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Body of Toddler Snatch by Alligator Found; British Parliament Member Murdered; CIA Director Warns on ISIS Global Reach. Aired 1:30- 2p ET

Aired June 16, 2016 - 13:30   ET

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

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[13:33:31] WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Disney facing a flurry of questions today after the death of 2-year-old Lane Graves on their property. The toddler was snatched by an alligator at the Disney's Grand Floridian Resort. His body was recovered yesterday afternoon. An autopsy should confirm whether drowning or the attack itself caused his death. Word of the alligator attack came as Disney was dealing with the loss of a cast member in Saturday's nightclub shooting in Orlando.

Victor Blackwell is joining us from Orlando. And joining us from New York is our senior media correspondent, Brian Stelter, the host of CNN's "Reliable Sources".

Victor, have search crews found the alligator responsible for the take?

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, we've been working all day to get an answer from that question from Florida Fish and Wildlife. They have not confirmed whether they have or not quite. Possibly they don't have an answer to that. At last count, they killed five alligators that were pulled from the Seven Seas Lagoon. They will be conducting forensic tests on those five alligators to determine if one of them dragged Lane Graves into that body of water. They have also committed to finding the alligator if it is not one of those five, but that sounds much easier than it actually is to do. Now we know there's a network of canals that lead to other larger bodies of water so there's no guarantee that gator is still in the Seven Seas Lagoon. This search will have to expand to much larger waterways if they keep that promise.

[13:35:10] BLITZER: Brian, we know Disney has got a lot of problems right now as a result of this. How are they dealing as this huge media operation, huge business, how are they dealing with this tragedy?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT & CNN HOST, RELIABLE SOURCES: We've heard from Disney several times in the past couple of days. As you mentioned, they were dealing with safety concerns in the wake of the Pulse nightclub attack. There were reports from Evan Perez and Pamela Brown the gunman in that case cased Disney Springs as well. That was not a good headline for Disney. Meanwhile, this was supposed to be a triumphant week for Disney. The

CEO Bob Iger (ph) has been in Shanghai opening up a brand new park there. That's all still true, but off to the side now because of this crisis in Orlando. Iger (ph) releasing a statement about this alligator attack. He said, "As a parents and grandparent, my heart goes out to the Graves family during this time of devastating loss. My thoughts and prayers are with them. And I know everyone at Disney joins me in offering our deepest sympathies."

We know Iger reach out to the parents the victim, spoke to them by phone from Shanghai. There's speculation whether Disney will face a lawsuit with the family or settle with the family.

In the meantime, there's questions about the safety of the lagoon. In many ways, Disney is the safest place on earth as well as magical. Yet, around this lagoon, there were no signs specifically about alligators. There were "no swimming" signs. But there were not signs indicating the presence of alligators, and that's what has some people now concerned and asking a lot of questions to Disney.

BLITZER: Understandably so.

Brian Stelter, thanks very much.

Victor Blackwell, thanks to you as well.

Just ahead, she's the first British lawmaker killed in office since 1990. We'll have the latest on the investigation into who killed Jo Cox, and reaction from the Prime Minister David Cameron. That's coming up next.

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[13:41:23] BLITZER: We're following breaking news. Britain is in shock after a deadly attack on a member of parliamentary. Police just announced that Jo Cox, a lawmaker in the Labour Party, has died. She was attacked in broad daylight. Eyewitnesses say she was stabbed and shot on the streets of her constituency near Leads. Authorities do have a man in custody.

David Cameron just made a statement a few minutes ago.

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DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: This is absolutely tragic and dreadful news and my thoughts are with Jo's husband and two children and the wider family. We lost a great star. She was an M.P., great campaigning M.P. with huge compassion, a big heart. And people are going to be very, very sad at what has happened. Dreadful. Dreadful news. It's right that we're suspending campaigning activity in this referendum. And everyone's thoughts will be with Jo's family and her constituents during this terrible time.

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BLITZER: Let's go to our CNN International anchor, Richard Quest, who is in northern England.

Very shocking, Richard. She was clearly a very popular lawmaker, a rising star. How shocking is this. You're from that area near Leads where this occurred.

RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Absolutely. I grew up in Leads. Her constituency is only a couple of miles from where we lived.

And, Wolf, the last time a member of parliament was killed was in 1990 and that was by the IRA. There will be unbelievable horror and shock in the same way Gabrielle Giffords in the United States when she was attacked.

In this case, we don't have the same culture in the U.K. of guns, and here this woman, this M.P., this much loved, much respected, very much part of the political establishment, she was beaten, stabbed, and then shot several times.

The motive, Wolf, it's believed to be, we don't really know, except there may be a connection in some lunatic way to the currents referendum taking place in the united kingdom. Campaigning for that referendum has now been suspended.

There's a moment of enormous introspection, reflection, a perspective, if you like across the political spectrum tonight, Wolf, as Britain comes to terms with the murder of one of the members of parliament.

BLITZER: Their referendum on whether Britain should stay in the European Union.

We'll stay in close touch with you, Richard. A shock story, indeed. Thank you for updating our viewers.

Still ahead, the CIA director chilling new warning about ISIS and it's global terror reach.

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[13:48:22] BLITZER: An extremely grim assessment. This morning, CIA Director John Brennan warning lawmakers that despite loss on the battlefield, ISIS terror capability and global reach have not diminished.

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JOHN BRENNAN, CIA DIRECTOR: We judge that ISIL is training and attempting to deploy for further attacks. ISIL has a large cadre of western fighters who could serve as operatives for attacks in the West. And the group is probably exploring a variety of means for infiltrating opportunities into the West, including in refugee flows, smuggling routes and legitimate methods of travel. Furthermore, as we've seen in Orlando, San Bernardino, and elsewhere, ISIL is a attempting to inspire attacks by sympathizers who have no direct links to the group.

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BLITZER: Let's discuss what we just heard with our two guests, the former NATO supreme allied commander, James Stavridis, also the dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University; and Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger, a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Admiral, let's begin with you.

A very dire assessment from the CIA director. Yeah, they may be making some gains against ISIS in Syria and Iraq but the global threat is intense, including the threat of infiltrating people come hearing to the United States and causing terror attacks. Do you agree with that assessment?

[13:49:50] ADM. JAMES STAVRIDIS, FORMER NATO SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER & DEAN, FLETCHER SCHOOL OF LAW & DIPLOMACY, TUFTS UNIVERSITY: I do, Wolf. And I think anybody looking at the intel or, frankly, reading the newspapers can understand this. From the perspective of the s- called Islamic State, the more we squeeze in on them, the more they're going to want to employ asymmetric means of attacking us. Why? Because it fulfills their mission and that's how they'll keep the flow of recruits coming to them. So they get in a very bad downward spiral if they cannot broaden their attack geographically.

So, unfortunately, I think we are going to see more of this. And whether it be homegrown, if you will, the Orlando piece, or operatives directly targeted to come in, we'll probably see more of both, unfortunately.

[13:50:] BLITZER: Congressman, how do you deal with the threat of ISIS trying to get people, infiltrate people to come here to launch terror attacks, whether by refugee flows or planting ISIS terrorists as part of refugees, smuggling routes, or legitimate traveling, meaning tourists, for example, or business people coming to the United States? It they come from some countries in Europe, they don't need visas.

REP. ADAM KINZINGER, (D), ILLINOIS: Yeah, that's a big issue. You know, at the end of the day, there's -- it's going to be tough. We don't want to say there's a magical solution to prevent anybody from doing harm from coming in here. We have to have good screening programs, ensure folks have to have a visa no matter if they come from the Middle East to Europe and ending here, that we know how is coming in. What's counterproductive is to ban an entire religion. This is a civil war within the Muslim community and that kind of talk feeds into the wrong side of that.

But the other thing that's missing in a lot of this talk is, like in Chicago, I jokingly say when the Bulls are doing well, everybody wears a Bulls Jersey. When they're not, people don't. A reason an Orlando shooter swears an allegiance to Islamic is because they exist. They had to be dealt large blows o the battlefield to take away their incentive for people to join what seems to be a winning cause on their side. And also destroys the narrative that this is the next caliphate because it's obviously not if the Marines and our allies in the area have destroyed it.

Admiral, I want you to listen to what President Obama said Tuesday about ISIS. Let me play a little clip for you. Listen to this.

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BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This campaign, at this stage, is firing on all cylinders and, as a result, ISIL's under more pressure than ever before. So far, we have taken out more than 120 top ISIL leaders and commanders. Our message is clear, if you target America and our allies, you will not be safe. You will never be safe.

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BLITZER: That assessment seems to be a bit more upbeat than we heard from the CIA director during his testimony today before the Senate Intelligence Committee. You think they're both on the same page?

STAVRIDIS: I think they're roughly on the same page. And I think the president, logically enough, is going to put the best possible presentation to it. But our problem in our campaign against the Islamic State is twofold. One is we have been very incremental in the way we have approached this. And secondly, we haven't resourced it sufficiently. We need to move from about 5,000 troops on the battlefield to probably around 10,000 to 15,000 troops to do the kind of support to the Kurdish forces in the north, to the Iraqi security forces in the south. That will enable us taking Fallujah. We're starting to enter Fallujah now. Take out Mosul, cut off the oxygen, amp up the bombing campaign. There are a number of steps I think need to put more emphasis on it. The way we are going, this is clearly a problem that will land on the desk of the next president. We won't get it solved in the short term.

BLITZER: Let me ask if the congressman if he agrees.

Go ahead, Congressman.

KINZINGER: The troop number is fairly accurate. Think about the surge in Iraq, we have that many troops involved in only the surge aspect. And that surge, you know, we basically unraveled AQI. So taking out leadership is important, et cetera. But the Islamic State survives on having land. They call themselves a state because they like to have territory. When territory is liberated from the Islamic State, it is counter to their narrative and very important. So I agree. I think the incrementalism has been harmful.

You know, on the spectrum of zero troops to World War II-style mobilization, somewhere on there is the number of troops required to destroy this threat. That's what needs to be employed. No artificial red lines or numbers. Just what is necessary to work with the allies to do the job.

BLITZER: Admiral, you are a former NATO supreme allied commander. NATO has played a role in Afghanistan but has been invisible as an organization in Iraq and Syria. Is it time for that to change? STAVRIDIS: It absolutely is, Wolf. And I will go out on a little bit

of a limb and predict that at the Warsaw summit of NATO, which will be conducted just days from now, you will see NATO step up and take on at least a training role, as an organization. That's a good step forward. It will allow some of the nations that heretofore have not come into the fight to join under the NATO umbrella that will be comfortable for them. Let's hope we hear that. They have been, in my view, very, very emphatic by their absence thus far. Let's get them into the game.

[13:55:14] BLITZER: Yeah. A lot of people agree with you.

I'm sure the Congressman does, as well.

Quickly, Congressman, I know you have been briefed on the Orlando terror attack. Is it still your assessment this was an ISIS-inspired attack as opposed to a direct organized attack by ISIS?

KINZINGER: Yeah. It appears to be that, an inspired attack. Sometimes they say, look, he looked at different organizations. The bigger point is he wanted to perform radical Jihadism and ISIS was convenient at that moment. I think this is just as important to say that we have to stop this as had it been directed by ISIS. This is the new front.

BLITZER: Adam Kinzinger, James Stavridis, gentlemen, thanks so much for joining us.

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BLITZER: That's it for me. The news continues on CNN right after a quick break.

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