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New Day

Missouri Teen with Gun Fatally shot by Cop; Tornadoes Kill 4 in Mississippi; Holiday Travelers Facing Long Delays; NYC Protests Continue Despite Mayor's Please for a Pause; President's Polls Rise with Economy

Aired December 24, 2014 - 07:00   ET

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

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. Welcome back to NEW DAY. It's Wednesday, December 24, Christmas Eve morning. I'm Alisyn Camerota, alongside Chris Cuomo, and we begin with breaking news for you. There are tempers flaring in Missouri this morning after a police officer shoots a teenager to death at a gas station. This is happening just a couple of miles away from Ferguson, Missouri.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Only this time, it's a different situation. The teenager, police say, was armed and reportedly pointed the weapon at the officer. Police say a gun was recovered at the scene, that a second person on scene ran away.

This didn't slow down the protests, though. People just swarmed the place overnight. It got very dangerous very quickly. So let's get to you Sara Ganim who's on top of the story -- Sara.

SARA GANIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. This morning tensions again in an area near Ferguson, Missouri, this time about two miles from Ferguson, at a gas station.

It happened -- the shooting happened last night around 11:15. An officer shot and killed 18-year-old Antonio Martin after they say he pulled a gun out and pointed it at the officer during a routine check at this gas station.

Now a gun was seen laying on the ground in the parking lot, with a bright yellow police marker placed next to it.

For the next several hours, chaos ensued at this gas station. Protesters getting right in officers' faces, throwing bricks, throwing water bottles, even tossing a firework at officers that exploded in the area of the gas station.

Police responded, pepper-spraying a few people, including one journalist at the scene. There you see the video of that firework going off in the gas station in the area of the crowd.

Now, local police in Berkeley say they will be holding a press conference this morning. As we also wait to hear from them if the police are going to release the surveillance video from this gas station.

In the meantime, this was a devastating Christmas Eve for Martin's mother. Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONI MARTIN, MOTHER OF ANTONIO MARTIN: They won't tell me nothing. His girlfriend told me that the police was messing with them. He was going to get up and run. when he was trying to get up and ran -- run, they started shooting him. They won't tell me nothing. They won't even let me see my baby.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GANIM: Alisyn, just spoke to the father of Antonio Martin on the phone. He said he has also not been able yet to talk to police to find out what happened. He said when his son left the house, he told his family that he was going out for the night with his girlfriend -- Chris and Alisyn.

CUOMO: All right, Sara. It doesn't matter what winds up happening in terms of circumstances of this. This family has lost a son, and it's going to be horrible for them. Thank you for the reporting.

Let's bring in Missouri state Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal.

Senator, can you hear us?

MARIA CHAPPELLE-NADAL, MISSOURI STATE SENATOR (via phone): Yes, I can. Thank you so much, Chris.

CUOMO: I'd like to wish you the best for the holidays, but obviously, we have some troubling circumstances in front of us.

I know you weren't on the ground there, but you've heard about this situation. The facts matter very much here. What do you understand? Does it seem like the police are saying that this young man was armed, pointed a weapon at the policemen, and that's what created the shooting?

CHAPPELLE-NADAL: That is the intelligence that I'm getting right now. Initially, I was getting information from the ground that was inaccurate, and as time proceeded early, early this morning, I started getting credible information.

And yes, indeed, the language that I got is that the young man from his waist, pulled out a gun. It was not detailed whether or not if it was pointed or not. But he did have a gun.

So it is very important that we do look at the facts right now, and we are waiting for St. Louis County to do their presser as soon as possible.

CUOMO: Now what do you say to the people who gathered there? There was an obvious outrage, that this was again an unjustified shooting. Somebody tried to blow up one of the gas pumps there. What's your message to them?

CHAPPELLE-NADAL: Well, first of all, what we need to recognize is that tensions are high. But the facts are very important. Not every case is the same.

As we are looking across the United States, there are young men who are targeted. However, there are people who are responsible for their own actions.

In this situation you have a young man who had a gun, pointed it at an officer; and we need to recognize that as a fact. And the officer felt as though he needed to protect himself in that situation.

So while tensions are high, we need to be respectful of what the facts are. And then our actions need to follow those facts.

CUOMO: If the facts are as they are appearing to be right now that and laid out, that somebody pulled a gun on a police officer and they wound up being shot and killed as a result, is that something that's worthy of protest?

CHAPPELLE-NADAL: Well, I have to tell you that our deadly force laws in the state of Missouri are very broad and, in some cases, people say unconstitutional. So we do need to define better our deadly force laws. I do believe that there are alternatives to death, even if someone does have a gun.

But in this situation where this officer felt as though he was in a dangerous situation, he had to shoot the young man, and it's unfortunate that he lost his life. And I wish that he did not. Because people around America right now, are quite upset about the loss of black lives, and black lives do matter.

CUOMO: Absolutely. All lives matter. We have to agree on that.

But -- and I understand what you're saying about your law, just for everybody else out there. An officer under Missouri law, basically need only fear that he's going to be assaulted. Because it's a felony, and if an officer fears the commission of a felony on himself, he could then use deadly force. Some argue that's a very low bar.

But by any measure here, Senator, pointing a weapon at an officer is going to cause an officer to shoot if they have a chance. I mean, isn't that beyond any type of reproach?

CHAPPELLE-NADAL: Absolutely. Absolutely. I mean, you're absolutely correct about that, Chris. And I think any officer who is warning someone, who is pointing a gun at them, has every right to protect themselves.

I mean, we have the capital doctrine in the state. And it's something that I support. But any time a young man has a gun and does not have a license for a gun and is not in their home that is a -- a situation that is not justified.

So while we're waiting for the facts, we need to have some calm, so we know what's going on. Not every case is the same. But again, we have to be cognizant that there are young people who are being targeted.

CUOMO: Right. CHAPPELLE-NADAL: In this case, it is different.

CUOMO: Well, and I think that's the key word, "different." Assuming that the facts hold up the way they are right now.

Let me ask you, Senator, we've talked about this before. One of the things that creates stability on the ground is leadership. Are you going to get down there? Are you going to call on other electeds to get down there into that community so that they see that the people...?

CHAPPELLE-NADAL: Absolutely.

CUOMO: ... who are in charge of their fate are there?

CHAPPELLE-NADAL: I have to tell you, one of the first phone calls I had was with the mayor of Berkeley, and then with the state representative of Berkeley. And you know, I was just trying to get the facts.

You know, you have to try to decide when you're going to be on the ground. If I was on the ground, I would not have gotten this intelligence that I did, because I would have been talking to people. But at the same time, my heart belongs with the people whose hearts are broken right now because of the multiple shootings...

CUOMO: Right.

CHAPPELLE-NADAL: ... of young men throughout this country.

CUOMO: Right. But you know, when we see a situation where someone throws a fireworks, something near a gas station pump, trying to blow it up, supposedly, by his own admission, if that winds up staying as true, all those people there, the tremendous negative capabilities that could have come out of that. There's a need for stability on the ground. That comes from leadership.

Senator, thank you very much for joining us.

CHAPPELLE-NADAL: Thank you, Chris.

CUOMO: Tough way to start off Christmas, but I wish the best for you and your family.

CHAPPELLE-NADAL: Thank you so much. You, too. Bye.

CUOMO: Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Of course, Chris, this all comes in the wake of two officers being shot and killed in Brooklyn, New York. There had been calls to come together, but those calls were ignored by protesters, who once again took over the streets of Manhattan, chanting, "How do you spell racist?" "N-Y-P-D." And of course, other calls for justice.

Now this timing is drawing criticism, even from those who had been supporting the protesters. Of course, there have been questions about whether or not the president would attend the officers' funerals. And we now know that Vice President Biden and his wife, Jill, are set to fly here for the funeral services, so we will have more on all of this throughout the morning for you -- Chris.

CUOMO: All right. There's a lot of heavy news this morning, some of it weather-related. These twisters ripped through a chunk of the south. There's a state of emergency right now in Jackson, Mississippi, four people killed. Thousands still in the dark. Hundreds of homes in Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia, damaged or destroyed by these powerful storms.

Let's get to Jennifer Gray. She's tracking the extreme weather from the CNN Center in Atlanta -- Jennifer.

JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, good morning, Chris.

We had 11 tornadoes reported yesterday over three states, right in the middle of the evening. Folks rushing around, doing last-minute shopping. And now they're going to be doing clean-up on Christmas Eve.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's it. That's the tornado.

GRAY (voice-over): Massive and deadly tornadoes ripping through the southeast as bad weather complicates holiday travel for millions. The National Weather Service flashing tornado warnings...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Repeat, a tornado warning has been issued until 8:45 p.m. Eastern time...

GRAY: ... across TV screens in five states. Parts of Mississippi now in a state of emergency after a tornado touched down 90 miles south of Jackson, killing at least four people. Downed trees and power lines blocking traffic.

On a main thoroughfare, roofs of businesses and the wall of this warehouse blown right off. One resident pulling a dog to safety from a destroyed home.

Meanwhile, heartbroken store owners embrace outside their demolished flower shop.

The storm system knocking out power to over 6,000 residents in Mississippi alone.

Inside this heavily damaged daycare center, a holiday miracle: 35 children and seven staffers raced for safety after the powerful tornado ripped the roof clear off, all making it out with no injuries.

In Louisiana, a tornado touched down twice, 70 miles north of New Orleans, uprooting trees, reportedly damaging some 20 homes and leaving nearly 2,000 residents without power. Another suspected tornado snapping trees in half in south Georgia, as the massive storm system also brings up to eight inches of torrential rain throughout the southeast.

The downpour moving up the I-95 corridor as millions hit the road for Christmas, with the potential for flooding from Georgia to New Hampshire.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRAY: And strong storms continue this morning. We are seeing very heavy rainfall, lightning included in that, anywhere from Alabama, Georgia, all the way up to the Carolinas.

We have a new tornado watch that has just been issued for North Florida, South Georgia and just the southern portion of South Carolina until 2 p.m. Eastern Time. So do be on the lookout for another round of severe weather, especially in the Southeast. But these showers and storms are going to be felt anywhere from North Florida all the way up through the Northeast.

CUOMO: Tough start to Christmas. Hopefully, everybody remembers those affected, because the need will be great there, especially on Christmas.

Jennifer, we'll check back in with you.

And even if it's not an extreme situation, just the ordinary traveling on a day like this, 100 million people expected to travel at least 50 miles for the Christmas holiday. It's going to be tough. So you have to leave early. You've got to pack a lot of patience. On-time arrivals, not going to be that high an occasion today.

Let's bring in Rene Marsh, monitoring the holiday travel mess, live from Reagan National Airport in Virginia.

I wish I were wrong, Rene. But already you're seeing signs that it's going to be clogged, right?

RENE MARSH, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Yes. We are seeing signs of delays.

You talked about the roads there. I mean, we're paying close attention to the I-10, I-95 corridor, because we're expecting some heavy rain there. So if you're driving -- and a lot of people will be, because those gas prices are so low -- you do know that, you know, it's going to be a messy commute.

As far as air travel goes, take a look for yourself. The rush is under way. The crowds are here. It's still early, but we're seeing lots of people checking in for their flights here at Reagan National Airport as they make their way to their destination.

Nationwide, what the picture looks like this morning at this hour, we're talking about more than 2,000 delays, and they are racking up hour to hour, we are seeing more added to the list as far as delays go.

And as far as cancellations, we're over 400. We're going to be paying close attention, though, Chris, to the

airports in New York City. We're going to be paying close attention to airports in Atlanta, as well as Chicago. Chicago expecting some snow.

So in a word, you're going to have to be patient today, because there will be delays.

And why we're paying such close attention to those airports, they're big hubs, and you know what happens when you have problems at the big hubs: you have that ripple effect. Something that these travelers do not want to see on the day before Christmas.

Back to you.

CAMEROTA: Right. Everyone in the country is subject to that domino effect, if something goes wrong in New York or Atlanta.

Rene, thanks so much.

We want to turn now back to the protesters in New York City, hundreds of them ignoring a request from the mayor to pause out of respect for the two police officers shot and killed.

Let's bring in Errol Louis. He's a CNN political commentator and a political anchor at New York One. Good morning, Errol.

ERROL LOUIS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good morning.

CAMEROTA: OK. So Mayor de Blasio had asked for the protesters to put down their signs and not demonstrate until after the funeral services for these two slain officers, but that didn't happen. So what happened on the streets last night?

LOUIS: Well, what happened on the streets last night is over 1,000 people directly disregarded the mayor's suggestion or request. And it underscored, among other things, that the mayor didn't start these demonstrations, and so he really just can't stop them.

You know, one question I've had early on, and I asked this to the mayor's people was, you know, if you're -- if you're approving of these demonstrations, don't you understand that they are demonstrating against your administration and your police department? And they didn't see it that way. I mean, I don't know if their attitude has changed now.

But these folks have made very clear that they want changes in policies that this mayor has championed. And while he may be sympathetic to them, they are intending to put pressure on him, and that's what we saw last night.

CAMEROTA: and Errol, let's be honest. Wasn't that a peculiar request to begin with? I mean, for the mayor to say to New Yorkers, "Let's not exercise your freedom of expression right now," it was almost as if he was saying he doesn't trust the protesters to be peaceful, and he doesn't trust his own police department to be able to handle them. LOUIS: Well, I think what the mayor -- was trying to do something a

little different than that. What he wanted to do, I think, was try to heal the city.

I mean, look, our hearts are broken. The city's heart is broken. The fact that two officers were slaughtered in cold blood just for doing their job, trying to protect the city that they love and where they live. This is an incredible trauma for a lot of the city.

And it is the mayor's job to try and bring people together. The rhetoric had gotten so heated. You know, the attacks from the police union, the fighting in the streets. The fact that police had been murdered. He wanted to sort of say, "Look, let's have a cooling off period," which frankly would have been nice if it had coincided with the holidays, and try to reset the whole conversation.

But he was talking to and making a request of people who have a very different agenda and who have a very different feeling about what the latest events in New York really mean.

CAMEROTA: Sure. I mean, it seems as though they still need an outlet for the strong feelings that they're experiencing.

Now some of the protests have been incredibly vitriolic, or they've said some vitriolic things. And last night it sounded like there was yet a new slogan. They were saying, "How do you spell racist?" "N-Y- P-D."

Here is what the former mayor of New York, Rudy Giuliani, said in response to that chant. Listen to this on CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY: This New York Police Department is not an all-white police department. In fact, it's not even majority white police department, I think. This is a very, very diverse police department. Hispanic and Chinese, in this particular case, Americans. So this kind of thing has been suggested about racism within the New York City Police Department. It's really an outrageous lie.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: I mean, Errol, the officers who were killed, as he pointed out, were Hispanic and Chinese. Is it fair for the protesters to be calling the NYPD racist?

LOUIS: It's a very diverse department. Look, my dad was a cop for over 30 years. I have a sister who was a detective for over 20 years on the NYPD. So yes, there's -- there's a lot of diversity on the police department.

Look, the folks who are protesting, it's impossible or difficult in some cases to say who exactly they are. And this is something that -- this is a problem I think the mayor did walk into, which is that, on any given march, if you look at the signs, some of them are hard-core communist, who have been protesting and saying the same things for 30 or 40 years, frankly, literally.

In other cases they're kids who just spontaneously decided to walk out of their classroom and stage a protest. So what they want, what they believe, what they're saying about the NYPD, it may be part of a hard- core agenda. It may be part of a spontaneous feeling. It may be related to just a couple of specific cases, and we have had some very difficult cases over the last year. It's impossible to say.

And so it doesn't make sense to really sort of -- just as you wouldn't tar the NYPD with one brush, calling them racist or anything else, you shouldn't tar, you know, 35,000 protesters with one brush. There's a lot going on out there.

And the sooner, I think, the administration realizes that they've got a big, complicated problem on their hands, the better off they'll be. Because otherwise, they'll be endorsing things that they have no idea what people are saying out in the streets.

CAMEROTA: Well, you bringing up a great point, and you've been covering New York City and its issues for years. So what does the mayor need to do now?

LOUIS: My recommendation, you know, not that -- I could probably just call them up and tell them this -- but they really need to sort of broaden their outreach.

There are a lot of people who did not vote for this mayor, who did not want to see the direction that he's trying to take the police department. There are complaints from the left; there are complaints from the right.

What you don't see and what I think New York probably would like to see is a lot more people standing with and behind the mayor. A much broader coalition of people than he's been talking to.

You know, the reports suggest that he's talking to a handful of advisers, and you can't do that in a city of eight million people. There's lots and lots of people out there willing to help, to sort of pitch in and help stitch the fabric of the city back together again. The mayor's got to ask them to do that. So far, I haven't heard that request.

CAMEROTA: Errol Louis, always great to get your perspective. Thanks so much for joining us.

LOUIS: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: Nice to see you.

Let's get over to Christine Romans. She's in for Michaela with all of our top stories.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: A lot going on on this holiday, guys.

Former president George H.W. Bush is in a Texas hospital this morning after complaining of shortness of breath. Doctors say the 90-year-old is being monitored as a precaution. So far, there's no word on his condition, but a family spokesman says he's expected to be fine.

Two men in Australia arrested on terrorism charges. One of the suspects allegedly had documents in his home detailing plans to attack government targets. Australian federal police do not believe an attack was imminent, and there was no specific threat against the prime minister or any other official. But security is very high in these high-visibility locations, and they're being beefed up for the holidays.

Surprising reversal from Sony. The company now planning to release "The Interview" tomorrow, despite the threats of violence from hackers. A few hundred movie theaters have opted to show the film but no big chains opting in so far. The movie drummed up controversy, of course, when it led to a hack of Sony, allegedly by North Korea. The company is also hoping to make a deal to stream it online through on- demand.

This one's a real head-scratcher. A Long Island woman is suing United Airlines for $5 million. Jean Mamakos says she was treated like a criminal and pulled off her flight by three police officers, because she wanted to change seats. The registered nurse wound up in a jail cell in Seattle for three days instead of skiing in Alaska.

United Airlines won't comment on the case, but when you read her suit, really interesting. She tried to move to an exit row seat so she could get some sleep. The flight attendants, according to her suit said, "No, no, no, no, no. That's an extra $109 to sit in that seat." And then that's when the conflict ensued. And because it was a weekend, she landed in the county jail with no courts open, three days. She said she was treated like a common criminal and that she is suing for $5 million. No word from United.

CUOMO: What does Judge Christine give in this situation?

ROMANS: I think common sense on everyone's part should have intervened way before you end up pulling somebody off a plane -- a plane on a ski trip, you know? There's just a misunderstanding somewhere.

CAMEROTA: Furthermore, when you're on the flight, and there's an empty seat, you should be able to change and not have to pay the upgrade. If it's empty, it's going...

ROMANS: The airline says it was an exit row, and they have certain rules. You have to have a preflight briefing for an exit row. You have to have certain weight and balance requirements for the flight. They didn't want that change.

CUOMO: The exit row take the air out of your balloon on that?

CAMEROTA: No, because the preflight briefing? I've heard those. They go, "Do you know you're sitting in an exit row?"

ROMANS: Blah, blah, blah, blah.

CAMEROTA: "Can you open this door? Moving on." That's the preflight briefing that we all get.

CUOMO: Do you say that you are able to do that?

CAMEROTA: Yes.

CUOMO: Is that true?

CAMEROTA: I don't know. I've never been tested, thank goodness.

CUOMO: It is a little bit of a...

ROMANS: Have you ever snuck onto another seat on a plane? I have.

CAMEROTA: All the time.

ROMANS: Just climb up where no one's looking.

CUOMO: Post 9/11, I have changed my demeanor. We fly all the time. I've changed my demeanor on planes. People are on edge on planes.

ROMANS: True.

CUOMO: You've got to enhance the calm.

ROMANS: It's true. I just think...

CAMEROTA: You're docile now?

CUOMO: I'm highly respectful. Highly respectful.

CAMEROTA: That's a good policy.

CUOMO: It will be a merry Christmas for the president, at least. I'll tell that much. A little chilly on this set. But the past poll numbers were rough. The new poll numbers are great for him.

His approval rating has bumped four percentage points since last month. That's a lot in a poll, given the international situation that's on this president's desk.

So what's behind the turnaround? We're going to get some insight from former White House press secretary, Mr. Jay Carney.

CAMEROTA: Plus, after much turmoil over a comedy, "The Interview" is set to hits theaters after all. So where can you see it? Will you be safe? What's behind Sony's change of heart? And will North Korea retaliate? We'll discuss all of that.

CUOMO: I'm highly respectful of people.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: Welcome back. The American economy is growing at its fastest rate in more than a decade. It's a 5 percent jump in just the third quarter. It had been, like, three and change. They revised it up and in a big way. So that's not the only number that's rising as a result. Take a look

at the president's approval ratings. According to the latest CNN/ORC poll, the president's approval has jumped four percentage points since last month. That's big in this international environment. It happens to be his highest approval rating since the spring of 2013.

Let's get some insight from former White House press secretary, CNN political commentator, Jay Carney.

Here's an appearance you were happy to make today, right? Christmas came early for you.

JAY CARNEY, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Glad to be here, Chris.

CUOMO: So give us the overall take. Why do you think the president got a bump?

CARNEY: Well, look, I think most Americans feel about the state of the country, in the same way that they feel about the state of the economy, especially as the economy affects their lives.

And you know, Chris, the economy has been growing steadily for a long time now. It's been adding jobs for a long time now in the private sector. But the average American's feelings about the economy haven't improved at the same pace, largely because they haven't felt the benefits. Maybe they don't feel like they're going to lose their jobs the next week like they did five years ago, but they don't have the sense that their own economic prospects have been improving.

Finally, we begin to -- we begin to see data that shows Americans writ large are beginning to enjoy the benefits of this growing economy, that wages are moving up and that their sort of prospects for the near future have improved. And I think that's what you're seeing reflected in the poll.

A 5 percent economic growth figure is enormously important, and it portends well for the future. But most important, when it comes to how Americans feel about Washington and the direction of the country is whether or not they feel economically secure.

CUOMO: All right. So two points of push-back. The first one is 35- to 49-year-olds still downgraded the president and his handling of his job as president. Now 42 percent; in November, 45 percent. You think that could be a reflection of the overall sense of leadership, given what's been happening internationally and the president constantly getting dinged for not taking enough action at the right time?

CARNEY: I think so. I think that just the tumult in the world wears down people's feelings about their leaders in Washington and especially the president. The sense that, you know, events are beyond the control of this nation or any one individual, I think erodes support.

But again, I think the general sense that America is on the right track, we're growing at a pace that no other industrialized first- world country comes close to. I think that begins to seep in, and people feel better.

I mean, wealthy Americans have been doing really well for a long time now, but middle-class Americans and those aspiring to the middle class, haven't had that same sort of feeling. And the most important thing is that they begin to feel like they're benefitting from this.

CUOMO: One other thing: gas prices are low, right?

CARNEY: Huge, huge deal.

CUOMO: Big reason is there are a lot of reasons, but one of the reasons is that the U.S. is producing more than ever. We're doing the fracking; we're doing the shale. We've got everything going.

The president had been so loud and proud -- and you were often a messenger for this -- about how oil is the enemy. We've got to get off of it.

CARNEY: No.

CUOMO: We've got to become -- alternate fuel. And now they're celebrating that they're putting out so much oil. To me, it sounds like double-speak.

CARNEY: Well, look, Chris, what I used to say from the White House briefing room is that the president's approach was all of the above. He understood that we're not going to wean ourselves off oil tomorrow or fossil fuels tomorrow; and that our approach to our energy independence ought to be we'll do everything. And that includes continuing to expand our drilling and continuing to expand our search for natural gas.

You know, the fact is energy independence is the most important thing for us, as a national security matter. And then developing other forms of energy is a way to helping us achieve energy independence in the long-term.

So, you know, he took some hits from the left for that approach. The fact that he was, you know, willing to see the U.S. expand its drilling, as long as it did it in an environmentally-safe way.

So look, I think this is a benefit to the country. I remember back in 2009 there was a lot of talk about how we were exhausting our supplies of oil. And right now the world looks a lot different. And if you look at what's happening in Russia, you look at the state of Putin's Russia and his grip on power internationally, then you see the benefits of these lower prices.