Transcripts For CNNW Wolf 20140210

Year and now calls christie the most overrated politician in the country. Well speak with the editor behind those comments. And right now, coming to america solo. The french president s decision to come alone has people talking, and white house staffers scrambling. Hello, im wolf blitzer in washington. A revealing glimpse today inside the mind of Hillary Rodham clinton during one of the lowest points of the Clinton Presidency and her marriage. Clinton has written before about the shocking affair between president clinton and then white house intern Monica Lewinski, but newly discovered papers now explain how clinton was able to forgive her husband and salvage their relationship. Cnns erin mcpike has been looking into all of this for us, and its pretty fascinating. Tell our viewers what you found. Well, wolf, according to these papers that were written by clintons family friend, diane blair, Hillary Clinton had said that bill clintons affair was a lapse, essentially, and as you know, he had said he had caused problems in their marriage before. But she said he tried to break it off, and then he tried to manage Monica Lewinski. But all of this is very interesting, given what republican senator rand paul has been saying in the past few weeks. Hillary clinton forgave bill clinton years ago for his affair with Monica Lewinski, someone she called a narcissistic looney tune, according to old writings first unearthed by the Washington Free break con. Though she called his behavior gross and inappropriate, mrs. Clinton confided to friend and colleague, diane blair, she blamed her husbands transgressions on the personal toll, the deaths of his mother, her father. She said the affair was meaningless and consensual, not a power play by bill clinton. An interesting twist, now that republican senator rand paul has called the 42nd president a sexual predator and is challenging democrats to avoid raising Campaign Money with him. If they want to take a position on womens rights, by all means do. But you cant do it and take it from a guy who is using his position of authority to take advantage of young women in the workplace. Reporter he tells cnn, it isnt her fault the way her husband behaved, but he also called them a fund raising team. Team clinton hasnt responded, but supporters say bill clintons past is ancient history. Of course, paul has a history of needling the clintons, especially the former secretary of state, for her handling of the death of four americans in benghazi. Had i been president at the time, and i found that you did not read the cables from benghazi, you did not read the cables from ambassador stevens, i would have relieved you of your post. I think its inexcusable. Reporter a tragedy clinton addressed during a speech last month in new orleans. My biggest, you know, regret is what happened in benghazi. It was a terrible tragedy, losing four americans , two diplomats, and now its public so i can say two cia operatives. Houston, paul hit harder. Ht in were talking about six months of ignoring repeated, one after another, requests for security. But then the coup de gras, when she was asked for reinforcements, she turned down reinforcements, and we should never, ever have a commander in chief who wont send reinforcemen reinforcements. But according to a new book about Hillary Clinton that releases tuesday called hrc, discussed on abcs this week, he reportedly told the books authors, quote, like a lot of great leaders, her most impressive qualities were most visible during tough times in the weak of the benghazi attacks, for example. She was extraordinarily resolute, determined and controlled. And what i think is very interesting about that, wolf, you know how two very highprofile republicans in defense, both petraeus and former defense secretary robert gates, basically coming to Hillary Clintons defense on Security Issues and benghazi, especially when republicans say theyre going to make that such a big issue if she does run. All right. Were going to learn more about the books authors and the book later tonight on piers morgan. The two authors of this new book on hillary. Theyre going to be our special guests. So anxious to see that, 9 00 p. M. Eastern, a lot more coming up later this hour, as well. Erin, thanks very much. Gay rights are calling it a landmark announcement, the Justice Department expanding its recognition of samesex marriages. That recognition will now include federal legal matters such as bankruptcies, prison visitation and survivor benefits. In a speech at the Human Rights Campaign gala over the weekend, the attorney general, eric holder, announced the action hes taking today. I will issue a new policy memorandum that will for the first time in history formally instruct all Justice Department employees to give lawful, samesex marriages full and equal recognition to the greatest extent possible under the law. Bringing in our senior white house correspondent, jim acosta. Jim, how will this affect the 34 states where samesex marriages are not legal . Well, wolf, first we should point out that attorney general eric holder is going to issue a memo sometime this afternoon to make official essentially what he revealed over the weekend, that the federal government is going to recognize samesex marriages in all 50 states, even in those states where samesex marriages currently not legal. And as you mentioned a few moments ago, wolf, this is going to really pertain, as eric holder said, to areas where the federal government has jurisdiction, Bankruptcy Court cases, other federal court proceedings, survivor benefits, issues and so on. And so this is really leading social conservative groups to attack the white house, the Family Research council came out with a statement over the weekend saying this was another example of the administrations, quote, lawlessness. But eric holder in that speech to the Human Rights Campaign, wolf, said this is really about equal protection under the law. And he also framed this as a civil rights issue, saying that this really belongs in the same category as the civil rights struggle of the 1960s, wolf. So are some civil rights leaders recalling the Civil Rights Movement back in the 60s . Are they happy with this comparison, because there are some africanamericans, for example, who disagree with that comparison. Thats right. And this white house has heard about this, as you know. The president has been evolving on this issue for many years. But slowly but surely, Obama Administration has really been striking out on its own, on this issue of samesex marriage, and as a matter of fact, i mean, just look at the sochi olympics, the u. S. Delegation that was sent out to the sochi olympics, that delegation really was to reflect the administrations stance on samesex marriage, on gay and lesbian rights issues. And just this morning, wolf, you will know that over the weekend, a Football Player by the name of michael sam announced he is gay before the upcoming nfl draft, considered a very big move in the sports world. Get this. The first lady and the Vice President have tweeted their support to michael sam. Lets put the tweet from floatis floatis, youre an inspiration to all of us, mike sam football, we couldnt be prouder of your courage on and off the field, signed m. O. , an indication the first lady tweeted this herself, and he twooeded back thanking her. And Vice President joe biden has tweeted his support. So really this issue, wolf, and we have seen this develop the last several years, as become a very big civil rights priority for this administration, wolf. Floatis, of course, standing for first lady of the United States and thanks very much. Other news were following, new disturbing video emerging of kenneth bae, american missionary being held in north korea. The video was taken friday at a meeting he had with the swedish diplomat. And just this morning, a staterun news agency said a former u. S. Ambassador had arrived in pyongyang. Jim sciutto is our chief National Security correspondent. Whats going on . Its extremely rare to get this video from inside the labor camp where he is being held to a very rare view of him, and hes the longestheld american in north korea. And what we see is some sobering video of a tired and noticeably thinner bae in this conversation with a swedish diplomat recorded on friday in this labor camp. Remember we reported friday he had been sent back there from the hospital where he had been treated. And we get a rare view of him there, certainly not himself. We also got a view earlier of the kind of work bae is doing in this prison camp, working in a field. You can see on the lefthand side, one of the guards overlooking him. Now, in this video, bae says hes doing his best to stay strong, but hes very worried about his health, and he says hes lost as many as ten pounds while hes in camp. Heres what he had had to say. Im trying to stay strong mentally and spiritually, and trying to stay strong emotionally as well. But my main concern right now is that my physical condition, during hard labor, several hours a day, the next several months can be difficult. So if they can do something right away, it would be the best way to do it. Very softspoken bae there, he added a message to his family saying he has not lost hope, has not given up and also says he hopes north korea will allow a u. S. Envoy to negotiate his release. Where are efforts to get his release stand as far as u. S. Officials are concerned . Stalled. Over the weekend, the North Koreans resingleded an invitation for the u. S. Ambassador, robert king. Hes an expert on actually, thats wrong. North korean human rights expert at the state department. They rescinded his invitation to come into the country. Its believed thats in connection with u. S. South Korean Military exercises going on. State Department Said theyre deeply disappointed. They also reiterated those exercises have nothing to do with the case of robert bae. As you noted, another former u. S. Diplomat arrived in north korea today. That is donald greg, former u. S. Ambassador to south korea. Im told by the state department, this is not connected to the bae case. Theyre in there for another trip with diplomats, american diplomats, to build connections there. But certainly valuable, at least, to keep that conversation going while wellknown diplomat, u. S. Ambassador to south korea during the bush administration, the fact that he himself is there, that is significant. We dont know exactly what hes doing, though. No question. They say just in general to build bridges between the two countries. I wouldnt be surprised if he would bring up the bay case. The state Department Says thats not the express reason for his visit. Im sure hes there, at least with a as it i had blessing. The state Department Also has mentioned the possibility of the reverend Jesse Jackson going to north korea, which he has offered to help discuss specifically the case of kenneth bae. Well see what happens on that front, as well. Thanks very much. The former president , bill clinton, hes under fire as a liability to Hillary Clinton. If she decides to run in 2016 . Our political analyst, gloria borger, standing by. Shell weigh in live. Plus, a little bit later, taking back an endorsement. A new jersey paper says it blew it by backing Chris Christie for reelection as governor of new jersey. Ill talk to the Editorial Board and find out what led to the doover. That would be my daughter hi dad. Shes a dietitian. And back when i wasnt eating right, she got me drinking boost. Its got a great taste, and it helps give me the nutrition i was missing. Helping me stay more like me. [ female announcer ] boost complete nutritional drink has 26 essential vitamins and minerals, including calcium and vitamin d to support strong bones and 10 grams of protein to help maintain muscle. All with a delicious taste. Grandpa [ female announcer ] stay strong, stay active with boost. [ mala body at rest tends to stay at rest. While a body in motion tends to stay in motion. Staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. But if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. Prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. Because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. Plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is easier. Celebrex can be taken with or without food. And its not a narcotic. You and your doctor should balance the benefits with the risks. All prescription nsaids, like celebrex, ibuprofen, naproxen and meloxicam have the same cardiovascular warning. They all may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death. This chance increases if you have Heart Disease or risk factors such as high Blood Pressure or when nsaids are taken for long periods. Nsaids, like celebrex, increase the chance of serious skin or allergic reactions, or stomach and intestine problems, such as bleeding and ulcers, which can occur without warning and may cause death. Patients also taking aspirin and the elderly are at increased risk for stomach bleeding and ulcers. Dont take celebrex if you have bleeding in the stomach or intestine, or had an asthma attack, hives, other allergies to aspirin, nsaids or sulfonamides. Get help right away if you have swelling of the face or throat, or trouble breathing. Tell your doctor your medical history. And find an Arthritis Treatment for you. Visit celebrex. Com and ask your doctor about celebrex. For a body in motion. Next hour, a Panel Investigating the new jersey governor, Chris Christie meets. Theyll go over responses to subpoenas sent out over the George Washington bridge traffic scandal. So far, two of the people at the center of the controversy have actually ignored the subpoenas, fired campaign manager, bill stepien, bridget anne kelly. On tuesday, Chris Christie heads to chicago for an economic summit. Tuesday night, headlining fundraisers for the republican governors association. As the Chicago Sun Times reports, none of the four republicans for illinois will be there. Instead choosing to distance themselves from Chris Christie. At least for now. Surely a different tune for the new jersey governor. Back in october, the newarkbased star ledger endorsed christie in his bid for reelection, saying, hes the most remarkable political talent america has seen since bill clinton. Today the newspaper calls him the most overrated politician in the country, and they say they, quote, blew it by endorsing him last year. Joining us now to explain this pretty dramatic change is tom moran, editor of the editorial page of star ledger. I assume this is because of the bridge scandal, right . Thats most of it. But i would say, if you look at the actual endorsement, we had a lot of problems with him then too. This was a close call to begin with and a divided vote on our board. So we had called him overrated way before. When we were talking about him as a politician, if you have ever seen him perform, hes the best i have seen since bill clinton. If you see him in a town hall setting. That was his political performance we were talking about. And so but you obviously had other concerns, but you decided that he was best for new jersey. But now you say the bridge scandal is one issue. What other factors forced you to effectively rescind that endorsement . Well, the bridge one is by far the biggest piece of it. There you have a serious abuse of Government Authority and it was directly related to christies inner circle. That issue of time for traffic problems came from his deputy chief of staff. And no one believes it stops with her. It goes higher. The question is how much higher. So thats the big one. I think we have also seen since then other things come out that are disturbing, especially in his use of the sandy aid. The recovery effort here has been pretty seriously botched, and we have seen evidence recently where he has diverted money to towns that didnt really need the help in order to win endorsements for his reelection. The worst case we have so far is in belleville and essex county. 7 million for a Senior Housing project that have been years in the work, and belleville wasnt very damaged by sandy. When we still have thousands of families out of their home without enough money to put them back, thats pretty outrageous too. So that weighed in somewhat. So clearly, you dont necessarily accept his very firm denials. Well, his denials are whether he knew this was going on at the time. We are told by David Wildstein and his chief enforcer at the port authority, evidence exists, that thats not true. But im not passing judgment on that until we get serious evidence. What we know is people in his office ordered this. And this is a lifethreatening thing. It was a major inconvenience for thousands of people. So whether he personally ordered that and knew about it or not, i think counts against him pretty seriously. Because he says, you know, he was outraged when he heard his deputy chief of staff had made that had sent that message, go ahead and get some traffic jams going on over there im paraphrasing, obviously. Says he didnt know anything about it, was outraged and as soon as he found out that morning, he fired her. Thats not good enough. No, i would be skeptical about that. Know wolf, he did not call her up and say what the hell happened here. Why did you chose the bridge. Just fired her. Hes looking the other way. I think hes making a great effort to keep some definability and distance. Its hard to believe this is a guy who is a micro manager, who gets appointed to tiny little boards, physical therapy boards and stuff he involves himself in. This is a pretty major thing. And during the time it went on, mike drewniak, his spokesman had conversations. Im skeptical. I never understood. Weve got to wrap it up. I never understood why his deputy chief of staff who had worked with him, bridget anne kelly, never at least gave her the courtesy of a phone call or a meeting, saying what were you thinking, what were you oh is there any logical explanation, you possibly could have had . What was going through your mind . Apparently he just decided to fire her without giving her an opportunity to explain her position, which never was clear to me why he was doing that. Unless and there was some legal reason why his lawyers were saying dont even talk to her. She is in big trouble. If you talk to her, you could be seen as coaching her. You could be in legal trouble yourself. Unless there was some legal rationale, which i obviously still dont understand. You see any rationale at all for him not even giving her the courtesy of a phone call . No. Unless he knew that she knew he knew. In other words, she if he called her into his office and she said, well, as you remember, we discussed this bridge closing, so what do you mean . Thats one possibility. The other is just that he wants to keep as much distance as possible. As i say, i think the right attitude right now is skepticism and dig for more facts. But even with what we know for sure, this should be damaging to the governor. Its his office and his senior people who did this. Tom more jb is an, thanks so much for coming in. Sure thing. Thanks for having me, wolf. Coming up later, an american working with al qaeda could become the subject of a targeted killing of the United States. Well have a live report coming up. But next, will bill clinton help or hurt if his wife runs for president again in 2016 . The Monica Lewinski scandal surfacing again. Well discuss with gloria bornger when we come back. Yeah. Try new alka seltzer fruit chews. They work fast on heartburn and taste awesome. These are good. Told ya im feeling better already. [ male announcer ] new alka seltzer fruits chews. Enjoy the relief [ male announcer ] new alka seltzer fruits chews. Pcentury link provides reliable yit Services Like multilayered Security Solution to keep your Information Safe secure. Century link. Your link with whats next. We do . I took the trash out. I know. And thank you so much for that. I think we should get a Medicare Supplement insurance plan. Right now . [ male announcer ] whether youre new to medicare or not, you may know it only covers about 80 of your part b medical expenses. Its up to you to pay the difference. So think about an aarp Medicare Supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. Like all standardized Medicare Supplement insurance plans, they help cover some of what medicare doesnt pay and could really save you in outofpocket medical costs. Call now. With a Medicare Supplement plan, youll be able to stay with your doctor. Oh, you know, i love that guy. Mmhmm. [ male announcer ] these types of plans let you visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients. And there are no networks. You do your pushups today . Prepare to be amazed. [ male announcer ] dont wait. Call today to request your free decision guide and find the aarp Medicare Supplement plan to go the distance with you. Go long. So could bill clintons affair with a white house intern hurt Hillary Clinton if she runs for president in 2016 . Gloria borger is here to discuss. Gloria, its all coming to a head right now. These papers that have just been discovered from her deceased friend in arkansas, diane blair, Hillary Clinton referring to Monica Lewinski, saying had he husband tried to break off his relationship with her, the sort of thing titillating to a certain degree. But its 16 years ago. In her memo would war she wrote back in 2003, Hillary Clinton wrote this. I could hardly breathe. Gulping for air, i started crying and yelling at him. What do you mean, what are you saying . Why did you lie to me . I was dumbfounded, heartbroken, outraged that i had believed him at all. That was back in 2003, when she he acknowledged to her, confessed that he did have this affair with Monica Lewinski. The not libottom line, this has come up, because of his wife making comments. Will the voters really care all these years later . No. As you point out, this is 16 years old. If you are inclined to want to dredge up all of this, because you dont like bill and Hillary Clinton, youll do it. Okay . And thats one of the reasons rand paul is doing it. We can talk about that. But in terms of learning anything particularly shocking from these blair papers, i dont think i dont think we really are. I mean, what we see is a wife who is defending her husband as she did publicly. Of publicly, she was talking about the right wing conspiracy, as youll recall, because you covered it. Privately, she is talking about the reasons that he may have done this, and saying, you know, he was not a predator. And so weve kind of known this has been her thinking. Is it interesting . Sure. As a footnote to history, absolutely. Is it dispositive in one way or another about whether Hillary Clinton should be president of the United States . Of course not. Talking about rand paul. In fairness to rand paul, his wife gave an interview to vogue magazine in which she described bill clinton as a sexual predator. He was asked about it later on meet the press. He doubled down and as we noted last week, tripled down over the weekend, not backing away from this at all, hes going full speed ahead. Right. Why is he doing this . I talked to people close to rand paul, and i think its part of a campaign strategy. He is right now thinking about runni running for the presidency, trying to appeal to the Republican Base. The Republican Base doesnt like bill or Hillary Clinton. And what hes trying to do is brand himself as somebody who will take them on. And what i was told is that bill and hillary are, quote, running as a team. And that its fair to attack them. They understand that bill clinton will be one of her greatest advocates if she decides to run. So i think theyre letting people in the Republican Party know that rand paul is no holds barred. Were going to go after the clintons and thats a plural. When we need to. And i think that he feels that within the Republican Party base, this is a way of distinguishing himself as a fighter against Hillary Clinton. I think it will help that base. I dont know if he gets the nomination how much it will help in a general election. Talk about the impact with women and younger women in particular might not work so well. Gloria, see you later in the situation room. Later tonight on cnn, piers morgan will speak the authors of a new book on the former first lady. Whats really driving Hillary Clinton right now . You can watch piers morgans interview later tonight, 9 00 p. M. Eastern only here on cnn. Coming up, pressure from congress on the nfl demanding a name change for the washington redskins. Thats ahead. And a little bit later but up next, the Obama Administration is a highlevel discussion about staging an operation to hunt down and kill an american helping al qaeda. You can hear what the pentagon has to say, when we come back. Could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. Mmmhmmm. Everybody knows that. Well, did you know that old macdonald was a really bad speller . Your word is. Cow. Cow. Cow. C. O. W. E. I. E. I. O. [buzzer] dangnabbit. Geico. Fifteen minutes could save you. Well, you know. U. S. Drones have killed at least four americans who sided with al qaeda, but another america could soon become the target of an air strike or other u. S. Military operation. Our pentagon correspondent, barbara starr, is working her sources on this. So what do we know who this person is, where this person may be and what country right now, and in short, what do we know about all of this, barbara . Well, the precise two questions, wolf, that no one is going to answer right now. Who is this person, and where are they located . Nobody is talking about that. But we have confirmed, and Associated Press reported it initially, that indeed for the last period of days or weeks, there have been highlevel discussions in the Obama Administration about another strike against an american citizen located outside of the United States, someone who is said to be with al qaeda, the alqaeda affiliates, and involved in planning, plotting, being a threat to the United States. Those are the ground rules under which the u. S. Can go after an american citizen abroad. They have done it before. Were told the discussions are very highlevel. The u. S. Military weighing in, and it centers right now around how important this individual is, how important is the target, is it worth the risk. If you fly a drone into a country that would not be welcoming to the u. S. Military. So this is the debate right now. We dont know how its going to come out. But its really quite interesting, because, of course, back in 2011, the u. S. With a drone killed Anwar Al Awlaki in yemen, affiliated with al qaeda and it has been controversial ever since. Wolf . And we know that Anwar Al Awlakis 16yearold son was killed in a separate drone strike, but he wasnt targeted. That was what they call Collateral Damage for some other strike. Is that right . Thats absolutely right. His son and the other americans, at least a couple of them, that had been killed by u. S. Drones over time have been said to be and we dont know a lot of information, not a lot has been revealed, have been said to be people that u. S. Was not necessarily directly targeting. And, of course, this is why u. S. Drone strikes overseas are so controversial, and why theyre so resented by so many countries. There is a very strong view outside the United States that these drones have indeed been killing civilians in places like pakistan and yemen. People in those countries understandably very resentful. Wolf . All right, barbara, thanks very much. Obviously very sensitive subject. Coming up, we have more news, including iran. It has now agreed to allow more access to some of its nuclear program. Were going to talk about that and more with our new cnn middle east analyst talking about the road to some middle east peace agreement. And the french president s visit to washington. Hes flying solo. How will that affect seating at the huge state dinner planned for tomorrow night at the white house . Are you flo . Yes. Is this the thing you gave my husband . Well, yeah, yes. The name your price tool. You tell us the price you want to pay, and we give you a range of options to choose from. Careful, though that kind of power can go to your head. That explains a lot. Yo, buddy i got this. Gimme one, gimme one, gimme one the power of the name your price tool. Only from progressive. Does it end after youve expanded your business . . After your companys gone public . And the capitals been invested . Or when your companys bought another . Is it over after youve given back . You never stop achieving. Thats why, at barclays, our ambition is to always realize yours. President obama praising what hes calling a strong resurgence in u. S. Relations with france. But its the french president s relationship with women thats generating some headlines, as he travels to washington for an official state visit. Our senior white house correspondent, Brianna Keilar reports on president hollandes baggage. Reporter flags unfurled, party tent in place. The white house ready for its first state dinner in nearly two years. But they didnt plan on this. Scandal plagued french president , francois hollande, comes to washington with a lot of baggage. Not coming is this woman, valerie trierweiler. Never married, the couple of seven years split after a french magazine said it caught hollande sneaking out of the palace on the back of a scooter for a secret republican have a view with julia gayet. She is not coming either. Hollande says his private life is private, but made headlines around the world. Lending unusual intrigue to a high profile white house visit. 300 dinner invitations engraved with the former first ladys name had to be scrapped, according to the New York Times and with hollande coming solo, seating arrangements are delicate, at best. Anita mcbride helped laura bushs chief of staff. Typically, when you have a foreign guest coming that has a spouse, you know, the president and first lady, our president and first lady would be seated next to the spouse. So that is something that theyll have to change. Reporter the white house says the romantic drama isnt putting a damper on the visit, and its not just about the dinner, of course. France is a top u. S. Ally, and topics like syria and iran are on the table. But at least for now, Foreign Affairs seem overshadowed by affairs of the heart. Brianna keilar, cnn, washington. Two members of congress are objecting to the name of the nfls washington redskins. Today sent a letter to the nfl commissioner, Roger Goodell, calling goodell to, quote, take a former position in support of a name change. They go on to say that the National Football league can no longer ignore this, and perpetuate the use of this name as anything but what it is. A racial slur. Brian todd is with me here. Were watching this. So what is the leagues position, first of all, on the name of the team . The league has kind of gone back and forth, wolf, saying they understand the criticism, understand the sensitive feelings. But that this is a team name thats been around for 80 years and that we have to at least respect that. But this letter from senator mar maria cantwell, shes a democrat, hes a republican, does ratchet up the pressure on the redskins to at least hear people out and do something about the name. Interesting, you read part of the letter there. But another part is really kind of slamming the nfl, saying its clear that you havent heard the leading voices of this country. It says the nfl is on the wrong side of history. Now, contacted by cnn, the nfl today wouldnt really go beyond what commissioner Roger Goodell said at the super bowl a little more than a week ago. And heres what he said then. This is the name of a Football Team, a Football Team thats had that name for 80 years, and has presented the name in a way that is has honored native americans. We recognize there are some that dont agree with the name and we have listened and respected that. Now, the washington redskins, not nearly as much on the fence as the nfl, wolf. The redskins today sent us an email in response to this letter from congress, saying, quote, with all the important issues congress has to deal with, including afghanistan, health care, deficits, dont they have more important things to worry about. And also, a zing at congressman tom cole from oklahoma. The redskins saying, quote, given the fact that the name oklahoma means red people in the choctaw language, this request is a little ironic, so the redskins punching back hard. The owner said hes not changing the game. Davis helping deal with this. A very wellknown guy here in washington. So what leverage does Congress Really have . They do have some leverage. It seems on the outset, they cant really do much to actually change the name themselves. However, they can hold hearings, they can hold dance night and Roger Goodell in before the halls of the house and senate and make them look bad or embarrass them a little bit. They could call attention to the nfls taxexempt status and agitate toward that. They probably cant change that status. But again, can hold hearings and make kind of kind of call attention to how rich the nfl is and how powerful they are. And, again, embarrass them. So they have a little bit of leverage. Brian, thanks very much. Brian todd working that story. Iran has agreed to make more steps in its Nuclear Agreement with the west. Ill talk to cnns newest analyst about the pressure the u. S. Is facing from its allies in the middle east. Time to take care of business with century links Global Broadband network and cloud infrastructure. We constantly evolve to meet your needs every day of the week. Humans even when we cross our ts and dot our is, we still run into problems. Thats why Liberty Mutual insurance offers accident forgiveness with our auto policies. If you qualify, your rates wont go up due to your first accident. Because making mistakes is only human, and so are we. We also offer new car replacement, so if you total your new car, we give you the money for a new one. Call Liberty Mutual insurance at. And ask us all about our auto features, like guaranteed repairs, where if you get into an accident and use one of our certified repair shops, your repairs are guaranteed for life. So call. To talk with an Insurance Expert about everything that comes standard with our base auto policy. And if you switch, you could save up to 423. Liberty mutual insurance. Responsibility. Whats your policy . Iran says its agreed to take more steps by the spring to ease International Tension over its nuclear program. The statement was issued along with the International Atomic Energy Agency and set a may deadli deadline. Joining us now, cnns newest middle east analyst, michael loren, at the Atlantic Council in washington. Also former Jordanian Foreign minister at the carnegie endowment, author of a brandnew book, the second arab awakening and the battle for pluralism. Good to have both of you with me here on cnn today. Ill start with you, mr. Foreign minister, since you were a foreign minister, he was only an ambassador. Lets talk a little bit about u. S. Efforts to get iran engaged and stop its nuclear program. Theres concern right now, some americas best friends in the region, whether the israelis, saudis, emirates, very nervous. Is the u. S. Doing the right thing . I think it is, wolf. I think war in the middle east was in best interest. And in addition, it is not going to stop the Iranian Nuclear program. So if a good political agreement is to be done, i think thats the best course. Is the u. S. Doing the right thing . Good to be with you, wolf. Good to be with marwan too. Well, i think its really has some serious concerns, not only israeli has concerns. Saudi, gulf saudi arabia, gulf countries, are concerned that this interim agreement leaves iran with enough Nuclear Material for four bombs. It leaves its Missile Program intact. No inspections of the military sites where they could actually be building a bomb. Its leaving intact facilities that have no peaceful purposes, other than to make a bomb. And so people are very nervous about it. So you disagree with this strategy . I think we have serious i think its israel and other middle eastern countries. The iranians and israelis agreed on something last week. They both said that president obama was not quite right when he said that the interim agreement involved some dismantling of iranians nuclear possibilities. Because in your book, you write this, the arab world will be devastated if the United States should decide to conduct a military strike against iran. I think so. First of all, we dont know the terms of the agreement this is still an interim agreement. Second of all, i dont think the war will be the answer precisely because on one hand it will not stop the program and create a whole pandoras box in the mideast. A political strategy, a strategy to pursue a political settlement is the rest. Give peace a chance. Thats the theme that they are suggesting. Whats wrong with that . Nothing wrong with it, but will it bring about peace. For it doesnt, it can turn the sanctions immediately back out. Thats a question to be seen. The Iranian Oil Industry is rebounding, going up quite strongly because the word has gone out that the sanctions are being eased rather than ratcheted up. The credible military threat is that the more credible it is, the more chance you use it. They have to believe that if the seed along the road to nuclearization, the United States will stop. George has a huge problem from those who came into jordan from syria. The secretary jay johnson, he said the other day and im quoting him, syria has become a matter of Homeland Security for the United States. All of the potential terrorists were being trained right now. They could come to europe or the United States and commit acts of terrorism here. How big of a problem do you see this . It is a big problem on many levels. On the security level and the refugee situation is truly unsustainable and some of the other countries. The sectarian divide between the sunnis and the shiites threatens to affect the region. In many ways, the continuation. What should the u. S. Do . Im not sure much can be done. There is no appetite. He cannot rule over all of syria. The opposition cannot win and nobody wants to interfere. Im afraid we are going to keep this stalemate. They will continue with all the consequences. Is there anything the u. S. Can do to stop this . Humanitarian aid and shoring up jordan that has been inundated and trying to ease as much as possible the suffering of the Syrian People which we all feel. There is a debate under way as we speak coming to a head in washington. Should the u. S. Engage in what they call drone targeting killings and drone strikes. Obviously they are going to go after a suspected terrorist. If the suspected terrorist is a u. S. Citizen, should they target that person in u. S. Or pakistan or somalia and go ahead and kill that person suspected of plotting terrorism against the United States . What do you think . Probably getting in all sorts of trouble within american society, but i say america has to do what it has to do. Thats the responsibility of the people who sit in the Capital Building in the white house. If a bank robber is in a bank holding hostages, hes an american citizen and the police will do whatever they can to capture him. If they cant, they will prevent them from killing innocent hostages. I think its sfwhag you ask the question from a foreigner. In general, i would say that in this country people are innocent until proven guilty. The drone policy resulted in a lot of innocent civilians being killed and not just suspected terrorists. As such i would be against it. Good to have both of you here as our partners on cnn. Thanks very much for joining us. There is a new warning for flights heading to the u. S. They are telling americans not to fly out on Caribbean Airlines for the next two days. Saying they received what they called unconfirmed threat information against the flights. Caribbean airlines said they are adding extra layers of security for all of the u. S. Bound flights. Coming up, a former gangster crediting a small abandoned puppy for inspiring him to turn his life around. We will tell but his remarkable journey when we come back. [ male announcer ] youve never watched her like this before. Never taken the time to just. Watch. But something about spending this time together sailing past ancient glaciers in alaska, talking under a universe billions of years old makes you realize how old time is and how short life is. She can take all the time she wants. Princess cruises. Come back new. Come back new. Im bethand im michelle. And we own the paper cottage. Its a stationery and gifts store. Anything we purchase for the paper cottage goes on our ink card. So you can manage your business expenses and access them online instantly with the Game Changing app from ink. We didnt get into business to spend time managing receipts, thats why we have ink. We like being in business because we like being creative, we like interacting with people. So you have time to focus on the things you love. Ink from chase. So you can. He dedicates his to saving animals. We have the story. This may look like an animal rescue, but for james, it is more like redemption. I was a bad person my whole life. Now i feel good about waking up in the morning. It was so bad, and now its so good. His turn around is the new reality show on the Oprah Winfrey network. I used to stick people up. He used to work with the toughest mop bosses around new york until he found a small dog,y in dplekted and sick and he nursed it back to health and much later when the animal died, the gangster discovered something newborn in him. From that day on, i have been sober. Not a drink. Not a drug. It gave me a purpose in and gave me a reason to live. For almost a dozen years now, he has taken in countless lot of, abandon, and hurting animals trying to find new homes for them and always at very least keeping them safe. Every animal can stay there their entire life. Until they find the right home. The work is time consuming and can be expensive. He helps pay the bills with a dog grooming business called diamond collar. He doesnt make mobster money anymore. Hello, everyone in many ways he suggests he has never felt richer. Some people never figure out their purpose. I figured out from a little dog. Tom forman, cnn. A nice story indeed. I will be back at 5 00 p. M. In the situation room. Newsroom continues right now with brooke baldwin. Wolf blitzer, thank you very much. Happy monday to you will of you. We begin this hour with a trial under way in Jacksonville Florida lot of his life and unarmed and shot all over a dispute rather loud music. The man accused of pulling the trigger can take the stand at any moment. I can tell you that the state of florida rested its case. This is day four. Michael dun faces a firstdegree murder charge and three counts of attempted firstdegree murder. The gentlemen here on the stand is one of the workers at the gas station where this took place in november of 12