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At least 16 Dead in Pakistan Airport Attack; Kerry Defends Bergdahl Swap; Bergdahl recovering at U.S. Hospital in Germany; Belmont Blues for California Chrome; Investigation on Tracy Morgan Accident; HillSong NYC Makes Waves
Aired June 08, 2014 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Poppy Harlow, in tonight for my good friend, Don Lemon.
Ahead this hour -- the music, the crowds, the dancing, this looks like a rock concert, right? It's not. This is church in the middle of New York City, behind what is driving the success of this mega church.
But first --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Breaking News.
HARLOW: -- we have two big breaking news stories that we want to tell you about tonight.
We are following one here in the United States, one overseas. Let's begin in Las Vegas, where five people are dead, including two police officers following a tragic shooting. Police say two officers were killed when a gunman -- when gunmen rather opened fire on them while they were eating lunch in a restaurant. Witnesses say the suspects said, quote, "This is a revolution", as they opened fire. The gunmen then crossed the street and shot and killed a third person at the entrance to a Wal-Mart. Police say those two suspects then went inside that store and killed themselves.
There is a news conference that is about to get under way from the Las Vegas Police Department. We are of course monitoring it. We'll bring you all of the details as soon as we have them.
We're also watching this breaking news unfolding overnight overseas right now, an armed attack on a large international airport some members of the military at the airport are dead, and some of the attackers are as well. This is Karachi, the biggest city in Pakistan, several groups of armed militants stormed the airport a few hours ago, shooting and throwing grenades. This is a 24-hour airport. Of course, there were passengers inside, even late at night when this happened airplanes parked around the terminals, on the tarmac. It is still before dawn there in Karachi. We'll know more details of course after daybreak.
This is still unfolding. But our Dr. Sanjay Gupta is there not far from the airport. He has been following this over the past two hours for us. Sanjay you told us earlier that you heard at least one very large explosion?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, right. It's about four-and-a-half hours now this has been going on. The most recent explosion there we now know was a suicide bomber, the most recent militant who was killed -- at least six militants killed.
The details again Poppy the details of this whole well-orchestrated attack are pretty extraordinary. But in this situation, the suicide bomber was there, an armored vehicle was approaching and he went ahead and self-detonated at point killing himself. We understand that no one in that armored vehicle was injured or killed.
But that is sort of a little bit of the nature of how things have been going. At 11:30 roughly about four and a half hours ago 11:30 Sunday night is when militants tried to enter sort of a cargo private part of the airport. They were cutting through barbed wire over there. And that prompted a gunfight between those militants and commandos who patrol this 24-hour airport.
And four of those commandos were killed at that time, at least one of the militants and it's just ongoing gunfight since then.
Poppy I don't know if you're seeing any of the images from the airport but there are two large fires that are going now. We believe one of them is a cargo international plane, a plane that was actually set ablaze in all of this as well. So, it's just -- it's fluid still, Poppy. We know that this particular area is some distance away from the commercial part of the airport.
But not surprising, the entire airport has been sealed shut and the passengers who were about to take off were brought back to the airport, deplaned. Airplanes that are going to land in Karachi were all diverted and now trying to basically rescue these passengers and get them out of the airport and get them to some sort of safety.
HARLOW: Now I'm going to see if we can't get those -- there we go -- those images coming to us from local news there. And you do see, as they zoom in there you see smoke billowing and you see what -- what does appear to be at least one object on fire. As Sanjay reported, that is apparently a cargo plane.
Do we know if the situation is over in terms of securing the airport and, you know, if officials have been given at the all-clear or is this still a situation where this airport is under attack?
GUPTA: They have not given the official all-clear, Poppy. But I think very much that the officers and the military groups have the upper hand now. What we heard is that there were anywhere from seven to ten of these militants around. We know at least six of them have been killed. There could be more than that.
But we also know that there's been a very large show of force from the paramilitary, the military folks -- 150 officers over there in force -- basically trying to secure the airport and search for any remaining militants. They've also been able to recover weapons. They've been able to recover lots of weapons, grenades and unexploded suicide vests. So they're starting to be able to identify where these weapons came from and also being able to try to identify who these terrorists are.
HARLOW: Right.
GUPTA: We still don't know for sure exactly who they are, what prompted this or even if Karachi airport was the intended target or if they were just trying to actually get through Karachi airport and go somewhere else. So, that's still -- that's still an open question.
GUPTA: So many questions. I mean it would appear that they were able to enter in some fashion, you know, if this cargo plane inside the airport there, somewhere on the tarmac is on fire, what about the passengers? I know that this was a bit away in more of the cargo area of the airport, not necessarily the commercial travel area, but what about passengers that were there? Do we know about any possible passenger casualties? Are they still stuck, trapped inside the airport?
GUPTA: Yes, it appears that -- that they are -- they are cordoned off in a departure -- large departure lounge, is how it's been described to me. You know we've have to -- we've tried to get very detailed specifics about what exactly the threat was to the passengers and it appears they weren't in imminent danger. Again, there is a separate area of the airport where these attacks seems to have taken place.
So, there's a rescue operation still under way. They want to get those passengers obviously out of the airport especially if they don't know if the militants are still on the grounds or if they all have been accounted for. But at this time -- and I know a lot of people out there are very worried about this, it's a very busy airport.
HARLOW: Yes.
GUPTA: That runs 24/7 -- but the passengers themselves don't appear to be in imminent threat and they're trying to get them out of there now.
HARLOW: Yes well they that is an unfolding, fluid situation. Appreciate the reporting overnight, all night from the ground there in Karachi -- Sanjay. Thank you.
Meantime we now know why the controversial prisoner swap with the Taliban for Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl was done so quickly. A senior U.S. official tells CNN, after the U.S. cut a deal with the Taliban, new intelligence emerged that, quote, "Other Taliban elements might kill him." Plus, we have emotional, new detail on Bergdahl's recovery after nearly five years of captivity. Interesting to know, Bergdahl is now apparently wants to be called Private First Class, not Sergeant, which is the standard promotion he was given while being held as a prisoner of war.
In an exclusive interview with CNN, Secretary of State John Kerry is defending the Obama situation and that prisoner swap. Five high profile Taliban figures were released, as you know, from Guantanamo Bay Cuba and sent to Qatar. Kerry spoke exclusively to our CNN foreign affairs correspondent Elise Labott.
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ELISE LABOTT, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: We're told that these five can roam around country, pretty vague on what those restrictions and monitoring are. I mean tell me about that. And on a scale of one to ten, ten being the most confident, how confident are you that Qataris are going to be able to keep a close eye on these guys?
JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: Well they're not the only ones keeping an eye on them.
LABOTT: The U.S. is going to be monitoring them?
KERRY: I'm just telling you, they're not the only ones keeping an eye on them. And we have confidence in those requirements. And if they're violated, then we have ability to be able to do things. I --
LABOTT: What kind of things?
KERRY: I'm not -- I am not -- Elise, I'm not telling you that they don't have some ability at some point to go back and get involved. But they also have an ability to get killed doing that. And I don't think anybody should doubt the capacity of the United States of America to protect Americans.
LABOTT: You mean you would kill them.
KERRY: Nobody -- no one should doubt the capacity of America to protect Americans and the President has always said he will do whatever is necessary in order to protect the United States of America. So these guys pick a fight with us in the future or now or at any time at enormous risk and we have proven what we're capable of doing with al Qaeda, the core al Qaeda, in West Pakistan and Afghanistan.
LABOTT: Some people say Bowe Bergdahl is being swift boated. Do you agree with that?
KERRY: Absolutely not.
LABOTT: Did he serve with honor and distinction, as National Security Advisor Rice said?
KERRY: There is plenty of time Elise, there's plenty of time for people to sort through what happened, what didn't happen. I don't know all of the facts.
LABOTT: Sounds like you're not sure he served with honor.
KERRY: That's not what I'm saying, Elise. What I'm saying is there's plenty of time for people to sort through that. What I know today is what the President of the United States knows, that it would have been offensive and incomprehensible to consciously leave an American behind no matter what, to leave an American behind in the hands of people who would torture him, cut off his head, do any number of things and we would consciously choose to do that? That's the other side of this equation. I don't think anybody would think that is the appropriate thing to do.
And you know, it seems to me we have an ability, we know we have the ability, to be able to deal with people who want to threaten Americans or threaten the United States. And if that's what they go back on their word to do, the Qataris don't enforce what they have done, we have any number of avenues available to us to be able to deal with that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: Well, Kerry's defense is getting backlash, even from a fellow Democrat who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee. California Senator Dianne Feinstein slammed Kerry's comments today on CBS's "Face the Nation".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D-CA), CHAIR SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: I heard John Kerry this morning say, you know, don't worry about them in Doha. You can't help but worry about them in Doha. And we have no information on how the United States is actually going to see that they remain in Doha, that they make no comments, that they do know agitation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: Also upset, Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss he serves with Feinstein on the intelligence committee. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. SAXBY CHAMBLIS (R), GEORGIA: This administration has acted very strangely about this, Bob, and it's kind of puzzling as to why they did not let us know in advance that this was going to happen. Now they come back and because he is in decent health, considering where he's been, they changed their story. They said, well, you know, we suspected his life may be in danger.
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HARLOW: Well, Chambliss is retiring soon but a Republican who is not retiring any time soon, at least as we know of who may even been launch a bid for the White House soon, Senator Rand Paul, has even more stinging criticism for the Obama administration, tweeting, quote, "Mr. President, let's set up a new trade. Instead of five Taliban, let's trade five Democrats."
Well we know that Bowe Bergdahl spent nearly five years as a hostage of the Taliban. Our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson has pretty stunning, new details on what it was like for him in captivity during those five years.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: after he was
captured, he was kept in a house that wasn't terribly secure. He escaped almost on the run for three days, according to the source. The Taliban knew the whole area and that's why he was recaptured. He was put in somewhere much more secure.
However, this Taliban source said that he wasn't put in a cage but he did -- he was in a position where he wasn't able to escape again, over a period of time he learned the local language. But he didn't convert to Islam. That also was told us by this source.
He said that Bergdahl wanted to be able to celebrate Easter and Christmas, he was allowed to do that. He was given reading material, some of it was Islamic reading material but it was given to him. He was able to get exercise even playing soccer with the Taliban at one stage.
But he also complained about his food. According to the source, Bergdahl was getting a lot of lamb, complained about the smell, asked for vegetables and fruit which he was given, lamb once a week we are told, and vegetable and fruit more often. So, some of his diet needs, according to this source, at least, were taken care of.
Nic with that passing reporting from his Taliban source, reporting there for us from DOHA.
Also, coming up next, what we're learning today about Bowe Bergdahl's medical condition and his likely recovery following his years in captivity. We'll have that.
Also later -- Facebook may be listening to you, really, like listening through the microphone on your phone. Is it happening to you? Do you want it to? You're going to hear what this is all about, next.
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HARLOW: Bowe Bergdahl has been a free man for more than a work now, and as for his physical condition, today we're getting nothing directly from the military hospital that is treating him in Germany. They haven't released a Bergdahl update in several days. The "New York Times" did get information from a source they call, quote, "a senior Defense Department official".
CNN's Karl Penhaul is in Germany with that.
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Even getting the medical details here on the ground has become very tricky because of the political firestorm around this case. The medics here at Landstuhl haven't issued any update about Bergdahl's health status since before the weekend and they're citing a patient privacy for this. And then this morning, when they saw the details coming out in the "New York Times" their first reaction, maybe the senior Pentagon official that talked to the " New York Times" may be he's violated patient privacy laws giving out these details. So as far as the medics in Landstuhl are concerned Bergdahl remains stable. His condition is improving and he is taking a greater interest in the health care program that's being set out for him. But what we know from the "New York Times," is that really Bergdahl is showing no signs of any serious physical problems. He has a gum problem and he has a skin problem. That poor nutrition and then the extreme conditions -- the weather conditions he was exposed to.
The "New York Times" also says he weighs 160 pounds. That, for a guy who's 5'9" is a pretty good weight. No sign that he's emaciated there.
HARLOW: So how likely is it in terms of how is the process likely going to look in terms of recovery, both physically, emotionally, mental recovery? I want to bring in Terry Lyles for that. He's a combat stress coach. He's also a psychologist. Thanks for joining us about this. I appreciate it.
TERRY LYLES, PSYCHOLOGIST: You're welcome.
HARLOW: You know, when you look at this, you were saying something earlier this week that really stood out to me. You said, even though he will come home not missing a limb you have to look at it and look beyond that not being gone because so much of him has been taken -- the emotional trauma, the mental trauma.
Talk to us about that. Because I think for so many people, they may see him and it may look like the Bowe Bergdahl they knew.
LYLES: Well, and that's the classic way I try to describe post traumatic stress issues is that most of it is psychological if it's not physical, you can't see it. And many times over the years from any war deployment, when people come back with emotional scars you don't see those scars and you have to read through that. So he's been through five years of trauma, regardless of what happened, how it went down.
HARLOW: Right.
LYLES: But he's going to have a new awaken and a different kind of trauma even getting back to his family, because it's such a different scenario than he's been used to and there's an acclamation time, a debriefing time, and that process just takes a period of time. And everyone is different on how they matriculate through that process.
HARLOW: I did want to talk to you a lot about that acclamation. Because, you know, in terms of that reuniting with their family, that's not the first step at all. This, I think, is what officials call the third step in this long process.
LYLES: Correct.
HARLOW: But a lot of times when someone who has been in a terrifying scenario like this, they can only really reunite with their family at first for a moment of minutes. It is that overwhelming. LYLES: Well, you have to look at it like exposure overload, you know?
I mean he's going through a step down process to make sure medically that he's ok, nutritionally as a part of that he's ok, psychologically that he's ok. But there's nothing like seeing a family member or something familiar to him from five years past or eight years past, whatever it really was total. That will bring on a whole set of emotions, a different set of reaction. And you've got take that in baby steps because that itself can be very, very overwhelming and could actually put him back into a bad situation that he doesn't want to go to and medical people don't want him to go to either.
HARLOW: And you know, we've been told by a senior U.S. Official, that indeed, he is in well enough health that he could talk to his family on the phone from the hospital there in Germany. They could actually go there to meet with him in person, as far as we know that hasn't happened yet. He hasn't talked to them on the phone, hasn't seen them there. Does that surprise you, or is this going to be a matter of weeks before he's potentially ready to be reunited with family, maybe not until he's back here in the United States?
LYLES: Well, first of all, it doesn't surprise me because everyone -- as everyone grieves differently, everyone transitions differently, and it's not uncommon. I do a lot of this. I hear a lot of stories and help these individuals acclimate back to society. You've really got to meet them where they are. And you know, if he's not willing to reach out yet or has been advised -- we don't know that --
HARLOW: Right.
LYLES: he may have been advised not to reach out yet. So regard of the situation, you've got to really take it slowly. And whether it's a phone conversation or a brief, you know, in person meeting with his family, everyone's going to have to weigh in on that and make sure it's the safest thing for him and his recovery process that's going to take him the rest of his life.
HARLOW: Yes. We appreciate the expertise. Of course, no one knows. Really he's the only one that has these answers but you've been around people in this situation before and have seen what it's like for them to go through it.
Appreciate it. Thanks for coming in for us, Terry.
LYLES: You're welcome. Thank you.
HARLOW: California Chrome, that horse's image may now be tarnished, not because of disappointing fourth place finish yesterday but because of his owner's critical words after the race about other horses in the race. You're going to hear what he said.
We'll talk about that, next.
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HARLOW: California Chrome finished in fourth place at the Belmont Stakes yesterday, ending his Triple Crown hopes and one of his owners is blaming the sport itself. Richard Roth says he's sticking to his guns.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Steve Coburn, co-owner of California Chrome, was in a good mood moments before the Belmont Stakes, waving his cowboy hat to the fans but minutes later Coburn refused to wave the surrender flag after California Chrome finished fourth missing out on the elusive Triple Crown. The California factory worker blasted other owners of horses who did not run in the first two legs of the Triple Crown, the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, leaving them rested for the Belmont to take down California Chrome.
STEVE COBURN, CO-OWNER OF CALIFORNIA CHROME: This is a coward's way out in my opinion. This is a coward's way out.
ROTH: Critics have called Coburn's comments sour grapes he didn't back down Sunday morning.
COBURN: These people, they nominate their horses for the Triple Crown which means three, triple, three, and then they hold out two and they come back and run one. That would be like me, 6'2" -- that would be like me at 6'2" playing basketball with a kid in a wheelchair.
ROTH: But the Triple Crown has been won only 11 times and that test of endurance winning three races at different distances in just five is why it's horse racing's greatest achievement. Coburn's 77-year-old trainer was more generous in defeat.
ART SHERMAN, TRAINER OF CALIFORNIA CHROME: Horses are not cowards and the people aren't cowards. You know what I mean. I think it was a little out of text myself, but hey, he was at heat of the moment, you know what I mean? Don't forget, he's a fairly new owner. You know what I mean? Sometimes your emotions get in front of you.
ROTH: Coburn went to the barn to check on California Chrome who has an ailing hoof. The owner still sounded in pain.
COBURN: And if there's ever a chance that we have another horse that has earned his way to the Kentucky Derby, we'll run in Kentucky and then the hell with rest of them.
ROTH: California Chrome is off to California, his owner will follow but not singing "New York, New York" on takeoff.
Richard Roth, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: And on another sports note, Rafael Nadal has reached a huge career milestone. Nadal won this year's French Open, giving him his ninth French title and fifth in a row. Nadal defeated Novak Djokovic in four sets for the win.
It was Nadal's 14th Grandslam title tying him with Pete Sampras. Only Roger Federer has more with 17 Grandslam titles. All right. Coming up next here in the NEWSROOM: new information on
the condition of actor/comedian, Tracy Morgan following that deadly highway crash that killed his friend and also left him along with two others in critical condition.
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HARLOW: A criminal investigation is under way into a crash that killed one man and critically injured comedian Tracy Morgan along with two others. We're now learning that Morgan has a broken leg, a broken femur, a broken nose, several broken ribs and we're also told by his representative that he's been more responsive today and that is a good sign.
Meanwhile, police say a Wal-mart truck driver has turned himself in in relation to that crash. He has been released on bail.
Our Alexandra Field has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TRACY MORGAN, COMEDIAN: I'm Tracy Morgan.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you have anything on your person that says that?
MORGAN: How about my face, that's on my person?
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Actor/comedian Tracy Morgan and two others in critical condition, his friend James McNair, the comedian known as Jimmy Mac, killed after their Mercedes Sprinter limo bus flips over on the New Jersey turnpike.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A definite hit. Devastated. James, I love you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Great comedian, writer, but very giving.
FIELD: A Walmart truck driver faces serious charges for causing the six-vehicle wreck, one count of death by auto, four counts of assault by auto. New Jersey State Police say Kevin Roper, a 35-year-old failed to see traffic slowing down and at the last minute he tried to veer but slammed into the limo bus around 1:00 Saturday morning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two tractor-trailers involved, comedian/actor Tracy Morgan was involved, he is in intensive care.
FIELD: The National Transportation Safety Board is also investigating the accident. Their focus on commercial limousine and commercial trucking safety. Walmart president Bill Simons says the company's profoundly sorry in a statement that continues, "if it's determined that our truck caused the accident, Walmart will take full responsibility. We will do what's right for the family of the victims and the survivors in the days and weeks ahead."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Saturday Night Live."
FIELD: Morgan came to fame on "Saturday Night Live," later starring with Tina Fey in the hit show "30 Rock."
MORGAN: I can't breathe, Ms. Lemon.
FIELD: Here he is before the accident Saturday night performing at a casino in Dover, Delaware, the pictures of Morgan and the packed house posted on Facebook by fellow comedian, (INAUDIBLE) his opening act. A final picture shows their limo bus just before both men boarded.
Alexandra Field, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARLOW: Our thoughts go out to all of them in this tragic situation. We'll keep you posted as we get more on that.
Meantime, surreal scene unfolded in Quebec City, Canada, last night. A now massive manhunt is under way following the brazen jail break. Police say three prisoners escaped from a detention center after a helicopter touched down briefly in the courtyard of the jail. This is the second time in just over a year that inmates in Canada have used a helicopter to make a daring getaway. Sounds like right out of a movie.
Meantime, a talk about Facebook. Facebook's newest feature has some users saying, what? You can do that? The feature lets Facebook turn on your smartphone's microphone and listen to whatever's going on around you, the music, the television, the movies, the conversation. You do have to opt in, this isn't just going to happen, so don't freak out. But nearly half a million people are already protesting, saying not me.
Let's talk about this with tech expert and analyst, Brett Larson. He's with me here in New York. So I want your reading on this.
BRETT LARSON, TECH ANALYST: Right.
HARLOW: On a scale of helpful to creepy, where does this fall?
LARSON: Closer to creepy than helpful, if my opinion. I think it's a little odd. I think it's a use of technology taken a little too far. It's - it's similar in concept to an app like Shazam, which I'm sure a lot of people have used here, you're at the club, you're maybe at the gym, you hear a song, you like, you tap it.
HARLOW: Yes, I use it, it's helpful.
LARSON: Yes, it's very helpful. It's very similar to that in that it's listening to what's going on around you to see what music you're listening to, what TV shows, what movies. But Facebook claims it's anonymously collecting this data. But you will see that data show up in your news feeds. So if you're listening to the new track from Justin Timberlake, it's going to say maybe suggest, hey, tell you, why don't you buy the album?
HARLOW: Is it going to tell people what you're doing?
LARSON: It is -
HARLOW: I don't want people knowing (INAUDIBLE) music that I listen to.
LARSON: Yes, that's the embarrassing part. You're going to learn is when you're rocking out to the '80s Pandora channel. All your friends are going to be like - really, the '80s channel again? So that aspect of it is a little bit of an overshare.
Privacy wise, you know, they're claiming this is again collected anonymously, it's not kept anywhere. But you know, Facebook has had some issues with privacy over their life, their short life span. So I don't know how much we should put faith in that.
HARLOW: It's interesting because whether it's Facebook or competitors is all new - it's all new territory. It's all experimenting as we go. But I wonder how much from a business perspective you think that this is important monetarily to Facebook, is it a game changer? Because ultimately this comes down to data.
LARSON: Yes.
HARLOW: The more data you have, the better you're going to be at targeting ads.
LARSON: Exactly. Surprisingly, Facebook has a lot of data about us. Thousands and thousands of data points about us. They know who our friends are, they know where we go on vacation. They know where we live. This adds another layer to that and it's telling them a lot. It is monetizable. They haven't had a good success at monetizing all this but it is more information about us than they have now.
HARLOW: All right. I want to switch gears and talk about Netflix, "Orange is the New Black," love that show.
LARSON: Yes.
HARLOW: A big one for Netflix. Next season just came out.
LARSON: Absolutely. It just came out. Lots of binge watching.
HARLOW: Right. (INAUDIBLE) You're saying more people are seeing red.
LARSON: Yes, more people are seeing red, no pun intended with Verizon. Verizon network being crowded. Netflix is saying Verizon is doing this on purpose because they need to upgrade their network. Verizon on the other hand is -
HARLOW: It's a big issue with that.
LARSON: Yes. Verizon on the other hand is saying this has nothing to do with us. This has to do with you. Now, Netflix has been in -
HARLOW: Do we know?
LARSON: We don't know whose side is going to be correct on this one. I would actually have to side with saying it's - Verizon has a pretty robust network depending on where you're accessing it. If you're doing it over their fios network, that's fiber-optic, not to get dorky. That's fiber optic right into your house.
HARLOW: You already got there.
LARSON: We already went to the dark force on this one. But, you know, Netflix is running into a lot of problems because there are video streaming service, video streaming is big, big data.
HARLOW: Huge.
LARSON: They did that deal with Comcast to sort of say, "Fine, we'll give you extra money, so you give us a priority." This could be another situation.
HARLOW: Yes, it's pretty interesting to see how (INAUDIBLE) no one likes to see that.
LARSON: No one likes to see that when they're watching - they are binge watching their shows.
HARLOW: Thank you for coming in, my friend.
LARSON: Thanks Poppy.
HARLOW: I appreciate it.
All right. Coming up next, here in the "Newsroom" this -
(MUSIC PLAYING)
HARLOW: The music, the crowds, the dancing. It looks like a rock concert, right? Totally does. It's not. Church.
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HARLOW: We want to update you now on that deadly shooting in Las Vegas. We now know the names of the two police officers who were ambushed and killed while they were eating lunch earlier today. They have been identified as 42-year-old Alyn Beck and 32-year-old Igor Soldo. Witnesses told police that the gunmen said, "This is a revolution," as they started shooting, police say after the two gunmen left the restaurant, they walked across the street to a Walmart and killed a third person before killing themselves. Our heart goes out to them and their family. We're told two of them both have young families.
Meantime, I want you to listen to this next story because it's pretty interesting. We're pretty convinced that you have never met a pastor like this or seen a story quite like this about church. You might think it's a rock concert, but not exactly.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HARLOW (voice-over): The music, the lights, the crowds. It looks like a rock concert. And the lines around the block are enough to make any nightclub envious. But this, this is church. And some New Yorkers can't seem to get enough of their unlikely pastor, Carl Lentz.
PASTOR CARL LENTZ, HILLSONG CHURCH: I will not say though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I take a look at my life, I realize it's sudden death.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: With his leather jacket and body ink, Carl Lentz looks more like a rock star than the head of a Pentecostal church.
LENTZ: It says the lord is my shepherd and I lack nothing. On three, one, two, three.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But this 35-year-old basketball fanatic, a walk- on at NC State, who calls himself the unofficial chaplain for the New York Knicks, is a pastor. The lead pastor of a church, Hill Song NYC.
LENTZ: If you ran from church your whole life you didn't like the organization, we meet in a club and we're not going to sing the songs you're used to sing and preach a message you think you're going to hear.
HARLOW (on camera): You take issue when people call this religion.
LENTZ: I do. You can be religious about being a car thief. You can be religious, criminal. But we have a relationship with god.
I will dwell in the house of the lord forever. Come on, somebody. That is worth a Pentecostal shoutdown.
HARLOW (voice-over): This is the American branch of the Australian megachurch Hill Song which boasts some 75,000 members in 12 countries. Lentz and his wife, Laura, started Hill Song NYC three years ago after meeting at the church's bible college in Sydney.
LENTZ: I got on my proverbial knees one day and said, Jesus, I need to give this a shot with you in charge.
LAURA LENTZ: We tried to create a place that is safe to people, like a home for people.
It's not for everyone. That's OK. That's the great diversity and the beauty of the house of god, the church.
HARLOW: On an average Sunday, some 6,000 followers pour in over the day's five services.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You just leave, like, filled with the holy spirit.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You don't feel judged at all when you walk in.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I came here, I found what I was looking for. I found god.
HARLOW (on camera): Found god?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Simple and plain. His presence here is phenomenal.
HARLOW (voice-over): The church baptisms carried out here in a Times Square hotel swimming pool.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel amazing. I feel new.
LENTZ: This narrow gate to Jesus, some people are rolling right by it.
HARLOW: Watch Lentz preach and you'll see his veins pop out of his neck. His intensity silences the entire congregation.
LENTZ: Jesus is here.
HARLOW: Whether or not you agree with his methods, there's no denying Lentz is magnetic.
LENTZ: You cannot find hope. This has to be your moment to say let me try the chief shepherd that has never failed anybody. Let me give the creator a shot at my life.
HARLOW (on camera): Is Carl the next Brian Houston, the next Joel 0steen?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, it could well be. Could well be.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: LENTZ: But while they're complaining, Moses is already praising.
HARLOW (voice-over): Brian Houston founded Hill Song 30 years ago in Australia with his wife, Bobbie.
(on camera): Are you concerned that people are coming for them more than for the message?
BRIAN HOUSTON, HILLSONG FOUNDER: Not really. We have seen the same response all over the world. People lining up for church in London, Capetown, Stockholm and even Paris. Carl, obviously, his magnetic, attractive guy. His tattoos are a problem. Big picture is -
HARLOW: You don't like the tattoos?
HOUSTON: They're OK. They're OK.
LENTZ: They're stickers. Like I say. They're great. Thanks, Bobby, for bringing that up.
Walk down this runway. Bucket list.
HARLOW (voice-over): He seems to revel in the spotlight. But Lentz would prefer you focus on his preaching rather than his wardrobe. He says he's been blocked from visiting inmates because prison staff thought he looked more like a criminal than a cleric.
LENTZ: It's so funny when people make comments about the way that we look, almost like it's - they don't mean to be judgmental but it's like I say what should we look like? You're implying that there's an outfit to wear that would bring peace to you. The whole point of our faith is to come exactly as you are. Jesus loves you. He died and rose again so you could have life.
HARLOW (on camera): You have to admit that the way you dress, the tattoos, the way you look -
LENTZ: That's the point.
HARLOW: - gets people talking and is that a bad thing?
HOUSTON: No. You wonder why you're calling a hipster church.
LENTZ: I'm not a hipster. You don't even know. Hipsters -
HOUSTON: Do you own a mirror?
LENTZ: No. First of all, let me explain what a hipster is someone who lives in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
HARLOW: Yes.
LENTZ: Who has a much better beard.
HOUSTON: Where do you live?
LENTZ: Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
HARLOW (voice-over): While Hillsong draws crowds, it also draws skeptics.
BRETT MCCRAKEN, AUTHOR "HIPSTER CHRISTIANITY": Any time a church can get people in the door it's a good thing but I think the problem and the questions I have is, if we're getting them in under the guise of a cool experience or a cool club type experience, is that going to sustain them?
HARLOW: Brett McCracken is author of "Hipster Christianity: When Church and Cool Collide."
MCCRAKEN: Whenever a pastor or a celebrity pastor becomes the draw, it's a distraction from Jesus and that should be the draw.
LENTZ: Your bible works midweek.
MCCRAKEN: I don't know that the (INAUDIBLE) and the big lights and sound and music and style of a church is going to transform a young person's life in the long run.
HARLOW (on camera): Some might say it's Christianity light. Is that fair?
LENTZ: I don't know what they mean by that. They try to say every thing from shallow teaching to emotional music. I don't buy any of it.
Even when your bank account says zero, we have Jesus. We're going to be all right. No fear.
I've heard the other critical bit, if you have a lot of people coming you must be doing something wrong, which is the weirdest concept in history. Wherever Jesus went, there were absolute throngs of people trying to get to him.
HARLOW: And throngs of people try just to get into Hillsong.
LENTZ: Our goal is not to turn some cultish thinking into New York City like when you come to our church, we're going to change you. That's an arrogant premise.
HARLOW (on camera): Have people said that to you, this is cultish?
LENTZ: For sure. Yes.
HARLOW: Yes.
LENTZ: Even though it's the most preposterous allegation in history.
HARLOW: Can you see where that might be coming from?
LENTZ: Only because people uneducated on what a cult is. A cult is when I tell you what to think and if you think any different, you're gone. That's a cult. We preach the opposite. Actually, you should go home and question what I preach. You should look it up in your own bible.
HARLOW (voice-over): But getting American youth to read a bible is more and more difficult. A 2012 Pew study found one third of American adults under 30 have no religious affiliation. A big jump from past generations.
LENTZ: Sometimes people say your church is filled with young people. I say no, it's not, we just actually have some.
HARLOW (on camera): Are you criticizing the traditional typical what we picture as church?
LENTZ: I'm not criticizing it. I'm just calling it what it is.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Christianity should be about unbridled, contagious joy but religion has hijacked the fundamental ingredient of our faith.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARLOW: Well Hillsong NYC is attracting big-time crowds and it's also attracting big name celebrities and managing to raise millions of dollars in the process. That story after a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARLOW: Before the break we introduced you to a pastor Carl Lentz who is challenging every preconception about what a preacher should look and sound like. His services look a lot like a rock concert. The church, Hillsong NYC is drawing the young and hip, a lot of celebrities and a lot of money.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HARLOW (voice-over): Hillsong Church is drawing in the crowds and making big money. One reason, their Christian rock band, Hillsong United with 14 million albums sold according to the church founder, Brian Houston.
(on camera): Some news reports have pegged the church's worth at $50 million to $100 million. Are those numbers right?
HOUSTON: It would be in the ballpark, (INAUDIBLE) to compete with the Catholic Church, of course.
LENTZ: You can make out a check to Hillsong church.
HARLOW (voice-over): Tithing is encouraged, credit cards accepted.
(on camera): Some people might look at it and say well, they live in a very cool neighborhood, nice place on the river, you know, that's not what I equate church with.
LENTZ: If you go down that road you simply cannot be poor enough for some people. Well, you can drive that car but not that car. We are never going to cater to that mindset of people trying to tell us how to live.
HARLOW: As Pastor Carl Lentz's star rises, a host of celebrities have gathered around him.
(on camera): Do you care about having celebrities in your congregation?
LENTZ: The goal of our church is from the nameless to the famous. Our church should have celebrities, we believe, because we are trying to reach everybody. That's one of our goals.
HARLOW (voice-over): There is Justin Bieber who tweeted "I broke down today after one of Lentz' sermon and Lentz' baptized NBA megastar Kevin Durant.
KEVIN DURANT, NBA PLAYER: When I came out of the water I just felt different.
HARLOW: We wanted to know where he falls on social issues and politics.
LENTZ: My thing is that Jesus transcends politics so whether I'm right wing, left wing, Democrat, Republican -
HARLOW (on camera): You going to tell us?
LENTZ: No. That wouldn't be any fun. Some Christians say you can't even be a Democrat and even follow Jesus. That really bugs me.
HARLOW (voice-over): Some of his positions are clearer than others. Don't get drunk, no sex before marriage.
(on camera): Are gay men and women welcome in the church?
LENTZ: Absolutely. We have a lot of gay men and women in our church and I pray we always do.
LAURA LENTZ: It's not our place to tell anyone how they should live. That's their journey.
HARLOW: Every article I have read about you guys says he declined to discuss gay marriage.
LENTZ: Yes. It's a misquote because I do discuss it, just not the way people want me to. When it comes to homosexuality I refuse to let another human being or a media moment dictate how we approach it. Jesus was in the thick of an era where homosexuality just like it is today was wildly prevalent and I'm still waiting for someone to show me the quote where Jesus addressed it on the record in front of people. You won't find it because he never did.
HARLOW (voice-over): But people are finding Hillsong. Some 3,000 just turned up for one of the church's first events in Los Angeles.
LENTZ: Hillsong L.A. is on its way.
HOUSTON: The funny thing about Hillsong, whether it's the music or at churches is that we seem to do well where other people struggle.
HARLOW (on camera): Would we not see you in the bible belt?
HOUSTON: We go where we are called to be.
HARLOW (voice-over): Lentz says he doesn't dream of building a megachurch or becoming a televangelist.
LENTZ: Success is not having a big church, a big portfolio, a lot of money, nice car. Prosperity for us is simply knowing Jesus and having the right to repent from a sinful life and cling to that cross every day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you guys for waiting. We didn't expect to be at capacity already.
HARLOW: But he is redefining church for some.
LENTZ: Whether you like it or not, god is your shepherd. Whether you like it or not he has never failed anybody and he's not going to start with you. Whether you like it or not, you need to hear it. He is going to lead you into something better.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARLOW: You can find out more about Pastor Lentz and Hillsong church at cnn.com/belief.
Also want to bring you this, just in to CNN. An update on the deadly attack at the Karachi International Airport in Pakistan. Government officials now confirming to CNN 21 people are dead, 10 of them militants who stormed the airport with guns and grenades. Also killed, eight troops from the airport security force, two people who worked for a Pakistani airline and a member of the Pakistan's paramilitary force.
We are also told that attack is now over. It started shortly before midnight Pakistan time. We have been updated throughout the night from Sanjay Gupta there.
I'm Poppy Harlow. Up next, CNN's "Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, Thailand." Then at 9:00 Eastern, don't miss the premier of "Parts Unknown, Brazil." And then at 10:00 p.m. "Morgan Spurlock, Inside Man" asks should we pay college athletes. That's straight ahead.
