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New Day
FBI To Release Conversations Between Orlando Mass Killer And Police; Orlando Police Defend Tactics During Attack Standoff; Senate To Vote On Gun Control Measures Today; Bill Bars Gun Sales To Terror Suspects On Watch Lists; Trump Calls For Racial Profiling To Stop Terrorists; Trump And NRA At Odds Over Guns In Bars; Pennsylvania Police Arrest Parents Of Teen Daughter. Aired 7-7:30a ET
Aired June 20, 2016 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[07:00:00] ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: ... partial transcripts of the three phone calls between the gunmen and the hostage negotiators.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LORETTA LYNCH, ATTORNEY GENERAL: He talked about his motivations for why he was committing this horrific act.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need to pass these laws. It is a new America.
DONALD TRUMP, (R), PRESUMPTIVE REPUBLICAN NOMINEE: This was not about guns. Is this was about terrorism, pure and simple.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are already 300 million guns in America. That's almost as many guns as citizens.
Let's get the bad guys off the street, attack the terrorists and leave the good guys alone.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's over it's over. The Cavaliers are NBA championship.
LEBRON JAMES, FORWARD, CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: To be able to end this, end this drought. Our fans deserve this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is New Day with Chris Cuomo and Alisyn Camerota.
CAMERATO: Quite a game last night. Did you stay up late?
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: I had to walk her through a little bit to explain. This is the NBA ...
CAMEROTA: Basketball.
SCIUTTO: The game play called, Cleveland won, Cavaliers were the team.
CAMEROTA: Even I knew this one because they were such two titans playing against each other.
SCIUTTO: Yeah.
CAMEROTA: So even I get the significance and celebration of this one.
SCIUTTO: Look at them there. 52 years, I believe, since Cleveland's last championship in any sport.
CAMEROTA: Wow. That is beautiful. We'll talk more about it.
Good morning, everyone. Welcome back to New Day. Chris is off this morning. Jim Sciutto is here with me. Great to have you.
SCIUTTO: Hey, it is great to be here with Alysin with the whole team. We are about to get a look inside the mind of the worst mass shooter in modern U.S. history. The FBI set to release partial transcripts of three phone calls that he made to law enforcement right in the middle of this deadly rampage at a gay nightclub in Orlando. What did he say to police and why he did. All the victims honored by an estimated 50,000 people.
CAMEROTA: Right. That would be at a candlelight vigil.
And meanwhile, senators, Jim, will vote today on four new gun control measures. But believe it or not, none of them are expected to pass. So we have in all covered the way only CNN can. Let's begin with Polo Sandoval. He is live in Orlando. What's the latest there, Polo?
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Alisyn, good morning. You know, officials here in Orlando saying that it is too soon to say whether or not we will actually get to hear Omar Mateen's voice heard on those recordings that were made the night of the shooting. However, the Department of Justice and the FBI says you can expect more light to be shed on the tense moments between the gunman and police the night of the shooting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SANDOVAL (voice over): This morning, authorities set to release the killer's words. The FBI and local law enforcement will put out limited transcripts and a timeline of the Orlando killer's conversations with negotiators during the three-hour standoff.
LYNCH: The reason we are going to limit these standoff is to avoid revictimizing those who went through this horror.
SANDOVAL: Attorney General Loretta Lynch tells CNN the transcripts relieved details of three phone calls with the killer before he was shot dead by police.
LYNCH: He talked about his pledge of allegiance to a terrorist group. He talked about his motivations for why he was claiming at that time he committing this horrific act. He talked about American policy in some ways. We are still exploring why he chose this particular place to attack.
SANDOVAL: This as police defend their tactics that morning as the killer carried out his rampage inside the popular gay club. CAPT. MARK CANTY, ORLANDO SWAT COMMANDER: There was never a time when we were just sitting there doing nothing.
SANDOVAL: 45 minutes after the first shots were fired, more than 100 officers and SWAT members were on the scene that they waited to engage the shooter as the calls for help grew louder inside.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was cursing for them to enter the building.
SANDOVAL: Orlando SWAT commander insisting police mounted strategic efforts to surround the killer and rescue hostages before making the call at 5:00 a.m. to blow through the club's wall.
CANTY: I think that's a misconception that officers did not go inside until, you know, 5:00 or whatever time the last breach was. Officers were going inside from the beginning of this incident.
SANDOVAL: Over the weekend, several funerals and memorial services for the victims of the attack, more than 50,000 gathering in the city of Orlando to pay their respects at a candlelight vigil, mourners in awe as a giant rainbow appeared over the memorial to remember the 49 lives senselessly taken one week ago.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANDOVAL: One of several tearful tributes that we have seen here in Orlando. And as we await those transcripts, we could potentially see new developments in the days ahead regarding the killer's wife, Noor Salman, a grand jury according to several sources is weighing all the evidence. They would ultimately decide if they believe she likely had some knowledge that this attack was in the works. That is that lingering question still today. Back to you.
CAMEROTA: Absolutely. Polo, that rainbow appearing over the vigil ...
SANDOVAL: Yeah.
CAMEROTA: ... was just an incredible moment. I'm really glad you included that and showed everyone. Thank you.
Well, in the wake of the Orlando massacre, the hope for any answer to gun violence is on the line today. The Senate is set to vote on four new gun measures. But chances for a breakthrough appear to be a long shot. CNN senior political reporter Manu Raju is live in Washington with more. Hi Manu.
[07:05:09] MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: Hi Alisyn. After last week's massacre, a top Republican senator and a leading Democrat began discussing whether there was a compromise that could be struck on the issue preventing suspected terrorists from getting guns. Those talks however quickly stalled. Democrats wanted to give the Attorney General the authority to ban gun sales to anyone on a terror watch list. While Republicans want some checks in the system, namely greater involvement by the courts and the FBI. We ended up with something that's quite familiar on Capitol Hill, steal me. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAJU (voice over): The Senate set to vote today on four gun control measures. One week after the worst mass shooting in U.S. History.
GOV. JOHN HICKENLOOPER, (D), COLORADO: I am frustrated, bewildered at the inability to come to terms with figuring out some of the restraints.
RAJUL: The amendments expected to fail.
SEN. CHRIS MURPHY, (D), CONNECTICUT: I admit that the background checks bill is going to be tough to get 60 votes on. But we still have hope we can get Republicans to support the bill stopping terrorists from getting weapons.
RAJU: These amendments include requiring tougher background checks on gun shows and online sales, and barring terror suspects on watch list from purchasing a firearm. Many Republicans say the Democratic plans violate the rights of Americans mistakenly replaced on terror watch lists.
SEN. JEFF SESSIONS, (R), ALABAMA: Republicans have voted consistently to ban people from -- on that list from having a gun but to give them an opportunity to prove they shouldn't be on the list.
RAJU: The NRA calling the Democrats gun measures political pose diverting attention a way from the failure of the government to fight terror.
WAYNE LAPIERRE, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, NRA: They're coming and they are going to try to kill us and We need to be prepared. And this president by diverting the attention to gun control movement. That's not going to solve the problem.
RAJU: The NRA's choice for president, Donald Trump, is renewing his call to racially profile Muslims to prevent terror attacks.
TRUMP: Well, I think profiling is something that we're going to have to start thinking about as a country. It's not the worst thing to do. I hate the concept of profiling but we have to use common sense.
RAJU: Trump also reiterating his belief that fewer would have died inside the gay night club in Orlando had club-goers been armed.
TRUMP: If one of the people in that room happened to have it and goes boom-boom. You know what? That would have been a beautiful, beautiful sight, folks.
RAJU: But even the NRA takes issue with that.
LAPIERRE: I don't think you should have firearms where people are drinking.
(END VIDEO CLIP) RAJU: Now, a couple of developments. Tonight, Susan Collins, of Maine, a moderate (ph) Republican, will unveil what she is doing to compromise on this issue with the support of five of her colleagues per bill would bar the sale of a gun to anybody on the no-fly list and allow for an appeals process for anyone denied the right to buy a gun so we'll what those -- how those bills chances are. It's uncertain at this point.
And just a short time ago, Donald Trump tried to clarify his statement about people being armed at the Pulse nightclub tweeting. "When I said that, within in the Orlando club, you have some people with guns, I was obviously talking about additional guards or employees." Jim?
SCIUTTO: Manu Raju, thanks very much. Let's discuss all this with New York Democratic Congressman, Steve Israel, who has endorsed Hillary Clinton. Congressman Israel, thanks very much for joining us today.
REP. STEVE ISRAEL, (D), NEW YORK: Thanks for having me up.
SCIUTTO: So, I was down in Orlando. You know, like you, this is the umpteenth mass shooting that we've experienced as a country. And yet, when you look up on the hill, it sounds like there aren't the votes for these fairly incremental measures. Do you share that assessment?
