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tv   The Situation Room  CNN  December 8, 2014 2:00pm-4:01pm PST

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you can also subscribe to our magazine on flipboard. if you want. that's it for "the lead." i'm jake tapper. i now huron turn you over to one mr. wolf blitzer who is right next door to me in a place we like to call "the situation room." happening now, breaking news, on alert, american embassies and military bases around the world, they are now being warned to brace for possible violence and thousands of u.s. marines now standing by to help as a controversial report on alleged creator chur is about to be released. what bombshell revelations will it contain? major protests, demonstrators gathering right now in major american cities, fresh marches against excessive police force now getting under way. will they disrupt plans for prince william and his wife? as they visit new york city? near collision. a passenger jet and a drone come within feet of each other, narrowly avoiding what could have been a very deadly
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disaster. as the drone danger grows, what's being done to protect everyone who flies? i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." we're following the breaking news. new protests against excessive police force against minorities, major demonstrations are getting under way right now here in washington, d.c. as well as in new york. marchers are targeting the barclays center, planning what they call a royal shutdown hoping to disrupt the plans of the duke and duchess of cambridge, scheduled to attend an nba game just a couple of hours or so from now. also u.s. military bases anld embassies around the world are on high alert amid growing fear they may be targeted as the u.s. senate releases a controversial report on the cia's alleged use of torture.
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the deputy chief spokeswomans mhaim marie harf is standing by. but elise labott joins us now. >> the state department has been preparing for the rollout of this report. u.s. embassies and consulates could be the target of revenge attacks. security is being tightened further as warnings of the intelligence community the release of the report could trigger violence and death. u.s. diplomatic posts and military bases around the world on high alert as the obama administration braces for an explosive report on the bush administration's use of torture. thousands of marines at the ready after a dire classified intelligence assessment warning of a backlash. and a last-ditch effort by secretary of state john kerry to persuade the senate intel chair to delay the report's release. >> it may have an impact on the
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security situation at u.s. facilities around the world. that's why this administration has been working for months to plan for this day and to ensure that the prudent steps are taken to protect american personnel and american facilities around the globe. >> reporter: the report is expected to accuse the cia of lying about the use of torture after 9/11 and claim the waterboarding of three terrorists, including khalil sheikh muhammad, failed to produce results. it could invite violent protests at u.s. embassies. it's been called a terrible idea, the release of the report. >> some say, if you do this, this will cause violence and deaths. our own intelligence community has assessed this will cause violence and deaths. >> reporter: and there are worries the report's release could deter allies in the global coalition against isis, fearing
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terrorist reprisals, a prediction echoed by the former cia director. >> there are countries who have cooperated with us on the war of terror relying on american discretion. i can't imagine anyone going forward in the future who would be willing to do anything with us that even smacks of political danger. >> and officials acknowledge there is a debate within the administration about the release of the report, both the cia and the state department have been arguing against the publication because of the reasons we just discussed. the threat to u.s. personnel and the facilities abroad and the damage it could do to u.s. relationships with key allies. but the white house and the justice department say a delay in releasing the report only prolongs the inevitable. the administration is losing a battle in the courts over trying to block the release and figure it's better to get it over with sooner rather than later. >> thanks very much. lots of sensitive issues. more than 6,000 marines are also
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on a heightened alert status right now. they're standing by to deploy if needed to protect american lives and property. our pentagon correspondent barbara starr is working this part of the breaking news for us. what are you picking up? >> reporter: this has been ramping up since late last week when an order went out from the pentagon to commanders worldwide to take a look at their security measures, knowing this report was coming. the two key areas of concern, no surprise. the middle east and africa. the contingency forces, the emergency response forces that would be on tap if a crisis or violence were to break out, would be united states marines in both those regions. let's walk through what's been put on heightened alert status here. it starts with about 2,000 marines that make up a contingency force ready to move into africa if there was to be a threat there, if violence was to break out into u.s. facility
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there is. another 2,000 marines stationed in the middle east as a response force for that region. about 2,200 marines on board ships in the north arabian sea and the gulf of aden, they could be moved into the region very quickly. and there are three teams, 50 marines each specially trained to respond in the event an embassy were to come under attack or under threat. add to that, of course, you have afghanistan and iraq, u.s. troops there already in a war zone, already on the front line, quite ready, at the ready if violence were to break out there. pakistan, another area of concern. officials are telling us right this minute, they're not sure there's any specific intelligence. but they don't want to be surprised. so all these marines are at the ready, ready to go faster than their normal status if it comes to that. >> if it comes to that. barbara starr at the pentagon, thanks very much.
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let's talk about this and more. joining us, the state department deputy spokeswoman, marie harf thanks for coming in. >> happy to be here. >> let's talk about this. the report, i take it, as far as you know definitely will be released tomorrow by the senate intelligence committee? >> that's certainly our understanding. >> over the weekend, we know your boss, the secretary of state john kerry, phoned the chair of the intelligence committee, senator dianne feinstein, raising concerns, wanting to make sure they know if foreign policy implications into the timing of this release. it sounds like he's pretty concerned there could be some negative foreign policy implications for the united states and potentially some threat -- some danger for u.s. civilians and military personnel. >> to be clear, a couple of things are both true here. the first is that the secretary and the state department and the whole administration support the release of this report. we've always said that. we support the transparency that comes along with that release. but the secretary and indeed all of us have a responsibility if
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there are indications that our people, our facilities overseas could come under increased security overseas. we have a responsibility to take steps to mitigate against that risk and against the possible range of reactions that could occur overseas. we don't know what the reactions could be. but there are indications our people could be at increased risk. >> because you say the state department wants this report to be released. the white house clearly made that same point earlier today. but you are concerned about the timing are. do you want it to be released tomorrow or would you prefer a year from now, six months from now, 30 years from now? >> well, the secretary also made clear that if senator feinstein's decision, given she is the chair of the committee that did the report, he was talking to her to tell her the things he was hearing overseas when he talked about to his counterparts just to make sure he passed that along to her. but we support the release of it. it's our indication it's coming tomorrow and it's our responsibility to take steps to
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mitigate against any possible risk. >> because it sounds to me -- jen psaki said he phoned her over the weekend because there's concerns about the timing. sounds like he was strongly advising her, delay release. >> jen addressed that in today's briefing. he called her on friday to pass along some of what he was hearing overseas. he supports the release of this report, particularly coming from the senate. he knows how important this kind of oversight is. he wanted to pass along some thoughts to her but also a key point here, wolf, is that this administration in our first week in office ended this program. so this is a good debate to have. it's a historical one, though, at this point. we ended this program because we did not believe -- >> i want to be precise. did the secretary ask dianne feinstein to hold off on releasing it this week? >> he had a conversation with her about what she should be thinking about in terms of timing but made very clear
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whenever she wanted to release it, that decision was up to her. >> it was her decision. but you're worried about american diplomats, their families, military personnel around the world, the marines -- you just heard barbara starr say they're going on a higher state of alert because you fear there could be retaliation against americans? >> there are a range of responses that could come after the report is released and our job is to mitigate against those. we've asked our posts around the world to come back to us if they need additional security, that's our job to be prepared here. again, supporting the release of the report and supporting the kind of transparency, that's one of the great things about our democracy, this kind of transparency. >> mike rogers, the chairman of the house intelligent committee told candy crowley yesterday, mike rogers made it clear there will be violence and there will be deaths as a result of the release of this report. so what you're saying is the secretary of state is ready to accept that threat? >> again, this is a decision timing wise that the committee's undertaken. it's going to be released
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tomorrow, according to our indications. and this administration supports the release of this report. we keep going back to a few key points, that we ended this program for very good reason. it's not in line with our values. and we have taken steps to mitigate against a range of responses. we don't know what the response might look like in different places around the world. >> did the united states torture prisoners? >> the president has spoken to that. i don't have anything to add -- >> do you believe the united states tortured prisoners? that's a specific word, torture. international legal term. if the united states is confirming that it tortured prisoners, it could potentially be brought before the international criminal court for war crimes. >> president obama has been on the record speaking directly to that issue. and i'm certainly not going to expound on what he has said in any way. but what we as an administration are focused on is the fact that there is space for this debate. but it's not the debate we're having. we ended it the first week in office. >> when you say the president has spoken, he called it torture. >> he has. >> that's a very, very
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legalistic, specific term which he accepts -- the people who implemented this policy say it was enhanced interrogation techniques. they declined to say it was torture. >> regardless of what you want to call it or anyone wants to call it, this administration banned the use of these techniques, closed this program because we believe it is not in line with american values. regard less of what you want to call it, that's what we're focused on as an administration. we don't do this anymore. >> stand by, marie. we have a lot more to discuss, other major issues coming up as well. u.s. troops are getting ready to leave afghanistan. what happens next? our own jim sciutto is traveling with the secretary of defense. stand by. lots of breaking news happening today right here in "the situation room." and cialis for daily useor you. helps you be ready anytime the moment is right. cialis is also the only daily ed tablet approved
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u.s. military bases around the world on a heightened state of alert prepared for possible violence. the state department deputy spokeswoman marie harf is back with us. but first, let's bring in our own jim sciutto who was just in afghanistan. he's traveling with the outgoing defense secretary, chuck hagel. he's joining us from kuwait city. jim, tell our viewers about your exclusive interview with the defense secretary. >> reporter: wolf, i'll tell you, in afghanistan, it was something of a farewell tour for chuck hagel, his last visit to afghanistan as defense secretary but also the beginning of a long
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farewell for u.s. troop there is as they draw down. but we learned this weekend that drawdown will happen more slowly than original planned. 1,000 more u.s. troops staying in afghanistan into 2015, leaving the number at 11,000 as opposed to 10,000, as originally planned. chuck hagel made very clear to us they will face clear danger there. this is chuck hagel's fourth trip to afghanistan, but his last as secretary of defense. did you feel at all treated unfairly by the white house? >> you build records, you build hopefully something you can leave behind and strengthen your institution with a lot of people, a lot of teamwork. and that's the experience i'll take away from this job. what we're doing here -- we traveled him to a tactical base in eastern afghanistan where he met with troops, sharing his own experience as the first enlisted combat veteran to serve as defense secretary. do you think there will be a loss for the defense secretary
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position for one who didn't have that experience in the role? >> that's not for me to decide. everybody brings to their positions their own set of experiences and their own strengths. i believe my set of experiences suited me very well. but that's chuck hagel. i don't ever judge anybody else. >> reporter: at the end of this month, u.s. forces will give up their combat role for training, advising and assisting afghan forces, a new mission as the u.s. prepares for a complete withdrawal in two years. we saw how iraqi forces dissolved with the advance of isis. why are you confident that afghan forces will perform better? >> they want us here. they want us to help them assist, advise, train. how we left iraqi was totally different. the iraqi government didn't want us there.
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the iraqi people didn't want us there. >> reporter: it is train, advise and assist. but u.s. forces will still be able to do force protection if there's a threat to u.s. forces, go out and neutralize that threat. in addition, you mentioned combat enabling. how much danger will u.s. troops be in even as they transition out of an official combat role? >> this is totally different from where we've been the last 13 years, what we have ahead for the next two years. but bottom line, this is still a war zone. it's still a war. you put men and women in a war zone, they're still in a war zone. >> reporter: of course, the other war zone just across the border in iraq. we met with lieutenant general james terry, commander of all operations against isis. it's his view that isis is now operationally on the defensive in iraq. also good news, he said that america's coalition partners in the fight against isis are going to send 1,500 troops matching in
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effect the 1,500 additional troops the president has authorized. but when i asked him how long it will be before iraqi security forces are able to go on the offensive, take back territory significantly, he said it's going to be months, wolf. >> some people believe it could be years before the iraqi military in the best case could get that operation going, really take charge. as you know, over the last several months, they simply collapsed in the face of this isis move from syria into iraq. >> reporter: that's right, wolf. although he did say that on the positive side in recent weeks, there have been 15 offensive operations by iraqi forces. for instance, taking back the mosul dam, the hadifa dam. but his first answer was, it's difficult to say years or months but that he could reasonably conclude that it's month they'll be able to start more significant offensive operations. >> thanks very much, jim sciutto, traveling with the
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secretary of defense. let's bring back the state department deputy spokeswoman, marie harf. how concerned is the state department about the safety of american diplomats in kabul? >> well, we're concerned about the safety of american diplomats all around the world. obviously kabul is still as hagel said in a war zone. we take a number of security forces there. >> there are a lot of u.s. diplomats in iraq. >> there are. our security in kabul is incredibly tight. we have many security assets and resources there, clearly we know it's something to be focused on. >> shocking to me after all these years a united states secretary of defense can't even fly to afghanistan, go to kabul with word in advance that he's coming because of security concerns all these years after 9/11 and the billions and billions of dollars the u.s. has spent to try to bolster security in that country. let's talk about yemen right now, the failed hostage rescue
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operation. did the u.s. know that some group in south africa was on the verge of potentially getting the south african hostage, pierre korkie, out in exchange for about $200,000 in ransom money and they thought they were on the verge of getting pierre korkie out even as the u.s. was sending these navy s.e.a.l.s in? >> we did not. and we didn't know he was the other hostage on the ground there with mr. somers. we assessed there was a second hostage but did not know it was him and we were not aware of these activities that were being undertaken separately. >> would there have been coordination with the south africans if the u.s. had known a south african was also being held hostage there? >> there are a number of countries we work with around the world. if there are hostages somewhere where our hostages are located. but in this case, we didn't know he was the other hostage there. i think this just underscores we will go to any lengths to get americans home when they are
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held hostage overseas. unfortunately this ended tragically. >> and the u.s. did not notify the family of the american hostage in advance that navy s.e.a.l.s were about to be deployed, right? >> we constantly talk to the family and provide any assistance we need to. we don't typically outline the details of those for the family's privacy. >> and you don't want to jeopardize the operation, tell people about a classified mission that could potentially undermine the entire mission? >> there are those concerns. but we talk to the family regularly and provide any assistance but we don't outline those -- >> and the u.s. policy is no ransom, no money in exchange for the freedom of americans being held right now? >> absolutely. that hasn't changed. that only encourages more americans to be taken hostage, that it puts us at greater risk. and we don't want american dollars going to fund terrorist organizations and terrorist activities. that's our policy. we're undertaking a review across the board of hostage cases.
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>> marie harf, deputy spokeswoman at the state department. we're also following major breaking news across the united states. new protests are expected over the new york chokehold and ferguson, missouri, police shooting cases. we're about to go live to a demonstration that's forming right near the white house.
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watching a protest forming right near the white house. tell us what's going on. >> reporter: hi, wolf. we've actually left the front of the white house. the police closed down laugh yath park, the park right in front of the white house. the plan had been to meet at the white house and to march to dupont circle, a mile north of the white house and shut that down, it's a major traffic circle in northwest washington. so the group has changed their plan on the fly now that the police shut down laugh yath park. you can see this group is marching up the street. but it's a small group, not enough to block down the streets successfully. their plan is to shut down traffic just as they have been doing the last several night since last wednesday's decision not to indict the policemen in the eric garner chokehold death in new york.
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so we're going to be observing them all night watching as they march through the city and try to shut it down, trying to make the point that black lives matter and they want to see an end to police brutality. >> athena, we'll stay in constant touch with you, thanks very much. critics of police tactics point to growing use of military equipment on the streets of american cities, including ferguson, missouri. brian todd is joining us with new details about the federal program that makes so much of this possible. brian? >> tonight, new details on how the pipeline of military equipment to the police has not slowed down. even after ferguson, when the sight of police in tactical vehicles, wielding assault rifles grew outrage. we've learned the obama team is working through new rules for all of this. but the so-called militarization of police is still very much in play. in oakland, protesters throw explosives and bottles at police. in berkeley, stores are damaged and looted.
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police so far have been restrained in their response, unlike ferguson where at first police used tactical armored vehicles and were outfitted in camouflage, wielding automatic rifles. back in august, the president said he would review whether local police departments should be getting so much military-style gear. >> there is a big difference between our military and our local law enforcement and we don't want those lines blurred. >> reporter: but the obama administration just announced new plans that regulate the use of weapons but stop short of cutting the flow of military equipment to local police. civil liberties advocates say the rules should be much tighter. >> we think what we saw in ferguson and what we've seen over the course of the last several decades, particularly in poorer communities and communities of color is a pervasive culture of militaryism. >> reporter: law enforcement agencies get hundreds of thousands of dollars a year worth of equipment free of charge from the pentagon. defenders of the program like the police chief in arlington, virginia, say the equipment is
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crucial in responding to a siege or a terrorist attack. >> it gives us an ability in a very serious violent situation to go in and rescue a member of the public or one of our own officers. they're used for s.w.a.t. and barricade situations. >> reporter: case in point? the hunt for the suspects after the boston marathon bombing. one of the terrorists was on the loose in a residential neighborhood. was federally funded equipment crucial to the capture of dzhokhar tsarnaev who was hiding in a boat? >> tsarnaev was found because a guy went out to check his boat. >> reporter: but homeland security officials insist that tsarnaev was hiding under a tarp and specialized cameras paid for by washington helped police see what the suspect was doing and what kind of threat he posed. >> the state police indicate the infrared camera was instrumental in locating him. >> the defense department now requires police departments to
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come up with plans on how they're going to use military equipment and the pentagon wants to make sure that a police department that gets that equipment is not under civil rights investigation. but the aclu believes that's not going to change the military culture of law enforcement. police departments arguing to get the equipment and acting more aggressively when they do get it. >> you've also received information on how some police change their behavior when they have this equipment, right? >> it's extraordinary. the aclu says in its investigation into this they found that police use training materials that encourage what one aclu official called a warrior mindset. they say they've seen training materials that tell police to think of themselves as soldiers going into battle and of the people in the neighborhoods or in the protests as enemies. pretty stark. >> brian todd, thanks very much. we're keeping a close eye on the new york city borough of brooklyn where a chokehold protest is planned outside a basketball game that the duke and duchess of cambridge are
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planning on attending later tonight. with us now in "the situation room" is the brooklyn borough president, eric adams, who also served in the new york city police department for 22 years. he's got unique perspective on what's going on. mr. adams, thanks very much for joining us. we're watching for more protests tonight in brooklyn. protesters expected to gather outside the barclays center, where the duke and duchess, william and kate, will be watching the nets game. how are you preparing for all this? >> i think we should commend the protesters. there's nothing more american than having the right to voice your concern. we want them to be constructive and not destructive, what we saw in st. louis, we don't want in the borough of brooklyn. we've had several days of protests and people have did it in a very civil and a peaceful fashion. >> are you afraid, though, that fans who want to go watch the nets play at barclays center in brooklyn tonight might not be able to get to the arena? >> yes, they will.
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we have one of the finest police departments in the country if not the globe. they understand how imperative it is to allow people to go on with their normal day and normal activity without interference. at the same time, allowing as you see on the screen people to do their die-ins and protests but don't get in the way of harming individuals. i think that is the -- we see how good the police department is and why we must move forward with good reform to make sure it's done across the board. >> we're showing our viewers live pictures -- i don't know if you can see of them -- of what's going on here in washington, d.c., not far from the white house, a few blocks away. people have just lied down on the street. obviously there's no traffic that's going to be allowed to go through. this is what they call a die-in. i assume you've seen some of these tactics in new york including brooklyn. what do you do about this if protesters simply want to block
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traffic and lie down in these intersections? >> it's called civil disobedien disobedience. we're looking at the grandchildren of the civil rights era. that's why i'm happy to see that this conversation has left the african-american and the hispanic community and communities of color, now you see a multicultural group of people of different ethnicity, of different background, different religious beliefs that are voicing and raising their voice -- that are stating, we need to have a police department that is going to be great at stopping crime and that's going to be careful in taking the life of innocent people that we're witnessing across the country. >> but is it against the law to do what these protesters in washington, for example, are doing right now? you're looking at live pictures. simply go to a major intersection, downtown washington, not far away from the white house, obviously during rush hour, simply lie down and block traffic? is that against some sort of law? would it be against the law in
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brooklyn if people did that? >> yes, it is against the law. that's why it's important to point to what is happening here because this is a prime example of what i have articulating the last few days. they are breaking the law. the police's first step is to tell them they're breaking the law and tell them they have to cease what they're doing. if they don't, the police can take the next step of apprehending them, placing them under custody for disorderly conduct or whatever crime is important in that particular area. what you're not seeing for this peaceful display, you're not seeing someone placed in a chokehold or someone being physically abused. that is at the core of what this issue is about. we have to make sure that police use tactics that is appropriate for the crime or the violation that's being committed. i am saying that is being done in communities where affluent people live. it is not being done in communities of color or where there's economically challenging circumstances. >> if there were in brooklyn,
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let's say -- i don't know if it will be in brooklyn or won't be. but you spent 22 years in the nypd, in the new york police department. what would you do if people simply went to a major intersection and lied down and prevented traffic from going through? would you tell the police to arrest these people? >> when i was a captain and even as a lieutenant and a sergeant, i responded to many locations where demonstrators were located. and they performed acts of civil disobedience. and they either sat down or they were attempting to voice their concern. the police must respond to those incidents, give people a fair warning to tell them to cease what they're doing. and then if it's appropriate, take the next step. but you don't go from a civil disobedience like this and pull out a nightstick or mace or a stun gun to approach someone who's just passively resisting and america allows the opportunity for someone to
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passively resist until they break the law. then you take the necessary police action. >> so basically you're saying you would give these folks on opportunity, you'd tell them, look, this is against the law, you should get up, you should leave. if they continue to resist at some point -- how long would you wait before the police officers came in and physically removed them and maybe even arrested them? >> what you would do particularly in an incident like this, a police captain or commander or whoever is in charge at the scene, they will go there with a microphone and state, you're breaking the law, we're asking you to cease, asking you to move on. if they don't, you give them an appropriate amount of time. there's no fixed time. you look at the circumstances and a trained law enforcement professional would know when to move in. you would speak with the organizer, speak with who's in charge of the group and state this is how we're going to move forward as this young lady just stood up and moved forward. i would identify her as the organizers and one of my officers would speak with her
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and talk how we're going to have this formal protest move forward. >> eric adams, the president of the borough of brooklyn in new york city, if you don't mind, i'd like you to stand by. i want to continue our conversation. we have many more good questions to ask you i know you're getting ready for a major event over in brooklyn tonight, the nba game with the brooklyn nets at barclays center in brooklyn. we'll watch what's going on there. we're watching what's going on here in washington, d.c. stand by. much more with eric adams right after this. hello... i'm an idaho potato farmer and our big idaho potato truck is still missing. so my buddy here is going to help me find it. here we go. woo who, woah, woah, woah. it's out there somewhere spreading the word about americas favorite potatoes: heart healthy idaho potatoes and the american heart association's go red for women campaign. if you see it i hope you'll let us know. always look for the grown in idaho seal.
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following breaking news, new demonstrations in the streets of washington, d.c. where marchers are on the move once again. they were blocking a major intersection not far from the white house. let's go back to athena jones. she's on the streets. what's the latest, athena? >> reporter: hi, wolf. they're blocking the same intersection again. we're at connecticut, a major thoroughfare connecting the white house to upper northwest washington, d.c. the plan originally was to start at the white house, which is only about four blocks away, walk about a mile to dupont circle and shut that circle down for 4 1/2 hours. that would cause a major disruption. and that, of course, is the goal. you can see behind me the leader, the protest organizer has arrived and is rallying his troops. they're trying to shut down this intersection.
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his goal, he says, is to disrupt every day, shut d.c. down every day until they see major changes. i asked him what he specifically wanted to see happen. he said, he'd like to have president obama meet with the people, not just with a few leaders in the white house, but to really hear the voice of the community. so i'm going to try to grab him a few more times tonight and hear more about what he wants to hear. but you can see right now, they're already causing a major disruption here in downtown d.c. in the middle of rush hour. >> athena, stand by. we'll get back to you and see what's going on. we see police are now engaged there on the scene. we'll follow what's going on. athena, stand by. new demonstrations forming in major cities across the country. much more from the brooklyn borough president, eric adams, he's standing by. sheila! you see this ball control?
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our ability to converysate, the goal is to correct the condition by protecting the life of the officer, even the persons committing the act. so we must use enforcement that's applicable to the crime that's been carried out on staten island you saw just the opposite. we had a minor infraction and we're using a high level of force. >> eric adams is the president of the borough of brooklyn. thank you very much for joining us. >> thank you very much. >> good luck tonight over at
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barkley center where the nets are going to be playing. we're watching the breaking news. these are live pictures coming in from washington, d.c. protesters blocking a major intersection not far from the white house. stay with us. much more coming up.
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his death. terrorists may have gotten a surprising tip-off. and prince william chats with president obama over at the white house and now he and duchess catherine are getting ready for an all-american experience. we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >> this is cnn breaking news. >> breaking news tonight. protesters in the streets of the nation's capital. they're blocking traffic and command demanding justice after the police killings of eric garner in new york and michael brown in ferguson, missouri. police and demonstrators clashed in california overnight. now police across the united states are bracing for new protests. in new york, trying to disrupt visit from the british royals.
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we have our correspondents standing by, covering all the angles. let's go to cnn's athena jones here in washington, d.c. athena? >> reporter: hi, wolf. you can see this protest is on the move again. we're headed back towards the white house. this is a protest going on here in washington every night since wednesday and across the country. the protesters here and at the corners are hoping that these demonstrations represent a tipping point as they will bring about real change in police tactics and more fairness in the justice system. from new york to chicago to washington, d.c. -- protesters across the country commanding justice for eric garner, michael brown and other black males who have died at the hands of the police. demonstrations in berkeley,
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california turned violent saturday and sunday night, with some protesters throwing rocks, bricks and bottles at police and damaging businesses. this man was attacked with a hammer when he tried to stop other protesters from looting a radioshack. just up the road in oakland, demonstrators blocked a highway. angry that no criminal charges have been brought against the police officers involved in the brown and garner cases, demonstrators say they're going to keep marching. >> no justice, no peace! >> reporter: in an interview with b.e.t., president obama warned progress won't happen joseph night. >> we have to be persistent, because typically progress is in steps. it's in increments. when you're dealing with something as deeply rooted as racism or bias in any society, you have to have vigilance but recognize it's going to take time. >> reporter: and new york city
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mayor bill de blasio told abc real change will require talking about raise. >> we have to have a real confidence that has caused parents to feel their children may be in danger with the police when police are there to protect them. >> reporter: protesters staged a die-in at new york's grand central station and sang so-called justice carols outside macy's. as athletes leant they support from the gridiron to the basketball court, many sporting garner's last words "i can't breathe" on their warmup gear. f protesters in washington are calling for federal action in the brown and garner cases. now, wolf, as you know, the federal government, the justice department has opened investigations, civil rights investigations into the brown and garner case. here we are now, a few blocks --
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a block closer to the white house, now three blocks from the white house. you can see that this group is trying to shut down a major intersection. i just spoke with the d.c. police department and they confirmed there have been just two arrests since the major protest began. so they've been trying to make sure that this stays peaceful. we'll be watching all night. >> we'll see what happens. athena, thank you very much. we'll have much more coming up on the violence that erupted around the country, especially of the protests in california overnight. let's go to berkeley. cnn's dan simon is standing by. what's the latest over there, dan? >> reporter: hi, wolf. police here in berkeley are preparing for another round of protests tonight. the word has gone out on social media for the protesters to organize near the university later this evening. what has happened over the past few days is the marchers sort of
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romed the streets, and thenspli and vandalize the area. police are trying to keep these areas secure, but obviously when you have a group that's intent on causing violence, it's hard to keep things contained. >> dan, thank you very much. let's go to new york right now. protests are planned outside the brooklyn nets basketball game. it's being called a royal shutdown, because prince william and the duchess kate will be in the stands tonight. that's the schedule. the game is supposed to start a little more than an hour or so from now. our correspondent is joining us from brooklyn. what's the latest over there? >> reporter: we've seen about 60 police officers just a short
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while ago. they've now taken to the perimeter of barclay center. you can see nypd folks and community service police officers, as well. they're safeguarding this area. protesters all wmd took over various stores, we're expecting the same thing to happen here tonight. lebron james is playing, so going to be a very popular game. police security will be extremely tight here. that's the way it was last week, as well. the protesters still managing to get inside different stores and disrupt activity. police are going to try to not let that happen tonight. obviously, security is very, very tight here at barclay stadium. wolf? >> we'll check back in with you, deborah.
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in the meantime, let's bring in phillip banks, a former top official with the new york police department. spent 28 years there working his way to become the number three cop, the chief of department. also with us, marc morial, the president and ceo of the national urban league. gentlemen, thank you very much for joining us. chief banks, when it comes to dealing with these really sensitive racial issues, how much of a change can the new york city police department really make in light of what's been going on over these past few years? >> change can be made. i think the president said earlier today, sometimes change takes time. but starting to change doesn't take time, we can start that today. so certainly the law enforcement has to understand that change has to take place, and while the end result may take time, the starting of it should be taking place immediately. i certainly believe or i should say i'm hopeful that the start of that change is going to get
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started. >> was it a good idea to drop that stop and frisk policy during the bloomberg administration during the de blasio administration? >> i'm not so sure it was dropped. i think it was managed a lot better. the most important thing when it comes to stop and frisk, there was a lot of disrespect associated with it. i was intimately involved with stop and frisk. i certainly spoke to many, many communities throughout new york city, and people were not -- didn't mind being stopped if it was done in a respectful manner and they had their dignity. i think what i received out of it is it was a lot of disrespect. so when i spoke to my commanders, i used to tell them that the stop and dis was a major issue, and people need to be treated -- we need to maintain our professionalism as much as possible. i think it went in the proper
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way in the last year under mayor bloomberg, and hopefully those changes continue. >> marc morial, the national urban league put out some suggestions for police reform suggesting retraining, a review of use of deadly force. but how do you restore or at least creating some real trust between law enforcement and minority communities? >> there's really got to be a commitment at the local level. it comes from mayors and city council members and police chiefs working community by community with faith leaders and community leaders. police chiefs work for mayors. police chiefs are part of city governments. the hiring, the firing, the use of deadly force, the disciplinary policies are part of municipal and county governments around the nation. i think we need to make sure that there's a focus on what happens in city governments. and where the rubber meets the
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load is at the local level. that's where change has to really take place. the role of the federal government is paramount in terms of setting the tone, overall policy. wolf, there are a number of police departments today that are under federal consent decrees. which means they admitted or a court has found they had a pattern and practise of violating the rights of their own citizens. this issue is ripe for change. the evidence is there that the problems are widespread. that's not, if you will, to condemn all police or all communities. but what we have now is a need for comprehensive change to a new model of policing in this country that respects communities and focuses on public safety and holds those officers who offend the rights of people accountable. >> chief banks, i want to pick your brain on what's going on in washington, d.c. we're showing live pictures
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here. protesters are blocking a major intersection a few blocks away from the white house, in the middle of rush hour. you spent 28 years in the nypd. what do the cops do in a situation like this? it's obviously inconveniencing a lot of people. what do you do in a situation like this? >> the success or failure in this is going to be what the leadership did to plan for this. so getting accurate intelligence information about what's taking place and ensuring that information gets to the men and women out there with the protesters. one thing i would suggest, and i'm sure that the leadership of the washington police, police officers have to maintain their professionalism. they have to understand 99% of the protesters are doing something that's lawful and legal. there's only a small percentage of them who will look to break the law. and you have to maintain your cool. you cannot have thin skin and
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allow them to voice their concern. this has been something that's been taking place for a long time. this comes from the lack of their perception of credibility with the justice system. >> they've been very, very patient, even though it's inconvenient. there are local laws you can't block traffic, especially during rush hour. marc morial, what do you recommend the police do in a situation like this? these protesters obviously complaining about what happened in staten island and in ferguson, missouri. >> i mean, they've got to find a way to allow the traffic to come and go. i think the new york police department was able to do that, even while protesters were in the streets. so they've got to balance the rights of protesters, if you
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will, to protest peacefully, while at the same time try to allow people to get home. i think chief banks was right. it requires to the extent that there was a good plan and cool heads, i believe that the vast number, 99.9% of protesters want to do it peacefully. and we shouldn't be distracted by those provocateurs who want to involve themselves in these efforts that want to carry out violence. civil rights across the country is not consistent with any of that. so peaceful protests, yes. >> chief banks, if you were still a cop in new york city, you spent 28 years in the nypd, and you did see a small number, but that small number breaking windows, looting, you would go in immediately and arrest those people? >> you know, you have to be on the scene, you have to make that
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assessment. if they were breaking windows and i thought sending the police officers in there would create more of a chaotic decision, i may not make that decision. but if you allow those small percentage to break the law, you have the potential for them to continue to break it and it may get out of hand. so a decision will have to be made to arrest those individu individuals. you have to be able to make that gutsy call. >> very sensitive issue, as well. phillip banks, thank you very much for joining us. marc morial, you've been very helpful to us and our viewers. president and ceo of the national urban league. thank you very much. still ahead, we're monitoring these new protests. are they making an impact on the nation and its views about race and justice?
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we're following new demonstrations tonight against the police killings of unarmed african-american men in new york, ferguson, missouri, other cities, as well. we're joined by our panel. our cnn legal analyst, sunny host hostin, don lemon, tom fuentes and john gaskin. don, i'm going to play a little clip. this is the president of the united states in an interview he's given to b.e.t. he spoke about a recent meeting
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he had here in washington with 18 to 25-year-old civil rights leaders and law enforcement and he got rather personal, don. listen to this. >> when they described their own personal experiences of having been stopped for no reason or having generated suspicion because they were in a community that supposedly they didn't belong, my mind went back to what it was like for me when i was 17, 18, 20. as i told them, not only do i hear the pain and frustration to being subjected to that kind of constant suspicion, part of the reason i got into politics is to figure out how i can bridge some of those gaps so that the larger country understands this is not just a black problem or a brown problem, it's an american problem. >> what did you think of that answer, don, has the president
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been able to sort this out? he said he was a community org n izer. he's now the president of the united states. >> i thought it was a great answer. i like it when he gets personal like that. he did it after the george zimmerman verdict about perceptions that people have. that was a time that he got as personal. i think this president -- listen, i'm not in washington. i don't follow the president like you guys here in washington. but my understanding is that he's a politician who sort of hates the politics of politics. so i think this is his particular expertise that he can add as the first african-american president of the united states. and quite frankly, i wish he would lean in a little bit more when it comes to these issues. if he doesn't, who will? >> we're showing viewers live pictures of what's happening here in washington, d.c., these
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protesters are blocking another intersection during rush hour. only a few blocks away from the white house i must say. this is i think connecticut avenue, not far away from the white house to those folks who know what's going on. i think it's connecticut and m street. in any case, john gaskin, when you hear the president get personal like this, you like it when he gets personal like this and talks about his own personal experiences growing up in the united states, what he had to go through? >> absolutely. because it just shows you how many men of color can connect with the president as don just mentioned. it's a good thing when he gets personal like this, because when you hear his story, it's a story, it is an experience only men of color can describe it. it is humiliating to be pulled of in a neighborhood where you're not from and to be questioned really and to really be jerked around for no apparent reason. i think the president has a real
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opportunity to control the narrative on this issue, to bring about real systemic change, and to bring about some historic policies that can really change many of the problems that we're seeing within our police departments across this country. this is a real opportunity for the president to really establish his legacy when it comes to race relations in this country. >> sunny, let me play another clip from the president's interview with b.e.t. listen to this. >> a country's conscience sometimes has to be triggered by some inconvenience. because i think a lot of people who saw the eric garner video are troubled. even if they haven't had that same experience themselves. even if they're not african-american or latino. i think there are probably a lot of police officers who might have looked at that and said, that is a tragedy what happened and we have to figure out how to bring an end to these kinds of tragedies. then attention spans move on.
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there's the next thing. there's some international crisis. there's something that happens here. and change doesn't really occur. and the value of peaceful protests, activism, organizing, it reminds the society this is not yet done. >> sunny, go ahead and react to what we just heard from the president. >> i think it's just spot-on, his comments. i've spent the day, a lot of the day, wolf, speaking to a lot of these community organizers, these grassroot organizers. what they've explained to me is the michael brown shooting, the death of eric garner, sadly these aren't isolated incidents. these are incidents that have happened in our country for the past several decades. but this is the first time there has been the opportunity for this movement to take hold because of the video, because this continuum of violence that we are seeing, and because of
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social media and people realize this is not a black or brown problem. this is an american problem that needs to be addressed. in my view, it's a seminole moment to address plus brutality and this bias that we all believe exists in terms of racial profiling and sort of police encounters with men of color and people of color. so i think the president is right, as don mentioned, to sort of lean in a little bit and explain that this is a movement, a real movement, and it's important that it continue. >> tom fuentes, we're showing our viewers these live pictures coming in from washington, d.c. police are there. they're on the outskirts, but these people have basically shut down traffic at a major intersection a few blocks away from the white house right now. they're obviously angry. you used to be a street cop before you became an fbi agent.
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the cops have to be pretty patient to not allow what's going on to escalate, right? >> they are being patient. we've seen that in the last week with these protests. i would like to say i agree with don and john about the president getting personal. i would like to see him get personal about another story, the story of 15-year-old hadiah who performed at his second inauguration event in 2013. she returned to chicago and was gunned down and killed one mile from president obama's south side chicago home. killed by two gang members who thought that she was a rival gang member. arrested by the police, and they said yeah, we thought she was in a rival gang. 18 to 20-year-olds. i happened to be back in chicago visiting my father and there were a number of mothers being interviewed who said, we fear that we can't send our kids to school and they'll return alive
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because of these gang members on the street, bullets flying through the doors and walls of homes killing people. where are the police? where are they only in downtown chicago protecting tourists and business people? why aren't they in our communities? so i think that group of people, the mothers with young children at home in some of these neighborhoods aren't in a position to join these protests and if they were, they might have a different side to say what the police mean to them. >> i want everybody to stand by. we're going to continue to monitor these latest protests, including here in washington, d.c. you can see these live pictures. now disrupted by these protesters. we're going to get much more on what's going on. also, barbara starr is getting new information about that failfail ed attempt to rescue an american hostage over the weekend and how the terrorists may have been tipped off. ♪
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we're following the breaking news. new demonstrations tonight against police killings of unarmed african-american men in new york, ferguson, missouri and other cities. we're joined by our panel once again. sunny hostin, tom fuentes, don lemon and community activist john gaskin. sunny, we just got word from the st. louis county prosecutor's
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office, they're about to release several documents from the grand jury testimony that weren't originally released, even though the prosecutor, robert mccullough, promised everything would be released. do you have any idea what they're about to release? >> well, we have heard murmurings that the justice department while conducting its parallel investigation into the michael brown shooting, wolf, required that some documents and some transcripts not be released. in particular, i heard that dorian johnson was interviewed for quite some time and that interview in and of itself, while it was referred to in front of the grand jury, it wasn't given to the grand jury. and it certainly wasn't -- or rather it wasn't released with the documents that we've seen. so that perhaps is what we will be seeing. i think it's important at this point for us to see everything, because quite frankly, so many
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people have, you know, read a lot of these documents and have found some of the story to be incomplete, myself included. so i would like to see all of the documents. >> don lemon, what she's talking about is dorian johnson is the young man walking with michael brown when the police officer stopped them and there is this report, ksdk, one of the tv stations there in the ferguson, missouri area in st. louis county, they said that one of the fbi interviews with dorian johnson, maybe two hours, was not released. this may now be released. i guess it's important to try to see if there were deviations, changes in his eyewitness account of what happened raising questions about his credibility. you've heard those questions raised. >> you hit the nail on the head. there are two reasons here. one is transparency, as sunny said. prosecutors said i want to be as transparent as possible, so
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they're doing as promised. the second thing is, the public may not know that much about, as we have tried to report as much as we can with the information that we've had, is that dorian johnson's testimony may have changed during what he said to the fbi and what he said that went to the grand jury, and what he said in front of television cameras. so this release of information could show that it did or did not. but i would imagine if they are, at this point, and again, i'm just assuming if they are getting this out as quickly as possible, what they're trying to do is back up, the prosecutor, back up their assertions that dorian johnson changed his testimony. so we'll see once the information is released. >> you served in the fbi, tom. if in fact there were -- if there was a two-hour fbi interview with dorian johnson that was not released, maybe it will be released now, and if his testimony did change, this young man, dorian johnson, could he be
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penalized for that, perjury, for xample? >> potentially, but we don't know what statements he made under oath, which is what he would be held accountable for. we did have the prosecutor saying the night of the grand jury decision that several witnesses changed their testimony and the grand jury compared to other times they made differing statements. so we don't know the details of that either. this may be one example. >> we're supposed to get that -- don, you wanted to ask a question? >> didn't he get immunity? i thought dorian johnson was granted immunity for his testimony. >> i'm not sure about that. >> i haven't heard that. but we'll check that. john gaskin, do you want to weigh in? >> sure. you know, i have to definitely agree with sunny and with don. the prosecutor has said that this would be a transparent process. i think whatever is within that testimony, whatever documents are out there, i think they
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should be brought forward, and i know that the community will welcome what's in that testimony, what he's had been to say. i don't think any of us really know. but i look forward to hearing what he had to say and hopefully it will clear up some of the inconsistencies. >> guys, we're going to continue what's going on. an important note to our viewers. later tonight, 9:00 p.m. eastern, don will have a special look at the questions and allegations swirling around bill cosby, don will host this special report on cnn 9:00 p.m. eastern. of course, he'll have cnn tonight at 10:00 p.m. eastern following all the late breaking developments. stay tuned for that. much more breaking news coming up right here in "the situation room." celebrate what's new, the bigger, better menu at red lobster! with more of what you love! try our newest wood-grilled combination! maine lobster, extra jumbo shrimp, and salmon! so hurry in!
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take a look at this. these are live pictures coming in fro new york. protest are planned outside the nba nets' game. it's being called a royal shutdown because prince william and duchess kate will be in the stands tonight for the game. deborah feyrick is outside barclay center. what's going on over there, deborah? >> reporter: we can tell you, in the last 10, 15 minutes, the numbers swelled here outside the barclay center. a couple hundred people are chanting "no justice, no peace." one of them calling the police officer involved in the eric
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garner choking a coward. the crowd is so large that there's a delay in the chanting. you hear a couple of people starting to say "i can't breathe" then you hear sort of a ten-second delay. a lot of people here from brooklyn. you can see some of the police officers just behind me. we saw at least 100 different police officers who were here guarding the perimeter of this game. they're expecting a very big crowd here, wolf. we can tell you, it really got very, very large. and some people just passing by, joining in this demonstration, wolf. >> there's not only the duke and the duchess, but a lot of other celebrities there. lebron james is playing for the cleveland cavaliers against the nets. so it's obviously a huge crowd anticipated. >> yeah, that's exactly right. a and it's very interesting. some people want to be filmed,
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some people do not want to be filmed. we'll see what happens here, wolf. but we are expecting a lot more people here tonight. we're understanding that some people are coming to union square over the bridge. so we'll keep an eye on all that, but you can see the different people here. >> let's hope it stays peaceful and there's no violence or anything like that. deb, we'll stay in close touch with you. we'll continue to follow the breaking news in brooklyn. also what's going on here in washington, d.c. a major intersection not far from the white house is blocked. athena jones is there. we'll check in her when we come back. much more coming up.
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we're following breaking news. protests erupting here in washington, d.c., as well as in brooklyn, new york. let's go to athena jones in downtown washington, a few blocks away from the white house. what's the latest where you are, athena? >> reporter: hi, wolf. as you can see behind me, there are people lying down in the street. they've been lying there for about 4 1/2 minutes. the silence is now ending. they've been standing up now. they're holding what they call die-ins. as you can see here, this is a major traffic circle in northwest washington, about a mile north of the white house. they've been blocking traffic here as they are doing at various intersections.
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their goal, i heard other protesters say earlier, and another protester who i spoke with, they want to inconvenience people, because they believe that the black men and women killed by police, their families have also been inconvenienced. >> the brooklyn nets will be playing the cleveland cavaliers in a half an hour or so. what is going on outside there? >> reporter: well, we can tell you the crowd has grown within the last 10 to 15 minutes. you can see the police officers that are standing guard in front of the barkley center. security is tight because of the visit with the duke and duchess of cambridge. you can hear the channing going on here. they feel that by coming out, being here, they will make a difference. they will change what is going on with policing in this country. you can take a look. even if it stretches all the way
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back here, and you're talking about a couple hundred people that are here now. and they plan to stay for the duration. back to you. >> we'll stay in close touch with you. let's hope it stays peaceful. noisy is okay but let's hope it stays peaceful as we watch the new protests against police killings in new york, ferguson, missouri, we're getting reaction from the incoming senate majority leader mitch mcconnell. might he see eye to eye on these sensitive issues of race? our chief congressional correspondent dana bash had an exclusive interview just a little while ago. dana is here in the situation room. what did he say about these protests? >> he was very understanding and circumspect about race relations in general at this time. >> what is your reaction to the tension that you see? >> i think our whole issue with race relations is a work in
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progress. we all know this was america's original sin. we've been working on it for a couple hundred years. unfortunately, so much of the criminal justice system seems to be producing different reactions from different people based upon race. at the end of the day, we have to trust the criminal justice system. they bring together people to review evidence to see whether an indictment is appropriate. when that happens, some people like it and some don't. it is like being a member of congress. >> you are a son of the south. you've seen the way racial tensions have changed for the most part, certainly for the
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better. do you believe that relations have gotten better since president obama has been in office? >> it has certainly gotten better. i think for example, my colleague, tim scott from south carolina who defeatedstrom thurmond's son. it included ft. sump ter. it is undeniable. there has been undeniable progress for african-americans in this country. we've been electing senators and governors and running major corporations. obviously wave long way to go and i'm not going to assess the president's role in all this. there have been a lot of survey data on this. people can draw their own conclusions. i think we've come a long way. we probably have plenty more progress we need to make. >> and you had an interesting exchange with the incoming majority leader on whether or not there should be a formal declaration of war against sois.
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>> the lame duck senate will be over at the end of the week. the democrats still have control and they're going to have a hearing tomorrow with john kerry and they're going to pass an authorization of force in this senate foreign relations committee. that won't go anywhere. however, what he told me is he will make sure it does when he comes in. >> your colleague from kentucky, rand paul, has said it should be an actual declaration of war. something different from what you said. authorization of forceful do you think it needs to go that far? >> no. i think it ought to be an authorization for the use of forceful better if the president asks us for what he wants. >> is it something you think you and the president can work together? >> we'll certainly need to use force. no question about it. beheading americans and posting it on the internet. a very serious threat to our national security.
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i think the president is moving in that direction. he would be in a much stronger position with the use of military force. we've been expecting him to ask for it. if he doesn't, i think he will get one sometime soon after the first of the year. >> did he think he could work with the president over these next two years? >> did he. he was very forward leaning. much more than i thought he would be. obviously he needs to prove and other republicans need to prove they can govern. he talked specifics about areas where he hopes he can work with the president and he even reminded me in the times when democrats were in control of the senate. things were in crisis mode, he was the guy who just stepped in and negotiated an end to the fiscal cliff. >> gloria borger is with us. i want to play another little clip. this is another exchange on the specific issue of mitch mcconnell working with the president. this is from dana's interview. >> your meeting with the
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president went well. why did it go so well? >> it was unusual. we had a chance to talk very much. in his defense, he didn't need us the first two years. he had huge majority in the house and senate. the last four years he controlled the senate them guaranteed they never got anything he didn't like. now he needs to talk to us. that's good. when the american people elect a divided government, they're not saying they don't want anything done. they are saying they want it done in the political center, things that both sides can agree on and in the conversation last week, we talked about the things where there may be some agreement. >> famously at the beginning of the obama presidency said that your political goal was to make him a one-term president. what is your goal now that he just got two years left, but flower you're going to be the majority leader and it is your legacy too? >> both of us came up short. i had hoped to make him a one-term president. he home to defeat me last fall.
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i think what the american people are saying, they want us both to be here them want us to look for things to agree on and see if they can make some progress in the country. >> you feel like you can do that. >> gloria, can they the next two years get some stuff done? >> well, yes, around the edges. i think they can get some trade deals. i think they can get some agreements on fixing roads and bridges, which everyone understands is such a huge problem in this country. maybe some kind of corporate tax reform. although i think that is actually less likely. on the large issues, wolf, i think you will see immigration become an issue in the 2016 election. we're just setting the table now for 2016. so there is actually a relatively small window here. to get something done until the presidential candidates take over the agenda and barack obama sort of becomes a lame duck here. >> you asked them about the
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senate intelligence committee report. it is supposed to come out tomorrow and what they call enhanced negotiation. he said he will work on a joint statement with sax by chambliss who has been opposed to releasing this. mcconnell agrees with that. meaning he disagrees with releasing the information. we've already heard from the white house, the pentagon that they're concerned about protests and so forth. republicans who don't want to release it. they say they're worried about sources and methods and also retaliation. if he doesn't want to talk about it, he wants to defer. >> it is an astonishing fight that we've seen. play out in washington between central intelligence agency and the panel that oversees the central intelligence agency in the senate and its democratic chairman, diane feinstein. one accused the other of spying on them. the senate intelligence folks said the cia was spying on us.
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hacked into the computers. wouldn't let us do our job. this is real battle. the battle over the sub stance of whether you want torture. a battle over who should be making the decisions. and it is an important moment in history. you will hear people say we think we did the wrong thing. we have to move on. or someone like dick cheney or former president bush who told candy crowley that the central intelligence agency behaved appropriately because that's what you have to do to fight terror. so it is going to be a very important moment when this report is released. >> and barbara starr says u.s. marines are now, thousands are on a higher state of alert out of fear of retaliation against the united states. thanks very much. you have a great column.
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cnn.com. jeb bush, hillary clinton which recommended it highly. with the incoming majority leader of the senate. that's it for me. thank you for watching. we'll continue our special coverage right now. erin burnett "outfront" starts right now. protests from brooklyn to barkley. police preparing for possible violence. protesters looking to disrupt the royal couple's visit to new york. plus hip hop mogul russell simmons on the president's message. is it really getting better for young black men? they're both "outfront." more breaking news. thousands of marines on high alert a day before the release of an explosive report on america's use of torture in the war on terror. let's go "outfront." good evening to all of you. we begin