Return to Transcripts main page

NEW DAY SUNDAY

UAE Deploy F16 Fighter Jets to Jordan; Bruce Jenner Involved in Fatal Car Crash; President's Controversial Crusades' Reference

Aired February 8, 2015 - 07:30   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: Thirty minutes past the hour right now.

And in Syria, we know there are reports of explosions in the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa. Now, it's not clear whether the blasts are from new airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition, but coalition aircraft, we know, have been pounding ISIS positions in both Iraq and Syria this weekend. And they've been hitting dozens of targets.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, and now, the coalition is getting a boost from the United Arab Emirates. The UAE is sending a squadron of F-16 fighter jets to Jordan.

Let's get more from CNN's Atika Shubert. She is in Amman, Jordan.

And, Atika, we're awaiting an update from the general command of the Jordanian air force to learn what they've accomplished over the last couple of days since ramping up these airstrikes. But specifically, the rejoining of the UAE, what's the significance of that?

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's very significant. You probably remember that the United Arab Emirates actually suspended their flights after that Jordanian air pilot went down over enemy lines in Syria. There were a lot of concerns about pilot safety, and so they suspended it for several months. It now seems, however, they are rejoining and resuming those flights. And perhaps more importantly, they are basing that squadron of F-16 fighters out of Jordan.

This is significant because it really shows solidarity with other Arab members of the coalition. They'll be flying side by side with Jordanian fighter jets, as they hit those ISIS targets.

So, it's quite a strong message that's being sent out, especially when the number of airstrikes is now being ramped up considerably at Jordan's request, victor.

BLACKWELL: Atika, Secretary of State John Kerry, he spoke a short time ago at the conference in Munich about ISIS. And he says the war is not just being fought on the battlefield, right?

SHUBERT: That's correct. And this is something that Jordan has also said, that even though they're going to hit is hard from the air, it really is a long-term fight. Take a listen to what John Kerry had to say at the Munich security conference.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: The fight against violent extremists is not going to be decided on the battlefield. It's going to be fought and won in classrooms, in workplaces, houses of worship, community centers, urban street corners, and halls of government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHUBERT: Now, just to emphasize how Jordan feels about this, recently and very quietly, it released Muhammad al-Maqdisi, this is a radical Islamist preacher who is actually a supporter of al Qaeda, but at the same time is a very harsh critic of ISIS. And it goes to show that Jordan is very aware this is not going to be won by fighter jets pounding ISIS targets but really winning the hearts and minds of people not only in Syria and Iraq but also here in Jordan.

BLACKWELL: And the joining of Queen Rania with the march for this pilot went a long way to win the hearts and minds. Atika Shubert, thank you so much.

PAUL: And as airstrikes intensify against ISIS targets, Jordan says they're leading the fight against the terror group. The big question is will they send in ground tops?

Earlier today, I asked State Department spokesman -- spokeswoman, I should say, Jen Psaki, whether the U.S. would put boots on the ground if Jordan takes that first step.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEN PSAKI, STATE DEPT SPOKESWOMAN: We've been clear that we're not considering sending ground troops in. That's not going to change. Obviously, every country makes their own decision. And we certainly generally support them in that.

Our view is that the ground troops are going to be primarily Iraqi forces fighting against ISIL in Iraq which we've seen some success with. The opposition forces, we're starting our training program next month fighting against ISIL in Syria.

Obviously, different countries will make their own decisions. The United States is not planning on sending ground troops in, no.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: So a U.S. military official has told CNN the military is prepared to recommend ground forces if -- and that's a big if -- ISIS maintains defenses around Iraqi city of Mosul. Officials say Iraqi forces could begin to try and retake the ISIS stronghold as soon as April.

And U.S. officials say there is no proof that American aid worker Kayla Mueller has been killed. ISIS claims Mueller was killed Friday, remember, during a wave of Jordanian airstrikes. The 26-year-old was captured by militants in 2013, and her parents say they are still holding out hope that she is alive.

They claim that they've had contact with the terrorist group. In a statement to ISIS, the Mueller family writes this: "We've sent you a private message and asked that you respond to us privately. You told us that you treated Kayla as your guest. As your guest, her safety and well-being remains your responsibility."

But again, no word this morning on Kayla Mueller.

BLACKWELL: Reality star Bruce Jenner was involved in a fatal car crash yesterday afternoon. He was not hurt.

Sara Sidner joins us now with more.

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The investigation still under way in that terrible crash that left one person dead. Bruce Jenner involved in that crash. We'll have an update coming up just after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Reality star and Olympian Bruce Jenner was involved in a fatal car crash yesterday afternoon in Malibu. Jenner's publicist tells CNN that he was not injured, but one person died. And five children and two adults were sent to hospitals with injuries.

Now, his was the third vehicle involved in this multiple car crash. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has now opened a vehicular manslaughter investigation.

Let's bring in our Sara Sidner.

Sara, how did this -- how did this happen?

SIDNER: Well, basically there was a car that stopped short, another car behind it screeched on its brakes to try to stop themselves from hitting that car. And Bruce Jenner was behind that second car, ended up slamming into the back of a Lexus. That Lexus was pushed into oncoming traffic and hit by a Hummer.

I want to let you listen to the investigator who was on the scene at the time who kind of describes exactly what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SGT. PHILIP BROOKS, LOS ANGELES CO. SHERIFF'S DEPT.: It appears Bruce Jenner was involved in a rear-end of a vehicle. However, he was the third car in a multiple rear-end collision, which was an Escalade with a trailer behind it towing a sand rail. Bruce Jenner's car, when it struck the Lexus, the Lexus went into oncoming traffic which struck the southbound H2 Hummer. And the driver of the white Lexus was pronounced dead at the scene.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: And we know now this morning from the coroner that that drive is a female, but her name is being withheld because they are still trying to notify family, the next of kin.

A terrible accident, if you look at these pictures and you look at the state of her car after being hit that way. It also closed down Pacific Coast Highway which goes along the Pacific Coast, a beautiful stretch of highway. Closed it down for about seven or eight hours, just opening up at night. And this happened at about noon.

We are told from the sheriff's department that this investigation is going on. But officially, they're not saying it's a manslaughter investigation. Officially, they're saying this is so far just a traffic investigation with a fatality involved. And there are about seven people who were taken to the hospital injured from this.

BLACKWELL: OK. So not that manslaughter investigation yet if they continue to develop that angle. We all know that, of course, Bruce Jenner has a lot of paparazzi that follow him because of his involvement with the television show and reports about him in his own right in the last couple of weeks. Did paparazzi have anything to do with this?

SIDNER: It's interesting because the sheriff's department says yes, the paparazzi were there. And we've seen some pictures on the TMZ site that shows before the accident happened, almost a frame-by- frame picture of the accident happening. So we know that there were paparazzi there. The sheriff's department says yes, paparazzi were following. But they were not responsible for the accident.

The pictures are out there. So, it's clearly what's happening. And you know that he is always and constantly being followed as one of the stars of the reality show "Keeping Up with the Kardashians." And there has been a lot of rumors about him lately, a lot of people trying to take his picture, a lot of people wanting to hear from him.

And we have not yet heard from Bruce Jenner himself or the Kardashian family at all in this case. Right now only hearing from sheriff's investigators on the actual details of what happened. But not hearing much from him or the family themselves.

BLACKWELL: We'll wait to get updates from investigators there. Sara Sidner for us in Malibu, -- thanks, Sara.

PAUL: It's being called the Crusade controversy. Critics slamming President Obama after he compares Islamic extremism to the Christian Crusade. He made these comments during the National Prayer Breakfast this week. Why some say the president's comments were not only inappropriate but insulting to every person of faith.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Forty-six minutes past the hour. President Obama under fire, facing some backlash following his

speech at the National Prayer Breakfast where he made a reference to the Crusades. Take a listen here to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Humanity has been grappling with these questions throughout human history. Unless we get on our high horse and think this is unique to some other place, remember that during the Crusades and the Inquisition, people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ and our home country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: An aide said the president invoked the Crusades as a way of adding context to his condemnation of Islamic terrorists. Still some have criticized the president's use of the historical event. One historian told "The New York Times," and I'm going to quote here, "Any use of the word Crusade has to be made with great caution. It's the most highly charged word you can use in the context of the Middle East."

Let's talk to Rabbi Matthew Gewirtz, Imam Suhaib Webb, and to Father Edward Beck. We appreciate all of you being here. Thank you so much.

Suhaib Webb, I should say, imam, thank you.

I wanted to ask you, is the criticism of the president so far, do you think it's fair? Father Beck, let's start with you.

FATHER EDWARD BECK, CNN RELIGION COMMENTATOR: I really don't because my interpretation of what the president said was that all of our religious traditions are in danger of being corrupted by extremism and in this case by terrorists. I think he has been very hesitant to name this group as Islam even because they hold none of the real tenets of Islam.

You know, we have something in the Catholic Church called excommunication. If you are not in union with what the church believes, with what the church practices, you don't get to call yourself part of that group. And I think that is really the point here. This is not about a war with Islam. It's about a war against extremists and terrorists.

PAUL: Let's talk about that for a second because that has been much debated lately. How to characterize is. What to call them specifically. Do we call them Islamic extremists? Do we call them terrorists?

So, Imam Webb, let me ask you, do you feel that by calling them Islamic extremists that we are doing harm to Islam itself?

IMAM SUHAIB WEBB, SCHOLAR, MAKESPACE: I don't think so because you have more than 60,000 Muslims who have died fighting ISIS in the Middle East. A large number of Muslim countries have joined the fight against is. I think it's very clear that in the conscience of the broader Muslim community, they see them as even heterodox. I think that was the beauty of the president's remarks, it implies, as Father Beck said, that people can use religion unfortunately for the most unreligious acts. So I think we should call them criminals, who use a religion to justify what they're doing.

PAUL: OK. Rabbi Gewirtz, do you believe that it is important that we have a universal characterization of ISIS?

RABBI MATTHEW GEWIRTZ, CONGREGATION B'NAI JOSHURUN, NEW JERSEY: A universal characterization is important for all people who are fundamentalists and literalists. Those people who think they have a monopoly in the truth. Those people who think they own god's word are dangerous to all religions, Jews, Christians and Muslims. They're dangerous to everyone.

PAUL: So, Rabbi, what was your reaction to the president's comments?

GEWIRTZ: My reaction is first of all, it's so hard to evaluate words said when you're actually not in the room. So my guess is that part of this was taken out of context. My guess is that the president did use words that were highly charged. I agree, when you get into the Crusades and the Inquisition, especially since we're not historians, it's so many years ago, it's dangerous stuff.

But I think he was trying to make a nuanced, sophisticated message that says be careful when you cast stones because the truth is, is that each one of our religions have had fundamentalists in the past. We have them now. Unfortunately, we're going to have them in the future.

There's dangers and moderates have to get up and say no. The religion is about building people up, feeding those who are hungry, clothing those who are naked, freeing those who are oppressed. All of this becomes a distraction about what religion is supposed to be about.

PAUL: There was so much talk after this breakfast. So many were enraged. You saw this on social media, that the White House had to come out and talk about it, and White House aides said the president wanted to be provocative. He wanted to stir debate with his remarks.

Father, do you think there was a better way to do so?

BECK: Well, obviously, he was successful because here we are talking about it, right?

PAUL: Right.

BECK: I think it's getting us to think about the important questions. You have 1.6 million Muslims in this world. That's 1/5 of the population.

People will want to paint them with the same brush. He's saying we cannot do that. You cannot do that with any religious tradition. Look into your own histories and see that, we have had extremists as well. Let's come together as communities, monotheistic religions of peace, to use the inflammatory words of crusade, inquisition. People got on their high horses and how dare he compare us?

But those are pretty heinous, historical periods if you read the specifics of them. So, he got the conversation going. If that was his point, he succeeded.

PAUL: The president, he may have made his point a little more succinctly in this next part of his speech. Please take a listen to this together here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: We also see faith being twisted and distorted, used as a wedge or, worse, sometimes used as a weapon. From a school in Pakistan to the streets of Paris, we have seen violence and terror perpetrated by those who profess to stand up for faith, their faith -- profess to stand up to Islam but in fact are betraying it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: Imam Webb, do you think the president moved his message maybe a little more clearly in that statement?

WEBB: Most definitely. I think he focused on the broader universal point he made in the very beginning. Again, he's speaking to people who are sophisticated theologians. I think the fruit of that also is to create a collective responsibility amongst the vital center, the moderates, like people on the panel today.

Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in American are running basically hand in hand. They're parallel. Some will be anti-Semitic who also hold anti-Islamic views, Islamophobia. So, yes, he's not only speaking to an audience where he's making something very clear about my religion, Islam, and people are distorting it, but galvanizing people who want to living peaceful lives and celebrate God's glory.

PAUL: And, lastly, Rabbi, do you see any way to try to bring about more tolerance in this age when there is so much, it seems, anger amongst everyone?

GEWIRTZ: I am and I think all of us who are doing this as a living are hopeful. I believe that every day the sunrises, that we have the opportunity to sit on panels like this, to bring our parishioners together have deep, complex, sophisticated nuanced conversations about what it means to be peace loving, faith loving religious people who have no intention to go out there and hurt one another and at the same time, of course, we have to stand up and say no to fundamentalists, say no to literalists. It's not going to work and we have to walk hand in hand.

One last thing I'll say is I've been on two to three panels since Paris, since "Charlie Hebdo." And everyone says, where are the moderates? Well, more and more, we're appearing -- and we're appearing hand in hand. PAUL: And that is a good thing.

All right. Well, we appreciate so much. Rabbi Gewirtz, Imam Webb and Father Beck, your insight is much appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to talk with us today.

GEWIRTZ: Good to here.

BECK: Thank you.

PAUL: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: Coming up next hour, as the shelling violence continues in Ukraine and peace talks remain at a stalemate, hear from the State Department about the prospect for a peaceful solution.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Take a look at a story developing right now.

The death toll has risen to 40 this morning from Wednesday's TransAsia airplane crash in Taiwan. Today, rescue workers are searching for three passengers still missing. We know 15 survived and the crash is still investigation.

BLACKWELL: People living in Douglasville, Georgia, they say they are traumatized after several people were shot in the street yesterday. Douglas County investigators say a man killed four and injured two and then the shooter killed himself. Witnesses say he shot his ex-wife, her new boyfriend and several children.

Another shooting to tell you about now. Police have arrested a suspect to injured three people at a mall in Monroeville, that's in Pennsylvania. Monroeville is ten miles east of Pittsburgh. Police say the shooter knew at least one of the victims and they think the other two victims were not intentionally targeted. Police say two men and one woman suffered non-life threatening injuries.

PAUL: Richie Incognito, you haven't heard that name in a while, have you? Well, he may be back on the football field. The Buffalo Bills are agreeing in principle to acquire him. He hasn't played since 2013. Remember, he was suspended from the Miami Dolphins after being involved in hazing and bullying of Jonathan Martin.

BLACKWELL: No one won last night's Powerball drawing.

PAUL: Get your tickets.

BLACKWELL: Now is the chance, because the jackpot is up to $450 million. Pick up a ticket. You've got a couple of days. The next drawing is Wednesday.

PAUL: I'm getting mine. I've got three kids to put through college.

BLACKWELL: I'll put a ten spot on it, to win it. PAUL: Can we share?

BLACKWELL: Yes.

PAUL: All right. That's good.

Thank you so much for starting your day with us.

BLACKWELL: Next hour of your NEW DAY starts now.