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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
Obama on Syria Airstrikes "We don't have a Strategy Yet"; ISIS Claims Mass Execution in Syria; New ISIS Video Shows Captured Kurdish Soldiers; Fighting Near Iraq's Mosul Dam; Minnesota to Jihad: A Mother Search for Answers; Company: Timing of Recording Same as Shooting; Ukraine Accuses Russia of Invasion; Bank Hacking Attacks; NFL Gets Tougher on Domestic Violence; NRA Tweets about Kids & Guns; Mayor Ford Caught Dancing again; Report: Ebola Cases Could Top 20,000; NIH Fast- Tracks Ebola Vaccine; Joan Rivers Rushed to the Hospital; Daughter: Joan Rivers Resting Comfortably; USC Player's "Heroic Act" was a lie
Aired August 28, 2014 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, U.S. PRESIDENT: Confident that as commander in chief I have the authorities to engage in the acts that we are conducting currently as our strategy develops. We will continue to consult with congress and I do think that it will be important for congress to weigh in and or that our consultations with congress continue to develop so that the American people are part of the debate but I don't want to put the cart before the horse. We don't have the strategy yet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON COOPER, AC369 HOST: No strategy yet even though just today ISIS said has executed at least 250 Syrian soldiers in the airbase in the northeastern city of Raqqa in Syria. We'll have much more in that claim in the moment. The terror group also posted a video had said shows captured Kurdish soldiers in Iraq wearing orange jumpsuits like the one that journalist James Foley was wearing when he was beheaded.
Video also shows three mask man who appearing to captivate a man in front of a mosque in Mosul. We can verify those claims of the video's of authenticity. Tonight, the faith of another American captive, journalist Steven Sotloff is unknown. ISIS has threatened to kill as well.
Our senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta joins us now. So the president wanted to obviously to temp down reports that airstrikes in Syria were eminent. Its critics quickly jumped in what he said about not having a strategy yet and the White House just try to kind of basically do damage control.
JIM ACOSTA, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right. I mean he was trying in that speculation that he was on the verge or ordering airstrikes on ISIS targets in Syria. You know, one White House official told me after the president's comments that they thought the speculation was getting out of control. So the president wanted to go out there and put an end to that but it was in that context, in when he was asked about whether or not he would go to congress to authorize military action in Syria that the president use those words, "We don't have a strategy yet."
And that of course, you know, just went bananas on Twitter to use a technical term Anderson. You and I both know what that is like with the poorly phrase sound bite, you know, this can really take off and that's what happened. And so instantly, the White House jump into damage control mode as Press Secretary Josh Earnest, you know, he went on to the Wolf Blitzer -- The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer just about an hour after the president wrapped up his remarks and explain that the president was referring to strategy on ISIS in Syria.
The White House argues that the president does have an overall strategy for ISIS but they want more international cooperation. They don't see countries in the region really doing enough and the president doesn't feel like really committing U.S. forces to that kind of fight without more partners in the region. And so the president is dispatching secretary of state John Kerry to the region after the NATO summit next week.
COOPER: And the U.S. really does not want to do it alone in terms of trying to deal with ISIS in the region.
ACOSTA: That's right. And, you know, with all of this talk about the president saying "we don't have a strategy", a lot of people have not focused on some of the other things that he said during his briefing. And one thing that struck me Anderson is when the president almost chastised some of the countries in the Middle East, when he call state actors that he said are ambivalent about terrorism, ambivalent about ISIS. And he said that there are some states in the region that are contributing money to terrorist organizations because they think it's a good policy of perhaps keeps them safe and the president really wants to go after that problem.
The other issue that he mentioned is the fact that the Sunnis in Iraq and you've look at this extensively Anderson, they just don't feel like they're part of the Iraqi government and so because of that, many of those forces have joined up with ISIS and it's made the situation in Iraq almost, you know, almost impossible to manage. And so the president wants to make sure that the Iraqis are, you know, keeping their word and saying that they will put together a more unify government. That's also on the president's agenda.
COOPER: Yeah. Jim Acosta, I appreciate the update, thanks. Joining me now is political analyst, Gloria Borger. The president is saying he has no strategy yet, obviously, you know, an error in the use of the words.
GLORIA BORGER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Sure.
COOPER: Critics say wasn't just an error that they would say they really -- White House doesn't have a strategy. You hearing though new information about how soon we might here a decision?
BORGER: Well, I spoke with one senior administration official this afternoon Anderson and this person said to me that it could be within week or so but like everything else, that can certainly stretch out. As Jim Acosta was just saying, the president dispatched the secretary of state John Kerry to go to the region after the NATO summit and I'm told by the senior administration official that the president wants Kerry to be his eyes and ear because the president wants to know where the countries in the region stand, what they're willing to do, this -- the use of force if that's what the president decides to go for.
COOPER: Are we likely to see the president go to congress to seek the authorization? Because there's probably some folks in congress with the midterm election coming up, who would be happy for the president not to basically put them on the record.
BORGER: You think? The senior administration official said, look, privately, they're hearing from members of congress who say, "please don't make us vote on the authorization for 60 days before an election. That's very difficult." You do have some members of congress on the liberal side and on the Republican side who've come out and said, "We do need to vote on this. We can't hide on this vote."
But it's a concern over at the White House, I'm told about what exactly they could get out of congress. Remember year ago and of course it was a different circumstance with Syria, the president was considering the use of force and knew that he couldn't get a vote to use force at that time. This is a different situation. We've had a beheading there. ISIS, the public certainly knows more about the dangers of ISIS but the White House still isn't sure what it could get. And so in the end Anderson, they may decide not to go to congress before the election and do what they can until then. We just don't know.
COOPER: Yeah. Gloria, I appreciate it. Thanks very much.
BORGER: Sure.
COOPER: As we said ISIS claimed today they had executed at least 250 Syrian soldiers at an airbase in northeastern Syria. We are not going to show you the killings. We do want to warn you even the aftermath is tough to look at. Anna Coren joints me with the latest.
Anna, what more do we know about this video of ISIS claiming to killed hundreds of Syrian troops?
ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, it's just sickening and gruesome video and starts by showing Syrian soldiers marching through the desert, strips to their underwear, most of them with their hands behind their head. The next image that we see is a pile of bloody bodies and then the camera turns. And you just see body after body after of dead soldier lying face down in the dirt. It is absolutely gruesome.
ISIS claims that they captured 250 Syrian soldiers during their week long battle to take Al Tabqa military base in Raqqa province. It was the last stronghold of (inaudible), Al Assad's Regime in that area. And they say those 250 soldiers were executed. I mean these are fundamentally prisoners of war. And if that video wasn't bad enough, several hours later ISIS posted another video on YouTube, this time of Kurdish forces who have been captured here in Iraq. It shows them dressed in orange jumpsuits, the same jumpsuit that American journalist James Foley was wearing when he was brutally beheaded in that video last week.
You hear these Kurdish soldiers make this appeal to their president here in Kurdistan, President Barzani to stop participating with the United States in allowing the airstrikes to continue in this country. And at the very end of the video Anderson, we see one of those soldiers beheaded in front of the mosque in Mosul, this being of course Iraq second largest city which was claim by ISIS back in June but certainly both these videos and the support acts really defining what ISIS is all about. Anderson.
COOPER: And there's a renewed fighting understand and between ISIS and Kurdish Peshmerga forces near the Mosul dam?
COREN: Yeah. Absolutely. That has been underway for sometime but a mass operation there launch by the Kurdish, the Peshmerga forces earlier today. Obviously, they manage to claim back the Mosul dam last week. We were there when they did that but ISIS is still in noise surrounding towns and the villages. Now, as they were being pushed out they lit oil wells, exploded pipelines. The militants are really just trying to cause distraction and also cover for what they are doing there, laying IEDs, landmines in buildings and in villages and some of the Peshmerga sustaining casualties along the way, obviously slowing their advantage to try and to push them out of this very important area.
But we understand from the Kurdish forces that this is an ongoing operation Anderson, and it will be continuing to some days to come.
COOPER: Yeah. The brutality is just extraordinary. Anna Coren, I appreciate it. Thank you.
The U.S. seems close to verifying the identity of the second American killed while fighting for ISIS and Syria. The first one as you know was a 33 year old man Douglas MacArthur McCain. The U.S. official says his death was easy to verify because of his neck tattoo.
Counterterrorism intelligence officials are trying to verify a report that this is the second one. A family friend tells CNN he is indeed the second American killed. As we've been reporting there've been others who have left their all American home towns to join in Jihad and there are connections actually between them. For example, when you follow Douglas MacArthur McCain's path back to his roots in United States, it leads you to Minnesota where he was friends with another teenager at the time, a guy name Troy Kastigar.
They both ended up fighting for extremist groups far from Minneapolis suburbs where they went to high school together. Jason Carroll sat down with Kastigar's mom who's still trying to understand what happen to her son. This is the first time she's spoken out on television.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JASON CARROLL, CNN REPORTER: For years, Troy Kastigar and Doug McCain were the picture of the average teenage American boys. They grew up in Minneapolis, both love playing basketball and were in some ways, inseparable.
JULIE BOADA, TROY KASTIGAR'S MOTHER: Troy had -- there's quite of few people who I think you would say -- they would say they were best friend. And Doug was one of those really close friends. He spent a lot of time at their house. He went to family gatherings with us. They play basketball together.
CARROLL: So how did two respectful young men go from this image to this?
TROY KASTIGAR: This is the real Disney land. You can come here and join us.
CARROLL: This recruitment video featuring Kastigar was hosted from the militant group Al-Shabab. Both Kastigar and McCain ended up fighting for terrorist overseas. McCain killed in Syria just days ago, Kastigar killed in 2009, in Somalia. His mother is still trying to understand how it all happened.
BOADA: ... that I'll never not have that pain and that bitterness but by trying to fill my life with joy and recognize the gift and the beauty of the world that makes it easier.
CARROLL: Kastigar's mother says he started having trouble at 16. He begun using drugs and was searching for help and spiritual guidance.
And he found comforted and turn into the Koran?
BOADA: So then he became Muslim and I don't know exactly how that happened. He had some friends who are Muslims. There were some friends who are Somali, who had immigrated here. It was great for him, like he always seems like I have my boy back. His eyes were bright again.
CARROLL: Kastigar said he was going to Kenya to study the Koran but his destination ended up being Somalia. He had spent nearly a year overseas with little communication. Then in July 2009, the FBI came to his mother's home.
BOADA: They said he could have been recruited. I had no clue that he was going into a dangerous situation in that way or to fight and I think he knew.
CARROLL: Weeks after that visit, her son was dead.
Were there any warning signs along the way?
BOADA: With Doug, for sure there were no warning signs because I just haven't been around him for a long time. The one thing that I thought was really strange with Troy is that they -- that someone they -- were willing to pay for him to come to Kenya and I really question that. I think they were manipulated and I don't think they knew what they were -- fully what they were part of.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Jason joins me now. Do we know -- did he have any connection to the Somalia community in Minneapolis before he left?
CARROLL: He did and his mother talked about that Anderson. He made friends here who were Somali and then she also said that he felt sorry for the Somali people. He felt many of them had been oppressed and was looking for a way to get over there and to try to help them but clearly, he went over there and lost his way and ended up signing with the terrorist organization.
COOPER: Yeah. Jason Carroll, I appreciate it. Thanks. A quick remind, you can set your DVRs so you can watch 360 whenever you'd like. Coming up tonight, the shooting that led to protest in Ferguson Missouri possibly caught on audio tape. Tonight, there's new evidence that the audio recording allegedly of the Michael Brown shooting is actually legit. We'll tell you the new information that's been learned. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Hey welcome back. Tonight, there's a new evidence that someone who is using a video chats service just so happened to record audio of the shooting of 18-year old Michael Brown and the company that makes mobile app called, Glide says it can verify down to the second the time the audio was actually recorded which was right around the time that Officer Darren Wilson shot and killed Brown. You know, we can't independently confirm whether the shots heard are from that incident but here is the recording question listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are pretty. You're so fine. I'm just going over some of your videos. Where could I begin?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: CNN's Don Lemon joins me now. I've heard that a million times. I still creeped out by what the guy is actually saying. I'm just going to ignore that part of this entire thing. Now, this company Glide says that the audio was recorded at the same time. What else to do we know in the verification process?
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: We know the time and the time is 12:02:14, this is according to Glide that it was -- they have a time stamp of that recording and it is a recording Anderson, it's not an interactive chat.
COOPER: Right. Because that early on -- a lot of people thought, I certainly thought he was actually talking with someone, I thought, "OK, well they can get the video on the other end of this, talking to the woman he's talking too." But this was a one way thing, he was recording something. LEMON: Right. And why would he be recording an interactive chat? Yes, he was recording -- you hear him say, you know, "I've been looking at your videos." So he was recording a video back to her and it was only 12 seconds and that's 12 seconds -- within that 12 seconds, they got those 10 or possibly 11 shots on tape.
COOPER: Right. And because there may have been another shot earlier because some witnesses have said, there may have been a shot in -- whatever the tussle was inside the vehicle.
LEMON: There was allegedly struggle in the car, according to the witnesses that we had spoke into, you had spoken to, a number of them. There was a tussle in the car and apparently during that tussle, it is said that there -- a shot went off. But in that 12 seconds, nothing is on there so it is believe if the video is authentic and if there was a tussle in the car that the video started after that tussle and after the shot in the car.
COOPER: And you've met with the attorney for this source. You've first broadcast this tape. Can you explain the process how it came into your possession and what we know about the guy? You know, he lives in this compound.
LEMON: He lives very close to where the shooting is. They pointed that out. Glide, the company wanted to point that out. The attorney wanted to point that out as well and she wanted to verify that what her client was telling her was accurate. So she did some vetting herself, found out where he lives. And as a matter of fact, she has been very transparent about this. Someone who lives with him is a former client of hers and that's how he got in touch with her because he realized after he saw this recording, played it back, well that maybe the shot. He wasn't even sure, you know, and as she says of the import of what he had recorded.
So his room mate said, "I have an attorney. I think you should speak with that attorney." Long story short, we had a source that said there're maybe a tape out there and I think that this maybe the attorney. I called here, got a secretary on the phone who said she's in the meeting right now. She called back just a few minutes later and said, you know, it's strange that you would call me right now because we just met with the FBI. And so they had been -- she and her client are both in meeting with the FBI.
COOPER: And so presumably they are trying to authenticate this as well. That process continue but really again, the news today that this information coming out from Glide app that they have been able to verify the time, that's really a big deal. Right, Don, I appreciate ...
LEMON: Thanks Anderson.
COOPER: The updates will be on of course the top of the hour 10:00. A shot time ago, I spoke with Frank Piazza, audio forensic expert, also CNN legal analyst Mark O'Mara who represented George Zimmerman. And legal affairs commentator and Attorney Areva Martin. Mark, if is confirmed that this is the audio of the shooting of Michael Brown. Do you see a ball string either side of the prosecution or the defense or do we simply not -- I mean, obviously we don't know any of the forensic evidence. Is it simply to early to tell?
MARK O'MARA, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, a couple of things, I do think it's going to be authenticated. It seems to be relevant in time, place and the way it happened so I think it's probably getting authenticated which means it's going to show up in the court room.
What's interesting it does, it sort of set the audio stage for what happened. I agree with Don, it seems that though it's missing that first shot that was testified by Dorian. But the other one, I think are very significant, now whether or not they help to state a defense according what side you want me to take. Anderson, you and I both talked about not speculating but one thing that's interesting about that is the family's autopsy suggested that Mike Brown was hit six times in the front.
If we presume that Dorian was right and one of those shots came at the car then five other shots came from his front but if they came at the last four, there's not enough shots, meaning that at least one of those five shots in the front hadn't come from the (inaudible). That might indicate that Mike Brown turned around during the first (inaudible) or was actually at the officer or during the first (inaudible).
There was an intervening three seconds and then he continued to shoot, including the two fatal shots. So from a defense perspective this could fit in very well. Prosecutors' perspective might say, you know, he waited 30 seconds when he should have done something else besides continuing to shoot.
Areva, what do you think about that 30 second pause between around of what appeared to be the shots. How significant is that for you?
AREVA MARTIN, ATTORNEY: I think it's very significant because again we have an unarmed teenager who -- what we've been hearing from the eyewitness is he was defenseless and he was actually surrendering. So when you hear a pause in the gun shots, it causes you to think, "Could there had been something else this officer, you know, maybe could have done to apprehend Mike Brown rather than continue to shoot after the first, you know, six shots that we hear on the audio."
And I think it's also interesting Anderson because we've heard a lot about, you know, the Ferguson police not having dashcams or body cams and so this was an audio that presumably it will be very similar if there had been a dashcam or, you know, some of the kind of camera in place.
So, more reliable than eyewitness testimonies which we know at this point seemed to be conflicting. So I think a very important piece of the information that hopefully will show up in the grand jury.
COOPER: I want to play the recording again Frank before I just ask you about it. Can we -- do we have that already to play? Let's just listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are pretty. You're so fine. I'm just going over some of your videos. Where could I begin?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Frank, is it possible with this sophisticated kind of equipment that you have and that other audio experts have that there's a lot more information on the audio tape, stuff that cannot easily be heard?
FRANK PIAZZA, AUDIO FORENSIC EXPERT: Well, you know, we spoke earlier about this couple of days ago. There are sections that we're hearing in the audio. There is the sound of the male voice. There is the sound of the gun shots or the environment behind it and then there is the sound of the actual room with a microphone in the phone is picking up that environmental sound and you listen to all those things and you listen for something that's continuous.
And in the case of what we're hearing there -- and again I'm hearing it right now with just an earpiece, there seems to be a consistency in the environment of the room where the person actually speaking where the microphone was. So that's something to pay attention to.
COOPER: You said also the other day and I find it fascinating is that you can actually kind of get a signature for the AC current that's in the room. Can you explain that again why that's significant?
PIAZZA: Sure. I'll give the shortest version I can. There's a newer technology that's been use by some forensic audio professionals, it's referred to as ENF.
And basically what it is, the current -- the electrical current is actually giving out a time signature and the electrical grid that exists here in the United States, that can be tracked and mapped and you can create the same timeline if the electrical power current is picked up within the recorder that made the recording and then do a comparison in a way form.
It's newer technology and it definitely can be helpful.
COOPER: That's fascinating. Mark, you said the other night that you take issue with recordings like this, being released because the effect, it can have another eyewitness testimony. People basically kind of adopting their testimony to what they hear in the media or they hear other witnesses talking about.
O'MARA: Well, here's what's (inaudible) and here's what's going to happen, its very normal human behavior. Now that we know and everyone knows who has then given their testimony yet that there were 10 shots with three seconds in between and going to naturally or maybe intentionally craft that and bring that into their testimony. So I think you'll see witnesses start to say, when they talk about this event, that's what they heard. The other side of the coin is just as important to know, every witness who has given a statement, who has not stated affirmatively there were a number of shots, a pause over a few seconds and then number of other shots. Now those ones is just going to be impeachable potentially because of this new pieces of evidence. That's why getting this out piece mail is really interfering with the validity maybe or the integrity of the investigation and both sides preparing their case.
COOPER: Well Areva, which is why it's crucial that investigators get us quickly as possible and having been getting us quickly as possible to any potential witnesses, that's why they want to get these eyewitnesses as quickly as possible before people start to hear, you know, what other people in the crowd are saying or what people on television are saying.
MARTIN: Absolutely Anderson. And there are some concern already that people are starting to mimic what they are hearing the other eyewitnesses talked about. But you can hear the people who are lined up for Brown and believe that this was an excessive shooting, saying that they are concern that Darren Wilson is hearing all of these accounts and that's giving him an opportunity to craft his version of event to fit with the evidence and to fit with his shooting being justified.
So I think it works on both side, both for the witnesses who are supporting and those who are opposed.
COOPER: It's an interesting perspective. Frank Piazza I appreciate your being on. Areva Martin and Mark O'Mara.
Well, just ahead tonight, the crisis in Ukraine taking a new turn, Ukraine says Russia is launching full scale invasion across its Southern border. President Obama said Russian's actions who have cause and consequences.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COPPER: Tonight Ukraine has reinstate its military draft after what -- when Ukrainian army officer calls a full-scale invasion as many as the thousand Russian troops reportedly crossing Ukraine's Southern board to fight along side Pro-Russian separatist.
Now NATO released the satellite images earlier today showing what it says Russian artillery, tanks and troops in and around the Southern Ukrainian town. Despite the satellite images and eyewitness accounts, Moscow though continued to deny it's directly aiding the rebels.
Here's what President Obama said today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARRACK OBAMA: Russia is responsible for the violence in Eastern Ukraine. The violence is encouraged by Russia. The separatist are trained by Russia. They are armed by Russia. They are funded by Russia. Russia has deliberately and repeatedly violated the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. And the new images of Russian forces inside Ukraine make that plane for the world to see.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Our question is, "How will the world response?"
CNN's Diana Magnay joins us now from Ukraine. Diana, what's the latest there tonight?
DIANA MAGNAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well Anderson, a town on -- pretty much on the Russian border of Novoazovsk has been taken by rebel forces backed by Russian tanks, Russian units and supported by artillery shelling from across the border. And effectively what that does is it creates a southern front quite far away from the anti- terror operation as Ukraine calls it, the conflict area.
And really detract attention for the Ukrainian arm forces from narrow (inaudible) in that region, spreading Ukrainian forces passing on the ground and making it looks as that the rebels at this stage really have the upper hand, Anderson.
COOPER: So -- I mean, is the Ukrainian military -- are they up to fighting on these multiple fronts?
MAGNAY: Well, we've been talking of volunteer battalions down here who does seem particularly infuse by the fact that they were driven out of this town. We saw a convoy of very (inaudible) looking vehicles heading off in the other directions, clearly deciding they'd had enough of it.
Now we've heard that Ukraine is going to send reinforcements, send the Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, have said, this is a not situation where we should panic and it is controllable. But to be honest Anderson, we've been driving around this border region and we have seen very, very little evidence of Ukrainian defenses.
COOPER: And Russia is still claiming these fighters that have entered Ukraine that they aren't troops, there are "volunteers", is that right?
MAGNAY: Volunteers, yes, volunteers. If volunteers can be called people coming in with tanks.
So the Russian view, the Russian narrative is one of looking of the people of this -- in this conflict, it is one of -- presenting themselves as the sort of humanitarian angel and all of these and consistently denying that it has any kind of military involved and whatsoever.
COOPER: Now as you said the Russian volunteers could somehow get their hands on Russian military tanks, seem so (inaudible).
Diana Magnay, I appreciate the reporting. Thank you. Now, a lot more happening tonight, Susan Hendricks has a 360 bulletin. Susan? SUSAN HENDRICKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, a U.S. official says the FBI is investigating hacking attacks at several top banks including JPMorgan Chase where data was bridged.
A JPMorgan Spokesperson says, they are now working with the investigators to determine this scope about apparent bridge.
Well the NFL announcing tougher penalties for domestic violence and sexual assault. Players will face a six-game suspension for the first incident and an indefinite ban for a second offense as well. Now this comes just weeks after Commissioner Roger Goodell give Ravens running back Ray Rice just a two-game suspension for dragging his then-fiancee now wife from the hotel elevator and that was caught on surveillance tape.
The NRA is facing criticism for posting a tweet, two days after a nine-year old girl shot and killed a gun instructor while she fire the Uzi. There is the video. She was visiting with her family from New Jersey.
Well that tweet has since been taken down but it link to an article promoting ways for kids to have fun at the shooting range.
And yes he is back, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, is caught again dancing. There he is feeling the beat. It's all in good fun as the reggae singer serenaded city council today.
Ford faces a reelection site in October. I love that they have reggae there. Earlier this year he went to treatment for substance abuse but he's still having fun.
COOPER: It seems he used to be having fun. He has a lot more courageous than I would. I would not have -- the dance in public, give me a break.
HENDRICKS: I know. Bring the reggae groups in, right?
COOPER: Yeah. Well, I don't think I'm going to watch him do that.
Susan, thanks very much.
HENDRICKS: Thanks.
COOPER: Just ahead, a grim prediction about the Ebola outbreak. It's still raging out of control in West Africa. Plus we're going to have the latest on an Ebola vaccine is being fast track by U.S. officials.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Well tonight, a new and sobering number in the Ebola outbreak in Western Africa, more than 20,000, that as how many cases we could see according to World Health Organization before the outbreak has stopped. Just over 3,000 people been infected so far. More than half of those have died.
Today, the WHO issued a roadmap for curving the spread of the deadly virus and said there is an urgent need to try to scale up the international response.
CNN's Nima Elbagir joins me now with the latest from Liberia where quarantines are fueling anger and fear. You visited in Ebola quarantine zone, what did you see there? What's it like?
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A lot of (inaudible) Anderson, you're right, it took about a lot of anger and just a lot of confusion. This is been going on for so long now. West point, where we visit, you have about 70,000. They can't go out. No one can go into them. The food supplies are running low.
And this scaled up response to the WHO is talking about. There has been time for that already have been implemented and yet nobody is seeing any aspects of that here on the ground and nobody is telling these people what their options are, when the quarantine will end or even how it will end, Anderson.
COOPER: And one of the things that makes the outbreak so unprecedented is how widespread it is. It's not just, you know, this bad in Liberia but you have other countries as well you have Syria Leone, you have Guinea, you have -- and even though Nigeria in some cases.
ELBAGIR: And you have a million people in that dry country quarantine zone to the north of here are facing starvation. And again we go back to this issue of the scaled up international response, of course people are afraid, people are afraid inside Liberia. It was scary even just for us to come here but these concerns can be managed and, you know, there are ways to protect yourself.
And the reality is all of the experts who I speak in here on the ground say, it's not about money Anderson, it's not about sending in supplies. What they need is people. They need competent assets here on the ground to help get over this crisis.
COOPER: You also spoke to the CDC Director Tom Frieden who was there on the ground, what did he say about what needs to happen now?
ELBAGIR: Well he seems really blown away Anderson, by what he found here. He said that even he hadn't expected to see this kind of a level of a crisis and he came back again to this point of not isolating Liberia , not almost sealing them of like a medieval plague village. He said, "We will not in any way be safe. The world will not be safer if Liberia isn't helped. If people try and lock the door on this." Because at some point, some cases will break through and that's when the danger comes. It has to be contained by people coming here on the ground and helping those suffering Anderson.
COOPER: Nima, be careful. Thank you. An Ebola vaccine is being developed by the NIH and drugmaker GalaxoSmithKline could be tested in human starting next month. Federal Officials made that announcement today. Joining me tonight is Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, also Dr. Anthony Fauci Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Dr. Fauci, this trial, can you just explain how it's going to be conducted because my understanding this going to start very small and then expand.
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOU DISEASES: Right, it's a phase one trial. We've had very good results with the animal study in this. It looks really good in protecting monkeys against lethal challenge of Ebola but now that we're going to the next important step into humans that's why we've got to got very slowly.
Once you've finished that and observe them long enough to safety it'll take us about until the end of the calendar year, sometime around December, then we'll know if it's safe and whether it induced the kind of response we wanted to and then you go to the next stage of a broader larger trial.
COOPER: And Sanjay, in terms of preventing further outbreaks, how important could this vaccine be?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's a great question, I mean, I think for obviously for this outbreak given the timing Dr. Fauci described it's probably not going to be available on time for this particular outbreak and that, you know, hopefully this outbreak will be over in a good way before that.
It's interesting Anderson, you know, and you and I again have been on the ground in these places. Part of it obviously is figuring out if this works, who should get it? And that's probably a little easier said than done. And then also simply distributing it, you know, to places where it is needed, that is also a challenge. I remember somebody ones said to be if the cure for AIDS came in the form of a clean glass of water, we still could not cure, you know, the world of AIDS because it's a question of not only making these medications but also getting them to the people.
COOPER: Disturbing. Now Dr. Fauci, though, I mean, this isn't the only vaccine in the work that there are other experimental treatments the ZMap of course which we've all heard about by now, why the focus on this vaccine to start testing?
FAUCI: There are a number of vaccines in the pipeline. This one is the furthest advance in development and several have been in animal studies, we've been sponsoring and conducting animal studies in several of the candidates so this may not be "the vaccine" that we get but it certainly is a good start, at least from what we've seen with animals.
COOPER: Dr. Fauci I was amazed to read this paper out this week the -- trace the genetic mutations of the Ebola virus in this current outbreak the fact that it's mutated, is that cause for alarm?
FAUCI: Well, it is somewhat a cause for alarm as long as this epidemic keeps going. What you're going to have is the possibility that the mutations will make our diagnostic less sensitive and might even impact whether or not the proteins that you're using in the vaccine might be the best choices.
COOPER: And Sanjay they were able to trace, I mean, I'm amazed that scientist can do this. They can basically trace the history of the virus. They traced this back, I think it was, they called the Zaire outbreak and it seemed to have disappear for a while and they don't know where it went then suddenly it popped up again.
GUPTA: I think, you know, I read that same report. And Anderson, I think in some ways that is good news. For a time, I mean, there was a concern that maybe there were multiple almost simultaneous or near simultaneous outbreaks occurring and that would be cause for concern because I think that would mean that the Ebola virus itself is Zaire strain was more wide spread and prevalence than it has been in the past certainly or previously believed.
And the fact that they are able to trace it back and it sort of made the contact tracing all that that we've been talking about that actually worked in this case which is good and you want that to work. But also that there was a single origin it appears. And I think, you know, when you reflect on that, I think that, that is good news in a way as suppose to just thinking in several different places around West Africa to sort of sprung up, you know, near simultaneously.
COOPER: Yes. Well, Dr. Fauci good luck on this vaccine. I appreciate you being on. Dr. Sanjay Gupta as well. Thanks.
GUPTA: You got it. Thank you.
FAUCI: Thank you.
COOPER: Up next, legendary comedian Joan Rivers is rushed to a hospital today after she stopped breathing during surgery, we have new information about her condition from her daughter Melissa next.
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COOPER: Legendary comedian and TV star Joan Rivers is hospitalized. Tonight the 81 year old was rushed to New York's Mount Sinai Hospital after apparently suffering cardiac and respiratory arrest during outpatient throat surgery. Just last night she did a show in New York Times Square. Fan said she was on the stage for more than an hour. Alexandra Field joins us now from the hospital.
I understand there's an update now from the family.
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right Anderson. Joan Rivers' daughter Melissa Rivers flew in just as soon as she heard the news this morning. She has arrived here at the hospital. She's with her mother and she just put out a statement really thanking people for the outpouring of love and support.
She says that her mother is resting comfortably with the family gathered around her and she's continuing to ask people for their prayers for her mother and for their thoughts. Joan Rivers came here to Mount Sinai Hospital this morning in critical condition. She's had a decade long of comedy career but most recently she's known for comedy on the E-network.
Today that network is saying that she is moved from critical condition to critical but stable condition, so a bit of optimism there Anderson for all the fans who are hoping for more news about her tonight and better news.
COOPER: Do we know what procedure she was having or exactly how this happened?
FIELD: This was again an outpatient procedure so it was being performed in a clinic that's actually not far from this hospital. It was a throat surgery. We're told that she stopped breathing at some point during that surgery. E-network has said that it was a procedure that was being done on her vocal chords.
The Fire Department here in New York says that they responded to the clinic for reports of somebody who was in both respiratory and cardiac arrest. From that point she was taken here to Mount Sinai and then it's really been pretty shocking for people because well she is 81 years old, she certainly hasn't slowed down in her career, I mean, Anderson, you pointed out that she performed last night.
She was scheduled to perform again tomorrow and earlier this week with (inaudible) on television during a 90 minute special breaking down the fashions from the Emmy Awards and the MTV's video music award with just that sort of brand of humor that that is very original and distinct to Joan Rivers, that's why she's got fans of all ages who are (inaudible) for tonight.
COOPER: Yes. We truly wish her the best. Alexandra I appreciate the reporting. Thanks. Up next, his no hero. A captain for the USC football team suspended indefinitely after admitting to lying about how he injured his ankles. He never saved a drowning nephew as he'd claimed. So how did he get hurt? The new developments ahead.
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COOPER: Well it's a strange story. A college football player sprains both his ankles jumping from the balcony to get to a pool to save his nephew from drowning. That's what USC cornerback Josh Shaw told his coach. Well it sounds like a great story, turns out that it was all a lie. The team captain confessed and is benched indefinitely. The question is how did he sprain his ankles? That, Sara Sidner reports.
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SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Josh Shaw was already considered a leader on the field, now he was suddenly a hero off of it. Just days ago, Shaw said he rescued his seven year old nephew from drowning forced to jump from a second floor balcony to get to the boy in time. In the process, he injured both ankles after hitting the concrete.
He told the University website, "I would do it again for whatever kid it was. It did not have to be my nephew", Shaw told USC website, "My ankles really hurt, but I'm lucky to be surrounded by the best trainers and doctors in the world. I am taking my rehab one day at a time, and I hope to be back on the field as soon as possible."
And who would doubt him? JOSH SHAW, CAPTAIN OF USC FOOTBAL TEAM: ... of a lot of player in front of 90,000 fans in the coliseum. I am much more nervous today than any game ever.
SIDNER: Shaw was a highly regarded student at USC. In May, the Trojans starting quarterback was asked to give this commencement speech to his follow graduates. He was also chosen as team captain for his final year.
SHAW: When I was first asked to be a speaker at today's commencement ceremony I was truly humbled, honored and overwhelmed with joy.
SIDNER: But questions started surfacing this week about Shaw's story about his nephew. Head coach Steve Sarkisian was pressed for clarification.
STEVE SARKISIAN, HEAD COACH, USC FOOTBALL: It's pretty clear there's quite a bit -- there's quite a few conflicting stories out there, you know, any information that we've been provided up into this point we pushed along to campus authorities. We're really going to let it play out in their hands up into this point and quite honestly we're in somewhat in a holding pattern, so that's where we're at.
SIDNER: Then late yesterday there was this. A statement released through his attorney, "On Saturday, August 23, 2014, I injured myself in a fall. I made up a story about this fall that was untrue. I was wrong to not tell the truth. I apologize to USC for this action on my part.
While Shaw admitted his story was a lie. The Los Angeles Police Department tells us there was a burglary at the apartment complex where Shaw's girlfriend lives and they say they have interviewed his girlfriend but Shaw is not a suspect in the case.
SARKISIAN: Obviously we thought very highly of him, he spoke at our commencement this past spring. So when he came to the story with us I didn't have a reason not to believe this guy and so I think that's where the level of disappointment kicks in.
SIDNER: A disappointment with significant repercussions. Shaw has been suspended from the team indefinitely. Sara Sidner, CNN Los Angeles.
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COOPER: I want to look deeper why people lie and how they lie, I spoke to Professor Dan Ariely, author of "The Honest Truth about Dishonesty".
Dan what do you make of this? I mean, the football player, he didn't just make up any lie, he made up a lie about saving his drowning seven year old nephew.
DAN ARIELY, DUKE UNIVERSITY: That's a good story, you know? And so, here is how I viewed it and, you know, I haven't talked to him and I don't know the story in great details but if I try to generalize what's going on, I would say that there are three elements here. The first element is what we think about gains versus loses. The second one has to do with self deception and the third one has to do with how our lies impact other people.
COOPER: In this case, I mean, he injured his ankles and he was going to be out probably for the season and so he had to come up with an explanation, I assume for why he was not going to be able to play football.
ARIELY: That's right. So it wasn't that he was a guy who wanted to become a hero and he'd kept on thinking. By the way, it's also -- and that was very not a thoughtful lie, right? If you really wanted to plan something you should have really thought about it better but he came up with something to disperse the moment to protect himself.
He probably wanted to basically portray something that would not make people think he is stupid and therefore they are losing this valuable player for no good reason. The second thing has to do with self deception, and self deception is just too fascinating. It's about our ability to convince ourselves that we've done something that we haven't done and we all have this capacity that's really -- it's really amazing.
COOPER: Wow it's really fascinating. Dan, thank you so much for being on. Fascinating stuff.
ARIELY: As always, pleasure to be here.
COOPER: Dan Ariely. That does it for us. Thanks for watching this extended edition of 360. CNN Tonight with Don Lemon starts now.
