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CNN NEWSROOM

Suspect Arrested in San Antonio Officer's Murder; Netanyahu Issues Warning to Israeli Ministers; Trump Team's Cabinet Picks; More People Killed in East Aleppo Bombings; Photographer Describes Covering Trump and Clinton. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired November 22, 2016 - 09:30   ET

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

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[09:30:00] CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me.

The man suspected of the ambush-style shooting of a San Antonio police detective is now in custody. And, oddly, he is apologizing to the officer's family. His name is 31-year-old Otis Tyrone McKane. He was arrested by S.W.A.T. officers on Monday. He was driving on the interstate with a woman and a two-year-old child. Listen to his answer when he was asked why he was upset.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUSPECT: I just want to see my son.

REPORTER: What were you upset about, sir?

SUSPECT: Society not letting me see my son. I lashed out at somebody that didn't deserve it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: All right. Joining us live from San Antonio with more of what this man said is Dan Simon.

Good morning, Dan.

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

Well, Police made this arrest about 30 hours after the killing. Police tell us they were relatively quickly able to develop some leads and did some surveillance on the suspect. He was pulled over, rested during that traffic stop. Inside the vehicle there was an adult female, as well as a two-year-old child. And then later, when he went before the cameras, he indicated that he had been through several custody battles and, quote, "I lashed out at somebody who did not deserve it." Have a look at more of the exchange.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: Did you know Officer Marconi?

SUSPECT: No, sir.

REPORTER: What were you doing down here on Sunday?

REPORTER: Why was it his fault that you weren't allowed to see your son?

SUSPECT: I've been through several custody battles and I was upset at the situation I was in. I lashed out at somebody that didn't deserve it.

REPORTER: Do you have anything to say to his family?

SUSPECT: I'm sorry. It could have been anybody. I'm sorry for saying that also because I didn't mean it that way.

REPORTER: You were just way upset and you just wanted to take it out on someone?

SUSPECT: Yes, sir. I'd still like to see my son.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON: Well, obviously, there is unbearable sadness in San Antonio. But as the mayor indicated, at least the community can breathe a little bit easier. As the chief said, it appears that the uniform was the target here, Carol. And, obviously, we now have a better sense as to the suspect's state of mind.

Back to you.

COSTELLO: Dan Simon reporting live this morning. Thank you.

The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has a stern message for his government, do not talk to Donald Trump. Netanyahu now calling on ministers to run any and all communications by his office or the Israeli embassy in Washington. And here's why. President-elect Trump is now meeting with an Israeli right wing politician. Naftali Bennett is calling for an end to the Palestinian state and he wants Jerusalem to be the capital of Israel.

With me now to talk about this is retired Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt. He's also the former assistant secretary of state for Political Military Affairs.

Welcome, sir.

BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMITT, U.S. ARMY (RET.): Hi, Carol.

COSTELLO: Hi.

What do you make of that?

KIMMITT: Well, I think what it really indicates is that Prime Minister Netanyahu wants to speak as head of state to the new Trump administration when he comes in. He doesn't want people freelancing, particularly those people that are in a government position. He wants one voice, one policy coming out of Tel Aviv and not people freelancing on their own to imply policy to the Trump administration before they take the seat of power here in Washington, D.C.

[09:35:08] COSTELLO: So it seems if that Benjamin Netanyahu wants an end to -- to the creation of any sort of Palestinian state. Would a Trump administration go along with that?

KIMMITT: Well, first of all, I don't think that's the top priority for Netanyahu. He has a number of other issues that he wants to work with the Americans on. The U.S./Israeli security cooperation issues, wants to make sure that the United States is aware of his grave concerns, not simply about the Iranian nuclear capability, but the spread of Iranian hegemony throughout the -- throughout the region. And he also is concerned about the Palestinian issue, particularly the succession crisis and the post-Abu Masa (ph) period.

COSTELLO: What about putting the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem or making Jerusalem the Israel's capital? Would that -- will that come to pass under a Trump administration?

KIMMITT: Well, it certainly may be an aspiration of the Trump administration. It's highly unlikely that that will happen. That's not just simply a decision of the United States, but it's a decision of the world community where they want to put their embassies and where they want to imply and explicitly designate as their view on where the embassy -- excuse me, where the capital of Israel is going to be. Highly unlikely in the next few years. Too many complications. And I think everybody recognizes the violence that would ensue from that.

COSTELLO: So going back to the Iran deal, because we all know that Donald Trump does not like this Iran deal and we know that many members of Congress, Republicans, don't like it either. Would it be easy just to -- for the United States to remove itself from that deal?

KIMMITT: No, it's not as easy as, say, tearing up the Trans-Pacific Partnership. There -- it's not just a U.S. deal. It's a P-5 plus one deal.

I think what I'm hearing is that the new administration is going to be more concerned about strict adherence to the deal. Already we're seeing significant violations of the deal. Last week Iran announced that they had cruised (ph) more heavy water than was authorized for the second time this year. So the first issue is, if there is a deal, will it be strictly adhered to? And if it's not, then that might be cause for the United States to back out of that.

COSTELLO: So is there any way to make -- or to force Iran, adhere to the deal? And, if so, what would that entail?

KIMMITT: Well, first of all, the United Nations has that responsibility to strictly enforce the terms of that deal. And there are tremendous different -- there are a number of different ways to make sure that happens, not necessarily military, which most people would think would be the only option. We can continue the sanctions. We can do the snap back provisions of the deal, which says we reverse the monetary flows that are going into Iran, and we can simply add new sanctions. So there is a wide range of diplomatic and financial pressure points where we can push on Iran before anybody contemplates the use of military power.

COSTELLO: And I do want to pick your brain about Trump's foreign policy team because he's looking at a very diverse set of candidates, right? He's already picked retired General Michael Flynn for his national security advisor. He's also looking at people like Mitt Romney for secretary of state, and retired Marine General James Mattis for secretary of defense. So what does that tell you about Trump's world view?

KIMMITT: Well, some would say that that would indicate, particularly with General Flynn as a national security advisor, that he's going to be taking a rightward tilt towards the world. I think we have to wait and see who he puts in as secretary of defense, secretary of state, secretary of the treasury, to really get a sensing of where he wants to go. I think it's fairly clear that in the Middle East, which is my area of specialty, he wants to tilt the balance between the Iranians and the Arabs back towards the center -- center of this fight. And, quite frankly, more to our traditional view and our traditional allies in the region, which, in my mind, would be a good thing. But in terms of an omnibus view of the world, we'll have to wait and see who he actually picks as his cabinet secretaries.

COSTELLO: General Mark Kimmitt, thanks so much for joining me this morning.

KIMMITT: Sure.

COSTELLO: A quick look at the Dow. Stocks continuing their post- election rally. The Dow opening at 19,000 for the first time. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq also at record highs.

I'll be right back.

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[09:43:31] COSTELLO: For the eighth consecutive day, bombs rained down on neighborhoods in eastern Aleppo, in Syria. Another 27 people killed, 120 more wounded. But behind the numbers, there are the faces of the victims, like this little boy. Oh. He told rescue workers he was outside watching the war planes and then he saw yellow smoke.

Joining us now to tell us more about this boy is will Ripley. He's live in Istanbul.

Hi, Will.

WIL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol.

Thankfully we know that this little boy is OK. But to think about the terror that he went through after seeing that yellow smoke and then experiencing that choking feeling that is often associated with the use of chlorine gas. There is no verified proof on the ground that the Syrian regime has been dropping these barrel bombs full of chlorine gas, but activist groups have been posting pictures of victims, including a family of six who were killed. And all visual indications show that they were -- they fell victim to these chemical weapon, specifically this chlorine gas, which is really horrific what people go through when they experience it, when they breathe it in, and it causes -- it causes -- it causes their death. And so this boy, who was exposed to this chemical presumably, was speaking to nurses, asking them if he was even going to survive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOY: Mommy, oh mommy.

WORKER: What happened to you, sweetie?

BOY: I was in Ard al-Hamra. I was watching warplanes. And it dropped something. I saw yellow smoke. I felt something. And then they took me to the hospital.

[09:45:13] WORKER: Is anyone hurt, your siblings?

BOY: Yes, my siblings. I don't know where they are now.

Miss, will I die miss? Will I die?

WORKER: No, you won't, God willing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY: It's important to point out that there have been allegations on all sides, both the rebels and the Syrian regime, using chemical weapons on civilians. The United Nations did confirm the use of chlorine gas and mustard gas in Aleppo back in late August. U.N. Ambassador Samantha Powers was speaking to the -- to the United Nations and she was talking about the situation in Syria. She named Syrian generals that she says could some day be prosecuted for war crimes because of the atrocities that are being committed against civilians every day.

Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Will Ripley reporting live from Turkey.

We'll be right back.

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[09:50:27] COSTELLO: The 2016 election is history. We saw a political system turned upside down by a billionaire reality TV star. And David Hume Kennerly was there to capture all of it. The Pulitzer Prize- winning photographer had access to both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton during the campaigns. His photos are included in CNN Politics, a first ever book titled "Unprecedented: The Election that Changed Everything." It was written and reported while that long, long election took place.

CNN contributor David Hume Kennerly joins me now.

Welcome, David.

DAVID HUME KENNERLY, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Thank you.

COSTELLO: So what was it like actually being in the midst of it for such a long period of time?

KENNERLY: Well, I -- this is my 12th presidential campaign and you've heard it all before, there was nothing like it. I, fortunately, got to spend time with both candidates, with Mrs. Clinton and with Mr. Trump, obviously two totally different kinds of campaigns. And the media was under attack, like nonstop by the Trump people. And -- but having been in Vietnam for two and a half years, I kind of brushed that one off. But it made for some good photos.

COSTELLO: I bet so. You were convinced that Trump would win despite what the polls said. What was the most telling sign to you?

KENNERLY: I -- well, having been with Mrs. Clinton's campaign the week before and then right into the Trump campaign for the run-up to the finish, his last two days, he did 14 states and, like, a whirlwind tour of all the battlegrounds. And when I saw the crowds, the people lined up for mile, really, to get in, and half of them couldn't get in, that was no joke. And I felt the energy was going his way. And I also thought the Comey letter, and I was with Mrs. Clinton when she found out about that, when she did the press conference, that just took the wind out of their sails and it reinvigorated the Trump campaign. And I think all that really shows up in the photographs.

COSTELLO: Interesting. So what were your favorite photographs?

KENNERLY: Well, gosh, I mean there are so many of them. But I -- I like the triumphant Trump pictures. For Mrs. Clinton, one of the high points in her campaign was that photograph of her at the convention where she was exuberant and that's the shot. I love that picture. And that's kind of the Hillary Clinton that I know. I've photographed her since 1974, if you can believe that. And for the Trump campaign, the big crowds. I did a photograph, you showed it, actually from the ramp of his airplane looking into a aircraft -- or into a hangar, and that's the shot, yes. He just had wildly enthusiastic crowds. And I think the point that Mrs. Clinton's surrogates, like Michelle Obama got a -- more of a favorable reception or more enthusiastic reception than she did was correct.

COSTELLO: Interesting. You also said that -- you know, Hillary Clinton had a lot of celebrities on her side, but you said the interaction between some of the celebrities and Hillary Clinton surprised you. Why?

KENNERLY: Well, I think what surprised me was that a lot of people did come out to see the celebrities and not her so much. The only one I was really with was Mrs. Obama, and -- and she's a rock star in her own right. I mean hardly anybody could be on that stage and be noticed almost when she's around. Even her husband occasionally. But I think Trump was just flying solo and people were coming out to see him period. And they were rabid fans. I mean I've never seen anything quite like that. COSTELLO: Interesting. Well, I can't wait to look through more of your

photos. David Hume Kennerly, thanks for joining me this morning. "Unprecedented: The Election that Changed Everything" is in stores December 6th. You can pre-order your copy today at cnn.com/book.

Coming up in the next hour of NEWSROOM, Trump touts his business experience, but will it backfire on his presidency? We'll take a closer look at the growing questions surrounding conflict of interest.

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[09:59:07] COSTELLO: All right, checking some top stories for you at 59 minutes past.

A police car spins out of control and nearly slams into a group of children. It happened outside of Pittsburgh. Police were chasing a stolen vehicle when a van hit one of the cruisers, sending this police car barreling towards the children. Miraculously, the kids were unharmed. The officer suffered minor injuries. The driver of that stolen vehicle, yes, it was stolen, he got away.

Former USA gymnastics doctor Larry Nasser is expected to be arraigned in court today over accusations he sexually assaulted young girls. Nasser, who served as team doctor through four Olympics, was arrested on Monday. He faces three counts of criminal sexual assault against a child. If convicted, he could face life in prison.

Kanye West hospitalized overnight in Los Angeles, being treated for exhaustion. The source says he was admitted after police responded to a disturbance call. Earlier, his concert tour was abruptly canceled following a -- a recent, bizarre rant.

[10:00:06] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KANYE WEST: (INAUDIBLE) feelings matter, bro. Feelings mater, bro.