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New Day Saturday

Nearly 1,000 Denied Entry to France; Putin Willing to Work with U.S.-Led Coalition; Trump Expecting Endorsement of 100 Black Pastors. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired November 28, 2015 - 08:00   ET

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

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: It's always a good day when it's Saturday. Hope that you're having a good one there where you are. I'm Christi Paul.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Victor Blackwell. Good morning to you. Let's go to Colorado now, where police are mourning a fellow officer. You see them here, inside and outside of their vehicles, gathering to salute Officer Garrett Swasey one last time, a snowy morning there.

PAUL: The officer was gunned down yesterday in an attack on a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs there. He was one of six officers who were shot. A local reporter talked to us about Officer Swasey.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (via telephone): He grew up in Massachusetts and he competed with his partner, Rachel Myer, with the skating club of Boston in the Eastern Sectional championships. He and fellow Baltimore native living in the springs in the early '90s, won the junior dance competition by winning both the original and pre-dance programs.

He and Lori Tompkins finished 13th in the 1995 U.S. figure skating championships and later performed in ice shows in Northern Maine. He was a man of faith. He was a pastor at hope chapel, a Colorado Springs chapel, overseeing its three care groups and participating in its teaching team and playing guitar as part of his worship.

As you both were saying a few moments ago, he's survived by his wife, Rachel, and a young son, Elijah, and a young daughter, Faith.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Well, we now know more about the man police say killed that officer and two others. His name is Robert Lewis Dear, 59 years old. Witnesses described him as having a cold stone face. He is in custody this morning. Investigators of course are trying to determine why, what is the motive behind this shooting?

PAUL: Stephanie Elam is live in Colorado Springs for us this morning. Stephanie, what are you learning about the investigation and where it stands right now?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christi and Victor. What I can show you is that we've gotten a little bit closer than when I last spoke to you. If you look over my shoulder, that would be the Planned Parenthood building back there.

This is because they're preparing to open up roads and make this area accessible again. But if you think about what it was like yesterday afternoon, it was just sheer terror.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: We just took fire through the window. One of the S.O. guys got hit in the leg. He's code 4, we're going to extract him.

ELAM (voice-over): Tense moments at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs as two civilians and a police officer are killed in a nearly six-hour standoff. It ended when the gunman finally gave up.

LT. CATHERINE BUCKLEY, COLORADO SPRINGS POLICE: We did get officers inside of the building at the Planned Parenthood. And the officers were able to shout to the suspect and make communication with him. And at that point, they were able to get him to surrender and he was taken into custody.

ELAM: One of the dead, 44-year-old Officer Garrett Swasey, worked for the University of Colorado. He apparently rushed to the scene from the campus, 10 miles away. Two more victims have not been identified. Five police officers and four other civilians were injured in the attack including one man who was waiting in a parked car.

OZY LICANO, SHOT BY GUNMAN IN COLORADO ATTACK: He was aiming at me and I just hit the gas. And he started shooting. And I was looking at his face and then the shots came through the glass. Then I started bleeding.

ELAM: A law enforcement official confirms to CNN that the suspected gunman is 59-year-old Robert Lewis Dear. Bomb experts are making sure he didn't leave behind any explosive devices inside or outside of the clinic.

BUCKLEY: Once the suspect was taken out of the building. Our process is to go through and clear the building room by room, and then we turn it into a crime scene.

ELAM: And as the investigation into his motive goes on, police are being credited with saving lives by using security cameras to keep track of the gunman and those trapped inside.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The officers were monitoring movement within the building on security cameras and communicating to the officers who were in the building. And it was the most incredible work on behalf of officers trying to minimize the number of fatalities.

(END VIDEOTAPE) [08:05:04]ELAM: And minimizing the number of fatalities really key here. The loss of three lives, but we know that those nine people, five officers and four civilians that were also injured, we understand that they're in good condition and they are expected to recover -- Victor and Christi.

PAUL: All right, Stephanie Elam, appreciate it. Thank you.

We also heard from some of the victims in yesterday's shooting including this man, Ozy Licano, who said the killer looked right at him before firing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LICANO: I saw a man crawling to the front door. I saw the glass shatter and he crawled into the entry way. Then I saw this other fellow shoot down and up and walk into the entryway. And I just kind of lost it there.

I tried to get out of my car, run. I thought about that I said, no. I got back in the car, started it, put it in reverse. Started backing out. And then he's in front of me. And he was aiming at me. And I just hit the gas and he started shooting.

And I was looking at his face. I think I had five to ten seconds to look at him, to try to remember who he was, and why he was doing that or whatever. Then the shots came through the glass.

Then I started bleeding because I was looking at him. I saw blood. I didn't know if it was coming from my neck or my lip or what. I thought about it, and it's like, one, two -- like 5 seconds we stared at each other.

In that 5-second period, those bullet holes came right through my windshield and the blood. Four seconds later, I'm turning I think I saw his vehicle, a dark looking SUV with the door open, driver's side.

Then I just started getting away and I heard him shooting some more to me. Then I may it to King Super's. I never experienced that before. At the time, I wasn't scared. I was more angry.

And I don't know why. That's what's bothering me the most, what the other people went through. It's just -- I can't imagine. There were a lot of women in there, very innocent people. I just felt helpless, that's all. I don't like feeling helpless. That's why I was angry, I guess. It's not right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Wow. Well, listen, that shooting and the standoff went on for hours. A police radio captured their chaotic scene outside. Listen to a bit of that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED OFFICER: We're getting active gunfire.

UNIDENTIFIED OFFICER: He's behind Planned Parenthood. The shooter is constantly shooting right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Now, once inside, officers found -- what could only be described, as a dire situation, the gunman shooting at officers through walls. And we know, of course, he finally turned himself in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED OFFICER: Just fired through the window and one of the S.O. guys got hit in the leg. He's code 4. We're going to extract him. Once they extract this guy, you might be able to get a shot at this guy. He's just shooting through the wall.

UNIDENTIFIED OFFICER: He's going to come out with his hands up.

UNIDENTIFIED OFFICER: We got to take him out if it he has IEDs. Are we in the way of the snipers?

UNIDENTIFIED OFFICER: We have one suspect detained right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: All right, let's take about this now. We have with us, Cedric Alexander, CNN law enforcement analyst. At the end of this, he surrenders, typically what we see in hostage situation, a mass shooting, that that shooter kills himself at the end of it. What do you make of the decision to surrender at the end of all of this?

CEDRIC ALEXANDER, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: We may see suicide in some scenarios. This is not the case. I believe once we learn more about what may have drove him to this, his ideological beliefs. Whether he has some known health condition that's going on we'll know more.

But it's very hard to judge often times, Victor, how the outcome would be. If I had to guess as of last night when the shooting was taking place, I would have said that he would end up being killed by the police.

But of course, at some point, he decided to surrender and I think we're going to learn much more as to what was going in his mind to lead him to this.

[08:10:07] BLACKWELL: When we, you know, look at, I guess, eight hours or so after the surrender, and we're getting his name and all that information -- more than eight hours. The question is why? Why did he do this? If this is politically driven, if this is ideologically driven, does that take a lot of time to pry out of the suspect, or do they offer that freely?

ALEXANDER: A lot of times it depends on what the personality of the individual. Depends on what his motives may have been. He may have done this to create attention for himself. He may have been an individual who just has a very evil spirit about himself and wanted to do harm to others.

You have five police officers shot, one killed, civilians that were severely injured. He was a very dangerous individual. We don't know what drove him to this. I believe over the next few days, we will learn more about him, his background, his personality, and what other prior histories he may have had as well too.

BLACKWELL: What's the work that's being done outside of potentially that interrogation room with this suspect?

ALEXANDER: A lot has been done particularly around the forensic side. There are going to be search warrants on his vehicles around his residence that he lived in or may have lived in. What he owned or operated.

We're going to get a lot more assessment of who he is to his family and friends. This is going to be a longstanding investigation. For a number of reasons, one for prosecutorial residence.

Another, we just need to know from a law enforcement perspective and I believe too from a psychological perspective. Who is this individual and what drove him to do this? How do we get in front of this if opportunities present itself? Oftentimes, they do not.

But often times, too, we learn a lot once we investigate and interview individuals that have involved themselves in acts such as this.

BLACKWELL: We know from Stephanie Elam and from Kyung Lah who is reporting during the situation and throughout the evening that there had been threats made against that facility. They had a security room complete with bulletproof vests.

So, of course, security will be a concern at the clinic and others across the state and maybe throughout the country. We'll have that conversation as the days go on. Cedric Alexander, always good to have you.

ALEXANDER: Thank you for having me.

BLACKWELL: Christi.

PAUL: Yes, outrage in Chicago is what we're talking about. Protesters swarm Michigan Avenue, grinding holiday shopping to a halt. They want the city's top cop to step aside after the shooting death of a black teen.

Also, millions of you, I know, might be facing a rough trip home. The wintery weather could really mess up some traveling for you. We'll give you a heads-up.

And Pope Francis making history in Africa, celebrating mass in Uganda today. He's about to go, though, to one of the most dangerous places ever visited by a pope.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:16:00]

(VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: Not what you typically see the day after Thanksgiving, is it? Peaceful and powerful chants, though, by demonstrators who packed the streets and paralyzed Black Friday shopping in Chicago, they're not just demanding the resignation of top city officials.

But they're alleging there was a cover-up of police cam video showing an officer fatally shooting, teenager, Laquan McDonald and these protesters aren't done. They say they are hitting the streets again today and tomorrow.

HLN legal analyst and criminal defense attorney, Joey Jackson, is joining us now. So, Joey, they're not just demanding resignations. They want a federal investigation into this case. What is the likelihood they that they will get one?

JOEY JACKSON, HLN LEGAL ANALYST: Good morning, Christi. I think the likelihood is very good. Remember, we're talking about certainly community trust. This is an ongoing conversation not just limited to Chicago but extended throughout the whole country.

So, certainly, there's the interest in the federal government in making sure that they get it right. To make it clear, the officer is charged. There's a process in that. Certainly, that process will move forward, have a day in court, and have an opportunity to defend himself.

I think that's significant. Certainly, we also know on the civil side, the family has been compensated to the tune of $5 million. But there are real questions as to why it took so long to come to this point.

The prosecutor having an investigation ongoing and having to view that videotape before any of us did, why now? So there are real issues of trust.

And I think the federal government certainly secures more of that trust, because they're independent, they're outside, and can do a job that would make the community feel that every avenue has been exhausted.

PAUL: Speaking of that video, we're looking at it now on the screen. Can we put that back up? Because I wanted to ask you about that video, they assert, protesters, it took 400-plus days for this to go public. There's a question about that.

But when you look at that, too, they say he was defending himself. The police department asserts that the police officer was defending himself. You have seen this video. We're looking at it now. Do you see anything that would substantiate that claim? JACKSON: Well, you know what happens, Christi, the defense attorney has a job to do here. Certainly in light of that, they'll be doing that. What will the defense be talking jab they'll be talking about the officer's state of mind.

They'll be talking about video that we're watching at now, which is the lead into that that he was chasing Laquan McDonald. That he was in a heightened state of alertness. That they had gotten reports that apparently, he had threatened other or used a screwdriver and the adrenaline was flowing.

He got out of the car and he had a knife in had his hand and he was in imminent danger. So you'll hear all of that from the defense, but I think the prosecution will remind the jury about imminent. What does an imminent threat mean? Was he coming towards McDonald? Was he coming towards the officer?

Did he represent any harm to him, his brother officers or anybody else? Did the amount of shots fired, was that reasonable or did that exceed any measure of reasonableness?

I think that's what the prosecutor will be prevailing upon the jury to say, you know what, you may have been chasing him and your mind might have been such that you knew you were in a heightened state of security and alertness, but did you really need to do all of that? That's what it's going to boil down to at the end of the day.

PAUL: Joey, he's facing first degree murder what do they need to prove that?

JACKSON: Christi, sure, first degree murder is the intentional murder without justification. So what the prosecutor is going to be doing is, even if you can establish from a defense perspective, that the initial shots may have been justified, which, certainly, you can make the argument he was fearful he got out of the car, he approached him.

But now, you have to justify, if you're the defense, why the continued shooting when he was on the ground representing no danger at all. Didn't you intend to hill him at that point? And what was your justification in doing so?

[08:10:12]And so that's going to be what the prosecutor is going to present to the jury. And the defense is going to say, squared, imminent danger. At the end of the day, ultimately, the jury has that decision to make.

PAUL: All right, Joey Jackson, appreciate it so much. Thank you, sir.

JACKSON: Thank you, Christi.

PAUL: Absolutely, Victor.

BLACKWELL: This morning, the man accused of jumping over the White House fence is sitting in a hospital in Washington. And we're learning surprise details of a plan, what was happening here at the White House. Also why he told his mother he might never see her again, we've got those new details.

Plus, new information about the most wanted man in Europe. Who did Salah Abdelsalam speak with about the attacks, one day after they were carried out?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Well, the man who jumped the White House fence on Thanksgiving Day is now charged with illegal entry of restricted grounds. He appeared in court yesterday and has another hearing Monday. If convicted he faces up to a year in prison.

He was caught by the Secret Service after he made it over that fence. He was wearing an American flag as a cape and he did leave, we've learned, a suicide note with friends. He's been ordered to undergo a psychiatric investigation.

BLACKWELL: Look at this mess in North Texas. They're getting drenched, heavy rain right now. You see here, an SUV submerged and one of their roads washed out. At least three people have died. Another person is presumed dead because of the widespread flooding.

[08:25:06]PAUL: My goodness, awful winter weather is making one of the busiest travel weekends.

BLACKWELL: Yes. Of course it is.

PAUL: That's a nice way of saying it.

BLACKWELL: The timing is unfortunate. CNN meteorologist, Allison Chinchar tracking all the movements for us and this is just the wrong weekend for this.

(WEATHER REPORT)

BLACKWELL: Allison Chinchar, thank you so much. We, of course, do our best to stay safe.

All right, let's go now to Europe's most wanted terrorist, Salah Abdelsalam. Two weeks after the Paris attack, no one really knows where he is, at least authorities don't. But there are new details about a meeting with Abdelsalam one day after the attacks.

PAUL: And the fight to stop ISIS. Russia says it's willing to partner with the west. The question is, is the west wanting that partnership?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:30:31] PAUL: 30 minutes past the hour right now.

New this morning, France says it stopped nearly 1,000 people from entering the country since the Paris terrorist attacks. And today, the French interior minister says the people who were turned away were deemed, quote, "security risks to our public order". He also said there are 15,000 officers currently stationed along France's borders.

CNN's Martin Savidge is joining us live from Paris with the latest because today we're also learning, Martin, about a new arrest in connection with the attacks. What are you hearing there?

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christi -- most of these arrests that are taking place in Belgium are people that have somehow become associated with Salah Abdeslam -- the most wanted man in Europe right now and believed to be the sole survivor of the terror cell that carried out the attacks here in Paris.

He had a very interesting 24 hours after the attack that authorities have uncovered. Several hours after that slaughter that took place here in Paris, he apparently called up some friends in Belgium and said, look, my car's broken down, I need a ride back.

They apparently said that they knew nothing about his involvement in the terror operation. They came. They picked him up here in Paris and they began driving back towards Belgium. They got stopped by French authorities Saturday morning.

At that time, the French authorities didn't have a name of anybody they were looking for. They were just stopping all vehicles heading back towards Belgium. So they had detained him just for a short while and then let Salah Abdeslam on his way.

Later in Brussels, it turns out he had a meeting with another friend in a cafe and talked about the attacks in Paris. And that's the last anybody has ever seen of him. So authorities are quite convinced that Salah Abdeslam, number one, survived the attacks but most of all has managed to escape the police because he's getting help along the way -- Christi.

PAUL: All right. Well, as we look forward here to Monday, we know Paris is hosting major world leaders including President Obama and some 40,000 delegates to this huge climate change summit. I have to believe, Martin, that what they have planned for security for this event is going to look much different now, is that right?

SAVIDGE: Yes, absolutely. The French have really looked forward to playing host to this very important environmental event. This is something that's been planned long before the terrorist attacks. And so much of this had been not just focused on what maybe hammered out as far as environmental legislation, but also the public.

There were tens of thousands of people that were expected to attend, on the side, including massive protests or demonstrations. None of those are going to take place, according to authorities because of the security concerns.

One, they're afraid that they could possibly be a huge target. But most important is the fact that all the security forces now need to focus on protecting those heads of state, nearly 150 of them, including the President of the United States who's coming. So, it has been quite a significant shift, security wise -- Christi.

PAUL: All right. Martin Savidge -- appreciate the update so much. Thank you, sir.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: All right. We've got some new numbers in the fight against ISIS this morning. U.S. and coalition forces say they've launched 20 new air strikes against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Take a look at the other countries involved in the campaign here include Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, the U.K.

And you know, after the Paris terror attacks, French President Francois Hollande has been trying to build a super coalition hoping to bring Russia closer to the nations dedicated to taking out ISIS.

Joining me now David Tafuri, former Obama campaign foreign policy adviser. David -- good to have you this morning. I want to start by talking about the coalition that exists and the one that some want. Hollande went around the world, meeting with the leaders of Germany, and the U.K., and U.S. and Russia, to try to build this coalition. What did he get?

DAVID TAFURI, FORMER OBAMA CAMPAIGN FOREIGN POLICY ADVISER: Well, he got a lot of nice commitments and verbally. It's not clear he's actually changed anything.

The discussion with Russia is particularly interesting. It sounds like France really wants Russia to cooperate with the coalition. The problem is that there's a significant difference between the coalition and Russia on their position on Syria which is Russia wants Assad to stay. Russia is mainly there to prop up Assad not to fight ISIS. And that's a significant distinction.

The U.S. and President Obama have articulated very well the position that Assad must go. That's really the right position.

[08:35:01] Assad is partly responsible for the creation of ISIS. He killed so many Sunni protestors who were at first peaceful and that's what caused the creation of radical groups in Syria.

If Assad stays that just fuels the fire for ISIS and for supporters to continue to be joining ISIS. That's part of the problem. So the coalition is right on this point. And the coalition led by the U.S., with France now playing an important part, has to reach an agreement with Russia's Putin on this issue in particular.

BLACKWELL: All right. Let's listen to something that Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday about cooperating now with this coalition.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA (through translator): That was the reason for our negotiations with France. We've agreed to how we're going to work together in the future, including with the coalition overall, including United States. Territory where we can strike, where we must need to restrain ourselves from strikes, exchanging of information and other questions, and the coordination of actions on the battlefields. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: All right. Coordinating on where they should strike and where they should avoid strikes. What's the likelihood that Russia will indeed avoid areas that the coalition determines are areas that should be avoided? Maybe those areas that are held by the Free Syrian Army.

TAFURI: Well, I mean, that's also a crucial issue, and remember when Russia first went to Syria and did air strikes. They said they were going to fight ISIS but they did air strikes against the U.S.-back rebels in Syria. Those air strikes, as I understand it, have continued.

Can they work out on an agreement? Let's hope so. That's super important for what the United States and the coalition is trying to accomplish. But this is a very complicated battle scenario. As we saw with what happened with Turkey shooting down a Russian jet that Turkey says crossed into Turkish airspace.

I think we can count on the fact that there's going to be more confusion in this battleground space. Yes it would be good if Russia communicated more with the coalition. It would be even better if Russia joined the coalition and joined the coalition objection of getting Assad to step down and fighting ISIS together.

BLACKWELL: All right. David Tafuri -- always good to have you as part of the conversation.

TAFURI: Thank you.

PAUL: Pope Francis is holding mass this morning for thousands of people in Uganda. And he's getting ready for what could be a dangerous part of his trip. A place no modern pope has visited, in fact.

Plus, religious leaders squaring off in the name of Donald Trump -- some say over 100 clergy from across the country are getting ready to endorse him for president but other religious leaders say, not so fast.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[08:41:21] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pope Francis. We welcome you. The young people of Uganda --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: Look at that. The scene in Kampala, Uganda just about an hour ago. Police had to push back that swelling crowd who just wanted to get a glimpse of Pope Francis. Right now, the Pope is meeting with the country's youth and they're expected to talk about militia kidnappings and homelessness. This is such a poor part of the country here. The Pope is in the

middle of his six-day, three-country tour of Africa. And his meeting with Uganda's young people really goes hand in hand with his message of helping and uplifting the people and poor and people who are with need.

Joining us now for more on this, CNN senior Vatican analyst John Allen.

And John -- not only is he talking about lifting people up, it's not just a religious message, but there's a political message in this as well, isn't there? He, I understand, spoke a bit about corruption?

JOHN ALLEN, CNN SENIOR VATICAN ANALYST: Yes, that's right, Christi. The Pope is both a pastor, but he is also -- he wants to be a voice of conscience -- a change agent in global affairs. When he was in Kenya for example, we heard him give a very hard-hitting speech about climate change at the global headquarters of the U.N. environment program. That, of course, is ahead of the looming climate change summit in Paris that opens on Monday.

Throughout his Africa trip, we've heard him challenge African leaders to resist the scourge of corruption. And he's frankly acknowledged that corruption is everywhere, including in the Vatican. Of course, one thing he's trying to fight in his reform program.

Beginning tomorrow, the focus will shift to peace. When he arrives in the Central African Republic marking the first time a pope has ever set foot in an active war zone where he hopes to promote a peaceful resolution to that country's bloody conflict.

So at one level, a moral and spiritual message, Christi but on another level obviously a clearly political subtext.

PAUL: Yes. That Central African Republic not necessarily known for its strong infrastructure. Do you have any concerns for his safety?

ALLEN: Christi, I think everybody on the planet has concerns for the Pope's safety, except for Francis himself. You know, on the Al Italia flight to Africa a couple of days ago, he went up to the cockpit to chat with the pilots. He told them look, if you don't think it's safe to land in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, just give me a parachute, because that's how determined I am to get there.

So yes, there are very real concerns about security but on the other hand Pope Francis obviously believes that given the opportunity he has there to make a difference, in a country where the conflict breaks Christian, Muslim and the population is 80 percent Christian, I think he feels he has a real chance to move the ball in the direction of peace. He is determined not to allow safety considerations to get in his way.

PAUL: John Allen, always love getting your insight. Thank you so much.

ALLEN: Sure thing. PAUL: All right.

And supporting Donald Trump, a large group of church leaders gets ready to back the GOP front-runner, but his past has another group apparently thinking twice about that.

Also, at the top of the hour -- the search for a motive in Colorado -- this is the first look we're getting at the suspect, the man allegedly who started shooting at a Planned Parenthood clinic. We just got it. Here it is. We'll have a live report for you on all the new developments at the top of the show.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Some African-American religious leaders are making a special plea to 100 black pastors and evangelicals who are reportedly backing Donald Trump. The Trump campaign has announced that a coalition of those pastors will endorse the candidate after meeting with him on Monday.

But other religious leaders are asking many of them to consider Trump's past rhetoric and behavior before announcing their support. Of course, this comes days after a Black Lives Matter protester was repeatedly punched and kicked at a Trump rally.

We have with us now to talk about this Cindy Trimm. She is one of the ministers who will meet with Trump on Monday. It's so good to have you this morning.

CINDY TRIMM, MINISTER: It's a pleasure to be here.

BLACKWELL: Let me start first with how this is being billed by the Trump campaign. They're saying this is an endorsement by this coalition of 100 black pastors. Is that what you it will be? Are you planning to endorse Donald Trump?

TRIMM: I am not planning to endorse. I'm there to attend to hear his strategy for the way forward. There are so many Americans right now that is looking for a leader who they can respect and admire because of an all-encompassing feel for diversity and irrespective of a person's socio-economic background or race or color or creed.

[08:50:03] And so, I'm there to hear his strategy for how we're going to bring sides together and move forward.

BLACKWELL: So there is this op-ed in "Ebony Magazine" of more than 100 black faith leaders. And I want to read part of it and we could put it up on the screen. They write "Mr. Trump routinely uses overtly divisive and racist language on the campaign trail. Most recently he admitted his supporters were justified for punching and kicking a black protester who had attended a Trump rally with the intent to remind the crowd that black lives matter.

Trump followed his action by tweeting inaccurate statistics about crime prevalence in rate to black communities insinuating that black people are more violent than other groups. Trump's racially inaccurate, insensitive and incendiary rhetoric should give those charged with the care of the spirits and souls of black people great pause." To that, you say what?

TRIMM: To that, I say that we are in a critical moment in the history of America and the history of the world. And I believe that if there's ever a time that we should be able to bring sides together, we should.

I believe Mr. Trump, his motive and his intention really is to provide leadership and in his running for presidency. He's new in politics. And I came out of politics, and I think that we make a lot of mistakes. And what I would like to hear from him is his motive and his intentions behind what he's doing at this particular time.

And you can't take back a word. You can not take back something that you've said. But I think that we can put enough pressure upon anyone that leads a group of people who has put their head into the game to be able to say, I'm willing to help you change the trajectory of a group of people corporately.

I think there has to be a group of individuals that hold them accountable for what they say and what they do. And I'm hoping that I will be amongst those who that do.

BLACKWELL: Let me read something, and then I want you to hear from Mr. Trump and kind of ask you if those two correspond. This is something from your Facebook page in which you write about prayer. You write this, "Prayer is not separated from what we do in this world. Rather, it should be at the center of our lives whether we make a salary or pay salaries. If you are called to work in a secular job or run your own business, then you should be relying on God, through prayer and faith, to infuse you with his wisdom and power so that you will reflect him in your workplace or marketplace."

I want you now to listen to what Donald Trump said when he was asked if he ever asked God for forgiveness.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm not sure I have. I just go and try and do a better job from there. I don't think so. I think if I do something wrong, I think I just try and make it right. I don't bring God into that picture. I don't. Now when I take, you know, when we go in church and when I drink my little wine, which is about the only wine I drink and have my little cracker, I guess that's a form of asking for forgiveness. And I do that as often as possible because I feel cleansed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: So your views that you expressed on your Facebook page, what we hear from Donald Trump -- do those two things correspond and what is your view of his view of religion and asking for forgiveness?

TRIMM: I think all of us are on a journey and we're all trying to find a strategy. And the strategy that I found is the strategy of prayer. And I believe that it's very difficult and very hard for anyone that is in leadership to find something that centers them.

For me, it's prayer. The United States of America was founded on the hope for religious freedom. Not only that, but our very anthem is one of a prayer. God bless America. And, so, if we sing the anthem, we're actually praying.

BLACKWELL: So, just to be clear, as I started I want to finish here, although the Trump campaign is billing this as an endorsement of 100 black pastors and evangelicals, that is not what you were invited to do and your intention is not to go there and endorse Donald Trump?

TRIMM: That's not my intention.

BLACKWELL: All right. Dr. Cindy Trimm, good to have you on the show this morning.

TRIMM: Thank you for having me.

BLACKWELL: Sure.

PAUL: We continue meanwhile to monitor the latest developments at a deadly shoot at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado. Police just released the suspect's mug shot. Here it is -- a first look at Mr. Dear there. A live report from Colorado Springs straight ahead for you at the top of the hour.

But first, in this week's Start Small, Think Big. A startup company in Los Angeles is creating unique experiences with celebrities to raise money for a lot of different causes. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You won the contest.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We raise money in awareness for charity by offering the chance to win once in a lifetime experiences. What's the chance to be in the next "Star Trek" movie, to go on a best friend double date with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It will be like just us hanging out, taking selfies.

[08:55:08] RYAN CUMMINGS: I'm Ryan Cummings.

MATT PAULSON: And I am Matt Paulson (ph) and we are the co- founders of Ol Miz (ph).

We were filmmakers before.

CUMMINGS: We went to this charity gala that Magic Johnson was hosting. And that's really when the idea hit us.

PAULSON: We make it so that anybody in the world can donate $10 for a chance to win and as a result it raises significantly more money for the charity. We create original content at every step of an experience. We market it through social media. We push 80 percent of the net proceeds on to the cause.

CUMMINGS: We're doing (inaudible) Brandon Marshall who is the all-pro wide receiver for the New York Jets. The winner's actually going to go to MetLife Stadium, hang out with Brandon and have VIP tickets to the game.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I brought my son Carter with me on the experience. It was so amazing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to get you. Touchdown.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's great about Brandon's experience is that it's benefitting Project 375 which is a cause that he founded with his wife.

BRANDON MARSHALL, NFL PLAYER: I was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. We want to be the pre-eminent foundation to mental health community.

PAULSON: Our goal is really to build a charitable giving platform. If we can leverage the power of story telling and technology to transform lives, then we've won.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Well, this morning, we've got new audio from the scene of yesterday's mass shooting at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado. Of course, investigators want to know why, they're searching for the motive here.

PAUL: Still trying to decipher that one.

Also we're learning more about the officer who was killed this hour.