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NEW DAY

Preperation for Airstrikes in Syria; Music Rehab Program for Veterans; Controversy Over Goodell's Role in Rice Case

Aired September 12, 2014 - 08:30   ET

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


CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: This is great. ISIS is bad. Vote? I don't know. We should have one but, uh - ah, you know. And their voices get weaker and weaker. What do you say? Do we need a vote from Congress to authorize?

REP. KEITH ELLISON (D), MINNESOTA: Yes, we need a vote. We need to vote. In fact, the War Powers Act says there must be a vote within 60 days of hostilities. And so there should be a vote soon. In fact, we've already voted that there should be a vote if there are hostilities. We've already had a vote that said, if these things begin, we need to be involved and Congress needs to have a say. We need a full debate and need our constituents to call us and to tell us what they think about this conflict.

CUOMO: And the reason --

ELLISON: So I'm all for that.

CUOMO: The reason seems to be, this is a heck of a lot more complex than it seems from the outside. On the outside it's just, ISIS, they're bad. They beheaded two American journalists. Let's go get them and do it now mainly because they just beheaded two American journalists. Let's be honest. You're saying, the rush to fight needs to be considered because you need to do other things as well as use force. What's your concern?

ELLISON: Well, what I say is, discretion is the better part of valor. The fact is, is that there are a lot of non-military parts of this problem that must occur in order to be successful. Such as, making sure we have a multidimensional coalition that's working together to solve this problem together, starting with the Iraqis. but then, beyond that, the states that are neighboring, such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia, UAE, countries that are right in the neighborhood. We've got to have some cooperation from European allies. Getting all these forces together to make sure that we are dealing with stopping the financial flows to ISIS, to make sure that we are making sure that the country is run inclusively and that ISIS cannot exploit grievances of the Sunni population of Iraq, which is a significant portion. All these things are very important and they don't involve firing a shot. So I believe that we need a full debate, we need a strategy to win and this is way more complicated than just sending in some military power.

CUOMO: And when you hear Boehner up there saying F-18s are not a strategy, it's a little hypocritical, right, because he's not helping developing a strategy like you're just outlining right now. And he's not alone. They want to put the numbers out there now, congressman, and say, oh, they're so much bigger than we thought. Well, what's the suspicion there? The suspicion there is, they're doing that because they want to make ISIS look at bad as possible so that bombing seems better and better. But you know you've got 150,000 Peshmerga fighters, the Kurdish fighters. You know you've got 250,000 in Iraq.

ELLISON: Right.

CUOMO: So it's not about numbers. It's about resolve. That comes back to politics. Do you believe that we are missing the point of what will achieve the most benefit in the region?

ELLISON: I think there's not enough emphasis on the political aspect of what's going on here, and I certainly believe that ISIS is a force that has essentially made the most out of people who have been oppressed and that has got to be where we focus our attention.

Now, as it relates to the speaker, I mean, I would simply ask us to put politics aside for the moment. There's plenty of time to try to do political positioning. Now is the time to get together, help formulate an American strategy that involves a world community and the region that is designed to win and have a sustainable peace. We can't be back doing this every few years. We've got to put this thing to an end, and it's got to be comprehensive.

CUOMO: Well, the last 25 years proved you wrong though, right, because we started this conversation in the early '90s. Here we are on the, you know, one day past 9/11 in the exact same position, four consecutive presidents delivering the same message, we're going into Iraq to try to stop the terror threat in the Middle East. And the question therefore I have for you is, you just came back, you visited Turkey. You've been to different areas in the Middle East.

ELLISON: Yes.

CUOMO: Where is Turkey? Where are these other ten Arab allies we supposedly have? They're very quiet in their commitment to boots on the ground and swapping blood and treasure.

ELLISON: Well, we've gotten news that the UAE is in. Saudi Arabia has volunteered to help. All these countries in the region are coming together as this coalition is being formed.

CUOMO: Not to fight. Not to fight.

ELLISON: Well, you know, we don't know about that yet, Chris. I think we need to just allow the diplomatic process to continue on. I think before this thing is solved, you will see people who are putting some things on the line to protect their own region. Again, you know, we're actually -- we don't live in the Middle East, right? We're over here in North America

CUOMO: Right.

ELLISON: So the fact is that we -- they have got to step up. And before I'm ready to say that they're not to fight, I think that they eventually will be led to be there, although, of course, we -- that remains to be seen. But I wouldn't be so pessimistic.

CUOMO: No, no, no. It's -- and I'm sorry if it comes across as cynical. It's just, we've been in this situation. It doesn't feel right.

ELLISON: Yes.

CUOMO: It feels like we may be getting played. And here's why I say that. What happened in northern Iraq? The Peshmerga are no joke. You know that. We've been around them. They can fight and they've fought well before.

ELLISON: Yes.

CUOMO: In Anbar and you see in the Kurdish regions there, they didn't really fight the way they usually fight. Why not? You hear these other countries. It's a region that is known for swapping blood when they don't like what's going on. They're not stepping up here. Why not? Are they hoping that the U.S. gets into a position where it has to do all the dirty work for them?

ELLISON: Well, in Anbar and Fallujah, Ramadi, those western Iraqi areas, those people are ambivalent about how they feel about the Iraqi government versus ISIS.

CUOMO: Uh-huh.

ELLISON: They really are - I mean they hate the government of Iraq as much as they do ISIS. In fact, they hated them less because they joined with ISIS in order to hand over Mosul. So the bottom line is, this is a heavy political lip (ph). We have got to convince the Sunni tribes that ultimately they are better off being included in an Iraqi government, getting a share of the oil revenues, being a part of governing that country, rather than collaborating with ISIS. That's - and that's not easy because, you know, we joined with them, with the awakening movement back a few years ago, and then, when the al Maliki government was formed, they get on the outs again. So now they have a trust deficit. So this is all a part of what we've got to continue to work on.

CUOMO: Congressman Ellison, I do not keep having you on NEW DAY because you're Muslim. I have you keep coming on because you don't fall victim to the easy answers about might making right in this situation. There are a lot of tough issues in front of you. Please keep asking the right questions. And we're here to have the conversation. Thank you for joining us.

ELLISON: Yes, sir. Thank you.

CUOMO: All right, another big situation. NFL chief Roger Goodell, he has come down hard on a lot of guys for a lot of things that are a lot less important than domestic violence. The big phrase is zero tolerance, long suspensions. Well, now, a lot of those people who have been suspended are wondering where the same standards are for him. The question, can Goodell weather the Ray Rice scandal?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Time now for the five things you need to start your new day.

The Pentagon has started surveillance fights over ISIS positions in Syria. The missions are collecting information of potential targets for air strikes against ISIS. Meanwhile, the CIA now estimates that ISIS has between 20,000 and 31,000 members. That's more than three times more than the agency's earlier assessments.

New sanctions go into effect against Russia today. The European Union will freeze assets and ban travel for several Russian officials and Ukrainian rebel leaders. The sanctions are a response to Russia's support of separatist rebels in Ukraine.

The mother of James Foley, one of two American beheaded by ISIS, says she is embarrassed and appalled by the U.S. government. Diane Foley says they didn't do enough to rescue her son while he was being held.

Notorious school shooter T.J. Lane back behind bars after a short- lived prison escape in Ohio. The 19-year-old is serving three life terms for a deadly shooting at his Chardon, Ohio, high school in 2012.

Dr. Kent Brantly, the American doctor who survived the Ebola virus, is donating his own blood to help another U.S. doctor who is now infected. Dr. Richard Sacra is described as sick but stable right now in an isolation unit at a Nebraska hospital.

Those were the five things to know for your new day. Now here are a few extras to help brighten your day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get ready. Fancy Feast Froths (ph). They're irresistible. Completely unbelievable. Totally delectable. Real, silky smooth for creamy froth. Everything she's been waiting for. Carefully crafted with real seafood, real veggies and never any byproducts or fillers. Wow, being a cat just got more enjoyable. Fancy Feast Froths. Wow served daily.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Now to a hero for our heroes in the U.S. military. He pairs up wounded warriors with professional musicians, using the power of music to help them heal. I want you to meet CNN hero Arthur Bloom.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARTHUR BLOOM: I never decided to be a professional musician. It feels great to play music. But it's also a mechanism for healing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're on a patrol walking down a road. I'd never been hit by an IED before. It felt like I got hit by a wrecking ball. What happens if you don't quite get killed and you don't quite survive, you're somewhere in the middle. BLOOM: So let's take it right before the melody comes in.

Our organization helps wounded warriors play music and recover their lives.

We match the injured troops with professional musicians who come visit at Walter Reed Medical Center and work with them on music projects, learning music, writing and performing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Something survived that horrible injury in Afghanistan, and that was my ability to play the guitar. Arthur and his program changed my outlook on what is possible.

BLOOM: Music has no stigma. Folks you work with, when they do music, there's nothing injured about the way they do it. It's just good music.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PEREIRA: Music is a fantastic healer.

CUOMO: Oh, it is. And what a great person to do it.

PEREIRA: Absolutely.

CUOMO: And that's why he's made the list.

PEREIRA: Yes, he is a hero.

Can the NFL commissioner hang on? Roger Goodell under fire for his handling of the Ray Rice scandal. What did he really know about that infamous elevator tape and when did he know it? We're going to take a closer look ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If in fact it turns out that the tape was received, held onto by somebody in the league office, should the commissioner lose his job?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: J.B., if there is evidence of a cover-up, with this video or anything else, I don't see how Roger Goodell keeps his job.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

BERMAN: That was commentary on CBS last night ahead of the Ravens- Steelers game.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

BERMAN (voice-over): Former FBI director now looking into the NFL's investigation to determine what the NFL knew about the Ray Rice incident and just when the league knew it. This comes as sources tell ESPN that Ray Rice told NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell back in June that he punched his then fiancee in a hotel elevator. Can and should Roger Goodell remain the most powerful man in the National Football League?

(END VIDEOCLIP)

BERMAN (on camera): Let's bring in Coy Wire, Fox sports analyst and nine-year NFL veteran, and Jemele Hill co-host of "Numbers Never Lie" on ESPN. Thanks so much for being with us. Jemele, let me start with you. So we learned yesterday that the "AP" was reporting that the NFL had the tape of this incident in the elevator in its custody. We learned overnight from ESPN, Ray Rice is saying he told Roger Goodell that he punched his then fiancee in the elevator.

So Jemele, as we sit here this morning, this Friday with the drip, drip, drip of information, what do you think Roger Goodell's position is? How safe is his job?

JEMELE HILL, CO-HOST "NUMBERS NEVER LIE", ESPN2: Well, I think right now we're all waiting to see who exactly in the NFL office received this tape, and depending on how close their title is in relationship with Roger Goodell's, I think will very much determine whether or not he has a continued future in the NFL.

If it's somebody in his immediate executive camp I think it's going to create a lot of doubt whether or not Roger Goodell knew about the existence of this tape. But for me, and I think this is the crux of the problem of this is that if it's true, and assuming it is true based off our reporting, that Roger Goodell was told what Ray Rice did inside of that elevator and he still decided that a two-game punishment was worthy.

I think it just exposes just kind of how the NFL was ill-equipped to deal with the issue of domestic violence. Somebody telling you they punched their wife shouldn't be any different than you seeing it, but yet for them, the jarring thought of actually seeing it is what made the difference. So I think we're back to the original question which is, did seeing it on video, why should that have even mattered for Roger Goodell?

BERMAN: The fact of domestic violence should be the issue here, not seeing it or not seeing it as you say, but it gets to the system that was in place. It gets to the attitudes that were in place and may still be in place. Coy, the constituency for Roger Goodell is the owners. Remember that because that's very important here when I play you this next bit of sound. Because players have started to weigh in on this issue and Roger Goodell's management of the situation. I want you to hear now from Jonathan Vilma. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

JONATHAN VILMA, NFL LINEBACKER: Roger Goodell failed to act, plain and simple. He failed to act, there should be consequences.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

BERMAN: Now Vilma, of course, has a little bit of an ax to grind with the commissioner. He was suspended, he was part of the whole Bountygate issue with the Saints, but other players are weighing in, also. Brian Westbrook tweeting overnight, you know, "Being a leader is not a part-time job. If Goodell holds the players to a high standard, he should be held to the same high standard." So Coy, are these players upset with how the league is handling domestic violence or are they sick of Roger Goodell?

COY WIRE, FOX SPORTS ANALYST: Well, there may be a little bit of both, John, but there's no question that the players are livid about how this was handled. Because whether you're a current NFL player or retired, former NFL, player those actions reflect poorly upon the brotherhood, upon every man who stands and stood behind that shield.

I talked to everyone from first round draft picks to future Hall of Famers who said one, Ray Rice should be banned for life, because that's not who we are. That's not what we condone. What you tolerate, you perpetuate. An example needed to be made of this situation, of Ray Rice.

Look, I believe in second chances, but sometimes an example needs to be made. Banning a guy like Ray Rice for life could send a stronger message. Guys have been slapped on the wrist before, John, and it didn't work. It didn't work. There is still an issue here, a message can be sent loud and clear that domestic violence, hitting women is wrong. So yes, John, former players, current players, are upset greatly by this situation, and also how Goodell has failed to handle this situation. He says that he didn't know about the elevator tape or hadn't seen it. Well, remember in Bountygate, Jemele, you'll remember this, he said ignorance is no excuse. So for him to say he didn't know about it - -

BERMAN: Seems to be a different standard here.

WIRE: Yes, that's hypocrisy. So whether he saw it, which I can't believe he didn't, or didn't try hard enough. If TMZ could get a hold of that video, Roger Goodell certainly could have gotten a hold of that video.

BERMAN: Now, Coy we love hearing your opinion because you're a smart guy. You played in the league, but you talk about the brotherhood of former players, current players, even Hall of Fame players. But he question Jemele, is do any of them matter here? Because the only constituency Roger Goodell has to answer to are the league owners, owners who are making a fortune. A fortune that has been helped to be made by Roger Goodell.

HILL: And I think that's why the players are upset because Roger Goodle has put himself in a position where he is judge and jury. So, when it comes to their punishment he's the only one that decides. Roger Goodell however, now that he's in the cross-hairs, his future in the NFL will be determined by outside investigators and by the owners.

So it's a much wider group and as you mentioned, the owners have their full support is behind Roger Goodell because business is booming. Until dollars are being taken away, until the bottom line is sabotaged, I just doubt very seriously if anything is going to happen to Roger Goodell unless they have firm and concrete proof that he saw that video. Now, the next question I think, and it's a fair one to be asked, is let's say Roger Goodell is cleared in this investigation. How is he able to effectively govern after this? That's a real issue.

BERMAN: It will be interesting to see.

WIRE: Great point.

BERMAN: Coy, last question. I was surprised watching the Ravens- Steelers game last night to see so many people, not just any people, a lot of women wearing Ray Rice jerseys at that game. Should I have been surprised?

WIRE: You know, I don't think anything should surprise us anymore, Jemele, John. This is part of the issue. It's people, and it's not the majority. There are a few people who are just not of their right mind and look at Ray Rice as an example.

Look, for the most part the guys in the NFL, most of them are good human beings, but there are people who make bad decisions. There are people who don't stand up for the right thing. There are people out there who do things that should not be done. And the bottom line is, last night, you saw those jerseys, you saw those people supporting a guy who hit women, even women supporting that. That's a minority, guys, and I think that's what we have to remember. There a lot of good people out there who know what happened was wrong, who are appalled by it in and out of the NFL. I think that's what we have to focus on.

BERMAN: Coy Wire, Jemele Hill, thanks so much for being with us. Appreciate your insight on this. Talk to you again soon.

HILL: Thank you.

BERMAN: James Foley's mother speaks out, slamming the U.S. government for not doing enough to save her son. Coming up, more of her compelling interview with Anderson Cooper.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: There is a great need for news and analysis and for that we give you to the "NEWSROOM" with Ms. Carol Costello.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: That's right, I got it all! Have a great weekend. Thanks so much.

NEWSROOM starts now.