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Mitt Romney Considers 2016 Presidential Run; Bobby Jindal Comments on Muslims; Movie Goes Flock to See "Selma"

Aired January 19, 2015 - 13:30   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer, reporting from Washington.

Tomorrow, President Obama will address the nation in a joint session of the United States Congress in his second to last State of the Union speech. Even after six years in the White House, he admits he still gets at least occasionally a bit nervous.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: After the sixth time, I suspect that I'm a little more relaxed and a little better at it than I was the first time out, but you never get completely used to it. There's a certain pageantry to it. Sergeant of arms announces you. You're walking down that aisle and you're reminded of the incredible privilege that you have in being the president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The president is expected to use the speech to pitch several new program, tax credits for the middle class, paying for them with higher taxes on the wealthy, new fees for big bank, as well.

The former presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, is set to speak at a private event later tonight in California. This, just days after he spoke to the Republican National Committee. He said on multiple occasions that he doesn't plan to pursue another bid for the White House, but now a different tune. Romney saying he's at least considering another run. And there is new evidence that conservatives, at least some, want him to run. Six out of 10 Republicans in a recent "CBS News" poll supported a Romney 2016 bid. Compare that to 50 percent supporting Jeb Bush at least running, 29 percent supporting New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

Let's bring in the host of CNN's "The Lead," Jake Tapper, our chief Washington correspondent.

A lot of us have already concluded that Mitt Romney is giving all the appearances he's going to run.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT & CNN HOST, THE LEAD: It certainly looks as though he's giving it a serious shot. I've spoken to a number of advisers who say that he is very seriously contemplating it. He goes across the country, they say, and people talk to him, grass roots supporters, people who voted for him last time, and they want him to run.

Think about it this way, Wolf? What is 2016 going to be about? What kind of election will it be? It probably will be, after two terms of one president, it will probably be a change election. That's what it was in 2000 and in 1992. It will probably be a change election. Well, in the view of Romney supporters, who better represents a change from Barack Obama than Mitt Romney. He is somebody who is well-known. He's somebody who has a national reputation. He's someone who showed he can get the reputation before. And he's somebody who definitely represents positions contrary to that of our current president.

BLITZER: And he has a new focus on poverty right now. Some say, not a new focus, but in his speech the other night, he was talking a lot about dealing with this issue of poverty.

TAPPER: And this is something that has confused some Republicans and some even former Romney supporters, given he's had troubling communicating empathy for people in dire circumstances. The "47 percent comment" and even after the elect, he was talking how Obama won by giving free things to all sorts of minority groups. But I think this has a lot more to do with the fact that even though the economy is going in the right direction and unemployment is down, a lot of jobs coming back are low-wage jobs and the income gap is growing. Whether Republicans decide Mitt Romney is the best messenger, that remains to be seen. But there is room for someone, whether it's Bernie Sanders on the left or Mitt Romney on the right, to talk about problems in our economy.

BLITZER: It's interesting because a lot of his supporters are saying what he was saying when he was running for president the last time around was basically true. He got a lot of grief for suggesting that -- you remember when he said Russia was America's number one geopolitical foe. He said that in an interview with me. But now they're saying maybe he was right and all that grief he got was unwarranted.

TAPPER: Some of the things he's said have borne out, whether it comes to Russia, although the United States does work with Russia closely on other issues, such as the Iranian nuclear program and North Korea. But then there is also Syria, the mess of Syria. And the many people, not just Mitt Romney, but some Democrats, many Republicans in Congress, saying that the United States should have intervened. There are other areas where a President Romney would have been off, a President Romney would have been off. He did not predict that the economy would be doing as well as it is right now. But certainly that's one of the things that Mitt Romney is hearing as he travels the country. People are saying, hey, you were right about this, hey, you were right about that. That's one of the things giving him pause, making him consider running again in 2016 this time.

BLITZER: Presidential campaigns, they're moving ahead very quickly.

TAPPER: One other thing, Wolf, Ronald Reagan ran three times. That's something Romney supporters point out. Third time was the charm.

BLITZER: Third time was a charm.

TAPPER: Third time was a charm.

BLITZER: All right. We'll see what happens.

All right, thanks very much.

Jake will have a lot more on this, all the day's other important news. Check out "The Lead," 4:00 p.m. eastern, right here on CNN.

Coming up, Bobby Jindal is the governor of Louisiana. He's standing by live. He's in London. And we'll discuss some of his comments. Some are finding them controversial, about Muslim extremists. There is, Bobby Jindal. He's next.

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BLITZER: European leaders are scrambling right now to try to stop the spread of terror attacks. Here are the latest developments on the arrests and the investigations.

A source telling CNN that Cherif Kouachi sold counterfeit goods to help buy weapons. He was one of the "Charlie Hebdo" attackers. The investigators moved to end surveillance on him in France after he started selling counterfeit items. The source says that it was one of several missteps revealed by the ongoing investigation.

French authorities say DNA from two people was found on Amedy Coulibaly's belongings. The source says one person's DNA was found on the car that transported Coulibaly near the kosher supermarket in Paris. That person is now in custody. Another DNA sample was found on a gun magazine.

Five Belgium nationals are facing terrorism charges in connection with that raid last week. Two more are in custody in France. Greek authorities have arrested an Algerian man wanted in Belgium.

Meanwhile, Louisiana governor and potential Republican presidential contender, Bobby Jindal, has been in London speaking out about Islamic extremism. Bobby Jindal spoke about claims that Muslim immigrants have created what he calls the so-called no-go zones across Europe, places where Sharia Law rules and non-Muslims are not allowed. According to one online copy of the speech, the governor said, and I'm quoting, "In the West, non-assimilationist Muslims establish enclaves and carry out as much of Sharia Law as they can without regard for the laws of the democratic countries which provided them a new home. It is startling to think that any country would allow, even unofficially, for a so-called no-go zone."

The governor, Bobby Jindal, is joining us now live from London.

Governor, thanks very much for joining us.

Your remarks are creating a lot of criticism. Some calling it -- at least the Council on American-Islamic Relations -- hate mongering. Explain exactly what you're trying to tell all of us when you're describing these so-called no-go zones.

BOBBY JINDAL, (R), GOVERNOR OF LOUISIANA: Absolutely, Wolf. Speaking the truth, we're going to make people upset. Even today, in the "Daily Mail," you had a local police achieved that there are no-go zones here in London.

Here is the biggest point. Radical Islamists hate our values. They threaten our way of life. They don't appreciate, they don't condone, they don't allow freedom of expression, self determination. Anybody that thinks you should be killed for drawing a cartoon is a terrorist, is somebody that we need to hunt down, that we need to get rid of in our societies.

The huge issue, the big issue with non-assimilation, the fact that you have people who want to come to our country but not adopt our value, in some cases, not adopt our language, in some cases, want to set apart their own enclaves and continue to hold onto their own values. I think that's dangerous. It's dangerous in America and in Europe.

It used to be normal to call America the great melting pot. Now, because of political correctness, some think it's cultural arrogance or it's colonel somehow to insist that you want to come to America should be Americans, should want to share our commitment to the freedom of religious liberty, freedom of expression, the right to self determination. So my point is we have a huge challenge in those that don't want to assimilate, don't want to integrate. Quite frankly, we have a right as a country to say, if you want to come to American to be an American, to pursue the American dream and enjoy freedom and opportunity, we welcome you. However, if you don't, we don't want you in your country.

BLITZER: But you're not saying there are no-go zones in the United States. What you're suggesting there are these no-go zones in the United Kingdom where you are right now. And a lot of people are pressing you on this, Governor. Where are those no-go zones? What specific locations are you talking about?

JINDAL: You're exactly right. Look, you had a police chief here in London today say to the "Daily Mail" there are neighborhoods -- I'm not talking about entire cities, as others have tried to suggest. I'm saying there are neighborhoods where the police say they don't go as frequently. There are neighborhoods where women do not comfortable walking without veils. We don't see that in America. We wouldn't tolerate that in America. But in America, if we continue to allow people coming in without insisting on assimilation, on integration, this is what lies in our future. What I worry about, in America, it's become politically correct to say that that is a religious difference. This is not a religious difference. We need Muslim leaders to denounce these radical Islamists and say -- not only condemning the violence, but condemning the individuals and saying they're not martyrs, they will not be rewarded in the after life, rather they're going straight to hell. Somebody who uses military tactics to kill women, children, men, at their place of work, in their residence, simply because they drew a cartoon or for other offenses, we need Muslim leaders to condemn these individuals, not just the acts of violence, but these individuals, make it clear that these aren't martyrs.

BLITZER: But are these neighborhoods that you're talking about, these so-called no-go zones, are they in London, Birmingham, other cities? Have you spoken to British law enforcement about this?

JINDAL: I've heard all day -- we have met with elected officials and others. And, again, a British police official, a local police chief has made these comments in the local press. It's not a surprise here that there are areas where the police are less likely to go. There are areas where women feel they have to wear veils. But, Wolf, I think you're missing the bigger point. The bigger point is that radical Islam is absolutely a threat to our way of life. This is a group that we must hunt down and kill. And secondly, we need to promote assimilation and integration. It's no longer acceptable simply -- and by doing this, I'm talking about, for example, how we educate our children about American exceptionalism. I'm talking about insisting on English, insisting on adherence to our values. Sharia Law is completely incompatible with Western notions of self determination, of equality, of human dignity. It's not just another way of looking at the world. It's completely incompatible. And we need to recognize radical Islam for the real threat that it is.

BLITZER: In your home state of Louisiana, have Muslims been appropriately assimilated, Muslims immigrants who have come to Louisiana?

JINDAL: In my home state of Louisiana, in many places, we've passed outright bans on Sharia Law. And, Wolf, what I'm saying is, across America, we're beginning to lose our way. You heard people say we're not a melting pot, we're a salad bowl. You've heard in America academic elites and liberals and the left say, hey, it's arrogant to insist people learn English, learn our values. This is just another way, an equally valid way. That's nonsense. When my parents came to Louisiana over 40 years ago, they came so they could be Americans. They loved India. They loved our heritage. But they didn't want us to be growing up Indians. If we were, we would have stayed in India. Instead, they said you are Americans. Not hyphenated Americans. That's another thing I said today is we don't need to call ourselves Irish-Americans, Indian-Americans, African-Americans. We're all Americans. And that is extremely important. I think immigration shouldn't be done on race, color or nonsensical divisions. It should be based on if people want to pursue freedom and opportunity, work hard, get a great education, enjoy that freedom that our parents left for us, that should be how we determine who we let in and who we don't let in. So it used to be acceptable to talk about the American dream, American exceptionalism, Western values. What I fear is that political correctness is driving us to pretend like these differences don't matter and it's equally acceptable to adopt Sharia Law, it's equally acceptable to reject these notions what -- our Judea-Christian heritage that has made us so unique, so successful, and continues to allow us to make our own decisions about how to lead our lives.

BLITZER: But, Governor, we can all be proud to be Americans, but also of proud of our ethnic heritage. JINDAL: Absolutely. I'm saying people should absolutely embrace

their ethnic heritage. Look, America is a majority Christian country, but there's no penalty -- there shouldn't be -- for those of different faiths, those of no faith. Absolutely. There's nothing wrong with being proud of our heritage. But we're Americans. And the reason we came here is we knew this was a special place, a unique place, and we should insist on those that come into our country -- what worries me is when we have second, third, fourth generation immigrants who now identify themselves in another country or in their own cultural group. They either want to change our culture or set up their own culture. And it is a bigger problem, to be fair, in Europe. But if we're not careful, we will see the same challenges in America, as well. That's what worries me, this political correctness, and especially among the left that seems to want to insist that there is nothing unique about America or that it is arrogant to insist that people coming to our country share our values, share our language, and understand they're coming to be Americans, not to change our country to look more like what they want, which involves Sharia Law, the unequal treatment of women and other types of oppression.

BLITZER: I want to be precise, Governor. You're not backing away have your comments about there being various so-called no-go zones in the United Kingdom?

JINDAL: Not at all. And I'm also making a bigger, maybe even more controversial point that radical Islam is a big threat and we need Muslim leaders to denounce the individuals, no just the acts or violence, and also that it is absolutely correct to insist on assimilation, insister that people coming in to our society and into country adopt our values, adopt our language, and understand they're coming to become Americans or, in this case, coming to become the citizens of the U.K., coming to be Europeans. And I think that assimilation, that integration is so important if we want to prevent those lone wolves and to protect our society against this threat.

BLITZER: Do you want to be president of the United States, Governor?

JINDAL: Well, I'll continue to think and pray about it and we'll make the decision in the next few months. I think the country needs big change. The preeminent issue in this election will be restoring the American dream for our children and grandchildren. It's becoming harder and harder for our kids to enjoy and become part of the middle class through hard work and a great education. I think this president has tried to make the American dream about redistribution and government dependence, not hard work and effort and opportunity. I think folks are looking for an outsider, outside of D.C. I think voters are looking, I think, for a governor with executive branch experience. So we are thinking and praying about it very seriously. We'll make that decision soon.

BLITZER: Governor Bobby Jindal, thanks very much for joining us.

JINDAL: Thank you, Wolf. Always great to talk to you.

BLITZER: All right, thank you. And as the nation celebrates the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, movie goers are still going to theaters in droves to see the civil rights film, "Selma." Just ahead, I'll be speaking to one of the film's actors and Martin Luther King III. Stand by.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Here in the United States, today is a holiday honoring the civil war icon, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I had the privilege of taking part in an extraordinary even highlighting his legacy in Atlanta over the weekend. The Annual Salute to Greatness Award dinner, hosted by the King Center in Atlanta. I had the opportunity to share the event with Martin Luther King III. Also his sister, Bernice. By the way, that's Jovetta Moore (ph), from WVSB, who co- hosted the event. There's Bernice King. She is an amazing, amazing woman, doing wonderful work at the King Center. The dinner honors groups and individuals who exemplify Dr. King's legacy.

The movie, "Selma" chronicles part of the struggle for civil rights but focuses in on the voting rights, marches in the Alabama town. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Dr. King can we get a statement please.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: The rage for violence continues towards the unarmed people of Selma, while they are assaulted with tear gas and batons like an enemy in a war. No citizen of their country can call themselves blameless. We all bear a responsibility for our fellow man. I am appealing to men and women of God and goodwill everywhere, white, black and otherwise. If you believe all are created equal, come to Selma, join us, join our march against injustice and inhumanity. We need you to stand with us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Joining us on the phone right now, one of the stars of "Selma," Stephan James. He portrays Congressman John Lewis, a United States congressman from Georgia right now. But he was a young civil rights leader then. We'll also be speaking shortly with Martin Luther King III, the son of the civil rights leader.

Stephan, what was it like playing John Lewis in this film?

STEPHAN JAMES, ACTOR (voice-over): Wow. What an incredible honor to play Congressman John Lewis. He is a man and a hero to so many Americans, so many around the world really. So a huge honor for me to portray him.

BLITZER: How did you prepare for this?

JAMES: For me, it was a lot of -- being Canadian, it was a lot of research on John and what his role was in the civil rights movement. Talking to certain people involved in the movement. The film was an incredible experience for me to learn about all of this. BLITZER: I watched the film and it's a very, very powerful film. I

recommend people see it.

Martin Luther King III is joining us on the phone.

I assume you have seen the film, Martin, right?

MARTIN LUTHER KING III, SON OF MARTIN LUTHER KING JR (voice-over): Yes, I have. It certainly is a powerful portrayal of my father and those who worked with him bringing out social change in our nation. It reintroduces Martin Luther King Jr to a new generation who have only heard various people, hearing "I have a dream." It shows him as a strategist and his team bringing about social change. If you endure the force, you can be successful and, at the end of the day, there was a Voting Rights Act that came out of what the movement is.

BLITZER: We were at the awards dinner Saturday night in Atlanta. And you heard the former president, Bill Clinton, make the case that this film and the message of the film, the message of what your father stood for, is just as important today as it was then, maybe more important. What do you think about that?

JAMES: I think certainly President Clinton always captures the essence level of what is going on and in terms of our nation at the time. What's timely about this film is what we've seen take place in our nation over the last three or four months. We talk about police brutality and the conduct and, in some cases, whether in New York or whether it's in Missouri or Ohio. The final thing I would say that has spoken out about policemen being gunned down. That's not the way for protests about change. Even if you have an issue with some police, the issue of some, because many policemen everything do an outstanding job protecting and serving, but we have a lot of work to do allowing our nation to allow police brutality and misconduct.

#; Stephan James, you played John Lewis in the film, and I assume, and correct me if I'm wrong, you heard from him after the film was released and he gave you a sense of how you portrayed him as a young man in the 60s. Is that right?

JAMES: Yeah. He was able to see the film for the first time. And as an actor, you can only hope to do such just toys a real character. To hear that he was happy with how his truth was told was amazing to hear.

BLITZER: What are do you think, Martin, about the controversy that erupted from the film that maybe LBJ, that President Johnson was not accurately portrayed in terms of his relationship with your father, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr?

KING: I think that there is merit to it. I think scholars are concerned about all of the facts. Hollywood is concerned about creating a movie, not that they are trying to distort the image. I don't believe President Johnson is distorted. In fact, I thought President Johnson was strong in the film. No one can take from President Johnson -- President Johnson being the greatest president for civil rights in this nation. That can't be taken. That's true. I think they were planned and I don't know if he was called a partner, but certainly a friend. They have tremendous respect for one another.

BLITZER: And the Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act, they were passed during the Johnson administration. I think it's fair to say, historians will say they had a good relationship but they occasionally disagreed as far as tactics and timing and when to go forward with a lot of these issues. And that historic debate, I'm sure, will continue.

Let me thank both of you for joining us.

KING: Thank you.

JAMES: Thank you.

BLITZER: Martin Luther King III, it was good to see you --

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: -- and your sister, Bernice King as well. Please pass along our best to her. It was a special evening for all of us.

Stephan James, thanks to you as well.

"Selma," what an amazing film that was. At the same time, took a lot of people to go out and see it.

That's it for me. Thanks very much for watching. I'll be back 5:00 p.m. eastern in "The Situation Room."

For our international viewers, "Amanpour" is next.

For our viewers in North America, "Newsroom" starts right now.