Return to Transcripts main page

New Day

Kerry Speaks on ISIS; Warnings of Terror in U.S.; Obama to Address U.N.; Interview with Josh Earnest

Aired September 24, 2014 - 08:30   ET

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

PHILLIP MUDD, CNN COUNTERTERRORISM ANALYST: I think that's possible, but if you look at the warnings that have come out from the FBI and the Homeland Security Department, these are the typical things you would do in a circumstance like this. It doesn't necessarily mean they have information that suggests that we'll see a lone wolf event in the United States. This is just a prudent measure going out to state and local police departments, for example, saying, hey, watch out, we're in the midst of a military campaign. We've got to keep our heads down here.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Here's the other question, and, Christiane, let me just pivot back to you. You know you asked specifically about Bashar Assad, the leader of Syria, who is, you know, -- his enemy is ISIS. The U.S.' enemy is ISIS. Your question to Secretary Kerry was, are you sure that what the U.S. is doing in Syria isn't going to ultimately help Assad. What was his answer?

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, he clearly said that our fight right now is against ISIS. They call it ISIL. You know, there are a lot of different acronyms for this. In any event, that is clear. And also the Iraqi prime minister, last night, confirmed to me that the United States had told them that we're going after ISIS, we're going after this group and we're not going after Bashar al Assad.

As you know, they warned Bashar Assad, or informed him, that this was coming. There is tacit, if not overt acceptance of this from Damascus. There is tacit at least non-interference by Iran. Iran was also warned that this was going to take place, or informed that this was going to take place.

I've spoken to very senior American diplomats, former ambassadors to Syria and Iraq, who said that on no account must the United States at all ever even be perceived as working with or cooperating with or in any way helping the Bashar Assad regime. And let's not forget, many people, including the French foreign minister, as I say, these former American ambassadors told me that actually Bashar Assad has been part of the help towards ISIS. They are not against each other. They have been cooperating. ISIS has filled a very convenient role for Bashar Assad, pulling away the Free Syrian Army to fight two fronts and also by having ISIS, being able to say, look, we have always said we were fighting terrorists and this is what we're doing.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: You know, you've been very strong on this, Christiane, and now let me take this premise and give it to Mr. Mudd as a counterterrorism expert. One of the points that Christiane's been making in all of her interviews is, this coalition is tricky because a lot of these nation states play it both ways when it comes to ISIS and other extremist groups. And that's going to be a block, that it's a cultural block, that it's an infrastructure block, it's a relationship block. How do you deal with that? How do you get people on board to fight someone when a percentage of their population, if not their government, may tacitly or overtly support groups like this?

MUDD: Look, I think behind the scenes, when you're sitting at the table at the National Security Council, for example, this is a pretty basic decision. It's going to be ugly. We've got, for example, the Saudis and the Qataris who have been involved with the opposition in Syria. I question whether we fully understand what they're up to even today. But the point is, if you're going to go out and stage strikes against an Arab country, after the invasion of Iraq, after 13 years in Pakistan and Afghanistan, you've got to take the ugly. And that is, you've got to say, if the UAE wants to be there, if the Saudis want to be there, if the Qataris want to be there, if the Jordanians want to be there, despite what ugliness is going on behind the scenes, if they want to front this war with us, take the money and run. Take it.

BALDWIN: Phillip Mudd and Christiane Amanpour, thank you both very much.

And make sure you can go to cnn.com. You want to watch the whole interview with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. It will be right there for you.

CUOMO: And that is just one of the high profile interviews that we have here. Christiane's been sitting down with leaders all over the place. Her schedule is full. After speaking with Kerry and Iraq's new prime minister, in the coming days Christiane will interview the emir of Qatar and the president of Iran. All of these interviews will be seen on CNN, of course, and on amanpour.com. So many big interviews, she's got her own website with just one name. She's in one name status.

BALDWIN: She's Christiane Amanpour, that's why.

CUOMO: The only person she doesn't seem to have in the circle of influence right now is the president himself. I'm sure that's to come. But today, President Obama has a very big agenda. He has to deliver a message to the world. The U.N. General Assembly. It's just 36 hours after these first strikes in Syria. Has it made him stronger? Will he be able to rally in a way he couldn't have before to get this true coalition to destroy ISIS? The president's spokesman Josh Earnest will join us next and give us what the message is from the White House. The stakes could not be higher.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Welcome back.

Five new airstrikes overnight against ISIS, following the initial strikes from Monday night. The military action is already prompting warnings around the U.S. for potential retaliation, specifically homegrown terror. Lone wolves have been encouraged to strike in the past. The new strikes actually may give them ammunition. So law enforcement is being beefed up nationwide.

Our justice correspondent, Pamela Brown, is here with me with more.

What are they being told?

PAMELA BROWN, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is just a precaution, Brooke. And law enforcement agencies have received this bulletin from federal officials that is asking them to be on heightened alert for homegrown violent extremists who may want to retaliate and launch an attack in the U.S. in the wake of the strikes in Syria.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN (voice-over): Across the country this morning, law enforcement on heightened alert. Homeland Security and the FBI warning that the airstrikes in Syria may embolden homegrown extremists to strike.

LISA MONACO, W.H. COUNTERTERRORISM AND HOMELAND SECURITY ADVISER: That's why we're worried and they're doing everything we can to address the violent messages and to counter those messages.

BROWN: The bulletin warning law enforcement agencies to be vigilant, asking them to scrutinize social media and be on the lookout for changes in behavior or appearance of extremists they may be tracking, like if they suddenly drop off the radar.

ARNETTE HEINTZE, CEO, HILLARD HEINTZE: Lone wolfs are very difficult to identify and confront. They're moving on a very ideological path that they believe in.

BROWN: This as we learn more about the alleged plotting by the al Qaeda group Khorasan that pushed the U.S. military to strike them Monday night. A U.S. intelligence source says the group had already acquired materials and was in an advanced stage of planning to carry out an attack on the U.S., but no specific targets are known. Senior U.S. officials tell CNN that in July security at international airports was increased after intelligence suggested Khorasan was creating easily concealed bombs for western recruits to smuggle onto airplanes. What makes the threat of Khorasan's attack so worrying is their ties to al Qaeda's master bomb maker in Yemen, Ibrahim al-Asiri.

PAUL CRUICKSHANK, CNN ANALYST: The concern is that al-Asiri has trained a number of apprentices in these techniques and these apprentices, some of them have migrated to Syria. The fear is that some of them have joined this group, Khorasan there, and are helping them develop these new techniques.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: U.S. officials say they targeted a training camp and command and control facilities linked to the group. Officials are still assessing the result of the strike, trying to figure out if they were able to take out the key leaders in the Khorasan group. And at this point we are learning that the initial assessment, according to that, that it was a successful strike.

Chris.

CUOMO: All right, Pamela, thank you very much.

What's going on militarily, we keep being told is going to take a long time. But there is something that is just 90 minutes away that couldn't be more important. President Obama will make the case to the world, to their leaders, to join the cause and take on ISIS. How will the president move ahead if he gets help? What if he doesn't? We're going to ask Press Secretary Josh Earnest, joining us here on NEW DAY.

I extend the hand of friendship.

JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Yes.

CUOMO: Thank you for being with us on NEW DAY. I appreciate it.

EARNEST: Yes. It's nice to see you in person as opposed to squinting into the lights at the White House.

CUOMO: It is. It is. I know it's much harder to look at me in person, but we'll fight through it.

This is a big day. No way to mitigate that. What is the mission for the president when he goes to the U.N. today? What must happen?

EARNEST: Yes. The president's going to give a speech to the United Nations General Assembly. This is a speech that we've been looking forward to for quite some time. It will be an opportunity for the president to be clear about American leadership and American priorities around the globe. And what he will be talking about is a forward-looking, optimistic vision about how the United States is engaging on a variety -- against a variety of challenges, but leading the world as we do so.

So, obviously, the thing that has gotten most headlines recently is the military action in Syria against ISIL. That is a - that is a good place to start. That is an indication where the president is acting boldly to protect American interests. This is a -- there are also strikes taken against an organization that was plotting against the United States.

But we didn't do it alone. We actually worked with five Arab partners in the region to demonstrate that ISIL is not fighting a war against the United States. ISIL is fighting a war against the world, against the globe, including the Muslim world. And that was an important statement. And the president will put that in the context of other things that we're doing around the world. Leading an international coalition to confront Iran and get them to come into compliance with international standards, as it relates to their nuclear program, leading the world to ensure that Russia is going to expect basic territorial integrity in Ukraine. So there are a variety of challenges around the globe.

Ebola, another good example where the United States is expending significant resources to try to meet the needs of a population in West Africa that's being decimated by Ebola right now. So this is an example of American leadership. These are all examples of American leadership and it's - it's in the form of the vision that the president has for the role that the United States can play in the world as we seek to protect our interests around the globe.

CUOMO: A lot on the plate, no question about it. But other than Ebola, you could argue that all of them flow through what's happening in Syria with ISIS one way or the other. And that becomes then about the definitions. Right now you're saying the U.S. is a leader of these (INAUDIBLE), but we're not alone. How do you avoid this situation being seen as the United States war with some other people helping out from the region, which is very different than what it was promised as. This was promised as a regional war with us helping. Not perceived that way right now.

EARNEST: Well, what's so important, Chris, is that we did, in the military operation that was carried out about 24 hours ago, there were five other Arab nations that were active participants in that operation. We've also seen strong signals of support from other countries around the globe that have indicated a willingness to help in their own way. And building this international coalition is key to ensuring that the American people, people around the globe and our enemies understand that the United States is not going to be acting alone. The United States is going to play a leadership role in this effort, but we're not going to be acting alone.

And the reason for that is simply that if we're actually going to make the kinds of security gains in Iraq in particular that are going to be required to snuff out ISIL's ability to make significant gains across that country, we need to make sure that the Iraqis are fighting for their own country, that they're providing for their own security. And they can count on support from the international community, they can count on support from the American military, they can count on political support from the American government, but ultimately it needs to be their responsibility to wage this conflict in their own country.

CUOMO: And ultimately they keep falling back on the U.S. because they can't get it done. I mean, let's be frank, that's why we're in this situation we are now. So if it's going to be different, you need the big names. You need Turkey. You need Egypt. You need a Saudi Arabia in earnest, no pun intended, where they're not just training up fighters, they're not just giving money, but they're putting their own blood into the mix. Do you think the president can do that?

EARNEST: Well, I think the president has already enjoyed significant success in terms of getting some important commitments from other countries in the region and around the world. They are critical to this effort and critical to its success. We're not going to be in a situation where we're going it alone.

Here's the other thing about this, Chris, and this is another reason that I think we are optimistic about the progress that we're going to continue to make in terms of building an international coalition here. The countries in the region have their own vested interests. You have this extremist organization right on their doorstep.

CUOMO: This is a fight for the soul of Islam, we could argue.

EARNEST: It is. It is. And for so long, you've had these Sunni-led governments in the region who have been very concerned about Shia-led governments in the region. But the fact of the matter is, the greatest threat that these Sunni-led governments face right now is from Sunni extremists who are killing and wreaking havoc in the name of their brand of Islam.

CUOMO: What does it mean that they're not provoking this situation and asking for the U.S.'s help? You know, this is a battle for the soul of Islam. It's really not even a suggestion, it's obvious from what's going on.

EARNEST: Right.

CUOMO: This is the faith that dominates so many of those nations, not this one. And yet the reverse seems to be the dynamic. How is that explained to the American people and the world in a way that will make sense?

EARNEST: Well, I think some of that is that the United States is the indispensable nation in the world. Other countries around the world look to the United States and to the American president for leadership.

Let me give you a good example of this. Just yesterday the president convened a meeting with representatives of the five Arab nations who participated in the military operation overnight. The other participant in that meeting was the new Shia prime minister of Iraq. So, the fact that you had a Shia leader in Iraq sitting down with five Sunni leaders in the region to talk to the American president about the challenges in their region I think is an indication of the president's leadership. But also its an indication of the commitment of nations in the region to really confronting this threat.

Prime Minister Abadi's predecessor, Prime Minister Maliki in Iraq, did not have a good working relationship with the other countries in the region. It was sort of fraught, his relationship with Saudi Arabia and others. So the fact that you had the Iraqi prime minister sitting down with these other Arab leaders with the president of the United States at the U.N. is an indication that we really are having some success in building the kind of cohesive international coalition that will be required to succeed in this effort.

CUOMO: Now, obviously there's a price if you don't get involved as the U.S., there's a price if you do. Okay.

One of the surprises here early on was that you went after Khorasan, this group we're all learning about now that may have had - - Now, there's some dangerous words that started coming out. Buried first in the CENTCOM press release, and then in later reports out of the Pentagon and the White House.

Eminent threat, have to be worried. Lone wolf attacks here in the U.S. How eminent? Is any of it specific? Are you looking at actual plots, or is this just about deterring a motivation from abroad?

EARNEST: Well, what we saw from this extremist group was more than just motivation. We saw that they were actively plotting against the United States. And the president has made clear that a core principle of his presidency will be to deny a safe haven to those extremist individuals or groups that seek to do harm to the U.S. and the homeland. So that is why the president ordered this military action to take strikes against this extremist group that was actively plotting against the United States.

That makes them different than ISIL. ISIL, we know at this point, we do not have clear intelligence to indicate that they are actively plotting against the U.S. homeland, but they certainly do pose a threat to Americans in the region. We've seen that tragically in some of the videos they've released. But that they do have designs on plotting against American interests in the region.

The president has indicated that we're not going to allow them to have a safe haven. The president has also indicated we're not going to act alone on this, and that's why building this coalition was so important. Another component of this strategy, and this is a counterterrorism strategy that we have used successfully in other places, is to build up the capacity of local forces. That's why this element of trying to train Syrian opposition fighters to take the fight to ISIL on the ground in their own country is such a key component of this strategy.

CUOMO: Well, it has to be because you've taken the best fighters in the world out of the equation, right? This won't be U.S. troops, boots on the ground, whatever hackneyed phrase you want to use. So it's going to come down to somebody else. The question is who is it, and that's what makes today a moment that cannot be hyped. This is a major moment, this address that the president is giving. We'll be watching closely.

EARNEST: Thank you, Chris.

CUOMO: We appreciate you giving the up front on it, Mr. Earnest. Its good to have you on NEW DAY.

EARNEST: Appreciate it.

CUOMO: Alright. Now, that speech that we're talking about from the president, of course you'll be able to see it live right here on CNN at 10:00 a.m. Eastern. Okay?

Now, up next we have Wolf Blitzer. He's live outside the U.N. He has a preview, of course. There he is. He's going to talk to us about the address and how he can come away, the president that is, with a larger coalition against ISIS. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Alright, in about an hour, President Obama will address the United Nations general assembly. This will be an important chance for him to rally the world after launching U.S.-lead air strikes on ISIS strongholds in Syria.

This is such an important speech. Such a high stakes moment, which is why we have our high stakes man at the United Nations right now. Wolf Blitzer joins us. Wolf, great to see you there this morning. By launching these strikes when the U.S. and its allies did, it created an enormous responsibility for President Obama, but also an enormous opportunity. He has to justify the actions, but at the same time, he has a chance to win support for them.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": It certainly will help build this international coalition. The fact that the United States was backed by five Arab allies in going forward with these air strikes against ISIS targets in Syria, as well as this al Qaeda offshoot, that's going to generate, I think, some momentum for the United States to build this international coalition.

But make no mistake about it, John. A lot of this coalition is simply going to be rhetorical. They are not necessarily going to be providing weapons. They are not going to be providing arms, they're not going to be necessarily training moderate Syrian rebels.

They are not going to be involved militarily, but they will offer important political support, and when the president goes before the United Nations security council later today, he's chairing a special session. The United States is president of the security council this month. It rotates every month. He's going to seek this resolution to generate international support. I think the fact that he got these five Arab countries on board, that will help him in the political momentum. I'm sure the timing may have been coincidental, but maybe not.

BERMAN: You bring up a great point, Wolf. Most of the planes, American planes. Most of the bombs, American bombs. Most of the skin in the game, American skin. But, this coalition, you know, symbolic and important. Also, maybe a bit symbolic and poignant here.

We're six years into the Obama administration and this president, who campaigned on peace and disentanglement really from Middle East conflict goes to this body as a war-time president again to justify this new action of war.

BLITZER: And it looks like the last two years of his administration, he's been in office now for almost six years. He was hoping that there would be no wars, obviously, but the last two years now almost certainly it's going to take a couple years at least, if not a whole lot longer, to completely eliminate, destroy, defeat ISIS.

The U.S. can immediately start degrading ISIS, but remember there are maybe 30 or r 40 thousand troops, not just a bunch of terrorists. They've got formal Army personnel now in Iraq and Syria and they control a vast amount of land. They have maybe a billion dollars, we heard from a top Jordanian minister yesterday. They have a billion dollars in the bank. They can use that money and they can create a lot of problems.

So, this is a long, drawn out process and it's certainly going to dominate the president's final two years in office, something he was very reluctant to do. He didn't want to necessarily be a war president. He wanted to end those wars, but now he has a new war that he's directly involved with.

BERMAN: And this new phase, which he will now explain to this, a gust (ph) world body. A very big moment. I know, Wolf, you will be there to cover it. We'll see you in just a little bit.

BLITZER: Thanks, John.

BERMAN: Chris?

CUOMO: That does it for us here at NEW DAY. You can watch the president's speech right here at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time. Mr. Wolf Blitzer, who you just saw, and Carol Costello will pick up the coverage right after just a short break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)