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Climate Change; Nigeria Accepts U.S. Offer; Flights Temporarily Halted; Michelle Knight Speaks Out

Aired May 06, 2014 - 14:00   ET

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

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there. I'm Brianna Keilar, in for Brooke Baldwin.

The first warnings emerged more than 100 years ago, but today a team of scientists says the time for dire predictions is over. That global change is here, it's here right now, and we are all being affected. Longer summers, hotter summers, drought, and extreme weather patterns across the U.S.

The thick report concludes that, quote, "climate change, once considered an issue for a distant future, has moved firmly into the present." That is a quote. Politics here? You bet. The report was released by the White House and immediately rapped by Republicans. Now that said, supporters of stronger government action to meet this challenge say the study could be a game changer. We're going to start with the science here. CNN meteorologist Chad Myers joining us on this topic.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Brianna, it seems to me like what this says, just breaking it down piece by piece, is that there will be fewer normal days. Our heat will be higher, our floods will be deeper, and our droughts will be longer, in any one spot. So when you see high of 72 expected today, because that's normal, well, we're not going to see that many normal days. We're going to see flooding. We're going to see droughts. We're going to see heat. So, not 72. It could be 92 or 62. When you add it all together, eventually you get to the same point, you get to normal, but there will be fewer normal days.

So across the northeast, we will see more heat waves. We will see an increased coastal flooding, because the water's rising in the ocean, and severe flash flooding like you saw in Irene (ph).

Down to the south, same story, that kind of coastal flooding, but water issues, fresh water issues, because we're in the middle of droughts here across the southeast that don't seem to ever be going away. And you put more people in the way of those droughts, you need more water.

The Midwest could see a bigger growing season. That could be one positive. But if you have a drought, a flood, or a heat wave during that growing season, then all of a sudden that's really not helpful, is it.

Back out to the southwest, fires, and lots of them. More droughts, more fires. Wind and also, of course, the water that's already scarce there could be more scarce.

To the pacific northwest, not as big of an issue, but we do see that if the snow melts, it melts earlier, there won't be as much water in the system for the summer.

To the north and to Alaska, rapidly reducing the sea ice is going away. The glaciers are very, very low at some points in time here. And also the permafrost is thawing. If that ever happens, there's a lot of methane stored in that permafrost. That would be released and also increase those global warming gases. Methane is much more potent as a global warming gas than CO2 is. You want to keep that methane in the ground. And the ocean, with the carbon (INAUDIBLE), the carbon dioxide turns into carbonic acid. The oceans are getting acidic. If that happens, the crustaceans, the small little fish, the bottom part of the food chain, begins to have problems. We don't want to lose the bottom part of the food chain because, obviously, we're at the top, Brianna.

KEILAR: Yes, and it all becomes destabilized. Chad Myers, thanks so much for that.

I want to bring in Richard Muller. He's a physicist at UC Berkeley, my alma mater.

Thanks for joining us.

And I want to ask you, you know, we've seen report after report after report warning about climates change. But what do you think makes this one any different? Is this going to provoke some different kind of response?

RICHARD MULLER, PHYSICS PROFESSOR, UNIV. OF CALIFORNIA-BERKLEY: I think the report is actually fairly moderate. The news reports of it tend to pick certain points out of it and be alarmists. But the report itself is quite honest. It states that, for example, that the number of hurricanes hitting the United States is not going up. The new reports tend to emphasize the fact that they are going up in the north Atlantic, those that don't hit the United States.

Key point still is that global warming is real. It is happening. It's about 1 degree Fahrenheit over the last century. That it will continue, because it is caused by humans. I think those points now are very well established. This report makes them once again. But 1 degree Fahrenheit, yes, our highs will be higher by -- over the last 100 years, 1 degree Fahrenheit. We're not getting huge extremes. And the point it makes, although it states that climate change is here, it's actually here so far in a very moderate way. The real danger is in the future. Just as Chad Myers said, it's what's going to come that's of worry, not what's here now.

KEILAR: Yes, and, Richard, one of your suggestions involves natural gas. When it comes to the use of coal really to phase out coal, which is a big C02 producer, and replace it with cleaner natural gas. But, you know, coal is produced, for instance, all across the U.S. Many developing nations use it. I mean do you worry that politically that is unfeasible? Where does it sort of come to the point where maybe this could actually change? I don't really see it on the horizon, so I wonder what you think, where the science kind of meets the politics.

MULLER: I think this is where the Obama administration has to show real leadership. The solution to global warming cannot take place by unilateral action we take in the United States reducing our own emissions. Our emissions are going down. The emissions from China, as reports state, surpassed those of the U.S. in 2007. They're now roughly twice ours and they're growing. Any report that doesn't emphasize the importance of China and the developing world is not really addressing the mitigation of global warming. It's our responsibility as the technological leader to help China and the developing world make the switch away from coal.

I like to think that there is -- if you'll forgive the term, I say the solution is CNN, "c" stands for conservation, the biggest thing we can do, "n" stands for nuclear, and the United States now is scaring the world about nuclear. We're not going nuclear ourselves. We're not setting an example that the developing world can go to. Nuclear is essential. The last "n" is natural gas. And this is something where we have pioneered the technology. We need to share this with China to encourage them and the rest of the developing world because natural gas not only reduces the greenhouse emissions compared to coal by more than a factor of two, therefore buying us lots of time, but it also reduces the air pollution, which is currently killing 3 million people around the world. So CNN, conservation, nuclear and natural gas, that's real mitigation.

KEILAR: You know, and, Chad, let me bring you on this -- in on this as well. This is obviously your wheelhouse, as you cover all kinds of different extreme weather. I mean how accepted is it that climate change is playing a role in what at least, you know, in a short term aspect, feels like a lot of crazy weather?

MYERS: I think the fact that we were above 400 parts per million in Monakay (ph) and Monalola (ph), the observatories there, for so long now, that the CO2 is going up. That's a fact. CO2 is going up. It's a known fact that CO2 can hold in heat, can hold in natural processes here. What we don't know yet is why. Why the Texas droughts are so long now. Why the floods are so deep. Why is everything an extreme? Are we just focusing on it because now there's TV and that's the story and it's always been that bad and now we get some exposure? But it just seems to me like from the 27 years' worth of doing weather, that everything seems to be going to the extreme and not in the middle anymore.

Now, my dad has told me stories about walking uphill to the school both ways, bare feet in a snowstorm. Where are those snowstorms? You know, I grew up in Buffalo. I grew up where the snow was above my house. Those storms don't seem to be there anymore. But yet, you would think that if we're going to get to that extreme, the snowstorms could be bigger as well. There's a lot of unknowns here. Where we are at this point in time, we will look back in the year 2050 and go, wow, wish we knew that then, because I still think there are still a couple unknowns out there.

KEILAR: Yes, Chad Myers, thank you. Richard Muller, thank you. And we'll be looking at this report a little more throughout the hour. Well, the outcry to find hundreds of missing Nigerian girls is exploding as more girls now have been kidnapped by gunmen suspected of belong to the terror group Boko Haram. CNN has learned the violent abductions happened overnight Sunday in the village of Warabe. Witnesses say eight girls, ages 12 to 15, were taken by armed men who raided homes. Three weeks have passed since more than 200 girls were kidnapped during a fiery attack on their school. Boko Haram's leader, Abubakar Shekau, claimed responsibility. He vowed to sell the girls into marriage.

Meanwhile, outside the Nigerian embassy today in Washington, dozens of protesters marched, demanding immediate action by the Nigerian government. CNN White House correspondent Michelle Kosinski is here to talk more about this.

Michelle, Nigeria has released a statement that said its president welcomed and accepted the U.S. offer to help in the search. What more can you tell us?

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well you kind of have to read between the lines to some extent here because it's been a sensitive topic from the beginning as to what exactly the U.S. involvement has been and will be. And CNN is getting different information from different sources as to what exactly accepted the U.S. offer means because today the White House said that, yes, we took it to mean, the U.S. took it to mean that Nigeria has accepted a U.S. offer of assistance, which would mean a team of experts going there and being formed there to help them with security issues and finding these girls. But it's really been described as a team going down there to talk about what can be done. So accepting an offer to help might not mean much in a concrete sense right now.

We know that Secretary of State John Kerry talked to the president of Nigeria about this and that's where they took it to mean an offer of help was accepted. But the president will also be meeting with Kerry today to discuss this in more detail. So, a U.S. offer to help so far has been described as experts in military, in communications, in law enforcement, but not so far boots on the ground. Here's what the press secretary said just now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I think the distinction is, I was asked, would we be bringing essentially military force to bear, or troops to bear, and we don't - we are not considering that at this point. But they're obviously is a utility to have a U.S. military personnel, as well as experts on intelligence and investigations and hostage negotiations to assist and advise the Nigerian government as they deal with this challenge.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSINSKI: Yes, so that explained it pretty well. The question is, are they going down there to talk about it at this point or are they going down there at this point to actually do that? Another big question has been, has the Nigerian government been dragging its feet on this, or dropping the ball as some have claimed? And that was asked of the White House today too. And they didn't say it in so many words, but Press Secretary Jay Carney initially said, well, Secretary of State Kerry reiterated today the offer of help to Nigeria. So why did he need to reiterate it? Why wasn't it accepted right off? That wasn't explained.

Also today, the White House took the time to urge the government of Nigeria to bring all appropriate resources to bear. Urging that government to act. So you kind of have to read between the lines and how the U.S. is viewing the Nigerian response so far, Brianna.

KEILAR: Yes. And you don't expect they say that if they feel like what they're doing so far is sufficient. Michelle Kosinski, thank you so much for that report.

And coming up, Michelle Knight in her own words. Today marks the one- year anniversary since she and two other girls escaped from that Cleveland house. And she's sitting down with CNN to reveal what went on inside and what she's doing now.

And people in Ukraine prepare to vote on a new president as the violence escalates. Now Russia is responding to the election. We'll have a live report from the region.

And later, Monica Lewinsky speaking out nearly 20 years after her affair in the Oval Office. What did she say, and why now? Lots going on in the NEWSROOM today. Stay with us.

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KEILAR: The scenes out of Ukraine are looking more and more like a country toppling into civil war. Right now Eastern Ukraine is in a state of tense uncertainty after a day of deadly fighting. The government is pressing on with an offensive against pro-Russians militants and casualties are reported on both sides. In Donetsk, a short distance away from the center of the violence, flights were halted in and out of the city. And joining me now from Donetsk, Arwa Damon, senior international correspondent.

Arwa, just give us a sense of what the situation is like where you are now. Have flights resumed at all?

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They have. And the odd thing about all of this is that aviation authorities gave no explanation as to why they decided to shut down the airport for those few hours earlier in the day, of course causing a lot of questions especially amongst the population who's been living in such times of uncertainty. A lot of the fighting has been concentrated in the city of Slavyansk. That's about two hours away from here. And yesterday, government troops tried to push their way and clashing heavily with pro-Russian militants. There are casualties on both sides. Casualties among civilians as well.

Interestingly today, the Ukrainian military seems to have pulled back a little bit. And in the city itself, according to one of our CNN teams that was there, the pro-Russian camp was using that as an opportunity to fortify some of its positions to ready themselves for what they believe to be an imminent government offensive. So we're not really seeing the Ukrainian troops really making any sort of concrete progress on the ground here. All the while, that pro-Russian camp digging in even more, Brianna.

KEILAR: And, Arwa, Ukrainians are actually supposed to go to the polls soon to pick a new president here in the midst of all of this. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, he said this is unusual. Are you thinking, and what is really the word that this is going to go ahead, this election?

DAMON: Yes, and that's the presidential election set to take place towards the end of the month. It's going to be very difficult to see how the government is going to actually hold elections in the eastern part of the country when in most of these key cities it has little to no control. And the vast majority of government institutions are actually in the hands of the pro-Russian camp.

Another interesting thing that is taking place also is that May 11th, the referendum that the pro-Russian camp is intent on holding, says it's going to go ahead. The referendum to pose an initial key question of, do you want to be a federal state? And then we're hearing that there will be another referendum asking whether or not people here want to join Russia. So there's a lot of unknowns and a lot of uncertainty and that really having a devastating impact on the population here.

KEILAR: Yes, certainly. Arwa Damon, thank you so much for that.

Now coming up, a dire climate change report released by the White House, what's the outlook and what are the political implications? And next, Michelle Knight in her own words on the one-year anniversary of her escape. How she survived 10 years of torture inside that Cleveland home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELLE KNIGHT: I always thought that I could make it through, because I made it through so much in my life. So much pain, so much torture. So I was like already prepared for it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: An amazing story of survival. We'll have more of it after a quick break.

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KEILAR: It was one year ago today when Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry, and Gina DeJesus finally escaped Ariel Castro's house on Seymour Avenue in Cleveland after being held against their will for a decade. To mark the anniversary of their freedom, both Berry and DeJesus have released statements thanking supporters and expressing hope for the future. Michelle Knight talked about her recovery with CNN's Anderson Cooper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Did you ever think about screaming or yelling?

MICHELLE KNIGHT: I screamed, but nobody would hear it. There was a day that I screamed until I had no voice. Still nobody heard me. And when he hears you scream, he just shoves a sock or a cloth down your throat until you choke on it.

COOPER: Did you think that this would at some point end, that it wouldn't go on, that he would let you go? Did he promise that he would let you go?

KNIGHT: No, he told me he would never let me go.

COOPER: He said that from the beginning?

KNIGHT: Yes. He said, you don't have a family that cares about you. If I kill you right now, nobody would even care.

COOPER (voice-over): For the first several months, she was kept in what she refers to as the dungeon, the basement of the house on Seymour Avenue. Sitting on the ground, she was chained to a pole, gagged with a sock, and a motorcycle helmet placed over her head. All the while the abuse continued.

COOPER (on camera): What would you think about each day? I mean just to get through?

KNIGHT: I would basically think about my son and how I would like to see his loving smile again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: I want to bring in now clinical psychologist Erik Fisher. Eric, you know, we all watched how Michelle Knight, who's been very public all along, how she responded right after she was released. We heard a lot of sort of positivity I think in the wake of the relief of being released. But now you sort of see her, she's really confronting the gravity of the situation that she was in. How does she appear, in your expert opinion, to be coping here a year later?

ERIK FISHER, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: Well, I think -- you know what I look at is a person's - their ideal self they present to the world often and the real self and their feel self inside. You know, for her presenting on the news with all these interviews, she has to get herself up for this. But for people who have been through that much trauma, I can't speak specifically about her, but for doing this for 20 years, and people who have been through trauma, there's often a whole inner life of turmoil that they're working through for years to come. So to see her courage, her strength, her ability to forgive, those are all great moderating factors, even as well as being held captive with two other people was another moderating factor, you know, that she had through the years.

KEILAR: And the strength that she shows as she's able to describe what happened, you know, in a way to bring to light, I think, what Ariel Castro really was, it's amazing that she can do that. And she stands there -- sits there so strongly. One of the things that she's doing now, she's actually using the name Lily (ph). Is that significant to you that she's using a different name?

FISHER: Yes, I think it is. And even that her -- Lily Rose Lee (ph) is the name that she gave herself. And what I appreciate that -- they're both flowers. You know, they both are a sign of birth and growth and abundance, beauty. And I think that's a really healthy thing for her to be (ph) doing. However, often people that have been through traumas, they do want to change their identity. They do want to change their name. But what often they find out is they still can't escape what happened to them.

So the healing process is so important. But again, even as she said, my early life prepared me for this, that was a really important factor that she said. It's almost like, you know, she was ready for the worst. But what I see in her is, I want to see people not just survive these experiences, but learn to thrive in their life again. And I think she can do it with the proper healing and with the proper support system around her. I think there's a very favorable outcome.

KEILAR: And certainly watching her, you hope that's the case for her. You hope that she can thrive. I imagine this -- you never really recover from this, right? This is a daily battle that she will have for the rest of her life.

FISHER: It may be. She has physical issues, too.

KEILAR: Yes.

FISHER: You know, she's not able to have children again. So she's got the physical reminder. She may have --

KEILAR: She was beaten tremendously and we understand she really bore the brunt of the abuse.

FISHER: Exactly. Exactly. So, you know, the ability for a person to heal, I always say is really up to them. So may she be dealing with this for the rest of her life? Yes. But I would say that, you know, either we can be a victim or a victor. And how we choose to, you know, become powerful over our situations and find our way through them, to use them as things to stand on top of this to see further, I always tell people who I work with, with trauma, it is an honor that they chose to work with me and trust me because I know what they've been through and how much their trust in the world has been shattered. So to see her working on these issues and have the courage to go in front of us all and share her experience, hopefully to prevent this from other people happening, is extremely admirable and incredible to me.

KEILAR: She refers to Ariel Castro, who committed these heinous crimes, as the dude. She said he doesn't deserve to have a name, which sort of, I think, also, you know, highlights, as she has changed her name for a bit of a rebirth. But he killed himself in his prison cell in September. How does that impact Michelle and her -- and the other women? How does it impact their recovery? FISHER: It depends on what they do with it. They could in some ways feel like he, you know, copped out of the situation and didn't have to pay the price for what he did. That's going to be up to them really. But could it have an effect on them and how they feel and the rage they carry (INAUDIBLE)? That's an individual factor that hopefully they're working through therapeutically. And she will find other levels of emotion through this. Even though she's forgiven at one level, she'll have to work through that at different levels of her healing as well for as long as she went through that trauma.

KEILAR: Sure. It's a long process. Everyone certainly responds differently. But our best of luck to those girls. And also hoping that they get the best of support as they certainly did following their release there in Cleveland.

Erik Fisher, thanks for joining us. We really appreciate it.

FISHER: Thank you.

KEILAR: Part two of Anderson Cooper's interview with Michelle Knight will air tonight at 8:00 Eastern right here on CNN.

And coming up, growing anger. More girls are kidnapped in Nigeria, along with the more than 200 taken weeks ago. Social media helped bring this tragedy to the forefront. But is it actually helping with the cause?

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