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Gulf Countries Pledge to Fight ISIS; NYC Quiet on 13th Anniversary of 9/11; Did NFL See Ray Rice Tape?

Aired September 11, 2014 - 14:00   ET

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


RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye, in today for Brooke Baldwin. Breaking news this hour, America's Arab allies joining the strategy that President Obama outlined last night, to dismantle and destroy ISIS.

Secretary of State John Kerry working in Saudi Arabia to get everybody on the same page. Onboard with the plan, listen to this list: Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman.

Now all have agreed to a coordinated military plan against ISIS and stronger support for the new government of Iraq. The countries also agree to join the United States in cutting off money and fighters flowing to ISIS, and to help rebuild cities and towns devastated by the terror group.

The next stops for Secretary Kerry, Turkey, then Egypt to discuss how to bring stability to Iraq and Syria.

From Australia to Britain, rallying the usual allies in this ISIS fight is one thing, but today's news, the support of these Arab countries is an asset that cannot be understated.

And incidentally, it's the very game of friends and enemies that may be the ultimate destruction of ISIS. And my next guest is here to explain, Kurt Eichenwald, contributing editor at Vanity Fair, joining me now.

Kurt, nice to see you. You just wrote this piece for Newsweek magazine, "ISIS's Enemy List: 10 Reasons the Islamic State is Doomed." And those 10 reasons are actually its enemies. We have them right here. I'm just going to keep this list up for a bit.

But, really, hone in, if you can, on a few of these. The first of course being the U.S. I mean, we heard the news that its allies in this fight now include this list of Arab countries. So how does this change things?

KURT EICHENWALD, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, VANITY FAIR: Well, we've obviously taken the right path. I mean, one of the things that people don't understand I think -- or too many people don't understand, is ISIS is not al Qaeda.

While they both are truly focused on the United States, al Qaeda goes from the mindset of first you attack the United States, then you purify Islam. ISIS goes the other direction. They want to purify Islam and then go after the United States.

What that means for them is that they slaughter every Muslim who they don't think is pure. And when you go through the list of who they don't think is pure, it's virtually every Muslim except them.

You have -- they have gone after Hezbollah. They've gone after -- they've actually condemned the head of al Qaeda as an apostate. They have -- obviously they're going after the Shia. They are killing Sunni. They are killing -- you know, there are a group of the Islamists in Syria, seven of them, seven groups have bound together in order to fight ISIS.

So if we hadn't been able to bring in the Arab nations, if we hadn't been able to bring in the Arab groups, we would be in a very difficult situation, because that's what ISIS was hoping for. Their biggest fear are other Muslims.

KAYE: But next let's talk about Iran and Syrian governments. I mean, the irony here that we now share the very same enemy. But do you see the U.S. working with Syria and Iran in a real way here?

EICHENWALD: I cannot imagine that we will be working with Syria. I think we will be working with the seven groups that are fighting Syria but solely in the role of helping them fight ISIS.

Iran, I think, what we're having already is a wink and nod cooperation. Iran is Shia. They are right next door to Iraq. They are as threatened by a Sunni -- you know, Sunnis and Shias are always against each other. They are as threatened by a group of Sunni psychopaths, which is what ISIS really is, as anybody.

And fortunately Iran also has one of the strongest militaries in the Middle East. So what you've got is a situation where our interests and Iran's interests are allied. Our interests and virtually every nation and every group in the Middle East are aligned.

And the danger would be that if we put lots of boots on the ground and we went in and started, you know, a major fight, well, remember, these are enemies who are now sharing our interests.

ISIS was hoping we would do that because then they could turn everyone against us and get everyone away from going after them. What we've done now is create this very rickety but essential alliance between all of these different Muslim states and organizations and the United States.

KAYE: Yes, well, as you said, I mean, ISIS will be defeated by its own brutality against the people who might otherwise be its allies, as you wrote in that article. Kurt Eichenwald, appreciate your time. Thank you so much.

EICHENWALD: Thanks for having me.

KAYE: The U.S. gains crucial Arab support for the fight against the terror group ISIS as Americans observe the anniversary of the worst terror attack ever on U.S. soil, 9/11. As we all remember the victims of September 11th, those who are supposed to keep us safe are focused on the most likely terror targets: tunnels and bridges. CNN's Poppy Harlow is at the Brooklyn Bridge.

And, Poppy, you've been there much of the day. Are there any specific threats against bridges or tunnels in New York City that we should know about?

POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm happy to report absolutely not at this point, Randi. And that coming from the head of the NYPD, Bill Bratton, telling us this morning, as he has been saying all week, they do not know about any specific threats to New York City this week around the anniversary.

But that does not mean that they are not on very high alert. The NYPD always, always is watching potential targets like behind me, the Brooklyn Bridge, all of the tunnels, the subway system here.

They have 7,000-plus cameras just in Lower Manhattan alone. You cannot drive in and out of New York City without your license plate being monitored and recorded. They have 1,000-plus NYPD officers solely on the anti-terrorism division. That gives you a sense of what they're looking at.

This morning, when I spoke with Bill Bratton, the head of the NYPD, we talked about how the city is prepared for today and what they're facing. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM BRATTON, NYPD COMMISSIONER: Well, there's multiple potential threats, certainly from al Qaeda, now the new and growing potential threat with ISIS. And the NYPD and our federal colleagues have to be constantly vigilant against potential of an attack.

There's nothing that we are aware of today that is specifically targeting this city on this particularly significant day. But the nature of terrorism is that you have to be constantly vigilant to try and prevent it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: And, you know, Randi, one thing that he said that really stood out to me is, we are vigilant and working to keep up with what they, the terrorists, are developing. Every time they develop something different, the security measures for us at airports changes. We notice it in that way.

The NYPD has to stay on their toes as things change here because the threat is constantly evolving even though it is not imminent to this city, thank goodness, right now.

KAYE: Poppy Harlow for us. Thank you. Good to know they're watching, certainly.

Just ahead, a potential bombshell in the investigation over whether the NFL saw the video of Ray Rice beating his then fiance. There is reportedly proof someone is not telling the truth.

Plus, outrage after an NBA star suggests a man is not beating a woman if she strikes first. Yes, you heard me correctly. Hear from the critics who are pouncing on him and what the player is now saying.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: In the case of Ray Rice and the videotape, was there a cover-up? The NFL announced it is enlisting a former head of the FBI to find out. The league says Robert Mueller will lead an "independent investigation" into the "pursuit and handling of evidence" that showed the ex-Baltimore Raven knocking his now-wife out cold.

Goodell insisted to CBS he never saw Rice strike his wife before handing down the much-criticized two-game suspension. Goodell told reporters Wednesday what Rice said happened did not match the video.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROGER GOODELL, NFL COMMISSIONER: The description of what happened was not consistent with what the videotape was. And, you know, when you see that, that was clear. And that's why we took the action that we did. It was completely unacceptable. It was graphic. It was violent. And it was something that we felt we had to take an immediate reaction to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: And Goodell maintains no one in the NFL saw the knockout footage. That brings us to the alleged cover-up, because the Associated Press is reporting this. That a law enforcement official, without being asked, provided a copy of the video to the NFL five months ago.

The AP says a woman left a message acknowledging its receipt saying, "you're right, it's terrible." The NFL says it's looking into it.

While Rice's boss, the Ravens owner, says he's taking a hard looking at it himself for messing up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE BISCIOTTI, OWNER, BALTIMORE RAVENS: I was picturing her whaling on him and him smacking her and maybe her head was this far from the wall, and with her inebriation, dropped. So why did I conclude all of that? Because I wanted to. Because I loved him. Because he had a stellar record. And the cops had already seen the video.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Now with me, Ashleigh Banfield, anchor of CNN's "LEGAL VIEW."

So, Ashleigh, Robert Mueller, I mean, he led the FBI in the past, but still some are questioning how independent this investigation is really going to be.

ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, great resume. You can't get better than that. He was head of the FBI.

KAYE: Right.

BANFIELD: This man knows how to investigate. But he also is with a law firm based in Washington, D.C., that is very tied to NFL issues. His law firm helped negotiate the NFL Sunday Ticket with DirecTV. They also helped to negotiate the Dallas Cowboys purchase. Not only that, but they've represented the Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder.

And the two guys who are overseeing him are owners. It's a little odd to hear that. They're NFL owners. And they themselves have, of course, the connections, big, big connections to the NFL.

KAYE: So it's a little cozy.

BANFIELD: Oh, they're members of key NFL committees. They've advised Goodell throughout his tenure. So it is a cozy, cozy relationship.

KAYE: Yes. My next question, though, what happens -- and we were talking so much about, you know, did they see the tape or did they not see the tape. What happens if it is determined that the NFL did actually view this tape before it gave Ray Rice this two-game suspension?

BANFIELD: So we're not talking about the criminal justice system anymore. And by the way, shame on the criminal justice system for letting this one go and giving this pretrial, you know, special treatment.

We're talking about a private club again, very much like we were talking about with the NBA. So they come out with a plan. Expect a great time line. You're probably going to see a really good time line.

But after that, you know, they don't even have subpoena power. They're relying on the good hearts of those within the NFL to just volunteer everything. And then once you have got the reports, sure it's public, but then what?

It's up to the owners to decide if Goodell has got to go. And, look, they love him. He has done wonders for them. Or it's up to Goodell himself to say, in the interest of the public image, and "the shield," as they call it, I've got to go.

But everybody who is talking about this, online bloggers, the sports community, and reporters, all saying don't expect this man to go any time soon.

KAYE: And if they did know, it is going to be something if they had seen that tape. BANFIELD: Do you know what else though? We're all talking about

it now, but these news cycles do have a way of playing themselves out. And perhaps this long investigation, as is it is probably going to be, might help in that respect.

KAYE: I know you're not going to forget it, though.

BANFIELD: Heck no. I have a show called "LEGAL VIEW." Are you kidding me?

(LAUGHTER)

KAYE: I know. That's why. Don't mess with you. All right, Ashleigh, thank you. Nice to see you.

BANFIELD: Thanks, Randi. You too.

KAYE: From emotions to outrage, an NBA star suggests a man isn't beating a woman if she strikes first. Next, I'll speak with a couple of women who have some pretty strong opinions about that remark.

Plus, tonight, the Ravens are playing in front of a national audience and the person singing the opening theme song, Rihanna, a victim of domestic violence. Stay right here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: The Ray Rice controversy is without a doubt exposing how some people really feel about domestic abuse. Pro athletes included. NBA star Paul George tweeted his ill-advised thoughts on Rice's situation, and now, guess what, he is regretting that.

I want to read you some of what he tweeted. Quoting here. "I don't condone hitting women or think its cool, but if she ain't tripping then I ain't tripping. Let's keep it moving. LOL. Let that man play."

So joining me now to discuss, Sil Lai Abrams, founder of Truth in Reality. She's a domestic violence activist and contributor to ebony.com. And also with me, CNN entertainment correspondent Nischelle Turner.

Nice to see both of you. Nischelle, let me start with you. So George tweeted more after that, right?

NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Yes, did he.

KAYE: He sure did, right? Just keeps going. What more did he say?

TURNER: Well, lots. First of all, first thing, there's no LOL when we're talking about domestic violence, Paul George, first of all. But second of all, if the first tweet wasn't bad enough, then he did go on to say more.

He tweeted after that: "If you're in a relationship and a woman hit you first and attacking you, then you obviously ain't beating her. Homey made a bad choice #stayup."

And after I saw this, Randi, I have to tell you, I thought a couple of things. First of all, how long is it going to take for him to delete the tweets? And how long is it going to take for him to put up a retraction? It was probably five minutes before that happened.

Because then he deleted the tweets that he put up. He put up an apology saying he was sorry to the victims of domestic violence. But then it seemed like that the NBA got involved because not too long after we got then a statement from his team, the Indiana Pacers, and also an apology statement from him.

Larry Bird, who is the president of basketball operations for the Indiana Pacers sent us this statement. He said: "Paul George's tweets from earlier were thoughtless and without regard to the subject of domestic violence and its seriousness in society. We have talked to Paul to strongly express our displeasure and made it clear that the NBA and the Pacers organization will not condone or tolerate remarks of this nature. Paul understands that he was wrong and why his tweets were so inappropriate and is very apologetic.

Paul George himself said: "I want to apologize to all victims of domestic abuse for my insensitive tweets. They were obviously without proper understanding of the seriousness of the situation and I seriously regret my poor choice of words."

Now Paul George is not just a star in the NBA, he's on the cusp of superstardom. He's the face of that franchise. So this is a bad look.

KAYE: Well, that's what I was just going to say, I mean, Sil Lai, you know, a lot of young people look up to this guy. I mean, what kind of message do these tweets send?

SIL LAI ABRAMS, FOUNDER, TRUTH IN REALITY: I mean, the obvious message is that Paul George is seriously misinformed, at the best. potentially misogynist, and someone who does not have a clear understanding of what domestic abuse is.

To copy what you said, to put an LOL? I mean, come on. Have we not had enough examples over the last couple years of what happens when you put something out on Twitter?

Look, free speech? That is a part of our Constitution. You are free to say whatever it is that you want to say. But you are not free from the consequences. And what he is saying unfortunately really reflects society's overall perspective on domestic violence.

It's a joke. And you think about one of his tweets when he said that Ray Rice made a mistake. Let's be clear. Domestic violence is not a mistake. You just don't mistakenly knock your fiance out and drag her out of an elevator. You don't mistakenly subject your partner to a pattern of coercive and controlling behaviors intended to subjugate and dominate her.

KAYE: Yes. And it's certainly nothing to be tweeting lightly about or sending out those messages. But certainly the woman being the aggressor continues to be a part of this conversation, and that women shouldn't provoke being hit by a man.

I mean, what is your reaction?

TURNER: Well, that is what troubles me so much. And I think that has become a narrative and a false narrative in this whole situation. And I feel like it's a little bit historic, because I think that it kind of places this devaluation on an African-American woman to say, you know, that she somehow provokes it, maybe, you know, and throughout history...

KAYE: And that would be OK.

TURNER: Right, throughout history, black women have been known, oh, she may have a smart mouth or she's an angry black woman, or she is always talking back. So somehow that we have done something to provoke something like this, that narrative has to stop. Enough. I'm so tired of it. I can't even tell you, Randi.

ABRAMS: But this is such a common tactic by abusers, by the media, by corporations, to deflect attention away from the real crime. Janay Rice is not on trial here. But unfortunately she has been put on trial based upon her decision to stay with her batterer.

But, again...

KAYE: And what did she do to provoke it.

ABRAMS: And what she allegedly did, which the video shows, she did nothing to provoke it. And that's what's insane is that you see people on Twitter that keep saying, well, what if your wife hits you? What are you supposed to do?

And it's like, OK, look, let's stay on point, people. We're talking about a specific instance in which a woman did not provoke her batterer, and he knocked her out. And let's -- and I want to be very clear about another fact.

People say, well, how do you know that this is a pattern? How do you know he's actually an abuser? I can guarantee you this, that Ray Rice did not just wake up that day or that night because he had a couple drinks and decided that he was going to knock his fiance out.

Way before a batterer ever puts his hands on you, he has conditioned you through psychological terrorism, emotional abuse, and other forms of behavior that basically prime you to accept that first hit.

And so that's what people need to understand. If someone is knocking his woman out in a public forum, I cringe to think about what's actually happening behind the scenes when the camera aren't rolling.

KAYE: Absolutely, which a lot of people, a lot of people have said. TURNER: I'm glad we're having this conversation, I really am.

KAYE: I agree. I agree.

TURNER: I really am glad that we're talking about this and having this dialogue.

KAYE: It's time. Nischelle Turner, Sil Lai Abrams, thank you both. Nice to see you guys.

Breaking right now, an important alliance for President Obama and his strategy to destroy the terror group ISIS. A coalition of almost a dozen Arab nations joining the fight today, agreeing to what's called a coordinated military campaign against ISIS.

The agreement follows meetings today with Secretary of State John Kerry in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Kerry just talked with our global affairs correspondent Elise Labott, and she's joining me now on the phone from Jeddah to talk about what they discussed.

Elise, what can you tell us?

ELISE LABOTT, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Randi, Secretary Kerry obviously here in Jeddah meeting with Gulf states, trying to enlist Sunni Arab support, not just for the new government in Iraq, but also for this global coalition going against ISIS.

And I asked Secretary Kerry, is America at war with ISIS? Because it sure sounded in President Obama's speech like we were. The secretary said that's not the right terminology. He said the U.S. isn't at war. There are a lot of things going on in this global campaign that one doesn't necessarily think about in the context of a war.

This is a very -- what he called a significant counterterrorism operation that's going to have a lot of different spaces, a lot of different aspects to it, and a lot of different moving parts.

He also defended the administration's decision to use the congressional authorization given to them in 2001 to go after al Qaeda because, Randi, he said, you know, ISIS can change its name, it can change its stripes, but it was an affiliate of al Qaeda and it always -- and he said that those two were connected.

We also talked about Saudi Arabia. You know, we're in this town of Jeddah. Secretary Kerry today really praising the Saudi government's efforts that are going to be used in this coalition.

But as we know, a lot of the radicalism that's in the region comes from Saudi Arabia. A lot of the 9/11 hijackers were also from Saudi Arabia. And he said that he tried to make the distinction, Randi, between the government who has really been fighting terrorism and is going to be working (INAUDIBLE) ISIS, and individuals in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in this region that are funding groups like ISIS.

And he expects that's going to be a major part of this campaign to try and crack down on the illicit funding and delegitimizing the ideology that's really the lifeblood of this group -- Randi.

. KAYE: Elise, it sounds like you discussed quite a bit with him. We are planning to play that entire interview coming up at the top of our 3:00 hour. You don't miss that.

Elise Labott, thank you very much for that update.

Next, brand new video in the Michael Brown shooting case, minutes after the shooting. It shows real-time reaction from witnesses, including two with some very interesting backgrounds. Is it a game- changer? That's the question. You'll see it. And we'll discuss it.

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