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CNN NEWSROOM

U.S. To Spy over Syria; Search for American's Killer; ISIS Recruits Westerners; Ferguson Held Town Hall on Race Relations Last Night; Winners at Last Night's Emmys

Aired August 26, 2014 - 09:30   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you for joining me.

The United States one step closer to possibly launching air strikes against ISIS inside Syria. President Obama has authorized reconnaissance flights over Syria, a mission that could start at any time. The terror group solidified its presence in Syria on Sunday by seizing a key airbase in the province of Raqqa. Now concern is growing in Washington.

CNN's Athena Jones is at the White House this morning. Good morning.

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

You know the big question here is just how much of a threat ISIS poses. Do they pose a direct threat to the U.S. homeland at this moment in time? That's part of the big discussion going into whether to call for these air strikes. And there's some difference of opinion. You have Republicans in Congress who are saying that ISIS is determined to strike the homeland. They want to see swift action from the president. We heard from Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel saying last week that ISIS is beyond anything they've seen. They pose a threat to every interest we have.

But we've also heard from General Martin Dempsey, who's the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He said through a spokesman just yesterday that ISIS is a regional threat that will soon become a threat to the United States and Europe. So he doesn't make it sound like it's as much of an eminent threat. But asked about the ISIS threat last week, General Dempsey said that can they be defeated, can ISIS be defeated without targeting them in Syria? No. This is what White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said when he was asked about those comments by Dempsey yesterday. Let's play that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I think what the chairman was saying is that, yes, obviously you have to make gains against ISIL in Syria in order to defeat ISIL. What you should necessarily do is jump to the conclusion that that means robust American military action is required in Syria to further or accomplish that goal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: There you heard Press Secretary Earnest using ISIL, that is what the White House calls ISIS. But what -- the point here, Carol, is that it's still unclear whether folks like General Dempsey and others believe that immediate action is necessary and immediate military action to be more precise.

Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Athena Jones reporting live from the White House.

In the meantime, U.S. and British analysts are pouring over the ISIS video that captures the moments before and after American James Foley is beheaded. And in an odd twist, there's a growing suspicion that the masked terrorist shown, the man with the British accent, is not actually the person who killed Foley. For more on this let's turn to an expert.

Peter Neumann is director of the Study of Radicalization and the president of Security Studies at King's College. He joins us now from London. Well, sir.

PROF. PETER NEUMANN, KING'S COLLEGE: Thank you, Carol.

COSTELLO: I'd like to show our audience specifically what I'm talking about. So when you take a look at this video, and we have still images from that video to show you, you can see that they - that this video actually depicts two men. One is larger and one appears smaller. You see the one on the left appears smaller. So it appears to be different people. I mean what do you make of this?

NEUMANN: Yes, so there are different theories. There's also an important fact that of course they're not showing in that video, the actual execution. They are blacking out just when he's putting the knife to the - to James Foley's neck, and then they're showing the severed head, which suggests that perhaps there were difficulties with the execution, that perhaps they needed to bring in someone else, that perhaps the knife was too small. I've seen many of these execution videos, unfortunately, and often the knives are much, much larger. I would imagine it is kind of tough to behead someone with a knife that looks as small as the one that we saw in the video.

COSTELLO: And it's interesting, you bring up the knife, because the knife that one terrorist appears to be holding is different from a knife found on the ground. We have those image.

NEUMANN: Absolutely.

COSTELLO: So there's the knife the man is holding. But you can see, it's a completely different knife. How difficult will this make it for authorities to identify who's responsible?

NEUMANN: So it does make it difficult, but it is still very likely that the person who was speaking in the beginning was part of the group that eventually -- that contains also the person that was doing the beheading. So if you get him, you are likely to get the others who were actually responsible.

There's a lot of theories around that now, but it's very clear that this is a cluster of people and that some or one of them did it, and, you know, they are the ones that are currently being chased.

COSTELLO: There's one more image I'd like to show our viewers and it shows this holster that one of the terrorists is wearing and it appears that in one image that the alleged killer, if you will, is left-handed and in another image it appears he's right-handed, according to the position of that holster. And I show this just to show the inconsistencies in this video because last week one British government official says, hey, we're really close to identifying who the terrorist was that killed James Foley, but it appears they're not very close this week.

NEUMANN: Yes, and I think the name that was mentioned in a number of newspapers, for example "New York Post," I always had severe doubts about that because the rapper - the British rapper that they identified as the likely person to have carried out the beheading is actually right-handed, not left-handed. That's a clear inconsistency with the video. So I think there are a lot more questions to be answered and I really hope that the authorities know more than you and I do at this point.

COSTELLO: Oh, I hope you're right about that. Peter Neumann, thank you so much for your insight. I appreciate it.

NEUMANN: Thank you, Carol.

COSTELLO: Still to come in the NEWSROOM, handing out cars, cash and guns. ISIS makes a social media pitch to Americans and other westerners to join its ranks. We'll talk about that, next.

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COSTELLO: As we've been telling you, the United States is seriously considering air strikes over Syria to stop ISIS in its tracks. American spy planes are now conducting missions over that country to prepare for possible military action. It's vital someone stop ISIS. Not only is the terror group brutal, but it's quite effective in recruiting westerners to its ranks. Jean Casarez is here with more.

So ISIS is actually offering people cars to -

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, if this wasn't so serious -- guns and money, OK.

COSTELLO: Bizarre.

CASAREZ: If this wasn't so serious, we could laugh, but this is a business. And al Baghdadi, their leader, is very charismatic, he's organized, he' elusive, they watch him, but what it all comes down to is recruitment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ (voice-over): Who is this man in black, holding the knife, ready to murder American James Foley?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As a government, you have been at the forefront of the aggression towards Islamic State.

CASAREZ: He is a member of ISIS, and government representatives from Great Britain believe he is a British national recruited out of England, where hundreds of others have joined the terrorist group. British officials say they are very close to identifying one of their own who left to join ISIS which has exceeded in attracting many westerners to their group.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Only through his mercy that we enter paradise.

CASAREZ: According to the private intelligence organization, the Soufan Group, ISIS has recruited thousands of members from 83 countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and at least 100 members from the United States.

RICHARD BARRETT, THE SOUFAN GROUP: The Islamic State, as they call themselves, has a media department, which is very savvy at making videos, at putting out the propaganda.

CASAREZ: Word it getting out because of an aggressive social media campaign which includes Twitter, FaceBook, and an online magazine, much of it in English.

CASAREZ (on camera): What about the ages you're seeing, because a social media campaign, along with video, the Internet, that tells me the younger generation.

BARRETT: The generation is probably between 15 -- as young as 15 people are going to about 25.

CASAREZ (voice-over): New members are given cars, guns and money just for joining. Women recruits are another priority target group for ISIS.

MIA BLOOM, AUTHOR, "BOMBSHELL: WOMEN & TERRORISM": It's western women. They come with their western passports. They're going to fall under a radar screen.

CASAREZ: While the world has come to associate ISIS with harrowing images like the execution of journalist James Foley, global recruiting efforts of ISIS show a softer side to the terror group. Instead of violence and mayhem, messages of cheer and support.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Feel the happiness that we are feeling.

CASAREZ: Recruitment efforts take money, not a problem for ISIS.

BARRETT: They really have a lot of money. They have huge resources in Iraq and Syria. They control oil fields. You know, they exhort taxation from businesses and so on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My name is Abul Arera (ph). I'm from America. CASAREZ: One U.S. citizen who bought into the message was Monar

Mohammad al Abusala (ph). Born and raised in Barrel Beach, Florida, Abusala is the first American suicide bomber. He bragged about his plan to blow himself up at a checkpoint in Syria. In the U.S., fear that these recruits will one day return home.

BARRETT: People going will be associating with extremely radicalized people from other countries, who will say to them, look, the enemy is also American.

CASAREZ: And experts warn recruits who do decide to return home could pose a threat to their communities.

BARRETT: Their behavior in the future becomes pretty unpredictable and their loyalties as well are rather unpredictable.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CASAREZ: And international terrorism expert Richard Barrett tells me the number of Americans joining may actually be growing. And this is what's amazing, they have a PR department within ISIS, a division, and it's high def cameras that are actually recording all of these recruitment videos that just make it so intriguing to join, that they can solve all your problems and bring you a wonderful life.

COSTELLO: That's just -- it's still hard to wrap your mind around when you see the brutality that ISIS exhibits that anyone would be ultimately attracted to that. It's just mind-boggling.

CASAREZ: Yes. And the newest recruitment video is the execution of James Foley.

COSTELLO: So they're just attracting people who are already kind of sick.

Jean Casarez, thanks so much.

CASAREZ: Yes.

COSTELLO: Still to come in the NEWSROOM, after the shooting of an unarmed teenager sparks outrage and unrest, where does the town of Ferguson, Missouri, go from here? We'll talk about that next.

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COSTELLO: A calm night in Ferguson, Missouri, following the funeral of Michael Brown, no protests, no arrests. But members of the community came to this town hall to talk about not only their experiences but ways to prevent similar events from happening in the future. A host of that town hall, Kevin Powell, joins me now from St. Louis. He's a writer, activist and public speaker. With him is Kevin Jackson, executive director of Black Sphere and author of "The Big Black Lie".

Kevin Powell, I want to start with you. Take us inside last night's event. KEVIN POWELL, WRITER, ACTIVIST, PUBLIC SPEAKER: Well, it was

incredible. We had hundreds and hundreds of people from St. Louis area, the Ferguson area, there last night at the Missouri History Museum and you're talking about the kind of diversity that exists in our country, white sisters and brothers, black sisters and brothers, people of all different backgrounds. Young people, older people, and it was really an incredible coming together. And we had a number of residents from the area who said they had never quite seen anything like that.

And particularly in the aftermath of what happened in Ferguson, we especially listened to the voices of young people, and there was a lot of talk about sustaining this work, sustaining this movement, for opportunity of equality and justice for all people. But most importantly we talked about peace. We talked about love. We talked about healing of this community, which I think is very important; it's something we often don't hear reported, so I'm so glad to have this opportunity this morning with you.

COSTELLO: We're glad you're here. Let's talk a little bit more about sustaining the effort, because, Kevin Jackson, your concern is that once the cameras and some of the more high profile voices have left Ferguson, there may not be anyone to advocate for change. You live in the area. What are residents saying?

KEVIN JACKSON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THE BLACK SPHERE, LLC: Well, let's talk about what the change is. We're talking about neighborhoods all over America that are similar to Ferguson, where people like Jamilah Nasheed, who happens to be the state rep for that area, and Lacy Clay, have been implanted for - well, Jamilah for a couple of years, Lacy Clay since the early 2000s, and there's been no significant change.

And you look at what's happened in this community, and I'd say, well, Jamilah, where were you two years ago? And was the battle cry being called for all this so-called violence and the other things?

These neighborhoods are peaceful when there's not anybody there to stir up the insurrection. And you often hear that, hey, it's a powder keg that's brewing in America in these neighborhoods and there is. But when we say the powder keg is brewing in the neighborhoods, what are we saying with these neighborhoods? We mean these black neighborhoods. And the powder keg is always the same. It's been the same decade after decade.

So look, going forward, let's start analyzing the leadership. Leadership needs to bring opportunity to these communities -- and I'm talking real opportunity and not this fake opportunity and the talk that continues to happen all the time. These people want what everybody else in America wants. So that's what I think we need to be moving forward on.

POWELL: OK, may I respond, please?

COSTELLO: So, Kevin Powell, is there a great leader that's emerged from this crisis that will evoke real change? POWELL: Well, let me say this as a community organizer. I've been to

48 of the 50 states of the country. So I've seen the old country. I've been to many communities. I've actually been to St. Louis County many times over the past 20 years. There very few places I've witnessed in America that are as racially segregated as this area. Real change? Yes. The kind of people that were there last night. The president of the museum, the Missouri History Museum, having the courage to host the event there. The number of young people that were there last night, as well as some established folks that were there last night. And so there are people there.

And I think -- one of the things I say to people there's nothing wrong with criticism and complaints if you actually are coming with solutions and you're actually in the community yoruself in a real and consistent basis. Because it's not just about so-called outside people or celebrities coming here, but it's also people inside the community who sit here and criticize the people who are out there every single day living these lives, yet you don't see them the in the community, the young people don't know who they are.

So I want to push back on that, because the people that I heard last night live in this community, they live in Ferguson, they live in St. Louis, they live in these areas around. And one of the things they kept saying is like, you know what? It's not just about these elected officials; it's also the folks who've been commenting on who we are and we don't even know who these people are that are commenting on TV.

COSTELLO: Right. Well, Kevin Jackson, going back to your point, I'd like to parse this out a little bit. When you take a look at the funeral of Michael Brown yesterday, and it was a beautiful service. Lots of famous people showed up. But you do wonder how many of those famous, influential people will stick around for the long haul when all of the controversy finally dies down.

JACKSON: You don't wonder that. You know that they won't be here. And unlike some of the other commentators, I am of the community. My group gets 100 kids adopted every year. We work with over 250 at risk kids in schools in St. Louis. Help the kids get sporting goods. We're doing that type of thing.

And Ferguson is a perfect example of where we should be highlighting what the American spirit is all about. Because here's a city that's overwhelmingly black, has a white mayor, a white police chief; up until this point no issues whatsoever. But I heard somebody arguing just recently all the people on the school board are white. Well, that's not a condemnation of white people keeping black people off the school board; that's a condemnation of black parents not, apparently, wanting to get involved. Go get on the school board. You can - there's no position in Ferguson that a black person cannot hold, because they have the majority of the people there.

So instead of looking at this through this racial polarization and this colorization of America, how about we celebrate the idea that Ferguson had a white mayor elected by black people? And let's start looking for the healing that comes from that. It is not a black-white society. It is a colorless society of human

beings, and, you know, the tragic death of Michael Brown hopefully will bring that out.

POWELL: I got to respond to that -- first of all, as we said last night, we are all sisters and brothers. We're all human beings. This is not being a liberal or conservative. When you hear people talking a certain kind of way, they're following a certain kind of political agenda. That's very obvious.

We're talking about the fact that, if we really believe that this is a society where we're all equals, which I definitely believe, then there should be a sharing of power in Ferguson, in St. Louis County, in Missouri, all across the country. That was the spirit of the civil rights movement, which was a uniquely American movement. That's the spirit of what these people are talking about.

It's not just about whether or not black people are involved in the political process or not. I definitely brought that up last night; other folks brought that up. But it's also about the fact that there are white brothers and sisters who have been entrenched in power who don't want to share it. So it's not an either-or conversation. We need to leave those either-or conversations in the 20th Century where they belong; it's both. We need to challenge structures, systemic racism, systems of power that have left people out. But we also have to encourage people to participate in the democratic process. We got to do both.

COSTELLO: All right, I have to leave it there. Kevin Powell, Kevin Jackson, thanks to both of you. I appreciate it.

I'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Didn't it seem like deja vu all over again at last night's Emmy award show? The AMC show "Breaking Bad" won the Best Drama award for the second consecutive year, and "The Big Bang Theory's" Jim Parsons took home his fourth Emmy for the Best Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. And while there's plenty of debate about the demise of network TV and the rise of cable and streaming options, Netflix was largely shut out after making history at the 2013 awards and that is a sad thing.

Let's see what Nischelle Turner has to say.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Emmy goes to "Breaking Bad".

NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Emmys were very good for "Breaking Bad". The show regarded as one of best of television history wrapped up its season in September. But it got a final send off at the 2014 Emmys where it won the Outstanding Drama category, as well as five other awards including an Outstanding Actor Emmy for star Bryan Cranston. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And the Emmy goes to Bryan Cranston.

TURNER: And he also had one of the night's most memorable moments with his former "Seinfeld" co-star Julia Louis Dreyfus as she walked to claim her Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.

JULIA LOUIS DREYFUS, ACTRESS: Yes, he was on "Seinfeld". Yes.

(LAUGHTER)

TURNER: Many predicted shows from streaming services and cable networks would dominate tonight.

SETH MEYERS, HOST: That's like network TV holding an award show and giving all the trophies to cable and Netflix. That would be crazy.

TURNER: But that wasn't the case as the networks took home their share of high profile awards.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Modern Family".

TURNER: "Modern Family" surprised many by winning the Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy for a record fifth time.

"The Big Bang's" Jim Parsons took home his fourth trophy for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy.

JIM PARSON, ACTOR: Wow, oh my god. I really don't believe this.

TURNER: And Julianna Margulies won the Outstanding Actress in a Drama award for her role in "The Good Wife".

JULIANA MARGULIES, ACTRESS: What a wonderful time for women on television.

TURNER: But the most emotional moment may have come when the celebration paused and the show took a moment for Billy Crystal to remember his good friend, Robin Williams

BILLY CRYSTAL, COMEDIAN: It's very hard to talk about him in the past, because he was so present in all of our lives.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TURNER (on camera): And Billy Crystal said Robin Williams had been present in his life for 40 years, so it was so hard for him to even speak words about him last night, but he was poignant, he was classy, and he was heartfelt. And it was a wonderful tribute.