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CNN Saturday Morning News

Police Question Man Believed to be Behind Anti-Muslim Film; Egyptian President's Response to Film and Protests; Crossing the Red Line: Will Attacks on U.S. Embassies Lead to All-Out War;

Aired September 15, 2012 - 09:00   ET

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

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Victor Blackwell. It's 9:00 on the East Coast, 6:00 am out west. It's good to have you with us this morning.

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BLACKWELL: We're starting with a new development overnight.

The man believed to be behind the anti-Muslim film that sparked protests in the Middle East was escorted from his home by police.

This is Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, bundled in a coat. You see him here with a hat and a white scarf. Can you see the eyes behind the glasses. He left voluntarily. Nakoula was apparently questioned for a few hours before leaving his own home.

As part of his probation stemming from an earlier bank fraud conviction, he was supposed to have only limited access to the Internet. Of course, the trailer for his movie was found on YouTube.

KAYE: That film trailer has sparked protests in more than a dozen countries from Iraq to Australia. This was the scene here in Sydney this morning. There were some clashes between protesters and police near the U.S. consulate, but nothing on the scale that we've seen in Yemen or Egypt.

And this is what it looked like in Yemen yesterday. The U.S. has sent in specially trained Marines into Yemen to beef up security at the embassy there. Those Marine units are also dispatched to Sudan and Libya.

Moving to Joint Base Andrews and the return of the four Americans killed in the Libyan protest. President Obama, Vice President Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were there to meet the caskets. The victims are ambassador Chris Stevens, Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty, both former Navy SEALs, and Sean Smith, an Air Force veteran, who leaves behind a wife and two children.

BLACKWELL: Now besides Libya, the worst of the protests have been in Cairo, but now Egyptian security forces are pushing back the protesters.

Let's bring in our Ian Lee. He's in Cairo.

Ian, is it quiet there this morning?

IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's all quiet now in Cairo. We saw some of the fiercest clashes last night, but early this morning it seemed like officials had had enough, and we saw hundreds of riot police and plainclothes officers push protesters away from the embassy and away from Tahrir Square.

Now there's a very heavy security presence around Tahrir Square and the U.S. embassy, and this -- it looked like this order came from the top, because early this morning we saw the Minister of Interior who is in charge of the security forces to take care of protests. He came into the square taking a tour around as security forces were cleaning up.

The streets of Cairo are now clean; the workers came in, cleared them of debris. They are taking stock of the damage that was done, but life is returning back to normal. And today is the first day of school for students, so it seems like life is moving on.

BLACKWELL: Well, there was some serious concerns here in the U.S. about the response from Mohammed Morsi, the president of Egypt, and what he was saying after the attacks there in Cairo, but what are the people hearing from the president and are they satisfied with what they are hearing from Morsi?

LEE: Well, Morsi had to walk a fine line between securing the U.S. embassy and appeasing the Americans but also the public here. By and large, the Egyptian population is outraged over that film, so he had to come out strongly against that film, and he did -- he reserved his harshest criticism for the film.

But he also had to protect the embassies, and he's -- Egypt is responsible for protecting embassies in diplomatic missions. He also had to appease the Americans, so he walked a very fine line and today we saw him take care of the protesters and push them away and really impose heavy security around Tahrir Square and the embassy.

BLACKWELL: All right. We'll see if things indeed get back to normal. Ian Lee live in Cairo, thank you.

KAYE: Back in the U.S. officials say there was no intelligence ahead of the attack in Libya. Some people, though, disagree. CNN intelligence correspondent Suzanne Kelly joins us this morning live from Washington.

Suzanne, good morning. Libyan officials believe this attack was a pre- planned assault. If that turns out to be true, what is next here?

SUZANNE KELLY, SR. NATIONAL SECURITY PRODUCER: Well, the FBI is expected to arrive, as you know, Randi, in Libya today. They are trying to keep somewhat of a low profile because their presence there is a sensitive one.

We do know from a source with knowledge of the investigation that agents have been conducting interviews outside the country, trying to gather as much information as they can about what happened in Benghazi.

Investigators also plan to gather information on those people who are arrested by Libyan authorities.

Now the Libyan authorities have already come out and said that they don't believe those people who are custody had any direct knowledge or direct contact with the people who had carried this out, but they are trying to figure out exactly where that leads by gathering background information on those people.

KAYE: And what is the intelligence on this so far here in the U.S.? I mean, did the U.S. know anything at all ahead of time? Wasn't there some type of warning that went out?

KELLY: Yes. There's a little bit of Monday morning quarterbacking going on, when you -- of course, all of the intelligence that's come in since the attack. They are piecing that together as best as they can.

We do know from a U.S. official that an intelligence cable was sent to the embassy in Cairo 48 hours before this attack took place and it warned basically about the existence of that anti-Muslim film on the Internet and the fact that it had been gaining more popularity.

More and more people were going and clicking on it and watching it. That was obviously a cause of concern because of the content, but there was no specific threat attached to that cable.

And that's an important point, and I think that's why you saw so much difference in Washington this week about whether or not there that was a planned attack, because the administration was saying this was not anything that we had actionable intelligence on.

That's not exactly the same thing as saying that it wasn't planned. It's just saying that the U.S. intelligence agencies weren't aware of any planning that was going on.

However, consider the environment, Randi, and we've talked a little bit about this. People knew that there were well-armed groups already in place in Benghazi. They have infrastructure. They have vehicles. They are there.

They also know that there are Al Qaeda sympathizers in the area, and then when you layer on top of that the fact that this film is out there, you pretty much can guess what the response would be, then the picture starts to become a little bit more clear and that's what intelligence officials and, of course, the FBI are all trying to put together now.

KAYE: Yes. Recipe for chaos, for sure. Suzanne, thank you. Appreciate that.

BLACKWELL: An attack at a military base in southern Afghanistan this morning has left two U.S. Marines dead; at least three others are wounded. The base is home to American-run Camp Leatherneck and British-run Camp Bastion.

Now we have video here of the aftermath. You see the smoke there, billowing from Camp Bastion. Military officials call this a sustained attack. They say as many as 20 insurgents were killed. The Taliban has claimed responsibility. Now this is the same base where Prince Harry is stationed, but officials said he wasn't in the way of any danger.

KAYE: Lines drawn in the sand, threats of war. More of our focus on red lines.

We'll explain the tensions between Israel and Iran. A live report from Jerusalem next.

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BLACKWELL: It is a phrase we've heard a lot over the past few days, red lines. Now the line is crossed, that's the one that brings us to war. The U.S. is facing those lines in the Middle East right now in the wake of the embassy attacks.

And the line is also staring the U.S. in the face when it comes to Iran, and it's become a bone of contention with Israel. CNN's senior international correspondent Sara Sidner joins us live from Israel -- from Jerusalem.

Sara, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned the red line this week. Listen.

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BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL: The world tells Israel, wait. There's still time, and I say wait for what? Wait until when?

Those international communities who refuse to put red lines before Iran don't have a moral right to place a red light before Israel.

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BLACKWELL: OK. So tell us specifically, what is this red light he's speaking of, and if you could clear up those in the international community he's speaking of.

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Victor, it's pretty clear those are extremely strong words, perhaps the strongest words we've heard from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when it comes to this issue of Iran potentially possessing a nuclear weapon.

When he talks about the international community, he's certainly talking about the United States first and then the rest of the community, who has then put sanctions on Iran.

Publicly though, the exact red line hasn't been spelled out by Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been pushing the U.S. to draw the line in the sand, so to speak, and the resulting action it's going to take if Iran crosses it. But in a late-night phone conversation this week between Mr. Obama and Mr. Netanyahu, reports have leaked out that the prime minister proposed making the size of Iran's stockpile of uranium that is close to bomb grade a reason for a strike by the United States.

The Obama administration has been very clear in saying it doesn't want to make deadlines, stoplights or red lines on Iran's nuclear program, because it puts the U.S. in a box. It really forces its hand, and it could give Iran also a timeline as to when a strike might happen, and it could prepare for that.

But the administration, Mr. Obama, has said time and again that Iran possessing a nuclear weapon is not an option, so it appears that that is the actual red line for the United States if it discovers that Iran does indeed possess nuclear weapons.

BLACKWELL: And these latest proposals of the red line, these are just the latest red lines because it has been, over the years, a moving target for both Israel and the U.S.

SIDNER: Yes. Let's go ahead and talk about one thing. We talked about Iran possibly getting a bomb. And some of the -- Israel has really said, look, if Iran's able to make a nuclear warhead, then it's too late. Iran will be in the zone of immunity, as Israel has called it.

But let's look back. Iran's leaders, we have to mention this though, have said time and again that they are not trying to build a nuclear weapon, but only using their nuclear program for peaceful purposes, such as to make energy and medical isotopes.

But worry over Iran's nuclear ambitions has been going on for nearly 20 years now, since it announced that it was going to go ahead and work with Russia to build a civilian nuclear reactor.

So back in 1995, Israel's red line, if you will, was that Iran should not possess a nuclear reactor. Then a few years later, because it did, it was able to do that, the line moved, and Israel said, OK, it should not be able to convert uranium.

Several years after that, after it already has begun converting uranium, it was said that Iran should not be able to enrich uranium to 5 percent. Then we're going down the line here, we're talking about 2000, 2002, 2009.

The line moved again that Iran should not have centrifuges, no covert facilities and no ability to make a bomb. So there's a clear progression here, where the line seems to keep moving as Iran keeps progressing.

But now in 2012, this rhetoric that we're hearing is really, really heightened with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying Iran's nuclear ambition is the biggest threat to the world today, and Israel believes that it could possess a bomb within a year.

BLACKWELL: And now let's talk about what Jay Carney called an encounter between Benjamin Netanyahu and the president. The president's being criticized now for not planning a face-to-face meeting with the prime minister during the upcoming United Nations General Assembly. What's the latest on that?

SIDNER: Here's what we can tell you. The Obama administration sent out a statement after a report came out that he basically snubbed Prime Minister Netanyahu when he's going to be coming there for the U.N. meeting.

The White House said that is not true, that they were never asked for a meeting nor did they ever deny a meeting with Mr. Netanyahu.

However, this week I spoke to Mr. Netanyahu's spokesperson, who said actually they had wanted a meeting and that they were willing to go to Washington, so you're seeing a bit of information that doesn't match up there.

What you're seeing, I think, there is another crack in the relationship between these two leaders, which, frankly, makes people here very nervous.

A lot of people are saying that it's really a dangerous thing, and some politicians, by the way, saying it's a dangerous thing to start knocking the United States right now, that Israel depends on the relationship of the United States as an important ally, one of its most important allies.

And they have criticized Mr. Netanyahu for the way he's handled this by pushing this relationship, making the cracks even bigger. There's definitely no love lost between these two leaders, it appears, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Yes, it appears to be very cool. CNN's senior international correspondent Sara Sidner, thank you very much.

Coming up next hour, we'll talk politics, did Mitt Romney speak too soon? Did the president drop the ball by hitting the campaign trail during the crisis? Maria Cardona and Amy Holmes, they'll be along to break it all down.

KAYE: There may be a deal reached in Chicago's teachers' strike. A live report is next on what still needs to be hammered out to make it all final.

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BLACKWELL: A circuit judge has tossed out major portions of Wisconsin's collective bargaining law. The law, backed by Republican Governor Scott Walker, limits the rights of public employee unions like teacher unions.

The judge ruled yesterday the law violates both the state and U.S. Constitution, but this legal battle is probably long from over. After the ruling, Governor Walker suggested the state would appeal that decision.

In Chicago, it's the first teachers' strike in 25 years, but that may all be ending soon. At least parents and the teachers hope so. KAYE: Nick Valencia is joining us now to fill us in on where things stand.

All right. So there's no contract but there's progress?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, both sides are hopeful, which is a lot more than can be said leading up to today, Randi. It's just a tentative agreement. There's nothing set in stone yet. Language has to be hammered out. The details, of course, are always the main point here.

But what we do know here, a source is telling us that's close to the negotiations, there's three main sticking points here, the first being to keep the current calendar year, keep the current school year. That's very important.

If you remember, under Mayor Rahm Emanuel's reform package for school reform, that was a big deal. He wanted to expand the school year. That sort of led up to this contentious debate between the teachers and the mayor.

The second point, giving principals the authority to hire teachers. And, of course, one of the main sticking points, Randi and Victor, is changing teacher evaluations, that's a big deal for the teachers' union. They're very suspicious of the school board, as you can imagine, so they are waiting for the details to be hammered out and the language to be firmed up.

BLACKWELL: And it took them a while to come this close, and you don't want anything to break down the deal, so what could jeopardize it?

VALENCIA: Well, it's that, it's the teacher evaluations, Victor. It's very important, it's a sticking point for the teachers' union. What we have right now is standardized test-based evaluations, and 6,000 teachers are in jeopardy of losing their jobs. That's a big deal for the teachers' union.

If the language is not what the teachers' union want, you can assure -- be sure that this strike will continue on past this weekend. But right now, again, like I said, both sides optimistic.

BLACKWELL: Close, all right.

KAYE: We'll get there. We'll get there, we hope. All right, Nick, thank you.

VALENCIA: Thank you.

KAYE: Pope Benedict is in Beirut today, offering a message of peace to a turbulent region. We'll tell you exactly what he said.

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KAYE: Specially trained Marines have been sent to beef up security in Libya, Yemen and Sudan as anti-American protests continue. Demonstrators are voicing anger over an anti-Islam film produced in the U.S. Protests have popped up in more than a dozen countries and have targeted embassies of the U.S. and its allies. Some protests, including one in Pakistan, have been peaceful.

BLACKWELL: Elsewhere in the region, Pope Benedict today addressed the faithful in Beirut, and he held up Lebanon as a model for religious co-existence. Christians and Muslims have lived side by side in Lebanon for centuries, even during the country's 15-year secular civil war.

KAYE: An Italian magazine today says it will publish more photos of Prince William's wife, Kate Middleton, sunbathing topless. This comes a day after the British royal family launched legal action against the magazine over the images. The pictures were snapped from the road outside a private chateau in Provence while the couple was on vacation.

The French editor defends the photos, saying, quote, "We were just doing our job."

You know, I mean, in light of everything that happened with Diana and how much that contributed to her death -- or they believe it did, at least, with all the paparazzi chasing her, it's really scary actually --

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BLACKWELL: Yes, I'm sure a lot of people --

KAYE: -- to see this going on again.

BLACKWELL: -- the story just shook their head and couldn't believe that now, decades later, it's happening again.

KAYE: Yes. No doubt.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

Former Army doctor and Green Beret Jeffrey MacDonald is serving three consecutive life sentences in prison for the brutal murders of his pregnant wife and daughters.

But now an Academy award filmmaker and author raises doubts about the credibility of his trial and the evidence presented. And now the case is actually being reopened for another look. You'll hear from Errol Morris live in our next hour.

Well, thanks so much for watching today. I'll see you back here at 10:00 am Eastern, right at the top of the hour.

BLACKWELL: "YOUR BOTTOM LINE" starts right now.

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