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New Day
Shots Ring Out in Ferguson on Anniversary of Brown's Death; Former "Apprentice" Star Omarosa Defends Trump. Aired 8:30-9a ET
Aired August 10, 2015 - 08:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:32:48] ANA CABRERA, CNN ANCHOR: Violence overnight in Ferguson, Missouri, during demonstrations marking one year since Michael Brown was killed by Officer Darren Wilson. Three different shootings broke out after the peaceful protests turned into chaos. One of the shootings involved police officers. We want to talk more about this issue with Charles Blow, CNN political commentator and op-ed columnist for "The New York Times." Also with us this morning, retired Sergeant Cheryl Dorsey, a former LAPD sergeant with more than 20 years of policing experience.
Charles, I want to start with you.
You hear about the violence in Ferguson and it's like, again, really? Here we are a year later. We're supposed to be talking about progress. And yet it seems like this violence is really undermining or undercutting the message and the movement that was started in Ferguson to begin with.
CHARLES BLOW, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, both yes and no, right. So there is violence and you - it did happen. However, both the protesters and the statement from the police separate this particular violence from the - from the protest that preceded it. So you had hours and hours and in fact days because the protests - the protests and demonstrations started before yesterday. Days of protests that had no violence associated with it whatsoever. So I think you do have to separate this 20 minutes from two days of commemoration and protests. And I - I think that's only fair. And I'm old enough to have seen enough protests in my life to know that you will have fringe elements who will show up and exploit actual protests.
CABRERA: Right.
BLOW: People who start - the people who start are protest are not necessarily the people who end it.
CABRERA: Sure. But yet there was a greater violence that did - that did end up happening.
BLOW: Right.
CABRERA: There wasn't just this individual who was shot, but there were police officers who were attacked. There were police cars that were damaged.
BLOW: I understand - I understand all - I understand all that. CABRERA: Yes.
BLOW: But the police themselves say that this was separate from the protests that they had been monitoring all day.
CABRERA: Right. I hear what you're saying, too.
BLOW: I take them at their word on that.
CABRERA: I agree with you on that - in that regard. But you do have a mentality out there that it seems to be us against them, especially when you hear some of the chants that at least a group of the protesters were saying out there. And I want - I want you to listen to this and then, Cheryl, I'm going to ask you a question. Listen.
[08:35:03] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A message to those who are looting -
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: I'm not sure if that's the right sound that we were going to play, but what we heard out there was, "we're ready for what? We're ready for war." That was the chant.
And, Cheryl, as a police officer, if you're hearing that sort of an attitude, I imagine your - you have your guard up. But the task is on you to respond without overreacting or fueling the fire, so to speak. Here's - we do have that sound now. Let's play it and then I want to get your reaction.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROWD: We're ready for war. We're ready for what? We're ready for war. We're ready for what? We're ready for war. We're ready for what? We're ready for war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: All right, Cheryl, what do you do when you hear that?
RET. SGT. CHERYL DORSEY, FMR. LAPD SERGEANT: Well, you know, we're the professionals, and so we understand - I understand that when I hear remarks like that, I don't take it personal. They're not wanting to go to war with Cheryl Dorsey. And so I think what we're starting to see is that it's been over a year now and we're starting to tick off anniversaries of young men who have been kill at the hands of police officers, and I think they're frustrated. I think we're tired of seeing department chiefs circle the wagons, minimize and mitigate bad behavior. And people want accountability. People want there to be a consequence for the choice that errant officers make. And we're not getting that wholesale.
CABRERA: Let's talk about the change that has happen there, Charles. We know that there's a new police chief, interim police chief, who's African-American. A new city manager. A new judge has taken over some of the court reforms. Yet some point out that these people are temporary because there's the interim word before their titles.
BLOW: Right.
CABRERA: Do you see progress?
BLOW: Well, I think you look at the second Justice Department report and you saw systemic, widespread racial bias across the justice system in Ferguson starting with police, but also going into the judicial part of the system. Any progress from that - you know, these are the first steps in that in trying to untangle that - that web of complexity, but any progress from that is progress. Does that get you to where you want to be ultimately? Maybe not.
People living in Ferguson have to live under that system of oppression, who have - you know, that is their lived experience. They're going to be frustrated by that and they - you know, and that's what you're seeing in part - in the street. And to have had that, you know, be crystallized by the Justice Department and put on paper and so that it's - it's not just something that I was feeling, that I felt like you were after me. They - you actually were after me. That is going to boil over into frustration, right? So I understand that.
I do believe that that is - those are steps towards the right direction. I - but I also believe that that helps us as America to understand that American police departments, whole police departments, are sometimes used by local municipalities to help fill in budget gaps. And that means a systemic problem. So even if you are living comfortably far away from where the violent areas are, the fact that they're not asking you to increase your taxes means that they're going to make that money up somewhere else. So everybody's hand is - has blood on it in these situations.
CABRERA: And there is an increased awareness. We're covering these stories certainly more than we ever have because of that increased awareness that the Ferguson situation exposed.
Cheryl, last word to you. Is patience the name of the game here? Are - is it too much to expect immediate changes?
DORSEY: Well, I think what we need to do is we need to see some action behind the words. And so unless and until police officers are held accountable for the actions that they take, it will feel like deja vu view. And unless police officers are found guilty, are convicted and held personally responsible, I think you're going still see this kind of frustration. And then we just heard a week ago where Darren Wilson basically suggested that Mike Brown deserved what he received. And so there has to be some accountability.
CABRERA: When you look at, too, the debates even the other night, Charles, and one question regarding this issue was posed to the GOP candidates and one person answered the issue, does that speak to people still not taking this issue as seriously as they should?
BLOW: Well, I think the - in general, not taking it as series as they could. Even the answer to the question I thought fell flat because it focused almost exclusively just on the police behavior itself. And rather than looking at the entire system that informs that police behavior.
What we have to do is step back and say, this is not just about police interactions with individual people. This is not just about whether or not that police officer has a bias and he is exercising it on that individual person. But that this entire system hasn't been incentivized to create the environment where you have more interactions between officers and people of color and when you have that increased number of interactions, you're going to have an increased number of bad outcomes. And until we as a whole society step back and say, this is not just these two people. This is us. We are doing this. We are incentivizing this. We are set up - we have set up a system that allows this sort of thing to happen and to increase. We are the panel to blame here.
[08:40:31] CABRERA: Yes, I hear you.
All right, Charles Blow, Cheryl Dorsey, our thanks to both of you for joining us. We appreciate the conversation.
Chris, over to you.
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you very much. Good to have that important conversation.
Now back to what is dominating the political headlines. Do you think Donald Trump meant to say something ugly and horrible about a female Fox moderator? He says he didn't. He has a defense and he has a theory about why people are coming after him. A theory that may be shared by a woman whose name you will know. She worked for him on "Celebrity Apprentice." And there she is. Omarosa is going to join us and she's going to tell you what she thinks of Donald Trump.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:45:07] MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Here we go with the five things to know for your NEW DAY.
At No. 1, multiple shootings breaking out in Ferguson, Missouri, on the first anniversary of Michael Brown's death. Officers overnight wounding an alleged gunman who is in critical condition this morning.
Donald Trump is not backing down. He insists that he cherishes women. His blood comment about Fox moderator - debate moderator, Megyn Kelly, was not referring to her hormones.
Six F-16 fighter jets from the West have arrived at a base in Turkey to support the U.S. coalition to fight against ISIS in Syria. U.S. also sending 300 personnel to the base as well as supplies and equipment.
58 members of Congress are in Israel today discussing the Iran nuclear deal with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. U.S. lawmakers vote next month to approve or reject that deal.
The sports world mourning the death of Hall of Famer Frank Gifford. The Giants star and husband of talk show host Kathie Lee Gifford died of natural causes at his Connecticut home Sunday at the age of 84.
For more one the things - the five things to know, be sure to visit CNNnewday.com for the latest.
Chris, over to you.
CUOMO: All right. So Mick, as you know, we've heard a lot of people criticizing Donald Trump, period. But specifically now about what he said about a Fox moderator. He has a defense for himself and he says the criticism is unfair.
Now we have someone from "The Apprentice" who is coming to Donald's defense. There she is. I was waiting for them to show you, Omarosa. There is Omarosa Manigault. She's going to tell you about the Donald Trump she knows. OK?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[08:50:01] DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I cherish women. I want to help women. I'm going to do things for women that no other candidate would be able to do. And it's very important to me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CUOMO: Donald Trump says he will be the best thing for women ever. That's after his comments about Fox's moderator. Many saying that he blamed her tough questioning at the first presidential debate on her hormones.
Trump is not without supporters, however. You know that. But we have one in particular who is a woman who says she knows him and knows that he has no problem with women. And there she is, Omarosa Manigault, former contestant on "The Apprentice," worked with Trump for several years after that. What is your take on this situation? Do you think he meant something hormonal? Do you take him at his word? Do you think this is fair? Do you think the moderator was fair?
OMAROSA MANIGAULT, POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, Chris, first of all, Donald Trump does not need me to defend him. But I have to give my opinion in this situation, because he said very clearly that that was not his intention. So you have to know that Donald Trump is straight shooter and when people say because of his beef with Kelly that he has an issue with all women, I think it's absolutely ridiculous. I think that we're cherry picking right now, and there's something that he's connecting with. That's why he's leading in the poll.
PEREIRA: Well - and I don't think that -- don't diminish your opinion. We do need your opinion, as a woman, because especially you know him in a different way than so many other people do. It's not just the Megyn Kelly thing, Omarosa. You know, we had the lawyer here that he apparently called disgusting when she asked to leave to breast-feed -- or to breast pump for her breast-feeding child. He's also used words like "fat pig" to describe Rosie O'Donnell and "dogs" and "slobs" to describe other women. How -- How do you - It's not necessarily I think you need to defend his words, but how do you categorize what he says?
MANIGAULT: Donald Trump has done something that I think most politicians should take note of. He tells it like it is. I'm not talking about just the Megyn Kelly situation. When he feels something, he expresses that. And the voters are connecting with him because he's authentic, Michaela. I mean, you have worked out here in L.A. If everybody went through everything that you said in your entire career and just nit-picked the things that they didn't like to try to bring down your career, there'd be some things that might offend -
PEREIRA: Fair enough.
MANIGAULT: -- some folks.
PEREIRA: But words matter though, right?
MANIGAULT: Oh, absolutely. But you know, Jeb Bush described himself as a tortoise. I don't know that I would want a tortoise to be the president of the United States. We have a situation here where the voters are connecting because he's authentic.
And what I think is happening is the Republican Party is actually moving the goal post. Every time Donald Trump does something new, they move the post forward, they move it back. And so it's very difficult for him to gain ground. People may find it a little unusual for a Democrat like myself to be defending him. But I think somebody has to speak up and say this is ridiculous --
CUOMO: So he's not a misogynist. You don't believe that his statements about specific women are an open interpretation of how he feels about all women. Do you think where he is involved with the Fox moderator, do you believe that he has a legitimate gripe? Do you think she was coming after him?
MANIGAULT: Chris, let me take one question at a time. First of all, you have lived in New York for probably most of your life. You know Donald Trump as a true New Yorker. One of the things that New Yorkers pride themselves on is being kind of bold and brash and in your face. So a lot of that is his personality about growing up and working in a town that is very tough. That's No. 1.
No. 2, in terms of misogyny - Listen, Donald Trump has always told it like it is. He's called people who have come at him, he does not hold back. If you said something , Chris, that he didn't like, he would call you out.
(CROSSTALK)
CUOMO: That exactly has happened.
MANIGAULT: Would that mean that he has a war on men? Does that mean that he doesn't like men? He calls it out one by one.
CUOMO: If he's tough - And I'm not saying that he isn't or is -- I don't even know, you know, what that word means. It depends on how you apply it. But he's taken this very hard, the way she was on him, for such a tough guy, he seems to have been offended very easily by her --
PEREIRA: He can dish it but can he take it?
CUOMO: That's the question, because she was going at everybody that night.
MANIGAULT: Come on. I think because you all have kind of created this caricature of Donald Trump, that he's a superhero super human, that he doesn't have feelings. He's a human being at the end of the day. And so when he expresses any type of emotion, the first idea is that he's weak. I don't think that he's being weak or thin-skinned. I think that her questions were absolutely personal. If -- she really wanted to know his positions were on women's issues, she would have asked him a policy question, instead she asked him something equivalent to what a tabloid journalist would have asked him. That doesn't give him fair footing with the other candidates on that stage.
PEREIRA: Omarosa, we'll have to leave it there. I'm sure we'll get a chance to talk to you again. Thanks so much for waking up awfully early to join us from the West Coast.
MANIGAULT: Good to see you, Michaela.
PEREIRA: Good to see you as well, darling. You take care.
[08:54:55] CUOMO: It's good to have you on the show. And you know, Omarosa is right about one thing: he doesn't need anybody to defend him. He can defend himself and that's exactly what he says he wants to do. And he's not coming on just to talk about this, but what he thinks the message of that debate was and what it means for him going forward and why Donald Trump believes he's your best bet for a better future. So please check it out.
PEREIRA: We got "The Good Stuff" coming next. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CUOMO: Time for "The Good Stuff." And, you know what, "The Good Stuff" can happen anywhere and with anyone. Here is an example. Turkey. OK? There are now some 2 million Syrian refugees there and the need is very great. We tell you all the time.
So this couple is getting married in Turkey. They live near the border. They decide to give up their wedding reception and their traditional wedding dinner and spend their special night feeding thousands of Syrian refugees. They went straight from the altar to the food line, didn't even waste time to change. The groom's father, who even supplied most of the food, this was his idea, says the UN says 4 million people have now fled Syria in the worst refugee crisis in a generation.
PEREIRA: That is a powerful statement.
CABRERA: And that is a wedding you will remember. CUOMO: Yes.
PEREIRA: Yes, everyone will.
CABRERA: Yeah, everybody.
CUOMO: And more good news, there are four of us on this couch right now.
PEREIRA: Oh, yes.
CUOMO: Ana is expecting! Congratulations to you and your husband.
PEREIRA: I'm so excited!
CABRERA: Thank you.
CUOMO: Blessings ahead. Going to have the box set.
(CROSSTALK)
PEREIRA: Congratulations.
CABRERA: Thank you so much.
