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FBI & DOJ Investigating Violent Classroom Arrest; On the Front Lines of Battle Against ISIS; 2016 Candidates & The Media. Aired 6:30- 7a ET

Aired October 28, 2015 - 06:30   ET

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

[06:30:02] CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Nobody is saying that what the kid did was right. I mean, this is all about whether the officer -- everyone gets the kid should have given over the phone, shouldn't be on the phone.

MO IVORY, ATTORNEY: Absolutely.

CUOMO: You know, and the analysis gets absurd. What about the parents? What about this -- yes, the parents have responsibility, but let's stay with the instance circumstance.

What's your question you had for Mo?

MATTHEW HORACE, FORMER ATF EXECUTIVE: My question, I've been listening to this on the radio for the last two days. Each time this happens in America, can we make all the students in the classroom leave so that the police officer or the teacher can now deal with this one student?

CUOMO: Now, the parents in the country, many of them will say, no, I don't want my kid compromised because of the bad kid in the class.

HORACE: This is an untenable, optical situation for law enforcement --

CUOMO: How is it untenable. Why couldn't you have just dragged the desk out --

HORACE: I'll tell you why. This is why. Once I put my hands on someone, particularly someone else's child, I cannot win the battle of the optics.

Once a person decides they're not going to comply with lawful commands, I just can't win. I just cannot win with that.

CUOMO: What about the other sides of the analysis on that, Mo, when a cop tells you to do something, you may win. You may hire Mo Ivory and show it was a wrong command, an abuse of process, an abuse of power, but in that moment when you are told to comply with an officer and you decide to resist, you are asking for force?

IVORY: No, you are not asking for force. You are saying you are being 16 years old and you are saying, I do not want to give up my cell phone, which again should be something that any resource officer in a high school should not how to deal with. I don't think that that says, OK, now please slam me to the floor like a rag doll and drag me across the floor.

I don't know why anybody doesn't see this situation as totally an abuse -- an assault, anything that you want to call it.

CUOMO: I wouldn't say it's fairly divided so far in terms of the response we've gotten, Mo, but there are a lot of people saying, enough with these kids who don't listen, the cop is a cop, this is what they do. What are you hearing, Matthew?

HORACE: I'm hearing both sides of the fence. On the radio last night, there are equal number of people who are saying, when she first got asked to leave the classroom, she should have got up and left the classroom. She got up a second time and she didn't.

Then it escalates to a police matter because the teachers decide that we need police presence, but we don't like what happens when the police officer come. We can't have it both ways.

CUOMO: Well, and that's --

IVORY: Chris, I had a conversation with my listeners last night about whether or not we should even have police officers in schools. And many, many people overwhelming believe police officers should be in schools, but not acting in that manner.

CUOMO: Well, and that's why we have some work to do here. On the one hand, you see what happened in Sacramento, California, where the lunchroom turns into a mob scene, who's going to help? The mass shootings, who's going to help?

But then when you get into these student policies with unruly students, is it a different set of rules?

Matthew Horace, thank you very much for perspective. Mo, as always.

Mick, over to you. The discussion continues.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, it will. It will continue right here on NEW DAY, in fact.

Right now on politics, he's sliding in the polls. Donald Trump lashing out now at the people he loves to hate, the media. Is it justified or is it sour grapes? Our media experts will weigh in, ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:37:21] ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Ben Carson surging into the lead nationally ahead of tonight's Republican debate. Carson holding a four-point margin over Donald Trump in the CBS News/"New York Times" poll. Trump now pleading with voters to get behind him after two Iowa polls show Carson's lead widening.

PEREIRA: House Republicans scrambling to secure enough votes to pass a bipartisan budget agreement. GOP leaders expressing confidence that the measure could pass as early as today. That deal spares seniors a major increase in Medicare premiums. It also increases domestic and defense spending.

This morning, House Republicans vote privately on Paul Ryan's nomination to be the next speaker. A full vote will happen tomorrow morning.

CUOMO: The Senate approving a controversial cybersecurity measure that would give legal protections to companies that share information with the federal government. Like your information. Critics say the legislation lacks adequate privacy protections for everyday Americans. The Senate measure now has to be reconciled with a bill already passed by the House.

CAMEROTA: All right, well, the Pentagon weighing or considering putting boots on the ground to fight is in Syria. So, this morning, we bring you to the front lines. CNN was there as Kurdish fighters geared up for an all-out offensive. We have a live report for you, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:42:30] PEREIRA: Good to have you back with us here on NEW DAY.

The White House escalating the fight against ISIS. Defense Secretary Ash Carter announcing the U.S. will soon begin, quote, "direct action on the ground in Iraq and Syria."

Meanwhile, Kurdish fighters in northern Syria are making process against ISIS and are preparing for a U.S.-backed defensive against the terror's strongholds.

CNN's senior international correspondent Clarissa Ward spent several days on the front lines. She joins us live from Erbil, Iraq -- Clarissa.

CLARISSA WARD, CNN SENIROR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alisyn.

We spent time in areas that have recently been liberated from ISIS, but you won't find anyone on the ground celebrating. And that's because the damage that has been left behind is so enormous, and people are still so uncertain about what the future holds.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WARD (voice-over): Weeks ago, these dusty planes were held by ISIS. This is what's left of its presence now. The charred remains of a training camp hidden in a pine forest. It's where ISIS trained an elite unit of suicide bombers that attacked Kurdish positions with devastating effect.

Kurdish fighters known as the YPG took this entire area from is in August, but holding it, along a front line more than 400 miles long, is a huge challenge.

In the shadow of Mt. Abdulazeez, Commander Zinar told us he had lost 30 of his fighters in a recent battle when ISIS came down from the mountain.

CHIEF ZINAR, YPG COMMANDER (through translator): The enemy attacked us with a large number of fighters, using heavy weapons. They took control of three villages and after that, the clashes lasted for hours until we were in control again.

WARD: Zinar is a battalion commander, but this is the size of his battalion, a handful of poorly equipped men. The nearest friendly forces are miles away.

The cost of pushing ISIS out has been enormous. Streets here are draped of the flags of fighters killed in battle, along desolate roads, through abandoned villages, we saw scene upon scene of devastation. The wreckage of months of fierce fighting and relentless coalition airstrikes.

(on camera): Dozens of villages like this one that were liberated from ISIS months ago are now still completely deserted. That's partly because the ISIS militants before they retreated planted land mines and booby traps all across this area, but it's also because many people here aren't convinced that ISIS won't be coming back.

[06:45:08] In the tiny village of Mekhlouja, we met a Wadha, who's lived her all her life. She told us she was too afraid to leave home when ISIS was in control, that they beat and killed people and brought misery upon the community.

"There were no air strikes before they arrived and then the strikes started. There was one next to me. We were scared of everything. Not just ISIS."

Are you still afraid, I ask? She says not, but glances warily at the Kurdish YPG fighters with us.

The Kurds question the loyalty of many of these villages, claiming they harbor ISIS sympathizers. The killing may have stopped, but there is no peace here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WARD: One of the main problems you have now in Syria is that the ethnic and sectarian divisions are so deep, after years and years of fighting, we drove through one village where a little boy was actually chanting "God bless Dais, God bless ISIS." And another Kurdish fighter said to us, Alisyn, "Yes, we are Syrians, but we are Kurds, first."

CAMEROTA: Clarissa, thanks so much for that insight as to what's going on over there. Great to have your reporting.

Well, after dancing with the media for the past three months, Donald Trump now says we're scum. So, which candidate is using the media to best advantage this week? It's a surprising one, that's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[06:50:47] DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And you know, the press has a lower approval rating than Congress. Can you believe it? Did you see that?

The media is rated -- and you're right. They're scum. They're horrible people. They are horrible people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Hey, I resemble that mark. Candidates and the media, it's often a love/hate relationship. So who is doing best that week?

Joining us now is CNN contributor and author of "The War for Late Night," Bill Carter, and the director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University, Frank Sesno. He's also the former Washington bureau chief for CNN.

Gentlemen, thanks so much. You guys are scum, as Donald Trump would say.

Let's talk about, Bill, what Donald Trump is going, because he's used the media so effectively --

BILL CARTER, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Who's done it better?

CAMEROTA: No one has done it better these past three months. Why is he seeing a dip?

CARTER: Well, I think partly because someone else is resonating and he's having trouble with that. But, you know, he's basically a creature of the media. He's a person who's used it extremely well and it's built him up. So, now the turn on the media is sort of like, you know, Captain Reno saying there's gambling in Rick's cafe.

CAMEROTA: I'm shocked!

CARTER: How can you be shocked by it?

But actually, I think you also have to say, he's skillful at it. He knows what he's doing, and no Republican ever really loses votes by attacking the media.

CAMEROTA: And, in fact, Frank, next Saturday, Donald Trump will be on "Saturday Night Live". So, is he going to turn around this relationship that he has with the media?

FRANK SESNO, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: I don't think so. Donald Trump is nothing if not a poll watcher, and he knows exactly that he, you know, ignites the outrage factor in a lot of people. People are outraged by the media. He's quite right. Our status with the public in the polls has consistently and throughout the years been miserable, so shoot the messenger.

But, you know, he'll go on "Saturday Night Live". We'll see if he has a second act. He'll ignite a different crowd. But I think Donald Trump's real problem here is he's starting to sound like a rerun, you know?

I mean, it's the same old thing over and over again. You know, the trick in running for president is you've got to be out there all the time, but sometimes you've got to be sounding like you're saying something new.

CAMEROTA: OK, somebody who's doing something new is Ben Carson. Let's talk about how Ben Carson has been using the media.

He's using new media. He has used Facebook incredibly effectively. He has 4.3 million likes on Facebook. I believe that's more than Donald Trump. And he also is sort of using Facebook to give this very personal view into himself and his family.

He put -- in fact, his wife actually posted something on Facebook. This was a post from Candy, his wife, talking about her husband, and sharing this sweet personal photo.

Is that what's allowed him to surge?

CARTER: Well, partly, that's it. And I think even when you do see him on television, he's very low-key, he's very considerate. He's sort of the anti-Trump like that. He's not outrageous in his performance.

What he says can be seen as outrageous, and that will be interesting to see, because he's now moved in front. There'll be more scrutiny on him. And when there's more scrutiny on him, he'll get more on the griddle. But you have to remember, there are also different sorts of media. There's a conservative media that he can appear on and be celebrated, and what he's saying there is not seen as outrageous.

CAMEROTA: Frank, Jeb Bush is also doing something unusual, with new media. Just yesterday, he put out this, let's call it a nostalgia reel on Twitter and it showed sort of pictures and some commentary of him and what he liked so much about being governor. And that was interesting. That, also, got a lot of reaction. So, Jeb seems to be taking a page from new media.

SESNO: Though I'm not sure I understand the strategy behind that, though. He's reminding people he was governor. He's reminding people he had a job in politics.

But this discussion is about the future, not the past. People know he is the past. They know his last name is Bush. If anything, the past has been a liability for him.

That's why tonight's debate is so important. He has got to figure out how to merge some personality, some fire in the belly, some media, new and traditional, with some excitement about the future and where he's going to take people. That has been his problem.

I think pictures about how he was governor and how he did Florida years ago is not something that's going to ignite the Republican Party and move him out of single digits.

CAMEROTA: You know, viewers ask me, often, why do you guys put Trump on?

[06:55:03] Why do you spend so much time on Donald Trump? Why don't you interview Hillary?

And I have one simple answer for him which is, he says yes.

CARTER: He's available.

CAMEROTA: He's available.

CARTER: And that's what's odd about him attacking the media. He has been universally available. He has used every outlet he can possibly find.

And Hillary has been very judicious. She was under the gun. She was really reeling for a long time. But interestingly now, you see her emerging because she had a very good week.

She appeared on with Stephen Colbert last night and it was almost like a victory lap. It was like, whoa, everything's going well, all of a sudden, and she played it very well. She was a guest on "Saturday Night Live," too.

CAMEROTA: But is it the same going on "Saturday Night Live" and Stephen Colbert as actually coming on CNN and facing tough questions?

SESNO: It's not the same, but you know, the way the world works now, it is an extension of, because these candidates have to do all these media. You know, what Ben Carson is doing with Facebook is he's targeting narrow demographics with very specific messages.

And that's what Hillary was doing last night. When she goes on Colbert, she was going to one audience. When she goes on CNN or CNBC or anyplace, she goes to another audience.

She was relaxed, funny. Last night, she was trying to show her personal side. She had a pretty good free pass from Stephen Colbert. I mean, that was the next best thing rolling that get-to-know-me video from the convention.

So, you know, these candidates know all these different media and use them and play to each one's audience.

CAMEROTA: Now, I know you both were watching Hillary Clinton last night, but there was this little thing called the World Series.

CARTER: I was going back and forth.

CAMEROTA: What happened about this four-minute blackout? The Fox satellite truck went down?

CARTER: It was stunning to me. I mean, I talked to someone else at a different network who said to me, this would never happen to us. We rehearse this. We would know what to do.

They didn't know -- it took them forever to figure out to fix it and they went to the other feed. It was really stunning to see them going back and forth like that. By the way, they never missed any of the commercials. They get on.

CAMEROTA: Frank, talk about old school media, I mean, your satellite truck going down. That's about as old school as it gets.

SESNO: You know, that happened to CNN 100,000 years ago, it's not supposed to happen anymore. It's a bad thing and it's a bad thing when you have millions and millions and millions of people watching. It's just -- and there are redundancies. There are systems for this.

CAMEROTA: You'd think!

SESNO: We don't want to miss a moment of you, so we know what we're supposed to do if there's a problem.

CAMEROTA: Well done. Frank, Bill, great to talk to you guy.

What is your take out there? Please tweet us using #NewDayCNN or post your comment on Facebook.com/NewDay. Look forward to reading those.

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Even though she was wrong for disturbing the class, I'm looking at what our deputy did.

PEREIRA: Will Officer Ben Fields keep his job?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've heard that he's a really dangerous man.

TRUMP: Iowa, what hell are you people doing to me?!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dr. Ben Carson is going toe to toe with the entire Republican field.

TRUMP: Please do me a favor. Let me win Iowa.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He and Carson start getting locked in a murder/suicide pact. That pact, that is the best thing for the candidates beneath them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've lost our picture.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A five hour, 9 minute game one, the first game of this 111th World Series.

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.

In a matter of just hours, a police officer who body slammed that student in her South Carolina classroom will learn whether he still has a job. Officer Ben Fields has been suspended without pay after video of that arrest sparked national outrage.

CUOMO: Fields' boss says the girl also bears responsibility. This as the FBI and Justice Department launch civil rights investigations.

We have CNN's Martin Savidge live in Columbia, South Carolina, with the very latest -- which is?

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Chris.

We are all standing by waiting to hear what will be the fate of this particular officer. The sheriff here says he was going to act pretty quickly on this matter. It's expected that could come as early as midday, today. In other words, it could be high noon for Officer Ben Fields.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE (voice-over): The 16-year-old high school student violently thrown to the ground by school resource officer Ben Fields claims she does have injuries to her arm and face, at least according to her attorney. The FBI now is investigating.

SHERIFF LEON LOTT, RICHLAND COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA: She may have had a lot of rug burn or something like that, but she was not injured.

SAVIDGE: In the incident report, the South Carolina sheriff's deputy said she used muscling techniques, after she refused his request to get up. Then according to the report, she hit him in the chest with a closed fist.

LOTT: I don't want anybody to think just the fact that she did strike an officer, that's justifications for some of the actions he took.

NIYA KENNY, STUDENT: We heard about his reputation and we've heard that he's a really, I guess I could say, dangerous man.

SAVIDGE: The second student arrested, 18-year-old Niya Kenny, says it all started when the 16-year-old refused to hand over her phone.