Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Is Hobby Lobby Ruling Just the First Win?; Immigrant Children Seek Better Life in U.S.; Israel Strikes at Hamas after Teens Killed; Mayor Rob Ford Returns after Rehab

Aired July 01, 2014 - 10:30   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to both of you.

RUSSELL MOORE, SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION: Good morning Carol.

CARMEL MARTIN, EVP FOR POLICY, CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS: Good morning Carol.

COSTELLO: Good morning.

Russell, do you see this as the first victory in a long war?

MOORE: I see it as the first victory in many, many court cases because we're dealing with religious freedom right now that is under assault in so many different ways in this country. And it's a good step toward restoring what's a fundamental American value which is that religious liberty is our first freedom and without that, we don't have any other freedoms because the government that can be God over the conscience is a government that can do virtually anything. This was a good first step in that regard.

COSTELLO: Carmel, in your mind is there really a war on religious liberty in this country?

MARTIN: I don't think so. I think this decision actually is a blow against religious liberty. It turns religious liberty on its head. Religious liberty isn't just about the government not favoring one religion over another it's also about an employer not being able to impose their religious beliefs on employees.

Millions of women are being told that their decision about -- moral decisions but also health care decisions should be dictated by their bosses. That to me is the opposite of what religious liberty stands for and is an attack on an American value, not upholding an American value.

COSTELLO: Well, Russell, is this really about religious liberty or is it about regulating morality? This is what you told the "Christian Post" yesterday, quote, "Religious freedom was purchased at great cost in this country and ought to be guarded. And for many, sexual liberation is the highest good and everything else must fall away before it. I think we must be very diligent for it."

Contraception is about sexual liberation. It's also about being responsible. Why is that a bad thing?

MOORE: Well, I think what we need to keep in mind here is that the Green family, the owners of Hobby Lobby, they're not the ones who picked this fight. The administration -- they're the ones who tried to coerce employers to become involved in the lives of their employees. And the Green family has simply said along with millions of other Americans we don't want the government to coerce our consciences to buy what we believe to be abortion-causing drugs.

COSTELLO: But isn't it sort of forcing your morality on others?

MOORE: Quite the contrary. The government is trying to force its morality on us by saying that our religious convictions don't matter and that the government should tell us what ought to matter to us when we stand before the judgment seat of Christ and so we ought to simply yield to the government's dictate. We don't think that's the American way.

COSTELLO: Carmel, it is a narrow ruling. It applies only to companies who are privately held with specific scenarios. So is Russell right?

MARTIN: It has huge implications for people's freedom and ability to exercise their religion as they see fit. It's absolutely incorrect to say this is the government imposing anything on -- in terms of religion on the employer. The employer provides compensation and benefits to their employees and they should not get to limit what the exercise of choice of those employees and how they use those benefits or compensation.

We wouldn't say it would be OK for an employer to say, well, I'll pay you $10 but if you are going to spend some of that money on contraception or something else that you decide you need for your health care that then we're going to pay you less. The law at issue here gives employers options, first of all, in terms of not -- if they choose not to provide health care coverage to their employees. But if they choose to do so, they shouldn't get to limit what the employee decides to do in terms of their health care choices based on their religious beliefs. It's the employee's choice, not the employer's choice. What's best for an individual in terms of their health care and their conscience and many of the women are using contraception because it's medically required.

68 percent of these women are using it for medical reasons. Other women are using it because of their religious convictions because they don't want to have an abortion and contraception is the way to avoid -- is one way to avoid having to do that.

COSTELLO: Well, I got to leave it there. I could talk about this all day. Russell Moore, with the Southern Baptist Convention; Carmel Martin with the Center for American Progress -- thanks so much.

MARTIN: Thank you Carol.

COSTELLO: President Obama says Republicans are responsible for the nation's escalating border crisis. He called out House Speaker John Boehner yesterday and said his party's inaction on immigration reform is forcing him to take executive action and start a new effort to fix the troubled system on his own without Congress.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I take executive action only when we have a serious problem, a serious issue, and Congress chooses to do nothing. And in this situation, the failure of House Republicans to pass a darn bill is bad for our security, it's bad for our economy and it's bad for our future.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: For his part, John Boehner released a statement saying Republicans don't trust President Obama to enforce any laws they might pass.

Obama's fiery statement come as a surge of unaccompanied children from Central America have been caught crossing into the United States, a problem highlighted with the death of an 11-year-old Guatemalan boy. His decomposed body was recently found about a mile from the Texas state line. He was wearing an Angry Birds jeans and black leather boots when he died. Officials believe he probably died from heat stroke.

A little known law actually allows a small percentage of immigrant children to stay in the United States while thousands will continue making that dangerous journey across the border. Children could legally live here if they can prove in court that they have been abused, abandoned or neglected.

CNN's senior Latin American affairs editor, Rafael Romo has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR (on camera): So you came by land all the way from El Salvador?

WILFREDO VASQUEZ, IMMIGRANT FROM EL SALVADOR: Yes.

(voice-over): He is still teenager, but Wilfredo Vasquez has already seen plenty in his life. He was abused and neglected by his parents in El Salvador and his neighborhood was infested by violent gangs.

(on camera): Were they trying to force you to join a gang?

VASQUEZ: Yes, if you didn't enter, they can kill you.

ROMO (voice-over): At the age of 16, Vasquez left for the United States and traveled alone by land through Guatemala and Mexico. The trip by bus took him two full weeks. He was caught by immigration authorities in Texas shortly after swimming across the river. He spent three months in a detention center.

(on camera): And then they released you to the custody of your cousin.

VASQUEZ: Yes.

ROMO (voice-over): Vasquez is now a permanent resident in the United States thanks to a little known part of immigration law that helps undocumented minors arriving alone in this country.

REBECA SALMON, ACCESS TO LAW: The federal benefit is special immigrant juvenile status.

ROMO: Rebeca Salmon is an immigration attorney and the executive director of Access to Law, an organization that helps immigrant children like Vasquez.

SALMON: Not every kid that applies gets to stay. Not every kid who enters can even apply. You have to be abandoned, abused, neglected; you have to be without your parents. There's some minimum requirements but then there's also the rigorous process of immigration so not every kid gets to stay.

ROMO (on camera): Those minors who qualify under this provision of the law and get approval can obtain a green card, which allows them to stay in this country and have legal status in the United States. They can then apply for citizenship after five years of living here or when they turn 18 whichever comes first.

(voice-over): Tens of thousands of unaccompanied minors have arrived to the United States this year alone, mainly from Central America, but Salmon says very few can actually qualify for this immigration benefit. Immigrants like Wilfredo Vasquez who can prove they were victims of abuse, abandonment or neglect.

VASQUEZ: My dream is to graduate from high school and start looking so I can go to college.

ROMO (on camera): And what do you want to do in college?

VASQUEZ: I want to be a doctor.

ROMO (voice-over): Quite an improvement for a young man whose goal as a child was merely to stay alive.

Rafael Romo, CNN, Lawrenceville, Georgia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And still to come in the NEWSROOM, tensions are high as Israel pays its final respects to three teenaged boys. You are looking live at the funeral procession right now. Those three boys honored together. They will be buried later this morning. Delivering the eulogy, the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu; the president of Israel, Shimon Peres, also will also attend the funeral. But the burial part of this process will be attended only by family members. We'll keep you posted.

We'll also talk more about Middle East peace and if it's even possible in light of these boys' murders.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Peace in the Middle East certainly seems more remote than ever with the deaths of three Israeli teenage boys. The teenagers went missing almost three week ago while heading home from the West Bank. Their bodies were found in a field yesterday afternoon. Their deaths are prompting a resurgence in attacks as Israel launches overnight air strikes at Hamas targets in Gaza. This despite Hamas's claim they are not responsible for these boys' deaths.

Soon, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will deliver the eulogy for these three boys who were killed by people he called human animals.

Dore Gold is the president of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. He joins us now from Jerusalem. Good morning, sir.

DORE GOLD, JERUSALEM CENTER FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS: Good morning.

COSTELLO: What will the Prime Minister say at the funeral?

GOLD: Well, I think he will reflect the common grief across the state of Israel today. You know, people are wondering, when you appear on various media are Israelis angry, are they going to lash out. No, Israelis have a sense of deep sorrow now. Israel is like a big family today and they have lost three of their children.

COSTELLO: You know, Hamas says it's not responsible for these boys' murders. It didn't claim responsibility. At the time of their disappearance, this small terrorist group that not many people have heard of, have claimed responsibility. Can you tell us more about that?

GOLD: Sure. Look, there's no question that Hamas is involved in this act. The two suspects that we know kidnapped these kids and brutally murdered them in cold blood -- these were Hamas members. We know that the Hamas leadership has praised the kidnapping and has supported these actions.

There's also an entire Hamas infrastructure we call it in the area of Hebron which backs these acts of violence and has perpetrated many more. You know, there were about 40 kidnappings that Israel managed to thwart over the last year or so.

So we know it's Hamas. You know what -- the Palestinian Security Services, when they speak to us, they know it's Hamas. And these attempts to deny it and come up with these new organizations that last 36 hours is not going to divert our attention from the real culprits of this act.

COSTELLO: President Obama, while of course not condoning the attack is calling for calm. He said, quote, "I also urge all parties to refrain from steps that could further destabilize the situation. Can the situation end without additional bloodshed?

GOLD: Well, obviously, we're not looking for bloodshed. You know, the state of Israel has no war with the Palestinian people. We do have a war with Hamas which tries to blend into the Palestinian population. So Israel's military strategy has always how do you separate ordinary civilians, innocent civilians from Hamas, this jihadist movement that's determined to kill our people.

It's very difficult. It requires a lot of manpower, so you pour in a lot of troops to do this. But we're determined to find Hamas, to destroy their units and at the same time to protect the Palestinians who are also paying a price for the spread of this jihadi philosophy.

COSTELLO: I know the Palestinian president has reached out and I heard that he wanted to help in the investigation into the deaths of these three boys. What can he do to alleviate the situation?

GOLD: You know what's the most important thing he can do? He just a few weeks ago created a pact between his organization and Hamas. He created a unity government. They put forward a bunch of technocrats but it's controlled by Fattah and Hamas. He has to annul that pact. He has to take Hamas out of the diplomatic process because they didn't change. They didn't suddenly say we renounce Mukawama (ph) resistance. We renounce jihad. That's part of what they are. And the more legitimatized Hamas is either through the actions of Mahmoud Abbas or through those Westerns governments who refuse to condemn them, the worse the situation it is on the streets, the worse it is on the ground.

We've got to separate out people who want peace from people who are reflecting the same philosophy you are seeing in Iraq, in Syria, in Lebanon, and that's the philosophy of jihad and war. We want to defeat that and we want to build here between Israel and the Palestinians an island of peace if it's at all possible.

COSTELLO: Dore Gold, thanks so much.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Checking some top stories for you at 48 minutes past. The storm brewing off the coast of Florida could become the season's first hurricane by Friday. It could potentially bring plenty of heavy rain just as millions along the East Coast are preparing to celebrate the Fourth of July.

A historic fine is being levied in a charity fraud case. New York State's attorney general has reached a $25 million settlement with Quadriga Art. It's a direct mailing company that raises funds for charities including the Disabled Veterans National Foundation. The fine comes after multiple reports by CNN's Drew Griffin, who's been covering Quadriga and the Vets' foundation since 2010. CNN found that almost none of the money was spent to help veterans but was instead used to fund the direct mailing campaign. A California judge has denied Donald Sterling's request to postpone

the trial over the proposed sale of the Los Angeles Clippers by the Sterling family trust. Sterling's wife Shelly is trying to sell the team to former Microsoft head, Steve Ballmer for $2 billion. The trial is scheduled to start next week.

After two months in rehab, Toronto's Mayor Rob Ford returned to the spotlight and asked for forgiveness. But his first public address appears to have rubbed people -- have rubbed people wrong one of two ways. Some think he seems sincere and heartfelt while others were turned off by his campaign plug at the end and upset that he ignored reporters' questions about drugs and racial slurs.

CNN's Paula Newton has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): He's back. But this time around, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is breaking his silence to say sorry.

MAYOR ROB FORD, TORONTO: To the people of this great city, I want to offer a public apology.

NEWTON: Ford says he's now coming clean, owning up to his addiction to crack cocaine.

FORD: I take full responsibility for my actions.

NEWTON: This marks Ford's first week back in office since reports of a video showing him smoking crack cocaine surfaced in May.

FORD: I'm ashamed, embarrassed, and humiliated.

NEWTON: Ford's apology lasted 17 minutes -- his first public remarks since returning from his two-month stint in rehab.

FORD: I had become my own worst enemy.

NEWTON: The 45-year-old's contrite and measured demeanor at Monday's address a striking contrast to this man who graced Toronto's city hall two months ago. The often boisterous, sometimes inebriated and frequently clumsy mayor made a name for himself internationally this past year.

FORD: I have begun the process of taking control of my life.

NEWTON: This isn't Ford's first mea culpa.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you purchased illegal drugs in the last two years.

FORD: Yes, I have.

NEWTON: That was back in November over a separate set of crack allegations. After five months of denial -- FORD: I do not use crack cocaine nor am I an addict of crack cocaine.

NEWTON: Ford fessed up.

FORD: Yes, I had some crack cocaine. But no -- do I? Am I an addict? No. Have I tried it, probably in one of my drunken stupors.

NEWTON: One of those drunken stupors caught on video and released by the "Toronto Star" that same month. But that was then, now Ford says his commitment to living clean is unwavering. His new focus: running for office again.

FORD: I look forward to serving you for many, many more years.

NEWTON: Paula Newton, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: First "Vanity Fair" now a documentary for the National Geographic Channel, Monica Lewinsky who at one time was perhaps the most silent woman around is making her voice heard again. For the first time in a decade, Lewinsky will appear in a rare television interview talking about the humiliation she felt when the 500-page Starr report was released.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MONICA LEWINSKY, FORMER WHITE HOUSE INTERN: To have my narrative ripped from me and turned into the Starr report and things that were turned over or things they delved out of my computer that I thought were deleted, it was just a violation after violation. I was the most humiliated woman in the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Lewinsky goes on to talk about how confused, frightened and devastated she was to be at the center of all that unwanted media attention. Her interview will be part of the National Geographic Channel series, "The 90s: the last great decade", it airs Monday, July 7th.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, music and movie stars are just like the rest of us they are caught up in World Cup fever. CNN's Nischelle Turner has their temperature. Hi.

NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Hi -- Carol. Yes, usually their shows are destination TV for us, now Hollywood is flipping the script on the sports world and yes, we'll tell you when we come back who has got the fever.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Are you feeling the soccer love? And J Lo are among those taking part in "We Are One", the official song of this year's World Cup. World Cup fever is not just spreading through Main Street, but it's taking hold in Hollywood. CNN's Nischelle Turner is here with more. Good morning.

TURNER: Hey good morning -- Carol. First of all, great piece on Tim Howard. He has fast become --

COSTELLO: He's awesome.

TURNER: -- yes, he is my favorite. He has fast become my favorite on the U.S. Team. And you know, it's been said that sports is the great unifier and I've always believed that's true. And you know, it's not often that the Americans are the underdog when it comes to big sporting events so this makes this even huger.

Sports and Hollywood they're already married. It's no surprise that World Cup fever has become Hollywood's newest cause celebre.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TURNER: Will Farrell kicks off a World Cup frenzy taking over Hollywood. Even stars on the hottest red carpet have their thoughts in Brazil.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am a fan. I do wish I was in Brazil.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, I don't want to sound like a hipster but I was a fan before everyone started jumping on.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I didn't even know I liked soccer until this year. And I'm like yes, USA, USA

TURNER: It appears the sporting event really does have everyone enthralled.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Don't tell me if you know who won.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I do care. I care for the United States to win.

TURNER: Pit Bull and Jennifer Lopez opened the flood gates of celebrity fanfare before the first kick-off, performing their official World Cup anthem, "We are One". It wasn't long before other stars got a case of football fever. Jay-Z. Hulk Hogan.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When the men's USA soccer team runs wild on you.

TURNER: Even Mick Jagger even spoofed his love of the game.

MICK JAGGER, SINGER: Oh, no.

TURNER: Celebrities are sending social media shout-outs to their team with Rihanna live tweeting, Justin and Jessica going red, white and blue, and Hugh Jackman getting addicted. While their casting support behind different countries.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, a final with Spanish accent.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll take Ghana.

TURNER: Many stars are rooting for team USA

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, ACTOR: It's time. Go USA

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: America always gets excited when we're winning.

TURNER: Joining in on the wave of America's growing football fever.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the first time where America is really paying attention.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's nothing like the joy of cheering on your country.

CROWD: USA! USA!

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TURNER: I love it. How about the lady who came home the other day in Brooklyn and Robert De Niro sitting on her couch watching the World Cup game.

COSTELLO: No.

TURNER: I mean yes. This is -- I mean everybody is catching the fever.

COSTELLO: What did he do, break in?

TURNER: No. He was actually shooting nearby and they had rented out her living room or something as a green room, but they said, oh, we can rig something for you to watch. He said no, no, I just want to sit down here and watch. He plopped on the couch, started watching the game. She came down the stairs. How do you think, it's Robert De Niro in my living room.

COSTELLO: So did they crack open a cold one together.

TURNER: She said he was awesome. He said she had a lovely home and they just sat there and watched the game. It's what they did.

COSTELLO: That touched my heart.

So quickly, are you a soccer girl?

TURNER: You know, I am now, when I see Tim Howard. You know, I'm a big -- you and I are big sports fans. I love anything sports-related, you know, I've caught the fever. Every four years, it really gets you going and I cannot wait until 4:00. It's driving me crazy.

COSTELLO: Me neither. I'm going to be at the bar. Nischelle Turner, thanks so much.

TURNER: You can do it, USA

COSTELLO: Thank you for joining me today. I'm Carol Costello.

"@THIS HOUR WITH BERMAN AND MICHAELA" starts now.