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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Arctic Blast; Cosby Backlash; President Obama in Asia; Winter Weather Pummels Plains, Moves East; Google Launching New Space Program?

Aired November 11, 2014 - 16:00   ET

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

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Vladimir Putin feels a chill in the air.

I'm Jake Tapper. This is THE LEAD.

Our world lead. A simple act of gallantry perhaps set off alarm bells in China, where the curious actions of world leaders seem to be getting all the attention. But what we want to know, what were these two talking about on the sidelines?

Plus, in national, ignore the calendar. The Upper Midwest is already blanketed with snow, as arctic temperatures plunge and spread and odds are it's coming for you.

And the pop culture lead. What started out as a promotional gimmick for comedy's elder statesmen gets hijacked by the interwebs, as Bill Cosby learns no amount of pudding pops can stand in the way of the Internet's unforgiving memory.

Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper. Happy Veterans Day.

We begin today with our world lead, some intrigue today at a major international summit, where President Obama and his Russian nemesis, Vladimir Putin, have three times so far been spotted negotiating on controversial topics, we're told, ones where Russia and the U.S. are in heated conflict, ranging from the bloody civil war in Syria, to the terrorist threat posed by ISIS, to Russia's continued ambitions to seize territory in Ukraine, to Iran's nuclear weapons ambitions.

In fact, while the two world leaders were chatting, a Moscow state-run news agency trumpeted a deal where Russia will construct eight new nuclear reactors in Iran for the "peaceful use of atomic energy."

The timing of that announcement fits a familiar pattern of agitation, casting more doubt on that November 24 deadline for the still unresolved nuclear negotiations between Iran and the West.

Meanwhile, Putin is stirring up attention of a different sort.

CNN senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta is in Beijing -- Jim.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jake, it just wouldn't be another foreign trip for President Obama without some tense moments with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

(voice-over): President Obama flew all the way to Beijing to get down to business of diplomacy with China.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If China and the United States can work together, the world benefits.

ACOSTA: But he's finding just as much action at this APEC summit on Russia and his on-again/off-again confrontation with Vladimir Putin. Aides say Mr. Obama bumped into Putin three times in Beijing discussing Iran, Syria and the crisis in Ukraine. The White House is warning once again Putin's military moves in Eastern Ukraine could lead to more sanctions.

BEN RHODES, U.S. DEPUTY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: The sanctions have yet to sufficiently affect Russia's calculus as it relates to Ukraine.

ACOSTA: And Russian state media announced Moscow has a deal in place to build eight new nuclear reactors in Iran. The stunning news comes just as the U.S., Russia and other world powers are up against a November 24 deadline to reach an agreement to contain Iran's nuclear program.

But Putin showed in China he still has a knack for overreach. In act of chivalry, he placed a shawl over the back of China's first lady. But she removed it. The incident caused such an uproar, it was removed from state media.

Mr. Obama also offended some Chinese sensibilities when he was seen chewing gum entering the summit, a distraction from the administration's human rights concerns.

RHODES: We care about universal values, and that's going to be part of how we judge the status of the relationship.

ACOSTA: The heavy hand of Beijing's central government can be felt everywhere, from social media, where Twitter, Facebook and Instagram are all blocked, to China's crackdown on smog that slashed the number of cars clogging the roads and closed factories in the country's capital, to almost eerie levels.

(on camera): One of the key questions for President Obama's legacy in Asia is whether he can succeed in seeing Beijing alter its approach on important issues like human rights or is there still a wall between China and change?

(voice-over): With the Great Wall flooded with Chinese tourists daily, there's no shortage of national pride. But Michael is craving more. He just wants to join Facebook.

(on camera): No Facebook?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, no Facebook.

ACOSTA (voice-over): He would give a like to Chinese President Xi.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think maybe, how to say, greater than Chairman Mao.

(LAUGHTER)

ACOSTA: In China, where communist leaders and capitalism are both revered, President Obama is finding trade deals here are on a faster track than freedom.

(on camera): And President Obama and Vladimir Putin will have another opportunity to talk over their Social Security later this week, when they both attend the G20 summit in Australia -- Jake.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER: Jim Acosta in Beijing, thanks.

One of the issues being hotly debated on the sidelines of the summit, the continued battle against ISIS terrorist in Syria and Iraq. American intelligence officials are still unsure if the radical leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, is dead or alive, but ISIS' brand of evil continues to circulate on the Internet.

The jihadists released another propaganda video. While their last episode broadcast young boys, child soldiers struggling to carry submachine guns, this one flashes more menace sure to keep U.S. defense officials up at night. The video shows a black-robed fighter bringing down an Iraqi military helicopter apparently with an over- the-shoulder rocket.

CNN senior international correspondent Arwa Damon is posted near the Syria-Turkey border.

Arwa, thanks for being here. Appreciate it, as always.

American military officials have feared anti-aircraft weapons falling into ISIS' hands. Now it looks as though they are using them on the battlefield. What more can you tell us?

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It seems to be the case, Jake, and perhaps just as concerning as ISIS' use of anti- aircraft missiles is also this reality that they have gotten their hands on a significant arsenal and vehicles, military vehicles by the U.S. in and of itself.

Now, this video is about 20 minutes in length, as is ISIS' status quo, very highly, very well-produced, slickly put together, something of a compilation of best of ISIS fighting videos ranging from them shooting down that Iraqi helicopter to a number of other battlefield successes they claim to have had, pretty dramatic images where you see ISIS fighters using a tank for cover as they move forward in the battlefield.

A lot of it heavily focused on Kobani, that city right along the Syrian/Turkish border that has been the focal point of the media coverage and also the focus of ISIS' most recent attempt to take over yet another part of Syria. The video also continues to try to send messages out targeting

Westerners who may be tempted to join in their jihadi efforts. And, again, we have an example of how ISIS is launching this battle in terms of trying to gain control, not just in Syria and Iraq, but also on multiple platforms, including the media.

TAPPER: All right. Arwa Damon in Turkey, thank you so much. And stay safe.

Turning now to our national lead and a moment of celebration in the fight against Ebola, along with something of a scare. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio today paraded in front of a gaggle of reporters this morning to announce Dr. Craig Spencer, the American Ebola patient who contracted the nightmare virus while treating patients in Guinea, is Ebola-free.

But as one threat seemingly begins to fad, another Ebola-related fear mushrooms, this time on the other side of the globe and questions as to whether terrorists are trying to weaponize the deadly virus, not unlike the anthrax scare of 2001.

Two small vials are now en route from New Zealand to Australia destined for a special lab unit to test whether or not those tiny bottles contain Ebola. "The New Zealand Herald" and New Zealand's Parliament both received suspicious packages containing vials with an unidentified liquid with a note inside claiming each bottle held samples of Ebola.

Sky News claims the shipment came from a jihadist group. It's unclear if the two packages are related, but authorities are investigating.

Here to talk about the ongoing fight against Ebola, the man in charge of the White House's response to the virus, Ebola czar Ron Klain.

Ron, it's good to see you, as always.

What is the latest intelligence on these vials in New Zealand? Is it Ebola? Is there a legitimate worry a terrorist group could actually weaponize this virus?

RON KLAIN, WHITE HOUSE EBOLA RESPONSE COORDINATOR: Well, Jake, I was brief on this earlier today.

And based on our best information, I think the odds are high that this turns out to be a hoax. But the New Zealand officials are taking no chances. As you mentioned, they are having the vials tested. We're always watching intelligence traffic and other indicators to see is terrorist groups will use any chemical or biological agent.

And right now, what I can tell you is we're not aware of any credible threat that Ebola will be used that way, and, frankly, it seems fairly unlikely, but we're watchful and we have got an eye on it.

TAPPER: The hospital in Dallas and, frankly, the CDC, when it came to how health care workers should be protected, both of them before you came on the job, both seemed to be caught flat-footed initially on the Ebola crisis, despite months of warnings and preparation.

What happened? Why did that happen? Why wasn't it -- what exactly wasn't working?

KLAIN: Well, I think, Jake, we have tried to learn the lessons from Dallas and make sure since then we have increased the standards for protective gear for health care workers. We have increased the training. We have increased the preparation.

And what you're seeing now is the result of all that in New York. We saw with Dr. Spencer our new monitoring rules and monitoring practices had him monitored, brought to the hospital promptly and safely, treated effectively, and, of course, as we saw today, sent home today. So it's a milestone, I think, today.

It doesn't mean that our work on Ebola is anywhere near done. It clearly isn't. It doesn't mean that we need to let our guard down. We absolutely cannot. But what we have shown now is that we can successfully identify and isolate an Ebola patient. We can make sure he doesn't infect other people. We can treat him and we can send him home safely and healthily.

TAPPER: Ron, both you and the president have expressed frustration about decisions by public officials that seem to be based on fear, in your view and the president's view, and not based on science, such as some of the quarantines.

But I'm sure you understand that it was the Texas hospital and the CDC and the president's initial incorrect assurance that in some ways created this mistrust amongst the public, right?

KLAIN: Well, I don't know about that, Jake.

What I do know is that we put out our CDC guidelines on monitoring and travel on October 27. Since then, 35 of the 50 states have adopted the CDC guidelines. So, they have become the national standard. There's no evidence and no examples of this disease being passed in a casual way. And what we saw, again, with Dr. Spencer is that a program of monitoring people who are coming back from these countries, taking their temperature twice a day, checking with public health officials can quickly identify and isolate an Ebola patient and can result in his safe and effective treatment.

TAPPER: Ron, lastly, you're respected for your management skills, but you don't have any health care experience. I'm wondering if you hesitated before accepting the job from President Obama.

KLAIN: Well, I don't know about hesitated, Jake.

I took the responsibility here very seriously. The president gets great advice on health care matters from Dr. Tony Fauci, who has been an adviser to four or five presidents, Dr. Tom Frieden, a great public health leader.

My role is not to give medical advice. It's to coordinate this massive response that President Obama has martialed to fight Ebola here at home and in Africa, to bring the agencies together to help develop policy, to get things to the president quickly and effectively. That's something I have done before. That's something I'm doing.

But it's humbling, frankly very humbling, to spend every day working with the kinds of people, like Craig Spencer, who are on the front lines, who are fighting this disease, who are taking chances to fight this disease. Those are the people who are really getting the job done. Those are the people we should celebrate and honor as the true heroes.

And on Veterans Day, we should also remember our 1,900 men and women in uniform who are in West Africa right now helping to fight the disease.

TAPPER: Ron Klain, thank you so much. We of course wish you the best of luck with the gig.

KLAIN: Thanks, Jake.

TAPPER: Turning now to other national news, those of you on the East Coast in your T-shirts laughing at all those other Americans shivering in the single-digit temperatures, well, enjoy it while you can because that frigid cold is headed East. Will there be snow as well? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: Welcome back to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper.

In our national lead, the calendar may still say autumn, but old man winter just won't quit. Yes, Thanksgiving is still two weeks away, but millions of Americans are now experiencing a severe cold front, causing the mercury to plummet, creating dangerous conditions.

Heavy snow pounded Marquette, Michigan, on Tuesday, leaving roads virtually impassable. In Minnesota, ice and snow caused hundreds of accidents statewide and led to at least one fatality.

And in Billings, Montana, temperatures dropped from the 50s over the weekend, to the single digits today, and that's where we find CNN's Gary Tuchman braving the cold.

How is it going there, Gary?

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jake, this is Montana's largest city, Billings. We're in downtown and it's a virtual ghost town. And why is that? Montanans are hardy people. They are used to cold weather, used to frigid, winter weather. But as you said, we're nowhere near winter. We're actually right near autumn.

Right here is the (INAUDIBLE) where they have concerts. This past week, (INAUDIBLE) played here and they were playing here was 57 degrees on Saturday, 53 degrees on Sunday and then the temperature has dropped dramatically. The possibility exists that overnight, Billings, Montana, this very

cold city in the northern part of the United States, could hit a record because the lowest temperature ever on November 12th is 12 below zero. The temperature is expected to get down to about 5 to 9 below zero tonight. So, very close to a record.

So, that gives you an idea why the sidewalks and streets of Billings, are relatively empty compared to normal when these people can deal with anything. It's just unusual this time of year.

We spent some time in zoo. Zoo Montana is the only zoo in the state here in Billing. We something really interesting -- we saw a bald eagle shivering. You might say, that's so cool for a bald eagle to shiver in weather, we're told that the bald eagles typically do shiver in cold weather, but it's especially cold here. We saw that, we're a little alarm. They said everything is OK with bald eagle.

We saw a grizzly bear named Azi (ph). He was having a good time in the cold weather. We were told he used to live in Yellowstone, was stealing literally like Yogi Bear, stealing picnic baskets. They took him out of the Yellowstone. He's living happily ever after in the zoo.

So, the reason I bring up the zoo, is animals are all happy, but there were no people there. They said two weekends ago, 4,000 people visited the zoo here in Billings. Today, they've had a grand total of three people who've entered the zoo because of this cold weather. Right now, it's in the single digits, but like I said, near record lows in the overnight tomorrow morning.

Back to you.

TAPPER: Gary Tuchman in snowy Billings, Montana -- Gary, thanks. I know it's tough to talk in weather that cold. I remember doing a standup in North Dakota.

So, just how cold will it get and when will temperatures start to fall in your area? For that, we're going to turn to meteorologist Chad Myers. He's in the CNN weather center.

Chad, it's estimated that the 200 million people could be impacted by this system. What could we expect over the next few days?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You know, Jake, we're all not going to get down to zero but where Gary was, it was a dry cold. You know? That's probably better than -- no, I guess not. Anyway, I digress.

Twenty-six below was the coldest I found in Montana, and this is the area a little bit further than where Gary is, that's going to settle in the Gary's air tonight. Cooke City, 22 below. Glacier National Park got down to 14 below.

It's easy to find a front right there. It's moving right through Memphis now. It's going to get to New York City tomorrow night, so you get cool. Have a decent day tomorrow, but by Thursday and Friday, boy, it really goes downhill. Snow totals, Michigan, around 26 inches of snow already. We showed

you a couple of spots here across Minnesota closer to Minneapolis. Those people are still getting very heavy snow at this hour, and more to come.

Lake-effect snow machine when you get this cold air coming across an unfrozen lake, you can get some significant snow even after the low has gone by. Ask the people of Buffalo, New York. They know all about the lake-effect machine.

So, for today, 62 in New York, 66 tomorrow, but then quickly as the front goes by, a significant cool down. Now, I just want to put this in perspective, because everybody's just thinking the sky is falling. In 1911, so 11/11/11, November 11 1911, it went from 83 degrees for a record high in Oklahoma City, to 17 degrees on the same day. Now, that's a cold front.

TAPPER: Chad Myers with some perspective. Thank you, in the CNN severe weather center. Thank you so much.

MYERS: You're welcome.

TAPPER: When we come back, a 60-year lease worth more than a billion dollars. What is Google planning by renting a former NASA air field?

And coming up, a candid George W. Bush gets some laughs paying tribute to his father, remembering what it was like growing up in the Bush house.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT: Explain how he disciplined me. And by the way, contrast to my mother, one time she caught me urinating in the hedges and washed my mouth out with soap.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: Welcome to THE LEAD.

The money lead now -- another tech giant is headed to a new frontier, after seemingly conquering Earth.

Google plans to pay NASA more than $1 billion to operate this huge hangar out in California. It's large enough to hold six football fields.

Google is not the first tech giant to dabble in space exploration. Having your own rocket seems to be old the rage in Silicon Valley these days. Jeff Bezos, the man who owns Amazon, started Blue Origin. There's also SpaceX, of course, from the guy who helped launch PayPal and Tesla Motors.

CNN correspondent Tom Foreman joins us now.

Tom, what have you learned about Google's new mission?

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this portion of Moffett Field is right around the corner in Google headquarters. So, they have been using it for their Google jets. But now, Google is going to pay over $1 billion to rent this facility for 60 years. And that suggests some big plans may be in the works.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: Liftoff, Space Shuttle Atlantis --

FOREMAN (voice-over): This stunning movie of images from the International Space Station was assembled by a French filmmaker, but it could become the corner office view for Google. That is, if the Internet giant wants to build a space program. And with $50 billion a year in income, analysts at Piper Jaffray say Google can sure afford it.

GENE MUNSTER, SENIOR RESEARCH ANALYST: I think, fundamentally, technology companies want to change the world and invest in things that have long-term growth opportunities. That's really at the core of what technology is all about and ultimate long-term opportunity is space.

FOREMAN: The Moffett Federal Air Field is tied to a NASA Research Center and features vast hangars that once held zeppelins for the military. The space is so large they sometimes develop fog banks inside.

Google will restore the hangars, open a museum and then, according to NASA, begin using the historic facility for research, development, assembly and testing in the areas of space exploration, aviation, rover robotics and other emerging technology.

ANNOUNCER: SpaceX 3 is under way.

FOREMAN: Far-fetched? Maybe not. SpaceX, which grew out of the PayPal fortune, is always reaching for the heavens. And despite recent setbacks for rival companies, the private space race is robust.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on, guys, let's brainstorm this puppy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to put coffee in the pot and we're going to let it percolate.

FOREMAN: And as noted in the movie "The Internship," Google seems fearless about expanding, developing driverless cars and wearable computers, delving into package delivery and high-speed Internet fiber, working on a pill to hunt cancer cells, and even launching a program to wire the world with balloons.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because it turns out that if you use balloons, it's faster and easier and cheaper to give everyone the Internet.

(END VIDEOTAPE) FOREMAN: It is not clear how deeply Google wants to jump into all of this, but the acquisition of this property sets them up to look skyward. And why not, maybe for Google, it's like the old Bond film, the world is not enough.

TAPPER: The world is not enough. Pierce Brosnan reference.

FOREMAN: Yes, $50 billion a year. That's more than you and I make together.

TAPPER: To the world, Brosnan is still James Bond.

Tom Foreman, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

Another money news -- billions of dollars were at stake in one of the most expensive divorces ever. A judge in Oklahoma ordered 68-year-old oil tycoon Harold Hamm to pay his ex-wife Sue Ann $995 million. Yes, you heard that right, $995 million, to settle their split.

By the end of the year, she will collect a third of that in her holiday stocking, according to court papers. Sue Ann will receive the balance in monthly payments of $7 million, along with homes in California and Oklahoma. The couple were married 26 years and have two grown daughters.

Now, before you shed any tears for Harold Hamm, keep in mind that he has a fortune estimated up to $20 billion, money from his oil and gas empire. Some industry experts say that Hamm got off easy. Early estimates predicted a settlement between $4 billion and $8 billion. Sue Ann Hamm can still appeal the decision.

Now for our buried lead, it's rarely talked about when discussing veterans, those members of the military who come home from the battlefield unable to return to the lives they once lived, turning to drugs and crime, violence instead. I went to one prison and talked to several veterans about their lives now, behind bars. That's coming up next.

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