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CNN NEWSROOM

Approval of Greek Bailout Sparks Violent Protests; Obama Defends Iran Nuclear Deal; Boston Man Arrest for Plot Speaks Highly of ISIS; Iran Nuclear Agreement Needs Ayatollah's Approval; A Close-Up View of Guzman's Escape Tunnel; Dutch Safety Board's Report on MH17; Japan Lawmakers Approve Sending Troops to Fight Abroad; Clinton Said He Made Incarceration Issue Worse; Caitlyn Jenner Receives Courage Award; Kristin Beck Talks Jenner, Military Lifting Ban on Transgenders. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired July 15, 2015 - 02:00   ET

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


[02:00:31] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Protests turned violent in Athens as the Greek parliament approves tough reforms to get a new bailout package.

ERROL BARNETT, CNN ANCHOR: And this will be hard to watch if you're claustrophobic. CNN crawls into the tunnel that el Chapo used to escape prison.

CHURCH: Former Olympian, Caitlyn Jenner, awarded for her courage, makes a rousing speech on diversity and acceptance

BARNETT: We are your anchor team for the next two hours. I'm Errol Barnett. Welcome to our viewers in the U.S. and around the world.

CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church. Thanks for joining us. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

And we begin with breaking news in the United States. Former President George H.W. Bush is in a hospital in Maine at this hour after falling down and breaking a bone in his neck. His spokesman tells CNN that the 91-year-old is, quote, "in very stable condition." The 41st president of the U.S. fell Wednesday morning while at his summer home in Kennebunkport.

BARNETT: The injury is not considered life threatening. Mr. Bush is resting at the Maine Medical Center. He's not expected to stay an extended period of time. We will keep you updated on the story.

We turn to Greece where the parliament has approved tough reforms needed to prevent the country going bankrupt, another step to securing billions of dollars in bailout money.

CHURCH: A few other European countries also need to approve the plan. Then formal talks can begin between Greece and its creditors. It's not yet clear when money will start flowing again in the country.

The result comes just days after Greeks voted against more austerity measures. As parliament debated, protests outside the building turned violent when demonstrators clashed with police. BARNETT: Elinda Labropoulou is in Athens and joins us live with more

on what is taking place there.

Elinda, there were clashes between anti-austerity protesters and police. And inside parliament, one man tore up papers in dramatic fashion but still these measures did pass. Still, these measures did pass. How turbulent an experience was this for Greece?

LINDA LABROPOULOU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was a very turbulent experience all around. As you said, while these measures were being debated in parliament, protesters outside hurled petrol bombs at police. Riot police responded. We had more violence than we've seen in this country for quite a while. But at the same time, the vote did pass. We saw 229 votes in support in this 300-seat parliament, which sounds better than it is.

Mr. Tsipras did get a lot of votes from the opposition but about a quarter of his own party failed to support him. This is all after Mr. Tsipras himself admitted this is not a good deal for Greece but better to no deal. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEXIS TSIPRAS, GREEK PRIME MINISTER (through translation): I will admit that the measures we are tabling are harsh and I don't agree with them. I don't believe they will help the Greek economy and I say so openly. But it's I also say I must implement them. That is our difference.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LABROPOULOU: This is the line that Mr. Tsipras is going to follow. He is going to have a lot of political issues to deal with. We expect there is going to be a reshuffle, possibly as soon as this week. But at the same time, the focus now turns back to the banks and what is going to happen with finding a way to reopen the banks, have some liquidity flow into the country. The European Central Bank is expected to convene on this today and a Euro Group meeting later today to deal with bridge financing Greece needs to make a payment, a re- loan payment to the European Central Bank by Monday in order not to default its debts there. That's a very crucial payment for Greece at this point. After politics have spoken, we turn to the economy for now.

[02:05:00] BARNETT: We get back to the reality in Greece. It is passed its first major hurdle but a lot of business to do and get done this week. I'm wondering what impact Prime Minister Tsipras' comments that he didn't believe in the reforms and didn't think they would work but had to pass them. I wonder how that might impact the next few important steps that have to be taken.

LABROPOULOU: It's going to impact the next steps in the sense that people have realized this is not a good deal for Greece this is what one in two Greeks believe. We had to take it because there was nothing else on offer. This is the line the government is now following as well, in a way almost explaining why they had to make this decision. But as the prime minister said, you know, with this comes hope that Greece could be getting a better deal a little bit later on. We heard from the IMF now asking for debt relief, which is what Greece had been asking for all along. Despite the not positive assessment of the deal so far, some hope at the end of the tunnel there.

BARNETT: Elinda Labropoulou live for us once again in Athens. Thanks very much.

CHURCH: The White House campaign to win support for the Iran nuclear deal is in full swing. U.S. President Barack Obama discussed the agreement for more than an hour in a news conference on Wednesday.

BARNETT: And seemed uncharacteristically emotional and speaking off the cuff. He is getting more comfortable. He insisted the deal was never designed to address all the problems with Tehran.

Jim Acosta reports the main goal was to stop the regime from developing a nuclear bomb.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sounding supremely confident, President Obama brush aid side the criticisms of the nuclear deal with Iran demanding that the opponents in Congress read the agreement.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think if Congress does that then in fact, based on the facts, the majority of Congress should approve of this deal. But, we live in Washington and politics do intrude.

ACOSTA: Even though he is under fire the president relished the opportunity to answer his detractors.

OBAMA: I really am enjoying this Iran debate.

ACOSTA: Mr. Obama praised the agreement's convoluted inspection process, dismissing doubts Iran would get away with treating.

OBAMA: Suddenly, something's missing on the back end, they have some explaining to do.

ACOSTA: And he insisted that the agreement is more than just postpone Iran's nuclear ambitions.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Nothing is holding out hope it will change their behavior?

OBAMA: No. I'm always hopeful that behavior may change for the sake of the Iranian people and the people in the region.

ACOSTA: And one question about why Americans detained in Iran were not freed with the deal.

MAJOR GARRETT, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, CBS NEWS: Can you tell the country, sir, why you are content to leave the conscious of this nation unaccounted for in relation to these four Americans?

OBAMA: The notion that I am content as I celebrate with American citizens languishing in Iranian jails -- Major, that -- that's nonsense, and you should know better. I've met with the families of some of those folks. Nobody's content.

ACOSTA: The deal's biggest skeptic, Benjamin Netanyahu, is blasting the inspection process which could take 24 days to look at suspicious sites.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: That's a long time. You can flush a lot of evidence down the toilet. It's like telling a meth dealer, we're going to check your lab in 24 days.

ACOSTA: Warning what the world would look like without a deal, the president asked his critics, where is their plan?

OBAMA: For all the comments by Benjamin Netanyahu or, for that matter, the Republican leadership that has already spoken, none of them have presented to me or the American people a better alternative.

ACOSTA (on camera): Besides the Iran deal, the president conceded he won't defeat ISIS or settle the Syrian war while in office. And when pressed on whether he would revoke the Presidential Medal of Freedom for Bill Cosby, who has been accused of rape, he said he does not have that authority.

Jim Acosta, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: In Iran, the agreement needs the backing of the supreme leader.

CHURCH: Ayatollah Ali Khomeini, his first public comments were tempered and he questioned the trust worthiness of the negotiators involved.

Elise Labott reports on Tehran's response.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELISE LABOTT, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As President Obama was defending the deal, Iran's supreme leader was sending mixed signals. In a series of tweets, Ayatollah Khomeini said the agreement still, quote, "needs scrutiny." Although he wasn't at the negotiating table, the supreme leader loomed large in the talks.

Today, President Obama acknowledged the ayatollah's final say over Iran's foreign policy.

[02:10:12] OBAMA: During the course of the negotiations in the last couple months, every time the supreme leader or somebody tweeted something out, for some reason, we all bought into the notion, well, the Obama administration must be giving this or capitulating to that. Well, now we have a document. LABOTT: Indeed, the ayatollah has used social media to lay out his

red line for the nuclear talks. He stayed true to the message that Iran would never give in to the U.S., who he calls the Great Satan, warning, quote, "The U.S. should know that the people of Iran wouldn't submit to bullying."

During the last round of talks in March, the ayatollah was caught shouting "Death to the America" to the Iranian people.

KARIM SADJADPOUR, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE: If the supreme leader vetoed this deal --

LABOTT: Karim Sadjadpour, a leading expert on Iran, says Khomeini's hatred for America runs deep.

SADJADPOUR: He is always profoundly distrustful of the United States. And the supreme leader's base are the hard-line forces in Tehran who have been at Friday prayer sessions chanting "Death to America" for decades.

LABOTT: Last week, as the talks reached a critical phase, the Iranian negotiating team refused to compromise on key points. And in a heated exchange, Iran's foreign minister was asked whether the ayatollah was ready to do the deal?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you have a mandate to negotiate following your trip to Tehran?

MOHAMMAD JAVAD ZARIF, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: I have the mandate to negotiate and I'm here to -- I think we can.

LABOTT (voice-over): And the supreme leader is believed to have already signed off on the deal before the Iranians agreed to it in Vienna. But he will have to respond carefully now that the deal has been made public, juggling the hard liners who are opposed to any deal with the West with many Iranians who are hopeful that the agreement will improve the economy with the lifting of sanctions and will end Iran's international isolation.

Elise Labott, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: U.S. officials say there is every reason to believe Abu Bakr el Baghdadi is alive and still in charge of ISIS. They say there was intelligence indicating that Bakr was in Raqqa, Syria.

BARNETT: However, that stream of information dried up three weeks ago. Officials say the information wasn't specific enough to launch an attack to kill him. Despite losing track of Baghdadi, officials say they are gaining more knowledge of him and Raqqa, the self- declared capitol of ISIS.

Meanwhile, a U.S. intelligence report offers a snapshot of the increasing number of foreign fighters traveling to Syria. CHURCH: It found more than 25,000 people from more than 100 countries

have traveled to Syria to fight or support the conflict there. That's an increase from the total reported in May. Of those fighters, at least 4500 are from the West, including more than 250 from the United States.

In Massachusetts, the son of a Boston police captain spoke highly of ISIS during an interrogation by the FBI. Video of Alexander Ciccolo's interview was released by the Justice Department.

BARNETT: The 24-year-old was arrested and charged in an alleged plot to engage in terrorism on behalf of ISIS earlier this month.

Just listen here as he tells authorities about his views of the terror group.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FBI AGENT: They doing a good thing?

ALEXANDER CICCOLO, ARREST FOR ISIS-INSPIRED TERRORIST PLOT: Yeah. Yeah, they are. They're doing a good thing.

UNIDENTIFIED FBI AGENT: And what part of what they're doing is good? What is their -- this is education for us, too -- what is their ultimate goal? What are they doing? What's good?

CICCOLO: They're implementing the Sharia and freeing people from oppression. Wherever they go, they're changing things. Finally, finally establishing khilafah.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: According to court documents, Ciccolo has a long history of mental illness and had become obsessed with Islam in the past 18 months.

Mexican drug lord, Joaquin Guzman, known as el Chapo, picked one of two blind spots on his cell surveillance camera to make his big escape. Officials are offering a $3.8 million reward for information leading to his capture.

[02:15:00] CHURCH: New footage inside the cell shows Guzman duck behind his shower and never reappear. We now know, of course, he slipped down a hole that led to a mile-long tunnel to freedom.

That tunnel el Chapo used to escape was complete with lighting, ventilation and a modified motorcycle track.

CNN's Nick Valencia was allowed to go inside.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the closest we have been allowed to get to el Chapo's tunnel, the tunnel he used in his escape on Saturday night. It is a magnificent feat of engineering. Let's come on in and see exactly what el Chapo here had in store.

This is a small little exit, a couple feet wide and a couple feet long. Maybe 10 or 15-foot ladder that leads down into that tunnel. The room here is nothing to brag about. It's empty, full of cinder blocks. And you can see these containers full of dirt here, the wheelbarrows full of dirt.

Here we go.

(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

OK.

Here's another ladder, deeper down to another part, deeper part, deeper section of the tunnel. It's a ways down. You can see here this is the modified motorcycle that investigators showed us images of before. This is on a track. It can roll back and forth. See that? There are buckets left behind, and left behind oxygen tanks as well in order for them to survive down here.

It is a very tight space. I can't even stand up all the way. I'm 5'10".

It is a remarkable, remarkable feat of engineering. The tunnel stretches for more than a mile, carved out earth here, the modified train tracks for that mini motorcycle. You see here, electricity lines.

It's very difficult to breathe down here. A lot of dirt, dust. This here for the ventilation system. Tight, tight space down here.

But for a man known as el Chapo, I'm sure he had more than enough room to work with.

This motorcycle was on a track here. This is the bike that el Chapo used to ride out of the prison. It still has gas in it. You can still smell the gas, the overwhelming odor of gas in this tight space. It really is suffocating.

(voice-over): Nick Valencia, CNN, Mexico.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: Still to come here on CNN NEWSROOM, scientists are getting an even better look at all of Pluto's hidden gems thanks to the New Horizons spacecraft. We'll bring you more on the fascinating discoveries after this short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:21:53] BARNETT: This Friday marks one year since Malaysia Airlines flight 17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine. A new draft report claims pro-Russian rebels were responsible.

CHURCH: It also outlines what type of weapon was used and from where it was launched.

Rene Marsh has more details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RENE MARSH, CNN AVIATION & GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): CNN has learned that investigators say Malaysia Airline flight MH17 say evidence points to pro-Russian rebels as the culprit for bringing down the plane. The Dutch Safety Board indicates that Malaysia Airlines did not do enough to keep the plane out of harm's way. According to two sources with knowledge of the investigation, the report pinpoints the exact type of missile used, a Russian BUC surface-to-air missile, and it pinpoints from where it was launched and who controls the territory where it came from.

PETER GOELZ, CNN SAFETY ANALYST: The Dutch Safety Board is respected worldwide. They are methodical. They are not political in any way. And they have conducted this investigation in pain-staking detail.

MARSH: The Boeing 777 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was at about 30,000 feet over the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine when it went down. U.S. officials have said a radar system saw a surface-to-air missile turn on and track before the plane was shot out of the sky.

Sources say the report blames Malaysia Airlines for failing to avoid the conflict zone. U.S. airline carriers make decisions about where to avoid flying based on warnings other countries send to their pilots. Dutch investigators say Malaysia Airlines did not review other countries' warnings and was unaware other airlines were avoiding the area.

GOELZ: It's sloppy. It's not good procedure. It's not -- it shows a certain lack of commitment to a culture of safety.

MARSH: Russian observers say the details are a blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin's credibility. In the past, Putin has denied any responsibility for the crash of MH17.

HEATHER CONLEY (ph), CENTER FOR STRATEGIC & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: There is so much overwhelming evidence that the Kremlin can continue to deny that it doesn't have involvement but it just does not stand to any test.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: That was CNN aviation correspondent, Rene Marsh, reporting there.

CHURCH: The New Horizons space probe has beamed back the clearest and most detailed photos anyone has ever seen of the dwarf planet, Pluto, and its largest moon, Charon. And now scientists are analyzing the new images.

BARNETT: NASA says they reveal frozen mountains to methane ice and even snow.

Here is more on this historic discovery.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[02:25:00] ALAN STERN, NEW HORIZONS PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: We have an isolated small planet that is showing activity after 4.5 billion years.

(MUSIC)

JOHN SPENCER, NEW HORIZONS CO-INVESTIGATOR: The most striking, geologically, is we have not yet found a single impact crater. This means it is a young surface.

STERN: The bedrock that makes the mountains is water ice. If we see water ice on Pluto, we can be sure that the water is there in great abundance.

(MUSIC)

CATHY OFKIN, NEW HORIZONS DEPUTY PROJECT SCIENTIST: You can see locations at the North Pole where a crater has, perhaps, dug into that region and excavated underneath it. There is so much interesting science in this one image alone.

(CHEERING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Amazing stuff.

Still to come, a controversial vote in Japan. Will Ripley is there.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, some of the largest protests we have seen on the streets of Tokyo in several years, despite heavy rains, all because Japanese are furious about a bill that was just passed.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:30:40] ERROL BARNETT, CNN ANCHOR: A warm welcome back to our viewers in the states and those tuned in around the world. I'm Errol Barnett.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Rosemary Church. It is, of course, time to check our top stories this hour.

After a day of heated debate, Greece passed new reforms need before the country can receive billions of dollars in bailout funds. Without the money the country will likely go bankrupt. Greeks angry over the austerity measures lashed out Wednesday in the country's capital.

BARNETT: The Obama administration is pushing ahead with its efforts to win approval for the Iran nuclear deal at home. Congress has 60 days to review the agreement and there is vocal opposition from some Republicans and even Democrats. The president challenge critics to come up with a viable alternative. CHURCH: In the U.S., search-and-rescue teams found the wreckage of a small private plane that crashed over the weekend in Washington State. A teenaged girl was the lone survivor of that crash. She had been flying with her grandparents when the plane apparently ran into trouble. Two bodies were recovered from the crash site.

BARNETT: In the past few hours, Japan's lower house of parliament has approved legislation that would allow the country to send troops to fight abroad for the first time since World War II. Thousands are concerned for the safety of their troops. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says that a bolder security stance is essential.

And CNN's Will Ripley joins me now from Tokyo.

So, Will, this is historic for the country. And protesters are showing their displeasure and concern for their troops. Talk to us about the trigger that forced Japan into such an extraordinary shift in policy.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, you're absolutely right. There are a lot of protesters showing their displeasure. Even though we are seeing heavy rain from a typhoon bearing down on Japan there are thousands of people on the sidewalks and we saw larger crowds earlier in the week. A lot of people upset about the legislation which essentially puts Japan in a similar position to many other countries around the world that have militaries that not only defend the country but also engage in military actions to defend their allies outside of the country. Japan has been as per its constitution post world war ii pacifist for 70 years. Now this bill allows for a reinterpretation of the constitution which means that Japanese soldiers could fight in the Asia Pacific or go to the Middle East. Many feel it is time for this change but there are many others who are fearful of the consequences and don't want to see a return to Japan's very dark history during world war ii and before which people are very fearful of, some of these folks out here.

CHURCH: So let's look at why that decision was made, why Japan decided that it needed to move in this direction.

RIPLEY: This has been clearly a priority of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Since elected prime minister, he has made it clear he wants this to happen. Japan for many years has been pressured by the United States to take a more active role especial you will considering the upsurge of China in this region and just of the geopolitical situation. Many feel it's time for Japan to step up here. But it certainly is coming at a cost to the prime minister. At his peak in popularity, his approval rating was 70 percent and now has dropped to around 40 percent and a lot of that is due to this unpopular move. It is costing him political capital.

CHURCH: Will Ripley reporting there from Tokyo with the protesters not happy with this change of direction in Japan. Many thanks to you.

BARNETT: We can see the protesters with umbrellas. In fact, millions of people in that country are bracing as a typhoon approaches.

Our Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri joins us with more.

Is that connected?

[02:35:00] PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It's not very close. It is a very large typhoon that is sitting out there as far as the cloud field associated with it. And Japan has seen plenty of typhoons but this one is interacting with mountains. It's not the wind speed that kills people but the rainfall that comes from the tropical storms and typhoons that causes landslides and flash flooding. You can see the clouds associated with it. And here we go with the terrain in southern Japan. The city of Kochi, we have mountains to the north and hills to the south and west and well known for the rivers that crisscross across town as well. There is the prefecture right there. Notice the colors in the brown, those the coastal plains, the low elevation, the vast majority of the prefecture are mountainous terrain. So as the storm pushes ashore will bring a tremendous amount of rainfall especially in the northeastern quadrant. You look at cyclones in recent years that brought in record rainfall. The last was one in 2011 that is 71 inches. That is how much rainfall the storm system dumped. Right now we are watching it with a category 1 equivalent with landfall in the next eight hours. But the models bringing the heavier rainfall; upwards of 250 millimeters is a possibility. This could lead to devastating landslides and waves 15 meters over the open waters. It will cause coastal problems as well. Japan oftentimes we forget is extremely mountainous. There are 222 mountains about 10,000 feet high. There's about 500 ski resorts. So it tells you how mountainous of a place it is. Tropical storms don't bode well with mountains.

BARNETT: And a lot of risky places.

(CROSSTALK)

JAVAHERI: Absolutely.

BARNETT: Pedram, see you later.

JAVAHERI: Thanks a lot.

BARNETT: Appreciate it.

CHURCH: An admission of fault by a former U.S. president. Bill Clinton says the crime bill he signed into law in 1994 worsened the nation's criminal justice system by increasing prison sentences.

And the comments came at the end of the NAACP's meeting in Philadelphia on Wednesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The president spoke a long time yesterday, and very well about the criminal justice reform. And I appreciate what he has done.

(APPLAUSE)

CLINTON: But I want to say a few words about it, because I signed a bill that made the problem worse. And I want to admit it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: The topic of criminal justice reform is likely to arise again on Thursday when U.S. President Barack Obama becomes the first sitting prison to visit a federal prison. He is scheduled to tour a prison in Oklahoma.

And the controversy surrounding the Confederate flag is gaining momentum again in Oklahoma. A group of Confederate flag supporters gathered, waving flags on Wednesday. Opponents view it as a symbol of hate and racism in the U.S.

CHURCH: But one supporter told affiliate KFOR that he would not, quote, "Not stand down from our heritage," and said the flag is not a racist symbol. The gathering occurred just ahead of President Barack Obama's visit to the area.

Still to come, with the Pentagon announcing it may soon lift a ban on transgender people, I spoke with the first ever transgender former Navy SEAL who talked about how she's changed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTIN BECK, TRANSGENDER PERSON & FORMER NAVY SEAL: My strength has gone away a little bit. I can only bench press about 220 pounds now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The entire interview is after the break. Back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:42:25] CHURCH: An emotional and tearful moment for one of the most famed U.S. Olympians of all time at the Espy awards. Gold medal winner, Caitlyn Jenner, received the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage on Wednesday night. In her first speech identifying as transgender, she urged respect and said the world needs to respect people for who they are.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTIN JENNER, TRANSGENDER PERSON & FORMER OLYMPIAN BRUCE JENNER: So for the people out there wondering what this is all about, whether it's about courage on controversy or publicity, well, I'll tell you what it is all about, it's about what happens from here. It's not just about one person. It's about thousands of people. It's not just about me. It's about all of us accepting one another. We're all different. That's not a bad thing. That's a good thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And Caitlyn transited from Bruce Jenner earlier this year. In her speech, she addressed a move by the Pentagon that could lift a ban from transgender people being able to serve in the military. Take a listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENNER: And now, as of this week, it appears that transpeople will soon be serving in the military. That's a great idea.

(APPLAUSE)

JENNER: We have come a long way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: U.S. defense secretary, Ash Carter, issued a statement on the possible policy change on Monday.

BARNETT: He said, in part, quote, "We have transgender soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines, real patriotic Americans who I know who are being hurt by an outdated, confusing, inconsistent approach that's contrary to our value of service and merit."

The ban on transgender men and women has had a powerful impact on one very accomplished U.S. Navy SEAL.

CHURCH: Kristin Beck was deployed 13 times to Afghanistan, Iraq and Bosnia, but she was afraid to come out as transgender until after she left the military.

Anderson Cooper has interviewed Beck extensively and filed this report in 2013.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, A.C. 360 (voice-over): Christopher Todd Beck enlisted with the military in 1990 with the dream of joining the U.S. Navy SEALs, the elite unit with a reputation for being one of the toughest, fittest and most secretive forces in the U.S. military.

(GUNFIRE)

COOPER: Beck realized that dream serving for 20 years with the SEALs in some of the most dangerous battlefields around the world, including Iraq and Afghanistan.

A former Navy SEAL who knew Beck said he had stellar reputation among his comrades.

[02:45:06] By the time he retired from service in 2011, he had a long list of medals and accommodations, including the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. But for 20 years, while Beck was fighting for his country, he was fighting an inner battle over his gender identity. Chris Beck wanted to live openly and honestly as a woman, which is what he started doing after he required in 2011.

Chris Beck is now Kirstin Beck. She's currently on hormone replacement therapy and feels like she is becoming the person she was always meant to be.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Former U.S. Navy SEAL Kirstin Beck joins me now from Washington.

Thank you for speaking with us.

The Pentagon could in the coming months lift the ban on transgender people opening serving in the U.S. Military. As the first strand gender U.S. Navy SEAL what is your reaction to that possible move and why do you think the Pentagon is considering this at this time?

BECK: I was elated when I heard the news. It's a great step forward for all of humanity. I mean we are just one more part of society that has been disenfranchised and pushed aside. We are taking a step forward and accepting everyone that is capable for military service and we are capable. Transgender people are capable to do many things.

CHURCH: It is a monumental move and not everyone will be on board with it. What impact do you think this could have on the military and how accepting of this will some people within the military be, do you think?

BECK: It will be 50/50. I hope 50/50. There will be people who don't understand. And the reason they don't understand or are against it are just out of ignorance and misinformation. I want to say find out more and get more information and they start seeing folks like myself and other people who have served with honor and dignity and served in the Navy SEALs and 101st airborne and special forces. We have served all over the military for years and years. So I have no doubt that we can do very well in the military. They need to learn that themselves. When day do I think they're going to start understanding who we are and what we are capable of.

CHURCH: And how different would things have been for you if this had happened while you were serving in the military?

BECK: I was in the Navy SEALs. And I'm not sure that I probably would have still continued doing what I was doing before. Because my primary concern was service to the country and being a Navy SEAL. I think this might have interfered. I don't know. It's a what-if scenario that I don't know if I'm capable of answering to tell you the truth. The hormones have made my strength go away a little bit. I can only bench press about 220 pounds now and my run is down to a six or seven-minute mile. I've slowed down and not as strong as I used to be. But I'm still pretty strong.

CHURCH: So how likely is it that some transgender people will still be reluctant, perhaps, to come out as transgender? And what needs to be done, do you think to ensure that people feel safe?

BECK: I think that a lot of transgender people will stay in the closet and that's fine. Not everybody has to be out. Not everybody has to do hormone therapy or surgeries or anything. It's a very wide spectrum of who we are as human beings. You can't say one person needs to come out and another one also. If they don't want or need to, it doesn't matter. They are going to excel and do a great job and still going to be themselves. They have their own way about it. I think there be a lot. Even to this day with the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. I know a number of people who have not come out who are gay and lesbian and that is just the way it is.

CHURCH: Before you go, Caitlyn Jenner has put the spotlight on the issue of being transgender and accepted the Espy courage award and had her critics for that and for being so public. Do you think she has helped or hindered the cause for transgender people?

BECK: In the beginning, I had my doubts but I'm proud of her. It's a great step to have someone in a public spotlight, you know, that large of a figure, and I'm proud of her. I think that this is definitely it's a good thing for the transgender community and for LGBT people overall and America. I think it just shows we are a lot more multifaceted and diverse and wonderful as human beings, just -- I think it just shows more of the view of the American people and how diverse we are. And at the end of the day how accepting we really are. Freedom and liberty is what we stand for.

[02:50:26] CHURCH: Kristin Beck, thank you so much. We appreciate it.

BECK: Thank you.

BARNETT: An enlightening conversation there.

Sky divers are supposed to remember their jump, not the emergency landing. Next, why a pilot tried to land along a highway. The story of the bumpy ride, next.

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CHURCH: If you thought skydiving was a thrill listen to this. Two sky divers and their instructors were 4,000 feet in the air when their plane had to make an emergency landing on a highway.

BARNETT: Imagine that. Believe it or not, they got out with just one minor injury.

Jeanne Moos has more on their dramatic merge into traffic.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[02:54:58] JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You know when you're driving down the highway and you see a plane landing in your rear-view mirror, OK, it's not exactly the Miracle on the Hudson.

(on camera): This was sort of the miracle on Route 72.

MICHAEL BARBARDO (ph), PILOT: I wouldn't call it a miracle.

MOOS: That is the pilot, Michael Barbardo (ph), whose excellent emergency landing in traffic was captured by a traffic cam in New Jersey. This skydiving plane carrying the pilot, two instructors and two first-time jumpers, lost its only engine. (on camera): Did you consider jumping? You all had parachutes on,

correct?

BARBARDO (ph): Yes. There was no chance I was jumping out of the plane. After you leave that airplane, you have no control over where it goes.

MOOS (voice-over): An altitude of 4,000 feet was low for jumping.

The pilot came in about 100 miles per hour, touched down on the pavement and steered to the immediate median to avoid hitting cars. A motorist shot the skydivers leaping and hugging in relief.

The only injury? A cut on the instructor's arm from the plane's wings hitting road signs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But the landing itself was soft. It's just like landing back at the airport.

MOOS (on camera): They don't give you a ticket, do they?

BARBARDO (ph): No. I said, sorry about the road sign.

MOOS: Like the one under the plane reading, "Keep off the median." Talk about plain England. The pilot wants that as souvenir.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Keep off the median, I love that.

(LAUGHTER)

You have been watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Rosemary Church.

BARNETT: And I'm Errol Barnett. We're back after the break. Stay with us.

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