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CNN NEWSROOM

Tropical Storm Bill Slamming Texas Coast; New Indictment in Texas Cartoon Shooting; Top Al Qaeda Leader Killed in Yemen; Husband Visits Escape Suspect in Jail; U.S. Drone Strike Kills Terror Leader; Donald Trump to Make an Announcement; Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired June 16, 2015 - 10:00   ET

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


[10:00:01] ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS: We had 14.2 is the highest rated NBA Finals game ever. Inches are just going up. Of course, you've got LeBron, who's playing out of his mind. People are actually saying, Carol, that LeBron, even if the Cavs lose this series, could win the MVP.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: MVP. MVP. MVP.

SCHOLES: So the NBA Finals, we've only seen that once ever. So it would be incredible. He definitely deserves it, but again, Steph Curry has also been playing pretty good for the Warriors.

COSTELLO: Yes, whatever.

SCHOLES: You got to say that.

COSTELLO: OK, Andy. Thanks so much.

The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Happening now on the NEWSROOM, do you know where these two escaped killers are? Right now police don't.

SHERIFF DAVID FAVRO, CLINTON COUNTY, NEW YORK: They had a better plan than her picking them up at 12:30 to take them out of here.

COSTELLO: And sex, a plan for murder? Sources give new details about the fugitives' relationship with the prison seamstress who helped them bust out.

Also, Trump 2016? Is the real estate mogul-slash-reality star serious this time? We're about to find out. What will it take for the Donald to win over conservatives?

Plus --

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Are you African-American?

RACHEL DOLEZAL, FORMER NAACP SPOKANE CHAPTER PRESIDENT: I don't -- I don't understand the question.

COSTELLO: Stepping down, Rachel Dolezal resigns as Spokane's NAACP president over questions about her racial identity.

DOLEZAL: This is not some freak birth of a nation mockery black face performance. This is on a very real connected level.

COSTELLO: But does she owe America more?

Let's talk. Live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me.

Right now bands of rain from Tropical Storm Bill are moving onshore in Texas. Millions of people are in the path with voluntary evacuations already under way. The brunt of this storm now just hours from landfall, and several communities are already being hit with 60-mile- per-hour winds, widespread flood warnings are in effect as more than 10 inches of rain could fall in places all the way up to Oklahoma.

Chad Myers is in the weather center following the track of the storm. Good morning.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol. The storm kind of made a little left turn overnight, going to make its way -- there's Port Lavaca right there, Port O'Connor right there. So the storm surge, if there really is any, maybe two to three feet. Right here all along this coast, all the way up toward Galveston Island, that's where the water is getting pushed onto land. That's where the heaviest surge will be.

This is not going to be a saltwater flood event, though, for most people. This will be a fresh water, which means it's going to rain. It's going to rain a lot, and the storms aren't going to move very fast, and then all of a sudden you're going to see six to 10 inches of rain on top of ground that already had 25 inches of rain in May.

Now I know it's been dry for the past couple of weeks but that doesn't make up for how much moisture is still in the soil and for that matter still in some of these creeks and streams. The rivers are going to continue to go up. The rain pushing all ahead to 10:00 tonight, Austin, San Antonio, Round Rock, Georgetown, major cities here in the way of rainfall, especially up into the hill country that will eventually have to come back down toward the ocean into those creeks and streams, those rivers that have been so hard hit.

We could even see two to four inches south of Pittsburgh into West Virginia as the storm finally three or four days from now heads toward the northeast -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Chad Myers reporting live for us morning. Thank you.

MYERS: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: This just into CNN. A federal grand jury has indicted a third suspect in the Garland, Texas, shooting attacks, you know, with the Mohammed cartoon contest?

Ed Lavandera is in Dallas following the story for us. Good morning.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via phone): Good morning, Carol. Well, the man that's been indicted is Abdul Malik Abdul Kareem. And federal investigators say he is a friend who helped the two men who attacked the Civic Center in Garland last month at the cartoon drawing contest that was held there. If you might remember, the two suspects were shot and killed by authorities there that were protecting the Civic Center.

Well, now federal investigators accuse this man, Kareem of three different charges that he's been indicted on. Making false statements to investigators, conspiracy and also providing the weaponry that was used in that attack last month in Garland, Texas.

The indictment states that Kareem went out with these two men into the desert area in Arizona and practiced shooting the weapons that were used in that attack, and so this was the latest development in the fallout from that high profile shooting happening in Texas last month.

COSTELLO: All right. Ed Lavandera, thanks so much.

And I apologize for the lousy connection there with Ed's cell phone, but in case you didn't catch it, a federal grand jury has indicted Abdul Malik Abdul Kareem on three counts for his alleged involvement in last month's attack outside that Prophet Mohammed cartoon contest in Garland, Texas.

[10:05:12] He also allegedly -- he allegedly transported firearms and ammunition for the attack and lied to investigators. As you know, the two other suspects in this case were killed on the scene. We'll have much more on this later on CNN.

There's also a new development in the New York prison escape and the woman charged with providing the tools for two murderers to break out. A source telling CNN that Lyle Mitchell has made a jailhouse visit to his wife, Joyce. Joyce Mitchell has been accused of an inappropriate relationship with one of the fugitives and allegedly had a sexual relationship with the other.

CNN's Alexandra Field is in West Plattsburgh, New York, this morning with more. Good morning.

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Carol. We're told that Lyle Mitchell showed up at the Clinton County jail where Joyce Mitchell is behind bars just this morning. She gets two hours' worth of visit a week. It's not clear exactly how much time she spent with her husband but you can only wonder what was said inside of that room.

Mitchell is facing up to eight years behind bars. Sources have told CNN -- sources have told CNN that they are looking at whether or not her husband, Lyle, had any knowledge of the plan to escape. He has spoken to investigators. He has not been charged with anything. Sources also telling CNN that Joyce Mitchell had relationships with both of the men who escaped, that she had a sexual relationship with Richard Matt, that she had been investigated for an inappropriate relationship prior to that with David Sweat.

And we're also learning that law enforcement authorities are looking into an alleged plot that the two escapees had to actually kill Joyce Mitchell's husband Lyle Mitchell. That coming from a source who has been speaking to CNN. It is not clear what joyce Mitchell may have known, Carol, about that part of the plan.

COSTELLO: All right. And as far as the manhunt for these two killers, I mean, the search seems to have gone cold, Alexandra.

FIELD: Yes. A lot more details emerging about the investigation than developments as far as the search. You can probably see a little bit behind me here that we are still out on 374 where this road closure has been set up for days now. They are checking every car that comes in and out, but really, Carol, there has been no clear sign according to people who are close to the investigation that these fugitives are in the area since last week.

That's when bloodhounds appeared to hit on the scent. That's when a wrapper was found, that's when some tracks were found which investigators believed may have tied -- may have been tied to the suspects, but right now they're saying that they haven't seen anything recently that gives them any confidence, per se, that these fugitives are in this area but there are hundreds of law enforcement officers who are here and they're trying to run down hundreds of tips, chasing leads in really every direction.

COSTELLO: All right. Alexandra Field reporting live from West Plattsburgh, New York, this morning.

A deadly accident near the campus of the University of California- Berkeley. Five people are dead, several others seriously injured after an apartment balcony collapsed apparently during a 21st birthday party.

CNN's Dan Simon is on the scene now.

Tell us more, Dan. Can you hear me, Dan?

All right. Well, Dan can't hear us so we'll get our technical gremlins worked out, but again five people died in that balcony collapse, eight others injured and of course authorities are trying to figure out what caused that balcony to collapse.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, it's being called the biggest blow against al Qaeda since the death of bin Laden. Details on a U.S. drone strike that took out one of the most dangerous terrorists in the world.

[10:09:01]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: A U.S. drone strike took out one of the most violent terrorists in the world. He wasn't just al Qaeda's second in command. This is the man who ran a branch of the terror network that's been plotting attacks against the United States and the West for years.

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula are the ones behind 2009's failed attempt to blow up a U.S. airliner with the so-called underwear bomber and more recently it claimed responsibility for the "Charlie Hebdo" attacks in Paris.

CNN's Barbara Starr live at the Pentagon with more on this. Good morning.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. Nasser al-Wuhayshi was the man the U.S. wanted to get for a very long time. Officially the Obama administration has not said that he is dead, but Yemeni officials and a number of social media posts right from al Qaeda itself are saying that he was killed in a drone strike and now a successor to him has been appointed by al Qaeda in Yemen, the organization itself. So even within hours or days of his potential death, the organization moving ahead with new leadership.

But Wuhayshi was a guy that had direct connections to Osama bin Laden, had been actually appointed number two of all of al Qaeda by Ayman al- Zawahiri, the successor of bin Laden. So this is a guy who had a lot of credibility within the organization.

We don't really have many details about the drone strike, did the U.S. actually know he was there? Was this a lucky hit that they got? What we are told is they are still trying to confirm information from the ground.

[10:15:05] But it does come after, you know, a couple of real successes by the intelligence community. It was just earlier this week we learned there was an F-15 airstrike against a top al Qaeda operative in Libya who ran the North African operation and a couple of weeks ago, of course, we had that Army Delta Force raid inside Syria that got a top ISIS operative.

There have been some that have not worked out, some failed hostage rescue missions obviously and the American hostage in Pakistan, Warren Weinstein, was killed actually in a U.S. drone strike when they took that shot and they say they had no idea he was at the location they were hitting. So the intelligence doesn't always work out, sadly, tragically, but in a couple of recent instances, it certainly did -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I remember. All right. Barbara Starr reporting live from the Pentagon. Thanks so much.

With me now, CNN contributor Michael Weiss.

Welcome, Michael. Are you there?

MICHAEL WEISS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, I'm here. I can hear you.

COSTELLO: Hi. Good morning. Thanks for being with me.

WEISS: Good morning.

COSTELLO: As the "Daily Beast" puts it, it's a bad week to be an al Qaeda chief. So how important is this man's death?

WEISS: I think it's pretty significant. I mean, he had been suggested as a possible successor to Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of global al Qaeda. I think what we're also seeing now is a kind of generational shift within the annals of international jihadism. As you pointed out, this was a guy who was an intimate to Osama bin Laden. He comes from the prior generation. Even the pre-9/11 one. And I think what's happening now is that these guys are going to be eclipsed by the rising stars, particularly those in ISIS.

You know, it's been a great week for U.S. air power which has not only killed him and as you pointed out, you know, the Libyan ISIS commander, but also helped liberate this town Tal Abyad in northern Syria, which through the work of Kurdish militias backed by the Free Syrian Army has taken ISIS out of one of the most strategic border crossings between Turkey and Raqqa Province which is sort of the home base, if you like, or the headquarters of ISIS global command.

So a pretty good week for counterterrorism, not just for the coalition, but for local and regional actors on the ground. I mean, I would add one more point to this story, which is -- sorry, go ahead.

COSTELLO: No, no. I was just going to ask you about taking this guy out in Yemen because the United States pulled special forces out.

WEISS: Yes.

COSTELLO: We don't really have a presence there.

WEISS: Exactly.

COSTELLO: Yet a U.S. drone was able to take this guy out.

WEISS: Yes, and so it sort of speaks to the fact that there is still some kind of intelligence cooperation going on with the Yemenis, either the Hadi government or -- I mean, and this is the first thing that occurred to me when I heard this news, what if it is the case that possibly the Houthis are sharing intelligence with the United States? You know, they have active intelligence from their work on the ground there, and there's a lot of coordination and collaboration going on in Oman, the country that was the sort of staging post for preliminary negotiations with Iran.

I was talking to U.S. naval officers last week who said that there's more there than even meets the eye. So it's very curious. I mean, you have this months' long campaign in Yemen essentially led by Saudi Arabia to restore the Hadi government but then there's a host of at least three other major factions on the ground there, the Houthis, the remnants of the Sale regime, and I wonder who's actually been telling the U.S. where to get these guys.

COSTELLO: It's interesting, right?

WEISS: It's a fascinating story.

COSTELLO: Yes. And last question.

WEISS: Yes.

COSTELLO: Is this the way to defeat al Qaeda and ISIS, by taking out their leaders one by one?

WEISS: I mean, look, it's great that these guys with operational tradecraft and decades of experience are being removed from the battlefield. But the "Daily Beast" had a piece of today with citing CIA analyst Bruce Riedel. I think he's absolutely right. Decapitation strikes, you know, aerial sorties that eliminate the top commanders, they don't really do the kind of damage we need because these guys are replaceable.

And, in fact, I'm sure both al Qaeda and ISIS today are trying to consider who is going to inherit the throne. I mean, in -- when you deal with these jihadi organizations, often it's not the guy who is necessarily out front. It's the guy standing two or even three behind him who is really the shot-caller or the decision-maker and the person who will be responsible for appointing the successor.

There's something called a Shura council or a -- you know, these are the guys that are essentially the kingmakers of all jihadist organizations. Those are the people I would like to see removed from the battlefield, and unfortunately, you know, they know how to cover their tracks.

COSTELLO: Michael Weiss, thanks for your insight. I appreciate it.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, is Donald Trump finally done flirting with a presidential run? Well, it sure looks like it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[10:20:01] DONALD TRUMP, REAL ESTATE MOGUL: Stay tuned on all social media. We're going to be all over the place. Everybody wants to watch. Make America great again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: All right. I want to head back to California where five people are dead and several others injured after an apartment balcony collapsed apparently during a birthday party.

CNN's Dan Simon is on the scene. Tell us more, Dan.

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, hi, Carol. The victims fell four stories to the sidewalk. I want you to see what it looks like behind me. This is in front of the apartment complex where I am, but that balcony, you can see that it's gingerly sitting on top of the one right below it. I can tell you that this call came into police at 12:40 a.m. local time. As you said, there was some kind of party or gathering going on, and

you had a number of people obviously on that balcony. Thirteen people, in fact. You have eight people who were taken to local hospitals and five people died.

[10:25:12] At this point, investigators are trying to determine why that balcony collapsed, but it appears you had too many people on there, but we don't know if there was some sort of structural problem.

This apartment complex, Carol, is a couple of blocks away from UC- Berkeley, and the people who were injured and the people who died were young people. We don't know if they were attending the university, but UC-Berkeley attracts a lot of folks from overseas because of its academic excellence, but bottom line right now everyone just in shock in terms of what happened and the five people who died, all Irish nationals according to the Foreign Affairs minister from Ireland -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Dan Simon reporting live for us this morning. Thanks so much.

The Republican presidential field expanding by one and possibly two candidates for the day is done. First, Jeb Bush will head to New Hampshire after launching his bid yesterday in Miami. Bush touting his background as governor, noting the importance of having someone with executive experience in the White House.

And next hour what could be a big, big announcement from Donald Trump. The real estate mogul has flirted with presidential bids in the past but will this year be the real thing?

OK. So I was expecting to hear from our senior Washington correspondent Joe Johns. He's outside the Trump Tower, but we lost the connection. We're having all sorts of weird technical gremlins, but there was a picture -- maybe I should introduce my panel because, you know, if Donald Trump does throw his hat into the Republican ring he faces a challenge from within his own party. Some conservatives have questioned the seriousness of a bid.

Stephen Hayes of the "Weekly Standard" calling Trump, quote, "a clown show," but "Washington Post" columnist Richard Cohen says Trump's potential rivals should welcome his entry.

In an April column titled "The GOP Needs Donald Trump," Cohen writes in part, quote, "American politics sometimes seemed to me to be a version of the movie "Animal House." Every four years some holy unqualified person surfaces usually in the Republican Party and is swiftly declared some sort of political messiah. This here it could be almost anyone but whoever it is, he or she better pray that Donald Trump gets fully into the race because he'll make everyone else look better."

For his part, Trump addressed a possible campaign to a Republicans gathering in New Hampshire back in April. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: If I decide to run, and I think I'm going to surprise a lot of people, a lot of people, if I decide to run, and if I win, I think we'll have a great chance, a great chance. I will make this country great again, believe me, and no politician is going to do it. That I can tell you with surety.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: OK. So let's talk about this. Sally Kohn is a columnist for the "Daily Beast," Tara Setmayer is a former communications director for Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher.

Welcome to both of you. I didn't mean to laugh.

SALLY KOHN, COLUMNIST, "DAILY BEAST": I did.

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: Well, Tara, I want to start with you because there are many within conservative circles that think Donald Trump should just stay out of this because his candidacy -- well, alleged candidacy is -- would be a joke.

TARA SETMAYER, FORMER GOP CAPITOL HILL COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Yes. I think that Donald Trump will bring an interesting dynamic to the race. Unfortunately, when you have now with him most likely entering -- Sally and I are pretty much in agreement that he's most likely going to announce his candidacy this time around after flirting with it in the past.

But when you're at now 12 candidates and that's without Scott Walker declaring, without Chris Christie declaring, we have all these candidates, we are in serious times in this country, and when you have someone like Donald Trump who is clearly more about cult of personality than he is about substantive policy and actually a legitimate candidate, you run into some problems here.

And I think that, you know, God bless Donald trump, he's good at what he does, but we all know that it's always about him. Now he may have legitimate reasons and concerns and some of the things that he said and how candid he is with what he says, people feel that's refreshing which is why he's polling in the top 10 right now in the Real Clear Politics poll nationally and that allows him to go into the top 10 which means he could participate in debates which turns this more into entertainment than it is into a serious policy discussion and I don't think that's necessarily good.

COSTELLO: So, Sally, it does seem like he's going to announce at 11:15 Eastern because he's also going to make stops in New Hampshire and South Carolina later this week.

KOHN: I feel positively giddy. Look, I was already excited enough that Rick Perry was getting in the race. I mean, that -- you know, there's always more room in the clown car for more clowns. But, you know, Donald Trump turns this from a circus into a full pledge reality show. We should put them all in a house. You know, with live cameras all night and see what happened.

You know it's just -- look, I love the part where you said like I have a good, good chance of winning in (INAUDIBLE). No, he does not.