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NEW DAY

New Details On President's Speech Tonight; Secretary Kerry Arrives In Baghdad; NFL Commissioner Under Fire in Ray Rice Case

Aired September 10, 2014 - 06:00   ET

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


(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking new details on what the president will tell you tonight. His plan to take on ISIS. Airstrikes in Syria? How long? How much? And the latest on what John Kerry is doing in Baghdad this morning.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Goodell speaks. The commissioner of the NFL says they asked for the Ray Rice elevator tape, but never got it. This as he suggests Rice could eventually come back. We have the very latest.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Boiling over, a routine town hall meeting in Ferguson overflowing with anger. Residents lashing out at the government and police. This as a judge rules whether Michael Brown's juvenile records will be released.

CUOMO: Your NEW DAY starts right now.

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Chris Cuomo, Kate Bolduan, and Michaela Pereira.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CUOMO: Good morning, welcome to NEW DAY. It is Wednesday, September 10th, 6:00 in the East. Up first, a man with a plan. That's what President Obama is. He's now pitched Congress and is ready to present the plan to you. A major primetime address tonight, starting at 9:00 p.m. Eastern. A big question is whether or not the president even needs approval before carrying out his plan. In fact the administration feels they can carry out this plan without congressional approval including clear acts of war like bombing in Syria.

That's the big question. Will the president authorize airstrikes in Syria on his own? We're covering every angle of tonight's speech. Let's start first at the White House with Jim Acosta and very interesting, Jim, is what you're not hearing from Congress.

They were so angry about executive action. But now, maybe as long as 60 days of war, and they're basically going to wait and see. Interesting time down there.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Chris, that's right and I'm being told that we should look for three major themes in President Obama's speech to the nation this evening. The president will frame the threat posed by ISIS during this portion of the address.

The president will offer a big picture of how he views ISIS. Now it's become a core national security priority and as Josh Earnest mentioned during the briefing yesterday, how ISIS cannot be allowed to secure what they're calling a safe haven in that borderless part of the world.

That means both Iraq and Syria. Now second, he will lay out his strategy, this portion of the speech I'm told is obviously intended to counter the perception which he in fact foster that he does not have a plan for dealing with the ISIS threat.

The strategy as administration officials have specified involves building an international coalition including Arab partners in the region and Iraqi and potentially Syrian rebel boots on the ground, but no U.S. combat boots on the ground.

Third, this official says, the president will lay out a series of new proposals I'm told this will make some news on how the president plans to take the fight to ISIS to degrade and ultimately destroy the terror group.

At this point, Chris, it does appear the president is open to airstrikes in Syria. The question, of course, is when.

CUOMO: Proposals. That's a loaded word, Jim. Any chance to dig down? I know everybody is being very circumspect right now. They don't want to give it away before it comes, but any meat on those bones of what the proposal is? Is it like the Arab world will lead this fight and not us? What do you think?

ACOSTA: That is the big question, as you were saying a few minutes ago, Chris, the White House said last night the president believes he has all the authority he needs to carry out the mission he will lay out in the speech. So for now this official said the president will not be asking Congress for any additional authority.

Having said that, this official cautions, elements of the president's plans for ISIS are somewhat a work in progress. Not the overall strategy they insist, but the diplomatic outreach, which continues this week.

Secretary Kerry in the Middle East and the president goes to the U.N. later this month. Chris, I think the big question is whether or not the president has decided on whether he will authorize air strikes on ISIS targets in Syria.

My understanding from talking to administration officials is that the president is yes, he is ready to strike targets on ISIS in Syria. But whether or not we'll actually hear the president announce tonight that he is ordering those airstrikes, that is the big question.

We have not heard from officials that he is going to announce that he is ordering air strikes on ISIS targets in Syria. That's something they've not confirmed at this point -- Chris.

CUOMO: That's a very tricky part, Jim, right, because you have to distinguish political timing from military timing and what actually happens.

ACOSTA: That's right. The assessment is not there yet. I think they still want to assess those targets. They are still a lot of intelligence work that needs to be done. So I think the expectation that those strikes would start in the near-term, I don't hear that at this point yet from administration officials -- Chris.

CUOMO: Jim, appreciate you advancing the story for us. Good to have that -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: Also breaking this morning, John Kerry, the secretary of state, has landed in Baghdad. While the president is preparing his speech to the nation this evening, the secretary of state is delivering his own pitch now in the Middle East, trying to shore up some of that regional support that Jim Acosta was talking about.

Our global affairs correspondent, Elise Labott, is traveling with the secretary and is joining us now live from Baghdad. Elise, what are you learning? What's happening on the ground there?

ELISE LABOTT, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate, this new Iraqi government is seen as the centerpiece of this administration's strategy that the president will be laying out tonight.

As you know, a lot of Sunnis in the country felt very disaffected, marginalized under Prime Minister Al-Maliki. The hope is that the new prime minister will be able to bring around the Sunnis to be able to give them more of a power sharing and more of a stake in the country and shun ISIS.

And then after he meets with Iraqi leaders where he hones this message, he's going to be going on to Saudi Arabia tomorrow where he is going to be meeting with gulf leaders, trying to enlist that Sunni- Arab support for this fledgling government.

We're not just talking about military support, we're talking about drying up the financing, cracking down on the flow of foreign fighters, really seen as the lifeblood of this group. And then as you know, the president will be laying out his strategy tonight.

So when Secretary Kerry goes there tomorrow, Arab diplomats telling me they're looking for real concrete specifics on the strategy to see how they can best help the effort. And then the strategy will be really hammered home later this month at the United Nations -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely. Elise Labott in key location for us, traveling with the secretary of state in Baghdad, and his travels overseas in the region continue through this week. Elise, thank you so much.

Let's bring in CNN political commentators now, Margaret Hoover, Republican consultant and John Avlon, CNN political analyst and the editor-in-chief of "The Daily Beast." Clearly the president has a lot on his plate or actually a lot of pressure that he's up against to perform tonight because this is a whole different American public today than one year ago when he made his last primetime address.

We've now heard from Elise in the region, in Baghdad with John Kerry. We've got Jim Acosta laying out the framework, if you will, of the themes the president will be touching on. Jim seems to suggest there's going to be some surprise, some new proposals. Do you guys expect to hear any surprises, Margaret?

MARGARET HOOVER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: We need the president to lay out an entirely new reasoning. It doesn't necessarily have to be new.

BOLDUAN: Details or the makings of a strategy have been out there.

HOOVER: Yes, yes and no. At his own admission, not necessarily. What he needs to do is explain exactly why the American people need to invest our time, our precious resources, you know, blood and treasure and our finances right now.

Because look, this is a terrorist group that has territory the size of the state of Indiana, the largest in any history. Far larger than al Qaeda in Afghanistan. Many years ago before we were packed especially timely on the eve of 9/11.

He has to explain to the American people why we are still engaged in this fight. This is a sign of a president who wanted to get out of Iraq, but the office changes the person I think more than the circumstances change and that's what we're seeing here.

JOHN AVLON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I think in terms of details we're going to be seeing a couple of things. First of all, I wouldn't be surprised if the president sort of reinvigorates a conversation about a counterterrorism partnership fund.

Some $5 billion effectively in order to bring more partners to the fight. One of the real efforts is going to be that this is not simply chapter two in the Iraq war. This is not going to involve American boots on the ground.

It's in America's vital interest to try to contain, degrade and ultimately destroy ISIS. What's significant as Jim and Elise said is the fact that because this is a stateless organization, trying stop the caliphate across the borders of two states.

That there will be end up being military incursions into Syria whether it's airstrikes or Special Forces. That's historically significant. That's a big deal. The fact of the matter is the global war on terror continues 13 years after 9/11.

BOLDUAN: Elise is over there, traveling with the secretary. I wonder, she's traveling with the secretary, he's working as well as Secretary Hagel. They are working to shore up support for this regional coalition. Is it too early for the president to be coming out to announce a strategy that must involve a regional coalition when there's still working to shore it up?

AVLON: We go to war with coalition we've got. But Turkey, these regional actors are going to be essential. It's going to be essential because that's how Obama sees his strategy as being differentiated ultimately.

HOOVER: But this message is to the American people.

BOLDUAN: Is it less in your mind about ticking off $500 million to train and arm rebels, $5 billion for an overseas counterterrorism slush fund. Is it more about winning their support for this strategy?

HOOVER: This the theater of the American presidency in the bully pulpit. You have to lead by explaining to the American people what your vision is and enrolling them in it. And that's frankly what's been missing for so long and I applaud the president for taking the opportunity and doing it tonight.

Because as we've seen public opinion polling has changed significantly, especially in the wake of the beheading of these two American journalists. But what happens is if you tell and explain to the American people what the stakes are, the American people get on board.

Too often we've been saying the Americans don't want to go there, we're not interested, we're war-weary. That may be true, but if something needs to be done. The American people will be all for doing it.

BOLDUAN: Give me your take then, John. What really is at stake? I've heard from mostly Republicans saying this is the most important speech of President Obama's time in office. I mean, we've got a changing mood of the American public.

Just look at the opinion poll that we just released yesterday on how they, how Americans view airstrikes in Syria. Now 75 percent of those polled are in support of the U.S. conducting airstrikes in Syria. That's a huge change from a year ago when the president made his last primetime speech.

AVLON: It is. It's an indication of why you can't ultimately make strategy on popular polling. Presidents need to lead, not follow. The presidency is always full of series of significant speeches.

But in terms of actually putting specifics behind an Obama doctrine that responds to asymmetric threats like ISIS, these non-state actors, these terrorist organizations that represent new threats.

One of the biggest mistakes he will have made rhetorically is saying that it doesn't matter if you put on a Kobe jersey, it doesn't mean you're a member of the Lakers.

This is essentially a recognition that that was a major miscalculation on the part of the administration, the president, about the seriousness of ISIS. That the global threat from jihadism, still exists and needs to be confronted in a new form now.

Congress is really getting behind the president right now, but he needs to put on his communication hat, explain it clearly and add specifics behind it.

BOLDUAN: When you talk about the fact the president is not going to be seeking congressional authority and what that means for the relationship with Congress. They're going to behind the scenes, they're going to thank him this time. But that's a very big deal.

HOOVER: Midterm elections, it's hard to get Congress to do anything, isn't it?

BOLDUAN: We knew it before and we surely know it now. Margaret, John, great to see you, guys. Thank you so much.

Be sure of course to tune in 9:00 p.m. Eastern for President Obama's primetime speech. We'll bring it to you live followed by full analysis right here on CNN -- Michaela.

PEREIRA: All right, Kate, thanks so much. Good morning, everyone. Let's take a look at your headlines. We begin with breaking news, signs of hope in a fragile cease-fire in Eastern Ukraine.

Ukrainian president, Petro Poroshenko says 70 percent of Russian troops in Ukrainian territory have now withdrawn. The Kremlin says Poroshenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone and are said to be broadly satisfied with the truce in Eastern Ukraine.

How exactly do Americans feel about Congress? A new CNN/ORC poll reveals two out of three voters, 65 percent, believe the current Congress is the worst of their lifetimes. To highlight the lack of respect for lawmakers, only 31 percent of registered voters say they're enthused about heading to the polls in November.

The final night of primary season featuring a big win for former Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown in New Hampshire. He'll battle incumbent Democratic Senator Gene Shaheen in November.

Congressman John Tyranny is the first sitting Massachusetts Democrat in 22 years to lose a primary. He was knocked out by ex-Marine Seth Moulten. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo capturing the Democratic primary with 60 percent of the vote.

New details this morning about the death of comedy legend, Joan Rivers, the New York "Daily News" says an unplanned throat biopsy caused her vocal chords to seize and cutting off her air supply.

According to medical sources, Rivers might have survived the procedure if it had been done in a hospital instead of an outpatient clinic. An investigation is under way into her death.

In the meantime, after first saying Broadway would not go dark for Joan Rivers, officials reversed their decision. They dimmed the lights on theater marquees for one minute last night in memory of Joan Rivers. I'm glad they did.

CUOMO: They did. Two quick things, most endoscopies as we know aren't done in a hospital. It's not like she was doing something that unusual and I was happy about the Broadway thing. It was so odd, I don't know if you're following it. They said she doesn't meet the criteria for who we turn the lights out on. It seems to misunderstand what it's all about.

BOLDUAN: To apply a political phrase we use quite often, it seems a little tone-deaf.

CUOMO: Speaking of people who had difficulty saying things, the commissioner of the NFL is speaking out, Roger Goodell says not only did he not see the tape of Ray Rice cold-cocking his wife, he didn't know what was on the tape. Believable?

And does he think Ray Rice returns? We also hear from Rice's wife, herself. Is there more we don't know?

BOLDUAN: And emotions boiling over at the first city council meeting in Ferguson, Missouri since the shooting death of Michael Brown. What protesters were demanding, straight ahead.

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CUOMO: The NFL is in full damage control mode this morning, over the shocking Ray Rice elevator video.

Commissioner Roger Goodell tells his story to CBS.

And here it is: the league never saw the surveillance tape. They didn't know what was on it and they tried to get it. Basically, did what they could.

However, the owner of the Baltimore Ravens, taking a different tack -- owning a serious screw-up, apologizing to fans in a letter for the team's handling of the Rice investigation. At the same time, Rice's victim, now his wife, the woman you see on your screen there, she's defending her husband and slamming the media CNN's Miguel Marquez, following developments for us here.

Miguel, lots of damage. Control? Not so much.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Maybe not so much. It is starting to feel like a tidal wave of questions and disbelief. Roger Goodell is speaking out as the National Organization for Women call for his resignation, and he is defending his handling of the incident.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUEZ (voice-over): Under a firestorm of criticism, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell speaking out for the first time since this shocking video was released on Monday.

In an interview with CBS News, Goodell says the league never saw this video until after it was posted by TMZ sports. NORAH O'DONNELL, CBS NEWS: Did you know that a second tape existed

it?

ROGER GOODELL, NFL COMMISSIONER: Well, we had not seen any videotape of what occurred in the elevator, we assumed that there was a video, we asked for video. But we were never granted that opportunity.

O'DONNELL: But what changed? I mean, on the first tape, she was lying unconscious on the ground, being dragged out. Did you really need to see a videotape of Ray Rice punching her in the face to make this decision?

GOODELL: No. We certainly didn't. And I will tell you that what we saw in the first videotape was troubling to us in and of itself. But what we saw yesterday was extremely clear, is extremely graphic, and it was sickening.

MARQUEZ: But Revel Casino, where the attack occurred, said it gave copies of the video to police, prosecutors, the state division of gaming enforcement and to Ray Rice's own attorney.

Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti penning an open letter to fans on Tuesday to apologize, saying in part, "The decision to let Ray Rice go was unanimous. Seeing that video changed everything. We should have seen it earlier. We should have pursued our own investigation more vigorously, we didn't and we were wrong.

Rice's wife, Janay, breaking her innocence this Instagram post to defend her husband and blast the media. "To make us relive a moment in our lives that we regret every day is a horrible thing. To take something away from the man I love that he has worked his expletive all his life just to gain ratings is horrific.

This is our life. What don't you all get? If your intentions were to hurt us, embarrass us, make us feel alone, take all happiness away, you succeeded on so many levels."

The NFL commissioner insists the buck stops with him.

O'DONNELL: Did the NFL drop the ball? Or was the NFL willfully ignorant about what was on this tape?

GOODELL: Well, we certainly didn't know what was on the tape. But we have been very open and honest and I have, also, from two weeks ago when I acknowledged that we didn't get this right. That's my responsibility and I'm accountable for that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUEZ: Now, for the NFL commissioner to say that they thought that the tape might exist and not know, it's hard to believe, because so many people were talking about this, so many people had it. TMZ even reporting that representatives from the NFL went to the hotel to view the video. Whether that ever got back to Roger Goodell is another question -- Chris.

CUOMO: Miguel, thank you very much for the reporting.

It's one thing that the commissioner certainly right about is he is accountable for this. The question is, what will that accountability mean? Because this matters beyond Ray Rice. It matters to a sport that's beloved by so many of us. And the question of what will really be about going forward?

So, let's dig deeper. Let's bring in Mel Robbins, CNN commentator, legal analyst.

Mel, it's good to have you here.

Let's look at this specifically point by point -- each of the relevant aspects of this.

The first, this man needs to be tested, Roger Goodell. The credibility of everything this league does is up in the air right now. And it matters on a lot of levels.

Is it the right decision to even come out publicly with a network that has big NFL contract? Aren't you automatically with the safe harbor? And does it immediately make suspicious anything that Goodell says?

MEL ROBBINS, CNN COMMENTATOR: You know, Chris, good morning. That's an absolutely excellent point.

But beyond the fact that he went to a safe harbor for the interview, let's take a look at one of the things he said. That they didn't know what was on the tape? What did they think -- that Ray Rice was serving her dinner inside the elevator? Are you kidding?

He just sat there in that chair and lied to the American public as far as I'm concerned. They knew exactly what happened in that elevator.

CUOMO: And very interesting, Mel, just so everybody understands what's on the table right now. Replay this one particular sound bite again, because Mel's right, it's what it's all about.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOODELL: Well, we certainly didn't know what was on the tape. But we have been very open and honest, and I have, also, from two weeks ago when I acknowledged that we didn't get this right. That's my responsibility and I'm accountable for that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: Last two parts, everybody will agree with. You didn't get it right, you should be accountable and we'll talk about what that means. But the first two parts, Mel, we certainly didn't know what was on the tape and we've been honest and open.

Do you believe that only exist in opposite world?

ROBBINS: It's a bunch of malarkey, Chris, honestly, that they didn't know what existed on the tape. We all know the narrative here. TMZ rubbed their face in a pile of dung and it wasn't until the commissioner of the NFL and the Ravens were forced to actually watch this happen that they were backed in to a corner and had to react, Chris.

CUOMO: And I'll tell you, can you name another situation, where you had this situation where there was this element of unknown? Is it what Mel says or is it what Chris says? We don't really know.

But you know there's a piece of videotape and you know there's an episode that could be examined that will prove what happened and they don't make the steps they needed to make to find out what was on it. Not viewing the tape, they didn't have to view the tape, right? That's an end run around the situation.

But they had every reason to find out what happened in that elevator, true?

ROBBINS: Actually, no. They had every reason not to find out what happened in that elevator, because Roger Goodell cares about one thing -- playing football. The faster this incident got resolved, Chris, the faster they could go back to the business of football.

And the truth of the matter is, and this is a common-sense point -- if he wanted to see what was on that tape, he would have insisted on getting the tape. He didn't want to see what was on that tape, which is why they didn't press for it, Chris.

CUOMO: And look, the truth of the matter is, Ray Rice said he punched his wife in the elevator. She hit her head on the railing, went down.

Did she also say -- did he also say, yes, I was provoked into it, I had to do it? We believe yes there are reports he said that to his teammates. His lawyer, talking about somebody else who gets a hit on this, the lawyers, remember, his lawyer came out in the beginning -- Ray Rice's lawyer, and said, when all the facts come out, you'll have a better understanding of what exactly happened.

He was right. But not for the way he was misleading us early on. He was right because it makes it even worse, true?

ROBBINS: Absolutely true. His own lawyer after seeing the tape went on air and talked about hypothetically speaking if you were provoked and hypothetically speaking if there was an argument here and hypothetically speaking. So he trashed the victim, Janay, yet again, in the media.

I mean, one of the big problems I have with the way that the NFL handled this, is that the end of the day, Chris, yes, the NFL brand is tarnished. But Janay was first abused by her husband. I believe based on every single misstep that was colossal in this case, based from the NFL, from the Ravens, Janay Rice has been a abused over and over again, Chris.

CUOMO: So, she comes out -- part of the news this morning is Janay comes out and she gives a statement. You've heard us. You've embarrassed us. This is about the media. This is about ratings. She's angry and outrage. You cannot judge her because she is the victim in this situation. But what do you make of what's motivating her comments?

ROBBINS: Well, couple things, Chris. I think a lot of people were surprised, a lot of people are judging her for what she said. And for my vantage point, you're talking about a woman that was battered. And you're talking about a woman that was battered not only by her husband, but by the NFL and by the Ravens.

She's not your typical victim where she's concerned about the blame that her batterer is going to have. That her family and friends will have. This is a woman where the weight of the NFL was on her shoulders. And to me, because the NFL screwed this up so badly, Chris, they basically backed her into a corner where her only choice and her only refuge, as sick as it sounds, is to be on Ray Rice's side.

CUOMO: And one of the things that just shows they're in spin control, but don't know which direction to go, they changed the penalty now, it's six games, if you violate this policy of punching your wife in the face. And then if you do it a second time. There's potential ouster.

But Ray Rice, is suspended indefinitely. How? If your penalty is six games, how is he out indefinitely? They're just trying to hide the fact that he's going to come back. The question is just when?

Mel, we got to leave it there for now. Everybody should read what you wrote on CNN.com about blaming the victim and implications that go way beyond football, strong piece. Mel, thank you for being on with us this morning.

ROBBINS: Thanks, Chris.

CUOMO: This is just the beginning of the conversation. We're going to have more on the Ray Rice scandal, including an in-depth look at the man at the center of it, no longer Ray Rice or his wife. It's the NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, how he got where he is and where he may be going as a result of this, ahead.

Plus, tensions flaring up again in Ferguson, Missouri, not in the streets this time, inside city council chambers. What went down and why? We'll show you.

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