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Terror Suspect Shot Dead in Boston; Adrian Peterson Returns to the Vikings; Poll: Obama Approval Rating Drops to 45 Percent. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired June 03, 2015 - 06:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:32:38] CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: A man shot and killed by police in Boston was radicalized by ISIS and part of a broader terror investigation. Authorities also say the man had been under surveillance for years and was making social media threats against cops. The suspect came at officers with a knife when confronted and was shot and killed. That's what the police say.

Now, after that, another man was taken into custody in nearby Everett, Massachusetts, in connection with the same investigation. More details will come and we'll give them to you.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: President Obama signing the USA Freedom Act into law after it passed the Senate by more than a 2-1 margin. The measure will reform NSA surveillance programs and end the controversial bulk collection of phone records. That process will happen over the next six months.

CUOMO: The Pentagon is now investigating whether live anthrax was sent there. They already know who would be the culprit. That would be the Defense Department. Questionable shipments received from the U.S. army are being tested to see if the anthrax received is live or dead.

Why would you ever send anthrax? Officials say it's used to calibrate sensors detecting chemical or biological agents.

CAMEROTA: OK. Let's talk sports. For the first time since being indicted on child abuse charges, Adrian Peterson was back on the field practicing with the Minnesota Vikings.

CUOMO: Our man Andy Scholes has it in this morning's bleacher report.

What do you know?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, guys.

Yes, the Vikings weren't sure this day was going to come. All offseason, Peterson's agent had been demanding a trade. Peterson himself said he didn't think the Vikings showed him enough support during his legal troubles. But yesterday for the first time since December 12th, Peterson put on a Vikings uniform and practiced with the team during their OTAs.

The former MVP has completed all of his counseling requirements after pleading no contest to misdemeanor reckless assault, and he says he's happy to be back with the Vikings.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADRIAN PETERSON, MINNESOTA VIKINGS: I've learned a lot from our mistake. And I'm moving forward, and I'm focused on what's in front of me and bettering myself as a person, and professionally as a player.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has formally rejected the players' association motion that he recuse himself from Tom Brady's appeal. That means he will decide whether or not Brady's four-game suspension for deflate-gate stands or is overturned.

[06:35:00] The hearing is scheduled to take place June 23rd.

All right. The French Open continues later this morning with the men's quarterfinals and we have a good one on our hands. One seed Novak Djokovic will play sixth seed Rafael Nadal, in a rematch of last year's final. Djokovic has beaten Nadal three of the last four times they've played but he's never beaten him at Roland Garros.

Nadal, as you know, guys, nearly unbeatable on clay. He's going for his sixth straight French Open title if he gets it, he'd have a record ten for his career.

The match is going to start at 10:00 a.m. Eastern this morning.

And, Alisyn, you'll be locked and loaded for that one.

CAMEROTA: If they're nachos, yes, I will be.

Thank you, Andy.

BERMAN: If they're nachos -- can't say French Open without nachos.

How do you feel about Peterson being back?

CAMEROTA: I thought he struck the right tone where he said I learned a lot from my mistakes. That's all he need to say really. What do you think?

CUOMO: I thought the spanking issue, the poll came out that 70 percent of Americans think it's an okay way to discipline a child. So there are different minds about it.

For me, it was about the league. How did they handle this? What does it mean to them? I'm very suspicious of their moral authority in different situations.

CAMEROTA: Are you happy with how he's being received?

CUOMO: I didn't like how the process went at all. How he is as a parent, that remains to be seen and it's important to his child and mother of the child.

CAMEROTA: Let us know what you think. There was such a cultural conversation about the right punishment for children. You can find us both on Twitter.

CUOMO: That 70 percent poll shocked me.

CUOMO: And speaking of polls, there's a new poll out this morning -- and guess what? Not good news for President Obama. His approval rating is down. National pessimism is up. Do the results spell trouble for Democrats going forward? Uh-hmm?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:41:06] CUOMO: A majority of you do not like the direction the country is taking. Take a look at our new CNN/ORC poll that tells you what you already know evidently. Fifty-two percent believe things in this country are going badly.

This coincides with President Obama's job approval rating also going south. A majority of Americans, 52 percent, disapprove of his performance.

What does it mean? Is it just a number? Does it carry forward into the next election?

CNN political analyst and editor-in-chief of "The Daily Beast", John Avlon knows. We also have CNN political commentator and Republican strategist Kevin Maadden.

So, John, you're sitting next to me, you go first. Looking inside these numbers, the economy -- another number to put up here. What matters most to voters -- for all the talk about surveillance and everything else? The economy is top on the poll list. We put the numbers for you in a second. There you go. That's what they care about.

If they care most about the economy, they don't think the direction is good, they are blaming the president -- string it together in terms of the narrative.

JOHN AVLON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, the narrative gets more complicated because they think the economy has improved and overall, Obama has been a good steward of the economy. What seems to have driven his numbers down in this poll specifically is ISIS. There's an 8-point drop in this poll about how he's dealt with ISIS and terrorism overall since the last time.

CUOMO: Fair criticism? AVLON: Well, it does speak to sort of the spiraling chaos in the

Middle East and a lack of a clear or effective administration action. So, you know, it makes sense that would drive it, even though terrorism is not top tier poll issue.

CAMEROTA: Kevin, is that how you interpret the president's approval numbers having flipped into the negative side?

MADDEN: Yes, I think that's right. There has been an economic recovery. People I think feel technically there is one there, but they aren't really seeing it. They don't think the economy is actually living up to its full potential. They want to see more.

But I do think John is right a lot of the president's inability to really give the people a clear sense of what his plan is with dealing with ISIS and seeing more of news that the problem is getting better rather than worse, I think that has affected their psyche when it comes to judging his performance.

CUOMO: Do you think, Kevin, that the -- we don't have a clear strategy on ISIS is a little opportunistic? You know, that -- it's really that it's just got not going well and the political spin is to blame Obama by saying you don't have a great plan? If you look at the other operations there, whenever being successful, people didn't know what the plan was any better than they do now.

MADDEN: Well, you know, Chris, I don't think you can underestimate the negative impact that the president's own words had probably over a year ago where he said we don't have a tragedy right now. That sent a very chilling message to the American public that they really haven't recovered from. And in the interim, when we see some of the challenges that we face in dealing with ISIS --

CUOMO: He also said that's not what he meant.

MADDEN: I know he said that's not what he meant, but that -- you remember, that sound byte played for two weeks straight before the president even came out and tried to correct it.

AVLON: But --

MADDEN: And in the interim, America and our national security forces have faced some challenges there.

(CROSSTALK)

AVLON: Kevin, I just -- you know, I don't think the issue is even the perception or spin or what was said or not. The issue is Ramadi. The issue is major cities --

MADDEN: That's right.

AVLON: -- that had been captured by American troops falling to ISIS, even at times when we've said they were on the run, that disconnect is the problem.

MADDEN: That's exactly right, John.

CAMEROTA: And listen, Kevin, here's a fascinating finding from the poll because as we know, President Obama was elected in part to get us out of the war that people believe that George W. Bush had begun in Iraq. Look at this -- favorability ratings for recent presidents now, how recent presidents are seen. Barack Obama, 49 percent. George W. Bush, 52 percent. He gets a higher favorability rating, John Avlon.

AVLON: This is so not apples to apples. Look, every president looks better in the rear view mirror of history. That's just the reality.

And there's been enough time. W., I mean, if you compared this point in W.'s term with this point Obama, Obama is lapping the guy. But people look better in the rear view mirror of history, and I think in part Jeb's candidacy is reminding that George W. Bush was a great, affable retail politician.

[06:45:03] That was something they like about him.

MADDEN: Yes, absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?

CUOMO: Joe Namath had that great book, I can't wait to get up because I get better looking every day, you know?

(LAUGHTER)

CUOMO: As time goes on, you wind up having a more favorable impression.

Do you see a growing disconnect, Kevin Madden, in what matters to real people and what is being played with in politics as we get into this race? They say they care about the economy. Everybody thinks it's great that the stock market is up.

But the disconnect between Wall Street and Main Street, is seen in the fact that spending is going down. So, consumer confidence is going down. That's what real people think.

But the political optic is, oh, a robust economy. Do you think we're seeing a growing disconnect?

MADDEN: Yes, I do. I think there seems to be this sense that -- I have done a lot of focus groups lately where you see a sense that some of the issues that Washington is focused on are not necessarily the top priorities of the American public. Jobs, the economy, income, wage stagnation, those are things the American people want to see intently focused on.

So, sometimes when you see us get into side debates or at least debates that folks outside of Washington see as side debates, that does create this disconnect and feeling there's a lack of accountability in Washington.

CAMEROTA: OK, instead of the rearview mirror, let's look through the front windshield.

(CROSSTALK)

CAMEROTA: There are new people coming in this week or this month, I should say. So, here's who will be announcing their plans for a presidential bid. Tomorrow, Rick Perry.

CUOMO: With the glasses, strong.

CAMEROTA: And June 24th, we believe Bobby Jindal.

We're still waiting to hear from, though, John and Kevin, Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, Scott Walker, John Kasich.

CUOMO: Where's your buddy Trump on that list?

AVLON: Oh, really? Yes, Kevin, that was for you I think.

CUOMO: We're waiting on him.

(LAUGHTER)

AVLON: Yes, he says --

CUOMO: Speechless at Trump.

AVLON: Yes, two words really go there. He says he's going to make an announcement, so weird. But it's significant that Walker and Bush are consistently in that top tier candidates haven't officially gotten in. Chris Christie, big figure. And Kasich could be a player. So, interesting, beyond Jindal and Perry, some big players still not officially in the ring yet.

CAMEROTA: All right. Guys, we have to leave it there.

CUOMO: Here are the numbers, the numbers.

CAMEROTA: Yes, there are the numbers right now, to prove your point.

Kevin, thanks. John, thanks.

MADDEN: Great to be with you.

CAMEROTA: Great to see you guys.

All right. The town of Inkster, Michigan, forced to pay more than a million dollars to settle a police beating case, but they don't have the money. So, now, they are passing that cost on to taxpayers. The mayor of the Detroit suburb is going to join us live to explain.

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[16:51:58] CUOMO: All right. Welcome back.

We have video to show you and you should not like it, but it's relevant to what's going on in Inkster, Michigan. What you're seeing right now is officers drag a man out of his car during a traffic stop back in January. One officer beat the guy repeatedly while on the ground in a chokehold, OK?

The driver sued. He won. He was awarded a $1.4 million settlement this week.

There's just one problem. The city says it cannot afford to pay it. So, taxpayers are being asked to foot the bill. And, of course, they don't like it.

The mayor of Inkster, Michigan, Hilliard Hampton, is joining us to discuss.

Mr. Mayor, why are you putting the cost tag for your own failure on to the people?

MAYOR HILLIARD HAMPTON, INKSTER, MICHIGAN: Well, unfortunately, we're under the constraints of a consent agreement that we entered into with the state of Michigan as a result of some of the deficits that we have ran in the city, which is the result of the economic tsunami that hit the state of Michigan.

Inkster is not alone. But that is one of the strategies that we have available to us when we have unforeseen encumbrance on the city. So, this judgment was not foreseen and we have no other recourse.

CUOMO: People are used to the idea that their tax dollars wind up funding a lot of government. But here, you see you're in distress. But our understanding is there is a surplus that you have there on the municipal level, but you're not allowed to use the surplus. Why not change that rule and spare the taxpayers, especially for something like this? This just feels wrong, what you're doing.

HAMPTON: Oh, it feels wrong and I don't particularly like it to be honest with you.

CUOMO: Then, fix it.

HAMPTON: I would take that argument to the state of Michigan because that is where the real issue lies in terms of who can really redirect and come up with another strategy to address these kind of issues.

CUOMO: But they elected you to represent them. If you know this feels wrong, why don't you go fight the good fight?

HAMPTON: I am fighting the good fight, and I am making a real conscientious and precise argument with the state and all those that would listen that we need an urban agenda that address urban problems in our communities. This is just part and parcel of an overall problem that we're having.

Budgetary issues, it's not new to communities like Inkster. Unfortunately, the state do not engage in strategies that bring substance to communities and inject some sort of stimulus to help communities try to navigate through these economic hardships.

CUOMO: This is a big hit. If you can argue to the state, it's not like this is one of those -- the number sounds huge and then you break it down and it's 17 cents. This is $178.67 -- $178.

[06:55:01] And that's on a home with a market value of $55,400. This is a big price tag for people.

Don't you believe it's incumbent to make changes to avoid this going forward? And if you agree with that, which I suspect you will, how are you going to do it?

HAMPTON: Well, I'm making an argument. I think that we should have a different way to address these sort of issues. When you look at the fact that the state of Michigan had withdrawn from revenue sharing to cities over the last 15 years, over half of revenue sharing has been taken away. When you look at our tax base dwindling, you know, there's a lot of issues that go into this.

The housing industry has collapsed and really recovery has not hit the state of Michigan in a real way for communities. And these are the kind of issues we have to face.

CUOMO: But you have other issues you can deal with. One, you had insurance, but basically, you got caught in a deductible problem, right? Is that it doesn't kick in until settlements get over $2 million. So, that's something you could address.

Then you have, for whatever your economic distresses and your housing market distresses, that doesn't mean that cops have to beat the crap out of guys for bad reasons. So, you can address what the cops are doing as well.

Are you working on those levels?

HAMPTON: Oh, absolutely. There's some systemic problems in police departments across this country. Training, background checks, all those sort of things need to be reevaluated. I think recently the president task force on 21st century policing goes right to the heart of it.

When the police department goes from guardian to enforcer in terms of how we apply the law and how we institute the procedures and practices of law enforcement, I think there's been a shift. I think we need to get back to guardian more so than enforcer, as a result of a lot of different things have caused police departments to be more enforcers and that's unfortunate for communities like Inkster.

CUOMO: Especially you're talking about that market value, $55,400, you're talking about creeping into the communities who are worried about being victimized by excessive force now paying the price tag for when it happens. That's going to come back to be an issue politically, you can be assured of that.

Hilliard Hampton, thank you very much for talking to us about this. We look forward to seeing what fixes you make there to avoid this then next time.

HAMPTON: Thank you very much.

CUOMO: All right. This is a story for you to watch. However, there's a lot of news this morning. So, let's get right to it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DISPATCHER: All right, there's shots fired, units, shots fired.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This may have been a homegrown terrorist radicalized by ISIS.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are trying to determine if they move from pure rhetoric and when they became operational.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The ongoing search for survivors on a capsized cruise ship.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was a tornado that hit the vessel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The majority of the passengers on that ship are between 50 and 80 years old.

CUOMO: New evidence, DNA, that connect suspect Daron Wint to the deceased.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Allegedly found blood of one of the victims on the shoes that he was wearing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We do expect the TSA to do the job we're paying them for and we should find out why they're not.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If in a test, the TSA is failing 95 percent of the time, they are failing the American people.

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Chris Cuomo, Alisyn Camerota and Michaela Pereira.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMEROTA: And good morning, everyone. Welcome back to your NEW DAY. Michaela is off today.

Well, authorities say he came charging at police with a military- style knife, but that's not the only threat posed by Usaama Rahim. That suspect was shot dead by cops in Boston who believe he may have been radicalized by ISIS. Rahim was under surveillance for years we're told as part of a terror investigation.

CUOMO: Proof of this bigger investigation comes in the form of another arrest this morning just outside Boston. Now, the question is, how was this suspect and the one before tied to extremists and are there others on the radar?

CNN's Alexandra Field begins our coverage this hour live in Boston.

What do we know?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Chris.

This investigation only expanding. We know that Usama Rahim was being watched, but he had made threats against law enforcement. He was being followed 24 hours a day and recently we're told his behavior had changed. So, officers moved in for what they said would have been a discussion, which then turned deadly.

Now, police are talking to at least two people who they believe are his associates.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FIELD (voice-over): Today in Everett, Massachusetts, a man in custody, police making the arrest last night in connection with the fatal shooting of a terror suspect in Boston by police Tuesday morning. It all began around 7:00 in the morning when the FBI and Boston police descended on this CVS, aiming to question the suspect, 26-year-old Usaama Rahim.

OFFICER: Yes, we have a gentleman, black male, 6 feet, coming out now with a knife.

FIELD: Rahim had been under 24-hour surveillance by the Joint Terrorism Task Force.