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CNN NEWSROOM

Clinton Used Personal Email as Secretary of State; Netanyahu to Speak About Iran; Israelis React on Pending Speech; New Video of LAPD Shooting; House Republicans May Allow Vote on DHS Bill Today; Interview with Rep. Charlie Rangel

Aired March 3, 2015 - 09:30   ET

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


CAROL COSTELLO: So why would Hillary Clinton do such a -- gosh, I don't want to use the adjective I have in my head. So why would she do this?

JOHN AVLON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, the best case scenario, it's kind of prevent defense against "gotcha" politics. But it clearly shows both -- one can assume, an awareness that these e-mails could be used for political purposes going forward, and an instinct not to be transparent.

This is a proactive decision by Secretary Clinton in the time that her aides in the administration did not call her on. And even though they said they've handed over 55,000 e-mails, to date as Brianna said, they may have thought they were occupying within the letter of the law, but the spirit of the law, they can say that but it's hard to believe. This is clearly, you know, not a person embracing transparency. This is a person trying to control their message.

COSTELLO: OK, well, I'll say what the adjective was in my head. It just seems kind of -- kind of a dumb move on Hillary Clinton's part because surely she knew that this would come out at some point in time.

AVLON: Yes, it doesn't seem to have the gift of foresight. I think that's pretty, pretty clear. But, look, you know, there are two reasons this matters beyond whatever legal requirements exist. And one of the problems we see here is, as in so many other places, we see technology out pacing our laws and that creates a gray area where people can kind of slip in and go further than the letter and the spirit ever intended.

But it's security and it's history. If she's using a private e-mail address as the secretary of state of the United States, that's simply not going to have the same kind of protections as an e-mail address controlled by the federal government. And then there's the total transparency, the historical record. It's great that they're saying, look, we're complying, we're sending over 55,000 e-mails, but that's selective at the digression of Secretary Clinton and her current staff. So it really -- you know, you contrast that with Jeb Bush, as he lost no time in trying to politically point out where he just did open kimono on all the e-mails from his tenure, good, bad, and indifferent released. That is a really clear contrast that speaks to both in style and substance.

COSTELLO: All right, CNN political analyst and editor-in-chief of "The Daily Beast," John Avlon. Thanks as usual. I appreciate your insight.

AVLON: Thanks, Carol.

COSTELLO: You're welcome.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, Iran nuclear talks move ahead despite Israel's opposition. As the deadline approaches, what challenges exist in finalizing negotiations? Jim Sciutto sets the moods for us in Switzerland.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: The Iranian foreign minister tells CNN that the Israeli prime minister is trying to create tension and conflict in these talks. We'll have more right after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Ninety minutes from now, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers his landmark speech to both houses of Congress. He'll rail against any U.S.-lead deal over Iran over its nuclear program and the White House is warning him to not build his case by revealing sensitive details from the ongoing talks. Elise Labott is CNN's global affairs correspondent. He joins us from Washington to set the stage.

Good morning.

ELISE LABOTT, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

Well, aids are saying this will be information that's never revealed before. And I just spoke to Israel's intelligence minister this morning. Yuval Steinitz is saying -- who told me that, listen, we have a conclusive, inclusive, and really full picture of what's going on in this deal. Enough to conclude that it is a bad deal. And that's what we expect the prime minister to lay out this morning, that all the aspects he understands to be in this deal, and I think he's going to lay a very technical case about why this could leave Iran with the means to develop a nuclear weapon, the breakout capacity, as we've been talking about, in a shorter time than the one year that the president is talking about.

Now, the question is, does he have a bombshell that he's going to drop today that will make people think twice? I'm not necessarily sure. We don't expect him to really reveal classified or extremely sensitive information, but certainly he wants to raise the alarm bells that this deal shaping up is not a good deal for Israel, but not a good deal for the U.S. and Iran -- and the world, Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Elise Labott reporting live for us this morning, thank you.

As the clock ticks down to that March 24th deadline for a deal on Iran's nuclear program, talks continue in Switzerland, even as both sides acknowledge there are key sticking points. For his part, President Obama is clear about what it will take to reach an agreement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What I've said consistently is, we should let these negotiations play out. If, in fact, Iran is willing to agree to double digit views of, you know, keeping their program where it is right now and, in fact, rolling back elements of it that currently exist.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: But according to one national news agency, Iran is rejecting the president's requirement as, quote, "unacceptable."

I want to bring in CNN chief national security correspondent Jim Sciutto, who's in Switzerland this morning.

Tell us more about this, Jim.

SCIUTTO: Well, I'll tell you, Carol, the way the president described the outlines of the agreement is something that's been fairly well known for some time, a number of years, a range between seven and 15 years of extension -- they've been moving closer to double digits -- and that Iran would keep the restrictions it's had under this interim agreement and then add more in effect, break down some of its capability to enrich uranium, et cetera. Those are the broad outlines.

What the administration will say is that, listen, you can't take any one of these details out of context. They only make sense when the whole deal is revealed and they haven't gotten to that point yet. Earlier today I spoke with the Iranian foreign minister. He is leading the talks here. And we can certainly see them with their noses to the grind stone because they keep walking back and forth by us here, multiple meetings over the course of the day. They started last night and they're going to go into tomorrow. Here's what Dr. Javad Zarif said to us about their focus in the talks right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMMAD JAVAD ZARIF, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: But there are gaps. There's certainly gaps and we're trying to move forward but it's a lot of work.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How many more times do you think that you'll meet today?

ZARIF: Huh?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How many more times do you think you'll meet today?

ZARIF: As many times as necessary.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SCIUTTO: Well, they're keeping to that promise. They've already met multiple times today. They're going to keep up late into the night, which gives you an indication that for all the politics back in Washington, the focus here remains on trying to get to a political framework agreement by the end of this months. But I did ask Dr. Zarif just a few minutes ago whether Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech is interfering with the negotiations. He said, in his words, Prime Minister Netanyahu is trying, but, ,again in his words, creating tension and fear and hostility in these negotiations won't make anybody happy. So you certainly hear from the Iranian side pushing back. And I've spoken to Secretary of State John Kerry as well. They're focused here, at least, on trying to get closer to an agreement, Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Jim Sciutto live in Geneva, thank you so much.

I want to go now to Jerusalem where the reaction to Netanyahu's speech before Congress is split. Some Israelis questioning if the prime minister's appearance is more about an upcoming election than about national security. CNN's Kate Bolduan has that part of the story.

Hi, Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, ANCHOR, CNN'S "AT THIS HOUR": Hey there, Carol.

I mean it's been really interesting to be on the ground and see this shift in tone and the shift in the criticism and what folks are saying about this. Let me explain. For a time, while we've been here, there seemed to be a calming of criticism against the prime minister, especially in terms of his opponents in the election. They say that this is essentially a state visit and when he's abroad they want it to be a unified Israel.

Well, overnight, that seems to have shifted and changed and the criticism coming from his opponents are -- is back in full force. Tzipi Livni, one of his running against Netanyahu in the upcoming election, said to an Israeli radio station that she doesn't think he is ever going to be able to repair the damage that this speech has already caused. She also blasted him, saying that she holds him responsible for dividing the Jewish community and saying how embarrassing she thought it was that he would go to America and folks would not want to meet with him.

Another leader in the opposition party, speaking to a local paper, called on him to cancel the speech. Clearly it's unlikely at all that's going to happen at this point. She told a local paper this, Carol, "you've created this political crisis with your own hands. You've pushed Israel into the political rift in the United States. Now is the time to admit that and do the right thing, return home."

On top of all of that, Netanyahu's key opponent in this election has announced that he's going to be offering a response of sorts scheduled to happen right after -- immediately following Netanyahu's speech in the coming hour. You can really see all of this while there was a lull, maybe you call it, it's all now building on the suspense and the significance of this one speech as Netanyahu prepares to head before Congress.

COSTELLO: What about voters there, Kate? Are they split?

BOLDUAN: They -- well, voters are split in terms of if they think Netanyahu should be giving this speech. One of the most reliable recent polls shows a 38-38 split on if they support Netanyahu giving this speech. In that number, though, there was 24 percent of likely voters said they had no position or hadn't found a position yet on that.

In terms of the election and the effect that this speech has on the election, that's yet to be seen. We've -- I've -- we've spoken to smart political minds here and they seem to have divergent opinions on if they think this speech will backfire or help Netanyahu in terms of how it will play at the polls back home. A reminder to our viewers, he's up for re-election for another term, and that election happens in just two weeks. So it's going to be very interesting to see what the reaction is immediately following his speech.

COSTELLO: It sure will. Kate Bolduan reporting live from Israel this morning. Thank you.

A reminder, Wolf Blitzer hosts our special coverage of Netanyahu's congressional address beginning next hour right here on CNN.

Still to come on the NEWSROOM, new revealing video following a deadly police shooting. Stephanie Elam is following that in Los Angeles.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

When you take a look at this video from a surveillance camera, it adds more details to the picture. We'll show it to you and you can decide what you think happened, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: We're learning more about the moments leading up to a deadly police shooting in Los Angeles. New surveillance video is showing how the struggle on the street unfolded. In it, you can see the homeless man diving into his tent and that's when weapons were drawn.

Stephanie Elam is following the story for us from Los Angeles. Good morning, Stephanie.

ELAM: Good morning, Carol. When you take a look at this surveillance video that CNN obtained, you can see much more of the story here. You can see what looks like he's allegedly doing drug deals out of his tent, the man who they say was a suspect in a robbery. That's the reason why police were called to the scene in the first place. You can see him getting into an argument with the man in the text next to him, even kicking and swinging at the tent before pushing it out into the street.

Then you see the police officers arrive. You see that they have several minutes of conversation before it escalates further. And then you can see everything play out just as we did in the other video that was taken by a bystander from the street level. And what you can discern from this video is just more of what was leading up to what was going on with this man when the police got there, Carol.

COSTELLO: And the officers involved in this incident, are they -- what's happening with them?

ELAM: Well, the officers, obviously they're under investigation as they look into this video. There were six officers that were present. We know in the video that you can see from the bystander, you can see one of them loses their baton. One of the officers does. A woman picks it up. Two of those officers detained that woman. And then the other four officers are there. We know three of them discharged their weapons. You can also hear in the video someone yelling about a gun. Whether or not it's "he has my gun" or "he's got my gun", "drop the gun", that's what we're still working on getting clarity about. But you can hear this.

Now the police are saying that in their investigation they can show that the weapon -- that there was a fight over this handgun, because of the fact that the magazine was partially discharged and there was also one round that was also partially out of the gun as well, which they're saying shows that there was a malfunction, because they say the man was yanking so hard on the handgun in this struggle on the street and that is why they said that they resorted to deadly force.

Now we do know that the man had been tased before and that's why so many people were upset about this video, because they say it points to police brutality. Because why? Because the police -- four men should not have to subdue a person who has already been tased without taking it to that lethal force. Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Stephanie Elam, reporting live from Los Angeles.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, a Democratic lawmaker who vowed to skip Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech before Congress has now changed his mind. I'll ask him why next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

COSTELLO: All right, we have breaking news on the Department of Homeland Security. We're told that the leadership plans to bring up a bill to fund DHS as early as this afternoon.

Dana Bash, our chief congressional correspondent, broke this news. Tell us more, Dana.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. I should say Deirdre Walsh and I got word late yesterday that they are going to use something that is kind of an arcane procedure to allow the clean bill, the one that the Democrats have been asking for, pushing for, a long time and conservatives have been pushing back against, but they will allow that to come for a vote on the floor. We were told today that that actually is likely to happen today, that the House Republican leadership is going to just do it as soon as they are physically able to do so.

Obviously, you see what's going on around me. We've been reporting that the House is going to be tied up for all of the morning with the joint speech from the Israeli prime minister. We do expect that it's going to happen at some point after that. We don't have an exact time. But the plan for House Republicans is to do it as soon as they can do it. And it's going to be very interesting to see how the votes go down. There are still a lot of conservatives who say that they very much oppose this and certainly will oppose it with their vote, but it doesn't look like they're going to have the mechanism that we know about to stop the actual vote from taking place.

I say that we know about because we have seen predictions and seen plans that blow up at the last minute by the House Republican leadership. So that's their plan right now and we're certainly going to watch the House floor to see how it plays out and if it actually does play out later this afternoon, Carol.

COSTELLO: So maybe some people should be hopeful, but, no, it's not a sure thing?

BASH: Nothing is a sure thing when it comes to Congress these days. Absolutely right. But the House Speaker made an address behind closed doors to his caucus this morning that Deirdre Walsh and I were talked about, basically making the case that this is all they have to go on right now. And the reason is because, as we expected, yesterday, late yesterday, Senate Democrats blocked any idea, any concept of having a compromise, going to what's known as a conference. They're not even going to go there. They won't even appoint the conferees, the people to go to that conference.

So House Republican leaders are saying to their rank and file, look, we tried. We wanted to at least try to get Democrats to compromise and they won't, which they're right. They won't compromise. So this is the only thing they can do at this point, logically, that would keep the department running and would not keep this scenario going on and on and on for weeks and weeks and weeks.

But we'll see what happens on the House floor. As you can tell, I'm tentative because we've seen things change dramatically at the last minute.

COSTELLO: I know. I don't mean to laugh but you got to or you cry. Dana Bash reporting live from Capitol Hill. Thank you so much.

All right. Onto Netanyahu's big speech before Congress. A change of heart this morning from longtime Democratic Congressman Charlie Rangel. He now plans to be on the House floor when the Israeli prime minister addresses a joint session of Congress in just about an hour from now.

Congressman Rangel joins me now live from Capitol Hill. Welcome, sir.

REP. CHARLIE RANGEL (D), NEW YORK: Good morning.

COSTELLO: Good morning. Before we get into why you changed your mind, I wondered what you thought of Dana Bash's reporting, that House Speaker John Boehner has come up with a way to push a clean bill to fund DHS through the House.

RANGEL: This controversy never should have happened. The security of our nation is paramount. I'm glad that we'll be putting it behind us today. And I hoped that the Republican leadership would avoid jeopardizing the lives of people all over the world and indeed in our country by not trying to use their spite for the president as a result of affecting the security of America. I'm glad it's over. Or soon will be over.

COSTELLO: Maybe. We'll see.

OK, let's talk about that spite, because many Democrats feel that the Republican invite to Benjamin Netanyahu was to spite President Obama. You initially were not going to attend Netanyahu's speech but now you are. Why?

RANGEL: I thought this idea was so outrageous that if a number of us indicated that we would not be present, that those who thought of this would give it second thoughts and withdraw, either those that thought of inviting and breaching the protocol, or the invitees.

Having said that, the damage is already been done. I have a been asked by friends and constituents not to add to the controversy and so I'm going to be attending. But I certainly hope that this doesn't mean that those people are there because we don't want to add to this already serious breach of protocol that at any means nobody who has asked me to attend believe that this is the right thing to do. They just don't believe my absence would correct it.

COSTELLO: Do you believe that Benjamin Netanyahu will share sensitive information about negotiations with Iran?

RANGEL: I cannot see how the prime minister of Israel can share what is going on in secret negotiations that Israel is not a direct party to. So I can't answer your question.

And why we would have to use the House of Representatives to share with us the prime minister's views, I don't know. He was here yesterday. We've heard his views. And if he has secrets that he wants to share publicly, only he has the answer to your very, very sensitive question.

COSTELLO: What if he does share sensitive information? What action should be taken?

RANGEL: I don't think -- we're dealing with two sovereign countries. Let's be realistic about it. And friends don't rely on what we can do to punish another friend. I've always said if the security of Israel is jeopardized, the security of the United States of America is jeopardized. We cannot stand by. We already have all types of agreements and assurances, and even the prime minister admitted to this yesterday.

So if someone was to violate the highest code of friendship and secrecy, they violate their own protection. There is no better friend in the world than the United States of America for Israel. So to suggest that the prime minister would deliberately violate the rules of security that guides this discussion in restricting Iran so they would never have a nuclear weapon, that is something that we don't discuss --

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: I understand. I have to wrap it up, sir, because we have to join our special coverage.

RANGEL: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Thank you so much for being with me. I appreciate it.

CNN's special coverage of the Israeli prime minister's address to Congress starts now.