Return to Transcripts main page
Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
At Least 36 Killed In Istanbul Airport Attack; Orlando Police Release Gay Night Club Records; Possible Changes To N.C. Transgender Bathroom Law; California To Vote On Recreational Pot. Aired 5-5:30a ET.
Aired June 29, 2016 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:00:13] ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR: Terror in Turkey. Dozens dead. Almost 150 more injured when three suicide bombers target Istanbul's airport and attack, beginning with gunfire. Dramatic video capturing the moments the bombs exploded. All signs point to ISIS. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Alison Kosik.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. I'm Christine Romans. It is Wednesday, June 29. We welcome our viewers here in the U.S. and around the world this morning. Breaking news -- our breaking news right now -- 36 people dead, 147 wounded, as terrorists hit Europe's third busiest airport, Istanbul's Ataturk International. Three attackers shooting passengers before detonating suicide vests. Two bombs explode in the international terminal, the third in the nearby parking lot. There has been no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but Turkey's Prime Minister says, all signs point to ISIS as the likely culprit behind the fifth major bombing in Istanbul this year. Now, surveillance video, catching the very moment one bomb exploded. Witnesses describing the scene.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We heard a blast. There was a big blast. Then a few minutes later, another one followed. I remember we saw a lot of people running around there. They were all covered in blood.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I tried to keep as calm as possible. But, you know there was a lot of people falling down on the ground, not knowing what's going on, sort of -- no one was really clear on what was happening.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just chaotic scene. It looked like someone had gone around with a bulldozer and just shredded the whole entrance to the terminal. Bloody rags just lying around on the floor. It was pretty horrific. Not much fun being inside the terminal just after it had gone off because no one had a clue which way to run.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: That Istanbul airport reopened within the last few hours. I want to bring in CNN's Alexandra Field. Brings up to speed, Alex.
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine. This airport is back open after being closed for several hours overnight. I just touched down here. I was inside that terminal. There's still certainly an eerie feeling, of course, when you walked through those halls, but they're doing very quick work, of course, to get this airport back open, and also to eliminate so many of the signs of the horrific bombing that took place here just hours ago. It looks more than like a construction site in some areas than the scene of really this kind of horrific disaster where so many were killed and so many were wounded.
This is the entrance to the airport behind me. You can see that cars are going through that security checkpoint once again. This is the same spot where so many taxis pull up to drop off passengers and people who are coming here to pick up friends and loved ones. We know that investigators say that the three suicide bombers in this attack arrived at the airport in a taxi. Two made their way into the arrivals hall. One detonated his suicide bomb outside in a parking lot, according to officials here in Turkey. When you go inside the terminal, you can see some of the damage that's left behind. There are spots where you walk through where you can see shattered glass. But there was also surveillance cameras that were running at the time of the attack. They capture those horrific moments. You can see one of the bombs detonate. You can see people running for their lives, scattering. The injured, the wounded, falling to the ground, and you can also see one officer who heroically steps in. You can see a man who's walking with a gun, an officer opens fire on him, that man falls to the ground. Quickly after that, another bomb detonates. Christine --
ROMANS: Just really horrific. What kind of security did you see inside once you landed and are going through the arrivals terminal? We know it was in the international arrivals where two of these bombs were detonated. We know that this is, Alex, the third busiest airport in Europe. It is a soft target. It is an important target for ISIS being squeezed on the battlefield in Iraq and Syria. What kind of security did you see?
FIELD: And this is an airport that is typically very heavily secured. So the questions now are now being asked about how these suicide bombers are able to evade all of the layers of security that are in place at this airport. But when you talk about the fact that this is one of the world's busiest airports, it certainly didn't feel that way when you touched down this morning. There were very few passengers who were arriving. The airport had just recently opened when my plane touched down. So very few people. No one in the customs and immigrations line. Very few people at the baggage carousels. Of course, when you get to the arrivals hall itself, there were quite a lot of people there, certainly investigators who were still here and also cleanup crews who are doing very quick work to try and rebuild the damaged areas of this terminal to get it back running, back looking the way that it once did.
[05:05:02] But what's amazing, really, is that this airport is fully functional so quickly after these attacks. And it is almost bizarre to walk through here and see very few signs of frankly, the carnage. They've done a lot of the cleanup, and you do see those panes of glass that are blown out, and you do see the areas where they're working to reconstruct. But other than that, it's difficult to even imagine what people witnessed here inside that arrivals hall just last night.
ROMANS: Certainly, investigation just beginning. Alexandra Field, I'll let you get back to your reporting there on the ground at Ataturk. Thank you so much for that, Alex.
KOSIK: There are so many questions about security, so to help us understand about the security issues at play in a major airport like Istanbul's Aturk International, let's talk with Rafi Ron. He's the president of New Age Security Solutions and the former head of security at Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport. Thanks for joining us this morning on the show. One of the things that first entered my mind when I heard about this attack at the airport in Istanbul is it seems eerily similar in some ways to the attack in Brussels where you see these terrorists attacking the most vulnerable part of the airport. In this case, in Istanbul, the international arrivals area of the airport. I know you obviously headed up security at Ben Gurion Airport, which is considered one of the most security airports in the world. And I know Ben Gurion does preliminary searches on cars and taxis and buses even before they enter the compound of the airport. Is that helpful? Is that something that all airports should be doing?
RAFI RON, PRESIDENT, NEW AGE SECURITY SOLUTIONS: Well, it depends. I think that this might be a little bit far reaching for some airports, that they do not have that level of threat, but I think that in the case of Istanbul Airport, especially nowadays where Turkey, and specifically Istanbul, has become the hot spot for terrorism. There has been a lot of warning up in the air, both from the State Department and the -- and others, that this type of measure could have been helpful. But I think we need to understand that this attack this morning is an escalation, mostly because this airport is considered much more secure than the Brussels airport or other Western European airports. And certainly, as we can see, the attack was very well planned with a lot of the bold action taking place, and that led to the number of casualties that we witnessed.
ROMANS: That's right, three attackers, first opening fire on airline passengers there, travelers there, and then detonating suicide vests too in the international arrivals terminal and one in the parking lot. The choice of an airport in Brussels or in Turkey or elsewhere -- it is a prime location for someone like ISIS. They are being squeezed on the battlefield in Iraq, in Syria, losing territory, and looking for optimum public relations impact. An airport -- all of these people busy, paying attention to other things, maybe not necessarily having the situational awareness that you would in some other spots. Tell me a little bit about the choice of an airport as a target.
RON: Well, I think that in this case, it is very clear. Turkey has been experiencing, for the last six months or a little bit longer, a whole series of attacks, some of them very serious, including an attack -- way back in Ankara, where over 100 people lost their lives. Altogether, they had a series of -- if I'm not mistaken, of about 14 different attacks during the last year, with a ear escalation, the trend with the choice of targets, and the number of casualties. This is linked directly to the situation in the Middle East, especially the situation Turkey is in, when it is on one hand, not as friendly as some were saying towards ISIS and culturally has been now fighting ISIS, together with a coalition. And a growing sense of involvement in a war situation with ISIS.
[05:09:54] And we have to keep in mind that ISIS's main tool outside the Middle East is terrorism. Even in some of its military action in the Middle East, we can see traces of terrorism. But certainly, there are footprints in Western Europe and in other parts of the world, have been through terrorism. So, Turkey, and specifically, Istanbul, have been very much at the epicenter of the event. And it is no wonder that the State Department had issued its warning a few days ago.
ROMANS: Rafi Ron, thank you so much for that perspective on that attack on that airport.
KOSIK: Good talking with you.
ROMANS: Yes, thank you.
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump condemning the Turkey terror attack, but with very different messages. Which candidate does the country trust more when it comes to taking on terrorism? That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:15:03] KOSIK: Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump both condemning the terror attack on Turkey but with very different messages. Clinton releasing a statement that reads, today's attack in Istanbul only strengthens our resolve to defeat the forces of terrorism and radical jihadism around the world. We must deepen our cooperation with our allies and partners in the Middle East and Europe to take on this threat. Such cooperation is essential to protecting the homeland and keeping our country safe. This as Trump spoke to a crowd of thousands in Ohio with a more ominous warning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Folks, there's something going on that's really, really bad, all right. It's bad. And we better get smart and we better get tough, or we're not go having much of a country left, OK?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK: Helping us break down the latest in the 2016 presidential race, CNN political analyst, Josh Rogin, columnist for "The Washington Post". Good morning, Josh.
ROMANS: Hey there.
JOSH ROGIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning.
KOSIK: So we just heard from Donald Trump. We saw the statement with Hillary Clinton. Clearly, we see Donald Trump really feeding into the anxiety about terror attacks in general, that most Americans probably feel. Is this effective? Is this kind of scare tactic effective?
ROGIN: Well, actually, we've seen that Donald Trump's numbers in the polls have been relatively high, although they seem to be slipping now following what most people see as stumbles after the Orlando attack. What we saw last night is sort of indicative of what Trump's been saying. He takes a very inward and "America first" view towards battling terrorism -- keeping Muslims out of the United States. Or now keeping people from quote unquote, terror states, out of the United States. Whereas Hillary Clinton is taking a much more outward looking, internationalist view, talking about cooperation with NATO, specific policies to fight the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. So whether or not it's effective I guess will be told in the polls, but for right now, we see that Trump is doubling down on his strategy.
ROMANS: Josh, let's look at some of those polls. (ph) When asked, who responded better to the Orlando terror attacks, this is ABC News/Washington Post poll from June 20, 23 -- Clinton, 46 percent. Trump, 28 percent. This -- also, the same poll, which candidate do you trust to handle terrorism, Clinton, 50 percent, Trump, 39 percent. Trump has been consistent on his, as you say, America first, let's get tough. You hear, tough, bad, smart, we're losing our country, folks. That has been his message over and over again. And his response, his initial response, of course, to ban all Muslims -- ban Muslims and build a wall, that's for the immigration problem -- on the banning Muslims, he's changed that now and he's talking about banning people from terror countries. You look at the last five terror attacks, before this one, I mean, most of those people were Belgian citizens, French citizens, American citizens. Is Trump not breaking through here anymore?
ROGIN: Yes, I think you see his numbers on national security and terrorism going south. Let's remember here, we have one presidential candidate, Trump, who has no national security or governing experience at all, something that he's actually proud of, and one, Hillary Clinton, who's probably the most experienced national security official ever to run for president. So you would think that she's supposed to be way ahead. It was just never that way until recently. What we see with Trump is sort of like this varying levels, top level plans, without any specifics. Now, the terror state ban doesn't make any more sense than the Muslim ban. He hasn't shown how exactly that would work, if it would work. But that was enough until now. But now that Americans are seeing these attacks over and over again and really thinking what about it means for us -- they want to see more specifics, and Trump is just not giving them that.
KOSIK: But it seems, Josh, that terrorism is really overshadowing events on the campaign trail, sometimes more than others. This is something that can work -- depending on what the language is, could work in Donald Trump's favor, could work in Hillary Clinton's favor. At the moment, Donald Trump's language seems to be retroactive.
ROGIN: Yes, no, I think that's right. Let's remember that Trump is the one who has made this an issue at the floor of the campaign. Only last week, he criticized Hillary Clinton for not being awake during the 3:00 a.m. call at Benghazi. Now, setting aside that she was awake and it was 3:00 p.m. The point is that, he's the one who is making this into a huge campaign issue and it seems to be backfiring, right? So he still has time to try to come up with real policies and real plans and hopefully we'll see those soon. The American people, now that he's got them focused on this, are demanding more than just, this is bad, this is sad, we need to be tough and smart. It's just not going to cut it.
ROMANS: All right. Josh Rogan up early, 5:19 am in the East. We're going (inaudible) 20 minutes or so, so thanks so much. Check your e- mail. We'll talk to you in a couple minutes.
[05:19:59] Donald Trump slamming U.S. trade policies, speaking at a factory outside of Pittsburgh, Trump promised sweeping changes. He would withdraw from TPP, he would renegotiate NAFTA, he would impose tariffs on what he calls unfair trading partners like China. Critics say it would lead to a trade war, would mean lost jobs, it would mean a for sure recession. This is a speech clearly meant to appeal to white working class voters in rural areas who feel they have been left behind by globalization, left behind in the current economy. He blamed economic problems in the U.S. on quote, a leadership class that worships globalization over Americanism. Now the Chamber of Commerce, usually a staunch supporter of Republican candidates, quickly issued a statement warning against Trump's proposal saying his policies would lead to another recession. Quote, this is what the Chamber of Commerce said -- under Trump's trade plans, we would see higher prices, fewer jobs, and a weaker economy. They say Trump's trade policies would make America recession-bound again, is the title of the piece.
KOSIK: All right. Gunfire and panicked phone calls. New information released in the Orlando club attack. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:25:37] KOSIK: Welcome back. New details surfacing about that Orlando gay nightclub, the target of a mass shooting. Documents that the city released show 340 officers responded to the scene of the attack. The records reveal that Pulse had 320 people inside that night, 21 more than legally allowed, but the Orlando Fire Department said recent checks found no critical life safety issues like blocked doorways.
ROMANS: Possible changes coming to a controversial transgender bathroom law in North Carolina. House bill 2 requires individuals to use bathrooms corresponding to the gender listed on their birth certificate. But draft legislation would walk back portions of the law. Among the biggest changes, the creation of an official document recognizing a person's gender reassignment. Under the draft legislation, the new document would be treated just like a birth certificate.
KOSIK: California voters will get to decide whether to legalize recreational marijuana. The measure, which will be voted on in November, will allow people 21 and older to buy an ounce of marijuana and marijuana infused products at licensed retail outlets, and grow up to six pot plants. Smoking weed will remain off limits in places where tobacco use is already banned.
ROMANS: All right, back to our top story this morning, Terror in Turkey. Three terrorists open fire and then blow themselves up in Istanbul's airport. An attack with all signs pointing to ISIS. We're live, next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
