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President to Meet with Congressional Leaders; Speaker Boehner Announced Congressional Vote to Repeal Obamacare; Interview with Congressman Chris Van Hollen; Video Shows ISIS Joking About Sex Slaves; Obama Reaches Out to Iran

Aired November 07, 2014 - 08:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Face-to-face. President Obama set to meet with Congressional leaders including the top Republicans who now will lead the House and Senate. ISIS, Ebola, immigration all on the menu. Will this lunch bring any common ground, or is it going to be a food fight?

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: And twisted terror, ISIS fighters caught on camera joking about buying and selling women as sex slaves. We'll show you that tape. This as the battle continues in cities. Is the coalition winning the fight against ISIS?

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Happening this hour, the October jobs report due out in just minutes. Did the U.S. pick up jobs and what will these numbers tell us about the state of our economy?

CUOMO: Your NEW DAY continues right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is NEW DAY with Chris Cuomo, Kate Bolduan and Michaela Pereira.

CUOMO: A beautiful looking Freedom Tower there. Good morning, welcome to NEW DAY. It's Friday, November 7th, 8:00 in the east. Chris Cuomo, Alisyn Camerota. Getting ready for this big meeting, supposed to be anything but a love fest, is what happens at the White House this afternoon. That's when the president hosts Congressional leaders from both parties from a, quote, "working lunch."

CAMEROTA: And 16 Democrats and Republicans are on that invitation list. Immigration reform, funding for the war on ISIS, and the Ebola outbreak all on the agenda today. But before the first appetizer is served, the two sides are already bickering.

CUOMO: It could be a little soup on the menu today. Let's preview the meeting. Let's bring in Dana Bash, chief congressional correspondent. Hey, and why are we being a little snarky about it? You spoke to Mr. Boehner. He's one of the leaders. Let's play the sound about what he said to you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: How do you expect the president to trust that you really want to work together when out of the gate you say that you want to repeal his signature law that you know has no chance of getting a veto proof majority? How do you expect him to trust you?

REP. JOHN BOEHNER, (R) HOUSE SPEAKER: Listen, my job is to listen to the American people. The American people have made it clear they're not for Obamacare. Ask all the Democrats who lost their elections Tuesday night. A lot of them voted for Obamacare.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: Here's the thing. You know the numbers, Dana, over 50 percent of Americans say Obamacare is OK, a lot of people say it doesn't go far enough. But what is the message in the politics that he's playing here?

BASH: He's still playing to his base, and that was the reason I asked that question. In an op-ed that Boehner wrote with the incoming Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell where they talked about the need to show that Republicans can govern, the areas where they think they can find common ground, in the first couple of graphs they said we want to repeal Obamacare. So John Boehner and Republicans are furious that the White House is pouring fuel on the fire, waving a red flag in front of a bull on immigration, but they're kind of doing the same thing to the president. And the reason I asked that question was because, you got to start with trust, and there's already a huge trust deficit. So with both sides poking each other in the eye, how do you build that trust? That's the question.

CUOMO: You like the poking in the eye metaphor. I'm sticking with the two kids grabbing each other's hair, saying you let go first, you let go first, and meanwhile they're both getting hurt. Dana Bash, thank you very much for the preview. Let's hope we're pleasantly surprised.

BASH: Let's hope.

CAMEROTA: I like the food-fight metaphor you're also using. Continue with that.

CUOMO: I mix it up.

CAMEROTA: I know you do.

Let's bring in Congressman Chris Van Hollen from Maryland. He's a Democrat who has just been reelected. Good morning, Congressman.

REP. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN, (D) MARYLAND: Good morning, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: You know what we've been talking about. It sounds like serve saying the words yet at the same time the rhetoric remains the same. For instance, immigration reform, the president said this week that if there's no movement on immigration reform by the end of the year he will use the executive order to pass it, and Republicans have said that that is poisoning the well. Where are you on this? VAN HOLLEN: Well look, you asked whether it was going to be a food

fight. I don't think any food will be flying. I think people will be well mannered. But I do think when it comes to the issues you're going to have a lot of tough positioning and negotiating. Let's talk about immigration. The reality is that right now in the House of Representatives we have a bipartisan comprehensive immigration bill that passed the United States Senate. And what the president has said to Speaker Boehner is simply have a vote on that, right? You can vote against it, Speaker Boehner, but have a vote. Let the democratic process work.

And if the speaker continues to refuse to even allow a vote, the president has said he's going to use his authority to the extent he can lawfully use it to address these issues, and then Congress can come back and try and fill in the gaps later if it wants but that we have to address this issue

CAMEROTA: And we understand that everyone says they want this issue addressed. Is that the right tone for the president to be striking this week?

VAN HOLLEN: Well, I think one of the messages we heard from this week is allow Congress to try and work. In one way Congress works in a democratic process is to hold a vote. Again, I don't know what the outcome would be. I happen to think it would pass even in this House of Representatives and we could get this issue off the table today.

So we've heard all this talk about Harry Reid blocked the votes in the United States Senate, but they voted on a comprehensive immigration reform bill, it's in the House. And here's an important point -- at the end of this year all that work gets wiped off the table because in a new Congress you start from scratch. So what the president is saying is, look, have that vote and see how it goes. And I thought one of the messages was allow democracy to work its will, and apparently right out of the gate we're hearing that that won't happen.

CAMEROTA: By the way, the end of the year last time I checked is actually the end of next month, so do you think that Congress can do this in the next month?

VAN HOLLEN: Congress could certainly vote any time on that bill. That bill, that comprehensive bipartisan immigration bill, is sitting in the House of Representatives. We could vote any day. If it goes down, it goes down, and then maybe the president would say, well, I'm noting if to use my executive authority because you gave the democratic process a shot. I'm confident it would pass. And so what we're saying to Speaker Boehner is hold a vote in the House. It's the people's house. For goodness sakes, let's have a vote on that Bill.

CAMEROTA: Let's talk quickly about ISIS and the fight against ISIS because it has been revealed that President Obama reportedly sent a letter to Iran's supreme leader to talk about how to cooperate on the fight against ISIS. Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham have blasted the president, calling this sort of back channel route outrageous. What do you make of it? VAN HOLLEN: It's not outrageous. Presidents use back channels all

the time. Look, you don't have to trust Iran to understand that the United States and Iran do have a common interest in trying to defeat ISIS. And I thought Senator McCain and Senator Graham want to do everything possible to defeat ISIS.

Now, we're not cooperating with the Iranians militarily. We don't trust them enough for that. We're engaged in these negotiations to try to prevent them from obtaining a nuclear weapon, which is in our interests, which is in the interests of the world, which is in the interest of our allies in that region. So the president's working very hard to try and prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon and trying to negotiate a deal to do that. And this is obviously part of the conversation, again, because in this instance Iran and the United States have a shared interest in defeating ISIS.

CAMEROTA: Congressman Chris Van Hollen, best of luck in the next month. We'll see what Congress can accomplish. Thanks for joining us.

VAN HOLLEN: Thank you. Thanks for having me.

CUOMO: A lot of news this morning. Let's get right to Michaela for the headlines.

PEREIRA: All right, good morning once again, everyone. Here are your headlines.

Two soldiers with the Idaho Army National Guard have died after their helicopter crashed in Boise, Idaho. An investigation is under way now into what exactly went wrong. A spokesman said that crew was on a training mission last night when their apache went down near the airport.

More flare-ups in the Middle East. Several houses belonging to leaders of the Fatah Palestinian faction have been bombed. There's no word yet on who is responsibility. Also this morning a 17-year-old Israeli soldier died from injuries sustained in this week's terror attack at a Jerusalem train station. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Jordan's King Abdullah spoke Thursday trying to ease tensions after clashes at Jerusalem's Temple Mount.

Is a veteran U.S. diplomat being investigated for spying? The FBI confirms it searched the home and office of the State Department's Pakistan expert Robin Raphel. It's not clear whether she is being specifically targeted in what authorities are calling a counterintelligence probe. Raphel, the former U.S. ambassador to Tunisia had her security clearance at the State Department pulled last month.

And check this out, my goodness, strong winds at Chicago O'Hare International Airport forcing a couple of rough landings. Right there one plane came in at a nearly 45-degree angle when it landed. Yikes.

CUOMO: That was a yaw issue.

PEREIRA: What?

CUOMO: Yaw, please, focus on my hand.

PEREIRA: Yes.

CUOMO: Yaw, pitch, roll. That's what you learn when you're on a lot of bad flights. You're say "What is happening?" They'll say the yaw.

CAMEROTA: Thankfully that nobody was injured. So far we haven't heard about injuries.

PEREIRA: They must be traumatized. That looks horrible.

CAMEROTA: Absolutely.

CUOMO: Just know the word "yaw" and you'll be fine. Not y'all, like they say in Queens, yaw.

CAMEROTA: Got it. Is that a Queens thing? I wasn't aware of it. Thank you for that. We always learn something, Michaela. Thank you, Chris.

All right, meanwhile, we have to tell you about this really sickening video. It has surfaced of ISIS fighters discussing the sale of captured girls being used as sex slaves just for getting caught in the war. We will discuss the disturbing video from our counterterrorism analysts.

CUOMO: And if the economy is on your mind, and it should be, look out for this. The October jobs report is going to be released in just a few minutes. We'll talk about the expectations and we'll bring you the actual numbers as soon as we have them. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: Welcome back to NEW DAY. We have new information for you about ISIS, and it proves why they must be stopped. A video showing men mocking the buying and selling of Yazidi women as sex slaves, this is the latest horror for innocent people whose worst crime was just being in their way and getting caught up in the conflict.

To discuss the news about this video and the U.S. reaching out to Iran for help against the terror group, we're going to be joined by Philip Mudd. He's a CNN counterterrorism analyst and former CIA counterterrorism official. And from Beirut, CNN senior international correspondent Arwa Damon.

Arwa, let me start with you. What do we make of this video? Is it about something really happening or ugly bravado on display?

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, either way, the video is a clear indication of why an organization like ISIS needs to be stopped, as you were mentioning there. What we do know is that at least two and a half thousand Yazidi women, girls were kidnapped, according to the authorities with the Kurdistan regional government and only a fraction of those have been released. CNN has spoken to some of these women in the past and the stories they

tell are absolutely horrific. One young woman just 17 years old talking about how she was rounded up along with others, put into a large room and then the men, the ISIS fighters would come into the room and pick whomever they wanted to.

She says she herself was chosen by a man who was 70 years old. We also know from some other ISIS fighters, one in particular who was detained, CNN managed to speak to, ISIS does, in fact, give its young recruits girls, women to choose from, that as part of their very morbid way of trying to lure young male fighters in.

We've also heard numerous stories from people who were not necessarily Yazidis how ISIS fighters are abusing the female population in areas that they do control.

CUOMO: Well, hopefully, this video if nothing else puts some faces to some of the people that the coalition is trying to find and stop and I remember your conversation with that young woman. What would you say to the man? She said I wouldn't say anything. I just wanted him dead, and it shows the desperation on both sides.

And in terms of progress against ISIS, what do you hear in Beirut about this supposed high-valued target, this bomb maker that the coalition may or may not have gotten? Any information?

DAMON: Well, that's an individual who is with the Khorasan group, another organization the U.S. deems to be a terrorist entity. It's unclear at this stage how that is going to impact the capacities of the Khorasan group, very little actually known at this stage. The man who was killed believes to be a French national, very experienced in terms of bomb making, capable even of establishing a bomb that would be concealed inside the palm of one's hand, so that most certainly is disturbing if, in fact, true.

The issue is in targeting the elements of the Khorasan group the United States, the coalition is making more enemies on the ground than it is making friends because in many cases these Khorasan fighters are camped out in bases and areas that are part of the other rebel groups and it's caused a fair number of casualties amongst their fighters, also been various reports of civilian casualties that were caused in the bombings targeting Khorasan. While people inside Syria are welcoming the targeting of is, it's targeting of Khorasan and other Syrian rebel groups are causing questions raised to what the U.S. and coalition troops' intentions are at this stage.

CUOMO: Arwa Damon, thank you very much.

I turn to you, Philip Mudd, what about that? We are not just collateral damage but what groups being targeted may not be the exact right ones, maybe they're actually moderates. Maybe we'll wiped up creating our next enemy base if the coalition is hitting the wrong people.

How do you see it? PHILIP MUDD, CNN COUNTERTERRORISM ANALYST: Well, I think, eventually,

I think we're going to have to sort through this. What I mean is we're supporting some moderate opposition but what we're telling them is we don't support your goal necessarily of taking out Assad. That's your business. We want you to fight is. Meanwhile, we tell the Syrian people we'll support some of the guys who are on your side but others fighting the government you hate we're going to bomb them.

I think eventually, we're going to have to step back or simplify. Do we want small point strikes against people like the Khorasan group but not get engaged in a broader civil war or say finally, OK, we're in this for a dime and we're in it for a dollar. We're going to take out Assad as well. I think we have to make some choices.

CUOMO: The way you're laying it out there, seems like you're seeing the second one as a more reasonable approach. We've been hearing that from John McCain, we have a growing number of people saying like Secretary Hagel saying that you can't leave Assad out of the equation.

It sounds like this may be a much bigger situation than just air strikes.

MUDD: No, I don't, agree with you, Chris. You got me wrong this morning. It's not unusual, you got me wrong this morning.

I would say, why do we define Bashar al Assad as a threat. If we want to define American interests as human rights in Syria, that's fine, go take out al Assad. If we want to fine Syria as a national threat that affects the American families in the United States, I'd say he doesn't. We've got have to figure out who we are as a people and what are values are.

If we want to get out of this region we might say the same thing in Syria we've said in Pakistan and Somalia. You guys have your own fight on the ground, we're just going to focus on air strikes to take out the small elements of the insurgents who are targeted to create attacks in the United States.

CUOMO: So, unlike Secretary Hagel, you're saying that Assad is not necessarily a part of the picture in terms of what the threat to the U.S. is, so you have to figure out what you want to do and stay on that mission?

All right. I'm glad I have you right here. The last thing I want do is get you wrong, Philip Mudd, that's for sure. So, let me ask you about this one -- this letter from the president to the religious leader of Iran has ruffled a lot of feathers, in Washington and beyond. They're supposed to be the bad guys and now you're asking them for help? Help us make sense of it.

MUDD: Look, Washington is not reality city. Those guys, one reason I moved away from that city, they don't live in the real world. This is like being put in a cell with an arsonist saying I'm not going to talk to the dude because he's a convicted felon. Well, tomorrow, he burns the house down. Iran has tremendous influence in Iraq. They've been involved in

fighting American soldiers there, they place explosive devices to kill American soldiers, they're not with us all the time, they've been involved in supporting Shia militias in Iraq. We don't like that but the bottom line is, they share a huge border with Iraq, and a common enemy.

We don't have to like them but I think we have to accept reality, if we have a common enemy and try to extract Iran from the picture they're going to bite us.

So it's either get in the cell with the arsonist or have him burn the house down. You make the call, I say get in the cell.

CUOMO: But you've been saying the whole time, not you, but the strategy has been to isolate Iran. Now we're going to go the opposite direction and say we have a mutual enemy, let's combine?

MUDD: Actually, I don't think this strategy has been to isolate Iran. You have a United States government involved in talking to Iran on the nuclear side and let's make the story broader. Thirteen years ago I was in Bonn, Germany, as part of a small diplomatic team to put together the new government of Afghanistan after the Taliban fell. The Iranians were there.

Many people in the room wanted to talk to Iran because they share a border in Afghanistan and knew they'd kill us if we didn't talk to them. Many people in Washington said ideologically, no, don't talk to them.

Let me tell you what the solution was -- we talked to them, same story 13 years later people ideologically are saying isolate Iran. I'm saying realistically they're in the room with us, either talk to them or they'll kill us.

COUMO: So, move past the politics, and see the practicalities.

MUDD: Get beyond it, yes, let's go. Yes, that's right, this is a hot mess, homey, we got to figure out some reality.

CUOMO: This is a hot mess, homey, we got to figure out some reality, with the hand gesture.

MUDD: Yes, that's right.

CUOMO: I got it, I got it, Philip Mudd.

MUDD: That's correct.

CUOMO: You have a very good weekend, sir. Thank you for being with us on NEW DAY as always.

MUDD: All right. Take care.

CAMEROTA: He cares you, I know that much.

CUOMO: He does on several levels.

CAMEROTA: I get it.

Well, the October jobs report just minutes away. So what economists are expecting and the impact it could have on your pocketbook.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PEREIRA: All right. Time for those five things you need to know for your NEW DAY, Friday edition.

Number one, congressional leaders are lunching at the White House today with President Obama. Immigration reform, and battle ISIS and Ebola, top the agenda, in addition to, of course, getting along.

President Obama is opening channels of communication with Iran regarding air strikes on ISIS. Sources tell CNN the president reached out to the supreme leader in Iraq pushing the shared benefit of defeating ISIS.

The Pentagon believes air strikes in Syria have taken out a key member of the Khorasan member group. David Drugeon was making explosives reportedly to use against the U.S.

The State Department has yanked the security clearance of veteran U.S. diplomat Robin Raphel. Her home and her office were searched last month. The FBI won't say whether a former ambassador to Tunisia is expected of spying.

A setback for the fight for same-sex marriage, a federal appeals court ruled a gay marriage ban can stand in four states. This decision could force U.S. Supreme Courts to take up the issue.

We do update the five things to know so be sure to visit newdayCNN.com for the latest.

Alisyn?

CAMEROTA: All right, Michaela.

We have some new details this morning about the criminal past of the man who allegedly snapped Carlesha Freeman-Gaither right off the street. Devlin Barnes has confessed to her kidnapping and other crimes.

CNN's Alexandra Field is in Philadelphia.

What's the latest?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHARLES RAMSAY, PHILADELPHIA POLICE COMMISSIONER: He's a vicious predator. He's off the streets and hopefully he'll be in jail for the rest of his life.

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Devlin Barnes, under arrest, accused of snatching a woman from a Philadelphia street corner. Now, investigators are releasing new details of another vicious attack allegedly perpetrated by Barnes. Barnes will face federal charges in the abduction of 22-year-old nursing assistant Carlesha Freeland-Gaither. The violent crime caught on tape.

But first, he's being extradited to Virginia to face additional charges, including attempted murder related to an attack last month on a 16-year-old Richmond girl. Police in Charles City County say Barnes hit the teen in the head with a shovel, put her in the trunk of his car and took her to his parents' Virginia home where he raped and tortured her.

CAPT. JAYSON CRAWLEY, CHARLES CITY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: He proceed to douse her clothing in gasoline and douse her in gasoline and bleach and proceeded to burn her clothing.

FIELD: Officers say Barnes asked her how she wanted to die and at one point showed her pictures of other girls he claimed he attacked.

CRAWLEY: He was attempting to dig a hole, but somehow got distracted and she proceeded fleeing the woods.

FIELD: The victim ran two miles to this business where she was discovered naked with third-degree burns. Police say DNA tests led them to name Barnes as their suspect. Barnes has a lengthy and violent rap sheet officials say including dozens of charges from armed robbery, to aggravated assault and false imprisonment. A friend of Barnes describes an entirely different person.