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CNN NEWSROOM

British PM Says He Will Send Additional Army Personnel to Iraq; Thousands Protesting at G-7 Summit; Obama Urges World Leaders to Stand Up to Russia; NY Officials to Hold Press Conference on Escaped Prisoners; Police Draws Gun on Unarmed Pool Party Goers; GOP Hopefuls "Roast And Ride" In Iowa; Millions of Federal Employee Records Hacked. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired June 7, 2015 - 14:00   ET

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


(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[14:00:15] FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Happening now in the NEWSROOM, a massive manhunt under way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These are dangerous people.

WHITFIELD: Using power tools and crawling through steam pipes and tunnels, two convicted murderers pull off a daring escape from prison.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The precision of the operation, it was truly extreme.

WHITFIELD: Even leaving a note saying, "have a nice day."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the first escape from the maximum security portion of the institution ever.

WHITFIELD: Now, hundreds of officers are on the hunt to track them down.

Plus one-on-one with Wisconsin governor Scott Walker.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our legislation makes it easier to vote, but hard to choose.

WHITFIELD: Republican presidential hopefuls hitting the trail on Iowa for the first annual ride in roast.

And protests in while in Germany.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thousands of protesters the last few days have been campaigning to stop President Obama and the other members of the group from meeting.

WHITFIELD: Police and security officers in riot gear and on alert as world leaders gather for a major summit in Europe.

NEWSROOM starts now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Hello. Thanks for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

Hundreds of law enforcement officers are right now looking for two convicted killers. Like something out of a movie, the para-escaped (ph) from an upstate New York maximum security prison using power tools to cut right through steel walls. State police have set up road blocks. They are also searching vehicles and nearby woods to find the escapees.

CNN's Polo Sandoval is covering the story for us and has the latest.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fred.

Two priorities for law enforcement in upstate New York at this hour, that's find these two extremely dangerous individual and try to find out how they were able to pull off some of an elaborate jail break.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL (voice-over): A massive manhunt is under way for two convicted killers on the run. The FBI, state and local police setting up road blocks searching house to house.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Currently, we have over 200 law enforcement offers in the area with a variety of specialized unit and equipment at their disposal. No stone is being left unturned.

SANDOVAL: 48-year-old Richard mat and David sweat made a daring escape from the Clinton correctional facility in upstate New York near the Canadian border.

GOV. ANDREW CUOMO, NEW YORK: No doubt it was an extraordinary act. You have a facility that opened in 1865. Just think about it. This is the first escape from the maximum security portion of the institution ever.

SANDOVAL: The pair left make-shift dummies in their beds made out of hooded sweat shirts and carved a hole at the steel water at the rear of their cells.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This morning we noticed during standing count at 5:30 a.m. in this facility, the two, cells adjoining each other were empty.

SANDOVAL: Officials say the inmates crawled through tunnels and used power tools to cut through steel pipes, eventually escaping through a man hole outside the perimeter. Officials say the brazen pair even left a note for prison officials. It read, "have a nice day."

CUOMO: We went back and pieced together what they did. It was elaborate. It was sophisticated.

SANDOVAL: Sweat is serving a sentence of life without parole after he was convict of first degree murder. Matt is serving 25 years to life for kidnapping a man and beating him to death. CUOMO: So these are dangerous people. They are not to be trifled

with.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: I spoke with law enforcement. They tell me that they are confident they will eventually track down these two individuals. But the concern now is what would two desperate fugitives on the run be willing to do to stay beyond those prison walls? - Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, CNN's Polo Sandoval, thank you so much. Keep us updated.

Meantime, we've got breaking news out of Iraq today. The British prime minister says he is giving the go-ahead for his country to send 125 additional army personnel to Iraq. That will bring the British force there to at least 275.

CNN senior international correspondent Nick Paton Walsh is joining me now live from Baghdad. What does this mean, Nick? And what capacity would these British forces be used?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, really symbolic. It comes after that G-7 meeting where there have been a lot of focus what frankly can those key nations do. (INAUDIBLE) having a bad run frankly recently. And it does, according to some reports, take the total number Iraq-related missions to about 900 or so. But that 125, 100 of them will be involved in predominantly activities about depicting IEDs which supposed (INAUDIBLE) are roadside bombs. The other 25 will be involved in medical operations, assisting any cause of trench and other sort of predominantly nonlethal type activities. It does pay off if you frankly and significant if you look at the size of the U.S. operation here of 3,000. That in itself is extraordinarily small compared to the U.S. military presence until not so recently.

So yes, this is an effort by Britain to be part of a broader move to try and put more resources into the fight here, given the fact Ramadi fell recently. Given the fact we were supposed to this time of the year be talking about retaking Mosul, the key (INAUDIBLE) city from ISIS. And that simply is not the case. They are trying to reassess what needs to be done to bolster the coalition strategy against ISIS.

But if you look really at the broader numbers, people are looking for a significant strategic or policy change t| try to bolster this campaign, given that overwhelming caveat and most those G-7 countries that they just simply do not want to see boots on the ground again here in Iraq -- Fred.

[14:06:15] WHITFIELD: And so, I wonder, Nick, while you mentioned the falloff Ramadi, is there anything that speaks to the timing about why the British prime minister would decide now it is time to send additional troops?

WALSH: Because of the G-7. At that particular meeting, they all seem to be united and doing extra to try to assist this ISIS coalition. There is nothing specific these guys will be doing on the ground that will alter necessarily what is happening here. We know fully well that IEDs are a major issue here on the ground here in Iraq. So those guys will be able almost help out countering that particular threat. But in all realism, the issue with Ramadi is much more complex. We've seen now weeks since their announcement of the campaign here to liberate all of Anbar including Ramadi, very little progress on the ground. I think people are really trying to balance the rhetoric of Iraq and the U.S. in terms of how well this campaign is going. And what seems to be movement on the ground which is in ISIS favor right now -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: And is there a feeling? You mentioned the G-7 underway, is there a feeling the British now and perhaps other countries may follow suit with some assistance?

WALSH: Most of the other G-7 nations are reluctant to get involved in this sort of thing. I mean, Germany is comparatively pessimistic when it comes to the flowing of forces of most of these troops here in the G-7 nations. They are involved in nonlethal activity. The Canadians are involved in some degree as well. So, it's a mixed picture. But I don't think you'll see the floodgates open. And even if you do, frankly, even if all of the G-7 nations contributing in the 100 troops isn't really going to tip the balance here. What needs I think most analysts see has to happen is a substantial change in the level of commitment, the level of coordination between airstrikes and forces on the ground and potentially in all realism ground forces to some degree to at least target air strikes to speed the offensive against ISIS -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Nick Paton Walsh, thank you so much from Baghdad.

Let's talk more about this. There are other developments in Iraq today.

Iraqi forces along with U.S. support say they are now in full control of the city of Baiji. Sources tell CNN that soldiers regain control of the city's government buildings and the main mosque. ISIS forces came under air attack as they retreated back towards Mosul . Baiji is home to the largest Iraqi oil refinery.

I want to bring in now CNN terrorism analyst Michael Weiss. He is also the co-author "ISIS inside the army of terror." Good to see you.

The Iraqi defense minister made a point of saying how important U.S. involvement has been in this operation. So, in your view, now that the British are committing 125 more forces, you heard from Nick who says, it will be in the nonlethal capacity, and even offering medical operations. How might this assist?

MICHAEL WEISS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, the goal is to train up what's left of the Iraqi security forces and to make them more confident. And I think it's also a morale boost that is badly needed right now. The city of Ramadi fell, not really because as Ash Carter put it, that you know, the Iraqis didn't have the will to fight. Most of the soldiers have been there for a year. Many hadn't been paid for six months. This includes the elite golden division which is their special operations forces. The ISF is begging for more western support. In fact, some of them you would find asking for boots on the ground by the U.S. and the UK. I don't see that coming in the near future.

But I do see a mission group here. I think there will be more military involvement, particularly by the United States. I'm sure there will be an injection at some point of combat forces, if not maybe special operations forces. After the killing of, I should say, of Abu Sayyaf, the ISIS oil minister a few weeks ago, there was a call for greater, sort of exactly these types of operations. Jay Sacre is going in to either kill or capture top-ranking ISIS commanders.

So, look, I mean, the state of play is as follows. You know, Baiji refinery changed hands several times since Mosul fell in June of 2014. I'm sure it will change hands again. But Ramadi is really the key. And Mosul is the key. The Iraqi government is more on the defensive now than on the offense. And the game to retake these lost provincial capitals, we are talking -- it's not months away. This is over a year's time before this terrain can be recaptured.

[14:10:38] WHITFIELD: So when you talk about mission creek, are you seeing that in term additional forces from the British and perhaps from the U.S. in the interim to offer more training or medical assistance well before you actually see American or British or any other coalition forces committing more?

WEISS: Well, yes, because the dilemma is as follows. The U.S. doesn't have a credible independent actor on the ground to fight ISIS -- to fight ISIS and then also for stall, perhaps an even worst sectarian conflict. You know, the reason that tribes in al-Anbar are pledging allegiance where ISIS is they rather cut a pragmatic deal with the terror group than partner with the Baghdad government which they don't trust and which doesn't trust them because their government is now increasingly relying on (INAUDIBLE), which is this concussion of Iranian-back Shia militia groups who have committed human rights abuses against Sunnis whenever they have liberated terrain from ISIS in the past.

So with the absence of this independent and nonsectarian actor on the ground, you are going to see. The Abadi government is making noises that they sort of want this. You know, that the prime minister for a while had (INAUDIBLE) from sending in Shia militias into Ramadi. Ramadi themselves to ISIS, and now the militias are turning to him in saying, you see, we are the only ones who can do this favor here. The problem with that, of course, is this this is the Sunni heartland of Iraq. And the Sunnis don't want the militias coming in.

So they would much prefer, you know, the first armored division or 101st airborne. And I've got bad news for them. That is not going to happen. But you may indeed over the course of the next several months see some injection of, you know, combat power.

WHITFIELD: And we'll see if the course changes in any way with the president having plans reportedly to meet with the Iraqi leader during this G-7 summit. All right, thanks so much, Michael Weiss. Appreciate your time.

WEISS: Sure.

WHITFIELD: All right, still ahead, world leaders gathering in Germany to discuss the crisis in Ukraine, ISIS and even climate change, so much on tap.

Our Jim Acosta is there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right. President Obama hoping to keep the economic pressure on Vladimir Putin over Russia's muddling in Ukraine. Today, the White House said Russia is thumbing its nose at the world. We will have more on that in just a few minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:16:00] WHITFIELD: WHITFIELD: President Obama is urging several world leaders to stand up to Russian's aggression in Ukraine. He made the comment at the summit in Germany and leaders are discussing the crisis in Ukraine, terrorism, climate change and a few other issues.

Meanwhile, thousands of people are demonstrating nearby in what are largely peaceful protests, but a few did turn violent there.

Joining me right now CNN senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta and CNN international correspondent Karl Penhaul.

So Karl, let me begin with you in this protest. What exactly is upsetting so many?

KARL PENHAUL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well Fredricka, let me just set the scene for you. We are at the gates really of the camp the protesters have been using for the last several days. This has been home to several thousand protesters whose vow has been to try to disrupt or even stop the G-7 summit which is being held about ten miles away from here in a castle.

They haven't been successful doing that. There are many different groups with different ideas talking about greens, they are talking about leftist, the different stripes (ph), anarchists and simply concerned citizens. But they are uniting under a common banner over the last few days. That is because they believe the group of seven is simply a club of elite fat cat politicians that are trying to divide up world politics and the economic pie for their own benefit, not for the benefit of citizens or the world community.

Beyond that common banner, as I say, a myriad of ideas. There are groups here that wants tougher action to combat world poverty, others who want a quick hand the world refugee crisis, others who want complete cut in military spending.

But in short, these protesters, thousands of them say the G-7 is not working. That this is a broken system. That it should not be fixed. It should be replaced with more democratic values -- Fredricka. And that is what has been bringing thousands of them out on the streets.

The police response has been tough, 17,000 riot police have been on duty. And they've been using tough tactics. They have been using a very controversial tactic here in Europe. It looks like very much like heckling, they call it. And that is herding and corralling the demonstrators so that when they are out in the streets, they have very little freedom of movement. They are very restricted in what they do. And that has largely kept the protests very trouble-free so far, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, thousands now. Let's see if the numbers grow or diminish.

Karl Penhaul, thank you so much.

All right, let's go to senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta right now.

So Jim, one of the major issues on the agenda is Russia. President Obama wanting leaders to stand up to what he calls Russian aggression, referring to what's happening in Ukraine. So collectively, what are people thinking there?

ACOSTA: Well, the White House's goal coming into this summit, Fredricka, was not to increase sanctions on Russia. They know that's probably a stretch. But what they want to see happen at this G-7 summit is that for these leaders to agree here that they will maintain the economic pressure on Vladimir Putin, on Russia.

Keep in mind, Fredricka, it was just over a year ago when it was the G-8. And Russia was part of the G-8. But because of Vladimir Putin's annexation of Crimea, and his meddling in Ukraine, Russia was booted out of that organization and now it's the G-7. But slowly but surely over the course over the last several months, you know, there have been doubts going in Europe as to whether or not these sanctions even work. And when you ask the White House about it, senior administration officials will say, well you know what, you are right. These sanctions have not changed Vladimir Putin's calculus. They say, you know, sanctions take time.

Look at the situation in Iran. It took years to bring Iran to the negotiating table over their nuclear program. And so, really, the goal here in Europe at this G-7 summit here in the Alps is to not just look at this stunning spectacular scenery behind me, Fredricka, but to also keep their eyes focused on Vladimir Putin. Letting that economic pressure subside, the White House feels, would be a dangerous risk.

[14:20:15] WHITFIELD: All right. Alright, Jim Acosta, thank you so much. We'll check back with you. Appreciate it.

All right, still ahead, back in the U.S., did a Texas police officer go too far when he pulled a gun at a pool party? Next, you'll see the video and get a chance to decide for yourself.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:24:01] WHITFIELD: All right, we are learning that New York officials will be holding a press conference soon on the two escaped murders from a prison in upstate New York like something out of a movie. We are hearing from officials that 48-year-old Richard Matt and 34-year-old David Sweat both convicted murderers used power tools and dummies in which to escape then leaving a happy face note saying, "have a great day."

There have been more than 200 law enforcement officials out looking for them. And of course, when we get this briefing from New York officials, we'll bring that information to you as soon as possible.

And this developing story out of McKinney, Texas now. Police are investigating one of their own after a video surfaced showing an officer drawing his gun on apparently unarmed pool party goers. The video first shows one officer in particular aggressively rounding up kids after officers responded to a disturbance at a community pool Friday evening.

The McKinney police department said several juveniles who did not have permission to be at the pool refused to leave and had begun fighting. One officer seen wrestling a female to the ground. And a small crowd gathered there. And the officer can be seen pulling his gun before other officers quickly rushed in. Take a look at more here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[14:25:24] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I told you stay. Get on the ground.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to tell you one more time, get your (bleep) out of here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Pretty disturbing stuff. The police department saying after reviewing the video, it has placed the officer on administrative leave while it investigates the incident.

So, let's talk more about this. Difficult to decipher what we are seeing, not knowing all the facts surrounding it, but CNN law enforcement analyst Tom Fuentes joining us live now from Washington. So Tom is also by the way a former FBI assistant director.

So Tom, you know, the officer was surrounded by obviously very upset kids. To hear kids, that is alarming in and of itself. Based on what you can see in that video, does anything seem justified in your view?

TOM FUENTES, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: To be honest with you, no. You know, when I was a straight cop and we would get called, especially this time of year, graduation parties, a pool party, a picnic, and occasionally things would get out of hand with the attendees. You'd get called. You would do everything to deescalate it, to get everybody calmed down, break it up. If nobody's hurt, if there is no, you know, serious crime that's already been committed, then deescalate it and just say, OK, you know, go home. And it's over.

In this case, you see the sergeant running around escalating it. And I think that, you know, to me the final straw is the parts you are showing right here where the girl in the bikini which means she is clearly not armed, he is grabbing her by her long hair, wrestling her, throwing her down under the ground, getting on top of her. I see no justification. Maybe there is some explanation. I would love to hear it. And I sure try to be as open-minded as possible when with I see all these incidents over and over and over. So far in this incident I can't see where it's justified. But then, I don't know.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And of course we know, you know, the officers are always going to be packing. They are armed, of course. But when you have a situation you are talking all we know and perhaps all the officers know when they arrive is that you are talking about kids, you are talking about a pool party. And if this is about kids being in a pool party that they were not authorized to be in, it would seem that guns or pulling out guns really wouldn't have a place.

I mean, what could provoke an officer like in this situation? What can you explain to us that perhaps the lay man cannot see by trying to interpret why a gun would be used? Why there would be pointing of a vehicle? Why the young girl with the bikini would be, you know, down on the ground, pushed down in the ground like that?

FUENTES: I don't know. You know, the girl in the bikini, I see no justification for that. And it's interesting to me, that you see this officer running around almost like a one-man band. The other officers that are there don't really come right to him right there to give him a hand. It's almost, I'm wondering what's going through their minds of get me out here, get me away from this guy. He's out of control. He clearly has no self-discipline. He lost control of his temper. And nothing good can happen at that point.

I'm almost saying, thankfully he did shoot somebody. It looks like he came close in drawing the weapon. The only justification for drawing that weapon is he believes he is in imminent harm. Somebody else has a weapon pointed at him or at somebody else.

WHITFIELD: But not just because there are a lot of people. That does not say threat.

FUENTES: No. It does not.

WHITFIELD: All right. Tom Fuentes, thank you so much. Of course, we all be curious about how this is resolved again on administrative leave, at least one of the officers involved here.

All right, thanks, Tom.

All right, still ahead, Vladimir Putin says there is no need to fear Russia. Can he be trusted? Are leaders in the west ready to work together in confronting him?

[14:30:07]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. At any moment now a briefing coming out of New York, there officials -- right there, there is a live shot, officials will be updating people on their ongoing search for two convicted murderers who brazenly escaped out of prison there.

More than 200 law enforcements have been looking for these two men, 48-year-old Richard Mat and 34-year-old David Sweat. An update on how the search is going.

All right, meantime, President Obama is urging other world leaders at the G7 Summit to, quote, "Stand up to Russian aggression in Ukraine." Vladimir Putin was not welcome at the meeting in Germany over Russia's actions in Ukraine.

But Putin told an Italian newspaper that Russia was no threat to either NATO or the west. Let's bring in CNN global affairs analyst, Kimberly Dozier, from Washington.

So President Obama is trying to get European countries on the side of ratcheting up the pressure on Vladimir Putin and Russia. Russia is not being represented at this G7 this year.

Is this an uphill battle or is it likely the European, I guess, the collaboration of standing up against Russia is a reality, but how might that make a difference?

KIMBERLY DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, it's a reality, but one that has really had a greater economic cost. European nations would argue for them that it has for the United States.

When you look at what the sanctions have done so far, they haven't changed Russian behavior on the ground inside Ukraine. Russia, according to U.S. officials, still supporting Russian special operations troops, who were backing the separatists that's why they say you've seen a number of violations of the recent cease-fire.

[14:35:03] What looks like the separatists jockeying again to take new territory. What the U.S. would like to see is a ratcheting up of those economic sanctions. And that, however, would be even more painful for the European nations.

The White House has also talked about possibly sending offensive weapons to Ukrainian troops. That also has been argued against by Angela Merkel and others because they worry that that would just intensify the fighting.

So the U.S. is saying essentially, all right, if not this, this and this, what do we do to check their aggression in Ukraine?

WHITFIELD: Isn't Russia still denying any aggression in Ukraine? Denying even its presence there?

DOZIER: Absolutely. It's in one of these sort of emperor has no close situations where they are saying, yes, we know you have YouTube video from people's cell phones of Russian tanks, et cetera or Russian vehicles inside Ukraine.

And yes, there are reports of dead Russian soldiers who have been returned to their grieving families back in Russia. None of that's actually happening. They even made it illegal for Russian journalists to report the deaths of those soldiers back in their home towns.

So they are locking down on the message that their own people hear about what's going on inside Ukraine and continuing to say these are not the droids you are looking for. That's not what's going on there.

WHITFIELD: All right, Kimberly Dozier, thanks so much. Keep us posted.

Republican presidential hopefuls are wrapping up their weekend in Iowa. Seven joined Iowa Senator Joni Ernst for her roast and ride event, which highlighted motorcycle rides and a lot of good food.

But it was Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker who really stood out as he was the only candidate to suit up and ride with Ernst the 38 miles from Des Moines to Boone. That was the location where they would eventually greet voters.

Where do they all stand now? The coming weeks, Walker, Jeb Bush, Bobby Jindal, all expect to make their run for presidency clear. Rick Perry who announced just this past Thursday said Iowa is the key to winning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICK PERRY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Being in this state, introducing yourself to people in a very personal way. I don't care whether it's two people or 2,000 people. If I can get invited to Iowa, I'm going to be here. There may be somebody that comes to Iowa more than I do, but if they do, they better pack their lunch.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, let's talk about this, Republican political strategist, Brian Morgenstern, and Democratic political commentator, Ellis Henican. All right, good to see both of you.

So Brian, you first, you know, Bush skipped this event. However, he is to make the announcement June 15th that it's official he is in. Hasn't he let the cat out of the bag at least once saying that he is a candidate? Once he makes it official, how will this change things for him or maybe even his message?

BRIAN MORGENSTERN, REPUBLICAN POLITICAL STRATEGIST: Well, it will change things because up until now, he's been holding a lot of fundraisers, where he raised around a zillion dollars and he meets with activists and hears their concerns and questions, and things like that.

He's been promising hopeful message with policy prescriptions. Well, a campaign announcement brings with it the stump speech. This is where we'll see if that message matches what has been promised. We'll see if it can cut through the talk about whether America is ready for another Bush and whether the Iraq question can be properly addressed, and whether he can address these questions on the minds of primary voters like common core and immigration.

So it's a big test for him. I'm sure he is preparing a lot. We'll see how it goes.

WHITFIELD: So big task. So Ellis, I guess there was the conventional wisdom the mention of his name meant that he was going to be the leading candidate. There have been stumbles along the way, even before his formal announcement of presidency.

So what does he have to do? What does he need to do to distinguish himself, particularly among the 10, who have already committed to being in this race?

ELLIS HENICAN, DEMOCRATIC POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I can't wait for that big stump speech, I'll tell you that. You've got to give Jeb credit. At least he has a plausible path to the nomination beings right? Compared to a bunch of these others --

WHITFIELD: Well, because of the name?

HENICAN: Well, because of a lot of things. I mean, the name is true. He can raise a ton of money. He's a great guy. He's been a governor of a major state. He's got to convince base voters he is more than somebody's brother and more than somebody's son. He hasn't achieved that yet. The start is wobbly. You've got to pay attention to Jeb.

[14:40:02] WHITFIELD: So Brian, how does he do that?

MORGENSTERN: Well, he's going to have to start meeting and greeting all the party activists that he can. He does face a challenge. The main thing is that voters have an appetite for a truly new direction, particularly in the Republican Party.

That's why you see a candidate like Marco Rubio surging with innovative ideas. Not a lot of candidates have been talking about yet. You see Walker, you know, portraying himself as the fresh face at the motorcycle rally.

WHITFIELD: Yes, but where are the ideas?

MORGENSTERN: I'm sorry?

WHITFIELD: Where are the ideas, all of them? They have to spout some ideas to get the attention of voters.

MORGENSTERN: Rubio is one who put out a whole book of ideas, very specific ones about how some new and innovative businesses can be used as models to adapt to a new economy. He's talked about a new education system that doesn't force kids to rack up a whole bunch of debt and focused more on the skills need in our 21st Century job market. So he's one that certainly offering them. I expect all these candidates, though, to come out with books of very specific policy proposals. That is something I'm sure Jeb Bush will do. He's a cerebral guy. He's a thinker. Rubio has done it already. I'm sure the other candidates will follow suit.

WHITFIELD: All right, just days away for him. All right, Brian Morgenstern, Ellis Hennican, thanks so much, Gentlemen. We'll be right back right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:45:11]

WHITFIELD: All right, when it happens, we'll take to you Dana Mora, New York that's where New York state officials will be holding a press conference right there to update us on the search for two convicted murderers who escaped from prison.

They did it in an incredible fashion, according to New York officials who say they put dummies in their beds. They went through tunnels. They used power tools to create a tunnel, going through with a steel wall there.

They even used a six-story catwalk to get away. They've been on the loose, 48-year-old Richard Max and 34-year-old David Sweat. When that press conference takes place, we'll be able to go to it right away and get an update on their search.

All right, meantime, U.S. officials now say Chinese hackers working for their government are behind the massive data breach of four million current and former federal employees.

This morning, Republican Congressman Peter King painted a dire picture of what could happen if the stolen data is used against the United States. He told Fox News President Obama needs to go from defense to offense right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PETER KING (R-NY), HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE: The president and his administration have the capacity to respond once they believe this is. There has to be a price to pay for this. These countries and terrorist groups should know that there will be consequences when they act this way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, so is this cyber-attack just the beginning of a broader cyber battle between world powers? Joining us live from Cleveland by Skype is David Kennedy, he is a security consultant and works as an ethical hacker.

All right, David, good to see you. So let's start with the big question. Is it likely China is indeed behind this attack? DAVID KENNEDY, CYBERSECURITY ANALYST: It's still too soon to tell if China was involved, but it does make sense. If you look at Anthem and Primera breach as well as what's happening here with OPM, it does look like it came from a foreign intelligence group that was actively looking at people that have clearances. I'm impacted by this as over four million people.

WHITFIELD: If so, why?

KENNEDY: If you think about it, we used to do the same type of intelligence gathering, but in a different fashion. Signal intelligence where it was kind of going over the air.

You've seen a lot of governments moved to this hacking portion to steal intelligence and go after key people with clearances in the government they can, A, impersonate or B, got a better understanding on and start to shadow them or bribe them.

So it's really intelligence-gathering purposes to get more information around our government, who has those specific clearances.

WHITFIELD: So what could the U.S. do to protect itself in a case like this? How can the U.S. prevent this kind of breach?

KENNEDY: I think there are two major ways. The first is the federal and state and local governments are so behind when it comes to protecting information and securing their systems. There needs to be a vast overhaul on how we protect our critical information and structure.

It's what we've seen in the private sector and most notably when the Sony breach happened. A number of corporations were starting to bolster their security. The second piece is going on the offense for these organizations that are attacking us.

Whether it's a terrorist organization or another government and holding them liable and accountable for what they do when they try to attack us. So I think there are two fronts where we can really start to get better at what we are seeing happen.

WHITFIELD: So do you think this is a prelude of more to come? If some cyber security experts are advising the government who are sharing this information with us that this massive breach appeared to be designed to build a vast data base in what could be preparation for future attacks by China against the U.S.

Would they feel like a victory has just been scored? If this works then the next potential breach could be even bigger or broader or worse?

KENNEDY: We are already seeing a lot of that. Iran is doing the same thing, Russia, China, any country that has more of a technology imprint. They are hacking onto critical infrastructure like our energy sector, our financial sector, or medical research. They are going after everything they can imagine.

WHITFIELD: Back to the why?

KENNEDY: Think about it. Let's say we have a conflict with China. China wants to hit us back home quickly. They can shut down our power, water treatment facilities, anything that we do back here to topple our financial sector. It's a new way of going after people we may have a superior military, but they may have better hackers that can really inflict a lot of damage here at home.

WHITFIELD: All right, David Kennedy, it's so confusing, very perplexing, but thank you so much. You broke it down beautifully for us. Appreciate it.

All right, we'll much more right after this.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Serena Williams' win was her third title at Rand Garros. Williams will head to London at the end of the month as the heavy favorite at Wimbledon. She'll also have a chance to win the first three grand slam tournaments of the year, something she never had the opportunity to do.

[14:55:05] SERENA WILLIAMS, PROFESSIONAL TENNIS PLAYER: I think my biggest obstacle is overthinking it. I've never been this close to a career four. No. But I'm still far away. I haven't done great on the grass recently in the past few years.

Obviously, I love playing in New York. I get hyped for that, but so does 128 other players. Wimbledon is so close. I have a couple of days off and have to get ready and start training for that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In 2002, Williams did win the French, Wimbledon and U.S. Open titles, but no woman has been able to win all four slams in the same year since Stefi Graff accomplished the feat in 1988.

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WHITFIELD: All right, at any moment now, a press conference will get underway in the ongoing search for two convicted murderers, who escaped in an upstate New York prison.

We are just learning that as this press conference will get underway. We might hear more details from the governor who is now offering $100,000 reward for any information leading to the apprehension and arrest of Richard Matt and David Sweat, the two inmates who escaped from this maximum security, Clinton Correctional Facility in Dana Mora, New York.

This press conference will get under way right there the left of your screen. When it does, we'll get more information as to what is being offered in terms of this $100,000 reward for information. And what resources are being devoted for this ongoing search.

We understand that this was an elaborate scheme. Something like out of the movies where these convicted inmates used dummies in their beds. They used power tools and apparently they also went through tunnels to escape.

When the press conference gets under way, we'll take you there live. Much more of the NEWSROOM right after this.

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