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White House Press Secretary: "I Didn't Bring My Dictionary"; Watch Out Iowa, Here Comes Hillary; Pistorius Guilty Of Culpable Homicide; Foley's Mother "Appalled" By U.S. Government

Aired September 12, 2014 - 07:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: All right, a lot going on politically here. Luckily we have Mr. John King with "Inside Politics" on NEW DAY. So interesting what's happening down there with my brother with the Congress not wanting to vote about the war.

They're saying let the president do what he wants. We think he has the authority. But they were suing the guy over executive orders on much lighter issues.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Mid-term much?

CUOMO: The irony. The irony. Mid-term much? That's good.

JOHN KING, CNN HOST, "INSIDE POLITICS": Courage and Congress not often found in the same sentence. Chris and Michaela, good morning to you and happy Friday.

Let's go Inside Politics, with me this morning to share their reporting and their insight, Jackie Kucinich of "The Washington Post" and Olivier Knox of Yahoo! News.

So the president gave his big speech to the nation Wednesday night, outlining the ISIS threat and his plan to build an international coalition including U.S. military airstrikes to do something about it.

So Olivier, you do what a good correspondent does, you show up at the White House briefing room the next day with some follow-up questions. You put this question, it seems pretty straightforward to me. I'm sure a lot of Americans are asking how do you define success or as you put it --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OLIVIER KNOX, "YAHOO! NEWS": What does the victory look like here? You've talked about destroying ISIL. I don't think I know what that means. What does it mean?

JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I didn't bring my Webster's dictionary with me up here. I think that --

KNOX: Come on.

EARNEST: Well, you know --

KNOX: Talking about that, I understood it --

EARNEST: I think it's a pretty illustrative phrase to use to describe the situation that we envision.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: I assume your point was does victory mean they lose all their territory? Does victory mean what? What did you make of that exchange?

KNOX: Well, you know, what I wanted was not just a repetition of the strategy, but an idea of what are we looking at in terms of benchmarks of progress and what is the end state here? What is victory really?

And he did go into a little bit more detail than just inviting me to consult Webster's fine publication. He did talk about degrading them to a point where they don't pose a threat to the United States.

He did talk about later about reclaiming Iraqi territory. Huge foreign policy national security and of course, ultimately a political question.

JACKIE KUCINICH, "WASHINGTON POST": That's what I was hearing on the Hill yesterday. Members of Congress, Senate and House are asking the same question. So clearly the administration has not yet answered what defines victory to anyone's satisfaction.

KING: They have to know, fairly or unfairly, they are operating in this environment, during the post-Iraq war environment, where number one, a lot of things that were said by senior officials at the White House, including people at the podium, did not turn out not to be true.

And number two, a lot of reporters I think had buyer's remorse that they weren't tougher in those post 9/11 days asking more skeptical questions. So Josh has to know this is coming, right?

KNOX: Yes, he does and I think he did. He bought a little time with the opening sentence. They know this is a major question. One of the problems that we're having at the White House is frequently when you ask, what are benchmarks for success, and what does victory look like, is they repeat the strategy, which isn't quite the same thing as asking what will the strategy accomplish.

KING: The strategy is what you're going to. The idea is when do you know you're done? It's a fair question and it will be a fair question going forward. Let's move on to fun politics, a very big weekend out in Iowa this weekend.

Hillary Clinton makes a statement, yes, she's given a lot of speeches since she left the State Department. But she hasn't done any overtly political events, certainly not in the first presidential caucus state. She will this weekend, Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton showing up at the Tom Harken Steak Fry, it's an iconic event where people who want to be president show up and give a speech.

So it's a clear signal there. Look at this brand new poll being released as we speak this morning on "Inside Politics." The 2016 Democrats, your choice in Iowa.

Hillary Clinton, 53 percent, Vice President Biden at 15 percent, Elizabeth Warren at 7 percent, and Bernie Sanders at 5 percent. Jackie, that is a huge lead for Hillary Clinton.

Bernie Sanders is actually going to be in Iowa this weekend, three town halls. Joe Biden is going next week for some events. She was leading once, not by that big of a margin in 2007 heading into 2008. Is she comfortable about that?

KUCINICH: You know, I think, Hillary Clinton, Iowa has kind of been her waterloo, why not? It's in Iowa, too. So I think she's got some work to do there. These are great numbers, I think part of it is name recognition at this point in the cycle.

Yes, Iowans, especially women like Hillary Clinton and they want to hear more from her. As we know, in Iowa, visiting people touching every single person in that state personally matters.

KING: How much of a signal, just showing up, is that the signal this weekend?

KNOX: Look, we really have to rephrase our fundamental question about Hillary Clinton. It's not will she run? It's will she stop running, right? She's taken all of these different steps.

At this point, it would be a real surprise if she opted not to make a push for it. To Jackie's point, with her name recognition and clout in the Democratic Party and fundraising abilities she's a shoe-in to get the nomination in 2008.

We have to be careful with this stuff. We don't know, it is name recognition. What we don't know yet is we don't have a settled field. We don't know who else is in there. Is there another Barack Obama figure who could come in there?

KING: We had that surprise in 2008. We had huge surprises in 2010. In 2012 was not a surprise year, but we had some volatility. Who knows? We'll see what happens this year. So keep watch something is the point of this one.

One of the things she'll do and Bill Clinton will do is urge Democrats to be involved this November. And there's reason to be. That's big Senate race, Tom Harkin, the senator hosting the steak fry is retiring.

In the race to succeed him, another brand poll we are releasing right now. Look at this dead heat. Bruce Braley is the Democrat. He's a congressman, 49 percent. Joanie Ernst, 48 percent, the Republican candidate.

If you're the Republicans, you're happy here because Iowa is a blue state. President Obama carried it comfortably twice. You have a dead heat in Iowa. Republicans slightly ahead in some of the red states that has to be a cause of concern.

KUCINICH: Well, Joanie Ernst came out very strong from a five-way primary and I think it's helped her and Bruce Braley suffered from unforced errors. Right now when you look at the numbers, this is a fight over the middle.

Democrats are voting for Bruce Braley and Republicans are voting for Joanie Ernst and it's that middle that they're going to be fighting for and it's a very soft middle. They don't know where they're going to go yet.

KING: Do these numbers shock you? This was the state that launched President Obama. This is where he beat Hillary Clinton in the 2008 caucuses, his launching ground into the national politics.

Look at the president's approval rating right now in Iowa, 37 percent approve and 56 percent disapprove. Again, in a normal midterm year, that would tell me if that number holds and that race is still close on Election Day. That tells me the Republicans will win because of anti-president sentiment.

KNOX: Bruce Braley while he is a sitting congressman is not really the incumbent. So he is not going to get the same kind of name recognition bump that your typical incumbent would get. The approval rating numbers don't surprise me that much.

The president is really struggling coast to coast and Democrats will tell you that he's a great fundraising asset, but you don't want to be running as, I'm Obama's favorite senator from state x.

KING: This is another race where I think we see some early evidence. We'll see how it plays out. We got several weeks to go, but that the focus on security issues, the focus on ISIS is making a slightly smaller gender gap than normal and helping the Republicans, what we called in 2004, security moms. Women voters who are less concerned about the economy right now and more anxious about a terrorist threat.

KUCINICH: And it doesn't hurt that Joanie Ernst is a veteran.

KNOX: We haven't seen -- there is a huge polling gap between Republicans and Democrats on whom Americans trust more on terrorism. It hasn't been this large in years, while this is not a national security election, I think it's going to be an important factor.

KING: Olivier, Jackie, I want to thank you for coming. As we get back to Chris in New York, he's the president of the United States, his wife is pretty famous, the first lady of the United States. But the president and first lady leave the White House to go to an event in D.C. There's someone in the beginning who sounds a tad disappointed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I'll tell you a little bit about that.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: I really wanted it to be Beyonce.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: I understand. Malia and Sasha would feel the same way.

MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY: You thought we were going to be Beyonce?

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: But this, I realize it was going to be you, that's even better.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: See, there. I appreciate you saying that in front of the press. I know it's not really true, but that's OK.

MICHELLE OBAMA: I would rather see Beyonce.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: It happens to you all the time, right? You show up and people say I thought it was going to be Beyonce or Justin Bieber, something like that.

CUOMO: Or they were hoping for Andrew or Mario. It's usually Cuomo status where I lose. The little girl, she may be a politician. She switched her answer when she saw how it was playing to her audience.

KING: Good on her feet, fast on her feet.

CUOMO: And it happens to be true. Our royalty, are not our politicians, it's our entertainers. John, have a very good weekend, my brother. It's always good to see you.

All right, so you've heard that Oscar Pistorius is going to be looking at a prison sentence, the question is, how long could it be? A judge did find him guilty of culpable homicide. It's like manslaughter under U.S. law because of what he did to cause his girlfriend's death. We were live at the courthouse. We are still there in South Africa to give you the latest of what's going on.

And then the mother of James Foley. You know who he is, beheaded by ISIS, she's blasting the U.S. government saying she's embarrassed and appalled by how her son's case was handled. We have her exclusive CNN interview, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to NEW DAY, everyone. After six months, we finally have a verdict now in one of the most sensational murder trials in years -- Oscar Pistorius found guilty of culpable homicide. A judge in South Africa ruling he unintentionally, but illegally killed his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

But the judge has now granted him bail. CNN's Robyn Curnow live outside the courthouse in Pretoria. Robyn, just a short time ago, we saw Oscar Pistorius walk away free from the courthouse, granted bail after being found guilty of culpable homicide. Is that unusual in the legal system there?

ROBYN CURNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, I don't think it is unusual because what you've seen is a very thorough trial. This has been meticulous. People have criticized the judge perhaps for really letting this run so long, but she had to hear all the details.

And no, she has ruled based on the criminal justice system and the law and the evidence in front of her, that she felt he acted negligently. He didn't intend to kill his girlfriend.

And frankly, there are a lot of examples. For example, a man killed 10 school children by driving recklessly. He was convicted of culpable homicide and got eight years in prison.

So this is certainly not a shocking revelation at all. This is about justice and how the judge perceived and saw the evidence in front of her.

BERMAN: It will be how the judge perceives and sees this case that dictates the sentencing. Because she is the one who will determine that at a hearing on October 13th. What are the parameters? Any guidelines that might exist for this verdict of culpable homicide within your system?

CURNOW: Well, there is no minimum/maximum sentence, she has a smorgasbord of options to choose from, anything from community service to suspended sentence, to years in jail. What is important is that it's going to be a week-long hearing on the 13th to the 17th.

And new evidence can be laid out before her. A lot more character evidence can be introduced about Oscar Pistorius. The issue around his disability, the report that he spent a month having a psychological analysis, all of that now will really play into how she thinks she should sentence him.

And it's not just about justice for Oscar Pistorius, but it's also about justice for Reeva Steenkamp. She's going to have to weigh that up. And I think there's a lot of options for her. And you certainly can't call it. That's for sure.

BERMAN: All right, we'll have to wait and see again the hearing on October 13th. Robyn Curnow, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

The mother of executed American journalist, James Foley, says the government did not do enough to try to rescue her son. We have her exclusive interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper, coming up.

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CUOMO: Listen to this, the mother of murdered American journalist, James Foley, says she's appalled by the U.S. government's handled her son's case. Last night in an exclusive interview with Anderson Cooper, Diane Foley, accused the government of getting in her family's way in their efforts to get their son home, even threatening them with prosecution. Here's more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DIANE FOLEY, JAMES FOLEY'S MOTHER: I really feel that our country let Jim down, and --

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, "AC360": In what way?

FOLEY: Well, Anderson, I -- we met wonderful people within our government, good people who care, who wanted to help, but the reality of the bureaucracy and really was such that we were not helped.

COOPER: Did you feel that your family, that Jim was a priority for the government?

FOLEY: No, we really didn't.

COOPER: How did you get that sense?

FOLEY: As an American, I was embarrassed and appalled, you know, I think our efforts to get Jim freed were an annoyance, you know? And --

COOPER: An annoyance to the government?

FOLEY: Yes. Jim would have been saddened. Jim believed until the end that his country would come to their aid. We were, you know, asked to not go to the media, to just trust that it would be taken care of. We were told we could not raise ransom, that it was illegal, we might be prosecuted.

COOPER: You were told you would be prosecuted if you raised the ransom?

FOLEY: It was a real possibility, we were told that many times. We were told that our government would not exchange prisoners, would not do a military action. So we were just told to trust.

COOPER: Were you surprised when you were told that you could be prosecuted if you tried to raise money?

FOLEY: I was horrified, I was horrified, because we had had legal counsel that had assured us no family of a captive American had been prosecuted for trying to get their child freed.

COOPER: There was a rescue effort apparently made.

FOLEY: Yes, late, very late, yes.

COOPER: It should have been sooner?

FOLEY: We feel that the location, their location was known for more than a year.

COOPER: It was? FOLEY: Yes. They had been moved a couple of times, but there was also two times when they were at a location that we were aware of for months.

COOPER: Did you have that intelligence yourself? Did you know that, what was happening to him, where he was?

FOLEY: Anderson, to be honest that part was rather frightening. We tended to know everything before the FBI or anyone else.

COOPER: How so?

FOLEY: Because we did everything we could. I went to Europe several times to interview the European freed hostages, just so I could find out how Jim was, what's going on. Everyone was kind and supportive, but the FBI used us for information.

COOPER: Really? They came to you for information?

FOLEY: Absolutely.

COOPER: About his location, about --

FOLEY: Absolutely.

COOPER: It's amazing to me that you flew overseas to actually interview --

FOLEY: No, it's not, Anderson. As a mother, I was frantic.

COOPER: You'd do anything.

FOLEY: Anderson, Jim was an incredible human being. He was very courageous and had a heart. Anyone who knew him loved him. I did all I could. I was unable to do enough.

COOPER: I understand he actually got a letter to you through one of the other hostages.

FOLEY: He did, Anderson, thank God.

COOPER: Which is an extraordinary thing. It wasn't a physical letter, the other hostage memorized the letter.

FOLEY: Exactly.

COOPER: I have an excerpt, can I read it?

FOLEY: Of course.

COOPER: I think it's extraordinarily moving. "Dreams of family and friends take me away and happiness fills my heart." It's such a sign of resilience that in the midst of this --

FOLEY: He was privileged. He was privileged. As many of us Americans are, and he knew that, and I think the more he saw suffering, certainly when he became a journalist in conflict zones, his heart just got bigger.

COOPER: As I was watching the president speak last night I was wondering if you were watching.

FOLEY: Yes, I watched.

COOPER: So what was going through your mind?

FOLEY: I feel that our government needs to be shrewder, smarter, willing to negotiate with these people who hate us so that we can find better ways to rid ourselves of terror.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PEREIRA: It's amazing to me how strongly and calmly and pragmatically she speaks. I think that if I were in her position I would still be so torn up. She's very, she's had a chance to process this, it would seem.

CUOMO: Right, not only is she making very intelligent points, certainly there at the end about what we should be doing right now in the U.S., but that she's doing it under the stress and strain of loss that she's had is really amazing.

There are a lot of questions about what was done, what wasn't done with James Foley as well as with Sotloff. So if you want to learn more about the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, it has a lot of information about him and what's going on, that will follow him forward, you can visit jamesfoleyfund.org. OK.

PEREIRA: So from to that this, preparing to strike ISIS. U.S. surveillance flights are now tracking potential terror targets inside Syria. The CIA now estimating ISIS fighting force is three times previously thought. The latest details ahead in a live report.

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