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CNN NEWSROOM

More Bloody ISIS Attacks in Iraq; Supporters of Officer Wilson Stands Up; Ice Bucket Challenge Fail

Aired August 23, 2014 - 16:00   ET

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


JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: And you are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington.

And we begin this hour in Iraq where a series of bloody attacks mark a sad day across the country and a terrifying threat of ISIS is still ever present and growing. In Kirkuk, three car bombs and a roadside bomb exploded in close succession in different areas of that northern Iraqi city, killing at least 20 people. Wounding more than 100.

And a reminder of how dangerous the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, remains, a suicide bomber targeted the intelligence headquarters in the central part of the city today, claiming four lives. And just a short time ago, CNN learned that U.S. military forces used fighter aircraft to carry out an air strike against ISIS near the Mosul Dam in northern attack. We are covering all sides of this developing story.

Our Anna Coren is live in Irbil and Erin McPike live at the White House here in Washington. And I want to begin with you, we're hearing of a possible massacre in the making now in one northern Iraqi Shiite town to be distinguished from the Sunis that make up ISIS largely. What do we know about what's being done to help the people living there?

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, not a lot and I think that's the problem. You're talking about the township of Amalie, which is about 100 miles north of Baghdad. Has a population of some 20,000 people and has been under siege from ISIS for the past two months. Well, ISIS has cut off the water and the power and according to local residents who we spoke to this afternoon, they say food and medical supplies are extremely low. They are predicting a humanitarian crisis.

Well, the U.N. special representative for Iraq has called this a potential massacre and is asking the international community to get involved now. The Iraqi prime minister designate, (INAUDIBLE) he has commended the forces on the ground. We're not talking about soldiers. We're talking about local police, we're talking about Shia militants, as well as villages who have literally have picked up AK-47s and have kept the ISIS militants at bay, but there really is a feeling that unless there is aid delivered, heard of only a few aid drops, thanks to Iraqi helicopters, unless they're evacuated from this township, that they could be a blood bath, there could be a massacre and that is what the U.N. says needs to be stopped.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BEN RHODES, DEPUTY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: I think the strategy is one that we want to evict - safe havens and squeeze the space that they're operating in, and ultimately, again push them out of the that space. Our contribution to that will come in many ways. It comes in the form of the air strikes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: So, those calls for assistance, help on the ground, they're falling on deaf ears, but hopefully, the Iraqi military and the international community will come in and obviously stop this massacre from occurring. Jim.

SCIUTTO: Another looming massacre in northern Iraq. Of course, it was the looming massacre of the Yezidi people that first sparked U.S. military strikes in Iraq. Thanks very much, Anna Coren. She's in Irbil in northern Iraq.

I want to turn now to Erin McPike. She's at the White House here in Washington. Erin, where does the U.S. strategy to deal with ISIS stand? We know that the administration now considering air strikes in Syria in addition to Iraq. Any closer to a decision?

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jim, what we know so far is that President Obama has not yet been presented with potential military operations for Syria. But intelligence officials are gathering information on ISIS targets and leadership positions within Syria, so we don't know when we're going to get an answer from the administration, but in the next few days, we assume that we will hear what those military options will be for Syria, but as Anna Coren was just talking about. Ben Rhodes, the deputy national security adviser and what the strategy is for Iraq, there have been hinting that they have had some success with beating back ISIS in Iraq and those methods might be applied to Syria as well.

SCIUTTO: Of course the big concern for Americans is how much of a direct threat ISIS is on American soil. I've been hearing from intelligence officials for months now that this is a great concern. What do we know now, what's the latest information about specific credible threats against Americans from ISIS?

MCPIKE: Well, that's just it, Jim, and we just got in a new bulletin from the FBI on some of those matters with respect to ISIS and they say that these home grown violent extremists remain highly unpredictable and that they are unaware of specific credible threats from ISIS itself as well as from home grown extremists that ISIS can recruit within the United States.

The last thing there is that they are warning that these air strikes, U.S. air strikes in both Iraq and Syria could trigger attacks, but because the recruitment process is so individualized, it's hard to predict what will trigger some of these attacks, Jim.

SCIUTTO: Always impossible to predict, intelligence is doing the best with what they have. Thanks very much to Erin McPike at the White House. Coming up, just how big a threat is ISIS to Syria, Iraq and maybe even the U.S. as we were discussing and did the White House ignore that group even as it was growing more dangerous?

Turning now to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. International monitors say that all 227 trucks that Russia sent into Ukraine have now returned to Russia. Russians (INAUDIBLE) with humanitarian aid but government in Kiev alleged at least some of them brought weapons for pro-Russian rebels.

The Ukrainian president met today with German leader, Angela Merkel, who said she has not ruled out more economic sanctions against Russia. President Poroshenko of Ukraine is set to meet with the Russian president Vladimir Putin on Tuesday in Belarus. A grave concern to Ukraine are the 18,000 Russian combat troops now amassed right near the Ukrainian border.

Israel's military is reporting that a rocket fired from Lebanon hit northern Israel a short time ago. We do not know yet any details on casualties or damages. Of course, to this point, those rockets has been coming out of Gaza. Meanwhile, 17 people were injured today when an Israeli air strike targeted a 14-story residential building in Gaza.

The Palestinian health ministry spokesman tells CNN the injured include six children who were standing near that building. Witnesses say before the air strike, the building got two warnings telling residents to get out and that strike caused that building to collapse.

Back home here in Ferguson, Missouri, supporters of Officer Darren Wilson have been quiet for the most part, but that may be changing. They were out in force today. We'll tell you about a rally for the officer accused of killing Michael Brown. That's right after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCIUTTO: Let's go now to Missouri are where the loudest voices came in support of the Ferguson police officer who shot and killed 18-year-old Michael Brown. Supporters took to the streets of St. Louis making their views very clear. Officer Darren Wilson supporters say they will not hide in the shadows anymore, even after they reportedly received threats to their safety. The leader of an online group supporting Wilson says it is time to stand up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our mission is to formally declare that we share the united belief that officer Wilson's actions on August 9th were warranted and justified and he has our unwavering support. Many of us have received death threats against ourselves and families. Contrary to media suggestions, we are not affiliated with any hate groups. At the end of the statement, the media will inevitably ask for my name, other's names and relationships, job titles, stories, et cetera. You want my name, my name is Darren Wilson. We are Darren Wilson. Thank you. (END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: It was two weeks ago today that Officer Wilson shot Michael Brown at least six times. Still do not know exactly what happened leading up to the shooting. Wilson has gone into hiding. A fund supporting him topped $300,000 this week. A few miles away in Ferguson, the latest protest grew fewer people and a lot less drama than the angry gatherings earlier this week. Now, the family of Michael Brown is preparing to lay their son to rest. A public funeral for the slain teenager is planned for Monday.

And now, we have this just in to CNN and that is that President Obama is ordering a review of all federal programs and funding that enable local law enforcement to buy military equipment. It is those images of military equipment, weapons, body armor, tear gas, et cetera on the streets of Ferguson that sparked so much controversy in the wake of the shooting of Michael Brown and the protests that followed that.

We have Erin McPike now live again from the White House. Erin, looking at this, it looks like a very comprehensive review covering just about everything, the training, and even the very basic question as to whether these programs are appropriate.

MCPIKE: Well, that's right and we just got this statement in from a senior administration official. I was just e-mailing with, it says the president has asked for a review of whether these programs are appropriate, whether state and local law enforcement are provided with the necessary training and guidance and whether the federal government has sufficiently auditing the use of equipment obtained through federal programs and funding.

Also, we know that this review will be led by not only White House staff, but different parts of the White House including the domestic policy council, the national security council, the office of management and budget and relevant U.S. agencies, including the Department of Defense, Homeland Security, Justice, Treasury and in coordination with Congress. So obviously, that is a very wide review because of the controversy that this has sparked. Jim.

SCIUTTO: No question. Do we know anything about the evolution of the White House thinking on this? We all saw those pictures and just watching Twitter, social media, the news coverage of this has shocked a lot of Americans to see military like tactics on the streets of an American neighborhood, an American city.

Is this the first time do we know that the White House has had questions about this or was it really all about Ferguson that brought this into the spotlight?

MCPIKE: It certainly is Ferguson that has brought it into the spotlight, Jim, but the president was making some inferences to this as early as Monday. We heard from a number of lawmakers throughout the past week who have expressed concern, so the White House once this review was ordered, was not shy about putting it out, but it certainly has been Ferguson that has brought it to the forefront. SCIUTTO: No question and certainly, those images that we've been showing on the screen just now. Thanks very much to Erin McPike at the White House.

Just recapping for our viewers, the president has directed a review of all federal programs and funding that enable state and local law enforcement including law enforcement in Ferguson, Missouri to have military equipment like we saw on the streets there. They're going to look into the training, funding and indeed whether these programs are appropriate at all.

We're going to follow that story throughout the day. Meanwhile, the Pentagon is measuring a threat abroad from ISIS. We know that the group is a terrible threat in Iraq, in Syria, but is it the new Taliban? That's right after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCIUTTO: It's safe to say many Americans had never heard of ISIS until just a few months or weeks ago or possibly not until the brutal killing of James Foley, in Syria but on Thursday, the U.S. defense secretary called ISIS "beyond anything we have seen." The Joint chief's chairman described the group's ideology as "apocalyptic."

Dire words from two men who often go out of their way to sound, to not sound alarmists. We want to talk about the ISIS threat with Ahmed Rashid. He is a journalist, the author of "Jihad and Taliban," very well versed in the rise of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.

Ahmed, I wonder if I could ask your expertise on this. When you look at ISIS, it has many things that Al-Qaeda never had. It has more territory. It is holding ground like a military. It has already declared a kole fit, which was long just a goal of Al-Qaeda. In your view, is ISIS more dangerous than Al-Qaeda?

AHMED RASHID, JOURNALIST: Yes, I think it's much more dangerous. It is combining two of the, two important elements from the Taliban and from Al-Qaeda. From the Taliban, from Al-Qaeda, they've learned the use of terror. And striking fear and beheadings and committing mass genocide of the fighters they're opposing and from the Taliban, they've learned the war tactic of the Taliban. The Americans are saying they've never seen anything like it (INAUDIBLE) in Afghanistan in the '90s, that the American forces were not. They had seen the way the Taliban swept up and down the country, conquering Afghanistan in just two years. And never getting out of their pick up truck, never fighting on foot.

In fact, using exactly the same tactics that we've seen ISIS use over the last six months or so. The speed of ISIS' ability to maneuver is exactly what the Taliban were doing in the '90s and I'm pretty certain that there are people from the Taliban (INAUDIBLE) Pakistanis who were possibly fighting with ISIS and giving them advice and helping them.

SCIUTTO: Mr. Rashid, I have to ask you because you know what's on the table in terms of U.S. options in response to this. They're talking about there have been air strikes in Iraq. They've been talking about the White House considering air strikes in Syria. Regarding the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, it took much more than air strikes to rest control of that country from the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. It took a ground force. Is the U.S. fooling itself here, are American leaders fooling itself here to think that they could beat ISIS without any troops on the ground, with just air power?

RASHID: Well, I certainly think it is. I mean you can win a certain number of battles against ISIS using air power, but you can't win the war. You can't eliminate the leadership, you can't eliminate the forces of ISIS, which seem to be multiplying. We heard that there are maybe 6,000, 7,000 troops that ISIS had in Iraq six months ago. The figure now is around 15,000 to 18,000, which means they're recruiting on the ground. They're getting foreign recruits.

Now, all this needs a much more sustained strategic campaign. The U.S. government doesn't have a strategy at the moment. It has a few tactics it's using like the use of air power but it does not have the strategy. I think what is absolutely vital is that it has to bring the Arab state, the other Arab states, some of whom are very badly threatened by ISIS, into the game and unite them and bring them together.

At the moment, remember the Arab states are very divided over a whole range of issues and also, work some kind of arrangement between Iran and Saudi Arabia because both are threatened by ISIS, but they won't work together on anything. And the U.S. has to play a much greater diplomatic role than so far we've seen.

SCIUTTO: Ahmed Rashid a long-time expert on Al-Qaeda and the Taliban calling ISIS the greater threat.

Coming up next hour, we're going to speak with Congressman Adam Schiff about this crisis, what the U.S. can do to strike ISIS and whether Congress will back the president.

Also here at home, something much lighter. The ice bucket challenge has helped raise lots of funds for ALS research, but while some people are having problems with it, one actor found the perfect solution and no one may be able to top it. That's right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCIUTTO: Actor Patrick Stewart took a more refined approach to the ice bucket challenge that is now sweeping the country.

But not everyone had such an easy time with the challenge.

CNN's Jeanne Moos has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Maybe you're feeling just a little bit inundated. By celebs like Brittney Spears and Ben Affleck. And Lady Gaga, cool as ice, taking the ALS ice bucket challenge, but if Toronto Mayor Rob Ford thinks his challenge was rough - ROB FORD, TORONTO MAYOR: That almost knocked out.

MOOS: That's not being almost knocked out. This is. Being caught by a metal pail, creamed by a cooler. There's a whole new category called ice bucket challenge failed. Sometimes, it's the dumper who fails. Sometimes, it's the dumpee. Sometimes, it's man's best friend.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here we go, buddy.

MOOS: Who despite being tied to a sawhorse runs for his life to avoid a bath.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, come here.

MOOS: Heavy containers of water are hard to hold on to and even harder when they hit your head. We checked, she wasn't hurt.

(on camera): Maybe the smart thing to do would be to wear protective gear. See, I'm fine.

(voice-over): But there's no protecting - dumpers from themselves.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Don't hurt yourself.

MOOS: Sometimes, you can blame the containers. And sometimes - you need a bigger bucket. Some ice bucket challenge fails can be attributed to structural defects. Say when a gutter gives way or a swim suit top topples.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you get it?

MOOS: This woman decided to take the challenge into her own hands and she figured the intended target wouldn't do it himself. She laid in wait on the roof until he left the house.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are you doing (INAUDIBLE).

MOOS: But there's no use crying over spilled ice water.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: That's got to hurt. "CNN NEWSROOM" continues at the top of the hour. Now "SANJAY GUPTA MD."