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CNN This Morning
Meeting with Bush, Cheney and 9/11 Commission; LeBron Questions the Media; Lava Spilling toward Hawaii Highway as Volcanoes Erupt in Alaska. Aired 6:30-7a ET
Aired December 01, 2022 - 06:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[06:32:23]
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: I mean, talk about a sunrise. Look at that. Is that the Empire State Building we're looking at? It's a beautiful shot of, wow, New York City.
Welcome back, everyone, to CNN THIS MORNING.
Here's what's coming up.
LeBron James wonders why the media asks him about Kyrie Irving's scandal but not a controversial picture of Jerry Jones. We'll talk about that.
Plus, officials in Hawaii working out a plan right now in case lava gets too close to the interstate as the flow slows down and spreads out.
And, finally, back home, the Iranian national soccer team greeted by large crowds. How were they received after losing their World Cup dreams?
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: All right, also, for the first time in two decades, this is truly fascinating, we are learning about what happened during a private Oval Office meaning between then President George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and 10 members of the 9/11 Commission where they got to ask them basically anything they wanted about what happened leading up to those attacks.
CNN's Tom Foreman has more.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this really is a fascinating document when you look at it. Secret, until recently. Like a time capsule that steps out and says, what did they know leading up to this attack and could that have utterly changed everything that happened in the world since then?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FOREMAN (voice over): Out of the confusion following the 9/11 attack came key questions, did then President George W. Bush and his team see it coming, and could they have stopped it?
GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT (September 11, 2001): Today our nation saw evil. The very worst of human nature.
FOREMAN: The recently declassified report from April 2004 shows him pushing back firmly against that whole idea.
No one said there was a problem domestically. The threat was overseas.
That's what the report says Bush told members of the 9/11 Commission during an extraordinary question and answer session that lasted more than three hours about his reaction to the attack and his administration's intelligence gathering.
The report, which is not an official transcript, summarizes his explanations.
We were aware that bin Laden had sympathizers in the United States prior to the attack but there was no actionable intelligence on such a threat. Not one.
When a commissioner noted there was intelligence about specific attacks being planned, Bush repeated, overseas.
GEORGE TENET, THEN-CIA DIRECTOR (April 14, 20004): We all understood bin Laden's attempt to strike the homeland.
FOREMAN: What's more, the report says when asked about intelligence reports of domestic threats, Bush replied, if they came in and said we found a cell, his, Bush's action, would have been, destroy it.
[06:35:05]
In another section, a commissioner pushes the then president to explain his reaction to an intelligence report just a month before 9/11 entitled "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S." The president said since he was aware that al Qaeda agents were being tracked in America, he had asked for it, that report, and it didn't say anything about a specific attack.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOREMAN: In this meeting in the Oval Office, he made clear that, yes, they could see dots of information all over the place ahead of time, but even the best intelligence officers in the world couldn't connect them into a constellation that warned of this specific event in a way that they might be able to prevent it.
In the end, it is clear in this document that Bush does say, I had the responsibility, but he clearly sees that as something different than having the blame.
Kaitlan.
COLLINS: Yes. And it's so rare to get a look inside something like this. Clearly we haven't -- FOREMAN: It's quite a read.
COLLINS: Yes, for two decades. Definitely worth the read.
Tom Foreman, thank you.
FOREMAN: Yes. You're welcome.
COLLINS: Up next this morning, we're going to talk about something LeBron James said to reporters last night about questions that he's being asked about one figure in sports but not another.
Also, this.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I felt like I lost control of my life.
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LEMON: That was one brave demonstrator speaking to CNN's Selina Wang in disguise, as the Chinese police crackdown -- continue to crackdown in protests. That interview, you don't want to miss it. It's straight ahead.
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[06:41:29]
LEMON: You know what time it is? It's time for sports in the morning.
Lebron James calling out reporters. The NBA superstar saying that there is a double standard when it comes to how the media covered the controversy surrounding Kyrie Irving's tweet, supporting a documentary deemed to be anti-Semitic, and the way the media covered the photo that has emerged of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones among the crowd of white students attempting to block black students from entering the doors of a North Little Rock High School. This was in 1957.
Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEBRON JAMES, FORWARD, LOS ANGELES LAKERS: I've got one question for you guys before you guys leave. I was thinking when I was on my way over here. I was wondering why I haven't gotten a question from you guys about the Jerry Jones photo? But when the Kyrie thing was going on, you guys were quick to ask us questions about that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
JAMES: Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. And I don't want you guys to say nothing. When I watched Kyrie talk and he says, I know who I am, but I want to keep the same energy, we're talking about my people and the things that we've been through. And that Jerry Jones photo is one of those moments that our people, black people, have been through in America. And I feel like as a black man, as a black athlete, as someone with power and a platform, when we do something wrong, or - or something that people don't agree with, some -- every single tabloid, every single news coverage, it's on the bottom ticker, it's asked about every single day. But it seems like to me that the whole Jerry Jones situation, photo - and I know it was years and years ago and we all make mistakes, I get it, but it seems like it's been buried under, like, oh, it happened. OK, we just -- we just move on. And I was just kind of disappointed that I haven't received that question from you guys.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Wow, very powerful.
There he is, Coy Wire is here to weigh in on this.
Coy, listen, does he have a point in saying there's a double standard? What do you think?
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, I think it's clear that LeBron feels that Jerry Jones perhaps didn't receive the level of criticism or wasn't held as accountable as perhaps he should have been.
But I also want to -- it's important to note, Don, that LeBron James is not condoning what Kyrie Irving did. He himself said that I hope Kyrie Irving understands the hurt that he caused to a lot of people.
But his decision, in LeBron bringing up this topic, unprovoked in the middle of a press conference, it's a microcosm of the hurt that many black athletes feel. That it's long been the case that many black athletes, teammates of mine, I know I can say that they believe that sometimes they don't receive the same level -- they receive a higher level of criticism and harshness than perhaps their white counterparts do.
I do want to throw a sound bite here, Don, that Jerry Jones, when he was asked about this photo that came up. Here's what Jerry Jones had to say.
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JERRY JONES, OWNER, DALLAS COWBOYS: That was -- gosh, 65 years ago. And, a curious kid. I didn't know at the time the monumental event, really, that was - that was going on. And I'm sure glad that we're a long way from that.
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[06:45:07]
WIRE: Now, Don, I do also want to point out that this is not the first time that LeBron has mentioned the Cowboys in recent -- just last month, actually, on a podcast. He said that - you know, LeBron, who was a long-time Dallas Cowboys fan, he said that he stopped being a Cowboys fan back during the time when players were kneeling, when Colin Kaepernick was kneeling, and - and LeBron said that people in the front office of the Cowboys organization were saying that any players who would do that would no longer be part of the organization. Of course, Jerry Jones said that his players would have to tow the line. He has since softened his stance in regard to that, Jerry Jones has. But it's clear that LeBron did -- this did not sit well with him feeling Jerry Jones not receiving the same level of criticism, maybe not being held as accountable as he should have. Kyrie Irving, he was penalized five games penalty without pay. He was dropped by Nike. And so you can see, as his former teammate, he -- this is not sitting well with him, especially when these reporters are in front of him every day and they had the opportunity to ask LeBron about it when they did not.
LEMON: Listen, Coy, I've been making a very similar point that there are a lot of people, whether you agree with Kyrie Irving or not, but there are a lot of people who feel the same way that LeBron James does. Lebron just has the courage and the platform to be able to say that. And he's not concerned about the outcome. Do you see what I'm saying?
WIRE: Yes. I think this is very important to him. We know that race issues are very important to him. And he knows the power he possesses. He understands the platform. Those microphones that are in his face. This was a point he was - he felt passionately about and I don't think it's the last we've heard from him in regards to this, Don. So, to your point, yes, he -- he's not afraid to stand up and say something that he feels needs to be said.
LEMON: Coy, thank you very much.
WIRE: You got it.
LEMON: I appreciate it.
You know, guys, this is something that we have been talking about a lot. We did this - talking about this story a lot. And, listen, LeBron is very powerful and he knows, as Coy said, he knows the power that he has.
But, I mean, if you look at Jerry Jones, the influence that he has, and coaching, and he says, look, I should have -- I should have done better. I can do better. But, arguably, he has more power than Kyrie Irving when it comes to making a difference in society, making a difference --
POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Hiring black head coaches.
LEMON: Go on.
HARLOW: Changing the league. We had, you know, the writer who broke this story on from "The Washington Post" last week. And the fact that when she talked to him, and it's good that Jones talked to the reporter. But, Kaitlan, I mean, you know so much about football. Like, the fact that Jerry Jones said essentially, I know I could do better and a lot of people look at him and saying you're -- you know, owning the Cowboys means that the change you make could change the league for the better when it comes to diversity.
LEMON: Right.
COLLINS: They both have huge platforms.
HARLOW: Yes.
COLLINS: I mean Kyrie Irving is incredibly popular. He has a ton of followers. You know, and I think it's interesting that LeBron James made that point, though. And I think it kind of caught maybe some of the reporters off guard in the room. But I think it's an important point to make and to be thoughtful about.
LEMON: Yes, listen -
HARLOW: Don't you think - sorry.
LEMON: Yes.
HARLOW: I know we have to go to break, but I just think the World Cup is not just about soccer at all, it's about human rights issues and humanity.
LEMON: Yes. Yes. Just rights, right, in general.
HARLOW: Basketball, football, sports is so much more than the game. And they have these huge platforms. And good for LeBron James for saying that.
LEMON: That's why people are so short-sided when they -- you remember the whole shut up and dribble (INAUDIBLE)?
HARLOW: I wasn't going to say it, but, yes.
LEMON: Because we've all -- changes in culture and society have always been made through sports, right?
COLLINS: Yes.
LEMON: If you, you know, if you -
COLLINS: That's a really good point.
LEMON: Always been made through sports. And, you know what, people find it sometimes more palatable because they care about sports so much and you're in such close confines. It's like the military, right, you have to be with people who are different than you.
HARLOW: That's interesting.
LEMON: So -
HARLOW: All right. OK, we'll see what happened.
Wait until you see this story. When Kaitlan sent it to me, my jaw was on the ground. LEMON: You don't want to hear what I said.
HARLOW: Oh, you don't want to hear what Don said.
Here's what happened when a reporter was -- asked two world leaders, two prime ministers, about their age. That's ahead.
Also, this.
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COLLINS: This is the kind of commitment to your craft that I'm talking about. Actor Joe Pesci says that scene from "Home Alone 2" quite literally set his head on fire.
LEMON: Oh, my gosh, that's (INAUDIBLE).
HARLOW: Oh, my gosh. No, like, stunt double. Noting.
COLLINS: That's - you know you've got to -
LEMON: But he said the heavy lifting stuff they had (INAUDIBLE). But that was obviously -
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[06:53:32]
HARLOW: This morning, lava is spewing from the world's largest active volcano, creeping toward the main highway on the big island of Hawaii. Officials says they have a plan to try to shut down that interstate if the lava gets to close. They are urging people to be prepared.
As we talk about Hawaii, twin volcanos are also erupting in Alaska.
Our Jennifer Gray joins us now with more.
Remember when those volcanos erupted a few years ago and it sent so much ash, people literally couldn't fly across the Atlantic Ocean?
JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, I remember that. And that happens sometimes when you have these big, explosive eruptions.
This one is more of a problem of convenience across the big island because lava is still flowing out of this volcano. Mauna Loa is huge. It takes up over half of the island of Hawaii, of the big island, I should say. But the problem is, the flow is going to interrupt one of the main cut throughs to the island to get from one side to the other. So it's - it's more of a convenience thing.
So, here is the road that the lava is getting ever so close to. Officials say it's about 3.5 miles away. It could reach the road in only about two days' time. And so what's going to happen? Are people going to have to go either all the way around the north side or all the way around the south side? So, if this gets closer, they're going to have to shut the road down, guys, and people are going to have to go all the way around.
HARLOW: Yikes.
GRAY: Yes.
HARLOW: Jennifer Gray, thank you.
GRAY: Thanks.
COLLINS: Ahead, an emotional memorial for those four murdered Idaho students, as we learn that the attacks may not have been targeted as we initially heard from the authorities.
[06:55:05]
Also this morning, this.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my goodness.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: So difficult to watch. This is caught on camera, the moment a base jumper slammed into a cliff in Moab, Utah. They lived. We'll tell you more.
LEMON: Wow.
HARLOW: You have to tell people they lived, guys.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I felt like I lost control of my life.
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LEMON: Oh, boy, we're going to talk about that story in just a moment.
Good morning. We're so glad that you could join us here on CNN THIS MORNING.
You know what I like about Thursdays?
HARLOW: What?
LEMON: One step closer to Friday.
COLLINS: Friday junior as my grandmother (ph) calls it.
HARLOW: You don't want to be with us all weekend? What is wrong with you?
LEMON: Ah, no.
COLLINS: But this interview that -
LEMON: No, no.
COLLINS: That we just teased is so interesting.
HARLOW: Powerful.
LEMON: Yes.
COLLINS: I think it's - and something we've been talking about all week.
LEMON: Well, we've been talking about it all week and there have been protests all week and there are going to continue to be protests.
Kaitlan was just talking about this one brave Chinese protesters that you just saw there. She was speaking out to CNN's Selina Wang, as you can see. She's in disguise. She's dealing -- detailing the conditions in China and she's dealing with all of those crackdowns. An incredible interview. That is straight ahead.
[07:00:01]
HARLOW: Also, police in Idaho backtracking weeks after the murder of four college students. First, they said it looked like the students were targeted.
