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Police Closing in on Mall Attackers; Glitz, Glamour, Upsets; Gunshot Heard at Kenya Mall; Obama: "Our Tears are Not Enough"; Bill Clinton Praises GOP
Aired September 23, 2013 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Killing innocent shoppers.
BENDITA MALAKIA, ESCAPED KENYA MALL SHOOTING: We shoot up and we started to turn and we heard machine guns, and then we started to run and it was a second explosion which knocked us on the ground.
COSTELLO: Worst yet, Americans are believed to be part of the terrorist killing machine. We'll take you live to Nairobi and to Minneapolis.
Also, seven days and counting until a threatened government shutdown if Obamacare is not defunded.
Here it is, thousands of pages of law that few people seem to get. This hour we'll try to make some sense out of what Obamacare means for you and your family.
Plus --
WAYNE LAPIERRE, NRA EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT: The whole country, David, knows the problem is there weren't enough good guys with guns. When the good guys with guns got there, it stopped.
COSTELLO: The gun control debate certainly has not stopped even as the president of the United States remembers those lost at the Navy Yard.
And this.
MERRITT WEVER, ACTRESS, "NURSE JACKIE": I got to go. Bye.
COSTELLO: The shortest acceptance speech ever and maybe the best. Just ahead, who won, who didn't and who should have at the Primetime Emmy Awards.
You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Good morning, I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me. We are closing in on the attackers. That's what Kenyan police say as an armed standoff inside a Nairobi mall enters its third day. Right now thick, black smoke is rising from the mall, the hostage takers inside have been burning mattresses but those al-Shabaab terrorists no longer control the mall, although two more were killed today and the terrorists may include three from the United States.
Sixty-two people in all have died since the attack began on Saturday, 175 people, including five Americans, were hurt when a dozen or so armed gunmen stormed the mall targeting non-Muslims. One North Carolina woman was able to get out alive.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MALAKIA: While we were back there they methodically kind of going store to store talking to people, asking questions, shooting, screams, and then it would stop for a while and they would go to another store.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Zain Verjee is live in Nairobi, Kenya, where that drama goes on.
Good morning, Zain.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Good morning, Carol. The government is saying that they are in control of Westgate Mall and that they have evacuated most of the hostages.
Now Westgate Mall is about four stories high, and to be in control of it is a vast amount of space.
We continue to see smoke rising, Carol, but it's not exactly clear what is the source. There's a lot of speculation about it but we do know that there is an operation that is still ongoing.
As far as the hostages go, carol, normally you -- they would come here because this is where the emergency triage area is. I spoke to the people in charge here and they said no hostages have come except for one woman that was released, and she seemed to be OK. They said she was walking and then Japanese friend or counterpart took her away and she just left.
So that's the latest from the situation here. There are still many questions. The government is saying that they have it, they're in control, but there's a concern that there may have been some gunmen that could have escaped or not. The government is saying that that's not the case but we'll still wait and see what happens.
COSTELLO: Yes, because there's so much confusion. Of course this is a breaking situation. In all -- initially it was believed there were 10 to 15 attackers. Do we know how many attackers are still inside the mall?
VERJEE: We don't know. They confirmed 10 to 15 attackers. The government officials are saying they were all men, previously there was some eyewitness accounts of women, white women being seen inside, but we really don't have much visibility inside the mall right now. It's totally off bounds physically and getting any information is really hard and the information that we do get could be operationally compromising, so what I do know from the people that I have talked to here, is that there are dozens of bodies that are still strewn in various places around the mall.
So they've been waiting all day to go and pick them up, that is what they've told me. But when this operation started they were told to wait.
COSTELLO: Zain Verjee reporting live from Nairobi, Kenya, this morning. Thanks so much.
Now the FBI is looking into claims Americans are among the attackers in Nairobi. It's not so surprising since al-Shaabab has been recruiting young men in the Minneapolis area to go to Africa to fight.
CNN's Chris Lawrence is following that side of the story.
What can you tell us, Chris?
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, right now federal agents here and U.S. officials overseas are running down leads trying to determine if any of those attackers are American. That is what a group claiming to be al-Shabaab claimed on its Twitter account posting that one of the attackers was from Kansas City, two more from right here in Minneapolis.
Now this area is home to the nation's largest Somali-American community. Families here have been fighting off recruitment efforts by al-Shabaab for years. Sometimes they have not been successful.
COSTELLO: Chris, I don't believe your story is --
(CROSSTALK)
COSTELLO: Yes. we didn't have it. So let me ask you that question. You said their efforts have not been successful. What do you mean by that?
LAWRENCE: Yes. Basically what that means is al-Shabaab has reached out into the community, Carol. We've been speaking with people last night who said, you know, they have heard accounts of that, and there have been actual convictions. Earlier this year six men were convicted of funneling about 20 people overseas, young men from this area, two women were also convicted of sending thousands of dollars to al-Shabaab.
They have reached into the community and tried to recruit these young men, in fact just last month they released a recruiting video showing one of the young men from Minneapolis in which he compares Somalia to a jihadist Disneyland, urging other Muslims to come over to Somalia to continue the fight.
A senior State Department official says there are those within the Obama administration that have been raising the alarms over this potential recruitment, but an FBI source says some of that recruiting has fallen off over the past few years. He said FBI has been working with the Somalia-American community here to try to make sure that those who go overseas do not bring that training back here and try to commit terrorist acts here into the United States.
COSTELLO: Chris Lawrence reporting from Minneapolis this morning, thank you.
On Capitol Hill this morning the clock is ticking. Congress has seven days to pass a spending bill to avoid a government shutdown. On Friday House Republicans passed a short-term spending plan that would also defund Obamacare. The battle now moves to the Democratically controlled Senate.
Many Democrats say defunding Obamacare doesn't stand a chance in the Senate because of course it's Democratically controlled, but Republican Senator Ted Cruz threatens a filibuster if Senate Democrats try to strip the House bill of language that would cut Obamacare funding.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. TED CRUZ (R) TEXAS: Senate Republicans should stand united to stop Harry Reid from changing the House bill and in particular from inserting the funding -- of Obamacare, we can deny cloture, we can filibuster and say, we will not allow you to add the funding back for Obamacare.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Lawmakers must pass a spending bill by September 30th to avoid a government shutdown.
Holiday hiring will slow down this season at Target. Not as many workers are needed and those with a job could be very, very busy this year.
Alison Kosik is in New York this morning to tell us more.
Good morning, Alison.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. So, yes, holiday season not even in full swing. Yet Target already saying it's going to scale back, how many it hires for the holiday season, kind of a troubling sign.
Target saying it plans to hire about 70,000 temporary workers. That's down from 88,000 it hired just a year ago.
You know, you look at what was said last week, Shopper Track saying that it expects holiday sales to climb less than expected this year because consumers are still very cautious. So as you said it could mean some good news, though, to those who already work at Target who want more hours because Target is also saying it plans to offer more holiday hours to those full time staffers -- Carol. COSTELLO: Alison Kosik, thanks so much, reporting live from New York this morning.
And be sure to join me tomorrow for a one-on-one with Target's CEO Greg Steinhuffel. We'll bring that to you at 9:00 a.m. Eastern, sometime within that hour.
Glitz, glamour and upsets, the Emmy's television's biggest night, was chock full of big surprises.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Holy crap, man. Man, I -- I did not see this coming.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: "Breaking Bad" creator Vince Gilligan, shocked over his show's Best Drama win. Michael Douglas and Claire Dane also celebrating, getting the big gold statuette.
MICHAEL DOUGLAS, BEST ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOVIE: The fact is, you know, this all came about right after my whole cancer spell, so one day I'm think being mortality and then the next -- the next day Steven comes and says, we got this great project, Matt is going to play your partner and where do I sign up?
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: And here you are.
DOUGLAS: Where do I sing up. Here we are.
CLAIRE DANES, BEST ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOVIE: This is preposterous. I mean it's wonderful and I'm very, very grateful. It's a little -- it's hard to accept, you know. But I'm going to try to --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Is it really hard to accept?
DANES: You know what, I get shy, I get shy, I mean, but it's -- no, I don't mean to reject it in any way, I'm so, so, so touched by it and so grateful for it but going back to work tomorrow and this will be a lovely thing to kind of pass around the crew and people can take photos with it and stuff, but the point is the work itself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)COSTELLO: Entertainment correspondent Nischelle Turner live in Los Angeles.
What a wild night and I have to say my new favorite is Merritt Wever. She was awesome.
NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: "I Gotta Go."
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: I know.
TURNER: That's what we should go to every time we just have no idea what to say, exit stage left. "I Gotta Go."
COSTELLO: Yes.
TURNER: But yes, that was -- that was definitely a moment last night. And you know by all accounts, Carol, it has been a really good year for television. Last night's awards really showed that because no show just kind of cleaned up and swept the Emmys. The honors were spread around which leaves most critics to believe that there was a lot of good to go around.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Work it.
TURNER (voice-over): A playful combination of front row banter.
NEIL PATRICK HARRIS, HOST, EMMY AWARDS: I'm not twerking, I'm not going to do that. That would be degrading.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But we would be degrateful.
(LAUGHTER)
TURNER: Helped Neil Patrick Harris kick off the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards. A night of songs, dance and celebration. Left some Emmy winners like the "Newsroom's" Jeff Daniels --
JEFF DANIELS, ACTOR: I usually don't win anything.
TURNER: And "Nurse Jackie's" Merritt Wever notably surprised.
WEVER: I gotta go. Bye.
TURNER: While these winners, Tony Hail and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, had fun in character.
JULIA LOUIS DREYFUS, COMEDIAN: I'd like to thank our --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Family.
LOUIS-DREYFUS: With my family.
TURNER: "Homeland's" winner Clare Daines and three-time big bang theory when, you know, Jim parsons were visibly moved.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's so silly to be emotional, isn't it?
TURNER: TV icon Bob Newhart first ever win for guest starring on "The Big Bang Theory" brought the Nokia Theater's 6,000 guests to their feet.
The show singled out five heartfelt memorials including "Sopranos" star James Gandolfini. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's Jim, the man, the very dear man that I will miss most of all.
TURNER: Corey Monteith, who drew some controversy in the days before the show due to his smaller body of work.
JANE LYNCH, ACTRESS. "GLEE": His death is a tragic reminder of the rapacious, senseless destruction that is brought on by addiction.
TURNER: And Gary David Goldberg, who produced both "Family Ties" and "Spin City."
MICHAEL J. FOX, ACTOR: I wish it wasn't necessary. I wish Gary was still with us. But -- sorry.
TURNER: "Modern Family" won its fourth straight in the year's best comedy series and "breaking bad" won its first for top drama.
Michael Douglas' starring role as Liberace may have earned him Emmy Gold over co-star Matt Damon.
DOUGLAS: This is a two-hander. You're only as good --
(LAUGHTER)
TURNER: But in the end the HBO biopic was second to none. Winning 11 statues in all.
DOUGLAS: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TURNER: OK, can I just say that Michael Douglas is definitely a star. He walks in the room and you get it. You just get it.
(LAUGHTER)
You definitely do, carol. Hey, I want to tell you, though, one of the big storylines that we're watching last night, of course, is what would happen with Netflix. It was nominated for 14 Emmys, a win in a big category, would make history.
They did just bet. David Fincher took home best director all week the talk has been even if they won one of the major categories it would be a clue for Netflix so chances are they're pretty happy this morning.
(CROSSTALK)
COSTELLO: Hey --
TURNER: And, Carol, you know, when I was talking -- go ahead.
COSTELLO: Yes, I was going to say it means better things for us. It means more creative programming and that's what we all wish for, right? TURNER: And that's exactly what I was hearing last night on the red carpet when I was talking to all the Hollywood muckity mucks about what they wanted to watch and what they thought the future was. They all said we watch "House of Cards." We Watch "orange is the new black" because we can watch as much or as little as we want whenever we want so I think that bodes very well for Netflix. The times are a- changing. The times are changing.
Yes, they are.
Nischelle turner thanks so much.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: Still ahead in the Newsroom, calling George Zimmerman, your wife needs to you serve divorce papers but guess what, George Zimmerman is nowhere to be found.
Plus this --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Obama, tear down this law.
COSTELLO: There is plenty of rage on Capitol Hill over Obamacare but how many Americans really know what the law is all about. Explaining Obamacare next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We were hoping that horrific attack on the Westgate Mall in Kenya was winding down but we just have words what were gunshots in the area.
So, let's go live to Kenya now. And Nima Elbagir -- what are you hearing, Nima?
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Carol, we're hearing a very sustained bursts of gunfire, probably the heaviest that we've heard since yesterday, well, probably the heaviest we've heard since the height of the attack. We've also hearing what sounds like heavy weaponry and we're seeing a lot of movement of military and security personnel crossing that road behind me into the area towards the Westgate.
We have not been allowed to get any further inland than this for our own safety and also just for the integrity of what has become a very complex involved and very long operation. The Kenyan authorities say they've managed to kill two of the militants inside and although they have freed a large number of the hostages, there are still a number remaining inside. The Kenyan defense force, which is the military here, say that they believe we are now entering the end game, Carol.
COSTELLO: We keep hearing all of these conflicting reports. Kenyan authorities said just a short time ago that they have control of the situation, yet there's this gunfire. What might that mean? ELBAGIR: Well yes, and that plume of spoke behind me, the Kenyan authorities actually acknowledged that was set by the militants themselves. They managed to drag mattresses up onto the roof of the shopping center in a diversionary tactic and set them on fire to try and give themselves some kind of an advantage in terms of the oncoming onslaught from the Kenyan military.
We have been hearing very conflicting reports. In fact, we were told late last night local time that we were coming into the end game. But there have been long stretches of inactivity and it does feel like after the tension of the watching and waiting that something might be beginning to finally happen, Carol.
COSTELLO: All right. Nima Elbagir, you'll keep us up-to-date. Thanks so much.
Checking other top stories in 19 minutes past the hour.
Sikh professor at Columbia University says he was attacked and beaten this weekend in central park by men he says were yelling ghetto-sama and terrorists. The professor suffered cuts and bruises and a fractured jaw. Police are still investigating the possible hate crime.
Two navy crew members still missing after their Night Hawk helicopter crashed into the red sea. Three other crew members were rescued. Officials say the helicopter was operating with the destroyer USS William P. Lawrence when it crashed. The cause is under investigation.
Where in the world is George Zimmerman? According to the attorney for his estranged wife, the acquitted of murder is nowhere to be found. Meaning they have not served him with divorce papers. It's not exactly clear why he's disappeared but Shellie Zimmerman's attorneys tell CNN a little space and time between the couple just makes sense.
It wasn't rain but bees that stopped the Mariners/Angels game in Anaheim. Swarm of bees invaded the outfield during the third inning and players headed for the dugouts. Wouldn't you? A fan who works for a beehive removal company had to come out of the stands to get rid of most of the bees when some came back at the next inning, a grounds crew keeper used a fire extinguisher to end the threat. Wow.
The nation's gun laws are once again under scrutiny after last week's shooting at the Washington Navy Yard. President Obama spoke at a memorial last night for the 12 people killed at the Washington Navy Yard. It marked the fifth time of his presidency that he's grieved with American communities over mass violence.
The president says this cannot become the new normal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our tears are not enough. Our words and our prayers are not enough. If we really want to honor these 12 men and women, then we're going to have to change. (END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: CNN's Pamela Brown is live in New York with more this morning.
Good morning.
PAMELA BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning to you, Carol.
You know, it's been one week since 12 people were tragically killed in the shooting of a Washington naval yard, renewing the ongoing debate over gun control in this country yet again. On one side, NRA leaders saying more guns in the right hands. On the other, President Obama saying the only way to prevent future mass shootings is change.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN (voice-over): President Obama giving a passionate eulogy for the victims of last week's naval yard shooting and calling for a transformation of America's gun laws.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm not accepting these shootings as inevitable but asking what can we do to prevent them from happening again and again and again.
BROWN: Earlier in the day, NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre appeared on "Meet the Press" with a controversial take of what went on that day.
WAYNE LAPIERRE, NRA EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT: The problem is there weren't enough good guys with guns. When the good guys with guns got there, it stopped.
BROWN: Hours apart in vastly different settings, LaPierre and the president's comments were almost a tennis match of point-counterpoint.
OBAMA: It ought to be a shock to all of us as a nation and people. It ought to lead to some sort of transformation.
LAPIERRE: We need to look at the men and women that know firearms and trained in them do what they do best, which is protect and survive.
BROWN: The president, once again, grieving with Americans after four other major mass shootings during his presidency at Fort Hood, Texas, Tucson, Arizona, Aurora, Colorado, and Newtown, Connecticut, last December. What's clear, this debate will continue with both sides still unwilling to yield.
OBAMA: It's the change that we need. And it's a change overwhelmingly supported by the majority of Americans.
LAPIERRE: We are going to have this discussion today. It's on other channels. When the camera goes off, nobody is going to do anything.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: And LaPierre also talked about how mental health records are not in the system as part of background checks for purchasing guns.
The president said in his speech yesterday that the U.S. is not inherently prone to mental health issues, but it's easier to get a gun here than in other countries like the U.K. and Australia that have stricter gun control laws put in place in recent years. But, Carol, one thing is for sure. This debate will continue.
COSTELLO: It's like a sad Groundhog Day, right? The same thing is being said, I know.
BROWN: Very sad.
COSTELLO: Pamela Brown, thanks so much.
Sill to come in THE NEWSROOM.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT: I'm more worried about a more mundane problem.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: What is it? Bill Clinton's interview with CNN. What he's praising Republicans for and what he says is troubling his own party today.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: While the political drum beat builds toward a possible Hillary Clinton candidacy for president, her husband continues to make headlines. In an interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria, Bill Clinton praised Republicans, seriously he did.
Listen to the former president sharing some love with his former and possibly future political rivals for knowing what they want and being able to reach voters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: I'm more worried about a more mundane problem, which is that we have not succeed in persuading people to vote in the off- presidential years in the same numbers as they do in the presidential years. That's something we have to do.
FAREED ZAKARIA, CNN HOST: So you're not worried about the Democratic Party?
CLINTON: No, we've got a lot of good people in the party. We've got a lot of good ideas.
But I think you got to give it to the Republicans. They have a much more reliable media base and they just say no. They know what they want. They want power to cut taxes, eliminate regulation, take government down except for what they like, and they can fill the atmosphere with a lot of static. When you're trying to get something done you have to explain what you're trying to do but it's tougher for us but I feel pretty good about where we are and where we're going.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: In addition to kicking off the annual Clinton Global Initiative today in New York City, Mr. Clinton is also making his ninth appearance on "The Late Show with David Letterman", that will happen tonight.
Also coming up tonight on CNN, an American-held captive in Iran and the Michael Jackson wrongful death trial nears an end, just two of the stories we're covering for you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLI)
ANNOUNCER: CNN tonight, at 7:00, "ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT", an American is held prisoner, Iran says he's a spy, his family tells his side of the story exclusively to CNN.
And at 9:00 on "PIERS MORGAN LIVE", Piers brings you closing arguments in the case against Michael Jackson's last concert promoter, who's really to blame for his death?
It all runs tonight on CNN, starting with "ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" at 7:00, "ANDERSON COOPER 360" at 8:00, and "PIERS MORGAN LIVE" live at 9:00 -- tonight on CNN.
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