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Secret Look Inside War Against ISIS; Zika-Infected Baby Girl Born in New Jersey; Trump Versus the Media. Aired 6:30-7a ET
Aired June 01, 2016 - 06:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[06:30:04] JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The mother, of course has come under intense scrutiny in recent days, people posting online why she wasn't paying more attention to her 3-year-old boy. That, of course, will also be the focus of that investigation.
Now, also happening overnight, world renowned primate expert Jane Goodall, she released an email on her website. It's an email she sent to the Cincinnati Zoo director on Sunday. In that email, she said that she was sorry for the zoo's loss and she acknowledged though she had not seen the entire incident, only what we've been seeing on that video, she wanted to say this, quote, "It looked as though gorilla was putting an arm around the child like the female who rescue the child from the Chicago exhibit."
There, Goodall is referring to a 1996 incident in Chicago where a 3- year-old boy fell into an enclosure with gorillas, a little bit of a similar incident, except in that case, the female gorilla saw that 3- year-old boy, she scooped him up. She shielded him and she waited until a zookeeper to come get him.
So, a similar incident, but, of course, with a much different ending back then in 1996 -- Alisyn.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: It's just amazing how this conversation continues about what happened inside that enclosure.
Jessica, thanks so much for that update.
Well, overseas, Fallujah is under siege. U.S.-backed Iraqi forces are fighting to try to free the city from ISIS, but more than 20,000 children are still trapped in the cross fire in that city. We have a live report from the Pentagon, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:35:32] ANA CABRERA, CNN ANCHOR: The fight for Fallujah growing more fierce by the hour. American-trained Iraqi troops now trying to storm that city and take it back from ISIS, but they're facing heavy resistance from ISIS fighters battling back with everything from snipers, to suicide bombers to car bombs.
CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr is joining us now.
Barbara, Iraqi forces as we're talking about, are working to get into the center of Fallujah now. They have it surrounded. What do we know about the progress and how the U.S. is playing a role in all of this?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, right now, Ana, ISIS certainly putting up a very fierce fight defending every scrap of territory it can, because this is their last stronghold west of Baghdad in Anbar province. The U.S. trying to help, but thousands of Iraqi citizens in Fallujah may be trapped behind enemy lines, being used as human shields, food, medicine, in very short supply. The U.N. believes thousands of children may be trapped in the city.
The U.S. helping with air strikes and intelligence, but it's a very challenging situation. It's the kind of thing we began to get a firsthand look at when we traveled just a few days ago in Iraq and Syria.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STARR (voice-over): CNN was the only TV network aboard this c-17 transport jet heading from the U.S. to the Middle East. General Joseph Votel, the man commanding the war against ISIS is tucked away in an off-limits secure area.
(on camera): This is called the silver bullet.
(voice-over): It gives him a spot towards classified material.
First stop, Kuwait. Temperature, 114 degrees. A U.S. Army warehouse brimming with more than 25,000 weapons -- all ready to be shipped north to Iraq.
We also head north. Landing at Baghdad's airport, and then boarding a helicopter to the Green Zone. The road into Iraq's capital still isn't safe.
We are taken into the rarely seen command center. Screens scrubbed of all classified information.
(on camera): Who gives that final approval for bomb release?
BRIG. GEN. WILLIAM MULLEN, OPERATION INHERENT RESOLVE: The approval to strike the target is me, the bomb release is inside there.
STARR (voice-over): The next stop is a training camp in Taji.
(on camera): This base, about one hour north of Baghdad is one of the front lines in the effort to train, advise and assist Iraqi forces.
(voice-over): Votel is pragmatic about Iraqi forces.
GEN. JOSEPH VOTEL, COMMANDER, U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND: They are getting better. That said, I think there's still a lot left to do.
STARR: The next stop, an undisclosed location for our flight into northern Syria. CNN photojournalist Khalil Abdullah and I work under the moon.
The price for this admission to this trip is a signed agreement. The rules: no faces of certain military personnel, no disclosing sensitive locations, no showing the terrain around the sensitive locations. No description of security teams or sensitive aircraft.
It's not ideal. We push to learn more, but security remains tight.
The next stop is northern Syria. That's all we're permitted to say.
At this secret base, American forces train Syrian Kurds and Arabs. We can't show the face of the American military trainer we meet. He is cautious about a key goal.
(on camera): You think they can get to Raqqah this year?
AMERICAN MILITARY TRAINER: I don't think I'd be fair if I was trying to say how long it might take, but I do think the STF have the potential to get to Raqqah.
STARR (voice-over): For all of the secrecy, within hours of leaving Syria, these photos emerge of others Special Forces advising Syrian fighters near the front lines.
Racing, again, the key question is the U.S. in combat inside Syria?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STARR: It was really an extraordinary trip. We began to get a glimpse what U.S. facing in some key areas, especially in northern Syria. A lot of restrictions to be sure, but who is General Joe Votel to go on a trip like this?
Well, he commands the war against ISIS in Syria and Iraq. He's a longtime Special Operations soldier himself. He spent decades in that area.
And once he took command, apparently he decided he wanted to go to Syria and visit his men and women.
[06:40:04] We did meet military women there on the front lines in the fight in Syria. I can tell you, it's fair to say, the White House, the Pentagon, was taken aback at General Votel's plan, you know, you're going to go to Syria and you're going to take reporters? General Votel apparently decided, yep, that's what he was going to do -- Chris.
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Well, he picked the right one in you, Barbara Starr. A rare brand of bravery and objectivity when you were in those situations. It's not easy to report there. Thank you for doing it and making us look.
You make two clear points. One what everybody says they want, is for Americans to train these people to fights for themselves. And second one is, as Barbara Starr has been advising from the beginning, it's difficult to be in theater and not be exposed to combat.
Thank you very much to Barbara Starr. All right. We're going to take a break now and take you from the
theoretical to the painful reality. It's not just to talk about "if" with Zika anymore. We have a baby girl born in New Jersey with a devastating birth defect that doctors say is linked to the Zika virus. What does this mean about the urgency of the outbreak here in the U.S.? Next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CUOMO: All right. If this all checks out, it will be the first reported case in the Northeast United States of a baby girl infected with the Zika virus. She was born with catastrophic birth defects in New Jersey.
So, let's bring in CNN senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen with the latest.
Elizabeth, what do we know?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Chris, this is the first reported case in the Continental United States of a baby born with Zika-related birth defects. This baby was born with microcephaly, which is a small brain and a small head and other neurological birth defects as well.
These are very, very serious birth defects. Some parents actually choose to terminate the pregnancy. That's clearly not the choice the mother made in this case.
This baby was born in New Jersey. However, the mother was infected in Honduras. She was not infected with Zika in the United States, and actually, that's the case with everyone who's had Zika in the United States. If they were bit by a mosquito and got Zika, they weren't bit by a mosquito in the United States but elsewhere and then traveled to the U.S. -- Alisyn.
CAMEROTA: Elizabeth, thank you, for all of that.
As the Zika virus make headlines, ahead of the Summer Olympics in Rio, a Major League baseball player reveals that he came down with the Zika virus before the season started.
Coy Wire has more in this morning's "Bleacher Report."
What do we know, Coy?
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Alisyn.
Detroit closer Francisco Rodriguez says he was laid up in bed for two weeks with joint pain, body aches, headaches all because of Zika. This according to ESPN.com, the 34-year-old says he contracted the disease in his native Venezuela. That's where he spends the off season.
He reportedly had some blood work, how he found out he had Zika. He's continued to do well on the field this season, though. He's second in the American League with 14 saves, recently the sixth pitcher in history to record 400 saves. He's doing all right.
All right, NBA, almost time to play. The Cleveland Cavaliers are getting ready for their rematch of last year's NBA Finals. Oddsmakers in Vegas have Golden State as 2-1 favorites to repeat as champs.
About this, LeBron James is not happy. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEBRON JAMES, CAVALIERS FORWARD: I don't get involved in all that underdog, overdog, whatever the case may be. It's stupidity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: Stupidity. That's not the chip on LeBron's shoulder. That's like the whole potato.
Cavs looking to bring Cleveland its first pro-sports championship in 52 years. Game one tomorrow night, 9:00 Eastern.
Ana, it's about to be on.
CABRERA: Oh, man, you got to think the Warriors have momentum going in. No doubt about it. They are fired up.
WIRE: Absolutely.
CABRERA: Coy Wire, thank you so much.
Well, Donald Trump fired up, unleashing his most vicious attack on the media and putting reporters on notice that this is his new normal for the presumptive Republican nominee for president. Why does he have a problem answering probing questions? Next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:52:05] CUOMO: All right. Let's start with what we know for a fact. Trump bashes the media for a simple reason -- you like it. But the bigger question what does it mean for him as a president?
Listen to what he said to people who are just asking him questions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You keep calling us the dishonest press, the disgusting --
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, generally speaking, that's 100 percent true. Go ahead.
ACOSTA: I disagree with that, sir. If I can ask you this question, it seems as though you're resistant to scrutiny, the kind of scrutiny that comes with running for the president of the United States.
TRUMP: I like scrutiny, but --
ACOSTA: You're raising money for veterans --
TRUMP: Excuse me. Excuse me. I've watched you on television. You're a real beauty.
What I don't want is when I've raised millions of dollars have people say, like this sleazy guy right over here from ABC, he's a sleaze in my book. You're a sleaze because you know the facts and you know the facts well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CUOMO: Jim Acosta is a beauty. He got that right.
But let's discuss what this means if this man were to become president of the United States. CNN senior media correspondent and host of "RELIABLE SOURCES," Brian Stelter, and CNN contributor, Bill Carter.
You're playing to the in-studio advantage, Bill. So, what's the plus/minus on this? We've all heard it. It's not new for somebody to be negative about the media, but the way he does it and why he does it is certainly more extreme than anything I've seen.
BILL CARTER, AUTHOR, "THE WAR FOR LATE NIGHT"/CNN CONTRIBUTOR: It is. I agree with you. I don't think we've heard someone being attacked for being sleazy, dishonest, et cetera. You know, Republicans have been against the press my entire lifetime, basically.
CUOMO: Clinton, too, by the way.
CARTER: Clinton -- and presidents don't like the press. Obama's kept the press as arm's length but he's very personalizing. He's saying you're sleazy, he's saying you're dishonest. He's attacking integrity of the individuals. I think that's really different and to me, it sounds really kind of Nixonian to me.
I mean, he's almost creating an enemies list. Look at you. I know you. I know what you're saying what you're doing, and I think he's going to enflame the press, actually, by doing that. I don't think it's going to serve him down the road.
In the short term, he's pugnacious. His supporters like that. He's good at it, and it's effective, you know, with his base, for sure.
CABRERA: Guys, let me read you one reporter's take. This is from "The New York Times" reporter Michael Barbaro who sent this tweet following that feisty news conference. He says, "Why attack media? So you can keep saying they are discredited when tough stories come out. It's deliberate attempt at inoculation."
So, Brian, to you, is that what's going on here? Perhaps Trump not trying to silence the press just trying to make the press less effective?
BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: That's a big part of it. Working the refs. In a moment like this we have to be crystal clear, why we do what we do as journalists. Not always pretty or easy, but all candidates, all politicians and all public figures should be held accountable.
But I think we've got to talk about a secret here, which is that Trump loves the press. He loves the media. The media is his lifeline, and I think it's best to think about this as the Trump show.
[06:55:03] Meaning a reality TV show. The best way to understand Trump, he's his own TV producer. He's probably watching the show right now. He's reacting to it in real time. He uses Twitter and Facebook to react.
He calls up to react and sometimes when he likes what you say, he'll send you a handwritten note or have one of his aides reach out, you know? So, I think the view from Trump's camp is, this is vintage we saw at the press conference.
Yes, when he thinks he's been treated unfairly, he lashes out. But when he thinks he's being treated fairly, he's also quite kind. So, it's the two sides of Trump.
CAMEROTA: So, Bill, look into the future for us. If he becomes President Trump, what does that Washington press corps then look like? Because he was asked yesterday during the --
CARTER: And he said, it's going to be like this.
CAMEROTA: Will you change your tone, your relationship and approach if you become president? He was like, I don't think so. No.
CARTER: I don't think he can. When he feels attacked he lashes out. I don't think he can step back and say, I got give a thoughtful answer because now I'm president.
I don't think he would do that. I think he would just do what he always does. And he's an attention junkie. He really is. And I think he likes that. He likes being in the center of attention.
Brian said he needs the media. He does need the media.
CUOMO: He posed at his own P.R. guy before even in the game. Didn't even need to do it.
CARTER: Exactly. Right.
CUOMO: Look, I think this is an interesting dynamic with the media. That's an easy statement.
I don't think that's what's most relevant about it, Brian. When we talk about it, it's always about his temperament. You know, the reason when you're under fire from him, I find it easy to stay calm is because I'm not relevant, it's, wow, I'm just asking this guy questions that are pretty obvious, he knows they're coming yet handles them this way.
What happens if he deals with the head of another country this way and what you hear is, oh, no, no, in private, he's not like that? That's not my experience. That's not what I hear from people who've known him over the years. Where's the confidence?
STELTER: Yes, I that's why in private, a lot of journalists are quite uncomfortable with where we are at this moment. I would even use the word horrified. I'm near in L.A., this Code Conference, Bezos was here last night. You were talking about what Bezos was saying onstage, "The Washington Post" owner, Amazon CEO, he feels inappropriate for Trump to chill or freeze the media.
I think if you were to corner 100 journalists, 99 would agree with that statement, yet, of course, he's a blast to interview, he's revealing to interview and he's giving the media the greatest story in the world. Definitely the greatest story of the year, maybe the greatest story of the decade. I mean, there are so many kind of layers to this onion we have to keep unpeeling when we talk about his relationship with the press.
CUOMO: And keep crying more and more the deeper you get into it.
CAMEROTA: We keep talking about Trump. I mea, Hillary Clinton certainly isn't getting the kind of attention per se as Trump is getting. How does she attack Trump assuming that she does go on to get the presidential nomination for the Democrats? She can't beat him at his own game, Bill.
CARTER: No. I think it's a real challenge for her, because I think she is not gifted this way in interaction with the press. She obviously doesn't like it. Always kept it at arm's length, so she's not as comfortable just mixing it up. I also don't think it plays well for her.
I think she has to come across at thoughtful. She has to like say, I'm reasonable. He's unreasonable -- and show it. You can't just say it. You got to show it.
CAMEROTA: Will she came across as reasonable with McCarthy, Murrow came across as reasonable --
(CROSSTALK)
CARTER: Yes, exactly. And that point, Murrow, although it was risky for him, the public said, you know what, he's right. That's a reasonable point of view.
CAMEROTA: But thoughtful doesn't get as many eyeballs, and it doesn't get as many ratings.
So, yesterday, Brian, she tried to take a page from Trump's playbook in that she called in to CNN, and another network. She dispatched surrogates to try to counter Trump's narrative, and it was eclipsed by Trump's remarkable press conference.
STELTER: Yes, I got to imagine, this is an argument going on inside the Clinton campaign now.
I myself will try to argue with a couple people that I know in there. This is a big, big challenge for the campaign and if Clinton loses, this will probably be one of the points people go back to. How she learned or didn't learn from Trump's use of the media.
I think fundamentally, Trump has learned, or taught us all, it's a cable TV election. Trump knows that. I'm not sure the Clinton campaign knows that, but her call-ins to show maybe demonstrates that she's learning that.
CABRERA: Yet she hasn't had a press conference for six months. Something else to keep in mind.
CARTER: Yes, because I don't think she feels very confident doing that. I mean, clearly, that's another issue for her.
CUOMO: I think she'd have a hard time seeing yesterday as an up side for her, also.
CARTER: No.
CUOMO: But, look, it's certainly out there.
Gentlemen, thank you very much for fomenting the conversation.
There is a lot of news. We have new polls that show the stakes of Clinton versus Trump. It's a dead heat. Let's get to it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TRUMP: The political press is among the most dishonest people I've ever met.
Instead of being like, thank you very much, Mr. Trump you make me look very bad.
Find out how much Hillary Clinton's given to the veterans -- nothing.
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He's attacking everybody. I just think that's going to cut it.
TRUMP: I'm going to continue to attack the press. These people are losers.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald Trump and all his bigotry is not going to stop our path forward.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He had to get shot and killed, and why?
