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U.S. Sidelined In Mideast Peace Talks; The Middle East: A Region In Turmoil; CDC Chief To Testify To Congress On Ebola; U.S. Mourns Loss Of "True Hero"

Aired August 06, 2014 - 10:00   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Happening now in the NEWSROOM, a fragile truth in Gaza. Fishermen casting their nets, children playing, but will the peace hold?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The stage is set for these talks to move forward.

COSTELLO: We're in Cairo for the peace negotiations.

Also, immigration activists go toe to toe with two GOP heavyweights. An ambush meeting caught on camera.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're not going to tell me you're one of them, are you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do I look like a drug smuggler to you?

COSTELLO: Hey, at least Congressman King stuck around. Where did you go, Rand Paul?

Plus hacked, a gang of Russians stock pile a billion user names and passwords. What are they going to do with them? Let's talk, live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me. We start this hour in the Middle East and America being sidelined. CNN has learned that the U.S. State Department will send a small team to Cairo, Egypt where Israeli and Palestinian delegations are holding cease-fire talks.

But the real story is this, they will not be taking part in any of the negotiating, just monitoring and serving in a supportive capacity. This critical development comes on day two of a three-day cease-fire, this one seeming to stick.

In the meantime, Gazans are once again braving the streets, buying food in street markets. We're even seeing children heading outside. For its part Israel is claiming victory tweeting, "Mission accomplished, all of Israel is now safer."

Also at this hour, the United Nations General Assembly is meeting to discuss the situation in Gaza. Of course, we'll monitor that meeting for you and bring you any developments.

But first we want to get you to the negotiations in Cairo. Israeli and Palestinian teams are trying to broker a peace agreement under the watchful if possibly powerless eye of the U.S. State Department team.

So let's talk about this. I'm joined by Elise Labott in Washington and Reza Sayah in Cairo. Welcome to both of you.

ELISE LABOTT, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol.

COSTELLO: Reza, are the negotiations finally under way this morning?

REZA SAYAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At least a portion of them are, Carol. It looks like this process has started albeit very slowly. We spoke to a Palestinian delegate, part of the negotiating team here in Cairo and he tells CNN that a short time ago members of the delegation started meeting with Egyptian intelligence officials.

Of course, the Israeli delegation, a three-member delegation is here. No word if they started to communicate with Egyptian officials. We should point out that in speaking to the Palestinian delegate, yet again you start to hear the mistrust, the lingering mistrust that's really fuelled this conflict.

The Palestinian delegate telling CNN that he's not quite convinced that the Israeli delegation in Cairo is authorized to talk about Hamas's poor demands, in other words, a lasting truce, permanent peace. We should also point out that we haven't verified what this Israeli delegation is authorized to talk about.

When full-scale talks happen, they're not going to be direct talks. It's not going to be a situation where you have Israelis talking directly to Palestinians. In one location you have Egyptians talking to Palestinians. In the other location you have Israelis talking to the Egyptians, and Egypt is going to be the messenger.

So some important hours ahead. The cease-fire ends 8:00 a.m. local time Friday. So technically all parties have roughly 40 hours to make something happen. If nothing happens increasingly you're starting to hear talk about extending this cease-fire.

COSTELLO: So, Elise, what exactly is the U.S. role in these talks?

LABOTT: As you said, Carol, it's really just to be kind of be there in a supportive role. That was always the plan, even when we were talking about this potential cease-fire and subsequent talks in Cairo weeks ago.

Obviously there's been a lot of tension between the Egyptians and the U.S. over Secretary Kerry bringing Qatar and Turkey into the equation and I think that kind of set everybody back for a little while. It was never the U.S. intention that they would be running this negotiation.

They really think it's important that Egypt takes the lead here with the Israelis and Palestinians because not only is Egypt a broker here, but it's also a party to the negotiations being manning this crossing between Rafa and the Egypt border with Gaza, which is really seen as a very important part of this, easing some of that blocking of Gaza. The U.S. small there to support. Obviously, there are some security arrangements that the U.S. could be involved in and that's where they could provide guidance, what the U.S. is willing to do to help back this up -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Is it unusual that Secretary of State John Kerry isn't in Egypt?

LABOTT: No, I don't think so, only because this is not at that level right now. You don't have the top negotiators over there. Egyptian foreign minister is not the one leading these negotiations. I'm told he has a delegation that will be doing them under his supervision.

So I think in this particular case, the U.S. does not want to be the broker. Secretary Kerry obviously following very closely and in the days and weeks ahead, obviously as Reza said, this cease-fire ends in about 36 hours.

The hope is that they can extend it. While these talks are going on, the hope is to build enough trust and enough confidence in the process that that cease-fire can be extended if and when there's something larger, maybe Secretary Kerry will get involved.

But I think that's really when you get back to the peace process, and Carol, we're far away from that.

COSTELLO: We are. Elise Labott, Reza Sayah, thanks to both of you.

Also this morning, Israel now says a man arrested in connection with a kidnapping and killing of three Israeli teenagers is a senior member of Hamas. Mark Regev, a spokesman for Benjamin Netanyahu tells CNN, the man was trying to cross the border into Jordan when he was captured.

But when pressed for proof of a link to Hamas, Regev said he would have to provide that evidence for us later. Hamas had previously denied any involvement in the teenager's deaths.

The fragile cease-fire in Gaza is, of course, welcome after weeks of bloodshed, but tension throughout the Middle East remains higher than ever. While Israel and Hamas were trading fire, the terrorists group, ISIS was continuing its assault in Iraq.

Let's not forget the years long civil war raging in Syria. CNN's Jim Sciutto has a closer look at a region in turmoil.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Even seasoned Middle East experts and diplomats I talked to say the crises in the Middle East now is the worst they've ever seen it. One of the reasons is there are multiple crises happening at the same time.

Let's start with Israel and Gaza. This is, of course, a years-old, a decades old conflict, but there are new complications. One is economic desperation inside Gaza in part because of the economic blockade, the blocking of smuggling tunnels. Really no money is coming in there and no trade, and that puts Hamas in a desperate position, which some believe makes it have much less to lose with a military conflict, even when it's outmatched by Israel.

More broadly, a lot of the traditional mediators in this conflict don't have the same influence they used to have in the past. The U.S. with somewhat less involvement in the region than in the past.

But also Arab nations, for one Egypt much less sympathetic to the Hamas cause. Same goes for other Arab leaders who in the past would have been more publicly critical of Israel's offensive there. This time they haven't been because they are so much against Hamas.

So who is going to broker a peace deal? It's difficult to find mediators who all sides consider trustworthy. While Israel is facing Hamas in Gaza, several other countries in the region at the same time are facing ISIS, the Islamic state in Iraq and Syria, which now calls itself simply the Islamic State.

It of course started in Syria as one of the several rebel groups who was fighting the regime of Bashar al-Assad, but then from there it spilled over into Iraq and now it's making enormous progress there, taking over are virtually a third of the country, the north and the west of the country.

As it expands, it's threatening other countries. It's reached the border of Turkey, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and these countries are concerned about spill over. Saudi Arabia sent 30,000 additional troops to keep ISIS out.

We even saw ISIS expand into Lebanon, taking over a town there. If you're frustrated, many U.S. officials are as well. When you look at these crises, each one has brought a different policy response.

In Syria, no intervention. In Israel with the Palestinians, a month's long attempt by Secretary Kerry at peace talks which went nowhere. Right now the best anyone is hoping in Israel with Gaza is just a truce, a cease-fire, which really no one talking about a long-term solution to that crises.

COSTELLO: Thanks to CNN's Jim Sciutto for that report.

Checking some top stories for you at 8 minutes past the hour. One of the drivers of the two tour buses that collided in New York's Times Square has been arrested. Police have charged him with driving while impaired by drug. Police are not saying what drug or drugs the driver had taken. At least 13 people were injured. One seriously in yesterday afternoon's accident.

Plus, a land slide hit a north Salt Lake City neighborhood destroying one home and prompting the evacuation of two dozen families. Most of those residents have been allowed to return, but they may have to leave again at a moment's notice. The mayor has declared a state of emergency, but there's no plans in place to shore up the slope over the neighborhood. Watch this man as he tries to get an a commuter train in Perth, Australia. He slips into the gap between the platform and the train and look, he gets stuck. The train driver was told to stop. Passengers and crew members then got off the train and rocked it away from the platform. See them there? Passengers joined in. It worked. The man was rescued, and he was not seriously hurt.

In money news this morning, Rupert Murdoch, has withdrawn his offer to acquire Time Warner, CNN's parent company. The reasons Time Warner had rejected the deal and 21st Century Fox shares have dropped on reports of the bid. Time Warner today reported quarterly earnings that topped Wall Street expectations. Time Warner, as I said, is the parent company of CNN.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, as the number of people killed by the Ebola virus nears 1,000, U.S. lawmakers are seeking answers on the outbreak and how to minimize the disease's spread. We'll talk about that next.

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COSTELLO: We might, might be one step closer to finding the group of Nigerian school girls abducted three months ago by Boka Haram. According to the "Wall Street Journal," U.S. surveillance flights over North Eastern Nigeria show big groups of up to 70 girls held together in remote fields.

Right now defense officials say they can't be sure if these groups include any of those 219 school girls who were kidnapped. The global Twitter campaign "Bring Back Our Girls" is still ongoing and of course, they are continuing to investigate this matter. We'll keep you posted.

Today Congress will shine a spotlight on the Ebola outbreak that has claimed nearly 1,000 people and sickened hundreds more, including two Americans at Atlanta's Emory hospital.

At a hearing this afternoon, the CDC chief will testify about the threat and the international response. Joining me now, Republican Congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey. He's the chairman of the House Global Health Subcommittee. Welcome, Congressman.

REP. CHRIS SMITH (R), NEW JERSEY: Carol, thank you very much.

COSTELLO: Thanks for being here. I appreciate it. The head of the CDC called this the biggest and most complex Ebola outbreak in history. How would you grade the response so far?

SMITH: I think the Centers for Disease Control, the USAID and others, and those NGOs on the ground, like Samaritans Purse and SIM, faith- based groups that are doing a fantastic job and yet their health workers have gotten sick as we all know.

More has to be done. There are some experimental as you've reported on at CNN very, very well. There have been a number of experimental efforts. ZMapp might provide a way of protecting those who have contracted it.

Containment is high on the list to ensure that the approximately 1,000 people who have died, that that death toll does not increase. Best practices in terms of hygiene and cleanliness, the provision of fluids and antibiotics to treat co-infection all must be applied rigorously.

This is the worst as has been said. The worst before this was about 400 dead. We're now at 1,000, and it has grown. Four countries have been effected. I've been to where some of the cases have popped up in Nigeria.

There's huge urban centers that could be incredibly now effected. The hearing is designed to look at what we're doing, how Congress can be more helpful if that's necessary, are there laws or a law that needs to be changed or updated to be sure that the resources match the need.

COSTELLO: Congressman, as you know, there are widespread concerns that bringing those two U.S. aid workers back home to be treated could lead to an outbreak on U.S. soil. Listen to what Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases told CNN about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: We have the infrastructure, the ability to isolate individuals, to care for them, and protect the people who are caring for them. It is not impossible that someone is going to get on a plane after being infected in one of the West African countries, come to the United States, and develop disease while they're here.

We're equipped to handle that. Now, that person might get very sick for sure, but there won't be the kind of outbreak that you're seeing now on your clip. We're just not going to see that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So with that said, do you think these American aid workers should have been brought back to the United States to be treated?

SMITH: I think absolutely. They were brought back in the most protective means possible, fully cordoned off both on the flight and once they got to Emory Hospital. So we do have the capability. Dr. Fauci is truly an expert.

I, too, and others would agree with this are very concerned about others who might come here by way of a flight, who have a slight fever and the next thing you know, they have Ebola. Then everyone they have been in contact with where there was touch or some kind of exchange of bodily fluid.

We don't know, frankly, and I think it's pretty clear that it's not passed on by way of air or breathing or getting close in that way. The jury is always out on other ways of transmission. But I think that's where the concern needs to be. And the sooner this outbreak is contained, just like in the past, 1976 was the first time that we even saw Ebola. Maybe it's been around forever but we don't know that. That was contained and completed in terms of its terrible impact very, very quickly.

So the hope is, put the resources in, WHO, the countries of Western Africa have provided additional moneys. Frankly, Carol, I've been in many, many hospitals and clinics throughout many countries in Africa. President Bush's program on aides built up much capacity.

But there's much more capacity building that needs to be done so clinics like the ones that Samaritan's Purse was running can be multiplied so that outbreaks like this and other infectious diseases can be mitigated in Africa and of course, around the world.

COSTELLO: Congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey, thank you so much for being with me. As you know, right now, President Obama, he's at the State Department holding an Africa summit and he's now speaking about Sierra Leone. Let's listen.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: -- the relationship between the United States and Africa. As I said in Cape Town last year, it's time for a new model of partnership between America and Africa. A partnership of equals that focuses on African capacity to solve problems, and on Africa's capacity to grow.

That's why we're here. To my fellow leaders, I want to thank you and your teams for helping us to shape our agenda today. Our work can build on the valuable contributions already made this week by civil society groups, the private sector, young Africans and at our first session of this summit, our faith communities, which do so much to sustain the U.S./Africa relationship.

Different though they may be, our faith traditions remind us of the inherent dignity of every human being, and that our work as nations must be rooted in empathy and compassion for others.

COSTELLO: All right, we'll break out of this. We thought he was going to talk about Ebola. Of course, he's talking about the economy and a business relationship between Africa and the United States. We'll continue to monitor the Africa summit. I got to take a break, I'll be back with much more in the NEWSROOM.

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COSTELLO: We're learning more today about the two-star general gunned down in Afghanistan. Major General Harold Greene was the first high- ranking U.S. official to die in a combat zone since the Vietnam War.

He was known as an inspiring leader and his friends said he also had a wonderful sense of humility. Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr joins me now with more new details from Washington. Good morning, Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. What we now know is that the general and several other troops were standing outside at a military facility in Kabul. They were outside when the shooting erupted from a gunman in a nearby building.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STARR (voice-over): U.S. Army Major General Harold Greene was killed and several others wounded, some seriously, when the gunman opened fire at Marshal Fahim National Defense University, a training facility in Kabul. The shooter, dressed in an Afghan military uniform, used a Russian-made machine gun. He was shot and killed by others on site.

DAVE SWANKIN, GENERAL GREENE'S NEIGHBOR: It's bad enough to be shot in the battlefield, but the way that happened, somebody pulled a gun that was supposed to be on his side. It's terrible.

STARR: The general was the highest ranking U.S. officer killed at the hands of an enemy since 9/11. He was the deputy for all U.S. training programs in Afghanistan.

LT. COL. JUANITA CHANG, GREENE FAMILY SPOKESWOMAN: He really believed in what he was doing over there and was really proud to serve.

STARR: Pentagon officials say they believe the shooter was an Afghan soldier who had been with his unit for some time and had been rigorously reviewed to make sure he was not a Taliban sympathizer.

By all accounts, he passed the seven-step review process. The Pentagon well aware the so-called insider threat, death at the hands of Afghan troops is almost impossible to stop.

REAR ADMIRAL JOHN KIRBY, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: It's a pernicious threat and it's difficult to always ascertain to come to grips with the scope of it anywhere you are, particularly in a place like Afghanistan.

STARR: Coalition deaths from such attacks dipped last year, in part due to new security measures and reviews but the risk remains.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: General Greene's casket is expected to be returned through Dover Air Force Base in Delaware as soon as later today -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Barbara Starr reporting live from the Pentagon this morning. Thank you.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, Russian criminals steal more than a billion user names and passwords. CNN's Laurie Segall is following the story at a cybersecurity conference in Las Vegas.

LAURIE SEGALL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's called blackout and they bring together the most prominent hackers and they're kicking off with the news of this unprecedented hack. We'll have more after the break.

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