: Mr. Ponomarev, we see that you are in Boston speaking out today. What happens when you go home? Is it safe for you to be so candid at home?

PONOMAREV: You know, it doesn't matter for me whether it's safe or not safe, because I say what I say, and I want to fight for my values and I don't want to budge, because you know, somebody thinks that I should keep quiet.

Yes, last week, they had frozen all my bank accounts for some false accusations and they are limiting my right to travel internationally, but you know, that's the society we are living in. We have to face it.

CAMEROTA: Mr. Ponomarev, we applaud you. Thank you for your candor and for sharing it with us this morning.

PONOMAREV: Thank you very much.

CAMEROTA: All right. Next on NEW DAY: critics are quick to pounce on the president's admission that the White House has no strategy yet for dealing with ISIS in Syria. We'll have a look at the political fallout.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: Nobody wants to see our streets look like a war zone, not in America. We are better than that. We can do better. We cannot ignore the inequities that persist in our justice system.