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Gates' Book Rips Obama's War Leadership; Sister Of Imprisoned American Speaks Out While Rodman Celebrates In North Korea; High Temps At Or Above Average By Saturday; Petition Urges Southwest To End SeaWorld Deal; Yahoo CEO Lays Out Future For Website

Aired January 08, 2014 - 10:00   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now in the NEWSROOM, former secretary of defense, Robert Gates on the attack, the target, his former boss, President Obama.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Quite simply, one of our nation's finest public servants.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: But Gates has some scathing criticism for the administration he just departed.

Also this shocking video, a car skids right off a Minnesota overpass and the driver survives. Plus, one of these covers is not like the other. That's becoming a big deal for "Elle" magazine. Now, Mindy Kayling is defending her own photo shoot. NEWSROOM starts now.

Good morning. Thanks so much for joining me. I'm Carol Costello. This morning, a devastating new book is reverberating from the political trenches in Washington to the frontlines of U.S. troops serving in harm's way. It is a memoir from former defense secretary, Robert Gates, the man who led the Pentagon during two wars and under two presidents, George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

In blunt and surprising detail, Gates rips Obama's leadership and his most powerful White House insiders. That may cast long shadows on the next presidential election. Days before it is released, leaked details contain stunning criticisms from a man publicly praised by the president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Bob, today, you are not only one of the longest serving secretaries of defense in American history, but it is also clear that you have been one of the best.

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COSTELLO: And then, the president presented Gates with the Medal of Freedom. Our senior White House correspondent, Jim Acosta, live in Washington with more on this. Good morning, Jim. JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. It has become an old Washington cliche, work in government and write a juicy memoir filled with back biting and in-fighting and then cash in. What is surprising this time around is that this latest kiss and tell comes from the seemingly mild mannered former Defense Secretary Bob Gates.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA (voice-over): At his farewell ceremony in 2011 after serving nearly every president since Richard Nixon, former Defense Secretary Bob Gates left the Pentagon hinting he had issues with Washington.

ROBERT GATES, FORMER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: I spent a good deal of time venting frustrations with the Pentagon bureaucracy.

ACOSTA: As it turns out that wasn't the half of it. In his new memoir, "Duty" hitting bookshelves next week, Gates launches a blistering attack on President Obama. "His White House was by far the most centralized and controlling a national security of any I had seen since Richard Nixon," Gates writes in one excerpt.

On Afghanistan, he says the president doesn't believe in his own strategy, doesn't consider the war to be his. For him, it's all about getting out. Goes onto say, "Suspicion and distrust of military officers by senior White House officials including the president and vice president became a big problem for me."

SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I think people -- his words will have a significant impact. And frankly, I'm a little surprised because a lot of times people are not quite as candid as it appears that his book is.

GATES: How's this for candid? On Biden, Gates writes, "I think he's been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades." On former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Gates said, "Hillary told the president that her opposition to the 2007 surge in Iraq had been political."

Considering Gate's place in history sitting in the White House situation room with Mr. Obama, Biden, and Clinton during the killing of Osama Bin Laden, the memoir seen by some critics as an act of betrayal. That's despite Gates assessment that the Bin Laden mission was one of the most courageous decisions I'd ever witness in the White House.

LARRY KORB, CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS: You -- all your loyalty to that man or woman in the -- in the White House and if you can't handle it you leave and you're quiet. But Gates wanted to have it both ways.

ACOSTA: Back at the farewell ceremony in 2011, the president praised Gates as an example of service to country.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: The integrity of Bob Gates is also a reminder especially to folks here in Washington that civility and respectful discourse and citizenship over partisanship are not quaint relics of a bygone era.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: Gates does offer some kind words for President Obama, Vice President Biden and former Secretary of State Clinton. But it's clear that this White House does feel stung by the memoir, Carol. A statement released by the White House yesterday evening said that the president disagrees with Bob Gates assessment of Joe Biden saying that the vice president has been, quote, "one of the leading statesmen of his time."

Now Carol, something very interesting is going to happen at around 12:30 this afternoon. This rarely ever happens here at the White House. The president, the vice president, they are going to be sitting down for lunch. That happens on a weekly basis. What is rare is that the White House is going to allow still photographers inside that room for a few moments to capture some images.

Usually, it is an official White House photographer who is on the White House staff who provides a photograph of something like this. This occurred with Hillary Clinton about a year ago. We are going to see this between the vice president and the president happening around 12:30 and the actual news media who will cover the White House, still photographers for the news media, will be allowed into that lunch.

So it is interesting that that is happening one day after this blistering criticism from Bob Gates of the vice president, sort of asked around here at the White House whether or not this is somehow related to the book, did not get any push backs or denials on that --

COSTELLO: Well, can the photographers shout questions at the president and vice president while they are snapping away?

ACOSTA: Technically, they could. Carol, I don't think you will see that happening. At the very least, I think -- I may be going out on a limb here. I think this is a statement of support coming from this president for this vice president that you are seeing this happen one day after this book and these excerpts are coming outgoing after the president showing the vice president that he has his.

COSTELLO: All right, Jim Acosta reporting live from the White House this morning. I want to talk with Jake Tapper too about this. He is CNN's chief Washington correspondent. Good morning, Jake. What do you make of this? How serious is this book for the administration? I mean, we are still involved in military conflict around the world. I mean, how serious are these -- how serious is this book as it relates to the president's policies over the world?

JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Well, the criticisms are fairly strong. Now most people have not read the book. Most people have only seen the excerpts and the excerpts, of course, as is reporters do are the most controversial parts of the book. There is a lot in the book that could be very damaging in terms of first of all Vice President Biden's prospects to have the former secretary against the criticisms that Gates makes are very strong about the president not being fully invested in his own Afghanistan policy. There are a lot of other criticisms spread throughout the book. I do think there is a lot the administration will have to respond. They are trying to take the high road and say nothing negative about Gates quibble with the issues. At the briefing and in the coming weeks, especially after the book is released, there will be a lot more the administration feels they have to answer directly on.

COSTELLO: Why do you suppose Gates wrote the book at this particular time?

TAPPER: Well, I think first of all it is fairly clear to me that he is not going to enter government again for the rest of his life. This is his second book. I think this is the one in which he wanted to be candid. Sources close to Gates say he wanted to give an honest reflection on his time in office. The book also contains criticisms about the Bush administration although because that administration is over, it is not getting as much attention.

I want to play one sound bite. This is a former chief adviser to President Obama, David Axelrod, when asked about specifically the story in the book when Gates is sitting there and he hears Secretary of State Hillary Clinton say that her previous opposition to the surge in Iraq in 2007 was only political. She did it because she was facing Obama in the Democratic primaries.

And the president basically says vaguely that he did it for the same reason and Gates expresses shock and dismay that they would admit such a thing. Here is what David Axelrod had to say about that.

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DAVID AXELROD, FORMER OBAMA SENIOR ADVISER: I am not suggesting he made things up to sell a book. But I think the language he used, for example, on that Iraq story was vague and it was subjective and it was -- there was no declaration on the president's part that he made that decision on a political basis.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Now, this is the chief adviser, former chief adviser to President Obama talking about a conversation that was made in front of the secretary of defense about a decision made in 2007. This is very important. It is very significant that Axelrod feels the need to defend the president on that. It shows just how defensive the Obama administration and Obama loyalists are feeling about this even if publicly they are trying to have a brave face.

COSTELLO: All right, Jake Tapper, many thanks.

TAPPER: Thank you.

COSTELLO: You're welcome. Today, the supreme leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-Un celebrates his 31st birthday and Dennis Rodman is celebrating right along with him. The former NBA player saying happy birthday and also waved and bowed to his so-called dear friend. Rodman and a team of former NBA players played an exhibition basketball game against North Korea this morning.

Get this. Sky News is reporting that Rodman's team actually lost. Rodman is coming under fire by U.S. officials because he is rubbing elbows with North Korea's elite and criticizing the American Kenneth Bae who is imprisoned in North Korea. Bae's sister, Terri Chung spoke out last hour on CNN's "NEW DAY."

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TERRI CHUNG, SISTER OF KENNETH BAE: I was shocked by his words. I am not sure where he is getting his information and how much credence I would give to his outbursts. He is certainly not a diplomat and not an authority on this case at all. I don't think he has or in any kind of position to remark on his case especially after making it clear he has no intention to help.

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COSTELLO: Rodman, of course, as you know by now, had an outburst on CNN's "NEW DAY" suggesting Bae was guilty. White House officials reiterated that Rodman does not represent in any way the United States.

That dreaded polar vortex is finally moving on. It is the abnormal weather system that kept much of the country at near zero degree temperatures. It dumped more than a foot of snow near Buffalo, New York this week.

This morning near Atlanta, busted water main sent water flying into the air. You can see the ice forming on the power lines above. Temperatures were hovering around 20 degrees earlier this morning.

Check out this picture from a pilot flying near Chicago showing a frozen Lake Michigan as well as most of the city of Chicago. Thankfully, by Saturday, most of the temperatures around the country will be back to normal. Thank you, Indra Petersons.

INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Finally, people are looking at me and they are smiling. Let's take a look at where the station stands right now. We are still talking about a good 30 degrees below zero in places like Minnesota. It is relative. This is 20 degrees warmer than yesterday. Still, down in the southeast, seeing the temperatures very frigid and below zero.

We all know by now there is a change on the horizon. This is the good stuff here. We are going to be talking about that jet stream lifting out and as it does so, notice, we are going to start to see some winds coming off of the gulf. So with that, that warm moist air will be making its wind, look at, you might you want to enjoy that, 63 degrees. That's what you're looking for in Atlanta by the weekend.

So we are going to go from well below and it would be well below normal to actually above normal over next several days. I mean, look at this, New York City averages 38. That's going to be 56 by the weekend. Tallahassee is going to be looking at 70s. Other places in Florida would be close to 80 degrees. So finally things are going to be looking so much better. Icing may be out there today. By the weekend, Friday, Midwest looking for rain and snow and that's going to make its way into the north. Do we care anymore if there is rain or snow, as long as it is warmer? You and I don't.

COSTELLO: You're right. I'll take like temperatures above zero. I'll be satisfied with that. Indra Petersons, thanks so much.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, the backlash against SeaWorld and its alleged cruelty to killer whales is now turning into one big headache for Southwest Airlines. Martin Savidge is here to explain.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, yes, you know the relationship between Southwest and SeaWorld dates back over a quarter of a century. Now, it is the focus of protest in Texas. I'll explain it all in just a minute.

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COSTELLO: Southwest Airlines finds itself in a middle of a backlash over its relationship with SeaWorld. It's all because of the CNN documentary "Blackfish," which traces the history of killer whales in captivity. It claims they are mistreated by the company. SeaWorld has slammed the film saying it is inaccurate. That hasn't stopped a number of entertainers from cancelling appearances at SeaWorld.

Now protesters are urging Southwest to cut ties as well. Martin Savidge, you have been covering this story. What's up now?

SAVIDGE: Morning, Carol. We should explain the relationship between Southwest and SeaWorld goes back a long way, 25 years. Southwest has been coming up with package deals to allow passengers to fly with discounted trips, they could go to hotels and they get discounts on even the tickets to go to the parks.

Now what the animal activists are saying is that this relationship is no longer a good one. Here is an example of how close the ties are. Southwest even has a number of their planes that are painted in -- this one looks like a giant killer whale and others look like penguins.

The animal activists are emboldened by the publicity the film "Blackfish" has received. They are trying to go after their financial partners. Southwest is one of the biggest. These protesters have about 27,000 petition signatures. They are going to hold a protest outside of the Southwest headquarters today in Texas, deliver those petitions.

And in essence deliver a financial message saying, Southwest, if you want to continue this relationship with SeaWorld, it could have an impact on your bottom line because there are going to be some passengers who are not going to be comfortable with this relationship because they don't like what SeaWorld does with their animals.

COSTELLO: So what is Southwest saying about this? SAVIDGE: Well, they have come out with a statement and they've essentially said, look, we have an agreement with SeaWorld and we are going to be good partners and continue that agreement. However, they left the door open saying we are also in the listening and learning phase. They are clearly going to pay attention to this. Right now, they say it is going to have no impact on their relationship with SeaWorld. So, stay tuned.

COSTELLO: You are not kidding. Martin Savidge, many thanks. In fact, we have one of those protesters joining us right now. His name is Eddie Gartha. He is one of the people who signed that change.org petition that Martin was talking. He will be protesting at Southwest Dallas headquarters today. Good morning.

EDDIE GARZA, PROTESTING SOUTHWEST OVER SEAWORLD DEAL: Good morning, Carol. Thanks for having me.

COSTELLO: Why do you feel so strongly about this?

GARZA: Southwest has been a cheerleader for animal abuse through its dangerous partnership with SeaWorld where whales, dolphins and other marine animals are forced to spend their entire lives in tanks that to them are the size of a mere bathtub.

COSTELLO: And you really think -- I mean, a lot of entertainers had said they will not perform at SeaWorld any longer and that frankly Martin is still here has surprised me. We are talking about many different kinds of entertainers, too, right?

SAVIDGE: Yes, we are. We have a whole list of performers that have backed out. Most of them are performers from back in the day. But that's not the point here. The point is that many musicians obviously feel very strongly about this. They have had a series of at least five to six, maybe eight groups that have backed out.

COSTELLO: I was just pointing that out because Eddie, groups like yours have been successful in sort of forcing entertainers to drop out at SeaWorld so, of course, this is what you're hoping Southwest will do too. Do you think your efforts will prove successful?

GARZA: We hope that Southwest will take our message very seriously. As Martin said, I am one of over 27,000 compassionate consumers who did sign this petition urging Southwest to end this dangerous partnership with SeaWorld.

COSTELLO: You will be protesting outside. Will you go into airports and protest and do things like that as well?

GARZA: We are following all local, federal, and state laws and acting within our own rights, our first amendment rights to protest to end this dangerous partnership. We will be at Southwest Airlines headquarters attempting to deliver this petition in person. We have not heard back from them. We will make another attempt today after the protest.

COSTELLO: In the end, what would you like to see happen. I am not talking about Southwest now. I am talking about SeaWorld.

GARZA: Our message is for Southwest. They were founded on the principles of love and respect for others. SeaWorld has had a long history of abusing animals as documented in "Blackfish," they have very little regard for their employee's welfare as well. This is a very important issue that we hope Southwest takes very seriously.

COSTELLO: Eddy Garza, thanks so much. I don't know if you have actually talked to SeaWorld. You have gotten statements from SeaWorld. What are they saying about this controversy?

SAVIDGE: They will say that the care they provide for their animals is the very best care that can be provided by anyone, they have the finest facilities and they defend all the practices their trainers and handlers do. They believe they are doing the best for the animals in their care.

COSTELLO: Martin Savidge, thanks so much. Eddie Garza, thanks to you too.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, Yahoo! about to get a facelift, CEO, Marissa Mayer, announces some major questions for the site. Christine Romans has all the details.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Nobody knows you better than your phone. Marissa Mayer knows it. How she is going to make that work for Yahoo! right after the break.

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COSTELLO: New year, new Yahoo! Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer took to the stage at the Consumer Electronics Art Show in Las Vegas alongside new hire Katie Couric and laid out plans for the future of the company including a new section written not by people but by a computer. Chief business correspondent, Christine Romans, this is disturbing.

ROMANS: Look, the future is mobile. She said it 100 times yesterday and personalization is what people want. There is so much information. There are so many apps, so much technology. Your news stream is just a mess. You can see that Yahoo! is going from this stodgy old search engine. She bought a company that changes what apps you see and what your news feed says depending on where you are.

I mean, imagine, it looks different if you are at the gym than if you are getting in your car. This is the future of technology. I want you to listen to what she had to say about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARISSA MAYER, YAHOO CEO: Think about how much your phone understands about you, your location, your contacts, your calendar, your e-mails. Now, imagine what happens when that context becomes part of the search experience. The future of search is contextual knowledge. We are investing to become part of this future.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ROMANS: Basically, no one knows you better, Carol, than your own phone and that can be a good help for you to make you more efficient. In terms of the computers that are curating your news digest. That's the technology they bought from this teenager earlier this year. They bought it. They are going to put that together so that basically it is a news digest compiled by computers by edited or curated by humans to save you time. There you go, carol.

COSTELLO: I like the human factor still in there.

ROMANS: You always need the human factor.

COSTELLO: I think so. At least I hope so. Christine Romans, many thanks.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, the politics of poverty on the 50th anniversary of LBJ's war on poverty, some on Capitol Hill say not much has changed. Chief congressional correspondent, Dana Bash, in Washington with more on that. Good morning, Dana.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Differences over that, whether things have changed and more fundamental differences over how to solve the problem for people still in poverty. I'll have more on that coming up after the break.

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