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Arrest Video Raises New Questions About Traffic Stop; Imprisoned Journalist Held in Iranian Jail For Full Year; Did Tennessee Gunman Become Radicalized? Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired July 22, 2015 - 06:30   ET

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

[06:30:01] CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: What he says is all over the place because he says what works for him in the moment, and what he's done in the past and who he's hurt in the past, and not letting him duck, like he goes places he wants to go that treat him the right way. He won't just deal with media who are going to test him.

When did the rules get changed on him and people start looking at him the way he looks at everybody else?

NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: I think that's happening now. You see kind of reports of him changing his mind on things, being a Democrat in 2004 and praising the Democratic Party. I think that's what you are going to see from Republicans, more sort of oppo research on Donald Trump, then he'll have to play by a different set of rules.

I also think to keep in mind, the summer before January of an election year is often a time when you have, you know, sort of candidates rise up and do well in the polls and by January, things are very different. So, we have to see.

I mean, I think it happened before with people like Howard Dean. It was kind of I dated Dean and then I married John Kerry. I think you will see that scene play out with Donald Trump.

CUOMO: It's interesting.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: This is a market- driven thing. This is going to keep going on until the voters shut it down. So, it's like anything -- it's a market-driven proposition.

CUOMO: Yes, the media right now were putting the billows all the air under him to raise the flames. When we dump water on them, the guy has clearly shown he doesn't want to be tested. He goes out there, he says what he wants to say, he goes on media appearance, where he gets to say what he wants. He doesn't want to be tested.

When that changes, so will his tone, I guarantee you that.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Jeff, Nia, thank you.

CUOMO: So, what do you think about how the RNC is handling them? Yes, thanks very much. See you soon.

But this is really the GOP problem. Trump is in their party for now. Will he go independent if they kick him out? We have the RNC former chairman Mel Martinez joins us in our next hour to talk about what the party's plan is for the Donald.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: A notorious terrorist may have influenced the gunman who killed five service members in Tennessee. What investigators are learning about their killer. We'll look at that ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:35:56] PEREIRA: New dashcam video is raising questions about Sandra Bland's arrest in Texas, three days before she was found dead in her jail cell. Was this video altered before its release?

It shows the confrontation between Bland and a Texas trooper that escalated following a routine traffic stop. Police say Bland committed suicide. They are treating the death as a murder investigation and intend to show it to a grand jury.

CUOMO: "Washington Post" correspondent still in an Iranian prison one year later. Jason Rezaian's family, who spoke with him, briefly, says he is enduring horrifying conditions. Top U.S. officials, including the president have repeatedly fought for his release.

CNN's Athena Jones live at the White House with the very latest.

This has been a big point during the deal negotiations and still remains one now. Is there any progress?

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Chris.

It's unclear how much progress there is. It's something that came up over and over again during the negotiations. Today marks one year since Rezaian and his wife were arrested in Iran. His wife was later released.

President Obama spoke about Rezaian's continued detention on the eve of today's anniversary during a speech in Pittsburgh. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Even with this deal, we'll continue to have serious differences with the Iranian government. We are not going to relent until we bring home our Americans who are unjustly detained in Iran. Journalist Jason Rezaian should be released.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: Now, this has been the longest incarceration for a U.S. journalist in Iran by far, since the 1979 Iranian revolution, according to "The Washington Post." And Rezaian was held five months without having charges brought against him. They were finally brought in December when he was charged with espionage and other crimes. He's been sometimes held in solitary confinement, facing grueling interrogations and he has had medical issues, according to his brother, back problems from not having a bed to sleep in. He's lost about 50 pounds, had several infections that went a long time without treatment. He's also had minimal contact with his attorney who wasn't assigned to him until February.

And I should mention that President Obama did not just talk about Rezaian. He talked about also other Americans who are being detained, as he said, unjustly in Iran, including Amir Hekmati, who was a former U.S. marine sergeant, and Pastor Saeed Abedini. He also said Iran needs to help find Robert Levinson who's been missing for years -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: So important to keep all of them in the top of our minds. Thank you so much, Athena.

So, this morning, remembering the life of E.L. Doctorow. The 84-year- old best known for his works like "Ragtime", "Billy Bathgate" and "The March" lost his battle with lung cancer. During his 50-year career, he penned 10 novels, two short story collections.

Many took to Twitter to honor Doctorow, including President Obama who tweeted, "E.L. Doctorow was one of America's great novelists. His books taught me much and he will be missed."

CUOMO: Well said, well said.

So, there are new details emerging about a gunman who killed five service members in Tennessee. Was he inspired by a notorious al Qaeda figure? We'll give you a closer look, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:43:41] PEREIRA: New insight into the gunman behind the deadly shootings at two Chattanooga military facilities. Officials say that just a day before the rampage, the man researched martyrdom online. He also expressed in Anwar al-Awlaki, a top al Qaeda recruiter killed in U.S. drone strike. Was he radicalized before this attack?

Here this morning, Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, he's a counterterrorism analyst and senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

Daveed, great to have you with us.

Obviously, you have had a chance to sort of look through what we are learning about these final hours of this young man before this atrocious attack. When you look at his searches, his writings, where he traveled, what significance do you place on it? What do you see?

DAVEED GARTENSTEIN-ROSS, COUNTERTERRORISM ANALYST: I think that he's clearly giving a religious significance to the attack. And let's be clear about this, there's a few pieces of evidence that have been put forward in this regard. One of them is the fact that he texted the Hadith to a friend of his, he started a blog online when he talks about how, for example, the Sahabah, the companions of Mohammad, carried out -- all conducted jihad during their lifetime. His -- and these searches and this interest on Anwar al-Awlaki.

Now, a lot of discussion occurred in the debate of what motivated him. It comes down to a question not so much of what significance was he trying to give the attack when he carried it out, but rather, what is the psychological process by which you reach the conclusions that he did?

And that's a much more difficult question than where he placed the attack in terms of the category of what he's trying to say with it.

[06:45:06] PEREIRA: In all the research they have done so far, authorities haven't been able to connect communications to accomplices or any direct link to a terror group, although as you said, seemingly inspired by Anwar al-Awlaki.

Radicalization can take many forms and look different, inspiration in different ways, can it not?

GARTENSTEIN-ROSS: Absolutely. That's what my research on radicalization I think, what the best researchers on the subject suggest. Some radicalization tends to be along political lines, sometimes it's based on personal issues. In this case, obviously, he suffered from depression, he had family issues. Sometimes, it's based around ideology, or religion. Sometimes, it's based around sense of adventure.

There are distinct pathways. There are also not exclusive of each other. Someone can have psychological problems and also be ideologically motivated or politically angry.

PEREIRA: And we have seen that time and again, have we not?

GARTENSTEIN-ROSS: Absolutely. Humans are complex creatures and very infrequently do you have someone who's a complete mono-causal being where there's one thing that clearly motivated them to the exclusion of all else.

PEREIRA: Well, add to that, the family here in America was said to have been concerned about the friends that he was hanging out with, and that he might have been abusing drugs. So, they sent him to Jordan, to other family there, that family there in Jordan now being interviewed and investigated. In fact, one of the uncles is said to be detained by Jordanian authorities.

How -- what do you make of that? And is that of importance to you, that trip to Jordan?

GARTENSTEIN-ROSS: It certainly has importance in the sense that it's something that should be looked into. There's this kind of surprise he wasn't in touch with terrorists overseas, that he wasn't in touch organizations, as far as we know so far. But that's what radicalization used to look like. It used to be very much that people would radicalize face-to-face, it would be someone in the corners of the mosque, or something that you'd run into the community, and that online radicalization was the exception rather than the norm.

That was become a norm in part because of the way social media is being used these days. Now, we don't know what happened in Jordan. The fact his uncle was arrested may be of no significance. It could be just a precautionary measure by authorities to try to get a sense of where he's coming from. Certainly, that's what the uncle's attorney has been saying.

But, looking at what happened in Jordan can provide some indication and maybe it won't. Maybe a lot of his pathway and who got him there, who got Abdulazeez to this point will remain mysterious.

PEREIRA: Daveed, I want to get you to comment on what we saw in a "New York Times" article sort of talking about how ISIS has transformed into more of a -- maybe a transformation into a functioning state, doing things like issuing identification cards, giving out fishing guidelines to preserve stocks, even going as far as to require cars to carry tool kits for emergencies.

I mean, this sounds like a functioning, legitimate state. What is your assessment of that? And does it mean that we have to look at -- the Western forces have to look at ISIS in a different way.

GARTENSTEIN-ROSS: It certainly is highly bureaucratized, carrying out state function. It's never -- at least less of changes in a major way going to be recognized as a legitimate state under the state system, because quite simply, it's at war with anybody. It's made clear it is at war with 100 percent of countries in the world who do not recognize its authority.

But, increasingly, we are going to see other non-state actors that take on the trappings of a state because the power of states is declining relative to non-state actors. So, this is a crested wave to come and not all of them are going to be as genocidal, as authoritarian and the like as the Islamic State has chosen to be.

PEREIRA: Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, really great to have you this morning on NEW DAY. Thanks so much for joining us.

Alisyn?

GARTENSTEIN-ROSS: My pleasure.

CAMEROTA: All right. Michaela, this morning, a new view of the arrest of that young woman who died in a Texas jail cell. Some claim this dashcam footage was edited by police. We'll look at it at the edits and the content of what happened during this arrest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:52:46] CAMEROTA: Newly released police dashcam video of the arrest of Sandra Bland raising a lot of questions this morning. As we now can see, the routine traffic stop quickly escalated. Bland was found dead in her jail cell three days after the arrest. Police say she committed suicide. Her family believes she was murdered. Joining us now is Reverend Jamal Bryant, he's the pastor for

Baltimore's Empowerment Temple Church and he met with Sandra Bland's family.

Pastor, thanks so much for being here this morning.

I know you have watched this 52-minute video and you watched it with Sandra Bland's family's attorney. Can you tell us the family's reaction to this video?

REV. JAMAL BRYANT, PASTOR, EMPOWERMENT TEMPLE CHURCH: The whole thing is just shocking. It's disbelief that the arrest even took place. Even before we get to the video, we can't forget that the officer in question was suspended and was supposed to be at a desk, never supposed to be at a car. So, all of this is a nightmare that just seemingly will not end.

CAMEROTA: This entire arrest, we believe, started because Sandra Bland failed to signal when she was pulling over after seeing a police officer coming up very quickly from behind. And then, the video shows how quickly the whole thing escalates. Let me show you a portion of their confrontation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POLICE OFFICER: Get out of the car, now!

SANDRA BLAND: Why am I being apprehended? You're trying to give me --

POLICE OFFICER: I said get out of the car!

BLAND: Why am I being apprehended? You can't open my car door.

POLICE OFFICER: I'm giving you an order. I'm going to drag you out of here.

BLAND: So, you are going to drag me out of my car?

POLICE OFFICER: Get out of the car! I will light you up! Get out! Now!

BLAND: Wow. Wow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: That's the moment you can hear the police officer escalating and Sandra Bland not wanting to get out of the car. What is the family's response as to why she didn't immediately get out of the car?

BRYANT: It's obvious and apparent -- this is the Donald Trump of traffic cops. He is completely out of line and gone over the cliff over failure to use a traffic signal. She knew her lights and was fully equipped with the law and challenged him. And he was frustrated on that. Even the police department acknowledged he broke procedure courtesy and protocol.

[06:55:04] They didn't give any specifics as to what. But he completely went out of order in saying, and I quote, "I will light you up."

All of this originating from failure to use a signal. In Texas, she is smoking in her car. She didn't steal the car. It's not illegal to use a cigarette. So, I think the officer didn't know a good manner in giving redress and surely was not equipped with somebody, particularly a black woman who knew her rights and was direct and insistent on protecting them.

CAMEROTA: Reverend Bryant, Sandra Bland was found dead after three days in her jail cell. Why was she in jail for three days?

BRYANT: That is a great question and the great mystery. There's no way in the world we think that she died from self-asphyxiation. Any moment now, the next few hours, we should have a full independent autopsy report returned back to us to give some insight and understanding. As a pastor, I preach in and out of jails for many years. I have never seen a trash can with a liner in a prison cell.

So, how did that even come?

CAMEROTA: So, that was the plastic bag -- in other words, the plastic bag that was found to have killed her was from her trash can?

BRYANT: Yes.

(CROSSTALK)

CAMEROTA: And -- just help me understand this, did her family know she was sitting in jail? Did they try to get her out? Were they visiting her in those three days?

BRYANT: It is my understanding that they knew that the bond was posted, was preparing to get $5,000 to get release. In the midst of that is when you get the harrowing announcement to this unfortunate mother who raised five daughters by herself to find out her daughter, who was supposed to start a job the next day committed suicide.

And this is why eyebrows are raised saying something is completely out of order. To see this edited dashcam adds insult to injury.

CAMEROTA: The edited dashcam, -- let me show what you're talking about here -- this is the video that was released. If you're looking at the left of your screen, you can see we spot shadowed the white car. There's one where you see it vanish from the screen, then emerges, again, here, into the screen and makes a left. This led people to believe something has gone on with the video. This is a glitch, at best. It's edited at worse.

What do you -- if you believe this is edits, what do you think the police are trying to hide here?

BRYANT: There are several things that are inconsistent. I'm just landing back from being in Texas and talking to a lot of people in that community.

A lot of things you feel like you are in a lost episode of "Back to the Future." In that city, white undertakers don't take black bodies. But on that one day, the white undertaker took her body when it is the practice of that town, if somebody black dies, only a black undertaker takes the body. In this instance, the police department changed their 100-year practice.

So, we know there are a lot of things that are inconsistent. We hear her yelling defiantly. This is how you are going to treat a woman? You are throwing her down? And treating her like this over a traffic violation?

CAMEROTA: Yes.

BRYANT: There are so many things. And that's why the Justice Department, Loretta Lynch is going to have to come in and really intervene and clean out that whole department.

CAMEROTA: Yes. There's much more answers to come.

Reverend Jamal Bryant, thanks for your time this morning.

BRYANT: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: We are following a lot of news this morning. Let's get right to it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CUOMO: Did police alter dashcam video in the arrest of Sandra Bland?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a lot more questions we have than answers.

BLAND: Get out of my car.

POLICE OFFICER: Get out of the car.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fears that Trump's campaign could damage the Republican brand.

JEB BUSH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The problem with Mr. Trump's language is it's divisive, it's ugly, it's mean-spirited.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's striking a nerve with a lot of people.

CARLY FIORINA (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: All of this talk isn't solving a single problem.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He's becoming a jackass.

CAMEROTA: More disturbing details surfacing about the Chattanooga gunman.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a very deranged individual who committed a heinous attack.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tragedy sparks debate over whether recruiters should be armed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think that's going to really work.

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

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMEROTA: Good morning, everyone. Welcome back to your NEW DAY.

As we've been discussing, there is dramatic new video and it's raising more questions than answers this morning, concerning the arrest of Sandra Bland, three days before she was found dead in that Texas jail cell. Was the police dashcam video altered before being released?

CUOMO: Bland was taken into custody after a routine traffic stop that turned quickly violent. Police say Bland committed suicide in her jail, but family is not buying it. Could there be something more sinister at play?

CNN's Ed Lavandera live in Hempstead, Texas.

Ed, what do we know?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Chris. Well, the case of Sandra Bland is already shrouded in a great deal of mistrust.