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Final Week Campaign Jitters; Ferguson Police Chief Expected To Step Down; Kurdish YPG Fighters Defying ISIS

Aired October 29, 2014 - 07:30   ET

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

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: If you're like me and probably the rest of the world, you're a fan of Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, you'll be sad to learn that January's Golden Globes will be their swan song, if you will.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: What?

PEREIRA: Their last time hosting the awards show. Third straight year that Tina and Amy host the Globes. Last year's telecast scored the best ratings in a decade. Poehler says they realized after three years as hosts, there's really nowhere to go but down.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: I like that, going out on top.

PEREIRA: But we -- I just love them. I think everything they do is so fun and good.

CAMEROTA: Yes. They're fun to watch.

PEREIRA: I agree.

CUOMO: Boo, that's depressing. We need a return to good news, here it is, let's get to "Inside Politics" on NEW DAY, with John King, the man, the myth, the world traveler. Good to have you, my friend.

JOHN KING, CNN HOST, "INSIDE POLITICS": Not going to ask me to replace Tina and Amy on the Golden Globes.

CUOMO: It's an obvious choice, John. You're very intelligent, charming and accessible.

CAMEROTA: You look great in an evening gown.

KING: But not that funny.

CAMEROTA: What's going on, John, where are you?

KING: I'm in beautiful Louisville, Kentucky this morning, spent the day driving across the state of Kentucky. Logging about 350 miles, this is one of the marquee Senate races in country. You have Mitch McConnell, the Senate Republican leader. He has been in the Senate for 30-plus years.

If the Republicans get what they think they will get next Tuesday, Alisyn and Chris, which is a net game of at least six Senate seats, Mitch McConnell is in line to be the Senate majority leader. But he's got a really close race here.

It's interesting, Democrats pulled their money out a little more than a week ago and then rushed money back in. We wanted to get a sense on the ground and we drove across the state. What's interesting this is a race fuelled by negative impressions.

Mitch McConnell is running against Alison Grimes saying she would be a vote for Barack Obama. The president carried just four counties here in Kentucky last time. If there's any state where you should have an anti-Obama sentiment in this midterm election year, it's here in the state of Kentucky.

And yet she is running against anti-Washington, saying Mitch McConnell is the poster child for everything you don't like about Washington. They can't pass anything. It's so partisan and polarize. So you have the two biggest forces in the election.

Anti-Obama sentiment, anti-Washington, anti-incumbent sentiment essentially on a collision course, here's what we found. Alison Grimes has a chance. Democrats are very excited about this race because Mitch McConnell has been their nemesis for long time.

They have close, but they don't think they've ever had this kind of a chance before so they are energized. We went to the maker's Mark Distillery. You meet a fabulous woman named Cindy Anderson and then you get discouraged.

She said she'll vote in local and county elections, she says sees not go to vote for Washington because Washington doesn't matter. Interesting in coal country, we meet a guy named Rex Scott, who is 70 years old, the vice chairman of the Ohio County Republican Party.

He says for the first time in his life, he doesn't know if Mitch McConnell is going to win. He says it's that close. He thinks some local county races may bring Democrats out to the polls and help Alison Grimes, even in a place where Republicans do well.

And among Republicans we met, guys, this is what you get, there's no great, I can't wait to send Mitch McConnell back to Washington. The Republicans you meet say I'm a Republican, I feel an obligation to vote and I'm worried about President Obama and she's too liberal.

There's not a great deal of enthusiasm for either candidate. It's the anti-sentiment, either Anti-Obama or anti-McConnell. But this is going to be a close one of election night.

CUOMO: Even after the hound dog commercials with McConnell didn't end it? Not yet? All right, then let's change states --

KING: He's trying to be a little funny at the end. I was watching TV last night. There's a lot of negative ads, not just funny ads.

CUOMO: It is about the balance of what they thought was going to be happen. Take us to Alaska, because that's a place where the GOP thought they had one type of incumbent.

KING: This is where you're seeing last-minute jitters everywhere. Alaska is a tough state. You've got fair banks and you've got to go out into the rural areas. So Dan Sullivan is the Republican candidate running against the Democratic incumbent, Mark Begich.

This is one of the seats Republicans have been counting from the very beginning. Remember, they need a net gain of six seats, Alaska has been at the top of the list since the beginning of the year.

Dan Sullivan has been ahead narrowly. But now Mitt Romney and Ted Cruz are going to Alaska in the final week. Why, because Republicans have a case of the jitters.

They still think they're going to win this race, but this is what's happening across the country. Across Kentucky I'm making a phone calls, sending a ton of emails to people in different states, from Democrats and Republicans, you are getting the same thing.

We think we're OK, but, we will have some new polling in the morning. When you see things like that big-name surrogates like Cruz and Romney going all the way to Alaska, it tells you how tense or tight the eight or ten top races are in the final days.

CUOMO: Hard to poll places like Alaska, Colorado, because they get, you know, it gets so extreme in terms of how rural it is.

CAMEROTA: Make sense. OK, let's talk about Kansas. What's happening there?

KING: Well, this is another great race. Remember you've got a Republican Pat Roberts incumbent on the ballot. The fact that Republicans have to worry about a ruby red state like Kansas in the final week, it tells you everything.

There is no Democrat on the ballots. It's the independent Greg Orman, running against Washington. He is saying both parties are broken. I think Republicans think they stabilized this race, but even here they bringing in some big-name surrogates at the last minute.

Romney was out there before. Bob Dole has been back in his home state trying to help Pat Roberts, and Rand Paul out there, another big name trying to convince libertarian and independent-minded Republicans.

Rand Paul is an interesting one. If you gave him truth serum, Pat Roberts is one of those Washington guys that he doesn't like that much. He thinks the system is broken himself.

But Rand Paul is trying to run for president in 2016 so he is using the final weeks of the campaign not only to help 2014 candidates, but to essentially tell the Republican establishment, look, I'm helping you out here in 2016 don't be so doubtful about me.

Maybe you want to help me out in 2016. A lot of the surrogates have short-term interest in 2014. They are also thinking about their personal interests in 2016. CAMEROTA: We should give all politicians truth serum that would be an interesting debate.

CUOMO: There's your million dollar idea.

KING: Wouldn't it be fun.

CUOMO: Where are you going next, my brother?

KING: We're going to leave here today and I'm going up to flying first to Boston, which has a great governor's race, my home state of Massachusetts has a couple of congressional races that are competitive.

Joe Biden is going in today to try to help a Democrat, who is trying to hold on to a seat just north of Boston. The governor's race there is a dead heat.

Spend a little time in Massachusetts. I'll stop by Harvard and talk to some students there as well today at the Institute of Politics where I spent some time last year.

And then yesterday, we'll be in the great state of New Hampshire, where again, you have a very tough Senate race, incumbent Senator Jean Shaheen going against former Senator Scott Brown. Have fun in the granite state as well.

CAMEROTA: That's great. Sounds like a fun tour and thanks for sharing it with us.

KING: Might come home eventually.

CUOMO: He is going home, going to Massachusetts, that's where he's from. The best way to cover is to get out there and show people what's happening on the ground. No better at it than John King.

Another story for you this morning, Ferguson, Missouri, has been living in the shadow of the Michael Brown shooting for months, no disputing that. Now there's a new level to the controversy about the police chief there.

There's word that he's going to resign, maybe he's being fired. He says no, the mayor says no. so what's going on?

CAMEROTA: And united against ISIS, America's unlikely new ally on the ground in Syria. We have details for you in a live report.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PEREIRA: All right, welcome back to NEW DAY. A potential shake up at the Ferguson Police Department. Government sources telling CNN that Chief Thomas Jackson is expected to step down as early as next week.

However, Chief Jackson says he is not being pushed out. Local officials hope his removal will quell tension in that town as residents wait a decision on whether or not the grand jury will bring charges against Officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of Michael Brown.

For more on this, we want to turn to Tom Fuentes, a CNN law enforcement analyst and former FBI assistant director, and also CNN commentator and legal analyst, Mel Robbins.

Good morning to the two of you. Thank you so much. I'll start with you, Tom, we know that the chief in Ferguson has been absolutely resolute. Saying, quote, "This is mine and I'm taking ownership of it."

Talking about what has happened in Ferguson and the Michael Brown case. There's been backlash. We know there's been pressure. Look at the tweet, the Ferguson PD issued.

The chief says he has not resigned, he has not been told to resign. He has not been fired. If he leaves, it will be his choice alone. What's going on here? Our sources say that he's out.

TOM FUENTES, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, Michaela, at the end of the day, it will not be his choice alone. And I think he probably will be out at the end. One of the difficult things for him has been even what he's done himself.

He's taken ownership for every problem that's resulted since the time of the shooting. Even items he couldn't own. For example, one thing he could take ownership of is that he didn't brief the public from the first day of the shooting from the first hours.

To be out there and explaining to the people what was going on and why it was going on. Particularly in the beginning, the body of Michael Brown was lying on the street for four hours because of Missouri law.

He had no control over that. Once he was pronounced dead, the medical examiner takes control. The local police are not allowed to touch the body or do anything with the body until the crime scene investigation is over.

And at that particular time at 12 noon on that afternoon, the crime scene investigators were 30 miles away at another crime scene. By the time they got there, an hour and a half had elapsed and they had to do their work.

Jackson had no control over that the militarized look of the police that came, that was the county sheriff's office, he had no control over that. So some of the things he's taken ownership of, he didn't own.

PEREIRA: Mel, I'm curious what your thoughts are. You think this move would be wise? Will it help? Will it make a difference?

MEL ROBBINS, CNN COMMENTATOR AND LEGAL ANALYST: Well, Michaela, first of all, I agree with absolutely everything that Tom just said. Secondly, I don't think this is going to make a difference at all.

Because what the folks that are protesting are upset about, is that there hasn't been an indictment. If we think back to the George Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin case, a very similar scenario took place.

The shooting occurred in February and then the chief was asked to step down in April and that did nothing to calm the protests.

PEREIRA: Mel, a quick follow-up before I get back to Tom. Some are saying this smell as little funky. That this might be a way of sort of trying to appease people in the community ahead of no indictment of Officer Wilson, what do you think of that?

ROBBINS: I absolutely agree with that. I mean, if you look at the case from like a Google Earth point of view. There's nothing but a PR massage going on. As reported by the "New York Times," the "Washington Post," by us, by the "St. Louis Dispatch," there have been unprecedented leaks by this grand jury.

And what it tells me is that we're marching towards no indictment. I think the officials both on the ground in Ferguson and also at the federal level are starting to worry there will be a powder keg that erupts. I would be shocked at this point if we have actually an indictment.

PEREIRA: We're hearing reports that police have been stocking up on riot gear, tear gas, less lethal ammunition, plastic handcuffs, are you concerned that things are going to overheat there?

FUENTES: They're going to overheat. That would be absolutely true. I agree with Mel, whether he's resigned, or is fired, it won't matter at the end of the day if Wilson isn't arrested, prosecuted and jailed for shooting Michael Brown, nothing less will appease anybody.

You have members of the community and other leaders saying statements in the press like there will be carnage. There will be violence. There will be destruction.

And they're saying not just in Ferguson, but across the country, in other African-American communities. The police better be planning and they better be stocking up because they've been told, this is going to happen.

PEREIRA: Let's hope there are steps in the right direction. Because we know how tense things are there speaking of, there's reports and rumors that perhaps the man tapped to take over Chief Jackson, would be Chief Belmar, who is the St. Louis police chief. Mel, do you think that will help or do you think that is just sort of a different misstep?

ROBBINS: I think it's a different misstep. I think the biggest misstep here is this grand jury has more holes than a chunk of Swiss cheese for crying out loud. You do not have leaks coming out of a grand jury.

And in a system where you're supposed to be giving the public confidence in the judicial system because of the leaks, Michaela and Tom, it's doing the opposite. It's making people feel like not only is this not transparent, but it's actually stacked against anything happening. And what's so scary about this is that everybody should be focused on the truth coming out. And the only thing coming out of the grand jury is a narrative that is supporting Officer Wilson.

And even if it's true at this point, because of how this has been handled, no one is going to be satisfied with the result. Not Officer Wilson. Not Michael Brown's family and certainly not the folks that live in Ferguson -- Michaela.

PEREIRA: Mel Robbins, Tom Fuentes, thank you. We all can say a collective prayer that things remain calm in Ferguson and beyond. Thank you so much for joining us today -- Chris.

CUOMO: All right, Mich, thanks for that discussion. We're hearing that the U.S. is gaining a new ally in its battle to wipe out ISIS. This is going to come as a surprise. It's not about men. It's about women, who have been taking on extremists for over a year. We're going to take you to the conflict zone and give you the latest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: Iraqi Peshmerga fighters are joining the fight against ISIS today. They are making their way to Syria. The United States has another formidable ally. This is a small Kurdish faction called the YPG and there's something very unique about them.

Let's bring in senior international correspondent, Ivan Watson, live from Erbil, Iraq. Tell us more, Ivan.

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. This is a Kurdish faction that hasn't gotten a lot of attention during the three-year vicious Syrian civil was. We traveled across the border into Kurdish controlled Syria to bring this report. Meet America's newest de facto allies on the ground in the fight against ISIS in Syria.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SINGING)

WATSON (voice-over): Don't be fooled by the pretty song. These women are part of a militia that is ISIS's most deadly enemy in Syria -- Kurdish fighters from the People's Protection Units, or YPG. They've fought ISIS on the ground in Syria for more than a year. Only recently, they started getting help from the U.S. in the form of air strikes and weapons drops, a surprising turn of events for this secular, Marxist-rooted movement, which includes many fighters who have long battled America's NATO ally, Turkey.

(on camera): An important part of this Kurdish movement's ideology is founded on gender equality, that means female fighters fight and bleed on the front lines. And that stands in sharp contrast to ISIS, which has been covering women up and hiding them from public life.

(voice-over): Addressing the crowd, a top Kurdish official who urges the fighters to protect their people from becoming slaves of ISIS. She is the co-president of one of three Kurdish statelets in northern Syria that have largely governed themselves for the last three years.

HADIYE YUSUF, CO-PRESIDENT OF JAZIR CANTON (via translator): Our dream is to build a democratic society that includes Arabs, Christians, and Kurds living together in unity.

WATSON: The Kurds call region Rojava, some of them clearly proud of their experiment in self-rule. Life in the town of Derek looks relatively peaceful and secular, unlike other parts of Syria taken over by Islamist militias. But the streets here feel empty: many of the town's Christian residents have fled and more keep leaving.

(on camera): This is a sad day for your family. Why?

PETER ISSA, RESIDENT: Yes, because they will go out from our country.

WATSON (voice-over): Peter Issa's tearful mother and sister waved good-bye from inside a 1954 DeSoto. Their destination, Germany.

The town's shirnking Christian flock can still walk peacefully through the streets to Sunday school, enjoy the protection of the Kurds. But the Kurds are paying dearly. At this memorial ceremony, mothers and wives of dead fighters, and this widow. She says ISIS killed her husband last year and mutilated his body.

"If I didn't have these children, I myself would go and fight," she swears. Her young son already wears the uniform of a future Kurdish fighter.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATSON: Alisyn, the Kurds are described as the largest ethnic group that doesn't have a country of its own, often fractured by political and linguistic differences. The YPG's defense of this border town of Kobani has served as a real unifying force.

It's brought together Kurds from Turkey, from Syria, from Iraq and unprecedented show of unity against this ISIS enemy that has even brought in the U.S., which has backed up the YPG Kurdish fighters with airstrikes and again those weapons drops --Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Ivan, that is a remarkable story. Thank you so much for introducing us to them. What a fighting force, and the contrast to what ISIS stands for.

CUOMO: And they've been doing it for a long time. It's dangerous to reach where they are. Ivan is always prepared to take that risk and we're going to hear more about them as this conflict goes on.

CAMEROTA: Incredible.

Meanwhile, one of our top stories, massive fireball moments after takeoff, look at this, that was an unmanned rocket exploding seconds after takeoff on its way to resupply the International Space Station. What went wrong?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CUOMO: Midair explosion, just seconds after liftoff, an unmanned cargo rocket explodes on a mission to resupply the International Space Station. The big question is, why did this go so wrong and does this catastrophe jeopardize our astronauts up in space?

CAMEROTA: And heightened security, Homeland Security is beefing up as thousands of federal buildings on watch, one week after that shooting spree in Canada's parliament building. Is the ramped up security just precautionary or is it signs of an eminent threat?

PEREIRA: One coin at a time. A group of modern day Robin Hooders in trouble with the law for feeding expired parking meters before officers can issue tickets. The legal battle is now before the state Supreme Court. Are they saving the day or breaking the law?

CUOMO: Your NEW DAY continues right now.