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CNN NEWSROOM
Key Roles in Trump Administration; Assad Talks Ally; Trump Fights Terrorism; Muslim Fear; Search for ISIS's Leader. Aired 9:30- 10a ET
Aired November 16, 2016 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:30:00] CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Thanks for being here.
Jason, critics say it is imperative for Trump to put together a top- notched experienced defense team because this is what's happening this morning in Aleppo, Syria. A children's hospital was hit by bombs. Six children now being sheltered by doctors. They're huddling in the basement. They're cowering in fear. The Syrian air force, under the direction of Syria's president, Bashar al Assad, is behind this bombing. Assad said just yesterday he hopes Trump will be an ally. Listen.
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BASHAR AL-ASSAD, SYRIAN PRESIDENT: It's still dubious whether he can do or live up to his promises or not. That's why we are very cautious in judging him, especially as he wasn't in a political position before. So we cannot tell anything about what he's going to do. But if -- I say if, if he's going to fight the terrorists, of course we're going to be allied -- natural allied (INAUDIBLE) with the Russians, with the Iranians, with many other countries who want to defeat the terrorists.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So, Jason, will President-elect Trump be an ally of Syria's Bashar al Assad?
JASON BEARDSLEY, FORMER U.S. ARMY SPECIAL OPERATIONS: Well, Carol, I appreciate the questions, but, let's face it, that's -- that's Assad doing some statesmanship and he's trying to do a little bit of gaming before this. Remember, right now we have a president in power, so we actually have the executive branch able to operate the organs (ph) of state.
What President-elect Trump is going to do, as he's promised and laid out in his foreign policy speeches, is make sure the interests of America is first. We have soldiers in harm's way, as you point out, every day right now in combat. So what's most important is to craft policy that can divine, what is America's great interest at stake? Who our allies are? They'll reveal themselves as they -- as they stack up and line up behind good leadership. It's something we've been missing. And that's something that President-elect Trump is going to bring to the table. You've got to pick the right team, and he's in the process of doing that right now.
COSTELLO: OK, but here's why some people worry, Colonel Francona. As you know, Syria and Russia are working together in Syria, and Mr. Trump admires Vladimir Putin. Senator John McCain worries about Trump's desire to improve relations with Vladimir Putin and Russia. He said, quote, "at the very least, the price of another reset would be complicity if Putin and Assad's butchery of the Syrian people. That is an unacceptable price for a great nation. When America has been at its greatest is when we have stood on the side of those fighting tyranny. This is where we must stand again."
So, what do you see happening, Colonel Francona?
LT. COL. RICK FRANCONA (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, Syria is a basket case. Our policy in Syria, unfortunately, hasn't changed since 2011. We're still demanding the removal of Bashar al Assad. And, of course, that's been complicated by the rise of ISIS. And now we've had to shift our focus from supporting the opposition to going after ISIS. And now, with the interference, and the intervention by the Russians and the Iranians and Hezbollah and all these other forces, you've got a -- a really mixed playing field there. And we haven't adapted our policy.
The new administration is going to have to figure out just what our interests are in Syria and then act accordingly. If that is working with the Russians against ISIS, that's going to take a major shift in our policy, and in effect we will be allied with Bashar al Assad. And I don't think we want to get into the situation where we're supporting a guy who bombs hospitals in the city of Aleppo. So this is a real challenge for the new administration. And I get -- I get the impression, and I understand what Jason was saying, we do have a government in power right now, but I think they're kicking the can down the road because Syria just has no solution as far as this administration is concerned.
COSTELLO: All right, so, Jason, I want to focus on the position of national security adviser. Michael Flynn is Trump's only pick for that position. It's no secret that Flynn considers Obama weak and spineless. That's what he's called the president. He also considers him incompetent in his foreign policy. Flynn is also quite a hawk. So how would he change America's strategy against ISIS, do you think, Jason?
BEARDSLEY: Well, you know, I served in JSOC under, you know, directors like General Flynn when he was with DIA, and we know that they have an aggressive policy. Number one, is to craft again the U.S. national interests first. And that's about diving, first and foremost, what is most efficacious, what's the most effective way that the U.S. protects our interests and makes sure that when we put soldiers in harm's way, they're dying for a specific cause.
Right now, if we give Mosul -- if we win Mosul, what's happening on the ground right now is, when we turn that land over, we're going to cede it to a government that is by -- almost a proxy right now of Iran. And when you talk about, you know, bad allies and strategic allies, we've given Iran leverage in the region to become a national power. And that's something that we've already seen.
So, Rick is absolutely right, we're going to be digging out of a mess. Syria is a mess right now. General Flynn is the kind of guy that stood up when things weren't going well with the Islamic State, with al Qaeda, and he told the truth. Telling the truth is absolutely important. Identifying the enemy. He's done that over and over again.
[09:35:13] So, first identifying the enemy, and then crafting a policy that makes sure that the U.S. interest is first so when our soldiers, the best in the world, when our service members are out there, they know the cause, they know the purpose, they know the end state, which is something we haven't seen over eight years. It's been longer than that. Our soldiers are begging for leadership. And I think we're going to see that with General Flynn.
COSTELLO: All right. I have to leave it there. Jason Beardsley and Lieutenant Colonel Rick Francona, thanks to both of you.
President Obama Berlin bound. He's heading to Germany for the next leg of his final overseas trip. Hours earlier, Obama wrapping up his visit to Athens in front of a crowd of thousands, hailing democracy in a symbolic nod to the birthplace of the political system. He also reassured Greeks that America will remains a strong ally.
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BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And I am confident that just as America's commitment to the Transatlantic Alliance has endured for seven decades, whether it's been under a Democratic or Republican administration, that commitment will continue, including our pledge and our treaty obligation to defend every ally.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: CNN's Nic Robertson in Athens with more.
Hi, Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR : Yes, hey, Carol, good morning.
Well, there was also a message, if you will, to the international audience, but also to a domestic audience back at home, trying to calm fears about the transition of democracy in the United States. He quoted -- he quoted Winston Churchill, saying that democracy is the worst form of government, except for the alternatives. And what he was trying to do here, and it got some laughs from the audience, was say, look, what may be -- what may appear to be happening, you know, a radical change underway in the United States, history doesn't work in a straight line. It zigs and it zags. Democracy a little imperfect. This is how he put it.
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BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Democracy, like all human institutions, is imperfect. It can be slow. It can be frustrating. It can be hard. It can be messy. And in a multi-ethnic, multiracial, multicultural society, like the United States, democracy can be especially complicated. Believe me, I know. But it is better than the alternatives, because it allows us to peacefully work through our differences.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: And that peacefully working through issues, the public having the right to answer politicians, he pointed to the example of the nuclear deal with Iran, as that came through democracy. As the -- as the world's agreement on climate change, that came through democracy. He said democracy giving the space and the right for scientists to come up with scientific conclusions, rather than people following sort of dogmatic views. Both those points seem to be aimed somewhat also at President-elect Trump as well.
Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Nic Robertson reporting live from Athens, Greece, this morning.
My next guest, too afraid to wear her hijab in public after the election? I'll ask her why, next.
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[09:42:31] COSTELLO: Anti-Trump protests not letting up and today walkouts are planned at colleges campuses nationwide. Today, students from 34 universities are planning to leave their classes and declare their colleges, quote, "a sanctuary campus." They say the idea is to create a safe haven for undocumented students by putting their bodies between them and President-elect Trump.
Adding to this anxiety, Reuters is now reporting that Trump's policy advisers are mulling a proposal that would reinstate a registry for Muslim immigrants. And a source familiar with Trump's transition team tells CNN that Frank Gaffney, a man known for anti-Islamic rhetoric, is now working with them on national security issues. This is a man who was a big supporter of the theory that President Obama is a secret Muslim and was not born in the United States.
All of this weighs on my next guest's mind and her soul. She says she no longer feels safe wearing her hijab. With me now is Alaa Basatneh.
Welcome, Ala.
ALAA BASATNEH, JUSTICE WRITER, FUSION.NET: Thank you for having me.
COSTELLO: I notice you are wearing your hijab today. But do you normally wear it? And why did you decide it was important to wear it this morning?
BASATNEH: I've been wearing my head scarf for the past twelve years. It was my choice since the beginning, since day one. And I can guarantee you that I will walk out of those studios today and take off my head scarf and wear a hat instead because it's no longer safe to walk on the streets with a head scarf on, as of now.
COSTELLO: Tell me why you feel that way.
BASATNEH: I'd like to share an incident that happened a couple of days ago. I was at a hospital in Miami. I sat down. And I was wearing my head scarf. I went into the waiting room and sat down next to an older, white guy. There was a seat between us, empty. So he took out his pocket knife and set it next to me. And I felt very threatened. I was shocked. And I was waiting to be stabbed just for the fact that I was wearing my head scarf.
He then took his weapon, closed it, put it in his pocket, and walked past me and said, deport them all. With such incidents happening to Muslim women who wear the head scarf on the streets, on daily matters, it's no longer safe. And I don't know till when this is going to last.
COSTELLO: So what -- how did -- how did the -- how did the people around you in that waiting room react to that man?
[09:45:06] BASATNEH: That's my point is that no one said anything. And I didn't expect anyone, Carol, to say something while he had the weapon out in front of me. But at least someone -- like to approach me afterwards and say, you know, are you OK? Do you want me to call anyone? No one did anything. There was about 20 people in that room, and everyone just carried on their normal conversations as if nothing happened. That is scary. That's scarier than the fact that he took out that weapon, the people are around us, they're not saying much.
COSTELLO: Did -- did -- did incidents like this happen to you in the past? Or is this something new?
BASATNEH: You know, in the past, twelve years of wearing my head scarf, I occasionally get the, "go back to your country," or, "you're a terrorist," something like that, on the streets, and I'd ignore it. But for someone to pull out a weapon in a safe place, which was a hospital, and set it next to me, and I was waiting to be stabbed, that just escalated to a whole new level.
COSTELLO: Is there anything that President-elect Trump can say that would ease your mind that he's not anti-Muslim?
BASATNEH: President-elect Trump told Anderson Cooper a couple months ago that he thinks Islam hates us. I don't know what's going to heal that wound because he -- he really opened a large wound within the Muslim community. And to me personally, I think he needs to apologize for what he's been saying and to -- to reassure the Muslim community that we will be safe, because I don't know when I will be able to walk on the streets with my head scarf back on again.
COSTELLO: What would you say to those who support Trump and are enthusiastic about his presidency, that this was just one crazy guy that did something wrong and that's not how the vast majority of Americans feel about Muslim-Americans?
BASATNEH: I'd say, get to know your Muslim neighbors. Get to know more about Islam. Talk to your friends who will most likely be Muslim in your local neighborhoods. Just get to know us more because we are extending a hand. We are being targeted right now. And it's not safe. So help us by extending a hand to us and reunifying America, if you will.
COSTELLO: Alaa Basatneh, thanks for sharing your story this morning. I do appreciate it.
BASATNEH: Thank you.
COSTELLO: Still to come in the --
BASATNEH: Thank you for having me.
COSTELLO: You're welcome.
Still to come in the NEWSROOM, he's the leader of ISIS and he's on the run. We'll head to Iraq where the quest to find al Baghdadi is ramping up after he was driven out of one key city.
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[09:52:23] COSTELLO: At least 30 people, including four children and a medic, are dead following a new round of air strikes in war-torn Aleppo. Children in one neighborhood were forced to flee their school, their backpacks still on after the raids began. The air strikes, which activists say were accompanied by heavy artillery and barrel bombs, resumed on Tuesday for the first time in three weeks. And one of the last three pediatricians working in eastern Aleppo's children's hospital has a simple but powerful plea, "pray for us." That doctor adding that staff and patients have all taken cover in a basement room waiting for air strikes to end before they can leave.
Now to Iraq, where a U.S.-led coalition is battling ISIS in a bid to regain control of Mosul. A coalition spokesman says 4,000 bombs, missiles and artillery strikes have hit ISIS targets since the offensive began nearly a month ago. But as that fight continues, a new challenge emerges, where is ISIS' leader, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, the man who came to prominence during this 2014 speech from Iraq's second largest city is believed to have fled during the first week of the campaign.
CNN's Phil Black in Erbil, Iraq, about an hour outside of Mosul.
Hi, Phil.
PHIL BLACK, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol.
The last we heard from Baghdadi was around the start of November. He released an audiotape urging his fighters not to give up any ground, to fight on against the much larger Iraqi force that he's trying to drive them from Mosul and the area surrounding it. Now we have heard from some paramilitary units that are responsible for clearing ISIS from towns and villages to the west of Mosul. They have said they have intelligence leading them to believe that Baghdadi is in that area. This is northwest Iraq between Mosul and the Syrian border. They say that he's in a relatively small area, between two towns, that are only around an hour's drive apart.
The issue is that other members of this Iraqi coalition don't necessarily agree. The Iraqi defense ministry says the last it believed it had on Baghdadi was when he left Mosul shortly after this big offensive began, about a month ago. They say he went west but they don't know where he went after that. Of course, he could have gone further west across the Syrian border into ISIS-controlled Syria. And the Kurds, the Peshmerga force that makes up part of this operation, a senior officer with them has told us that he doesn't believe that Baghdadi is in that area, as these paramilitary groups claim.
Now, the context. U.S. officials have long had the working theory that he moves around a lot, never stays in one place for long. He's very careful not to be vulnerable to any sort of attack. And they've always said that if they did know where he was, they wouldn't talk about it. They would launch an operation to get him, Carol.
[09:55:05] COSTELLO: So, Phil, how is the campaign going in Mosul? Is it -- is it on track?
BLACK: Well, it's going to plan, we are told, but it is not going easily. It has definitely slowed down. The tempo has changed. Ever since about a week ago when Iraqi forces entered the eastern suburbs of Mosul itself, the built-up areas of that city, that's when ISIS has really started to resist them very strongly because it's very prepared, it knows the ground. And, of course, there are civilians everywhere.
Now, there was an incident today that shows this. I want to show you some pictures. They're not easy to watch. They're a little graphic. But it shows what happened in an area of eastern Mosul that had already been cleared of ISIS about a week ago. This is where ISIS decided to launch mortar rounds into the civilian population. It's a classic ISIS tactic in order to distract, drive tension away.
Back to you, Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Phil Black reporting live from Iraq.
The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM after a break.
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