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Royals Wrap Up NYC Trip; Will CIA Torture Report Provoke Attacks?; Interview with Angelina Jolie

Aired December 10, 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 morning once again.

Here's a look at your headlines:

Another night of demonstrations coast to coast denouncing the killing of unarmed black men by police. In Berkeley, protesters marching through downtown, halting traffic at on state freeway. Plans to disrupt a city council meeting were scrapped when the mayor canceled the event.

The protests once again finding their way on to the athletic field, NBA courts, in fact. Last night, Kobe Bryant and other Lakers wore "I can't breathe" t-shirts during warm-up.

Protests of a different kind in Nashville. Demonstrators voicing their anger at President Obama, for his decision to take executive action on immigration reform. The president held a town hall meeting there Tuesday trying to reassure Latinos that it's safe for them to register under his new plan. But he did admit a future president could simply reverse his order.

Secretary of State John Kerry calling on Congress to not limit the war against ISIS to just Syria and Iraq. He is also urging lawmakers to allow the use of ground troops if the president deems it necessary. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will take up the issue on Thursday. Insiders don't expect lawmakers to act before the end of this lame duck session.

Orion or as Alisyn likes to call it, Orion, the spacecraft is back on dry land. USS Anchorage delivered the 11-foot tall capsule to naval base in San Diego Monday night. You'll recall that Orion's successful test flight took it some 3,600 miles above earth on Friday. NASA wanted to test the spacecraft's systems before it carried actual astronauts on deep space mission.

The next Orion launch -- put on your calendars, four years away, but, Chris, manned flights are at least seven years away, we know you like to be where the action is.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: It's true.

I don't dig the whole crash land into the sea.

PEREIRA: I loved watching that as a kid. I thought that was so cool, yes.

CUOMO: I love watching it. I just don't like that as my exit.

PEREIRA: So, you're saying they have to work out a different --

CUOMO: They have to figure it out. I want a better way.

PEREIRA: Steps brought up to the spacecraft so he can walk off.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Then, he goes into space.

CUOMO: The royal exit.

PEREIRA: The royal exit, Max. Exactly.

CUOMO: Thanks for the segue, my friend.

(LAUGHTER)

CUOMO: We certainly did have an outbreak of royal fever in New York City last night. The duke and duchess of Cambridge, William and Kate, showed New York socialites, what real social station is all about, wrapping up their whirlwind tour with a glamorous fundraiser at the Metropolitan Museum.

Max Foster, CNN's own royal --

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: Following them.

MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We've been wondering all week about what dress is she going to wear. And it's been festering me what she's going to wear.

CUOMO: A brilliant choice.

FOSTER: Let's show you.

CUOMO: Please?

(LAUGHTER)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER (voice-over): It was the moment the fashion-watchers had been holding out for. The duchess in an evening gown. All in honor of the university where she met Prince William, St. Andrews in Scotland. Tickets to the fundraiser sold out as people clamored to rub shoulders with royalty. Tables costing up to $100,000. Celebrities, including Anna Wintour, Mary Kate Olsen, Seth Myers on hand. But all eyes were on Kate's dress.

Prince William marking the occasion with high praise for his alma mater. PRINCE WILLIAM, DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE: It feels like the place where no

truth goes unquestioned, where there's much more discovery to be done in the world.

FOSTER: A glamorous end to a day that started somberly.

On their first visit to New York, the duke and duchess of Cambridge were keen it pay their respects to those who perished in 9/11. They left flowers at a memorial reflecting pool. A note, handwritten by the duchess expressed sorrow for those who died and admiration for those who rebuilt this area.

The pair visited a youth development program where they were treated to live musical dance and story-telling performances.

The couple so moved by 22-year-old Steven Prescott's story, the Prince William gave him his personal phone number to help him bring his show to the stage.

Then, to a reception to celebrate Brits who have made it in New York, including "Star Trek's" Sir Patrick Stewart.

And then, a spot of sight-seeing and a timely break in the rain, which meant the duke could take in the views from the Empire State Building. His pregnant wife had taken time out to rest.

The couple take home a flurry of memories from their whistle-stop U.S. tour. All caught on camera and now part of royal history.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: And they're just landing right now. So they'll be able to see Prince George.

CUOMO: As moved as I was, I was thinking she might have gone with (INAUDIBLE) but you know, I think the dress was a brilliant choice and made her look five months pregnant in the most beautiful way.

FOSTER: Your analysis is appreciated.

CAMEROTA: Isn't it? His sartorial expertise.

CUOMO: Have you ever heard of the prince giving his personal phone number to somebody like that?

FOSTER: No, amazing, isn't it?

He gets very engaged in these engagements, he wanted to bring that performance to the U.K. And he's going to make it happen.

CAMEROTA: Fun reporting, Max. Thanks so much.

PEREIRA: They'll need a royal nap after all that.

CAMEROTA: Indeed. Thanks so much. All right. Well, could the Senate's CIA report trigger retaliation against America and what does it mean for Obama's five-year campaign to close the federal prison in Guantanamo? Two of CNN's best most intrepid international correspondents Nick Paton Walsh and Nic Robertson are going to be here in studio to discuss with us.

CUOMO: Plus, guess who got to sit-down with? Angelina Jolie and she is practically brand new at directing, as you probably know. But she took on, nevertheless, what could be the greatest story of survival ever to be told and how did she do it, and more importantly, why did she do it? A little surprise for you, coming up.

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CAMEROTA: Marines around the world on alert amid fears that the Senate report on CIA torture techniques could spark a violent backlash. Tuesday, the FBI and Homeland Security issued a bulletin warning the report could influence home-grown extremists while being used by terrorists for recruitment as well. So, how is the international community reacting? Was the White House right to release the report now?

Let's bring in CNN's senior international correspondents, Nick Paton Walsh and Nic Robertson.

It's great to have both of you in studio. We usually see you in dangerous, far-flung places. Wonderful to have you.

So, Nick, let me start with you.

The argument against releasing this report is that it would inflame extremists in the type of places where you normally work. Have you seen any response to this report's release?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Notably no, not really at this stage. I mean, not seeing embassies surrounded by angry crowds, seeing some staple reactions from Iran, for example. Ayatollah Khamenei saying it's part of the shameful record of the U.S. on torture, but there hasn't been a global outcry, because much of what's in this, there was terrifying detail we didn't know, but a lot of it was presumed and, in fact, a lot of it was perhaps thought to be worse by many critics of America.

So, I don't think anyone is particularly blown away by what's necessarily in this.

CAMEROTA: Nic, what about you?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Look, they're going to use it for propaganda, whichever way they can. But that doesn't mean a mass uprising. Their fight in Iraq and Syria is costing them dearly in fighters, so they need to keep recruiting people more. So, they will use this to their advantage if they can. Don't be surprised if we see snippets of debate ending up in some of this sort of ISIS propaganda clips. But, you know, I've talked to Taliban leaders before, former Taliban leaders who are in Guantanamo Bay, who were held in Bagram and Afghanistan, and they talked about all sorts of things that happened to them. Maybe some imagined, maybe some real. So, the narrative, as Nick says, is already out there. It's not a surprise to these guys, but they will manipulate it and they will try to use it.

CUOMO: What do you think in terms of this is somewhat of a surprise to the uninitiated, right? But these are tactics that we've heard about in the media and certainly when you cover these situations anecdotally, you hear about them all the time. It seems that the expectation is that it's over. Do you think that's an optimism that may not be met by reality?

WALSH: Well, I think those on the ground in the Middle East thinks the CIA does bad things the whole time. So, they're not surprised by this. And the frankly, the torture you see every day in the Middle East is off the charts compared to the things that are outlined in this report.

One thing that does concern me slightly was the Western hostages held by ISIS, when they did emerge talked about waterboarding, clearly something that was done to them perhaps as some sort of symbolic gesture after what's been reported in Guantanamo and elsewhere. So, some of the details in here are chilling and we may hear of them again in the future there are less hostages still alive than was the case a few months ago, that's one chilling thing we may hear of again.

CAMEROTA: Nic, on the flip side, one of the arguments for releasing report is that it would somehow engender respect for the U.S. by showing our transparency and accountability. Is that wishful thinking or is that possible?

ROBERTSON: No, look, there are many countries out there that would like to partner with the United States. Great Britain is one of them. And every time they would seek to do that, the critics would say, look at the CIA, look what the CIA has done. Britain has been part of the rendition program as has other countries in Europe.

And this is hard for politicians like British Prime Minister David Cameron and others to stand up in their parliaments and argue, yes, we should commit air campaign to join the United States fighting ISIS in Syria. At the moment, they only do it in Iraq.

So, you know, they -- this will give some moral support to governments and leaders like that. To say look the United States, yes, maybe it's got a checkered past and is trying to come clean.

So, I think in part this may help. But, look, the critics are always going to be on the one side and they'll get ammunition here. The people that want to believe and support because of it. This will help them.

WALSH: The critics of the U.S. find the transparency baffling. I remember back in January of 2012, there was incidents of some Korans being burned at a U.S. military base. Initially, people weren't sure it happened, but the U.S. came out and said we did do that and we're sorry. And there were some Afghans who couldn't believe they didn't bother to lie. You see what I mean?

CUOMO: Right.

WALSH: That was double the offense that they were actually saying, yes, we did do this.

So, I think that transparency culture works well in some cultures, but the level of self-introspection is unheard of --

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: And a lot of this is going on obviously because there is a war actively being fought as we sit here right now. What's your perspective having just come back from Kobani in terms of whether or not this coalition is doing what needs to be done? Do you see any progress against ISIS?

WALSH: It's not winning, it's holding it back, potentially, the air strikes in Kobani, for example, mean that the Kurds will never be able to run. And the air strikes mean ISIS won't be able to take of geographical theory. But it's a slow war of attrition now. Each month that passes, ISIS perhaps gets fractionally weaker. Certainly, their morale suffers because they're not kind of moving forward constantly.

But unless there a sea change in how they function, their leadership gets killed or something like that, or a larger change in terms of politics in the region, this is going to go on for years.

CAMEROTA: Nic, what do you think the release of the report does for Guantanamo and the detainees that are still being held?

ROBERTSON: It's certainly going to, if you will, lift the lid on what's been going on and provide that transparency, and perhaps give ammunition to those that want to see it shut down. You know, to say we need to continue on a different footing.

The sort of details of that argument can go both ways. You know, we should be keeping this secret. Our enemies will use it against us.

But the narrative that Guantanamo Nay and closing it down helps clean the sheet and put that behind us, potentially in the longer run is a stronger run for our allies. As Nick says, not everyone views the world through the same way that we do. But in the Middle East, you know, we have allies we need to keep on side. They also need to be able to show their people, look the United States is doing this, is stepping in the right direction.

CAMEROTA: Great to see you both. You do such excellent reporting. We're always impressed with your pieces as we show them here on NEW DAY. Thanks so much for coming in.

ROBERTSON: You too.

CAMEROTA: Great to see both of you.

CUOMO: Best for the holidays, gentlemen.

You may want to stick around and watch this. We have Angelina Jolie coming on for you here. She's tackled suffering around the world, you know. There's a lot of work with the U.N.

Also, a mom of six, you probably know who her husband is here's her biggest challenge is. It's her second time directing, she's taking on what may be the greatest survival story ever told, "Unbroken". Now, what's interesting is the choices she makes in this movie, but what those choices say about her and her life. Join us, ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: I always sing this song as a personal anthem.

Academy Award-winning actress Angelina Jolie now getting major Oscar buzz as a director for the World War II epic "Unbroken". All right. Now, making this film was a fashion project for Jolie and she formed a very personal connection with this extraordinary man at the center of it, all right? His name is Louis Zamperini.

And this movie is really about her as much as it is about him. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of ocean.

CUOMO (voice-over): To say the story of Louie Zamperini as epic would be an epic understatement. Listen to this, a kid who goes from outrunning cops to outrunning almost everyone in the world at the Olympics. That would be impressive enough.

But it's only the beginning. Zamperini would become a top bombardier during World War II, survived a crash, and then an unheard of 47 days at sea in a raft, only to be captured by Japanese forces, and then endured two and a half years of torture by a psychopath in a prison camp.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are enemies of Japan. Look me in the eye.

CUOMO: The story of Zamperini's survival chronicled by Laura Hillenbrand became an instant bestseller and there was only one title that could ever do it justice, "Unbroken".

Actress Angelina Jolie now takes on the daunting task of bringing it to the screen.

(on camera): This story may be one of the best survival stories that I have ever read. And you feel the same way.

ANGELINA JOLIE, DIRECTOR, "UNBROKEN": Yes.

CUOMO: But how do you make the decision to take on the task of telling a story like this?

JOLIE: Blind bravery. That's an expression.

I loved this story so much, like so many people, I had to convince them and convince myself I could do it. But I was convincing them I can do a shark attack, I can do a bombing, and I have a plan. I have a plan for how to recreate the Olympics. It's -- I'm not afraid of CG at all.

CUOMO: How did you make the choices, though? Usually you have a linear thread, right? Story.

JOLIE: Right.

CUOMO: But this one --

JOLIE: So hard. So hard.

CUOMO: There's so many parts of this.

JOLIE: I remember reading it and thinking why has it taken over 50 years for somebody to do this. It's the most obvious movie, it's great, and then there was a day where I thought, that's why, because I ended up making this graph of OK, what are the themes of his life. There's endurance, there's the facing abuse, there's endures, there's faith.

What's amazing about the story is so many people say, was that all true? And you think, that was not even it. There was so much more. It's actually less than his life. So, it's really unbelievable.

CUOMO: And he had struggles that he overcame once he came home as well. They're so relevant, today's fighting men and women.

JOLIE: Oh, absolutely.

And so, what we did with that section is we talked about it. We said he comes home and what happens? He becomes very vengeful, full of hate, wants to kill the bird, goes very dark.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to kill him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Then, they shoot you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't give a damn, let them shoot me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's not how. We beat him by making it to the end of the war alive.

JOLIE: And then remembers the -- remembers the promise he made on the raft to God, remembers his mother praying.

So, what we decided we would always have faith through the movie and this idea of darkness and light and darkness and light.

CUOMO: So, you take this book, it's a legendary epic story of perseverance and survival. First, you've got to make me happy, I'm the audience. Now, you've got to make Zamp happy and you know he's coming towards the end of his life. He's OK with it.

But you want to show him the movie. What is that like?

JOLIE: So, I got to call he was in the hospital. It took me by surprise and I brought it on my laptop and I held it over him in the hospital room and it was one of the most extraordinary experiences of my life. I think I went in there thinking, you know, is he going to like the movie?

And, of course, it had nothing to do with the movie or making a movie. It was a man at the end of his life, this mountain of a man at the end of his life. Remembering his mother, his brother, all the friends he had lost.

And when he, at this fragile state, seeing himself cross the finish line and be all that he had been in his life. And I think it was -- he was preparing himself to pass away. He was revisiting his memories and I was just there to watch the sparkling blue eyes.

And, you know, and just felt honored to be there. Just felt honored to be there.

CUOMO: What a gift. What a gift you gave him, what a gift he gave you.

What did he say? Did he like it?

JOLIE: Well, he didn't say. That's the thing.

CUOMO: Oh, no.

JOLIE: No, he didn't say. He didn't -- it wasn't, he was never planning on reviewing it. You know?

He would have, and he probably would have told me he loved it regardless because he was that kind of a guy.

And then before I left, because it was the last thing he said to me. He said something to me which I will never tell anyone. It was extremely funny and appropriate and extremely Louie. So, he left and I walked out of the room laughing and smiling. I thought, how did he do it, even in this moment take care of me and I'm walking out of his hospital room with a big smile on my face, feeling he wanted to make me feel it was OK.

So he was great, he was great.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PEREIRA: What an extraordinary man.

CAMEROTA: But, the story is extraordinary. The movie sounds like it's going to be extraordinary. The book was. But it seems like you and Angelina had a little bit of a connection there. It really does. I mean, I'm serious. You got more sort of personal information out of her, a softer side than I have seen in some interviews.

CUOMO: I was a little baffled at the end of the interview. I said, Angelina, thank you so very much. And she was like, absolutely, Frank, anytime.

But I'll tell you, one of the reasons that we want to show you this interview is that she made choices about what to tell about his life that were a reflection of her own. She does not talk about the stuff that's she's dealt with her life very often.

CAMEROTA: Great.

CUOMO: But she does through the choices she made in this movie, and she acknowledges it is in the interview and what it means for her and what she's doing with her own family. We're going to show you more of that coming up.

CAMEROTA: Yes, you got her to talk about those things.

CUOMO: No, she wanted to talk about it.

PEREIRA: I think the film got her to talk about it, too.

CAMEROTA: I'm just giving him credit.

PEREIRA: Well, OK, it's Frank.

CUOMO: Believe me, I'll give myself credit. Just don't deserve it right here.

There's a lot of news this morning in addition to this. So, let's get to it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D), CALIFORNIA: The CIA spent $40 million to prevent us from issuing this report.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a pure political piece of crap.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The CIA set up something very fast, without a lot of forethought.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it was rogue by design.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We didn't threat the Nazis like this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People at the top frankly didn't want to be aware of the specifics.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is something that is without precedent.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Grand Central Terminal in New York, the seventh straight day of demonstrations.

UNIDDENTIFIED MALE: They're moving slowly towards the New York Police Department headquarters.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A silent shout from Chicago Bulls player, Derrick Rose.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're role models and a lot of people follow what they do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got something to say, I think it's a great message.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMEROTA: Good morning, everyone. Welcome back to NEW DAY. I'm Alisyn Camerota, alongside Chris Cuomo.

America in the line of fire this morning. That is the very real threat this morning and fear as bombshell details surface from the Senate's CIA torture report.

CUOMO: Top U.S. officials are now legitimately worried that these revelations could cause reprisals worldwide, maybe help ISIS even luring new recruits. This as new questions are raised about why the CIA continued these torture tactics, even though the report says they weren't working.

So, there's a lot to figure out here.

Let's get right to senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta -- Jim.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Chris, good morning.

President Obama is standing by the release of this torture report saying mistakes were made. But former top CIA officials are only beginning to speak out, and they are defending their actions.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA (voice-over): It was stinging criticism for the CIA from a sitting president. In an interview with Telemundo, President Obama said the agency was wrong to use harsh interrogation techniques on terror detainees after the 9/11 attacks that amounted to torture.

OBAMA: I think in the midst of a national trauma, and uncertainty as to whether these attacks were going to repeat themselves, what's clear is that the CIA set up something very fast, without a lot of forethought to what the ramifications might be.

ACOSTA: The president was responding to Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Dianne Feinstein's damning report on CIA interrogations that said detainees were waterboarded, kept in dungeon conditions, while others were naked, hooded and dragged, while being slapped and punched. The report said the agency misled the Bush administration about the

program, and that no CIA officer up to and including CIA directors briefed the president on the tactics before April 2006.