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Secretary Hagel in Baghdad; Royal Visit Coincides with Garner Protest; Sony Hackers Make New Threat; Bracing for CIA Torture Report

Aired December 09, 2014 - 06:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Good to have you back with us here on NEW DAY.

Here's a look at your headlines:

The Senate's controversial CIA torture report is set to be released in about four and a half hours. Officials are fearing that this could trigger attacks against Americans. U.S. military bases and diplomatic posts are on heightened alert. This report is expected to detail instances of waterboarding and enhanced interrogation techniques used by the CIA after the 9/11 attacks.

Also breaking overnight, Chuck Hagel, defense secretary, has touched down in Baghdad. A spokesman for the Pentagon says he'll visit troops, thank them for their work in the ongoing fight against ISIS.

Our chief national security correspondent Jim Sciutto is traveling with Hagel. He joins us via Skype.

And I understand, you just finished a 15-minute sit-down with the secretary of defense. A lot of important issues on his plate. What did you talk about?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And this is one of the places, Michaela, where they're concerned about possible retaliation for the terror report. I asked Secretary Hagel about this. He said he has put all of his combatant commands on alert with the release of this report today. He said some of the redactions of the report have helped a bit, but they are still concerned.

He also said they have heard no specific threats, but, listen, they're taking every precautions. A lot of commanders we've spoken to here in Iraq as well as in Afghanistan over the weekend, concerned about the repercussions of this and Secretary Hagel told me he wants to be prepared, Michaela, to doing everything they can.

PEREIRA: Also, did you have a chance to speak with him about the Luke Somers, attempted rescue of that young man?

SCIUTTO: I did and I asked him is a review planned. You had two failed attempts to rescue Luke Somers. You had an earlier failed attempt to rescue Jim Foley, you'll remember, in Syria. And his answer was this, he said, that listen, every rescue plan is

reviewed very thoroughly and these were reviewed thoroughly. Everyone had to go through the intelligence. They did their best. He said there's always a risk, sadly that the hostage might be killed. And that was the sad result here. But he said no formal review is planned for rescue missions going forward.

PEREIRA: Jim Sciutto in Baghdad, thank you for that. We appreciate it.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State John Kerry is going to testify today before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about the use of military force against ISIS. This after a top U.S. commander told the BBC the U.S.-led coalition will send 1,500 additional troops to Iraq to fight ISIS. Secretary Kerry is also expected to address today's release of that torture report detailing Bush-era CIA interrogation tactics.

Hey, you know, you've heard of road rage and air rage, how about nut rage. I have a story to tell you. Korean Airlines executive Heather Cho has resigned after a bizarre incident in which she forced a passenger at JFK airport to turn around when she took issue with the way she was served her nuts. Apparently, a flight attendant in first class gave her macadamia nuts in a bag, rather than on a plate.

Officials say Cho demanded the crew member be taken off the flight. By the way, Cho is the daughter of Korean Airline CEO. She was in charge of in-flight service. The airline has since apologized to passengers for the delay.

ALISYM CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: That's just nuts.

PEREIREA: It absolutely is. Macadamia nuts.

CAMEROTA: Really, it is. Wow.

All right. Thank you for that Michaela.

PEREIRA: You're welcome, dear.

CAMEROTA: Well, a superstar summit in New York has British royalty meets music royalty. Beyonce and Jay-Z welcoming the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to the Big Apple during Monday's Cleveland Cavs-Brooklyn Nets game. Their courtside appearance coincided with a mass protest outside, a so-called die-in over the grand jury's decision in the Eric Garner case.

Today, the royals observe a moment of reflection at the 9/11 memorial followed by a posh charity dinner.

Max Foster is following all of the action for us.

Good morning.

MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: About dinner, 450 seats, many of them $10,000 each. All sold out. So, things pretty going well for them, raising lots of money. They appear to be having a good time.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER (voice-over): It wasn't an anti-royal protest, but it was meant to disrupt the royal tour in the name of the Garner protests. It didn't affect what happened inside, though. The duke and duchess taking in the game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Brooklyn Nets, alongside some other familiar faces. Earlier in the day, her royal highness hit Harlem and a craft class for kids from underprivileged backgrounds, but with an eye for royalty.

But which princess?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They think you're out of "Frozen."

(LAUGHTER)

FOSTER: Ah, that princess.

The wrong princess maybe, but that's what Kate does, she brings fairy tales to life. And it fascinates America.

Meanwhile, Kate's prince, William, had an appointment at the White House. The president wanted to repay the hospitality he received at Buckingham Palace. And he asked if William knew the sex of the baby they're expecting in April. The answer was no.

Then, to the World Bank and a speech about the cause closest to William's heart, the trade in illegal wildlife parts.

PRINCE WILLIAM, DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE: It is wrong that children growing up in countries vulnerable to wildlife crime are losing their birthrights, in order to fuel the greed of international criminals. And that those children will face greater hardship and insecurity as this crime traps them in poverty.

FOSTER: William's passion on the subject is shared with Hillary Clinton. They met up to discuss it in New York.

HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: The more our conservation groups band together, and divide up the work that has to be done, we will be much better and more effective together than any of us could be individually.

FOSTER: Royalty opens doors, and America has happily rolled out the red carpet.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Lots to talk about, another thing people are talking about today, look at these pictures.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

FOSTER: An etiquette moment.

CAMEROTA: A faux pas.

FOSTER: Well, you know, I don't think Kate would have mind, but there's LeBron putting his arm around the duchess, breaking all those etiquette rules. But she doesn't mind.

CAMEROTA: You're not allowed to touch the royals.

FOSTER: You'll remember a while ago, Michelle Obama hut her hand on the queen's back.

CAMEROTA: There's a whole brouhaha.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: The prince is right there, he seems OK with it.

FOSTER: He's cool with it.

CAMEROTA: He's standing at a respectful distance.

FOSTER: (INAUDIBLE) get used to it.

CAMEROTA: That's great. Thanks so much, Max.

CUOMO: All right. We're going to tell you this crazy story that's going on with a movie that made a country very angry. More threats for Sony this morning after the devastating hack attack, and all over this film that's supposed to be a comedy. Meanwhile, there's new evidence that North Korea is behind the hacking. We're going to tell you what could be coming next.

CAMEROTA: And more professional athletes making personal statements about the chokehold death of Eric Garner. Can superstars like LeBron James be a catalyst for change? We're digging deeper.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: New information for you on this bizarre story. The group that claimed it hacked to Sony's computer system is making new demands this morning, saying the studio better cancel its new movie, "The Interview" or else. It's a comedy about a plot to assassinate Kim Jong Un. You can debate whether or not that's funny. But there's more evidence this morning that the group is threatening Sony. Really? It could be North Korea.

Now, first, let's deal with the movie. Take a look at the clip --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You two are going to be in a room alone with Kim.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got the interview.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The CIA would love it if you could take him out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hmm? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Take him out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like for drinks?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like to dinner.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Take him out of town?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, take him out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You want us to kill the leader of North Korea?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: All right. See, that's what has them upset right there.

Let's break this down with Bobby Ghosh, CNN global affairs analyst and managing editor of "Quartz", and Brian Stelter, CNN senior medical correspondent and, of course, host of "RELIABLE SOURCES".

So, Bobby, let's start with this. It's in the context of funny. But this hacking is not funny at all. And it seems as though we kind of don't treat it as seriously as if they bombed the Sony building or something like that. But the destruction is very real.

What do you think?

BOBBY GHOSH, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Yes, the potential for corporate damage with this kind of hacking is huge, and that's also part of the signaling here. This is group is also in addition, specifically talking to Sony and this movie is also basically advertising itself to the world and saying this is what we're capable of doing. In the past, North Korea has hacked South Korean television stations, ATMs, mostly to make mischief.

Here in addition to mischief, there's an additional dose of menace.

CUOMO: Wait, hold on a second, because we want to be fair. When you say North Korea are, these people sympathetic to North Korea? Or do you believe there's government-sponsored action involved here?

GHOSH: Well, North Korea can have its cake and eat it, too. On the one hand, the government officially says, we have nothing to do with it. On the other hand, the group is saying that they're from North Korea and you had a government official overnight saying perhaps people sympathetic to us.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Supporters.

GHOSH: Supporters of us.

We know -- here's what we know: the South Koreans pay close attention to this. South Koreans intelligence says that there is an entire bureau. It's called Bureau 121. It's part of the North Korean spying operation, with up to 3,000 hackers. And they've done this before.

And as I said, they're traditionally attack South Korea and most of it was to disrupt.

CUOMO: But this is different.

Let's take a look at the full screen now, Brian, I want you to comment on this, of the latest threat. Here it is. "Stop immediately, showing the movie of terrorism which can break the regional peace and cause the war. You, Sony and FBI, cannot find us. We are perfect as much. The destiny of Sony is totally up to the wise reaction and measure of Sony."

STELTER: It sounds like they're calling for the film not to be premiering on Christmas Day.

CUOMO: You think?

STELTER: The way it is scheduled to do. And, by the way, Sony not backing down from the date. It's still scheduled to air on Christmas Day and they've been out promoting the film.

But to your point about bombs versus cyber attack, I reached a senior executive of Sony on its cell phone, because land lines are still not reliable at that company. They're still trying to get back online from this. And he called it a terrorist attack.

I thought that was a very significant phrase, he was making that point for two reasons. One, because it seems like a political act, an ideological act. And two, because of the way it's brought the company together. The people's Social Security numbers have been leaked, their emails have been leaked, their salaries have been leaked. It's been unifying moment for the company. That might be the one good thing out of this.

CUOMO: So, from the media perspective, Brian, you know, we got First Amendment, all that stuff. But the idea of this movie, do you think it's too provocative?

Full disclosure, we were offered a cameo role in the movie, just posing as what we are. We passed.

Putting that aside. Do you think it is too provocative, to insulting of a sovereign?

STELTER: I'm afraid to say that, because it is humor. I'm reminded of the time "The Daily Show" went to Iran and interviewed folks, and it was satire, but the government of Iran took it seriously and actually jailed one of the people that was interviewed by "The Daily Show".

This feels like it has some similarities. But we were talking about before how this would be covered differently if we were talking about Russia, making a film about the attempted assassination of Barack Obama.

CUOMO: Right. Then, how would we feel about that? What do you think, Bobby? What do you think?

GHOSH: I'm sure lots of people would be pissed off. Would American government encourage directly or indirectly hackers to attack the Russian movie company?

CUOMO: Probably not.

GHOSH: Very unlikely.

So, yes, there is -- this is a very specific case. The movie not talking about the assassination of a North Korean leader, it's specific, Kim Jong Un. So, you can see how the regime is upset.

STELTER: There's also no government, there's also no leader that's a punch line, like Kim Jong Un. Correct me if I'm wrong, I don't think there's anyone quite like him who is treated the way he is, who is criticized the way he is, and mocked the way he is.

CUOMO: But do you make fun of someone who has nuclear capabilities? Is there any kind of responsibility in entertainment here or no?

STELTER: I think it's a very slippery slope because if we start talking about that, we go way down the slope --

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: What if a Sony made a movie mocking Muhammad? What do you think about that, Bobby?

STELTER: That is one of the concerns here, self-censorship, if motion pictures studios are going to self censor because of concerns about this in the future.

GHOSH: Well, we make fun about Putin, he's a punching bag for stand- up comics. And also in movies in the past, we've done this with Saddam Hussein.

Some of these, these bad guys lend themselves to this kind of caricature. And they're practically caricatures themselves and in some cases they enjoy making caricatures.

STELTER: Because of this hack this may end up being one of the most expensive films that Sony has ever made. It's relatively cheap, but the devastation of the hack and recovery from it may turn out to be very expensive.

CUOMO: A movie we thought people weren't going to see, now a lot of people are going to see it and we'll see what the reaction is --

STELTER: Oh, now, I have to see it to see how it ends.

CUOMO: Brian Stelter and Bobby Ghosh, thank you very much. I think I called you a medical correspondent, you don't look like one at all. We'll stay with global affairs.

Alisyn?

CAMEROTA: Thanks so much, Chris.

Well, protesters gathered outside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn last night. Inside, LeBron James and other players showed their support for Eric Garner with "I can't breathe" t-shirts. We'll talk to a former pro-athlete about that message and the possible backlash.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: Protesters demonstrated outside the Barclays Center in New York last night over the Eric Garner and Michael Brown cases.

Inside the arena, members of the Brooklyn Nets and the Cleveland Cavaliers, including Kevin Garnett and LeBron James, made their own statements, wearing "I can't breathe" t-shirts in honor of Garner. These are just the latest professional athletes to join the public protests over the grand jury decisions in Ferguson, Missouri, and New York.

Let's bring in George Martin. He's a former co-captain and defensive end of the Super Bowl-winning New York Giants.

And Kavitha Davidson, a sports columnist for "Bloomberg View".

Great to have you both back with us.

GEORGE MARTIN, FORMER NFL PLAYER: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: OK. So, we're seeing all sorts of professional athletes, basketball players and football players on their t-shirts wearing "I can't breathe," sometimes on their wrist band, sometimes on their shows, or they're holding their hands up in the support solidarity of Michael Brown, in the "hands up, don't shoot" posture.

Kavitha, what's going on with professional athletes right now?

KAVITHA A. DAVIDSON, BLOOMBERG VIEW: I think you're seeing a galvanizing around an issue that's really resonated among the black community, and obviously, you know, you can't ignore the majority of the NFL, the majority of the NBA is comprised of black players. So, I think they're seeing their start to rise. They're seeing people galvanizing on social media. And they want to join it.

CAMEROTA: George, is this a new phenomena? Do you remember a time when so many professional athletes were making political statements like this?

MARTIN: Of course. I think we go back to Muhammad Ali, who I think the ring leader of this and was very outspoken, he was very active, Joe Frazier, all of those individuals galvanized around a central issue.

This is another watershed moment and I'm so proud to see these guys come out in support of that.

CAMEROTA: So, George, you're comfortable with this. Is this something that you would have done when were you playing?

MARTIN: Oh, absolutely. We did it for other issues. I think we saw the NFL support some of these issues as this became larger, such as breast cancer awareness or the military or more recently, domestic violence. So, I think this is another issue where they're going to have to step back and say, what do we do as an organization?

CAMEROTA: Here's what Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls said about why he's wearing a T-shirt in support of Eric Garner. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DERRICK ROSE, CHICAGO BULLS: Just happy that people paying attention to it. I think it touched a lot of people because I grew up in the impoverished area like that, and sometimes it happens a lot of times. And it just touched a lot of people and I just wanted to make sure that I got my point across.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: So, Kavitha, he can relate to it, he says because of his childhood. Does that send a bigger message? I mean, these guys are role models to so many kids.

DAVIDSON: Absolutely. That's what, that's what makes these demonstrations so meaningful is that not only are the majority of the players black, but the majority of these fans are also part of these communities that really need to see somebody tell them not only that their lives matter. But they've been able to make it we've been able to get a public profile and fame and fortune, and we still hear you and we still think that you matter.

CAMEROTA: And yet, George, they are breaking the rules. I mean, here is what the NBA commissioner Adam Silver said about this. Let me read it to you. He says, "I respect Derrick Rose and all of our players for voicing their personal views on important issues, but my preference would be for the players to abide by the on-court attire rules."

MARTIN: Of course, they are skirting the rules, and I think I applaud them for it it's a situation that really require as broader attention. These guys are using their platform.

Let's face it -- we're asked as professional athletes to do a lot, to be role models, to stand out and be leaders, and this is what these guys are doing -- they're demonstrating and using their platform for a very positive and very important cause.

CAMEROTA: So, Kavitha, what should the NBA and the NFL do about these players voicing their political views on this?

DAVIDSON: Nothing, frankly. You know the NFL immediately after the rams came out with their hands up don't shoot protest, the NFL was very smart, I think in saying -- we're not going to, we're not going to discipline them, even though the St. Louis Police Officers Association was calling for some kind of punishment.

Frankly, the NFL is dealing with so many other things that this is not -- and many of those things dealing with disciplinary overreach. So, this is not one of those things that would be smart and the NBA same thing. Both of these leagues have had very strange histories with their -- with their racial implications and with their relationships with the black players. And this is not the time to punish players for something as relatively innocuous and peaceful as these kinds of demonstrations.

CAMEROTA: But, George, does it put them at odds with the police?

MARTIN: I think it does, and that's unfortunate, because I think it's not a zero-sum gain. I think you can support the cause and the parents who have lost loved ones and sons without being opposed to the police officers. My question, is why isn't a police officer standing with some of these guys and saying, hey, there's a problem that we both need to address, if we continue to stay on the divide, we're never going to bridge the issue. We need to bridge it.

DAVIDSON: There was actually a group of black St. Louis police officers who came out and reprimanded the St. Louis Police Officers Association and stood with these players. So, you are starting to see that a little bit more. It would be nice if it were coming from broader police organizations.

MARTIN: Exactly.

DAVIDSON: But, you know, I think that it will snowball and that we're seeing that as well with athletes.

CAMEROTA: It's interesting to see the different allegiances forum across the divide.

George Martin, Kavitha Davidson, thanks so much for your thoughts on that.

Of course, we want to know what you think about athletes making these kinds of statements. So, you can find us all on Twitter. I'm @alisyncamerota. Or go to Facebook.com/NewDay.

Thanks so much, guys.

MARTIN: My pleasure.

CAMEROTA: All right. We're following a lot of news for you this morning. So, let's get right to it.

CUOMO: Good morning. Welcome back to NEW DAY. I'm Chris Cuomo. Alisyn Camerota is here as well, with Michaela Pereira.

The world is bracing for the release of the Senate CIA torture report just four hours from now. This is going to be a very big deal. It contains more than 400 pages detailing the darkest or worst or whatever word you want to use of interrogation techniques or torture used by the spy agency, the CIA, after 9/11.

Of course, this is not just an academic conversation. The release is expected to put Americans around the world in danger, with U.S. military bases and diplomatic posts on high alert.

Let's bring in Barbara Starr tracking developments live from the Pentagon.

We're going to get into the debate, Barbara. But what is the specific concern here and how real is it?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, Chris, this report has been coming for some time. The worry is as people around the world read it, it could lead to violent retaliation, and already thousands of U.S. marines are on alert, to be ready, just in case.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STARR (voice-over): This morning, thousands of U.S. military personnel on heightened alert. Anticipating the release of a report by the Senate Intelligence Committee on top-secret interrogation tactics, and torture of CIA detainees.

REP. MIKE ROGERS (R-MI), INTELLIGENCE CHAIRMAN: Our own intelligence community has assessed that this will cause violence and death.

STARR: The marines are positioned in key areas, ready to respond to potential violent reactions directed at U.S. embassies and military bases around the globe, believed to be included in the report, details of waterboarding and other interrogation tactics in the years after 9/11.

The CIA believes the so-called enhanced interrogation techniques including waterboarding provided key information that prevented other terror attacks, and led to the capture of Osama bin Laden. But the report questions the effectiveness of those procedures.

Critics of the $50 million report question the timing of its release.

JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: When would be a good time to release this report? And it's difficult to imagine one. Particularly, because of the painful details that will be included.

But again, the president believes that it is important for us to be as transparent as we possibly can be, about what exactly transpired, so we can be clear to the American public and to people around the world that something like this should not happen again.

STARR: Former Vice President Dick Cheney dismissed the Senate report, saying the CIA's interrogation methods were, quote, "absolutely totally justified".

Cheney, who hasn't read the report, strongly defended CIA leaders, arguing the program itself was worth it. Adding, "As far as I'm concerned, they ought to be decorated, not criticized."

That sentiment was echoed by former President Bush.

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT: These are patriots. And whatever the report says, if it diminishes their contributions to our country, it is way off-base.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: Now, many former and still-serving CIA officials will say that the agency simply did what the Bush administration asked it to do and that it was legal.