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CNN NEWSROOM

ISIS Setbacks; Terror in Israel; Ferguson Tensions

Aired November 18, 2014 - 15:00   ET

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


BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, here we go, hour two. I'm Brooke Baldwin. You're watching CNN.

I want to begin with breaking news. The holy city of Jerusalem tonight peering down the barrel of a potential eruption of killing after this gruesome terror attack on a Jewish place of worship. Even in the face of a recent spike in violence, Israelis are absolutely stunned at what happened today at that synagogue in West Jerusalem, where these four rabbis, three from the United States, were slain by two intruders screaming Islamic religious slogans.

According to witnesses, these assailants entered just before 7:00 a.m. bearing a gun, knives and even axes. And, as you can imagine, the scene is gruesome, but it really paints a realistic picture of what exactly happened.

And just a warning, I'm going to show you these images right now. Take a look here inside of this ultra-orthodox synagogue after the terror attack that killed the four rabbis and wounded the six others. I mean, you see this.

A short time ago, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued this forceful response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): I decided this evening to demolish the homes of the terrorists who committed this massacre and to accelerate the demolishment of the homes of previous terrorists and to enforce law, to make punishment more severe and to outlaw all sorts of organizations.

And I also gave the orders to increase security in Jerusalem. Yes, there are defense deeds as well, defense activities that we do. The citizens of Israel, I call upon you to, please be aware, be alert, please abide by the law.

We will pay all those terrorists and those who sent them. We have proven to be able to do so. But nobody, nobody must take the law into his or her hands.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: That attack, as we mentioned, happened in West Jerusalem.

The two attackers, both killed by police in a shoot-out, were living in East Jerusalem. Neither was known to having deep political ties. No group thus far has credibly claimed to have sent them to that synagogue. But we have live reports for you from Jerusalem coming up.

But I also want to tell you at the top of this hour that the New York Police Department has issued a statement in the wake of this attack.

With me here on those concerns regarding security, CNN's Deborah Feyerick.

Deborah, what is happening?

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, just to let you know, the threats and attacks on the Jewish community have reached an unprecedented level within the last year.

The NYPD right now is paying very close attention, along with other police departments across the United States, on what this means, the two Palestinians who walked into that synagogue, a religious institution, not a military base, not a shopping mall, but a religious institution and slaughtered the rabbis who were praying there.

The NYPD police commissioner said the officers are working closely with the FBI's joint terrorism task force. He issued a statement a little earlier today saying that they are monitoring all the developments in Jerusalem. They're closely working with the FBI joint terrorism task force to monitor whatever other developments there might be.

Now, there's no known specific threat towards the United States, not at this time, but there is now increased presence around both synagogues and also around symbolic targets, because, clearly, anyone who wants to carry out an attack is going to look for an area and look for people who are not only vulnerable, but where the impact of that attack is the greatest. And that puts synagogues at the top of the list, Brooke.

BALDWIN: OK. Deborah Feyerick, thank you very much.

So, heightened security with the NYPD. Meantime, you have response from the White House, President Obama today calling the attacks horrific, saying that there is no justification for killing innocent citizens.

So let's go to Washington with more on this reaction, our White House correspondent Michelle Kosinski.

Michelle, what more has the White House said?

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Brooke.

Right. The White House strongly condemned what it called the senseless attack. As you said, the president said there is no justification for it. He was going into a meeting today with his top officials on the Ebola crisis, you know, when this came up and he felt the need to respond to it. Here's some of what he said today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The murderers for today's acts represent the kind of extremism that threatens to bring all of the Middle East into the kind of spiral from which it's very difficult to emerge. And we know how this violence can get worse over time.

But we have to remind ourselves that the majority of Palestinians and Israelis overwhelmingly want peace and to be able to raise their families knowing they're safe and secure.

The United States wants to work with all parties involved to make that a reality and to isolate the kinds of extremists that are bringing about this terrible carnage.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSINSKI: The White House had a lot to say. You heard that long statement from the president there as he was going into a meeting on a completely different topic. Also, the press secretary today weighed in. We had a paper statement from the president.

And in some ways, they said the same things, that, you know, now more than ever, it's time for Israeli and Palestinian leaders and citizens to work together. And they called for three things, to reduce tensions, to reject violence, and move forward on a path to peace.

It was also asked that the press secretary today, is President Obama going to speak with any Israeli leaders following this? And he said that there were no meetings or calls planned, nothing to read out at this point. But that could very well happen in the near future.

And this is obviously a big deal involving a close ally. It's such a horrific attack. And, obviously, the White House really wanted to make a strong statement on that today, Brooke.

BALDWIN: A very big deal. Michelle Kosinski for me, thank you so much.

And, you know, in the hours after this horrific attack at a synagogue, the finger-pointing has begun in Washington.

Let me talk to Jim Sciutto, our CNN chief national security correspondent.

And, you know, there is -- let me be clear, there is no suggestion the Palestinian Authority favors these attacks. But we heard from Benjamin Netanyahu, seems to be, you know, pointing the blame at Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority president, for inciting all of this.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: That's right. There is a suggestion, very clear suggestion of responsibility. And when you look back, it's both statements from Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. A couple of things, one, he wrote a letter to a family of a Palestinian man who killed a Temple Mount activist. This is the Temple Mount or the Al-Aqsa Mosque, as it's known to Muslims, that has become the real issue here.

When he was shot, this young man was killed and Mahmoud Abbas wrote a letter to his family saying that he would go to heaven as a martyr for what he did. Earlier, he'd accused Israel of attempting, really in fact sparking a religious war with the Palestinians by -- and this is the Palestinian position -- by starting, it seems, to divide that very holy place there in the middle of Jerusalem that both religions feel a tug for, but it's also as well Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' party, Fatah, which has called for a day of rage in response to this.

It's that combination of things, calling this shooter a martyr, accusing Israel of starting a religious war, calling for days of rage, which Israeli officials say incite attacks like the one we saw today.

BALDWIN: In addition to what we heard from Netanyahu, I just talked live to the mayor of Jerusalem who, too, sort of echoed the same sentiment over and over, mentioning how these attackers clearly were incited by Hamas.

And I'm just wondering if the White House agrees with this finger- pointing.

SCIUTTO: Well, it's interesting. I don't know if the White House agrees, but when you look at their statements -- for instance, Secretary Kerry had a statement today. In addition to condemning the attacks, he said that we need to hear from leaders who are going to lead their people to a different place, saying, in effect, to Palestinian leaders, you cannot be saying things like you have been saying here, because that leads them to this very violent place that we're seeing.

But I think also in that message, frankly, and I think we heard some of this from what Michelle is hearing from the White House, is that they are, while not declaring a moral equivalence, right, between an attack like this in the synagogue with anything that Israel has done, still saying that the only way out here is for both sides to ratchet down the tensions.

And there has been criticisms from American diplomats of some of the things that extremist Israelis have been doing in terms of, in effect, staking a claim to the Temple Mount, to the Al-Aqsa Mosque area there.

So you do have that, while condemning the act while, at the same time saying the only way forward is if leaders on both sides lead their people to a different place, a more peaceful place.

BALDWIN: Easier said than done, it seems, just based upon I'm sure all of our covering of all this for years and years.

SCIUTTO: No question.

BALDWIN: Jim Sciutto, thank you very much for me in Washington.

We will also take you live coming up to Jerusalem as Prime Minister Netanyahu has ordered the demolition, destruction of these terrorist homes. We will talk about that. Plus, back here in the U.S., the FBI now is issuing this new warning

about Ferguson as the grand jury is getting ready to reveal its decision in the Michael Brown shooting. And all of this comes as this new billboard sparks all kinds of backlash. We will talk to one of these protests who says she's worried about supremacists here.

And we are getting some breaking news involving ISIS. There is now word Iraqi security forces are taking back a major refinery, a refinery that has been in the hands of terrorists. This is a standoff that has lasted months. We will tell you about the hundreds of bombs that were planted.

Stay with me. You're watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

The FBI now has issued a bulletin about Ferguson, Missouri, a town that is right now currently sitting in a state of emergency. All of this is to prepare for what could come once a grand jury releases its decision, because now, any day now, we don't precisely when, but any day now, this grand jury panel will decide whether officer Darren Wilson should be charged in the shooting death of unarmed teenager Michael Brown.

The FBI now has warned law enforcement that, quoting its bulletin now, the announcement of the grand jury's decision will likely be exploited by some individuals to justify threats and attacks against law enforcement and critical infrastructure.

Right, so that's from the FBI. And those individuals are likely the reason that the governor of Missouri felt this need to declare the state of emergency so he could then call in the National Guard. And as authorities are preparing there, so are people in Ferguson. And some activists wanted to send out "an intimate look" at the climate on the ground. So they produce this video. They call it "Ferguson Speaks." Here's a piece.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES KNOWLES III, MAYOR OF FERGUSON, MISSOURI: My name is James Knowles. I'm the mayor of the city of Ferguson. I have been mayor for four years.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The mayor of Ferguson is a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) can't help us. He's not on our side. He's not for the people at all.

KNOWLES: His unfortunate shooting death has brought a lot of things to light in the community.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Heard about the statement saying that, you know, Ferguson is over this race problem or the anger. I can't understand it. It's like he lives in another world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not here to try to validate the justice system because there's a lot of changes that need to occur. But the indictment of Darren Wilson is the first step of many that need to take place. But we have got to get him indicted first.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No one is asking for Darren Wilson to be killed. Nobody is asking for him to be shot in the street. Nobody is asking for him to be strung up, like we have been for every decade of every century that we have been here.

We're asking him for him to be charged for the crime he committed in front of witnesses.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Let me bring in a voice. You just saw him in the "Ferguson Speaks" video. He's Tory Russell. He's the co-founder of Hands Up United, lives in Saint Louis.

Tory, thank you for spending a few minutes with me today. I appreciate it.

TORY RUSSELL, CO-FOUNDER, HANDS UP UNITED: Thanks for having me.

BALDWIN: You know, I watched that whole video earlier, and the first question I had is when you hear all of these voices and opinions and emotions, it seems to me that this indictment of Darren Wilson really represents something much, much bigger than this one specific case. It seems to represent, you know, years of frustrations and injustices against minorities.

And my question is, what if an indictment doesn't come? What will you do with this energy that's really coalesced?

RUSSELL: We're going to go outside. We're going to do nonviolent direct actions. We're going to do actions of civil disobedience all around the city. We're not satisfied with the nonindictment. We need some answers. And we feel that marching and chanting is how we get those things.

BALDWIN: What's your response to Governor Nixon there in Missouri, his calling for the state of emergency ahead of what could be?

RUSSELL: I live on the north side of Saint Louis. I grew up on the west side of Saint Louis. I went to Sumner, one of the poorest -- I live in one of the poorer zip codes in the state. I constantly live in a state of emergency.

People with black and brown bodies walking down the street, I don't think that's a cause for a state of emergency. If you look at the unemployment rate in Missouri, in the city, that's a state of emergency. You look at homeless veterans who sleep at Mayor Slay's City Hall, that's a state of emergency, not black and brown bodies hitting the floor and being chalked down or even chanting. I can't understand it.

BALDWIN: You know, I hear you and I can't even begin to understand what your experience is day-to-day. But I go back to a number that is sort of etched in my mind, which is

when we were covering the midterm elections and I talked to a lot of people in Ferguson and Saint Louis who are -- they're pissed. And I understand why you're frustrated, but I'm wondering why more people didn't vote, you know, that there's a lot of power in going out to the ballot box and voting for change.

RUSSELL: Yes.

Bob McCulloch ran unopposed. He's won his primary. He's the Democrat. Governor Jay Nixon, this is his last term. We had a county executive race with two people who never even came into the communities that they were asking to vote. So I know that just voting for bad candidates, Democrat or Republican, no matter what you think you look like, because we have Search Lacy Clay, who hasn't even spoken up on his 1st Congressional District.

So I don't think voting or just voting is the answer. I don't think a ballot can protect me from tear gas and rubber bullets.

BALDWIN: OK. Let me ask you, Tory, about this, there have been a lot of signs and billboards that have come up. And I would love to get your opinion on this group.

They have raised several thousand dollars to get this billboard with this slogan up in Ferguson. This is the picture that we're throwing up for everyone on who is watching CNN. It's from the Web site of the same name. It's pants up -- you see the hashtag at the top -- #pantsupdontloot.

The group behind it has reportedly had ties to these pro-police organizations. Have you seen this, Tory? Have you seen this? Your response to this billboard?

RUSSELL: Yes, heard about it. I heard it's on Lindbergh.

That's what we're dealing with. We're dealing with unchecked, you know, just systematic racism coming down from the top level from Governor Jay Nixon, who I would actually call a modern-day Bull Connor. And then you have regular folks, racist folks, oppressive people who are just arrogant in their racism and they are allowed to do that.

They allow the KKK to come on TV and say they're going to defend themselves and use lethal force, but the FBI's looking at peaceful protesters. I think the whole system is skewed on that point.

BALDWIN: Let me end just with -- I hear you throwing out names and, you know, describing the governor of your state. But I guess the flip side, what would the alternative be if he didn't call this a state of emergency and didn't ready the National Guard for who knows what could happen? What's the alternative? What would you propose?

RUSSELL: Maybe sitting down with the people and the peaceful protesters and some of the youth leaders. He tends to sit with the comfortable people in suits or the comfortable people that haven't been out in the streets. So maybe if he can get in a room and listen to us, and not only listen, but take those orders and those demands that we released on August 18, maybe we can start from there. But he has to start with police accountability for all the tear gas, rubber bullets, real bullets and pepper spray I personally got from August all the way for 102 days later.

BALDWIN: Tory Russell, co-founder of Hands Up United, thank you for taking the time with me and your candor. I truly appreciate it.

And please don't miss our new CNN documentary tonight. It's "Black in America," a series called "Black & Blue." Soledad O'Brien takes a look at aggressive policing tactics used within the New York Police Department and the impact they have on crime-fighting efforts, as well as within the communities these officers serve. That is tonight 9:00 Eastern here on CNN.

Again, Tory Russell, thank you.

Could Iraqi forces be turning the tide in the war on ISIS? The military was fighting ISIS for a major prize. Now some reason for optimism in that war, the breaking news just in.

Plus, today's bloody attack on a synagogue has provoked a swift reaction from Israel to the United States. We will go live to Jerusalem to find out how Israelis are reacting.

You're watching CNN's special live coverage.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: All right. Let's get to that breaking news from Iraq, where ISIS, the vicious terrorist group, as you well know, has apparently just suffered a setback.

State-run TV now is airing video of Iraqi armed forces entering the country's largest oil refinery in Baiji. ISIS has had the plant surrounded since July when it overran much of that territory north of Baghdad.

Quickly, let me get to CNN international anchor Michael Holmes, who has been to Iraq many, many, many times.

Michael Holmes, what can you tell me about this in Baiji?

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, some good news for the Iraqi security forces, Brooke.

They took the town in the last couple of weeks. Now, ISIS never controlled the refinery itself, but, as you pointed out, had it surrounded. It's a key facility, not just because of the oil refinery, but this whole Baiji area is one that is strategically important.

And for the Iraqi forces to now be controlling that, it gives them a real foothold geographically to hit ISIS-held areas south of there and also give them a bit of a springboard for when hopefully they eventually move north toward Mosul, so a very important strategic victory for the Iraqi forces -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: What about -- you have these Iraqi armed forces. You have the help of the U.S. government, right, and these coalition airstrikes, help of some friendlier militias. Appears to be something, right?

But let's keep in mind ISIS still holds one of the biggest cities, Mosul. What's the status of that fight there?

HOLMES: It's interesting too when you talk about Baiji. When you talk about other friendlies, Iranian advisers were reportedly involved in that field battle, too, for the city itself.

BALDWIN: Huh.

HOLMES: Yes, so it's interesting bedfellows, as we have pointed out in the past.

You know, there have been a number of positives coming up in the last -- and, as you know, I have been there more than a dozen times. I have seen it at its worst, and it's nice to say a couple of positive things. We have seen the new government under Haider al-Abadi, who of course replaced the much-hated Nouri al-Maliki.

He's actually started arming some of those Sunni tribes in Anbar to try to get them to rise up against the ISIS militants, which are really just west of the capital. You see what's happened in Baiji.

We also saw him put a broom through the upper echelons of the Iraqi military, everyone from basically the Iraqi military commander to the head of Baghdad command, all of them tossed out and new people coming in. You will remember, under Nouri al-Maliki, he basically got rid of a lot of the capable generals that the Americans used to work with and replaced them with his own lackeys.

And we saw what happened in Mosul under that sort of command structure. So that's some good news as well. And we even saw the Iraqi president visiting Saudi Arabia a week or so ago, which would have been unthinkable under Nouri al-Maliki. He was accusing the Saudis of backing terrorists.

A couple of good points there. The idea of taking Mosul in the short to near-term future, unlikely, but they have got some more footholds. Look, is it turning the tide? No. It's not at the moment, but some positive signs at last in that fight. You mentioned the militias working with the army. Got to watch them, too. Some of those militias themselves, Shiite militias, have been accused of their own atrocities as they go into some of these ISIS towns and take out their own revenge on Sunnis.

Got to watch the behavior of them. But, you know, I have got to say, it's nice to see something positive for a change.

BALDWIN: Some progress, Michael Holmes. Some progress. We will take it. Thank you, my friend. I appreciate you very much.

Ahead, maybe the White House does not negotiate with terrorists. What about the families of hostages? Should they be allowed to pay to get their loved ones back? It would certainly be quite the price tag. The Obama administration is reviewing America's policies. We have that for you.

Plus, more on our breaking news out of Israel today, those four rabbis, including three Americans, killed in a terror attack involving axes and knives and a gun. We will go live once again to Jerusalem, as Israel is getting ready to destroy the terrorists' homes, demolition time -- next.

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