Transcripts For CNNW New Day With Alisyn Camerota And John Berman 20200103

General kassim soleimani. Imagine if the head of the cia combined with the joints chief of staff and shadow secretary of state. He was that big. And he was extremely close to irans Supreme Leader who this morning is vowing to respond with harsh revenge. And this morning members of congress are sharply divided with most republican lawmakers applauding the president and this decision. Democrats questioning the authority to assassinate a top official without congressional approval of notification. Overnight nancy pelosi called it a dangerous escalation and demanded an immediate briefing for congress. That is expected to happen a little bit later today. We are expecting to talk to the secretary of state mike pompeo in the next minute. All about this attack. We have our resources covering this story around the world. Lets g to baghdad and begin with arwa damon. Good morning, arwa. Reporter good morning. And the magnitude of this cannot be accurately stated not just in the killing of Qassim Soleimani who was so revered in iran and when it comes to all of the proxies that iran has throughout the region. He was a frequent figure in the battle, against isis here in iraq. He was part of the mobilization force. This is a force that was made up in response to isis sweeping through iraq mostly made up of former members of any number of iraqi shia militia groups. Many of whom got their experience fighting the u. S. During the years of the occupation here. Also killed in that strike that took place on the early hours of friday morning within the Baghdad Airport complex was the number two of that predominantly shia Paramilitary Force. The iraqi Prime Minister put out a very harshly worded statement going beyond calling this an act of flagrant violation of iraqs sovereignty but also saying this was an act of aggression against iraq. That Paramilitary Force does to a certain degree fall within the iraqi forces. However, how much control they have over them remains to be seen. We also have all of these various different groups that make up that Paramilitary Force issuing orders to their fighters to get ready feeling that they have to now protect iraq against this act of aggression. You also have the army of radical shia cleric that has already been unfrozen. Anyone whos been following iraq since 2003, 2004 will remember just how devastating the violation carried out by the army against u. S. Forces was back in those years. That force has also right now been unfrozen and is at the ready. And so this right now is really not just putting iraq into unchartered territory, but the entire region into unchartered territory. Iran is going to have a response, but its options are vast. Its influence, its tentacles extend quite far. How its going to respond, thats what everyone is going to be watching right now. Arwa, thank you for the important reporting. As you said, unchartered territory. Well get back to you soon. Look at these live pictures. These are the streets of tehran. You have thousands and thousands protesting there today. The action of the United States in this assassination, this comes as irans Supreme Leader is vowing, quote, harsh revenge on america after killing its most powerful military general. Really the most powerful military general in the entire region. Lets go live to tehran now with more from the capital city. More than 800 cities and towns, rallies and post friday prayers are underway. Death to america as usual and also revenge, revenge, revenge is shouted by the worshippers and the friday prayers. And so people by and large are doing and paying homage and respect to their family and hometown, the village he was born. So we can say that the rallies are ongoing and we are still waiting to see the reactions from the officials as the negotiation behind the curtains among the top officials is underway. Thank you so much. Please keep us posted. Were looking again at these dramatic live pictures from the streets of tehran where tens of thousands of people are out demonstrating the death of general soleimani killed in this air strike. It was confirmed minutes ago it was a drone used for the killing. It was ordered by President Trump from his florida resort. Were waiting to hear from the president this morning. When will he speak . Were not exactly sure, but we do expect it. And there is the question of why now. Why did the United States decide to carry out this attack against the iranian leader now . Cnns Kaitlan Collins is traveling with the president. Shes live in west palm beach, florida. Kaitlan, john bolton tweeted about three minutes ago that this was long in the making. So what do we know . Reporter of course john bolton is not still in the administration. Hes been replaced by Robert Obrien who we heard is on property with the president on maralago behind my shoulder. He was seen there yesterday as the president was seen having dinner when we first learned about this strike. So far we have not heard anything from the president except that one tweet. The picture of an American Flag with no words next to it. That as we were still waiting for the administration to confirm that yes, it was the United States behind this attack which they later did in a statement from the pentagon which they say was carried out at the direction of the president. Now, your question about why now because this was someone who moved freely the last several years. The pentagon tried to get at that in their Statement Last night saying they had intelligence about preempting potential attacks on the u. S. Embassy in baghdad. The United States will continue to take all necessary action to protect our people and our interests wherever they are around the world. Thats what weve got so far. Were still waiting to hear from other officials on the record from this in person. So far theyre only referring to this statement. Now, as far as what the president was doing yesterday, we did not see him publicly. But cnn cameras did capture him on his dpof course. He was then at dinner. But really thats pretty much all weve heard from trump so far. Okay. And as john said, we hope to hear from him. It appears well hear from him this morning. Thank you very much for being there. The u. S. Military and american diplomats all on high alert now after iran vows retaliati retaliation. What is being done to protect americans in that region around the world . Lets go to ryan browne at the pentagon with more. The pentagon made clear in their statement that this was a response to what they call an actively developing plan to attack americans. Thats right, poppy. We got a little bit of a preview of this new position from the pentagon yesterday by the secretary of defense mark esper who warned that the u. S. Would take preemptive action if it detected a threat, an imminent attack from iran on its proxies saying the game had changed and really saying theyve kind of had enough pointing to some 11 rocket attacks on u. S. Bases in iraq over the last few months. One of which killed an American Contractor. They put the blame for those attacks squarely on iran and the Islamic Revolutionary force which general soleimani headed. They previewed this tougher stance on iran. But again, i dont think anyone anticipated this strike against general soleimani so the pentagon acting quickly. To your point about the security in the region, depending on it had already been bracing in the wake of these attacks for iranian provocations, they had sent a hundred marines to the u. S. Embassy there. They had deployed paratroopers to neighboring kuwait with thousands more on standby. So the pentagon had been bracing for some action for iran for some time. Those forces will likely remain there for some time to come given this threat and iranian promising revenge. The u. S. Embassy also issuing alert telling all americans in iraq to leave the country as soon as possible. So very much concern about the security of americans in the wake of the strike against general soleimani. You would think the range of options, bigger than ever for iran including cyberattacks in other places. Maybe even direct military response. All of that you would think is on the table this morning. Thank you very much. So who was soleimani . This is the top intelligence official who was killed in this u. S. Air strike. Well look at his role and also again, what will iran do this morning . That has to be a major concern for the u. S. Around the world. Stay with us. You always want to be able to deliver relief for your patients. Get them out of pain, get them out of pain fast. We have a new product out there sensodyne rapid relief. If you use it on monday, by thursday, youll be enjoying that Chocolate Ice Cream again. They can start it, and 3 days later, i know that theyre going to have the results they were looking for. Because the tempurbreeze™makes stransfers heat. Away from your body. So you feel cool, night after night. And now tempurpedic is ranked number one by jd power in Customer Satisfaction with retail mattresses. If your glasses arent so will we. No we wont. Use your 2020 Vision Insurance on your first pair and get 50 off a second pair. Visionworks. See the difference. All right. The breaking news. Youre looking at live pictures right now. Tens of thousands of people on the streets of tehran protesting americas killing of one of their most powerful leaders. The security and military Intelligence Leader Qasem Soleimani, he was killed in a drone strike yesterday in baghdad ordered by President Trump. Iran is vowing harsh revenge this morning. Joining us now chief National Security correspondent jim sciutto, samantha vindegrad, and retired general mark hertling. I want to start with you. We were both in iraq when general soleimani was responsible for the death of hundreds of u. S. Service members. Just very briefly explain who this man was. 603 deaths the u. S. Blames soleimani for. They supplied powerful ieds, armor penetrating ieds. So theres direct american blood on his hands. And this is one of the reasons why the u. S. Categorizes him as a terror leader. Thats true. Hes a bad guy. And what we have to remember in iran as you mention, hes a political leader as well. From irans perspective imagine how they respond to that. What would be the limb lent here. Its hard to say. What would happen if the cia director was assassinated. Thats the level this person is. Thats why youre seeing the kind of action youre seeing from iran. General hertling, weve seen a lot of people comparing it to president obama and osama bin laden. This is different than both of those. Hes certainly a terrorist figure. If i could add to what jim said, i was in iraq in 2007 and 2008 when soleimani started to influence and form more problems along the border which i was responsible for in the in order. I studied him and my intel guys put together an interesting brief on him. This guy was a Division Commander at the age of 22 in the war. He is a revered figure in iran. Hes the closest thing you could get in iran itself. And beyond that, he has been a tactical, operational, and strategic genius in expanding the arc of the Islamic Revolutionary guard core throughout the region. Having said all that, though, its a good day that hes dead. We dont know what the repercussions. Ive been reading reports about this all night long, what people are saying and suggesting might happen. We dont really know now. But we do know theres going to be chaos not only in iraq, but theres going to be protests in iran. Theres going to be reactions in israel and lebanon and other places around the world. I state the council of Foreign Relations said issued their top 13 places to watch in 2020. And within the top five was what was going to happen in terms of proxy wars between the u. S. And iran and u. S. Allies in iran in this region. You know, its already happening and were on day three. Yeah. We also know that the u. S. State department has told all americans in iraq to get out now because its not safe. We know, sam, that the french government put out a statement. We woke up to a more dangerous world. Again, you look at this and you say you hope the administration planned for the aftereffects here, what do you see . Yeah. State department announcement speaks to the projected threat environment on the ground in iraq. The state department has urged all, i repeat, all american citizens to depart iraq. Whats unclear is whether the state department, the pentagon, and the Intelligence Community worked with the president in advance of the decision to conduct this operation to prepare con ten gin si plans which would include things like the evacuation of american citizens. John, it will be impossible to evacuate all from iraq at this juncture. We have thousands of duel nationals. Not to mention thousands of u. S. Government personnel both military contractors and diplomats. What i am waiting to see is whether there were plans in place to account for the heightened threat environment both in iraq and throughout the region. So to sams point, iraqs response this morning is notable. Right . After condemning the air strikes over the weekend for a violation of its sovereignty, iraq this morning is calling this flagrant violation of the Security Agreement with america. Yeah. Listen, if the position of u. S. Troops was at risk prior to this and there are portions of the iraqi public that want them gone and many who want them to stay, this ratchets up the pressure. Its all these follow on effects. You wonder what the planning has been. I spoke to officials who say that under President Trump often the policy making follows the decision. The National Security infrastructure, the pentagon, the state department. They learn what the policy is when the president tweets it. That happened with the syria withdraw. Did that happen here . In other words, is it now following the decision. All the preparation for the effects, there will be follow on effects. Really the question is only how severe they are. General hertling, what would iran do . What is within its capability to do this morning in response . I think it will continue to do the kinds of things it was already planning. Theyll be more difficult to do, john, because of the lack of this leader soleimani who was actually driving some of the planning and the operations. It will also be interesting to watch the reflections of those in iraq and other parts of the world. Ive seen so far this morning ayatollah sistani in southern iraq who has been furious and said its a strike against iraqi sovereignty. But hes also called for calm. You contrast that with al sadder, a guy that our organization fought in baghdad who has about a million and a half followers in the northeast parts of the city all unemployed males who have really honed their skills against first the u. S. And then against isis who are going to be probably taken to the streets today. Itd be interesting to watch that and what happens there. What happens in southern lebanon against the israeli border. So i dont know. I think were going to see continued asymmetric attacks. You may see continued Economic Warfare in the gulf of hormuz. And you will see based on the symbols were seeing from the streets of tehran already a great support for a government that has been under a Pressure Campaign and doesnt have a whole lot of money right now and has lost influence in the world. So youre going to see a combination of asemite rik attacks, proxy forces attacks. All of those things. All right. Stand by for one moment. We have a lot ahead. What is the president s end game here in escalating tension with iran . Were going to talk about that next. Not even our competitors best battery can match the power of energizer. Because energizer ultimate lithium is the longest lasting aa battery in the world. [confetti cannon popping] energizer. Backed by science. Matched by no one. Quitting smoking is freaking hard. St, like quitting every monday hard. Quitting feels so big. So, try making it smaller. And youll be surprised at how easily starting small. Can lead to something big. Start stopping with nicorette this rounds on me. Eat. Hey, can you spot me . Come on in. Find your place today, with silversneakers. Included in most Medicare Advantage plans. Enroll today by calling the number on your screen or visit getsilversneakers. Com for powerful relief from cold and flu symptoms without a prescription, try theraflu multisymptom. Theraflu dissolves in seconds, so its ready to work before your first sip, and absorbs quickly to target and attack 8 cold and flu symptoms fast. Try theraflu. Breaking news. The state department this morning urging all americans to get out of iraq immediately. This is after the u. S. Killed irans most powerful military commander overnight. What will irans response be . Back with us, jim sciutto, sam vinograd, Kaitlan Collins joining us as well. Kaitlan, what can you tell us about how long this was being planned . Because we saw john bolton tweet this morning that this was long in the making. What do we know about what led to what happened last night . Reporter well, a lot of this is starting with that death of the American Contractor several weeks ago. Thats what led to those other strikes by the United States then leading of course to those protests and attacks on the u. S. Embassy in baghdad. Now weve seen the most significant military action from President Trump since hes been in office. Thats why there is going to be a lot of questions behind this decision the president has made. Why now . What exactly this intelligence was that they hinted at in that statement from the pentagon . Essentially accusing this commander of master minding further activities that could harm the United States or its citizens. Accusing him of hundreds the deaths of hundreds of american soldiers. So those are going to be the questions facing the white house now and were still waiting to hear more on exactly how all of this went down, when the president made this decision. Because of course we know that we were keeping a close eye on him yesterday. He spent roughly five hours at his golf course here. He left about 10 00 a. M. , came back around 3 00 p. M. Then was at his Maralago Club where he was seen having dinner, seemed to be in good spirits according to people who saw the president. But we do know that of course behind the scenes, this was going on. He was seen with multiple secret Service Officers after a briefing on this. His National Security adviser Robert Obrien was on property at the time. So those are the things were still waiting to hear from the president himself, the justification for this. Of course hes getting praise from republicans but also a lot of criticism from democrats and his critics. Sam, i had a former state Department Official text me and say i would not want to be in the motorcade in any country Going Forward. U. S. Officials now need to concern they could be targeted. Ive heard you mention we now need to assume many might be considered fair game by iran. What does this mean for u. S. Personnel stationed around the world . Its not just service members. All american citizens are now walking prime targets for iranian retaliation. The department of defense put out an important Statement Last night after this operation indicating what appears to be declassified intelligence. That Qasem Soleimani was responsible for planning additional attacks against americans. But also he approved the attack against the u. S. Embassy in baghdad. So it looks like they were declassifying intelligence on that front and Going Forward we should expect more of the same. The quds force has demonstrated the willingness to strike diplomats. So in addition to the im equally as focused on the american diplomatic corps as well as all of the contractors that work for the u. S. Government and other american citizens around the world. Lets not forget the irgc force has tried to implement terrorist plots in europe. They tried to assassinate the saudi ambassador a few miles from where im sitting here. And all americans are a prime target. Shes right. It was soleimani that tried to pull off that assassination in 2011, jim. Right in washington, d. C. But outside of, you know, physical threat. You wrote a book about this. What about Cyber Retaliation . Iran has enormous abilities in this. The quds force, the irjc, it is global. Right . And that encompasses terror attacks on military targets. U. S. Diplomats, civilian targets. This is cafe milano in d. C. Economic targets, think oil facilities. Theyve already attacked tankers in the persian gulf. Theyve attacked the Saudi Oil Refinery there. Think economic targets. Think also cyber. Because iran is one of the most capable along with russia and china in terms of carrying out cyber attacks. They do it. Theyve even done things that are election related attacks. So you have to think in terms of not just uniformed attacks, you know, soldiers shooting at soldiers. You have to think of a whole host of things that happen in the shadows here. And just one more thing. They have enormous resources. They have their own boats to attack tankers. And it may be an all of the above response from iran. He is that major of a figure. Now, look, kaitlan. Value judgment aside here, theres no questioning that soleimani was a government official. Yes, he was involved with terrorism, but he was a government official. Thats what makes this different than the actions against bin laden or al baghdadi. And there is a division in congress over whether or not this is even legal. You have republicans saying theyre behind this action 100 . But there have been democrats overnight who have noted, wait a second here. Wheres the authorization for this type of action . Hey, wait a second. Is the United States now involved with the assassination of government officials . So there is that political divide. Yeah, and those are going to be the questions. Why wasnt there congressional authorization for Something Like this because youre hearing from several members of congress they were not notified about this beforehand. Expect the white house response to that to be that the president has pretty broad powers here. Thats what weve heard from him in the past. They argue he has a lot of leeway in making a decision like this. Thats where this is going to become a focal point. This intelligence that they say they had that essentially he was master minding these future potential attacks. The question is going to be how imminent those threats were, how big they were, what the scale of that was. And so that is something the white house could use for justification. Where the white House Attorneys came down on this, itll be interesting. We know Pat Cipollone has been back in washington, d. C. , preparing for that impending impeachment trial. So there will be questions on whether the president had authority. Youre already seeing criticisms coming from democratic lawmakers about this so far. All right. Were going to talk a lot more about this Going Forward. Stand by, everybody. One other question is how will this new crisis and frankly war footing affect the Senate Impeachment trial facing President Trump . Stay with us. When youre confident in your gut, you feel confident to take on anything. With benefiber, youll feel the power of gut Health Confidence every day. Benefiber is a 100 natural prebiotic fiber. Good morning mrs. Johnson. Benefiber. Trust your gut. Because the tempurbreeze™makes stransfers heat. Away from your body. So you feel cool, night after night. And now tempurpedic is ranked number one by jd power in Customer Satisfaction with retail mattresses. The dramatic attack that killed irans most powerful security and intelligence official comes as President Trump is facing both a Senate Impeachment trial and a reelection campaign. Here with us now, cnn White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins, margaret talev. I dove into the New York Times machine and found a headline from 1998. This was during clintons impeachment. This was during the house vote. Hopefully we have it there. There we go. Impeachment vote and house delayed as clinton launches iraq air strike citing military need to move swiftly. Not to diminish the importance of the air strikes in iraq at the time, but thats nothing compared to the murder, the assassination of general soleimani. And this comes during the Senate Impeachment trial. So what do you see as the implication here . Well, john, these two events are now going to become interlinked. Sort of unavoidably. Im not suggesting this was a political move by the president. I think this was a target of opportunity the u. S. Had the opportunity and made the decision. They did not do that under the Obama Administration or george w. Bushs administration. Soleimani has been an important figure for a long time. But there has long been an understanding by the u. S. That this would become an es esqu es action if it happened. We expect to hear from Mitch Mcconnell perhaps today giving us some sense of the path forward on impeachment. Weve heard a little bit already from House Speaker nancy pelosi. And we know the democrats are frustrated that they did not get a heads up about this, but also when crow go back to the impeachment part of this discussion, have been frustrated with the president s Foreign Policy thinking and judgment. And so i expect that this will affect this both from a perspective of sobriety as they move forward and also demanding documents and information about the president s listening. Kaitlan, the fact that this was carried out a carrying out something that president obama and george w. Bush decided and opted not to do. So just speak to the importance of President Trump deciding to do this now. Hours before Mitch Mcconnell is going to go speak today about a pending Senate Impeachment trial. And what you expect to hear mcconnell say. I mean, its hard to imagine he would not talk about a moment like this for the country. Sure. Its a massive moment. And its a moment that as margaret was talking about, is going to change the dynamic of the 2020 election. Of course the question is going to be why did the president make this decision now . And so far what weve heard from the white house just over the last less than 12 hours or so since news of this broke is they were pointing to those attacks on the u. S. Embassy in baghdad. Of course you saw those protesters storming it, trying to scale the walls, lighting fires inside the compound. While those diplomats were trapped inside. That is something we heard the White House Point repeatedly to. Now, the question of whether or not thats something the president brings up today when he inevitably discusses this is something else. Of course theyre going to need justification for this. Youre seeing already people call nancy pelosi calling for these all member briefings because they want more information on this. So those are going to be the questions Going Forward. Yes, its probably likely the Senate Majority leader is going to have to address this at some point. If he still moves forward with that impeachment address today. Because before this strike that killed this commander, this was already a really big issue. Because it was essentially being framed as the president is facing not only an impeachment trial, but also a reelection bid and now hes got these twin challenges coming at him from iran and north korea. Cant forget about what the north korean dictator said recently. Now its all of this really coming to a bubble. Regardless of where you fall down on whether this was the right move the president made, this has changed the dynamic of the 2020 election. You bring up a great data point. Will Mitch Mcconnell still give the address we were expecting to hear from him today on the impeachment process . Or will he choose to delay that . That could give you a sense on what direct role in the trial this action will take. So well wait to see that over the next few hours. I do want to get one point on the impeachment process, margaret, that developed over the last day. A study of redacted emails released over the last few weeks including one we hadnt seen which came from Michael Duffey at omb and he wrote this to someone at the pentagon. At the end of august. August 30th, the same day as that meeting around the resolute desk. In this email, it definitively says that the decision for the hold on ukraine funding came at the clear direction from potus. Clear direction from potus. After the meeting with the president took place, duffey told mccusker, clear direction from potus to hold that money. So where does that fit . What are the implications of that . Well, this helps to fill in the gaps in the sort of narrative about how was this decision made, why was it made, and was it made with the administration thinking no problem, this is absolutely the right thing to do or with an understanding as we are now learning that there were a lot of concerns inside the administration about whether this was legal. The fact that this really underscores the president s direct involvement i think helps us to understand two things. It helps us to understand why democrats have been pushing so hard for more documents. And it helps us understand why the white house in part has been reluctant to release those documents. But because the House Democrats made the decision to move forward with the process rather than go to the courts to ask for resolution on this, im still not sure it changes the dynamic in terms of what Mitch Mcconnell has to agree to in these negotiations. And again, that really does fall on how hard this key group of republican senators decide to push. And i think how what has happened now with iran may affect the pace and the discussions on this. Could be really important. Thank you, ladies, both very much. There is clearly a lot ahead today. Also, what does this all mean for a key u. S. Ally in the region . Israels Prime Minister cutting short his trip overseas. Sit to prepare for any potential retaliation from iran after the u. S. Killed its top intelligence and military commander . Well discuss the major implications of the tension between the u. S. And iran in the entire region next. You always want to be able to deliver relief for your patients. Get them out of pain, get them out of pain fast. We have a new product out there sensodyne rapid relief. If you use it on monday, by thursday, youll be enjoying that Chocolate Ice Cream again. They can start it, and 3 days later, i know that theyre going to have the results they were looking for. Robinwithout the commission fees. So, you can start investing today wherever you are even hanging with your dog. So, what are you waiting for . Download now and get your first stock on us. Robinhood. Take a look at these live pictures. These are the streets of tehran this morning. Tens of thousands of iranians taking to the streets protesting the killing of irans most powerful military and Intelligence Leader. Iran this morning vowing harsh revenge on the United States. Global leaders preparing for any sort of retaliatory attacks, our Clarissa Ward is with us now on the significance of all of this. Clarissa, as john said at the top of the program and i dont think it could be overstated, who he was, how powerful soleimani has been, and for how long this is much more significant than al baghdadi or osama bin laden. This is a massive escalation, poppy, and certainly more significant than killing al baghdadi. He is the second most powerful man in iran. He has been described as essentially a mixture of the head of special forces and the foreign minister all wrapped into one. But beyond that, hes almost something of a Living Legend in iran. And when i spent time in the capital just last year, you could see that clearly. We visited the museum of holy defense, the entire gift store is full of things bearing his image. You see people sharing videos of him reciting poetry. Hes attending the funerals of fighters who have been killed. Not only that, he is the architect of irans socalled access of resistance. This cannot be underestimated. This building up of proxy forces across the middle east from syria to lebanon to yemen. This man has been responsible for the creation and shaping of irans Foreign Policy and military policy for more than two decades. So this is a huge, huge escalation. And responsible, we should note, according to the u. S. Military for the deaths of 600 at least u. S. Military personnel in iraq fighting over the last 15 years there. So he is someone who has menaced u. S. Forces overseas for some time. Clarissa, you spent significant time in iraq. Im very curious as to what the longterm impact of this or even shortterm impact of this might be on the u. S. Military presence and diplomatic presence. Will the u. S. Be in iraq six months after this . Certainly it puts the u. S. In an awkward, potentially vulnerable position. Weve already seen iraqs Prime Minister come out and say essentially that this killing and the killing of an Iraqi Militia leader who was with soleimani is a violation of the u. S. s agreement and conduct in iraq. So theres a very real palpable defense but also really put u. S. Troops potentially and also diplomats and various civilian contractors in that country at risk as iran goes about some retaliation. Make no mistake. There has to be some kind of a retaliation for this. The question is are we looking at an allout war . And what does an allout war look like in this day and age. Its not going to look like the iran iraq war fought in the 1980s. Youre talking about asymmetrical warfare targeting potentially u. S. Contractors, u. S. Civilians, u. S. Military personnel wherever they may be in countries where iran has strong proxy forces. That is quite a few countries. Before you go, mike pompeo who will join us here in just a few moments on the program just tweeted about calls hes making around the world. He said i just spoke today with chinese member yang jicchi to discuss trumps decision to eliminate soleimani in response to imminent threats to american lives. That gets to the question of why now. Why not did the u. S. Target soleimani . Was it just the opportunity or was it it appears an imminent threat to american lives as hes saying . And one can only imagine, poppy, that this opportunity had presented itself before. Certainly there are indications that previous president s had not gone with that option simply because it is seen as the nuclear option. Now we are hearing the pentagon saying that, yes, lives were in danger potentially of u. S. Diplomats and other u. S. Citizens overseas. Theres no way, really, to confirm that or to know exactly how much voracity there is to that game. But what people want to know now is no one is really shedding tears for Qasem Soleimani. But people want to know theres a strong strategy Going Forward now. Its a great point. Again, what this man did not in question. What happens next very much in question this morning. Clarissa ward, thank you so much. Excuse me. Clarissa, thank you very much. As we said, were going to speak with secretary of state in just a moment. Stay right here. Again, back to the breaking news this morning. The assassination of irans most powerful military and Intelligence Leader marks a significant escalation in tension across the region and between the u. S. And iran. Here to talk about who the man was and what this all means for the United States and the world is peter binart. Good to have you here. You do not i mean, you see this very clearly. You say this is the single most reckless act in your view of american Foreign Policy since the iraq war. Explain why as americans wake up to this news. They know this is the man responsible for 603 americans over the years in iraq and was according to the secretary of state moments ago planning imminent threat to american lives. Thats what the United States government is saying, right . I think its important for us to remember particularly in the wake of the iraq war and particularly given what we know about the Trump Administration which has lets say at least a complicated and loose relationship with the truth. These claims need to be verified. I think thats undenial is if you were a u. S. Diplomat or soldier youre in more danger today than yesterday. Because iran has Massive Networks throughout iraq and throughout the region that it can activate. Was soleimani involved in directing the killings of americans . Absolutely. He also by the way was involved in helping america overthrow the taliban. He was the ruthless leader of a regime that now will escalate against the United States. So right after this, secretary pompeo is going to join us and john will interview him on this show. Is there anything you could hear from the secretary of state that would change your assessment . What would warrant this action in your mind . I dont think that anything warrants this action that it makes the United States more dangerous. Look. George w. Bush was not a weakling or a pacifist, right . Neither was barack obama. They both passed on this. Not because they had love for soleimani. But because they realized it would put americans at more danger. It probably means the end of the u. S. Presence in iraq. Getting to that because berman was asking that question of clarissa earlier. Will u. S. Troops have a presence in iraq six months from now is a huge question this morning. We will be lucky if our presence in iraq ends peacefully. Thats really, i think, the question of whether our presence is there is no longer the question. The question is whether well have to take these people out by helicopter a la saigon. Iraq was already up in arms livid after the attacks, the air strikes this weekend on those five targets. Saying this is a violation of our sovereignty. Well, this morning the response of iraqs Prime Minister after all of this, they are staying it will spark a devastating war in iraq and called this a violation of their Security Agreement with america. That is iraqs position this morning. With all of the iraqi leaders virtually saying over the last few weeks is they do not want their country to become the battlefield between the United States and iran. Its not they love iran, but they dont want to be the battlefield for this proxy war. We have just escalated that proxy war. So Benjamin Netanyahu returned back to israel overnight. In the wake of all of this, he had been speaking moments ago on Israeli Television and defended the u. S. Saying the u. S. Has a right to defend itself and also said that soleimani was responsible for many, many deaths and is planning further attacks. H didnt specify on whom, but that is echoing what were hearing from pompeo. If you are in israel right now, what are you thinking . I think your life also became more dangerous and as an israeli today already hearing news of closing of tourist sites in northern israel. This is not surprising for Benjamin Netanyahu. He also said the iraq war would be a Great Success and hes running for reelection as Prime Minister. So his bravado is similar to that of donald trump. Talk to the israeli National Security officials and ask them whether they think israel is safer today. Its a myth. This is important. It is an utter myth to believe that by killing soleimani, you destroyed the corps. We have a lot of Academic Research now on the fact that when you decapitate the leader of a terrorist organization or a Government Organization like this, it actually tends to make it more dangerous, not less dangerous. Peter, thank you for coming in. We appreciate it very much. All right. Were minutes away now from a live interview with secretary of state mike pompeo. What was the imminent threat that secretary pompeo mentioned moments ago was the cause for the u. S. Air strike that killed general soleimani . Our breaking News Coverage continues right now. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is a new day. We do begin with breaking news. The state department is urging all americans in iraq to leave that country immediately. This is after President Trump ordered the assassination of irans top military and Intelligence Leader near the Baghdad Airport. This is some aftermath footage of that. General Qasem Soleimani was the commander of the quds force of the iran guard. That title does not explain what a huge role he played in the region. He was one of the most powerful men in iran. Maybe the second most powerful man across t