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Occupy Movement Goes Global; Republicans Going Head to Head

Aired October 15, 2011 - 19:00   ET

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

HALA GORANI, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Hala Gorani, in tonight for Don Lemon.

"Occupy Wall Street" is now global. Demonstrations erupted in cities around the world today in a display of worldwide frustration we haven't seen since this protest began about a month ago.

This peaceful demonstration in Buenos Aires was fairly typical. This was the scene in London. Thousands of people converged in front of St. Paul's Cathedral to hear WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. He made an appearance today. Several people were arrested in London.

The most notable unrest was in Rome. Look at these images. Police blame anarchists for taking advantage of the large gathering to throw fire bombs and break store windows, forcing riot police to move in with water cannons and tear gas. Some of the protesters say their movement was hijacked by these troublemakers in Rome.

CNN's Susan Candiotti is in New York. This is where the movement began, with "Occupy Wall Street."

And the protesters of "Occupy Wall Street," Susan, have now entered Times Square in Manhattan. What's happening there right now?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well (INAUDIBLE) people are here in Times Square. Inside (INAUDIBLE) a pedestrian area that covers several blocks in Times Square. You have members of "Occupy Wall Street" setting up shop. They are chanting slogans. They are holding up signs. Again, their message against corporate greed.

I'm actually on the outside, walking along with the protester. And they're yelling slogans like "They got bailed out, we got sold out."

This is one of many demonstrations in the city, certainly here and also at Wall Street, where that original campsite set up 29 days ago. Here, this is where the action is. The main action is tonight, as a lot of tourists and other people who are out and about on a Saturday night are screaming along, packed in, that's where I am, shoulder to shoulder along the sidewalks, running along the pedestrian square, separated from metal barricades where those protesters are right now in Times Square.

GORANI: And, Susan, how is law enforcement reacting to all of this? I mean, presumably these "Occupy Wall Street" protesters are going to stay put in Times Square. Are -- is the police going to allow them to do this?

CANDIOTTI: There's a large police presence here. And it was like they obviously knew about this because it had been announced in advance. And so, there are a lot of police officers, mounted police also, that you see on occasion. But they're standing along the metal barricades and making sure that traffic gets through around this. And so far, that's happening.

Of course, there are always traffic jams in Times Square on a Saturday night. (INAUDIBLE) normally is tonight.

GORANI: All right. Protesters there have entered Times Square. This is the "Occupy Wall Street" movement.

Susan Candiotti, joining us live there on the phone from Manhattan with the latest on that.

Now, occupy protests have spread around the world as well, and we've compiled video from around the globe as people gathered today in large numbers to vent their frustrations. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

AL GOODMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're here in the center of Madrid, and you get a glimpse right now of some of the thousands of people coming by, heading up to the Porto del Sol. Now, these protests have been going on for five months in Spain. The protest movement known as the 15th of May movement for the day that it started do not consider this day, Saturday, to be just another day because they say they're now part of a global movement.

JULIAN ASSANGE, WIKILEAKS FOUNDER: Like all of you, I have had difficulty --

CROWD: Like all of you, I have had difficulty --

(INAUDIBLE)

ASSANGE: -- getting in here today.

CROWD: -- getting in here today.

ASSANGE: That started with my by signing on --

CROWD: That started with my signing on --

ASSANGE: But there are many people who haven't yet been able to get through.

(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

REPORTER: Around 500 anarchists, many of them under the umbrella of the black flag have infiltrated this protest today. They scorched cars. There's an interior building on fire. Many windows are broken. They've also been violent against the other protesters. At one point, though, the peaceful protesters were throwing bottles at the violent protesters trying to get them out of their march.

CROWD: The people united will never be defeated. The people united will never be defeated. The people united will never be defeated. The people united will never be defeated.

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

GORANI: A sampling there of some of the protests around the world. We'll have more on the occupy movement, what its demands are, what the frustrations are among those who are protesting tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern.

Las Vegas, the site of the next major hurdle for the Republicans battling to be the next president. CNN is hosting a debate on Tuesday with the Western Republican Leadership Conference.

CNN senior political editor Mark Preston is standing by live in Las Vegas. Let's talk about who needs -- in this particular debate coming up on Tuesday, who needs to come out on top, who will be the biggest target as well?

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, you know, Hala, no question about it that this debate is really, really important for several of the candidates. Rick Perry, who has not done really well in these debate performances, needs to come out strong. His campaign has said he's been very tired over the past few performances. We'll see him come out swinging, I believe.

Also, some of the candidates that are lesser known, Rick Santorum. He needs to have a good performance.

Michele Bachmann as well, who really skyrocketed in the summer, only to fall off once Rick Perry got into the race, she needs to prove on Tuesday night, Hala, that she is the conservative candidate.

So, we'll hear certainly a lot from those three.

GORANI: OK. And one of the big names, of course, Herman Cain, trailing the front-runner Mitt Romney, by the way, by just three points in the latest CNN polling. This obviously will make him a bigger target.

PRESTON: Yes, exactly. Go straight to your target question. Mitt Romney and Herman Cain will be the ones that are under fire on Tuesday night, because they are on top of the polls right now.

Herman Cain specifically for his tax plan, his 9-9-9 plan, which a lot of people don't know much about but has really caught fire certainly with conservatives who want to see the tax code simplified. However, experts say that that tax code would not work. It wouldn't help generate enough revenue, federal revenue. It also would be unfair to lower income folks. So, he will come under fire for that. But also expect Mitt Romney, who is considered the electable candidate, to also come under fire on Tuesday night.

So those are two to be watching. It will be interesting to see, Hala, how they respond to the attacks.

GORANI: Mark, let me ask you about who might have to sort of move on and admit defeat. I mean, can this debate such as the one that CNN is hosting on Tuesday for someone like Rick Perry, for instance, whose popularity has fallen so dramatically, be the end of the road?

PRESTON: Certainly not until we see the first votes occur in Iowa. All of the candidates right now, with the exception of Jon Huntsman, we'll talk about him momentarily, are at about 2 percent, 3 percent, 4 percent on the lower end, all the way up. They can stay in the race and they will stay in the race. The reason being is, even if they don't have a shot at winning the Republican presidential nomination, they stay in the race longer, they get this national exposure on our network, as they will Tuesday night, on all the other networks, that also helps their earning power once they get out of the race.

Jon Huntsman now, who won't be at this debate, he'll be in New Hampshire. He bowed out of this because of a dispute between Nevada and New Hampshire. He really needs to do better in the polls. So, it will be interesting to se what Jon Huntsman does.

If anyone needs to drop out, Hala, before the first votes in Iowa, I would say it's Jon Huntsman. But I don't think that's going to happen either.

GORANI: All right. Mark Preston, CNN senior political editor, live in Las Vegas, the site of that CNN debate which will be hosted by Anderson Cooper. And the big question, of course, is who will come out on top. That's 8:00 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday.

We know the consequence when's students cheat. But it's a whole other issue when their teachers do it. Fallout from the Atlanta testing scandal is coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GORANI: Let's talk education.

Georgia has started disciplining teachers involved in the Atlanta testing scandal. Three administrators have lost their licenses. Eight teachers have been suspended for two years. And almost 200 cases are still under review.

In this week's "Perry's Principles," CNN contributor and high school principal Steve Perry offers his thoughts on teachers who cheat.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR: I'm appalled when teachers will cheat their students because that's what they're really doing. What they're saying is, "I taught your child how to do something that they need to do, but I really didn't, so that I can save my own behind." Instead of saying, "Listen, I didn't do what I need to do, I'm going to work harder to get better and I'm going to own the fact that I did not perform."

I think that people are cheating because they believe that they're going to gain some sort of advantage. You wouldn't cheat if your kids were prepared.

People talk about the tests in a very bad way. But the content of most of the state standardized examination is pretty reasonable. The expectation that a child will be able to read, write, and compute on level -- I mean, that's being an educated person. I don't think that we're putting too much of an emphasis on standardized examinations, though I don't love the fact that most of them occur in one month and the fact you have to suspend education in order to take them.

Having a standardized test is an essential part of learning. We need to be able to determine that all children are learning something. If teachers are not held responsible for their children's learning, then we won't ever move forward.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GORANI: Well, the testing scandal in Atlanta made big headlines, but, of course, we should note similar cheating scandals have been reported in other parts of the country.

A quick break. When we come back, a plot, an alleged plot to kill an ambassador to the United States on American soil. This real-life drama sounds like a movie thriller. Now, many are wondering if it may have been. We'll talk about that when we come back.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GORANI: This week, the United States revealed an alleged plot by Iran to kill Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States. It's drawn many doubters and critics. The U.S. government says it thwarted the attempts of this Iranian American, Manssor Arbabsiar, to kill the diplomat. A federal affidavit says Arbabsiar was working with Iran's Quds force, a branch of the Islamic revolutionary guards.

It's not clear why the plot was planned, but it showcases, potentially showcases the conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia and how the United States is handling the divide.

Joining me now is an expert on Iran, Reza Aslan, author of the book "No God But God."

Thanks for being here, Reza.

First, I want to ask you about this Quds force. What is it? Would this fit its modus operandi, to sort of use this Iranian-American, used car salesman, who ended up speaking with an undercover federal agent and that's how this alleged plot was uncovered? What do you make of that?

REZA ASLAN, FOUNDER, ASIANMEDIA.COM: The Quds force is essentially the elite establishment within the revolutionary guard in Iran. And, certainly, the Quds force has used proxies. It's used state-sponsored terrorism in other parts of the world to further its interests.

I think the reason, Hala, so many people like myself have such skepticism when it comes to this particular bomb plot is that it just does not fit the Quds force's M.O. -- the idea of using a Mexican drug cartel as a surrogate rather than using, you know, Muslims or somebody that they can themselves trust; the fact that this plot originated with a used car salesman in Texas rather than involving an actual agent from the Quds force. It's sloppy. It's uncharacteristic.

And so, in a lot of ways, it doesn't really serve Iran's interests in any legitimate way.

GORANI: So, whose interest does publicizing an alleged plot like this one serve?

ASLAN: Well, look, I'm not going to involve myself in any kind of conspiracy theories here. I mean, the U.S. government seems to be very sure about the case that it's making, that this is going -- that this is a plot that originates at the highest levels of the Iranian government.

I will say, however, that one thing has to be made perfectly clear. We keep talking about this as though it's part of a conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia. That is I think an incorrect analysis.

GORANI: OK. Why?

ASLAN: If Iran wanted to kill a --

GORANI: Yes.

ASLAN: If Iran wanted to kill a Saudi ambassador, it could do so in 100 easier ways. There are dozens of Saudi officials across the Middle East, across North Africa, across Sub-Saharan Africa that are very easy targets for an Iranian agent to assassinate. Doing so on U.S. soil is unmistakably an attack on the United States, not on Saudi Arabia.

GORANI: OK. The leadership in Iran, of course, is fractured. You have the revolutionary guards on one side. You have the supreme leader. You have the president, Ahmadinejad. The Quds force is one arm of the revolutionary guards.

Is it possible that they operate sort of on their own, as an independent entity without the knowledge of the leadership above them in Iran? Is that a possibility?

ASLAN: Well, you bring up an absolutely vital point. Iran is as fractured as it's ever been. It's hard to know who's calling the shots over there. So, is it possible that this is the result of some rogue element within the revolutionary guard, within the Quds force itself, that decided to branch out without getting the proper authorization, that it doesn't represent the Iranian regime at its highest levels? Sure, it is.

But let's be clear -- that is not the allegation being made by the United States. You have the vice president of the United States, the secretary of state, and the attorney general all saying without any doubt that this plot has been hatched by the Iranian regime at its highest level, probably the president or the supreme leader.

GORANI: Right.

ASLAN: Here's the problem, Hala.

GORANI: Yes?

ASLAN: Let's say that that's true. Let's say that this is a plot that goes to the supreme leader himself. Then what you are saying is that the government of another nation state has hatched a plot to kill American civilians on U.S. soil.

GORANI: That's an act of war.

ASLAN: Under what definition is that not an act of war? How is that not an act of war?

And if it is an act of war, then how does one actually explain the tepid response of the Obama administration? I mean, they want to tighten financial regulation transactions? That is the response to what can unmistakably be defined as an act of war?

GORANI: Reza Aslan, always a pleasure. Many questions that still need answers. Thanks for your analysis, as always. Reza Aslan is in Los Angeles.

Making their mark this week, Dewey Bozella, former convicted murder, steps into the ring tonight at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. At age 52, Bozella will debut as a professional boxer for one fight. It's been his dream to box in the ring as a free man ever since he was exonerated after spending 26 years in prison.

Bozella always insisted he was innocent. Several years ago, it was discovered that prosecutors buried evidence that would have proven he did not commit the crime. Bozella turned down offers of freedom if he confessed. He said he'd rather spend the rest of his life in prison than admit to something he did not do.

The "Occupy" movement -- first, it was Wall Street, now it's the rest of the world. Protests are going global. Most were peaceful, but this one took a turn for the worst, and the occupiers were not the instigators in the violence. We'll explain who caused chaos in Rome. Next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) GORANI: All right. Just in, we're going to take you to New York's Times Square. This is where we're hearing reports of protesters of the occupy Wall Street movement being arrested. Susan Candiotti is there.

Susan, what can you tell us is going on right now in Times Square?

CANDIOTTI (via telephone): Right now, we have seen one person being arrested. We do not know whether there are more people being arrested. But it is in an area of Times Square.

(INAUDIBLE) the gathering of protesters are coming very close to the police line, and police at this hour are trying to move people out of 46th Street, which is a street that runs through Times Square, if they could do it. And they're telling people now on bull horns to get out of the street, get out of the street. And people are moving in that direction.

These police officers are wearing riot gear. And so, there is a potential for trouble, but none just yet. People are shouting the world is watching. But we're standing by to see what happens.

We're on a sidewalk right now. And they're trying to move people east. Police say they want to clear the intersection that is behind us.

GORANI: All right. Susan Candiotti is in Times Square -- with Susan reporting there at least one arrest among the "Occupy Wall Street" protesters. We're also hearing reports of more arrests in other parts of the square. We'll continue to follow this story.

And these are new images coming to us from Times Square. This "Occupy Wall Street" movement that migrated from downtown Manhattan to Times Square with those lists of demands against corporate greed.

Tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, our Don Lemon learns to say hello on the set of "The Walking Dead."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like this, fist bump, and out.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GORANI: Don visits the cast of the AMC zombie hit ahead of the highly anticipated second season premiere. So tuned in for that as well.

I'm Hala Gorani at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

"FREEDOM'S FOOT SOLDIERS," a conversation with T.J. Holmes on the dedication of the new Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, begins in two minutes on CNN.