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Manhunt Continues for Cop Killer on the Run; Search for Missing UVA Student; White House Security Issues; Obama Preparing for U.N. Meeting; Minnesota Vikings Face New Orleans Saints Without Adrian Peterson; Remembering the Gunmen Who Stormed the Kenyan Mall

Aired September 21, 2014 - 17:00   ET

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


ANA CABRERA, CNN ANCHOR: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. Thanks for being here. I'm Ana Cabrera. We are following two fast moving news stories this hour filled with emotion, drama, and unanswered questions.

Just a short time ago, as you see there in your left, the anguished parents of missing University of Virginia sophomore Hannah Graham met with reporters describing their missing daughter as a loving and caring person who lives to help others.

And there on your right, the ten search continues in Pennsylvania's Pocono mountain for the gunman who ambushed two state troopers killing one of them nine days ago.

We start in Virginia where it has been just over one week since Virginia college student Hannah Graham disappeared. And today, her parents begged the public, help us, find our daughter.

Now, Hannah was last seen wandering outside a mall. Witnesses say a man had his arm around her and police now say that man is Jesse Matthew. But while he has been interviewed, he has not been arrested. At a news conference last hour, Hannah's parents pleaded with the public to think hard about what they may have seen saying no clue should be overlooked.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN GRAHAM, FATHER OF THE MISSING UVA STUDENT: I think that the reason that Hannah has such support is that this is every parent's worst nightmare. I'm certain that everybody in this room and those watching knows that what happened to Hannah could happen to their child. We need to find out what happened to Hannah and make sure that it does not happen to anybody else.

You may have read that Hannah was a second year student, a skier, a musician, a softball player. She likes to help people and she's interested in a career in helping others. Just as a little example, last spring break instead of hanging around on the beach like other students may have done, she spent a week in Tuscaloosa rebuilding houses in the recovery from a tornado. That's Hannah. That's one Hannah. Hannah is also our little girl. She's our only daughter. She is

James' little sister. Did you see Hannah? Did you see Hannah? Who saw Hannah? Somebody did. Please, please, please, if you have anything, however insignificant you think it may be, call the police tip line. Anything that just might help us to bring Hannah home.

When I returned home from bringing Hannah back to Charlottesville for the beginning of term last month, I found that she left this little guy behind. This is Hannah's favorite white rabbit, Bebe (ph). He was given to Hannah by one of my friends when she was less than a week old. Bebe (ph) helped out in Tuscaloosa and he was Hannah's constant guardian, companion, friend, and guardian angel until last month when she chose to return to Charlottesville without him. Constant companion, that is, except for about six months when Hannah was about 3-years-old. When he was lost (INAUDIBLE). We found Bebe (ph) and we brought him home to Hannah and us. All we want to do now is bring Hannah home safely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Your heart just goes out to that family. I'm joined now by CNN correspondent Jean Casarez who at the news conference. Also with me on the phone, Ed Smart, the father of kidnapping survivor Elizabeth Smart, as well as psychotherapist Robi Ludwig.

Jean, I want to start with you. It seemed like there was a lot of emotion in that room. What did you notice?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, this was a press conference with law enforcement authorities. We knew it was going to happen. We were all here. We were hearing the latest information on the investigation and when we suddenly heard that the parents of Hannah Graham were going to speak because they have never said anything to this point. I think everyone just stopped. And I think took a breath and they entered the room and her mother was shaking.

And just to get through that press conference for Mrs. Graham, I could tell was the hardest thing I'm sure she has ever done. And Mr. Graham was trying to be so strong as he was just talking and asking for the plea for anyone to help find his daughter.

CABRERA: I know. It was heartbreaking to see her reaction. Mr. Smart, I want to ask you this next question. You have been where these parents are right now. What are they going through? And is there any comfort you can offer them?

ED SMART, FATHER OF KIDNAPPING SURVIVOR ELIZABETH SMART (via phone): Well, you know, I think that his comment, you know, this is the worst nightmare for any parent is absolutely true. And I'm so grateful that they stepped forward because their word is going to keep her face out there. And this -- at this point I think that's one of the most important things. It sounds like the community has really come together. The students there and others are helping in this search which is critical. The fact that they haven't found a body would indicate that -- I mean, there is still hope out there. And so, as a parent, I know it's one of the hardest things they could

have done to step forward. Many people that are in -- who have been in their situation, they found it incredible difficult to step forward in such a traumatic moment to have to speak. But you know, this is their daughter and her life depends on them coming forward and sharing what they know and asking for help.

And you know, nothing brought more hope to us as parents than the community's outpouring of love and helping to search and keeping that search alive. And right now, I believe that's what's critical in trying to mobilize people and find them. Because somebody undoubtedly did see something that night. They may think that it was insignificant but it's so important for those that were there in that vicinity that evening to call, you know, something that might not be -- they might have heard a noise or something that would have been insignificant, but it's just really important for those tips to come in and people that have, you know, legitimate tips to call in for sure.

CABRERA: Right. You never know what clue could crack the case wide open.

Jean, the chief of police we know got very animated as well when he talked about the man that he says was the last to see Hannah alive, at least their best calculation. What is the latest in their investigation?

CASAREZ: You know, this is highly unusual because normally in an investigation, they keep this information close to their vest. But the police department has chosen to be extremely transparent here. And the name is Jesse Matthew. That is the person police want to talk to and the police chief made no bones about it. That they believe that Ms. Graham was in the restaurant, Tempo, Tempo restaurant with him. That they exited together. That they got together in his car and left. And that's why today on the multi-screen we saw all of the pictures of the car. As I think, we had never seen before because they are asking anyone who saw in the last few moments in that restaurant, outside that restaurant in that car driving on the street to see what you saw and to come forward to law enforcement. That's where they need help, I believe.

CABRERA: And there are still a lot of unanswered questions. Clearly, we heard from Mr. Smart talking about nobody has been found. We did hear from a volunteer who is leading the efforts to search the area saying they have covered 65 percent of the city.

So Robi, I want to ask you a little bit more about what we just heard from the father of Hannah Graham as he described his daughter. Do you think in part he was perhaps appealing to what could be a captor?

ROBI LUDWIG, PSYCHOTHERAPIST (via phone): Well, yes. I mean when you listen to the father talk, you can almost get a three dimensional picture of who his daughter is. Somebody who is very loving, somebody who is very trusting, perhaps even somebody who was a bit naive. And in making his daughter more real to the public, that means the public will want to get involved in a different kind of way, in a more meaningful way. And that's really helpful to the process where somebody will say wow, this missing person is a really good person. It sounds like she really needs our help. Let's really work together on figuring out the clues. And it might be on a very unconscious level, but that's the way human beings operate, you know, especially when we think somebody who is really good and vulnerable who shouldn't be missing goes missing.

CABRERA: And also, Robi, there are dozens of school students who have joined this volunteer effort. How might this be impacting those students? School just got going for these folks?

LUDWIG: I'm sure this raises an appropriate level of fear amongst the students in the campus because, you know, I'm sure they're thinking hey, this could happen to me. This could happen to any one of us. So it just brings the situation and makes it that much more real.

But as a community it sounds like the students are taking a proactive stance where they are getting actively involved trying to resolve the situation. So where that's good is they are taking control where they can take control and they're trying to resolve the situation in the best way that they know how.

CABRERA: One last question for you, it was years before you had answers in the case of Elizabeth. These parents have now had a week without knowing what happened. What should they be doing? How do you get through something like this with not having answers?

SMART: Well, you know, I think there are a number of things. One is I know that the prayers of everyone certainly helped us as a family move forward. And two, I think it is critically important for them to stay out in the public to garner attention and to help keep her face there so that those who are able to come out and volunteer and help in the search do that. I think that is so incredibly important.

I think also the fact that there has not been an answer yet still leaves hope that they will be able to find her. And our thoughts and prayers are certainly with that family. You know, I just would call out to everyone to try to help find her. And that, you know, the effort of the students to go out and help search is also very valuable and hopefully will bring a good end to this.

CABRERA: Ed Smart, Jean Casarez and Robi Ludwig, thank you to all of you for your thoughts and the information today.

Now, the parents of Hannah Graham were not the only ones making an emotional plea to the public.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIMOTHY LONGO, CHIEF, CHARLOTTE POLICE: If that young lady has touched your lives in anyway, you have the responsibility to help us find her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Hear what the police are doing next. Plus President Obama to address the U.N. this week. Will he ask for

airstrikes against ISIS in Syria?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: Police in Charlottesville, Virginia, told the public we cannot find Hannah Graham. The 18-year-old college student disappeared last week and about a thousand volunteers have been scouring the woods ever since looking for any clues. And police know one thing, there is one man they want to talk to.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LONGO: In fact I believe that Jesse Matthew was the last person she was seen with before she vanished off the face of the earth. Let me say that again. I believe Jesse Matthew was the last person she was seen with before she vanished off the face of the earth. Because it's been a week and we can't find her. But somebody knows where she is. Somebody has got to know where she is. And we want to know who that person or persons are. I have made no mistake about it. We want to talk to Jesse Matthew.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: For more information now on the investigation, let's turn to Charlottesville police captain, Gary Pleasants who is joining us from Charlottesville, Virginia.

Thank you so much Captain Pleasants. Let's start with Jesse Matthew. We just heard the chief of police saying they believe, you guys believe, he is the last person to have seen Hannah Graham before she went missing. Yet, he is not under arrest. So what is he telling you about her last where abouts and what happened?

GARY PLEASANTS, CAPTAIN, CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA POLICE: The only conversation we really had with him was when we served the search warrant on his car and subsequently his apartment. And that was a very short conversation and fairly meaningless to what we were looking for.

CABRERA: So at this point, he has not given you any clues that point you in one direction or another?

PLEASANTS: That is correct. The pertinent information we would like to have from Mr. Matthew has not been forthcoming. That is correct.

CABRERA: We understand there was some evidence that was seized when you executed the search warrants from the car in that apartment building. As far as that evidence goes, are you in the process of processing it or do you have the answers you're going to get from it at this point and need more?

PLEASANTS: No, that evidence is at the state lab in Richmond. They were working on it all day yesterday and again today. We have gotten some results but we still have other results that we are waiting for. That may be tomorrow hopefully. It could be Tuesday depending on how quickly they can process that.

CABRERA: I want to be clear with our viewers. You have said that at this point nothing points to anything criminal or foul play, but you're not discounting anything either. Do you have any reason to believe foul play was involved?

PLEASANTS: Well, again, we don't overlook anything and I can't get into what evidence we may have. But at this time, we just have to -- we have to look at every aspect of this and that's what we'll do so. I don't want to -- nor will I pin us down in any direction.

CABRERA: Have you been able to narrow the search area in anyway?

PLEASANTS: We have searched the majority of the center of the city of Charlottesville. The searchers have been great. At this time we have to really go back and look and see where we need to go from here. We don't have any definitive area we need to go to yet. Hopefully that will come up with more evidence with more statements of people who may have seen something.

CABRERA: All right, we hope so, too. Captain Gary Pleasants, thank you so much for your time.

PLEASANTS: Thank you for having me.

CABRERA: Despite a massive manhunt in Pennsylvania, a suspected police killer is on the run. Hundreds of law enforcement officers have sworn the Pocono Mountains trying to track down Eric Frein. Frein who is described as a self-taught survivalist is accused of killing one state trooper and wounding another. That was nine days ago.

Authorities thought they were closing in on him Friday. There was gunfire but they later said that was not connected to the search. A local lockdown on the residents in this community has been lifted. At a news conference today, Pennsylvania state police did say they are confident Frein will be found.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. COL. GEORGE BIVENS, PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE: At this point we have additional reason to believe that the subject still remains in the area. We are fairly confident of that information. So while we continue to follow up on any other tips or leads that we get regardless of where those are, we have really focused our search efforts over a fairly broad geographic area.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: One other interesting piece of information he said they are making progress and did find several items that Frein has abandoned like an ak-47 style weapon, other magazines, ammunitions. They think they are getting closer. Here you are looking at the top ten most wanted fugitive poster of Eric Frein. The FBI is offering $100,000 reward for information leading to his arrest. In just 24 hours there were two separate security issues at the White

House. This man even made it in the front door. That has a lot of people asking, is the secret service doing its job?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: Back to back security incidents at the White House. First Friday, then Saturday, and now people are asking, is the secret service doing its job? For the latest let's go to Erin McPike at Washington.

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN GENERAL ASSIGNMENT CORRESPONDENT: Ana, we know secret service has beefed up patrols and surveillance around the White House. And our latest video shows Omar Gonzalez jumped over the bushes to then get in the front door of the White House, making this act all the more surprising.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody out. Right now. Go back. Everybody into the park.

MCPIKE (voice-over): Two incidents at the White House within 24 hours, raising serious questions about security. Friday night, the man captured on this cell phone video not only scaled the fence in front of 1600 Pennsylvania avenue, he went up to the building and barged through the front door. He has been identified as 42-year-old Omar Gonzalez.

DANIEL BONGINO, FORMER SECRET SERVICE AGENT: They are going to have to do something with the fence. Even if it is as simple as curving the bars over toward the street side, the Pennsylvania avenue side which will make it harder to scale. Remember, time buys you options. And right now they don't have time. You scale the fence. You are almost right at the door.

MCPIKE: Secret service officers yelled at Gonzalez to stop but they didn't shoot. According to a law enforcement official at the time, he didn't appear to be carrying anything and may have been mentally disturbed.

But now, according to a secret service's affidavit, Gonzalez was carrying a deadly or dangerous weapon, a folding knife like this one in his pants pocket. Also according to the affidavit, Gonzalez told the secret service agent that quote "he was concerned that the atmosphere was collapsing and needed to get the information to the president.

The incident happened just four minutes after the first family had left the White House grounds for the weekend. Once he got inside, officers apprehended Gonzalez. An ambulance took him to George Washington medical center for evaluation.

Gonzalez is an Iraq war veteran who retired from the military on disability in 2012. The "Washington Post" is reporting that no canine teams were at least to chased down the intruder as with the standard procedure.

BONGINO: I have been there for hundreds of fence jumpers and they never make it even close. You know, we have dogs. There is multiple layers of security. There was a failure here.

MCPIKE: And on Saturday, a second security incident at the White House. The secret service says a New Jersey man failed to stop at the entrance while driving his car. The man identified as Kevin Carl (ph) was arrested and charged with unlawful entry. The incident happened at the entrance at 15th and E street. The secret service says car did not stop when ordered to do so. Then got out of his vehicle and refused to leave.

The secret service confirms that shortly before Carl (ph) on foot had tried to get access to the White House at a separate entrance but was turned away.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCPIKE: Gonzalez's former step son, Jerry Murphy, told CNN that Gonzalez was suffering from PTSD from his time in the military. Although the military would not confirm that to us. Murphy also told CNN that the war quote "messed with his head and that he was a great guy but he lost his mind serving his country." Ana.

CABRERA: Thanks, Erin McPike in Washington.

Now president Obama takes the world stage this week at the U.N.

Up next, will he be able to sell his plan to defeat ISIS?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: The fight against ISIS is reaching a critical phase. President Obama is preparing for a very important United Nations meeting this week. The president wants to convince more countries to join the battle against ISIS. So, what does he needs to say, this comes as brutalize as militants launched another huge land grab. ISIS is reportedly seizing control of 60 villages in Syria in recent days. Now so many families are on the run. A U.N. official says more than 100,000 refugees fled from Syria into Turkey in just the past 48 hours. Turkey has opened some border check points to help people trapped by ISIS.

And this, the man of an ISIS hostage, the wife of this man is making an emotional plea for her husband's life. Alan Henning's wife beg ISIS to release him describing her taxi driver husband as a peaceful selfless man, an aide worker, who only went to Syria to help those people in need. Henning's wife says ISIS has not responded to her pleas.

Let's bring in a panel to discuss this. Joining me now CNN military analyst retired lieutenant colonel Rick Francona, also Michael Weiss, columnist for "Foreign Policy" magazine, and with us as well CNN national security analyst, Juliette Kayyem. Juliette, to you first. President Obama speaks Wednesday at the

United Nations. What does he need to say when talking about ISIS and trying to get more people to support the fight?

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, publicly, when he is addressing not just the nations but also the world, he has to talk about this as a global fight. Not a religious fight but actually a global fight for stability in the Middle East.

More privately, I think what we can anticipate are or at least what realistic expectations are for the U.N. meeting are going to be to try to get countries to be better about securing their borders. Because we have to stop the movement of people to join ISIS. And then of course getting the flow of money to stop which is how terrorist organizations like ISIS thrive.

So those would be two pieces absent military, absent a number of countries saying they are going to help militarily. That the president probably can get out these countries in the one to one meetings he is going to have.

CABRERA: And when you talk about money, we know Bahrain has already come out and said it is going to hold the meeting to talk about cutting of the flow to terrorists. And when you are talking about finances. Now, supposed to happen sometime in November.

Now Colonel, I want to turn to you. We have heard from rear admiral John Kirby this week who has said, you know, the end game here I not just destroying ISIS fighters, but you really have to destroy their ideology. I mean, how in the heck do you that?

LT. COL. RICK FRANCONA (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: I don't think you do. You can destroy -- you can go after the practitioners but the ideology will go on. What you have to is make it so implantable for the practitioners of ideology to come after you. And I think that's what we need to do. And I think the president has to sell.

And agree with what Juliette said. But we also have to get countries to sign up to participate. And from what I can tell you of the 40 or 50 nations I have signed up, I have not seen anybody willing to actually put some troops on the line.

CABRERA: And that's a good question because we have been asking how do you do this without troops on the ground. Turkey, Michael, is right there, right along the border with Syria. They have really been heavily involved recently because of the refugees going into the country. We also know Turkey is one of the main routes for some of these foreign fighters to get into Syria to join in the fight with ISIS or other extremist groups. And then we saw 49 hostages from Turkey that were just released by ISIS. I mean, how does Turkey play a role in all of this?

MICHAEL WEISS, COLUMNIST, FOREIGN POLICY MAGAZINE: Well, I mean, it's in a very difficult position. The hope is that the release of those hostages which by the way has happens under the very sort suspect or dodgy circumstances. Nobody quite knows exactly how they got out. This will now liberate the Turks to take a more robust and military position in this anti-ISIS coalition.

But as you mention, I mean, one of the problems is that 500 mile border between Turkey and Syria. I have crossed it myself. I have been down there several times. It is completely porous. And it is true that the Turks are tightening up their border practices. But I mean, look. You can go inside southern Turkey into Antakya and key was some of these towns along the border and they have become sort of triage centers for the Syrian crisis.

ISIS guys are completely their chuck of life in those cities. Journalists have interviewed ISIS commanders in Antakya which is southern Turkey. So this is a real problem. And of course, you know, if you are now president Edrogan, if you actually do take the fight against ISIS, you are going to invite retaliation strikes. Terrorists attack happen inside Turkey. So there is this national security consideration.

CABRERA: So Turkey, in some ways, would have even greater reason to join the fight in a broad level against ISIS. Juliet, on that note, I mean, should Turkey be taking a stronger military stance?

KAYYEM: Yes. And I mean to everyone in terms of the lay of the land, is there are things that these countries are going to do to help us including access to military sites and positioning and also intelligence that they are not going to be public about and we should feel comfortable in this very complicated setting that they not publicly say.

So there is a long list of countries that the three of us know are helping. Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey and others in ways that they are not going to be comfortable being public about and I don't think that we need to force them to be public about it at this stage.

Because for the same reason that Michael Said, it just begs retaliation for countries that are much more susceptible than we are right now.

CABRERA: And Colonel Francona, a lot of the focus this week has been on Syria because of this new announcement that we're going to attack ISIS with airstrikes and arming the rebels there but what about Iraq? And they have a new prime minister now, Al-Abadi, who is said to have more of a unity type government. Are we seeing the political climate there change? And is that changing strategy militarily in terms of coordinating with Iraq?

FRANCONA: It's changing, but it is changing in a very slow pace. They have not appointed the two ministers they need and that is the defense minister and interior minister. These are two key posts and they haven't appointed that and who they appoint will be really indicative of how inclusive they want to be.

And the president is right. We need to have an inclusive government in Baghdad to win back the Sunnis. They need to feel like they are part of the government. They feel like they have an input to what goes on in Baghdad. But that's not going to (INAUDIBLE) or change the need that somebody is going to have to go up there and push ISIS out of Iraq. And that we're hoping that the Iraqi military will be able to stand up and do that. And the Peshmerga can help with, you know, with American air power. They have stopped the advances of ISIS but they haven't turned them back yet. Every time the Iraqi army goes against these guys they kind of get stopped. SO we are going to have -- it just has to happen in concert. The government has to bit more inclusive and the military has to stand up.

CABRERA: All right. We will going to have to end it there.

Colonel Francona, Michael Weiss, and Juliette Kayyem. Thank you both, all of you. Thank you.

The Minnesota Vikings face the New Orleans saints today without their star running back Adrian Peterson. Up next, how Vikings fans at this game are reacting Peterson's absence.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: NFL teams are back on the field this afternoon. It's a chance to do to put a focus on the game instead of the (INAUDIBLE) off-field incidents, the arrests about publicity. The Minnesota Vikings were in New Orleans without their star running back Adrian Peterson who is face in charges for striking his young son with the switch.

Andy Scholes from CNN Sports. Andy, let's start with Peterson's teammates. How did the Vikings handle all of these distractions?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS: Well, Ana, considering the flip-flopping on whether the Vikings were going to play or whether he is not going to play, you know, they did pretty good. It look like at the start of this game, they might going to blown up. The saints came out with the first and scored the first 13 points. The Vikings, they hang in there but they just were not able to find the end zone. They ended up losing this game 20-9. All right, the players I talked to after the game, they say they know they are not going to be able to replace Adrian Peterson. But they can't sit around and worry about when or if he is going to return to the team this season.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's tough, man. Everybody knows, Peterson is a hall of fame running back. But I always believe in next man up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At this point we're just going forward, you know, thinking he's not going to be here and his post (INAUDIBLE) and try to get better every day. So you know, (INAUDIBLE). We wish he was here but we will get better as a team and keep moving forward.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know he's probably dying to play with us and see what we doing and just get back on the football field. But you know, he is just going to let the legal process play out and go from there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Now, Peterson's next court date is scheduled for October 8th. If it this case goes to trial, it will likely not be heard until sometime next year and if that happens, Ana, that probably means, Peterson will not play again this NFL season.

CABRERA: What about the fans? How are they reacting to all of this?

SCHOLES: You know, we talked to quite a bit of fans outside, Vikings fans especially. And they had a mixed reaction to the whole Adrian Peterson situation. Some fans thought that he shouldn't be playing right now and some fans thought he should be playing until the legal process plays out. But no matter who he talked to, Ana, they say no matter what is going on with the NFL, no matter how bad the PR nightmare is right now, they are still come to the games and watch their NFL football on Sundays.

CABRERA: All right, Andy Scholes. Thanks.

NFL games have been overshadowed by the headlines dealing with the players charge with spousal abuse and in Adrian Peterson's charge of child abuse. And makes matters even worse, critics say Commissioner Roger Goodell has mishandled these (INAUDIBLE).

Let's bring in a couple of people with some unique perspectives on this story. Jamal Anderson played for the NFL's Atlanta falcons for eight seasons and Mel Robbins is with us, a CNN commentator and legal analyst.

Jamal, as a former player, how would you grade Roger Goodell's handling of these domestic violence cases?

JAMAL ANDERSON, FORMER NFL ATLANTA FALCONS PLAYER: I think Roger Goodell said it first on the other day in his press conference that he has been wrong and that the NFL has been wrong and some of the decision making. Are we at this place right now if there is a six- game suspension issue for ray rice and new policies have been implemented. So Goodell admitted himself that he has been wrong about it. And I'm sure with everything has taken place. The NFL wishes there would address this completely differently. And certainly took more measures with respect to the investigation into what happened initially with Ray Rice.

CABRERA: Jamal, in your opinion is an apology enough?

ANDERSON: No. But I think that that's why you are seeing right now the FBI special investigator come in and take over this investigation for the NFL. And I know there are two owners who are assisting in that investigation. But I do believe there is going to be thorough investigation because we want to find out. I think that the facts need to come out. Ray Rice, his camp is contesting one thing and then you have the organization saying one thing. And Goodell, what really happened in those meetings. When did they found out about the video? What was actually on the video? And then the decisions there after, they would all not make sense based on what happened then.

CABRERA: Mel, let's take a look at a bigger picture. A lot of critics of the whole situation when it comes to domestic violence and views. They are pointing fingers at the owners of these NFL teams who still have power to make their own disciplinary decisions, at least in some cases. So, some players accused of domestic violence for abuse are still playing like Ray McDonald which we talked about with 49ers. Others like Adrian Peterson, of course, are not playing. Does the NFL meet need a policy that is consistent?

MEL ROBBINS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Absolutely. In fact, if they had one, we would not be in this mess. Imagine if Roger Goodell and the owners simply stuck by the new rules that Roger Goodell laid out at the end of August where he said your first offense, automatic six game suspensions. Second offense is, you know, an indefinite suspension that of course is appealable.

But imagine if they actually followed that. So let's say you have got a situation where a player is arrested no whether it is Ray McDonald or it is Greg Hardy or it is Ray Rice or any one of the number of players that are finding themselves in a hot mess based on some things that they have done.

Imagine if the NFL simply had a six-game suspension take place immediately. They don't even may lose pay. Just put him on the bench. If you have a very clear policy on it, everybody knows what they're supposed to do. They know what the punishment is. And they know that the NFL is not going to stand for any baloney. Not only baloney during the investigation, but baloney in terms of conduct that land players getting arrested in the first place. If they simply stuck by that we wouldn't be in this mess that we're in right now.

CABRERA: Jamal, there have been calls for a zero tolerance policy. If you are arrested for domestic violence you are off the field.

ANDERSON: Of course, zero tolerance policy, I'm all about there being a proper investigation. If you have a situation such as what was occurring with Panthers player Greg Hardy where he was actually convicted by judge, found guilty. Now he was appealing? That is a whole separate situation. I definitely want there to be a process there.

The most important thing is one player accused or arrested for domestic violence as one too many and the emphasis that we're putting on it now is of critical importance. But clearly, as you know, something needs to change in the court system. This is not just an NFL issue, although the NFL right now is taking it because they needed to handle a situation from the beginning that was not taken care of the proper way.

ROBBINS: You know, and here's the thing. But the NFL has decided that they want to quote "be a leader in the conversation about domestic violence."

ANDERSON: No question about it.

ROBBINS: And as a former criminal defense attorney that has years of experience handling these cases, the NFL frankly has no business, no authority and no training to properly deal with these cases.

Now look at Ray Rice for example. Ninety percent of these cases, the victims re-can't (ph). And here is the problem. You wait for the criminal justice system to play out and you let that be your investigation, the case is not going go anywhere. What the NFL needs to do is they need to have a policy that says that an arrest is a violation of the player conduct code. Because Ray Rice, he was arrested in February. He and his wife have moved on. They didn't punish him until July.

CABRERA: Right. Mel Robbins and Jamal Anderson, I think to say that this is a learning experience would be an understatement but it's good to have this conversation. We appreciate your time. Thank you.

ANDERSON: Thank you.

ROBBINS: Thank you.

CABRERA: One year ago gunmen stormed this Kenya mall in a bloody attack. Sixty seven people died, hundreds were injured. Up next why Kenyans say they still don't feel safe.

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CABRERA: One year ago, gunmen stormed the West Gate mall in Kenya and began a deadly siege that lasted for days. Al-Shabaab militants claimed responsibility for this attack calling it revenge for Kenya's military operations in Somalia. At least 67 people were killed. Hundreds more were wounded in this attack.

CNN Nima Elbagir was in Kenya at that time and has a very personal look back.

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I remember, Ana, just finding it very difficult to believe this could be happening in this incredibly familiar place, the West Gate Mall. It was somewhere where we would meet more coffee. We would go there with friends. And we were calling around our contacts, do pulling around our government people and being told, it's just a bank robbery, this is just a bank robbery.

But even when we didn't want to believe this could be happening, there was a part of me that was thinking, this is happening, this is really happening. And then my producer, our producer, Laposa (ph), who is a south Kenyan, got to the scene before me. And I remember she called me and there was this catch in her voice and she said this really happening. And the police cordon was just so close to the mall and there was this sense that at any moment, it could just -- the violence could spill out on to the streets.

There was never any sense in those first few days that the government was in control of this. And I remember we started to recognize some of the family members that were coming looking for any kind of word, any kind of hope that their loved ones that they couldn't get hold of were in there and they were alive and talking to them. Then over the days as they passed, seeing them lose that hope, then speaking to them again and realizing that the people that they were looking for weren't with us anymore. That they hadn't survived.

And what makes it worse really, is that even a year on, when you go back and speak to these people that lost they loved ones, that they still don't have any hope. Because there has been so little resolution, and they feel justice has really not yet been served and nobody has been held to account, Ana.

CABRERA: Wow. Nima Elbagir, Thank you so much.

Coming up, how America is setting itself up to return to the space race.

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CABRERA: So NASA has announced its plans for a revived mission for American astronauts on American spacecraft.

Here's CNN's Karen Caifa.

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KAREN CAIFA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One up in the air for 100 year, the other around for just over a decade. Aerospace giant Boeing and Elon Musk's space X following a four-year competition have been tapped by NASA for a private sector partnership to put American astronauts back on American spacecraft.

CHARLES BOLDEN, NASA ADMINISTRATION: From day one the Obama administration has made it very clear that the greatest nation on earth should not be dependent on any other nation to get into space.

CAFA (ph): The first flight to the international space station is planned for 2017, the year in which an agreement with Russia ends. The contracts are worth 6$.8 billion. Boeing bid with its CST 100 space capsule, space that is already shuttle's cargo to the ISS with its dragging capsule.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ten, nine, eight --

CAIFA (voice-over): NASA's space shuttle program flew 135 missions over three decades before being cut amid funding concerns. So, when Atlantis touched down at Kennedy Space Center in the pre-dawn hours of July 21st, 2011 --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The space shuttle pulls into port for the last time.

CAIFA: -- it marked an end of an era. Now, a new chapter for Cape Canaveral and new goals for NASA.

CHARLES BOLDEN, NASA TURNER: Turning over low earth orbit transportation to private industry will also NASA to focus on an even more ambitious mission, that of sending humans to Mars.

CAIFA: NASA said hopping on Russian spacecraft costs about $70 million per seat, typically purchasing six seats per year. Recent tensions between Russia and the U.S. over Ukraine have also led to increased tensions between the two space programs.

In Washington, I'm Karin Caifa.

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