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Migrant Surge to E.U. Countries; Interview with Madeleine Albright; Are Police Officers Under Seige? Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired August 31, 2015 - 08:30   ET

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


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[08:32:34] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: The European Union planning an emergency meeting to deal with the huge migration crisis within its borders. More than 340,000 migrants have reached the E.U this year alone, some of them refugees, some simply in search of a better life. To talk about this and also another major issue right now in this world, the Iran nuclear deal, we're joined by former Secretary of State and former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Madeleine Albright.

MADELEINE ALBRIGHT, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: Great to be with you.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Ms. Secretary, thanks so much for being with us.

Let's talk about the migrant crisis. There are some countries such as Hungary that has erected a barbed wire fence to keep out the thousands of migrants that have been - there's just a bit of deluge into some of these E.U. countries. What is the answer?

ALBRIGHT: I think it is one of the great tragedies of our time. I was a refugee. I clearly didn't have such a tragic story, but I know what it's like to have to leave your country because you can't live there anymore. And I'm really surprised at how difficult this has been for people that are trying to get across and erecting barriers and making it more complicated. It certainly adds to the tragedy.

There are more refugees in the world today than at any time. And we have to be able to deal with it. I have heard that the Europeans have called an emergency meeting. I hope that they are really seeing it as an emergency and are really making plans to try to distribute the burden, because it is a burden when people just come into a country.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

ALBRIGHT: And that, in fact, they figure out a way to make Europe what it should be in the 21st century is a welcoming place -

CAMEROTA: But, I mean -

ALBRIGHT: For those who can't live where they want to.

CAMEROTA: But, secretary, is it fair for countries like Hungary to have to absorb all of these people and the services that they would require? ALBRIGHT: Well, I think that that's why there has to be an all

European plan. And, frankly, one of the countries that's had the hardest time with this is Greece because they're right there, and also some of the other countries in the Balkans. And it does have to be distributed. And I do think that that's why it's important for the Europeans to see it as an issue for all of them and to be able to deal with it in a very rapid way so that you don't see the kinds of things that we have been seeing on television and people just being treated as if they weren't human.

BERMAN: Madam Secretary, if I can shift gears to talk about the Iran nuclear deal right now, because you have written an op-ed on cnn.com right now, which is a really full-thwarted (ph) endorsement of this agreement. Let me read from it right now. You say, "the United States will be in a far better position to shape events in the region with this nuclear agreement in place than without it. This accord is a bold stroke of diplomacy and an opportunity we must not waste."

[08:35:16] Obviously, this will be discussed in Congress within the coming weeks. I don't think the sentiment in Congress agrees with you. How can you convince members of Congress that this just isn't in - isn't the best alternative, but as you say, "a bold stroke of diplomacy"?

ALBRIGHT: Well, because we know that the issue of a nuclear armed Iran is something that has concerned us, that has concerned Israel, the whole region, and this could not have happened if there had not been very careful diplomacy. I'm kind of troubled, and I wrote in this, that some of the people that are opposed to the agreement never read it before they actually declared their opposition. It's a very carefully negotiated agreement of over 100 pages.

I think that I also said that nobody is presenting an alternative that would, in fact, limit the way that Iran can develop a nuclear program. This does put a stop to three paths to a nuclear program, plutonium, enriched Iranian, and covertly. So I think it's a good plan. I think it needs to be backed. But it also offers a path on diplomacy that will deal with some of Iran's other behavior that is of concern to people.

CAMEROTA: And, Secretary Albright, what the critics of this deal say is basically that the diplomacy may be impressive but Iran can't be trusted. And there are many democrats, even, who feel that way and disagree with the president and, of course, with you. Here is Senator Chuck Schumer on why he doesn't like it.

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SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: This bill - this agreement sanctions a threshold Iranian nuclear state after 10 to 15 years. That means the United States and all the governments of the world say it's OK for Iran to be a threshold nuclear state. That's a lot different than doing it on its own.

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CAMEROTA: Secretary, what of that. That it only lasts 10 years and then all bets are off?

ALBRIGHT: I - well, actually, it lasts, various parts, 10 to 15 years. It is a way that it has made clear that Iran cannot develop a nuclear weapon. It provides the tools to make clear that that doesn't happen. And I think that the verification procedures on this agreement are as tough as any that we've ever seen. We will, in fact - you know it is - you - is a matter of not trusting them. We are verifying it.

And one of the things that I am advocating in this op-ed is that Congress and the - obviously the executive branch and the IAEA continue to monitor this in the toughest way possible. And I think that it does do that. And there will not be sanctions relief until they fulfill the - in the beginning parts of all of this. So I think it's a good agreement.

BERMAN: You say it's - you suggest that it could open up the possibility of further diplomacy and further relations with Iran. Just yesterday two people - we don't know who they were - were sentenced to 10 years in prison for espionage. We believe - in connection with the United States. It could be that one of them was Jason Rezaian, "The Washington Post" reporter. If this nuclear agreement, in your mind, makes for better diplomatic paths for the United States, it's not a good start when people are being sentenced to 10 years in prison for espionage like this and we're not getting any word of what's happening to Jason Rezaian.

ALBRIGHT: Well, I do think that something, obviously, needs to be done about those people that are there and I do think that we have an awful lot of work to do with Iran and the neighborhood, in fact, to change the dynamic of this. And the only way to do that is by, in fact, following up on the diplomatic road that has been opened. There are an awful lot of contacts that have been developed. We also know that there are people in Iran that have different views. And so there will take work.

And, by the way, to link these two conversations, partially, it is all the disquiet in the Middle East and the problems that are take place in Syria and in Iraq that have created a lot of those refugees that we talked about at the beginning. So I think it's essential for us to have a regional policy towards the Middle East and deal with it diplomatically as well as use all the tools that we have in our toolbox.

CAMEROTA: Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, thanks so much for being on NEW DAY. We always enjoy talking to you.

And be sure to check out Secretary Albright's op-ed on the Iran nuclear deal. You can find it on cnn.com/opinion. It just posted. Check it out.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Powerful. I too was a migrant. I appreciate that she said that.

All right, controversy surrounding the shooting death of a sheriff's deputy in Texas. The officer, white. The suspect, as you can see on your screen, black. Was this a racially motivated killing? We'll debate, you decide.

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[08:43:56] PEREIRA: All right, here we go with the Monday edition of the five things you need to know for the NEW DAY.

Anti-establishment candidates getting quite a boost in Iowa. New polling shows Donald Trump leading Republicans, followed by Ben Carson. On the Democratic side, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders cutting into Hillary Clinton's lead.

The man accused of killing a Texas sheriff's deputy at a gas pump is due in court this morning. Shannon Miles is charged with capital murder. Authorities believe that he targeted Deputy Darren Goforth simply because of his uniform.

Migrants from Iraq and Syria finally being allowed to board trains to Austria and Germany this morning. They'd been in limbo at rail stations in Hungary as that nation and the rest of Europe try to cope with this influx of people, many fleeing violence in their native countries.

A terminal at New Jersey's Newark Airport evaluated and put on lockdown after a man made his way into a secure hallway. He was detained by authorities. That terminal has since reopened.

And legendary film maker Wes Craven, the man behind "The Nightmare on Elm Street" and "Scream" movie franchises, has died after a battle with brain cancer. Wes Craven was 76.

[08:45:00] For more on the five things, be sure to visit newdaycnn.com for the latest.

John.

BERMAN: Right. All lives matter. Those words from a Texas sheriff after a white officer was killed by a black man. Or right now there's a suspect who was black being held in that crime. Was it racially motivated? Taking a closer look ahead.

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[08:49:28] SHERIFF RON HICKMAN, HARRIS COUNTY, TEXAS: (INAUDIBLE) the rhetoric ramps up to the point where calculated, cold-blooded assassination of police officers happen. This rhetoric has gotten out of control. We've heard black lives matter. All lives matter. Well, cops lives matter, too. So why don't we just drop the qualifier and say "lives matter" and take that to the (INAUDIBLE)?

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BERMAN: That was Harris County Sheriff Ron Hickman following the shooting death of a police deputy while he was at the gas station. The suspect is expected to appear in court this morning on capital murder charges.

Joining us to talk about this, Ben Ferguson, CNN political commentator and host of "The Ben Ferguson Show" And DeRay McKesson, an organizer and activist for Black Lives Matter.

DeRay, let me start with you there because we heard the sheriff essentially say the atmosphere created by the Black Lives movement, the rhetoric right now has created this situation where this act, this murder of this sheriff's deputy could happen. Your response?

DERAY MCKESSON, ORGANIZER AND ACTIVIST, BLACK LIVES MATTER: Yes, it's clear that Officer Goforth should be alive and that there was a random act of violence that took his life. It's disappointing that Sheriff Hickman has continued with this prejudicial policing where he made these statements before any investigation has actually taken forth.

The only charged rhetoric of the movement has been about holding officers accountable. It's been about fair police contracts an d independent investigators and body cameras. That is the only rhetoric of the movement. It's been specifically about ending violence.

Hickman's statements, again, are prejudicial. He has not conducted an investigation yet but he is accusing an entire group of people for a random act of violence.

BERMAN: Ben, you're shaking your head there. On the race point, how can the sheriff say that anything is responsible before there's an actual investigation?

BEN FERGUSON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, there's a stigma here and it is coming from many involved in the Black Lives Matter movement. We have seen people chant, "What do we want? Dead cops. When do we want them? Now." That happened in New York.

We saw in Baltimore people chanting while holding signs about black lives matter saying, "F the police" and it's time to take them back and shoot the police.

We saw a webcast where just this week where there was a host that's involved in Black Lives Matter who said it's time for us to equal the score and we need to go and shoot police. She agreed with phone calls coming in.

So to say -- let me finish. This is important. The stigma is now, what is out there is there should be revenge killings against police because of police brutality and that has that -- that flame has been fueled by many in the Black Lives Matter movement. That's a fact. You can see it out there in the world.

BERMAN: But Ben, without any direct connection at this point to the suspect, is it fair to connect these two things? How do you know? How do you know this guy, the suspect, you know, this guy or another guy, whoever pulled the trigger, wasn't in some kind of drug-induced rage, it had nothing to do with any political movement or another. Is it mixing things up here and -

(CROSSTALK)

FERGUSON: Look -- I don't think it's mixing up. No, I don't. Because what we have seen with police officers that have been killed in the line of duty while sitting there minding their own business. Whether it be what happened up in New York or whether it happened here, police officers right now, including the FBI, have put a warning out nationwide telling them watch your back because there are people in this movement that want to assassinate police officers minding their own business.

(CROSSTALK)

BERMAN: I'm sorry, Ben - you just said there are people in the movement who want to assassinate police officers.

FERGUSON: Yes.

BERMAN: That's a very charged statement right there. It's one thing to say -

(CROSSTALK)

FERGUSON: It's not charged when people are chanting. It's not a charge when people are chanting, "What do we want? Dead cops. When do we want them? Now." I'm not the one saying this. There are people in the Black Lives Matter movement that are saying that we want to go out and we want to kill white cops, we want to kill dead cops.

BERMAN: Let me put this to DeRay. DeRay, before you weigh in here, I want to play you some sound that I believe was from over this weekend in Minnesota during what we think was a Black Lives Matter protest when people were making some, you know, pretty aggressive chants about police. Let's listen.

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CROWD: (Chanting) Pigs in a blanket, fry 'em like bacon. Pigs in a blanket, fry 'em like bacon. Pigs in a blanket, fry 'em like bacon.

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BERMAN: So there is, DeRay, there is language out there that seems outright hostile to law enforcement.

MCKESSON: Are you suggesting that a chant from Minnesota led to the death of an officer?

BERMAN: Not even close. Not even close, DeRay. All I'm saying, though, and you heard me talk to Ben and suggest that, you know, people within the movement want to assassinate police officers. What I'm asking you, though, is there charged language? Is there aggressive language at some of these protests that do call for some action against police somewhere?

MCKESSON: You know, it's interesting, again, the only charged rhetoric has been about accountability for police. I think about myself when I was a teacher, my classroom was open., parents could come in, the administrators could come in. This is only charged in the context of a profession that refuses any accountability.

It's interesting, again, that when we think about policing, I would hope that police officers conduct investigations before they make accusatory statements. We saw this play out in Ferguson, where Belmar accused the officers - or accused the protesters of shooting at police officers and then retracted his statement, and we see it again with Hickman in Houston, that without any facts, he's making very, very strong statements and that is a reason why people protest -- that prejudicial policing

[08:55:02] FERGUSON: But shouldn't you condemn --

BERMAN: Hey, Ben.

MCKESSON: -- has consequences that are really unfortunate.

BERMAN: Ben, I'm sorry, we have to go. But I do thank you both for being with us and I think we can all agree that our hearts go out to the family of that deputy in Texas right now and that's something that you both have stated, so I thank you for that.

DeRay McKesson, Ben Ferguson, thanks very much.

We want to know your take is on this. Tweet us using the #CNNnewday. Post your comment to Facebook.com/new day.

Michaela?

PEREIRA: We got your "Good Stuff" coming up next. Stay with us. We're going to need it today.

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PEREIRA: All right. Here is your "Good Stuff." Rivalries don't get much nastier than Kentucky High School football. But the young players recently put it all aside for something really important. Jay'Von Quarles was a starting running back at Hopskinville. Sadly, he was killed in a tragic and freak accident. Hopskinville's bitter rivals, Christian County High School, knew what to do. They passed the helmet for Jay'Von's family. And within a day they raised more than $1200.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They all wanted to give anything they had. I mean, anything is appreciated in a situation like this. It's the right thing to do.

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PEREIRA: That team also launched a GoFundMe page for Jay'Von already has $5,000 they've been able to raise. The coach says he's really, really proud of these kids putting aside the rivalry for something real.

CAMEROTA: That's great. That's so wonderful.

All right. Stay with CNN for the latest on the murder of the Texas deputy. It is time now for "NEWSROOM" with Carol Costello.

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