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Obama Wants Review of Strategy in Syria; GOP Taking on Obama over China Deal; Interview with Rep. Ed Royce; Crisis in Mexico: Protests for 43 Students; Interview with Amb. Eduardo Molina Mora; Russia Planning Bomber Flights Near U.S.

Aired November 13, 2014 - 07:00   ET

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

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Chris, what is going on here is the president as you said is in Myanmar for a summit of ASEAN leaders, who are gathered here to talk about regional economic and security priority that are important to this part of the world.

But you know, on the sidelines of that, administration officials are being pressed about the president's Syrian strategy when it comes to dealing with ISIS in both Iraq and Syria. We heard from the deputy national security adviser, Ben Rhodes, who came in to talk to reporters earlier today. And he said that there is no formal review that is taking place of the ISIS strategy in Syria. That the president from time to time in his national security team, they do go over exactly what they're doing with respect to dealing with ISIS, and they're saying at this point, they do feel like there is a fundamental weakness with that strategy and that the United States does not have a reliable vetted, trained partner in the Syrian opposition. And so that is a problem in terms of dealing with ISIS. They feel like they do have that in Iraq with the Iraqi security forces.

And so what the White House is telling us at this point is that, while they don't believe that the strategy has to be thrown out the window, it does have to be constantly calibrated and reassessed, and they say that's what's happening right now.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: All right. So this trip is supposed to be about Asian affairs and what's going on there, but obviously, there's so much on the plate that the president is getting different opportunities.

We understand that the president met momentarily, at least, with the Russian prime minister, who made some comments on the sidelines of the summit about the situation in Ukraine, which I hope people are paying attention to it, because it's ramped right back up to where it was the last time they were in there. What do you -- what are you hearing about that?

ACOSTA: That's right, Chris, senior administration officials say President Obama and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev did meet on the sidelines of this ASEAN summit. According to the Russian news service, Medvedev did talk to the president about those sanctions that the U.S. and other world leaders have applied on Russia. They are causing pain on the Russian economy. And Medvedev said that they can't really deal with the crisis in Ukraine adequately until they get rid of those sanctions.

And so there was a brief moment, it sounds like they were butting heads here at the summit on the sidelines of the summit.

But Chris, I have to tell you one of the things that we ran into here, we were touring the -- you know, some of the sites here in Myanmar during a break in covering the summit. And we actually ran into the Russian prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev, as he was, I guess, having an encounter, you might say, taking a walk on the wild side. He was meeting some of the country's famous white elephants that are stationed just outside of a giant pagoda here in Myanmar.

And I threw a question to Medvedev about what is happening in Ukraine, and here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Do you think the U.S. and Russia can come to an agreement on what's happening in Ukraine right now?

DMITRY MEDVEDEV, PRIME MINISTER, RUSSIA: Time will show.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: So that was it. "Time will show" was what Medvedev had to say about that.

But it just goes to show you, Chris, when you cover these sorts of summits, you never know what exactly you might run into on the sidelines, even way on the sidelines of a summit like the one we're at right now, Chris.

CUOMO: Good for you in spotting him in that Hawaiian shirt and asking the question that had to be asked, Jim. Appreciate it.

ACOSTA: You got it. All right. Take care.

CUOMO: All right. Now back here at home, Congress is back to work. Cue the spitting of coffee all over America. It's true: they actually are back to work. And even though it's a lame-duck session, they do have a big and growing to-do list.

It looks like Republicans aren't going to wait until they're in charge to make some noise. They're already challenging the president on a number of key issues, including the climate deal with China.

Let's bring in chief congressional correspondent Dana Bash to join us. What's the rub here, Dana?

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The rub is that there could not be an issue that shows and illustrates the differences between the two parties more than climate change. I mean, the whole concept of what the president agreed on in China yesterday, to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, is just anathema to Republicans, most of them because they believe that reducing greenhouse gas emissions equals job loss. Particularly most of them -- or many of them, I should say, for them it's personal and local.

Mitch McConnell, case in point. He is the senator from Kentucky, a very large coal-producing state. He campaigned hard on ending what he called the war on coal. So this is something that they're going to fight very hard on.

But it's not just this issue of climate change, Chris. It is Iran, which we're going to probably see front and center on the Senate floor today, with Lindsey Graham coming up with a measure to try to push back on the president on the nuclear deal that he's -- that the administration is working on.

It's net neutrality, which sounds really in the weeds, but it really is about how we all use the Internet and its regulation, things like that.

There are so many philosophical fundamental differences between the parties that we're going to see play out with this new Republican- controlled Congress.

CUOMO: We've been seeing it play out, Dana. I mean, you know, their resistance to the administration is nothing new. The question is how are they going to use their new-found leadership to bridge some of these gaps and actually get something done.

BASH: Exactly.

CUOMO: Now on that side, we're hearing from the Democrats that they may put Elizabeth Warren, who's a growing popular face for their party in the Senate, in a leadership role. Now how will that work? Do you think she'll be able to reach out? Or is she someone who really identifies with the traditional base of the party and may even bang heads more with them?

BASH: She definitely identifies with the traditional base. I think maybe the better way to say it is that the base identifies with her.

There aren't that many rock stars in the Democratic caucus any more. There are certainly a lot of solid senators, but not a lot of Democrats who are well known, particularly those that drive the base to its feet. And Elizabeth Warren is that person. She did it during the campaign. She campaigned for a lot of her colleagues, a lot of challengers. And the Democratic leadership, Harry Reid in particular, sees that.

So our understanding is that she may get a seat at the table now. It won't be position No. 1, two, three, or four. But a seat at the table is going to be key. Because she not only is somebody who appeals to the base, but she has tremendous experience with regard to consumer issues, and so on and so forth.

So she certainly isn't a political tactician, but she brings a voice to the table. And also, you know, she would be another female at the table. Right now, the top three leadership posts in the Senate Democratic leadership are men. Just one woman. So she would be another -- another woman there. CUOMO: So she's going to make the team, playing time to be

determined. That's what we know right now.

BASH: Well put.

CUOMO: Dana Bash, thank you very much. Alisyn.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Chris. Joining us now is Republican Congressman Ed Royce. He's chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Good morning, Congressman.

REP. ED ROYCE (R-CA), CHAIRMAN, HOUSE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE: Good morning.

CAMEROTA: We have a lot to talk to you about. But let's start with Syria in terms of what we're hearing this morning. Have you heard that there is some sort of shifting strategy on Syria, and that the goal would now be to oust Assad?

ROYCE: I have heard this. And I think part of the strategy behind it is the request from Turkey that something be done about what Assad is doing to the Sunni population.

In Aleppo as you know, the middle class, Syrian Sunni middle class is holding on there. And they are being pounded 40 air flights a day, barrel bombs being dropped on that population. A couple million refugees inside Turkey from Syria.

Syria [SIC] is saying, "Look, Assad is not -- is not going to come to the table. He's not going to work out peace. So if you want our engagement, let's -- let's have a plan to do something to remove Assad. And then we can -- we can -- we can stop ISIL."

I think that's what's driving it, as well as the feeling in the gulf states and, frankly, Jordan, that feel the same way Turkey does on this issue.

CAMEROTA: OK. Let's move on to China. And the deal that many people are calling historic in terms of climate change and getting China to finally agree to curtail some of the vast pollution that it's been churning out. What do you think of that deal?

ROYCE: Well, 16 years from now, in this deal -- China agrees to increase its emissions for the next 16 years, but then to cap and then to begin to reduce. And I think that's what has caught people's attention.

I've been in China and seen the pollution. It is really terrible. And one of my colleagues once, on a trip, there found that the scrubbers that they were supposed to be using in order, you know, to clean the coal, weren't turned on. When questioned, they said, "Well, it's growth at any cost."

Look, what we'd like to see in an agreement is something that reduces pollution now in China, not 16 years from now. Not let them continue to emit and increase those emissions while we, of course, are reducing.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

ROYCE: And we would double the rate of reduction by 26 percent.

So I -- here's the point that Republicans are making. Energy costs are important in terms of manufacturing costs. So if China gets lower energy costs than the United States, a lot of jobs are going to go to China.

Can't we do something to put pressure on China -- maybe through tax policy of imports or whatever it's going to be -- that would force them to comply with the same regulations and rules that we comply to, rather than an agreement where we increase our regulation here, but they wait 16 years before they turn the corner and begin to reduce their emissions? That's the question.

CAMEROTA: Yes. I mean the way it's being billed is that they have until 2030 to reach those caps, as you're talking about sealing.

ROYCE: That's right, yes. Sixteen years.

CAMEROTA: But they are supposed to be starting steps now. I mean, baby steps. Is there any consolation that at least China has come to the table to talk about pollution?

ROYCE: Well, look, it's great that we have a dialogue with them. I've raised this with the premier myself.

But the question -- the question is also this: the administration in the meantime with the Keystone Pipeline, by blocking that project, they're sending that petroleum to China, because China is trying to build a pipeline, you know, to Vancouver, and then send it to China. Again, that reduces the price of energy in China, while we will then have a higher price here. Our manufacturers have to compete.

So our worry here with the global strategy of the administration is, are they really putting pressure on China? Or are they simply doubling down here on regulation, but not negotiating with the Chinese on anything that's verifiable? And I think that's a valid worry based on the conversations I've had with the premiere. I don't know how serious the Chinese really are. Maybe 16 years from now they'll, you know -- they'll reduce the emissions. But they certainly don't intend to right now.

CAMEROTA: We want to talk about what you're doing today, and that is holding a hearing on Ebola. The president has asked Congress for $6.2 billion in emergency funds to try to fight the spread of Ebola everywhere. Are you inclined to give him that money?

ROYCE: Yes, I think we're inclined to be supportive of this. Our hearing is going to focus on the World Health Organization.

One of the problems we have is that we have transferred an enormous amount of money to the World Health Organization, hundreds of millions of dollars. But the World Health Organization actually blocked the efforts by the CDC and USAID, and they refuted the argument made by Doctors Without Borders months ago, before this crisis hit, when others were saying, "Hey, look, you've got political directors in there with the World Health Organization that are denying that this is an Ebola epidemic."

So they kept people out. They actually blocked or did not admit experts who wanted to travel to that region.

We are going to have to have some reforms in the U.N. to get people who are actually doctors, actually physicians in these positions and get World Health Organization professionals in country assisting.

The United States is now going to take the lead on Liberia. As you know, in Sierra Leone, that will be Britain; and France for Guinea. So everybody's going to step up and do their part here. But we do have to shake out the World Health Organization to get them to make certain that this kind of a disaster does not occur again, where for five months they try to keep from the public the information about an epidemic.

CAMEROTA: Yes. OK. Got it. Congressman Ed Royce, thanks so much for making time for us this morning.

ROYCE: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: Great to talk to you.

ROYCE: Good to talk to you.

CAMEROTA: Let's go over to Michaela for more news.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Alisyn. Thanks so much. Here's your headlines at 11 minutes past the hour.

The three Denver teens who tried to join ISIS had direct contact with the terrorists over social media. A law enforcement official tells CNN that some of the jihadist recruiters were westerners currently fighting in Syria. Those teenaged girls made it halfway to their destination before they were stopped by authorities in Germany.

A major military shake-up in Iraq. The country's new prime minister has relieved 26 army officers of their commands and forced ten others to retire. He has also added 18 new commanders. The prime minister says the goal was not to punish anyone, but rather to improve military performance, notably against ISIS. An unnamed Iraqi official told the Associated Press the shake-up followed an investigation into corruption into the Iraqi military.

Caught on video: apparent abuse by a school bus driver in Ohio. Now parents are planning to sue. Check it out here. This is Christopher Litostansky. He is seen strapping down an 11-year-old boy with autism, possibly even slapping him. The driver also appears to repeatedly poke a 6-year-old in the face with an umbrella. Needless to say, parents are livid. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURA BROOKS, PLANNING LAWSUIT AFTER CHILD ABUSED: It really hurts to know that our daughter was subject to that for at least a year and a half. She refers to the abuse as far back as kindergarten.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREIRA: In a statement, Whitehall City School says students' safety is their highest priority in the district. That driver now faces seven charges and has since resigned.

Quite a scare for U2 frontman Bono. A rear door on his private jet fell off while that plane was thousands of feet in the air. Bono and four friends apparently on their way from Dublin to Berlin. They apparently heard a thud in the rear of the plane, in the galley. Fortunately, the door was outside the pressurized area of the cabin. The jet landed safely just minutes later. Luckily everyone is OK. Apparently this is very uncommon for this to happen.

CAMEROTA: I hope so.

PEREIRA: And it -- yes, which makes you feel better.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

PEREIRA: And that they were not ever at risk. But still, that would be terrifying.

CUOMO: Another one of those doors popping off an airline.

CAMEROTA: I hate when that happens.

CUOMO: Got to walk around with those special hats.

CAMEROTA: Yes, it's so true.

All right, we need to tell you one of our top stories. Anger has boiled over again in Mexico, protesters desperate for answers in the disappearance of those dozens of college students. We will speak with Mexico's ambassador to the U.S. about this violence.

CUOMO: And we all love to look at the Freedom Tower, right? But this is not the view you want. Those are window washers dangling from the 69th floor. Thankfully, first responders were on task. But we're going to ask the head of the window washing union about whether this job can be done safely. His answer may surprise you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: Forty-three college kids in Mexico have been gone for almost two months now and are presumed murdered. Imagine what would be going on if this happened in the United States. And authorities were blamed for the situation.

Now, in that context, you get to see why the protests in Mexico are growing, and officials are even being taken hostage and state buildings are being attacked and destroyed. Fueled by perceived injustice and families desperate for their kids and answers.

So let's bring in Eduardo Medina Mora. He is Mexico's ambassador to the United States. He's also a former attorney general there, so he understands the situation very well.

Mr. Ambassador, thank you very much for joining us. Do you blame the protesters in your country right now?

EDUARDO MEDINA MORA, MEXICO'S AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S.: Thank you very much, Chris.

We certainly share the sentiment of indignation, outrage, that a circumstance like this should trigger in any human being. We are certainly parents, and we share the sentiment of the parents of the 43 college students that disappeared and are, all indication, dead by now.

So we're not blaming anyone in this sense. We are certainly sharing the sentiment and taking all actions at our hand to make sure that this circumstance is rightly faced in the sense of getting every single person who was responsible for these inhumane and unacceptable actions to justice. And of course, move forward in the constitutional advancement that would make these events not happen again ever.

CUOMO: Look, it's the right answer, Mr. Ambassador. But it doesn't seem to square with the action on the ground. You have a mayor and his wife. You have the police who are involved, allegedly, with this. I mean, these are the last people you need involved with criminal activity. And it doesn't seem that the justice has been that swift, certainly to the protesters and families. How do you explain that?

MORA: Well, all of those involved in these issues -- the mayor, his wife, 36 police officers from Iguala and Cocula, 74 people in total -- are now under custody and facing prosecution. We still have a few of them to arrest.

And we are having 10,000 federal elements, police elements actually in active search of these persons and also looking for the students, if any other line of investigation remains open. Because we don't have yet the certainty of their identities. All indicates that the students were murdered. But we have the investigation open.

And we, of course, share the sentiment of the families. We are not going to have any hesitation in terms of moving forward to bring everyone responsible of this inhumane and barbaric actions to justice.

CUOMO: Just one last point on this, because it's an ongoing matter, obviously. But you say no hesitation. There have been no charges brought against anybody here. And it's hard to believe that the mayor...

MORA: That's not the case, Chris. That's not case, Chris.

CUOMO: Well, we hear they're detained, but not charged. Have they been charged?

MORA: No, no, no. They are charged. They have been charged.

CUOMO: Because we haven't heard about the charges.

MORA: Well, they have been charged. The attorney general has explained this. The mayor is arrested on a murder case. And of course, new charges have been brought to him. The wife has been detained in judicial (UNINTELLIGIBLE), pending indictment. And the police officers have been indicted.

So this is not just waiting for action. This is the state, with capital "S," taking decisive action on a circumstance that, of course, is totally unacceptable. And we are not going to be accused of any shortcomings in this.

CUOMO: Well, as you know, Mr. Ambassador, you certainly are being accused of shortcomings, and that's why the people are so angry there. But we will have to let the process play out, and hopefully, it goes the way you are promising it will, which is that there will be justice there, and there will be changes.

MORA: This is a turning point, Chris. We need to advance in terms of making sure that this never happens again. We have shortcomings in the institutional of management, security and justice in Iguala and the state of Guerrero. We face a very difficult circumstance.

And in this sense, we are taking all actions at our hand to make sure that this is not happening again.

We are now also having the technical assistance of the Inter-American Human Rights Commission. We signed an agreement with them yesterday. This was a demand from the parents. And this is also something that comes from our own beliefs and our own certainties.

The human rights component here is critical. You cannot have an effective police force if it does not respect human rights. This is not only a demand from a legal and ethical perspective. It's a demand actually from operational effectiveness. You cannot have police that is effective, if it is not respecting human rights in the way it relates to ordinary citizens.

CUOMO: Well, Mr. Ambassador...

MORA: A major component of this effort.

CUOMO: Mr. Ambassador, you certainly identified the problem. What remains to be seen if you all can find a solution in Mexico. We'll stay on the story. Mr. Ambassador, thank you for joining us on NEW DAY.

MORA: Thank you very much, Chris, and rest assured that President Pena Nieto, his administration is absolutely committed to make this a turning point in the way this has been handled in our country and, of course, in the state of Guerrero these last few weeks.

CUOMO: We'll look forward to seeing what he does when he gets back from abroad. Thank you, Mr. Ambassador. Alisyn.

MORA: Thank you, Chris.

CAMEROTA: Yes. Let's hope this is a turning point, Chris.

Meanwhile, it was a nail-biter of a rescue, 68 stories above New York City. How did two window washers end up dangling from the World Trade Center? We'll speak with a window washer about how they're feeling today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PEREIRA: Welcome back, and let's give you a look at your headlines now at 27 minutes past the hour.

President Obama is reportedly rethinking strategy in the war against ISIS. Senior officials say he has ordered a review of U.S. policy in Syria, after realizing that defeating Islamic terrorists in Syria may be impossible without first ousting President Bashar al-Assad.

New provocations from Russia this morning. Moscow says it plans to send long-range bombers to patrol the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, including near American waters. This comes amid another uptick in violence in Ukraine that's left at least four Ukrainian soldiers dead.

Our senior international correspondent Matthew Chance has the very latest for us live from Moscow -- Matthew.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Michaela, thanks very much.

Well, these are quite dramatic developments from Moscow, that Russia will resume Cold-War-era flights across the arctic from its bases there towards Alaska, and more flights down the west coast of the -- well, the western Atlantic and the East Coast towards the Gulf of Mexico. It hasn't done these kinds of flights, testing U.S. air defenses, since the end of the Cold War.

They don't actually represent a military threat as such. In fact, think tanks that have been focusing on the upsurge in these kinds of flights in Europe saying the biggest threat they represent is to civilian airliners, as the possibility of a mid-air collision because these military flights from Russia often don't use their in-flight transponders, their locaters, nor do they communicate with ground control and air traffic control. And so they represent a danger in that sense. But again, the whole idea that Russia is resuming these Cold-War-era

flights gives us a pretty good picture of just how bad the relationship has become between Russia and the west.

PEREIRA: Certainly it is, Matthew. And again, that concern about those commercial airlines flying through those areas. Thanks for that update.

An update now for you on a story that we've been watching. A 90-year- old veteran who's already been in trouble for violating a Florida law against feeding the homeless in outdoor public spaces, well, he has been cited a third time. Arnold Abbott was with a group of supporters when police singled him out, gave him another citation. But they did allow him to keep handing out food.