Joining today's show are Willie Geist, Nicolle Wallace, Steve Rattner, David Ignatius, Chris Jansing, Rev. Al Sharpton, Harold Ford Jr., Karl Rove, Tom Brokaw, Fmr. Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Sara Eisen, Jules Naudet, Chris Whipple, Brandee McHale and more
Syria rebels launch rocket attack on rescue helicopter which also 'KILLS Russian marine'
No parade of dolphin hunting boats today! Hunters not going out. Blue Cove!
Trump 'probably right' on disputed 9/11 claim. Donald Trump and his camp are standing behind disputed claims the presidential candidate made about people in New Jersey celebrating after the 9/11 attacks, with a top aide saying Tuesday that the mogul is "probably right" about what happened.
Trump over the weekend and through Monday repeatedly said that he saw on TV American Muslims in New Jersey celebrating on Sept. 11, 2001, as the Twin Towers fell, a claim that fact-checking publications have called false. Though there were some reports of celebrations investigated by police, there is no record of any such footage being aired on television or anything to suggest "thousands" celebrated, as Trump suggested.
On Tuesday, Trump's chief counsel, Michael Cohen, stood by the comments, even as he was pressed by CNN's Chris Cuomo on the fact that there's no evidence to back up the claims and that accuracy matters in a presidential race.
"He's probably right," Cohen said of Trump on "New Day." "There's no way to say that it wasn't."
Cohen said the argument over the number of people celebrating is misplaced, and that Trump was making a broader point about enemies within the United States.
"Whether it's thousands and thousands or 1,000 people or even just 1 person, it's irrelevant. To celebrate this tragedy ... it's wrong," Cohen said. "What the exact number is, I don't know, and I don't think it's relevant. What's important is that there are bad people among us."
Cohen also pointed to social media as backing up Trump, saying an immeasurable number of Trump's "millions and millions of followers" on social media have said they recall seeing the same thing. He also noted the FBI has confirmed there are investigations into ISIS suspects in all 50 states.
Trump has been widely countered by politicians from New York and New Jersey. And on Monday his presidential opponent Ben Carson stepped into his own media kerfuffle when he claimed at a midday event that he also recalled seeing the footage of Americans celebrating only to walk that back later in the day and claim he was confused.
Footage did air on television of celebrations overseas, which is what Carson later said he was referring to.
Cuomo and Cohen did not discuss Trump's claim on Monday that he was able to see people jumping from the World Trade Centers from his home more than 4 miles uptown.
Warning for the RNC
As Trump continues to dominate the GOP primary in virtually every poll, Cohen issued a warning to the Republican Party over trying to go after Trump.
Super PACs are reportedly stepping up their spending to oppose Trump, and Cohen and Trump have indicated they could consider that effort a nullification of Trump's pledge to support the eventual Republican nominee and forgo an independent run if it's not him.
"It changes everything," Cohen said.
Cohen said Trump demands to be "treated fairly," and said that even if the Republican National Committee isn't directly behind the negative advertising, it could be held responsible.
"(Chairman) Reince Priebus has an obligation to Donald Trump in order to treat him fairly, make sure the process treats him fairly, and if they don't, this will be a very, very bad thing for the Republican Party," Cohen said.
Fact-checkers are shredding Donald Trump's claims he saw people 'cheering' on 9/11 — Trump demands apology.
Multiple independent fact-checkers cast doubt on real-estate tycoon Donald Trump's claims over the weekend that he saw people "cheering" in New Jersey after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on US soil.
In an interview with ABC on Sunday, Trump stood by claims first made at a Saturday rally that he saw people in New Jersey — which Trump noted has "large Arab populations" — cheering after the attacks brought down the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan.
"There were people that were cheering on the other side of New Jersey, where you have large Arab populations," Trump said Sunday. "They were cheering as the World Trade Center came down. I know it might be not politically correct for you to talk about it, but there were people cheering as that building came down — as those buildings came down. And that tells you something. It was well covered at the time."
Despite Trump's insistence that he saw such celebrations, political fact-checkers across the board have found little to no evidence of any public celebrations after the attacks.
PolitiFact noted that there were several media reports of police inquiries into individuals who were suspected of celebrating the attacks in Jersey City and nearby Paterson, but there is no evidence that these investigations revealed any actual celebrations or resulted in any convictions.
"This defies basic logic," PolitiFact's Lauren Carroll wrote in a "Pants on Fire" ruling.
"If thousands and thousands of people were celebrating the 9/11 attacks on American soil, many people beyond Trump would remember it," Carroll continued. "And in the 21st century, there would be video or visual evidence."
The New York Times said "no news reports exist of people celebrating."
And The Washington Post reached the same conclusion, citing a strongly worded rebuttal of Trump's comments by the then-police commissioner of Paterson.
"Trump has defamed the Muslim communities of New Jersey," Post fact-checker Glenn Kessler wrote. "He cannot simply assert something so damning; he must provide some real evidence or else issue an apology."
Trump, for his part, defended himself again on Monday — and demanded an apology from everyone who had called him wrong. On his Twitter feed, he pointed to a Washington Post story from September 18, 2001:
Donald J. Trump
Via @washingtonpost 9/18/01. I want an apology! Many people have tweeted that I am right! http://wapo.st/1R1siFz
The fact checks addressed that Post story. PolitiFact wrote that it "found no evidence that any of these allegations ever stuck."
The Post, for its part, noted that Trump claimed he saw "thousands" of people celebrating and watched it unfold on television, a scene the piece did not describe. Kessler, the Post's fact-checker, also spoke to one of the 2001 story's reporters, who said it was unclear whether those allegations were ever confirmed.
"I certainly do not remember anyone saying that thousands or even hundreds of people were celebrating," Serge Kolvaleski, one of the reporters, told The Post. “That was not the case, as best as I can remember.”
Other New Jersey public officials have taken issue with Trump's claims.
On Sunday, Mayor Steve Fulop of Jersey City (D) slammed Trump, denying that anyone had cheered in Jersey City after the attacks.
"Trump is plain wrong, and he is shamefully politicizing an emotionally charged issue," Fulop said in a statement. "No one in Jersey City cheered on September 11."
Though his denial of Trump's charges was less terse, Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, one of Trump's Republican presidential rivals, also cast doubt on the real-estate magnate's claims.
"I don't recall that," Christie told a reporter, according to BuzzFeed. "I don't. I mean, listen, I can't say, Matt, I can't say that I have — it was a pretty emotional time for me because, as I've mentioned before, there's family involved, there's friends involved, and so it was a pretty harrowing time."
He added: "I do not remember that. And so, it's not something that was part of my recollection. I think if it had happened, I would remember it. But, you know, there could be things I forget, too. I don't remember that. No."
Many media organizations have appeared exasperated recently by Trump's repeated dismissal of facts.
The Washington Post noted that Trump had gotten more "four Pinocchio" ratings by its fact-checking than any other candidate in the 2016 race. And in a morning newsletter cowritten by "Meet the Press" host Chuck Todd on Monday, NBC News labeled Trump the first "post-truth" candidate.
"It's hard to disagree with the assessment of our colleague Benjy Sarlin," the authors wrote. "'Let's not sugarcoat what's going on. The GOP front-runner is spreading hateful falsehoods about blacks and Muslims.'"
Nato meets as Russia confirms one of two pilots dead after jet shot down - as it happened.
Russia has also now put out its own image in an attempt to counter the radar picture provided earlier by Turkey (See 10.26).
While the Turkish image appeared to show that the Russian jet briefly flew over southern Turkey before it as shot down, Russia’s suggests that there has been no airspace violation.
Warning that we’re headed for the territory surrounding the recriminations over the shooting down last year of a Malaysian airline over Ukraine, Moscow-based Alec Luhn tweets:
Alec Luhn
Russia counters Turkish radar pic with flight map showing no airspace violation. MH17 deniability quagmire detected
We’re going to wind down our live blog coverage of events here for now.
Updated
There has been abundance of images today surrounding the downed Russian jet, which has generated suspicions among some.
Lindsey Hilsum, Channel 4 News International Editor, asks:
Lindsey Hilsum
How come a Turkish TV crew was in the right place, filming in the right direction as Russian plane shot down? Lucky? Or tipped off?
When Putin labeled Turkey “accomplices of terrorists,” he was hinting at complex relationship which includes links between senior Isis figures and Turkish officials, explains the Guardian’s Martin Chulov in this analysis.
Turkey’s international airports have also been busy. Many, if not most, of the estimated 15,000-20,000 foreign fighters to have joined the Islamic State (Isis) have first flown into Istanbul or Adana, or arrived by ferry along its Mediterranean coast.The influx has offered fertile ground to allies of Assad who, well before a Turkish jet shot down a Russian fighter on Tuesday, had enabled, or even supported Isis. Vladimir Putin’s reference to Turkey as “accomplices of terrorists” is likely to resonate even among some of Ankara’s backers.From midway through 2012, when jihadis started to travel to Syria, their presence was apparent at all points of the journey to the border.At Istanbul airport, in the southern cities of Hatay and Gaziantep – both of which were staging points – and in the border villages.Foreigners on their way to fight remained fixtures on these routes until late in 2014 when, after continued pressure from the EU states and the US, coordinated efforts were made to turn them back.
How come a Turkish TV crew was in the right place, filming in the right direction as Russian plane shot down? Lucky? Or tipped off? President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sought to play down tensions with Russia Wednesday after Turkey's downing of a Russian warplane on the Syria border sparked fears among NATO allies of a wider conflict.
Moscow said Russian and Syrian special forces had rescued one of the pilots who ejected from the plane after being shot down early Tuesday but confirmed another was dead, in an incident that threatens to damage relations between two rival players in the Syrian conflict.
Russian President Vladimir Putin reacted furiously to what he described as a "stab in the back committed by accomplices of terrorists", recommending that Russians do not visit Turkey, a key tourist destination.
Turkey said the Russian Su-24 warplane had violated its airspace 10 times within a five-minute period, but Russia insisted it had never strayed from Syrian territory.
The shooting also risks derailing efforts to bring peace to Syria that were gaining tentative momentum following the November 13 Paris attacks claimed by Islamic State militants who control swathes of northern Syria.
Erdogan vowed to always defend Turkish borders but appeared to want to avoid provoking further one of the biggest crises between Russia and a NATO member in recent years.
"We have no intention to escalate this incident. We are just defending our security and the rights of our brothers," Erdogan said in a televised speech in Istanbul.
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Wednesday said his government did not want to fuel tensions with "our friend" Russia.
"We have no intention to strain (ties) with the Russian Federation," Davutoglu told ruling party members in parliament. "Russia is our friend and our neighbour."
US President Barack Obama said Washington's NATO ally Turkey had a right to defend its airspace but said his priority was to make sure the standoff did not escalate.
"Hopefully, this is a moment in which all parties can step back and make a determination as to how their interests are best served," Obama said.
Erdogan and Obama agreed on the need to reduce tensions and prevent a repeat of similar incidents in a phone call late Tuesday, the Turkish presidency said.
Following an extraordinary meeting of the alliance called by Ankara, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said "diplomacy and de-escalation are important to resolve this situation," he said.
- 'Necessary measure' -
The Turkish ambassador to the United Nations Halit Cevik said in a letter to the Security Council that two planes were involved, one of which was shot down while the other left Turkish airspace.
He said both planes had flown 1.36 miles (2.19 kilometres) into Turkish airspace for 17 seconds from 0724 GMT Tuesday.
Ankara and Moscow are already on starkly opposing sides in the over four-year Syrian civil war, with Turkey wanting to see the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad but Russia one of his last remaining allies.
Assad's other key ally Iran also slammed Ankara's behaviour. Turkey's behaviour "sends the wrong message to the terrorists" in Syria, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.
In apparent response to Turkey's move, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said Moscow would be sending its most hi-tech S-400 air defence system to its airbase in Syria.
Russia's Moskva guided missile cruiser will now be stationed near the Syrian Mediterranean port of Latakia, the defence ministry said.
As well as cancelling a visit to Turkey planned for Wednesday, Lavrov warned Russians against travel to the country, which would be a huge blow for the Turkish tourism industry.
Putin Wednesday backed the recommendation as a "necessary measure".
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev accused Turkey of "practically protecting Islamic State (IS) militants", even accusing Turkish officials of benefitting from trade with the jihadists.
There had been fears of such a mid-air incident since Russia launched air strikes in Syria in September, to the consternation of nations already involved in a US-led anti-IS coalition.
Turkey had bitterly condemned Russia's campaign, saying it was aimed at hitting Syrian rebels and buttressing the Assad regime rather than hurting IS jihadists.
- 'One pilot rescued' -
Two Russian pilots were seen on images parachuting to the ground after the shooting down but their fate risked creating further tensions.
Russian military spokesman General Sergei Rudskoi said one had been killed by fire from the ground while Shoigu said the other had been freed by Russian and Syrian special forces and is now at a Russian airbase.
Rudskoi said another soldier had been killed in a failed bid to rescue the pair after one of his squadron's helicopters was damaged by gunfire and had to land. The other members of the squad were successfully evacuated.
Turkey's pro-government press applauded the shooting down, with Ilnur Cevik in Daily Sabah saying the Russian incursion was "the last drop for Turkey to break its silence towards Russia's violence in the region".
However columnist Mehmet Yilmaz in the mainstream Hurriyet daily accused Erdogan of plunging Turkey into a "quagmire", warning of "grave political and economic consequences for Turkey".
The repercussions of the incident also affected global markets with oil prices turning higher and stocks down, with shares in airlines and travel firms particularly hit.
Turkmen rebels say they shot at Russian pilots ejected from downed jet. A deputy commander of rebel Turkmen forces in Syria says his men shot at two Russian pilots after they ejected from their jet, which was downed by Turkey on Tuesday for violating its airspace. He also claims to show parts of a Russian military parachute. Both Russia and its ally, the Syrian government, have carried out strikes in the area where the plane came down
Syria rebels launch rocket attack on rescue helicopter which 'KILLS Russian marine'. A RUSSIAN marine was reportedly killed by Syrian rebels who used an American rocket launcher to BLOW UP a rescue helicopter searching for the pilots of a warplane downed by Turkey.
Footage from private Turkish broadcaster Haberturk TV showed the warplane going down in flames in a woodland area, a long plume of smoke trailing behind it. The plane went down in area known by Turks as "Turkmen Mountain", it said.
Two pilots managed to eject from the jet and were seen landing with the help of parachutes.
The jet is reported to be a Russian Su-24 flown by a pair of Russian pilots, with one believed to have been captured by Syrian rebels from the Alweya Al-Ashar (Brigade of the 10th) which consists of Turkmen with strong links to Turkey.
Russian state media reported that the marine was killed by fighters from the Free Syrian Army rebel group who shelled search and rescue teams hunting for the two stricken airmen.
A stunned reporter broke the news - which will add to growing tensions between Vladimir Putin and Turkey - by saying it "couldn't be any worse".
The shocking revelations come after the militant group released a video showing one of its fighters using an American-made anti-tank gun to destroy a Russian helicopter sent into northern Syria to rescue the pair.
In the disturbing film released by the Free Syrian Army a missile can be seen travelling towards the stricken chopper, which has landed in a mountainous area, before it explodes in a huge fireball.
Moments earlier a single soldier is seen assembling a US manufactured TOW portable anti-tank missile launcher on a hillside before taking aim at the helicopter.
A narrator triumphantly gloats over the top of the video exclaiming "Allahu Akbar" - meaning "God is great" - as the missile hits and mangled wreckage from the craft is blasted into the air.
Earlier the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights said that the search and rescue helicopter had been forced to make an emergency landing after being shot at with a missile by Syrian rebels.
It was not immediately clear whether or not any Russian military personnel were in the helicopter at the time of the explosion. The shocking footage was posted on Twitter by an expert analyst in the Middle East but has not been independently verified.
Maria Finoshina
#BREAKING #Russian marine dead after helicopter hit by shelling while searching for Su-24 pilots downed earlier.When u think it cant B worse
The Russian helicopter had been scrambled to the crash scene to search for survivors after the jet was shot down following 10 warnings in five minutes to leave Turkish airspace, a Turkish military official has said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed that the search and rescue helicopter was placed under fire by Syrian rebels.
The helicopter pilot was forced into a landing after being hit by a rocket fired by rebels.
He was initially thought to be alive but rebels have now said they have recovered both pilots' bodies.
The second pilot is believed to have died in the crash after footage was released by Syrian rebels appearing to show them crowding around a body saying "Allahu Akbar" - God is Great in Arabic.
A Turkish offical said: "The data we have is very clear. There were two planes approaching our border, we warned them as they were getting too close.
"We warned them to avoid entering Turkish airspace before they did, and we warned them many times. Our findings show clearly that Turkish airspace was violated multiple times. And they violated it knowingly," the official said.
A second official said the incident was not an action against any specific country but a move to defend Turkey's sovereign territory within its rules of engagement.
Russia is currently fighting in Syria with President Bashar al-Assad's troops against the rebels and Islamic State (ISIS).
Sources say the brigade has now launched "a counter-offensive" against President Bashar and Russian troops in a bid to take back the Turkman mountains.
France, Belgium widen probe into Paris attacks, Hollande meets with Obama. An investigation into the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris widened on Tuesday when French prosecutors said a man who provided lodging to the suspected ringleader must have known of a militant plot, and Belgium issued a warrant for a new suspect.
Painting a chilling picture of ringleader Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the Paris prosecutor said that after dropping off the gunmen and suicide bombers at the cafes and bars where the attacks were to take place, he later returned to the scene while the killing spree was in full swing.
The coordinated attacks, in which 130 people were killed, prompted France to declare a national state of emergency and to step up air strikes in Syria on Islamic State, the militant group that has claimed responsibility.
President Francois Hollande, seeking to rally global support for the military campaign against Islamic State, met with U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House on Tuesday where they agreed to scale up operations against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.
At a joint news conference, Hollande said he and Obama shared a "relentless determination to fight terrorism anywhere and everywhere."
In Paris, prosecutor Francois Molins said Islamist militants who died during a shootout with police on Nov. 18 had been plotting an attack on the capital's business district. Reuters exclusively reported the plot to attack the district of La Defense on Nov. 18.
Molins said he had put under formal investigation a Frenchman who had provided lodging for Abaaoud and his associates at the apartment in the suburb of St. Denis.
"Jawad Bendaoud himself welcomed the terrorists on Nov. 17 towards 10:45 p.m. He could not have been in any doubt ... that he was taking part in a terrorist organisation," Molins told a news conference.
Bendaoud said that before he was detained by police last Wednesday he had been asked to put up two people for three days in the apartment, but had no idea one of them may have been the suspected mastermind of the Nov. 13 attacks.
Abaaoud died during the police raid along with Hasna Aitboulahcen, a woman believed to be his cousin, and an as yet unidentified third person.
French investigators are still piecing together exactly who did what when and have launched a hunt to find Salah Abdeslam, who is suspected of being the eighth attacker mentioned by Islamic State when it claimed responsibility.
Abdeslam, 26, fled to Belgium the day after the shootings and his presumed presence in Brussels was one of the factors behind a security lockdown in the city over the past few days.
Fearing an imminent Paris-style attack, Belgium has extended a maximum security alert in Brussels until next Monday. About half the stations on its metro system will reopen on Wednesday along with city schools, but 300 additional police officers and 200 soldiers will be deployed.
Belgium has been at the heart of investigations into the attacks since France said two of the suicide bombers in Paris had lived there. Five people, including two who travelled with Abdeslam back to Brussels, have been charged with terrorist offences in Belgium. Abdeslam's brother, Brahim, blew himself up.
Belgium's state prosecutor, in a statement announcing details of other people charged in the case, said on Tuesday it had issued an international arrest warrant for Mohamed Abrini, who was seen with Abdeslam two days before the attacks.
Abrini, 30, was filmed with Abdeslam at a fuel station in northern France on Nov. 11 and was driving the Renault Clio car later used by the attackers in the French capital.
A police wanted poster described Abrini as "dangerous and probably armed".
While major shopping centres in Brussels remained closed on Tuesday, two Ikea furniture stores on the edge of town reopened, along with some of the larger supermarkets in the city.
The Magritte museum remained shut, however, and Brussels had yet to decide whether to open its Christmas market on Friday in the historic Grand Place, where workers have set up stalls with an armoured personnel carrier in the background.
"We are at the time of year when we are supposed to have a lot of people, and increase business," said Brussels toy shop worker Laeticia Shalaj. "People are scared and are afraid of leaving their homes."
Since the Paris killings, France has moved its flagship Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier into the eastern Mediterranean to step up its bombardments of Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq.
France said late on Tuesday its warplanes had destroyed an Islamic State command centre at Tal Afar, some 45 km (28 miles) west of Mosul in Iraq.
After talks with Hollande at the White House, Obama said: "We are here today to declare that the United States and France stand united in total solidarity to deliver justice to these terrorists and those who sent them and to defend our nations."
As millions of Americans prepare to travel for the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday, Obama acknowledged fear among Americans of a Paris-style attack in the United States.
The White House said Obama was set to meet on Wednesday morning with his national security advisers to review the "homeland security posture" of the United States after the Paris attacks and "as we enter the holiday season.
"The president was briefed that there is currently no specific, credible threat to the homeland" from Islamic State, the White House said.
Hollande is due to visit Moscow on Thursday, where he and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to discuss ways of boosting their campaign to crush Islamic State.
EXPLOSIVE BELT?
Tracing Abdeslam's movements since the attacks has been a main focus of the investigations in Paris. An explosive belt was found dumped near the capital on Monday, close to a location where his mobile phone was detected the night after the attacks, the prosecutor said.
Molins said the belt was similar to those used by the bombers during the Nov. 13 attacks, although it was still being established on Tuesday whether the belt was Abdeslam's.
One theory was that Abdeslam had intended to blow himself up in the 18th district of Paris but had abandoned the plan, although it was not clear why. Additional reporting by Chine Labbe, David Clarke and Myriam Rivet in Paris, John Irish and Roberta Rampton in Washington, Miranda Alexander-Webber and Alastair MacDonald in Brussels and Julie Rimbert in Toulouse; Writing by Gareth Jones and Peter Cooney; Editing by David Stamp and Sandra Maler.
In other local news today, Chicago protesters march as police release video of officer shooting teen. Protesters took to the streets of Chicago late Tuesday after police released a graphic dash-cam video showing an officer shooting 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.
McDonald was killed in October 2014. The city's mayor has called for peace.
"I believe this is a moment that can build bridges of understanding rather than become a barrier of misunderstanding. I understand that the people will be upset and will want to protest when they see this video," Mayor Rahm Emanuel said. "We as a city must rise to this moment."
Chicago has been preparing for protests in advance of the video's release, which was ordered by a judge to happen no later than Wednesday.
McDonald was a black teenager. The officer who shot him, Jason Van Dyke, is white.
He was charged Tuesday with first-degree murder in McDonald's death and is being held without bond.
Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy acknowledged that residents "have a right to be angry."
Soon after the video's release, a group of protesters began marching, chanting "16 shots" and "We got to fight back!" McDonald died after being shot 16 times.
The NAACP said that McDonald's family and the community deserve action.
NAACP
The attack on #LaquanMcDonald was horrific and justice cannot go unserved. His family & the community deserve action
"People have a right to be angry, people have a right to protest, people have a right to free speech," McCarthy said. "But they do not have a right to commit criminal acts."
Murder charges
Van Dyke, who turned himself in to authorities Tuesday, is no longer being paid by the Police Department. Until Tuesday, he still worked for the department in a "limited duty position" as investigators probed the October 20, 2014, death.
"It is my determination that this defendant's actions -- of shooting Laquan McDonald when he did not pose an immediate threat of great bodily harm or death, and his subsequent actions of shooting Laquan McDonald while he lay on the ground after previously being struck by gunfire --- were not justified and they were not a proper use of deadly force by this police officer," Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez said to announce charges against the officer.
Her announcement happened one day before the city's deadline to release video that shows the shooting. Until last week, officials had resisted such a release, fearing it could jeopardize investigations. Others said it could spur major protests in reaction to footage that even Van Dyke's attorney admits is "graphic, disturbing and difficult to watch."
Alvarez said the deadline moved up the timing of her announcement but did not dictate her decision to charge the officer with first-degree murder. She also defended the time it took her office to investigate by saying the case is complicated.
"Maintaining public safety is my No. 1 job, and I do not want the public to view this video without knowing this very important context that with these charges we are bringing a full measure of justice that this demands," she said.
Attorney: 'His actions were appropriate'
Authorities say McDonald was armed with a 3-inch knife when Van Dyke confronted him. The teen did not comply with "numerous police orders to drop the knife," the officer's attorney, Daniel Herbert, told the Chicago Tribune.
Herbert has defended Van Dyke's actions, saying the officer "believed he was in fear for an attack and for the safety of anyone else on the scene."
"He's scared to death, but more than himself he's scared for his wife, his two kids," Herbert said of his client before charges were filed. "He knows in his heart of hearts that his actions were appropriate."
Van Dyke, 37, grew up in the Chicago area. He is married and has two children, ages 14 and 9.
The nearly seven-minute video released late Tuesday shows the dash-cam view as a patrol car approaches the scene. About five minutes and 20 seconds in, McDonald is seen running, then walking down a road toward several squad cars with flashing lights.
With his left hand near his pocket, McDonald veers away from two police officers, who have their guns drawn.
Seconds later, McDonald appears to spin around, then falls, writhing as shots keep hitting his body, sending puffs of smoke into the air.
At an afternoon hearing Tuesday, a judge temporarily denied bond for Van Dyke. Judge Donald Panarese Jr. plans to make a final determination on bond during another court hearing set for next Monday, so that he can have time to view the video.
"People viewing this videotape will have the brilliance and benefit of hindsight 20/20 vision," Herbert told reporters, saying the case needs to be tried in court, not in the media or on the streets.
"This is not a murder case, despite what you heard in the courtroom. It's truly not a murder case and we feel that we will be very successful in defending this case," the attorney said.
Pastor: 'Many ... feel betrayed'
According to Alvarez, Van Dyke was on the scene for less than 30 seconds before he started shooting. Citing a motorist who witnessed the shooting, she said that McDonald did not do anything threatening toward Van Dyke and the other responding officers before he was shot.
McDonald appeared to be moving away from the officers, while Van Dyke took at least one step toward McDonald with his weapon drawn, she said. While McDonald was falling to the ground, the officer took at least one more step toward him.
Activists have blasted Van Dyke. Mayor Emanuel joined them, releasing a statement on the charges.
"Across Chicago there are thousands of police officers who protect our communities every day with the highest professional standards. As the State's Attorney made clear, Jason Van Dyke's actions violated those standards and also the moral standards that bind our community together. Rather than uphold the law, he took the law into his own hands, and it's now up to the justice system to hold him accountable," the mayor said.
Emanuel met Monday with activists and community leaders to discuss the release and what it might mean for the city.
The Rev. Ira Acree said the mayor urged him and others to use their influence to ensure that any subsequent demonstrations are peaceful.
"Many in the community feel betrayed," Acree, a pastor at the Greater St. John Bible Church, told reporters after the meeting. "Protests are imminent."
Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass has said the video "could tear Chicago apart."
"Chicago is on the tipping point," the Rev. Roosevelt Watkins said, according to CNN affiliate WLS-TV. "We could be just like Ferguson."
Watkins was referring to Ferguson, Missouri, which imploded in protests and riots after a white police officer shot to death unarmed black teen Michael Brown in 2014. Unrest in the St. Louis suburb lasted for months afterward.
One Twitter user compared McDonald's death to that of Walter Scott, a black man in South Carolina who was killed by an officer after being pulled over, reportedly for a broken brake light, and later struck in the back as he was running away from police.
Johnetta Elzie
I never thought I could see anything worse than the footage of Walter Scott's murder. I was very wrong.
City reaches settlement with family
But what happened in Chicago differs from Ferguson in a few ways.
McDonald was armed, unlike Brown. According to toxicology test results, McDonald had PCP in his system.
And Van Dyke confronted him knowing that McDonald had "punctured a tire on a police car," according to his attorney.
Another major difference is that McDonald's final moments were captured on video.
The city agreed in April to pay $5 million to McDonald's family, though the family had not filed a lawsuit.
McDonald was a ward of the state at the time of his death, according to a spokeswoman with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. A few days before he was killed, DCFS gave him over to the custody of a relative, she said.
She also said that McDonald was the alleged victim in two abuse investigations. One happened in 2000; the other in 2003.
McDonald attended Sullivan House, an alternative school, for about two months, according to the principal there.
Thomas Gattuso remembered McDonald as someone who was outgoing, jovial, talkative and funny. He'd thought about playing basketball and wanted to get his life on track, the principal said.
"We have a tragic ending to -- unfortunately -- a tragic life of a young man, who was betrayed on a number of different levels," said McCarthy, the police superintendent. CNN's Bill Kirkos reported from Chicago, and CNN's Dana Ford and Greg Botelho reported and wrote from Atlanta. CNN's Catherine E. Shoichet, Ashley Fantz, Sonya Hamasaki, Jason Kravarik, Sheena Jones and Joshua Berlinger contributed to this report.
Missing Footage from Laquan McDonald Video: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know.
In addition to the dashcam video of Laquan McDonald‘s shooting that was just released to the public, there was also video recorded from Burger King surveillance cameras that showed what happened leading up to the shooting. Nearly an hour-and-a-half of the video was deleted after police officers reviewed its contents. The video would have covered the time before and after McDonald was shot. Local attorneys say there is no evidence that the footage was tampered with and they’re not sure why it was deleted. Meanwhile, Burger King officials say all the equipment was working fine that night.
Here’s what you need to know.
1. The Security Camera Was Fewer Than 100 Yards from Where McDonald Was Shot
The security camera, part of Burger King’s outdoor surveillance, was located less than 100 yards from where Laquan McDonald was shot 16 times by Jason Van Dyke, NBC Chicago reported. McDonald was just outside the camera’s range when he was actually shot, so the footage would have shown events leading up to the shooting but not the shooting itself. You can watch the dashcam video of the actual shooting here.
2. He Walked Through the Burger King Parking Lot, Followed By Police, Before He Was Shot
On the night that he was shot, McDonald walked through the Burger King parking lot, followed by police officers. The officers arrived after receiving a call about a man with a knife. The missing footage might have shed more light on what happened leading up to the shooting. The initial call that came to the police said McDonald was breaking into trucks and stealing radios near the Burger King. Another police unit responded first and said that McDonald had a knife and he popped a tire on their squad car. Dashcam footage showed McDonald jogging south past the Burger King and waving his right arm, while holding a knife, The Chicago Tribune reported.
Van Dyke shot McDonald six seconds after he left his squad car while McDonald was walking away from him. He shot McDonald 16 times in about 14 seconds and was reloading when another officer told him to hold his fire, The Chicago Tribune reported. Van Dyke’s lawyer said that he feared for his life. Witnesses said they never saw McDonald lunge at the officer or make threatening motions after he was on the ground.
3. About 86 Minutes of Footage Was Deleted, Which Included the Time When McDonald Was Shot
Jay Darshane, a Chicago-area district manager for the local Burger King chain, said that four to five police officers came to him after the shooting and asked to see the footage. He gave them equipment and a password to access the surveillance videos. They left three hours later and the next day, Independent Police Review Authority arrived to watch the security footage. That’s when they discovered that 86 minutes were missing, NBC Chicago reported. The missing time was from 9:13 to 10:39 p.m. McDonald was shot around 9:50 p.m.
Darshane said that the cameras and video recorder were all working fine that night.
Laquan McDonald: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
The city of Chicago settled a lawsuit for $5 million with the family of Laquan McDonald, a teen shot by police 16 times in 2014. The FBI is still investigating.
4. The Cook County State’s Attorney Said There Was No Evidence of Tampering
Anita Alvarez, Cook County State’s Attorney, said that after forensic testing was done on the footage, there was no evidence that anyone had tampered with the video, NBC Chicago reported. However, Alvarez did not say who performed the forensic testing. The Independent Police Review Authority also said the same thing, after finding the footage was missing:
We have no credible evidence at this time that would cause us to believe CPD purged or erased any surveillance video.”
5. What Was on the Missing Video Remains a Mystery
ABC 7 Chicago
Protesters blocking South Loop intersection following Laquan McDonald video release. ... http://abc7.ws/1XpvRoy
What was on the Burger King footage remains a mystery. Dashcam video of the actual shooting was released to the public on Tuesday, November 24. McDonald was shot by police officer Jason Van Dyke 16 times on October 20, 2014. Van Dyke was indicted for first-degree murder on Tuesday. Hundreds of protesters gathered on Chicago streets Tuesday night to protest the shooting and McDonald’s lost life.
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