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"Insider Attack" Kills 4 U.S. Troops; Chicago Teachers to Vote on Deal; Police Brace for "Occupy" Anniversary; Foreign Policy and the Presidential Election

Aired September 16, 2012 - 16:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Thanks for joining us in THE NEWSROOM. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

Americans gunned down by Afghan forces they train. It's called a green-on-blue attack. The latest one happened today in southern Afghanistan.

NATO officials say Afghan police turned their guns on American troops, killing four of them. The attack comes just a day after another green-on-blue attack when two British troops were shot and killed by suspected by Afghan police officer in Helmand Province.

Insider attacks are on the rise in Afghanistan with more than 50 this year alone. CNN's Anna Coren has this exclusive interview with an Afghan man who admits to opening fire on U.S. troops.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In a small house in a Taliban controlled village is a man who claims to be responsible for a green on blue attack. With his face covered to hide his identity, he pulls out his police uniform. Something he hasn't worn since the attack on the 2nd of October, 2009.

On patrol with U.S. forces in Wardak province in central Afghanistan, this father of two said he waited for an opportunity to launch his premeditated attack.

"The Americans went inside the nearby school for a break," he explains. They took off their body armor and put their weapons down. At that moment, I thought it was the right time, so I took my gun and shot them."

Two soldiers were killed. 25-year-old Sergeant Aaron Smith and 21- year-old Private First Class Brandon Owens. Three others soldiers were injured, including Captain Tyler Kirk.

When asked why he turned his gun on the U.S. soldiers training him, he said, "Because Americans were oppressing people in my country, they were burning copies of the Holy Koran and disrespecting it."

After escaped from the scene, he claims he was later catch by the Taliban who thought he was the policeman. When I told them I had killed Americans, they took me to a safe place, give me new clothe, then they drove me to Pakistan where the Taliban welcomed me very warmly like a hero.

He says he later moved to Iran for three years, returning to Afghanistan only recently after being told it was safe.

"They said Americans were not everywhere like they used to be. That Taliban had brought security and I should return home. I'm happy to be back in my country."

(on camera): Green-on-blue or insider attacks, as they are known within the military, have sadly increased this year here in Afghanistan. It's an alarming trend that has causing forces extremely worried. And every single time there is an attack, the Taliban immediately claims responsibility.

COL. TOM COLLINS, U.S. COALITION FORCES: The Taliban lie and we know they lie. We think they overstate their influence on these tragic incidence incidences. We think somewhere around 25 percent of them are insurgent-related to some degree.

COREN (voice-over): The majority of attacks, according to the coalition, are related to personal grievances, cultural differences, and the psychological fatigue of an 11-year war that is about to enter its 12th year and where trust has been undermined, forcing new measures to be put in place to protect international troops, the Afghanis are determined to ensure these insider attacks don't derail this vital partnership.

SEDIQ SEDIQI, AFGHAN INTERIOR MINISTRY SPOKESMAN: We continue to work together. We have been working for the last 11 years. We have built a very good relationship together and this will continue despite any effort by the Taliban to make us separate. That will not happen.

COREN: But for this 30-year-old Afghani, he believes these attacks won't stop.

"I know they will increase. I know more people will do what I did."

Anna Coren, CNN, Kabul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And hundreds of Afghans demonstrated in the streets again today, protesting an online movie that insults the Islam religion. Demonstrations were held in both Kabul and the western city of Herat.

In Karachi, Pakistan, protests turned violent. Hundreds of people marched to the U.S. consulate there throwing rocks. Police used water cannons and batons to push them back. Some officers reportedly threw rocks at protesters. "Reuters" says one person was killed when people in the crowd opened fire.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is urging the U.S. to take steps to stop Iran's race for nuclear weapons and he tells our Candy Crowley that it is not a campaign issue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: This is not an electoral issue. It is not based on any electoral consideration. I think that there's a common interest of all Americans of all political persuasions to stop Iran.

This is a regime that is giving vent to the worst impulses that you right down in the Middle East. They deny the rights of women, deny democracy, brutalized their own people, don't give freedom of religion -- all the things that you see you from these mobs storming the American embassy is what you'll see with the regime that would have atomic bombs. You can't have such people have atomic bombs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Netanyahu says if Iran is not stopped, it could be ready to produce a nuclear bomb in six months in his view.

The issue of Iranian nukes has been talked about on the campaign trail. In recent interviews, President Obama and Mitt Romney have agreed that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon. But Romney has criticized the president, claiming he has not been doing enough to stop Iran's nuclear program.

All right. We could be seeing the Chicago teachers strike come to an end today? In just a few minutes, the teachers bargaining team will give its members details of a tentative agreement it has with the school board. The walk out has crippled the country's third largest school district for the past week.

CNN's Kyung Lah is at the meeting in Chicago, even talking to teachers as they have been coming in.

How are they feeling about this agreement? Optimistic?

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's definitely a mood difference in the teachers today than we have seen in the past week or so. The teachers are much more serious. These are the delegates that will decide whether or not to lift the strike.

And in talking to a couple of them as they were coming in, they said that they have a lot of questions. The union did release some of the broad guidelines of this agreement. What they are going to vote on today is not the agreement itself. They're going to say "yea" or "nay" on whether to lift the strike.

There is another option. The teachers' union delegates could decide whether or not they want another 24 hours to think about it. So it's not entirely clear how happy they are.

And looking at the actual deal, the information released from the union, it doesn't appear that there is a clear winner -- neither the city nor the teachers. It looks like both sides had to take some steps back. Certainly, as one of those teachers did tell me, they're going to have a lot of questions. We don't expect this to be a very short meeting. So, no immediate decision right away on whether or not the strike will end, at least not in the next couple of hours. WHITFIELD: So, what if anything are parents being advised to do to prepare for Monday?

LAH: Yes, that's really the tough part here, Fredricka, is that parents simply have to prepare for their kids to be back in school on Monday. But it's not assured. It is something that they can think about perhaps having some back-up babysitter in case the kids aren't back at school until Tuesday. They're still on strike until these delegates say this strike is over.

WHITFIELD: All right. Keep us updated. Thanks so much, Kyung Lah, in Chicago.

Republican vice presidential nominee, Congressman Paul Ryan, says printing more money is not the way to boost the American economy. In a Florida speech, he blasted Democrats and the Federal Reserve's latest efforts to stimulate the economy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PAUL RYAN (R-WI), VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: And when they undermine the value of our dollar, it wipes out our standard of living. One of the most insidious things the government can do to its people is to debase its currency.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Ryan's claim comes after the Fed announced another round of buying billions of dollars worth of debt held in mortgage-backed securities, hoping to increase the money supply. Critics say it will cause inflation.

Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi says the Romney-Ryan team may ensure Democrats retake the House of Representatives. On CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION" today, she said when Romney picked Ryan as his V.P. choice, it changed everything in their favor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: The issues are with us. For one year and a half since the Republicans passed their budget, which the Romney-Ryan now Republican budget, which severs the Medicare guarantee. We have been saying the three important issues in this campaign in an alphabetical order, they are Medicare, Medicare, Medicare.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The House has 435 members to take control, 218 is needed.

All right. Right now, the Democrats hold just under 200 seats.

Tomorrow marks the one year anniversary of the Occupy Wall Street protest. We'll go live to New York's Zuccotti Park where it all began.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Tomorrow marks the one year anniversary of the Occupy Wall Street movement. It all started in New York's Zuccotti Park. And ahead of the anniversary, protesters gathered in the park Saturday. Police made several arrests for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

CNN's Poppy Harlow is in Zuccotti in Lower Manhattan right now.

So, Poppy, is this movement still alive, so to speak?

POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is a great question. It really depends who you ask. I spent some time down here this week in Zuccotti Park. It was really the heart of the movement last September when they camped out in this park behind me.

And folks this week, a lot of them told me, I think it's irrelevant, this movement. But if you ask the activist, the people still so involved, they think they are as alive as ever. The volume may not be the same. They may not be as visible, but they say they are still hard at work.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Some folks think this movement has fizzled, that you guys are done for.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They've been writing that obituary since day one.

(CHANTING)

HARLOW (voice-over): It started with this one year ago.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's our duty as Americans to fight for our country and to keep it, you know, true to serving its people.

HARLOW: A grassroots movement that made the 99 percent and the 1 percent part of our lexicon. Occupy.

In a Brooklyn workspace, Justin Weedy (ph) is keeping Occupy alive today.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's changed is that people now recognize that the game is rigged and as we organize and as we evolve and grow, we're going to continue to resist. That's the impulse behind Occupy Wall Street.

HARLOW: That impulse grew in Zuccotti Park. They took over stoops in Brooklyn.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want the banks to stop foreclosures.

HARLOW: It spread from Oakland to Berlin to Hong Kong, saw thousands of arrests and got people talking.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All great movements start with just a few people. HARLOW (on camera): Police are trying to clear us off the street right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tell me what police day looks like.

CROWD: This is what police day looks like.

HARLOW: Around 1:00 a.m. on November 15th, cops surrounded Zuccotti Park and evicted the protesters who had been camping out here for two months. They didn't go calmly, and they vowed to keep the movement alive.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is it. It's a continued stand.

HARLOW (voice-over): For a few months, they worked out of an office, ironically right off Wall Street.

(on camera): When you walk in, you get a name tag like this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is some of our working spaces. You see lot of occupiers working here.

HARLOW (voice-over): Hoping to reinvigorate the movement, May 1st, a day of action around the globe, but it wasn't sustained.

(on camera): Do you think it's relevant today?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the message got diluted.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't see any reason that it would have diminished in importance.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It just seems to me to be a rag tag bunch of people.

HARLOW: Stronger, weaker?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Different. I think there are things that are stronger. I think there are connections to actual organizing issues are definitely stronger.

HARLOW (voice-over): Occupy says it has about $40,000 left in the bank and has formed groups focusing on specific issues like student debt and housing. There from the beginning, Mark Bray (ph) says give it time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you look at all the social movements in history, whether it's civil rights movement, feminist movement, it takes that before you get going.

HARLOW: Zuccotti Park is no longer occupied, but it is still surrounded by police barricades, a reminder of the past year.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't need to sit in the park. We've got your attention. Now, we need to follow through.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And so, Poppy, follow through with what mission?

HARLOW: Well, it's going to start tomorrow morning pretty early on. We are just about a block and a half from Wall Street, Fredricka, and the plan is activists tell me they're going to meet about 7:00 a.m. here in New York, right during rush hour. They're going to meet at four locations, including here in Zuccotti Park.

Then at 7:30 a.m., their goal is to create a human chain around the New York Stock Exchange. They admit that's going to be hard. There's going to be a lot of police presence. There already is here with double barricade around Zuccotti Park. They're going to get as close to the New York Stock Exchange as they can.

One activist told me on the phone, there will be arrests. This is going to be civil disobedience. They're trying to make their voice heard once again to mark this first anniversary.

I can tell you though we do not expect it to be anything like it was when they were camping out in the park or when they were evicted in November. But, you know, one thing that really stood out to me filing this report is that they said look, Rosa Parks was not the civil rights movement, but she sparked it in many ways. We are trying to spark a broader, longer discussion, system of change here.

So, some camps believe that's what's happening. Others as you heard in the piece are just writing them off. Tomorrow morning's going to be a good indication of where they stand and what their numbers are like here in New York -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Poppy Harlow, keep us posted there from Lower Manhattan. Appreciate that.

All right. The Boy Scouts of America is accused of covering up alleged child sex abuse cases. "The Los Angeles Times" is reviewing hundreds of documents from the 1970s and '90s. The paper says scout officials quietly asked those accused of abuse to resign around then reportedly covered up the tracks.

Our Nick Valencia is tracking that story.

So, Nick, how widespread is the "L.A. Times" saying this is?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They're not isolated incidences, Fred. This is very widespread, from Los Angeles to Chesapeake, Virginia, hundreds of cases that are documented, 80 percent of which weren't reported to law enforcement.

WHITFIELD: And if these weren't I guess reported by these officials within the Boy Scout, are they saying parents didn't know or what are the alleged victims saying or how was it handled?

VALENCIA: Well, the most outrageous thing about this is there were documents, there was files, these, quote-unquote, "perversion files" that the "L.A. Times" pored over, people that were blacklisted from volunteering in the Boy Scouts of America. The statements received from victims of abuse were never handed over to the parents even though in some files we were looking at, parents had suspicions that some of these Boy Scout leader were involved in cases of abuse and may have been allegedly their children, never made it over to the children.

In fact, we spoke to the Boy Scouts of America earlier today and they gave us a statement saying, "We have always cooperated fully with law enforcement and now require members to report even suspicious of abuse directly to local law enforcement. Recent media reports -- of course, this "L.A. Times" report -- looked at a subset of files from 40 years ago, when the Boy Scouts of America served approximately 5 million young people each year."

So, what they're saying, Fred, is that there's a whole different culture now in the Boy Scouts of America. That this isn't the case now and this phenomenon doesn't really exist still. It's a different time and that's sort of how they're catching.

WHITFIELD: So, how did the "L.A. Times" get these documents?

VALENCIA: It's unknown. We asked the Boy Scouts of America. They acknowledged these documents are unique and original, but said they don't know how the "L.A. Times" got their hands on them.

WHITFIELD: So now what in terms of legal recourse, a criminal investigation, Boy Scouts of America handling of these accusations, what?

VALENCIA: That's a great question, one we asked the Boy Scouts of America, one they didn't feel comfortable answering. We did ask them, are you worried about charges being brought forward against you? I mean, one of these cases, a person that was in the Boy Scouts of America for three decades, he preferred dealing with handicap students, what happened was he was charged, he was brought to court and even after he was convicted, the Boy Scouts of America said they had no prior knowledge of his abuse and child molester status, even though they knew about it, they documented it, even wrote a letter of recommendation for him after they knew about one of the cases, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Is there any way of telling how damaging this is for the Boy Scouts of America, just as "The L.A. Times" is carrying its investigation. But this isn't the first time an investigation has been unfurled involving the Boy Scouts of America, but now it sounds with these documents, it may be opening up a whole new can of worms?

VALENCIA: That's exactly what it is. It's another black eye on a tainted organization that should represent a standard of principled men, principled leadership, people with strong character. This is not something that the Boy Scouts of America want to be dealing with again, even after those past allegations, as you mentioned.

WHITFIELD: All right. Nick Valencia, thanks so much for bringing that story. Appreciates it.

All right. At what point now does YouTube take down posted videos? Anti-U.S. anger is drawing attention to that very question. And the White House is always weighing in.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Worldwide outrage over an anti-Islam movie is growing attention to YouTube and raising question about whether it should ban the video.

Josh Levs is here to talk about how YouTube decides on which videos to take down.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right.

WHITFIELD: What's the criteria? And then the whole issue of freedom of speech and expression.

LEVS: First, as being as a forum for hate speech, right?

WHITFIELD: It's tough.

LEVS: Well, let's start with this. I want to remind everyone. We actually don't know how much of the protests, the violence, is really about this one video that's online. You know, we have had reporting about the Libya attack, for example, being preplanned, but what we know is that factually, there are many people around the world who are furious about the video, which is anti-Islam. And that it's done is it's brought all this attention to YouTube and to what policies YouTube has.

YouTube has actually pulled the video from a few countries already -- Indonesia as one example in which there's some laws there that actually give them a reason to pull it. They also chose to pull it from Egypt and to pull it from Libya as well, saying they were concerned about the sensitivity.

But the White House the other day asked YouTube to take a look at this, and YouTube came back with a statement, you know what? We're going to leave it out. It's well within our rules.

And they have --

WHITFIELD: And what are those rules?

LEVS: Right. So they have some guidelines that they follow in deciding what videos should stay. I want to show you a little clip of a video in which they talk about this. Take a look here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We encourage free speech and defend everyone's right to express unpopular points of view. But we don't permit speech that attacks or demeans a group based on certain characteristics. What else? We draw the line at content that's intended to incite violence or encourage illegal activities.

(END VIDEO CLIP) LEVS: So, there are things that YouTube takes a look out there, is the activity encouraging violence, for example? Is it demeaning a group of people? Some people could look at this video and say, you know what? I think this video really does. Many other people especially in the United States are saying no, it's a matter of free expression.

The president of one of those groups who feels very strongly that way was actually on CNN this morning. Let's take a quick look at what he says.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LESLIE HARRIS, PRES., CENTER FOR DEMOCRACY & TECH: The only kind of hate speech that is illegal in the United States is when it incites imminent lawlessness and I think Google is correct that the video in question did not meet that standard.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: But, Fred, Google is constantly is having -- Google which owns YouTube, let's make that clear -- is constantly having to make subjective decisions about what videos are OK and not OK in many respects.

WHITFIELD: Interesting. But this isn't over because the White House has been asked to weigh in on this as well. What's been the position?

LEVS: Well, the extent to which the White House went was asking YouTube to take another look at it, right? And then YouTube came back and said, no, we're not going to do it. We're not going to be taking it down.

But what you do have all the time, this is what's so fascinating about the way technology is changing the world, there are so many difficult decisions YouTube has to face. For example, they say they don't allow gory videos, they don't allow violent videos.

And then you get these videos out of Syria, as you know reported so many times with you, and throughout the Arab spring that show gore and violence.

So, what we found is just fascinating. There's a YouTube official who gave a talk a few years ago -- I'm going to make it available to everyone online later today -- and she said there's something they take a look at. They take a look to see whether a video has social, documentary, scientific, or artistic value. This is none of the things --

WHITFIELD: Any or all of those things can be argued for anything.

LEVS: Which is why this is so subjected and so tricky, and anybody who wants to, raises a question, can flag the video if they're member of YouTube. And this is why it's so complicated.

WHITFIELD: So, just to make clear, there's no government entity that can police YouTube similar to like a SEC would about broadcast outlets. There is no standard or certain criteria that must be met that would be associated with an Internet outlet.

LEVS: Well, correct. YouTube as a U.S.-based entity has a right to certain protections here in the United States and this basic idea of freedom of expression. But there are cases in which YouTube runs into the law, for example, in parts of Europe, when Nazi propaganda is not allowed, they pull those videos there. When they're up against a law in a country, you find them pulling a video in cases like that.

I want to tell everybody -- so much more on this I want you to see it. My Facebook and Twitter, JoshLevsCNN.

The video I told you about, the videos from YouTube that talked about how to flag, so much more background on this. It's a very complicated story and keep in mind, YouTube doesn't control every video in world, so if YouTube takes a video down, you can still share it in other ways.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Josh Levs. We appreciate that.

LEVS: You bet. Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Foreign policy is under the microscope on the presidential campaign trail and so is the economy. Is there room for both?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Foreign policy is now taking center stage in the race for the White House. Although the Romney Ryan campaign wants to return to issues relating to the economy, Romney's criticisms of the administration following the video related protests in the Middle East may not allow that to happen. Joining me now from Washington is CNN's senior political analyst, Ron Brownstein.

All right. Ron good to see you.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Hi Fred.

WHITFIELD: So, did Romney's quick to criticize approach reveal a weakness in his readiness for the world stage?

BROWNSTEIN: It was kind of an odd week because you know; Mitt Romney was never really able to get into a debate about the substance of his critique. Certainly, there is a Republican argument. They believe President Obama has been too conciliatory, even apologetic in the way that he has approached the Arab world, but the way Romney delivered his critique style of it over whelmed the substance and never really got that the discussion. Instead, we were in the discussion that you allude to there which was, was he too quick on the draw, was he unsteady and it followed of course a very uneasy and difficult trip to London, Israel and Poland. Which he had some gaffes.

So you know, the most dangerous thing for any politician is to play into a preexisting story line and Mitt Romney now is developing this question about whether he is too quick on the draw and not quite steady enough in dealing with these foreign issues.

WHITFIELD: And how much of is this revealing who Romney is or is it revealing more about who might be advising Romney particularly as it appeals to world affairs?

BROWNSTEIN: Well I think each of those elements are interesting because certainly, Mitt Romney although thought of more in the context of the Republican debate in the primary, he was not most conservative candidate over all, but he really has really identified himself with many of the most conservative voices. From the George W. Bush years. The other thing to that clearly is it part of what is happening.

And the other thing that's kind of interesting, too, I mean Mitt Romney is a management consultant. We think of him as a very deliberative and deliberate guy. Also the antithesis of John McCain, who was a fighter pilot as a politician as well as a warrior in the military and yet, on these foreign policy issues, it is seen that Romney has been very quick on the draw as we said and hasn't had the kind of deliberative, steady pace at hand that you might expect.

WHITFIELD: So, how redeeming might be potentially that Rob Portman eventually came out 24 hours later, John McCain came later out down speaking in Romney's defense. Does that help him in any way? Help Romney.

BROWNSTEIN: Well I think it's oddly less relevant because what we said is what we started with, which is that the substance of the argument is there to be had. There's an argument to be had, there is a Republican view that Obama has mishandled the Middle East in his approach and that's what Portman and McCain were kind of offering a supportive testimony on.

But what they can't really answer is whether it was appropriate for Mitt Romney to be saying what he did at the moment he did in the midst of this violence and whether he was again, too quick on the draw so they can kind of vouch for him on substance, but not on kind of the instinct and the readiness to kind of handle the nuance that this diplomacy requires.

WHITFIELD: OK. As early as this morning Benjamin Netanyahu getting on the air on Candy Crowley's "State of the Union," still being rather stern about the Obama administration's approach to Iran. Does this say more about the relationship between Netanyahu and Obama or does it say more about the U.S. policies and Israel or how the U.S. perhaps wants to tread carefully as it pertains to Iran. The last thing this administration wants is yet another war to be involved in.

BROWNSTEIN: I mean I think there are many dimensions to this, obviously, what the U.S. can accept in terms of Iranian capacity is probably different than what Israel feels it can live with. On the other hand, there is also a long tradition here that Benjamin Netanyahu as the prime minister of Israel has a more difficult relationship with Democratic presidents than Republican presidents.

His world view is actually closer to some of those advisers to Mitt Romney that we talked about a few minutes ago; there was Bill Clinton or Barack Obama. There is genuine tension there. Now, you know, this was a very dramatic statement and almost what seemed a very overt intervention in an American presidential election.

WHITFIELD: Seemed like a challenge even.

BROWNSTEIN: It did and it's a very high risk kind of action by Netanyahu. Both because I think Americans are not really that disposed for foreign leaders involving themselves. Both also if Barack Obama gets re-elected and you know, he is leading in the polls today, that relationship which has been fraught I think gets even more difficult.

WHITFIELD: All right. Ron Brownstein always good to see you, thanks so much. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Appreciate it. All right. Twenty one countries now have been, have seen protests in this last week. Is that anti Muslim video to blame or is there something else at work?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: As U.S. embassies come under attack in more that 21 countries now, much of the blame has been placed on the film "Innocents of Muslims." This crude production mocking Islam. Joining me now to provide some contacts on the role of this film or some other influence perhaps is Reza Aslan; he is the author of "No God but God." He also is a religious scholar and fellow at the USC Center on public diplomacy. Good to see you.

REZA ASLAN, RELIGION SCHOLAR: Thanks, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: OK. So, first let's delve into this film. What is it about this movie, this film that insults a Muslim faith or the Profit Mohammed?

ASLAN: Well, one out of four people on earth is a Muslim. And for many of them the reverend for the Prophet Mohammed is scarasank (ph) as you know this film not really denigrates the Prophet Mohammed, but does so in the most despicable terms and pretty much throwing the kitchen sink at all those who see the Prophet as somebody worthy of emulation and obviously as one can imagine, this is quite disturbing for a lot of people.

WHITFIELD: And so given that description, does it seem very clear that the film is in deed at the root of the violence that we are seeing that is spreading across the world or do you believe that it there is something else or is there a combination of things?

ASLAN: I think it's enormously simplistic to say that this film is what is causing the protests across the region and I really commend CNN for being one of the few media outlets that has talked about the other aspects that are involved here. Obviously, the film has been used as a pretext for some of this violence and obviously there are those Muslims who are genuinely disturbed by the film and the denigrations of Prophet Mohammed, but there's something far more complex taking place here.

In Libya, what we've seen is an al-Qaeda attack on an American diplomat. In Egypt, we're seeing is an internal conflict between the Muslim brotherhood and the far more conservative, far more religion outdoor party which has used this film as a way of trying to weaken the Muslim brotherhood's grip. There is a lot going on here and it's a much more complex situation than just simply pointing at a film.

WHITFIELD: So, so many other objectives have come with a type of attacks that we've seen around the globe. Is it a stretch to say that this film is being used as an excuse to further ignite or to spawn protests or actions from people whether they be extremists or otherwise who are angry, upset about something else?

ASLAN: Yes, and let's use the Egypt example as a perfect one here. So the film was first talked about on one satellite station, a satellite station called Alnas (ph) which is run by Saudi Whahabeeds (ph) very ultra Saudi Muslims, which is the mouthpiece for the newer party.

So in a sense, this was a perfect opportunity for the party to come out and to really try to flank the Muslim brotherhood, which they see as being too accommodating, too westernized, to enthrall to democracy. In other places around the world by the way I should mention that there is still a deep sense of anti-Americanism that is at the root of some of these protests. We have a tendency to think that perhaps with the election of President Obama and the Arab spring, suddenly there was this wave of pro American sentiment in the region, but this is actually is not the case. There are some genuine grievances here and the film is being used by a lot of these different groups to further their interests. This is a very common thing that has happened before.

WHITFIELD: And you heard from our reporting earlier youtube has no plans to remove this film from the internet air waves, so to speak, so do you feel like as long as there's access to this video that it may continue to be used as an excuse, whether it be for extremists who have other agendas or whether it be for those who don't like the message to voice their concerns?

ASLAN: Fredricka we're in un chartered territories here. Now we know that a couple of brand of individuals with an ax to grind and Islamic phobic sentiments can launch the kind of waves of violence that we've seen in some parts of the Middle East.

Now, there's no stopping it. I mean you think this is just the beginning. People now know that they can get Admiral Mike Mullen to actually give you a call and try to tell you to not upload a video on the internet. There many individuals out there who are going to use this to their advantage and we're going to have to dig around on how to deal with this, how to really balance the freedom of speech with the national security interests of the United States.

WHITFIELD: Reza Aslan thanks so much. Author of "No God but God" and also religious scholar and fellow at the USC Center on public diplomacy. Thanks for your time appreciate it.

ASLAN: You're welcome. WHITFIELD: You can see more stories about faith on our "Belief Blog" at CNN.com/belief.

British royal family members brace for more revealing photos of the Duchess of Cambridge, but they're not taking it sitting down. They plan to fight back.

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WHITFIELD: The royal family is bracing for another round of topless photos of Prince William's wife Catherine. They're to be published Monday in a magazine in Italy, but the couple is launching a legal fight in France by filing a criminal complaint against the photographer. The photographer was about seven football fields away. Here's a look at what's at stake. Nadia Bilchik is here with me now. So Nadia you have seen the images.

NADIA BILCHIK, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I have.

WHITFIELD: How clear are they?

BILCHIK: They are very clear. They are not that grainy. Believe me; you can see all the parts. Now, there's one with Kate either putting back her bikini top or taking it off and there's one where she has her back turned and Prince William is actually rubbing the suntan lotion into her back and her bikini bottoms are quite a lot down. So yes, it's very revealing.

WHITFIELD: So clearly, they thought they had a private moment and something that they should expect maybe at a private villa that they had rented. They're not like out on the beach.

BILCHIK: The photographer was half a mile away. Now if you think of a mile is 20 blocks of New York City, so it's ten blocks away.

WHITFIELD: Incredible lens. They are in love; they thought that they had a moment of privacy. And that's exactly what challenge the palace is suing now.

BILCHIK: They're in the queen's nephew's chateau in the south of France. Not a tiny chateau, there must have been servants around. You can't tell me that Kate's little innocent mistake isn't aware that there's not a lens on her anytime she steps outside.

WHITFIELD: So this is her fault?

BILCHIK: I think she could have been a little more prudent. Not that being topless amongst your culture is so unfamiliar.

WHITFIELD: OK. The palace seems to disagree and that's why they're per suing this lawsuit. A breach of privacy, those are the words that they are using. They want to sue this publication, but wait there's more. There are other publications that are jumping on the band wagon.

BILCHIK: They say they have more pictures. And apparently, there is a lot more to come. Now, the question is, how damaging is this for Cate Middleton and I don't think it's terribly damaging. First of all, people are now feeling incredibly sorry for her. This invasion of privacy so they're all being very defensive of her.

Also, if you think, it's just 15 years since Princess Diana died, so one has feelings about Princess Diana and so there's a great sense of people rushing to her defense.

WHITFIELD: And apparently, there are real feelings involving Prince William, talking about his mother dying and being pursued by paparazzi in France and now they being pursued, his wife being pursued in France by the paparazzi.

BILCHIK: And so that obviously is very typical and he couldn't protect his mother, Will he be able to protect his wife.

WHITFIELD: You have analyzed it, up, down, front, center, inside out. Nadia Bilchik appreciate it thanks so much.

BILCHIK: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: And emotions are running high in China where protesters are furious with Japan. We'll tell you why.

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WHITFIELD: Typhoon samba is barreling towards South Korea after slamming into the Japanese island of Okinawa that is where than 25,000 U.S. troops are based. There are no immediate reports of damage, but the storm is moving north with 120 mile per hour winds. It's expected to hit South Korea in just a couple of days.

And no signs that China's anger with Japan is dying down. Protesters held rallies in several Chinese cities today. They're furious that Japan is still claiming a disputed island chain. Yesterday, a mob tried to storm the Japan's embassy in Beijing. Arriving in Tokyo U.S. defense secretary Leon Panetta warning that the quote that the quote provocative behavior unquote could lead to war.

The newest daytime show "Katie" joins the air waves. How that's helping to heat up the talk show wars.

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WHITFIELD: Katie Couric's day time talk show is off to a hot start in the ratings, but she faces a lot of competition from a slew of similar shows. Entertainment correspondent Kareen Wynter explains.

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KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice over): There's a war being waged in your living room.

STEVE HARVEY: Is everybody ready for a good show?

WYNTER: The competition for your attention. Steve Harvey, Katie Couric, Ricky Lake, Jeff Probst they are the newest combats in the expanding area of daytime talk.

MAGGIE FURLONG, WEST COAST EDITOR, HALFPOST TV: It's kind of kill or be killed with these daytime hosts and we're going to see who lasts.

WYNTER: Returning for another season are syndicated talkers like Ellen and Dr. Phil as well as programs like "The View" and "The Doctors."

OPRAH WINFREY: This show has been my life and I love it enough to know when it's time to say good-bye.

WYNTER: The battlefields have been wide open since Oprah's departure in 2011, Maggie Furlong the half Post TV says the newcomers are eager to take her crown.

FURLONG: Everybody is vying for the title of newprah. You know we had our Oprah now in our newprah. Everybody wants the new Oprah to come in, sweep up daytime, making it amazing again and make it a destination for viewers.

WYNTER: Of the new shows viewers are favoring Katie Couric. Her show pulled in the best numbers for daytime talk show debut in ten years.

KATIE COURIC, HOST, "KATIE:" I'm very glad to be here.

WYNTER: But creating a show that draws viewers for the long-term won't be easy as Couric admits.

COURIC: How can we do it in a way that will bring people in, make them listen and really be compelling, engaging television, but I love a challenge, so I say bring it.

WYNTER: Steve Harvey brings his talents of comedian, best selling author and radio show host to daytime. His relationship themed show is off to a modest start. Furlong gives it a --

FURLONG: I feel like Steve Harvey's more worried about his punch line. What do I say next? How do I get the crowd going?

HARVEY: Guys who cook to attract women are now called gastrosexuals.

FURLONG: Maybe he'll ease into it and be less scripted, but for now, I'm not seeing him as a front-runner.

WYNTER: These new shows they enter a daytime TV landscape that's really changed dramatically in recent years. Gone are the school of soaps that entertain housewives for generations.

Brad Adgate of Horizon Media studies TV trends.

BRAD ADGATE, SR. V.P., HORIZON MEDIA: You have more and more women in the workforce working so they're not really home watching these types of shows. But there's a void there and I think that they see that these, this new crop of talk shows can help fill that programming void.

WYNTER: So, who will emerge from the void to claim daytime dominance?

Adgate and Furlong bet on the host-turned anchor-turned CBS Evening News anchor-turned daytime talker.

ADGATE: If I had to pick one, it would obviously be Katie Couric.

FURLONG: I really do feel like this is going to be the perfect place for Katie Couric.

WYNTER: Kareen Wynter, CNN. Los Angeles.

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