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THE LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER

Barack Obama Answering Questions about Ukraine, ISIS and Immigration; Second Killed American ISIS Member IDed; Why Terrorists Target Minnesota for Recruits

Aired August 28, 2014 - 16:30   ET

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


BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: But you know, some of these things do affect time lines and we're just going to be working through as systematically as possible in order to get this done. But have no doubt: in the absence of congressional action, I'm going to do what I can to make sure the system works better.

QUESTION: Did you announce -- ?

OBAMA: All right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: President Obama leaving the White House briefing room after roughly 32 minutes of giving a statement and talking to reporters making two main points. One that Russian troops are in Ukraine although he begged off using the word invasion and two, that he will be considering a range of options when it comes to how to deal with the threat of the terrorist group ISIS but he wanted to caution people that reports out there were getting way ahead of the reality of where the planning is. Let's go to our chief national security correspondent Jim Sciutto. Jim, it didn't sound as though President Obama was planning on any imminent actions.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not at all. I think you see the president here throwing the brakes on, right? Saying that folks are getting ahead of things on action in Syria, in fact, the most remarkable words in the press conference Jake that I heard were these. We don't have a strategy yet on the response to ISIS. You know which is, of course, the criticism that's been leveled at the president. Why isn't there a strategy? There's a tactical response, not a strategic response but the president saying that as justification for delay in action saying that he wants, one, to build something of a regional coalition to act against ISIS before taking further military action. Not quite taking military action in Syria off the table, but taking it away as anything imminent. And, of course, he said that he's going to dispatch John Kerry to the region to help build that coalition, but similarly, to take people off the idea that there will be immediate action against Russia as well. Saying that as you say, he's not going to call it an invasion and making the case that so far, raising the economic costs on Russia through sanctions has been working, but frankly Jake, as you see, Russia continued to take military moves inside Ukraine. I just don't see and many of the president's critics don't see the evidence for the president's statement that that strategy is working with regards to Ukraine. TAPPER: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon, President Obama saying that

there is no military solution to the problem in Ukraine for the United States. And interestingly, defining the U.S. strategy in Iraq right now when it comes to the threat of ISIS very narrowly. He used the term limited and he said number one, we're focusing on protecting the American people, people in the -- not the embassy but the place where U.S. citizens are and two, that humanitarian acts will be taken such as the one on the mountain he said "where we can," a very limited role he was describing.

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's really, you know, sort of, this is the president that doesn't beat the war drum but you have to wonder exactly what message he was sending here today. Let's be very clear. ISIS heard all of this. So the president of the United States says we have no strategy yet. This is a little surprising because of course, the Pentagon has openly acknowledged they are working on military options. Military options to pursue what strategy? There must it be something out there or what are these options that the Pentagon's been scribbling away at for weeks now. Where are they really headed? The president talked about degrading ISIS, but remember it was Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel just a couple of days ago that said ISIS was like no threat we've ever seen. There has been concern about a homeland threat from ISIS down the road. And yet, no strategy to deal with it. Very blunt, very honest, absolutely where the president is on all of this no question about that. But perhaps worth remembering that ISIS fighters, ISIS leadership will hear this statement that the U.S. right now has no strategy to deal with them. I don't think anybody thought a military strategy was the whole answer, but no strategy? A little odd perhaps.

On Ukraine, the same thing. The problem is, he has perhaps now sent Putin a message. No one thought the U.S. was going to send troops into Ukraine to fight the Russians. But was there any middle ground? The Ukrainians have been asking for U.S. arms. The Pentagon, the State Department not willing to go that far. So I'm not sure where all of this leaves us today other than to say it seems in both cases, nothing's happening for a while.

TAPPER: Jim Acosta at the White House, Jim, the president began his remarks by delivering news on he said the issue that most Americans are concerned about and that is of course, the economy talking about how the most recent quarter had a four percent growth, very strong much stronger than people had believed. I get the feeling that he would have rather talked about that for the entire press conference than about Ukraine and Iraq and Syria, Jim.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And this is a White House, Jake, that has been sort of starved for good news lately, but getting back to what you were talking about there with Barbara Starr and Jim Sciutto, I think this takes us back to something that we've observed about the president before, that he is a cautious commander- in-chief. His critics say he's a reluctant worrier, but he is cautious. And we were getting rumblings all week long that perhaps and the president said sort of boldly that we don't have a strategy or we don't have a plan, he may have been talking about just the situation in Syria, but not the overall ISIS strategy. It will be interesting to get some insights from White House officials

as to what the president exactly meant when he said that. But I think what you heard from the president there during this press conference and believe me, this was supposed to be a statement. It turned into a press conference. They've canceled the White House briefing with Josh Earnest because the president took so many questions. That the president sort of time and again said, well, we need to work with regional partners. He's sending Secretary of State John Kerry into the region. He also chastised what he called state actors in the region who were sort of ambivalent about this threat posed by ISIS. The president not exactly trusting of all the actors in that area. No surprise to this White House that that would be the case.

But Jake, I think the big news here is that the president once again went right up to the edge where at least it appeared to be going right up to the edge of taking military action in Syria and decided that it was better off to wait and to look at this a bit longer.

He's going to be meeting with his national security team to go over all of this. And the president did make the remarks during this press conference that the White House that the United States is making some gains when it comes to going after ISIS targets in Iraq.

I think the president wants to see the progress from that a little bit more before opening up a new military exercise in Syria. They're just not there the yet.

As for Russia and Ukraine, it was very interesting the president is inviting the Ukrainian president, Poroshenko, here to the White House later next month after he meets with NATO allies.

He once again said that Article 5 of the NATO charter is sacrosanct to the United States. That was a message to Estonia and those other smaller NATO countries that the United States will be by their side -- Jake.

TAPPER: Thanks Jim. Gloria, there seemed to be different messages coming out from the administration. You have Chuck Hagel, the defense secretary saying the threat from ISIS is like nothing we've seen.

And you have President Obama saying our core priority when it comes to ISIS making sure our folks are safe. A reference to the U.S. personnel and the consulate in Erbil.

GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: Yet, at the same time, he also said if you look at the broader strategy, which he kind of hinted at, he said we have to stabilize Syria in some fashion. We don't know what that means.

If you take a step back, look where we were a year ago, we you know, a year ago, this is the president who drew a red line on chemical weapons, walked up to the red line and then pulled back.

His vice president got out in front. His secretary of state got out in front and then he pulled back. That was not a great political moment for him and I think what he's trying to do now is not get himself in that same situation.

So he's saying to everybody, just hold back. We're clearly doing a lot of intelligence and figure out whether these air strikes in Syria can be effective. And so you know, this is a president who doesn't want to make that same mistake twice.

So he's kind of telling everybody to hold off and hold off and hold off. He's going to do it as long as he possibly can.

TAPPER: Polls would indicate that the American people are with President Obama on this issue, on using U.S. force.

Coming up next, we've now learned the name of the second American supposedly killed while fighting for ISIS in Syria. We're reveal the startling common link between him and the other American ISIS member, Douglas McAuthur McCain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: Welcome back to THE LEAD. In more world news, we've now learned the name of the second American said to have been killed while fighting for the terrorist group, ISIS in Syria over the weekend.

A U.S. official tells CNN that he was Abdurakman Muhammad and a family friend confirms it. We're continuing to learn more about him and how he was radicalized. We've already reported the name of the other American ISIS member killed, Douglas McAuthur McCain.

Various reports have indicated that Muhammad like McCain had ties to Minnesota. Let's go to Minnesota to our own Ted Rowlands, who is standing by in Minneapolis.

Ted, it has to be something besides the climate that would draw Americans like these from Minnesota to the battlefield in Syria.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, quite frankly, Jake, they are being recruited. In fact, two of the men who have gone from Minneapolis to go fight were friends back in high school.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROWLANDS (voice-over): Two Americans friends in high school both killed while fighting for extremist groups overseas. Douglas McAuthur McCain and Troy Castigar reportedly struck up a close friendship while attending Robins Dale Cooper High School in New Hope, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis.

While neither of them were raised Muslim, they had many friends who were members of Minneapolis' large population of Somali immigrants and eventually they both converted to Islam.

KENYATA MCCAIN, COUSIN OF DOUGLAS MCARTHUR MCCAIN: He grew to have like really strong Muslim beliefs so much to the fact where like he was almost like turning into a Somalian because had he like a lot of Somalian friends. ROWLANDS: In an interview with the "New York Daily News," Castigar's mother reportedly said, quote, "I think both of them had a really strong desire to be needed and be of value."

Castigar was killed five years ago in Somalia while fighting for the terror group, Al Shabaab. That group made it clear they were trying to recruit more fighters like him, Castigar and two others men calling themselves the Minnesota matters starred in this video.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you only knew how much fun we have over here. This is the real Disneyland. Come here and join us. Take pleasure in this fun. We walk amongst the lions.

ROWLANDS: Before becoming Jihadis, McCain and Castigar seemed more like troubled teenagers. While living in the U.S., Castigar had a few run-ins with the law. Ten years ago, he was charged with giving false information to police and two DWIs.

McCain was also arrested at least six times all for minor offenses, but he went on the U.S. law enforcement authority's radar in early 2000 due to his association with other known terrorists.

The State Department says they knew about McCain's ties to ISIS. His body was identified when the group who killed him found his U.S. passport. Minneapolis Somali community leader, Omar Jamal, says he's worried there are more would-be terrorist who have made their way from Minnesota to Syria and may want to come back bringing jihad with them.

OMAR JAMAL, SOMALI COMMUNITY LEADER: With a U.S. passport. Not only U.S. passport, but also European passports might one day come here and do something.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROWLANDS: And that really is the big fear, Jake. That is what the FBI is tracking very closely not only here in Minneapolis, but across the country trying to find these young men who are being actively recruited.

TAPPER: Ted Rowlands, thank you so much. Coming up after a frantic search, a tragic discovery in a Jerusalem forest. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: Welcome back to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper. In one other world news story, a sad ending in a region of the world so overrun with tragedy. An Israeli police spokesman announced earlier that the body of the missing American, Aaron Sofer, was found in a Jerusalem forest.

Sofer, a student vanished late Friday while hiking in the woods with a friend. Rescue teams had been combing through the area hoping to find Sofer alive. His parents had rushed from their Lakewood, New Jersey, home to aid in the search. Sadly to no avail.

Investigators have yet to determine how Sofer died or if there are any indications of foul play was in any way a factor. Sofer was 23 years old.

Make sure to follow me on Twitter @jaketapper. That's all one word and at theleadcnn. Check out our show page at cnn.com/thelead for video, blogs, extras. You can subscribe to our magazine on this crazy new thing called "Flip Board."

That's it for THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper. I turn you over to Wolf Blitzer. He is in "THE SITUATION ROOM" -- Wolf.

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