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Queen Would Have Preferred Harry And Meghan to Stay Full-Time Royals; State Department Security Officials Were Not Notified of Imminent Threats to 4 Embassies; Violent Protests Erupt in Iran After Government Admits Downing Plane; Bloomberg Blasts Current Primary Process, Says It Helps Trump; Issa Rae on Oscar Nominees, Congratulations to Those Men. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired January 13, 2020 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

VICTORIA ARBITER, CNN ROYAL COMMENTATOR: -- that he talked to because he's the only person who truly understands him. And yet here we are where clearly there have been a number of issues.

I think the Queen's hope after having this meeting today, speaking of, I've never seen a meeting of senior Royals quite like this, is that the family will now start to build some bridges and heal and now that Harry and Meghan are getting what it is they need, then perhaps they can all come together.

BALDWIN: OK. We'll see and what form and fashion that takes, we'll continue talking to you. Victoria, who knows everything -- all the things. Thank you very much. You can also learn so much more about the Royal family here on CNN. Make sure to watch the premiere of the new CNN original series "THE WINDSORS: INSIDE THE ROYAL DYNASTY" that is coming up next month.

Breaking developments now on the U.S. strike that killed Iran's top general, Qasem Soleimani. We are learning of new details that apparently undermine the President's latest justification for the killing that Soleimani was plotting against four U.S. embassies.

While a global alert was sent to all of the embassies, State Department officials involved in security were not made aware. Not made aware of imminent threats to four specific embassies.

CNN national security reporter Kylie Atwood is the one breaking this story. And so, Kylie, tell me everything you know.

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yes, so sources are telling us that State Department officials who are involved with U.S. Embassy security were not made aware of imminent threats to four specific U.S. Embassies ahead of that U.S. strike that took out Qasem Soleimani.

This is important, because that is the justification that President Trump has given for that strike. He has specifically said that there were four U.S. embassies that were facing an imminent strike from Soleimani. Now, over the weekend, we heard from senior Trump administration officials, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said that he himself had not seen anything that indicated that there were four embassies facing an imminent threat.

But he did not question the fact that President Trump is saying that there were embassies facing threats writ large. Now, what is important to note here, Brooke, is that the State Department was at work. They sent a global security warning to all U.S. embassies and that came ahead of that Soleimani strike. What that security warning said was that they -- the embassies should be aware that they could face the escalation with Iran and Iranian proxies.

And the State Department spokesperson also explained to me that the State Department followed up. They made phone calls to U.S. embassies in the region, to those regional security officers, to essentially tell them, hey, you really need to be paying attention to this warning. This is not something that just came over the transom. You need to be aware that this is a real threat.

But it wasn't a threat to four specific embassies. And that is why a senior State Department official described to me, being blindsided by this justification, given by President Trump.

BALDWIN: Kylie, thank you for that. I want to get quick analysis. Brett Bruen, just as a former diplomat yourself, when you hear the word "blindsided" and you're the State Department, what's your reaction to this?

BRETT BRUEN, PRESIDENT, GLOBAL SITUATION ROOM: Well, I think what we're hearing from Kylie is that the White House, Donald Trump himself, are likely fabricating facts in order to justify their case. They got into some political hot water, and they are now trying to make up an excuse. Well, there were threats.

And I'm certain our embassies, especially in the Middle East, get threats every day. The question is how serious were they? And were they justifying action, the extreme kind of action that the Trump administration decided to take in striking General Soleimani?

I think the answer to all of this is clearly "no" and that is why they've struggled so much in making their case. I want to just add one additional point, which is, if the State Department sent out a global warning to our embassies about the security risk and they did not inform American citizens -- which they did not do in the days following this attack -- they would be in violation of a no double standard rule. Which requires them to inform American citizens about these kinds of threats, if they're informing American diplomats.

BALDWIN: What's the recourse?

BRUEN: Well, I think, Congress has got to ask a lot of questions. And going forward, there's got to be better protocols. We have to, I think, establish some standards, not just for the kinds of strikes against senior foreign government officials, which were so unprecedented, but also in terms of reinforcing some of these basic rules, which clearly the Trump administration is ignoring.

BALDWIN: Brett, thank you for that.

ATWOOD: I just want to add, can I just add, Brooke --

BALDWIN: Please.

ATWOOD: -- that our reporting does show that the State Department reached out and told these embassies to notify American personnel in the region of these threats, but that actual warning that they told the embassies they had to issue didn't become mandatory until after the Soleimani strike was actually taken.

[15:35:07]

BALDWIN: Copy that. Kylie breaking this story. Kylie, thank you very, very much.

I want to move on and show you just some pictures. Protests are growing in Iran. The people furious with their government after it admitted to accidentally shooting down that Ukrainian passenger jet. What they're chanting in the streets.

And a woman who lost two of her friends in that deadly crash joins me live. Stay with us.

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BALDWIN: So far, today in Iran, protesters are out for a third day, but with a pause in the escalating violence. That's after two days of clashes and demonstrations with protesters accusing police of firing into crowds.

Authorities say only tear gas was used, but Iranians are outraged after Iran admitted to, quote, human error by one of its military operators downed an airliner, killing all 176 people onboard. Some people have even chanted, death to the Supreme Leader.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I don't know why they didn't cancel the flights last night. I think the national security council should have made that decision and they didn't.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I don't think it was right and simple to say sorry and it was just a mistake. It was possible that it was a mistake of one person, but it was intentional. Nearly 200 people were killed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: The opposition stands in stark contrast to the thousands of Iranians who rallied in solidarity after the targeted killing of Iran's top general, Qasem Soleimani, by the United States.

And how about this number? 57, 57 Canadian nationals were among the 176 people killed onboard that plane. Many were graduate students and faculty members at universities in Canada. Canadians continue to mourn the devastating loss and rightfully demand answers.

With me now, Nooran Ostadeian. She lost two close friends in that plane crash. Nooran, I am so sorry for your loss.

NOORAN OSTADEIAN, FRIEND OF COUPLE KILLED IN UKRAINIAN PLANE CRASH: Thank you so much.

BALDWIN: I understood the two you knew, the husband and wife couple, were these beloved professors at the University of Alberta and their daughters were on that plane as well. Can you tell me about that them?

OSTADEIAN: They were very nice couple with two small children, 9 years old and 14 and -- excuse me. I know them since 2010, when they moved to Edmonton and they are very popular. And they are two scientists that we unfortunately lost them to human error, if that's real the case. But they were very nice people and that's a huge loss for the whole Edmonton, Canada, and I would say for the scientists and for the humanity.

BALDWIN: Nooran, just the number, 57 Canadian nationals lost. What's the impact of this loss on the community there?

OSTADEIAN: I mean, each of these individuals, they were valuable people, of course. I personally know few of them from afar in Edmonton. But with this couple, regardless of how wonderful people they were and for their generosity, for their really being great friends and community members, as a science or even the contributions that they have made in their field, they were very famous, especially, Mojgan Daneshmand, the wife.

She had made many innovations and the whole faculty. They are suffering because they lost really two big members of their community. And definitely they will impact the university as well as Edmonton, because they were going to contribute way more and they had way more to offer.

BALDWIN: While the loss is incomprehensible, the other piece of this is the investigation. And I don't know if you are skeptical. You sounded skeptical, initially, in your answer. What do you make of Iran's role in all of this? Lying about what happened for days and then finally saying, yes, you know, we accidentally shot down the plane.

OSTADEIAN: You know, it's hard to say. And I don't want to go too much into politics, but in general, I'm always skeptical in terms of politics and the minute I heard about this incident, I knew there's something wrong and it couldn't be real that they make a kind of mistake and just shoot a plane, passenger plane and two minutes away from the airport of Tehran.

So how often can such a mistake happen? And exactly in this time that we have so many tensions with the U.S., I'm not sure if this is a real mistake. I don't want to speculate, but I'm sure there is more behind it. [15:45:00]

BALDWIN: Well, they're investigating, and it happened in that flurry of missiles being fired from Tehran toward those U.S. bases in Iraq. We'll follow it closely, as I know you will, as well. Again, I'm so sorry, Nooran, thank you very much.

OSTADEIAN: Yes, you are very welcome.

BALDWIN: Still ahead here on CNN, the 2020 field just got a little bit smaller. Why Senator Cory Booker says he's out.

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BALDWIN: Just one day before the final Democratic debate and ahead of the first of the nation Iowa caucuses, Senator Cory Booker is out of the Presidential race.

[15:50:00]

In an e-mail to supporters, the New Jersey Senator said, quote, it was a difficult decision to make, but I got into the race to win and I've always said I would not continue if there was no longer a path to victory.

Senator Booker had not gotten enough fundraising or polling support to be on the debate stage tomorrow night in Des Moines and that lack of funding had been a constant thorn in his campaign.

And in the latest CNN /Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll he trailed the top tier candidates. And Senator Booker also cited the fact that the impending Senate impeachment trial will be keeping him in Washington.

So let's go to Des Moines to CNN political director David Chalian at the site of the big debate. And so, just first to you on Senator Booker bowing out, how does his -- how does that change the race?

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Well, I'm not sure it's going to have a dramatic impact on the race for the remaining candidates. Although here in Iowa, Brooke, was the place that Cory Booker probably had the most substantial organization that he had in any of the states. And there were some real committed supporters here.

So obviously he wasn't registering a ton in the polls. It's not like there a slew of voters that are nod up for grabs, but his committed core supporters are now going to be wooed by some the remaining candidates in the race. But as you noted, Senator Booker had made clear all along that if the funding wasn't there for this effort, he wasn't going to just stay in the race to have his name on the ballot, and it is clearly wasn't.

I mean not getting on the December debate stage, not making the threshold for January debate is a huge blow to any campaign, and that was insurmountable for Senator Booker. Add in the impeachment trial factor where he would desperately need to show some strength here in Iowa, and he's not going to be able to be here because he's going to be sitting in a trial every day in the United States Senate.

BALDWIN: Yes. I wanted to ask you about Michael Bloomberg, former New York Mayor running for President not on the debate stage tomorrow night but he is saying that even if he does lose, that he is willing to spend billion with a "B" dollars to defeat President Trump and will campaign for the Democratic nominee. I know you're laughing, because that's a lot of money. Why do that? And why bother --

CHALIAN: Although to Michael Bloomberg, Brooke, that's pocket change, right, I mean --

BALDWIN: I know but still why do that?

CHALIAN: No, it's a lot of money. Yes.

BALDWIN: Why do that? Why bother running?

CHALIAN: Well, clearly -- well because, he clearly sees that he has something to bring to the job as President, managerial skills. He believes he also has a profile that can appeal to the voters across the spectrum in some of those critical battleground states like in Ohio and Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. That's to be tested.

But that is clearly where Michael Bloomberg is sort of putting all of the chips on the table. He is not competing in these early states. He's trying to prove that there's a way to become President even running for the party's nomination that completely ignores the tradition of going through the early states first.

But I think one of the reasons he has to stress that he's willing to spend that money on defeating Donald Trump is because that is a calling card to Democratic primary voters, mission critical for them is defeating the President.

And so Michael Bloomberg who was an Independent, was a Republican at one point, one of the ways that he can sort of ingratiate himself with Democratic primary voters is to say I'm putting my money into your number one priority that is to defeating Donald Trump.

BALDWIN: And David Chalian, run inside, it looks really, really cold where you are, but let me tell everyone where to watch. It's cold I know. Where to watch the debate tomorrow night, and CNN's Democratic Presidential debate and the last Democratic debater before the caucuses, 9:00 p.m. Eastern only here on CNN. David, thank you.

Breaking now this hour, a huge development in the major league baseball, the Houston Astros have just fired their General Manager and Manager after the league found them guilty of cheating during their World Series winning season. That's next.

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[15:55:0]

BALDWIN: Just into CNN, the Houston Astros have fired their Manager and General Manager after the investigation by major league baseball found them guilty of cheating, specifically stealing signs during the Astros' 2017 World Series winning season.

The league had suspended them for the upcoming 2020 season and as part of the punishment, the Astros will forfeit their first and second round selections for the 2020 and 2021 players drafts and pay a $5 million fine.

And this year the Oscar nominations for best director are officially in, and they're all men. Not a single women out of this year's long list of notable female directors scored a nomination, not one. HBO's "Insecure" actress Issa Rae seemed to sum it up in just four little words. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ISSA RAE, ACTRESS: "Parasite," Bong Joon Ho. I did it. I did it. Thank you so much. Congratulations to those men.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: I can watch that on loop. She's so right, "Little Women" director, Greta Gerwig was considered to be a top contender, had she been nominated Gerwig would have been the first woman in history to be nominated for best director twice. And that's not saying much because the Oscars have been around for 92 years, but I guess congratulations are certainly in order to all of those men.

I'm Brooke Baldwin, thanks for being with me, "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts right now.

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