My colleague, Debra Cohen, was a "talking head" on CNN earlier today.
She appeared in a segment with CNN Newsroom anchor Brooke Baldwin.
While we currently don't have a link to the video, a transcript of the appearance follows.
(Congrats, Deb!)
# # #
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:15:00]
BALDWIN: First Chicago officer to be charged in more than 40 years for killing someone while on the job pleaded not guilty in court today.
And before Jason Van Dyke faced the judge this morning, he heard some punishing words from protesters as he was walking on into court.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: Who is the reporter that...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: OK. Investigators say the victim, 17-year-old Laquan McDonald, was carrying a 4-inch knife when the officer, Van Dyke, shot him 16 times in 15 seconds in October of last year.
Van Dyke is charged with six counts of first-degree murder and one charge of official misconduct. Release of the video of McDonald's death has led to some protests, some high-level firings and the police agency reforms in Chicago.
Let's go straight to Chicago to our correspondent there, Rosa Flores, and also with me here in New York, I have civil rights attorney Debra Cohen.
So, thank you both for joining me.
And first to you, Rosa, there in Chicago. Tell me about what happened in court today.
ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, hi, Brooke.
The actual arraignment took moments. And, of course, we that Jason Van Dyke pleaded guilty to those murder charges and the charge of misconduct as well. And pretrial motions were set for a month from today to January 29. But a few other topics also came up.
First of all, from Laquan McDonald's family, they were asking for a fair trial and they would like cameras in the courtroom. That's not the norm in Illinois, but now those motions are going to take place, and Laquan's family asking for cameras to be in the courtroom. And you and I know how powerful that can be, the image of both the defendant and the entire process, because we have seen so much about this video.
Now, the other thing, the topic in question is a possible change of venue. As of now, Jason Van Dyke's attorney saying that he doesn't plan to make that motion. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANIEL HERBERT, ATTORNEY FOR JASON VAN DYKE: We're certainly going to explore every possibility that we have which gives my client the best opportunity for a fair trial. And if we make a decision that the change of venue is something needed in order for my client to get a fair trial, then we will absolutely explore that option.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FLORES: Now, Brooke, I want to take you into the courtroom for just a moment, because, of course, we have seen that video of Jason Van Dyke walking into the courthouse and protesters around him screaming things at him.
We have always seen him with a very stoic face. Today, for the very first time -- now, we get to see him inside the overflow room, where he has to wait like everyone else for the judge to call him up. For the first time, actually saw him interact with someone, break a smile. He looked like he was joking a bit with an individual who was in the court with him.
That's the first time that I have seen it since we started covering this proceeding. And so that just comes to show what you can see if you're actually able to see the trial on television, if cameras are allowed inside. So, those are the kind of behind-the-scenes pictures, video that the family is hoping that everyone can see.
BALDWIN: We mentioned a moment ago this officer was greeted by -- greeted, I say that halfheartedly -- by protesters as he's walking in the court. Let's try that video again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Couldn't wait to shoot a black man. You couldn't wait to shoot an unarmed black man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So with that, Debra, let me just bring you in, because it was the video, right, it was the video of the 16 shots fired that was finally released.
And my question to you would be what would be sort of the first line of defense if you're defending this officer? I imagine discrediting the video altogether. How?
DEBRA COHEN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Well, officer Van Dyke took Laquan McDonald's life on a Chicago street, and now officer Van Dyke and his lawyer are fighting for his life within the Chicago courtroom.
And keep in mind that a courtroom is -- as opposed to the court of public opinion, a courtroom is a very intimate place. And so while the video may be the most critical piece of evidence and the defense lawyer is going to want to essentially slow it down frame by frame to try to convince the jury or the judge, if there isn't a jury, that there are things that were happening that the video is not showing clearly.
BALDWIN: The intangibles.
(CROSSTALK)
COHEN: And fill in the gaps and try to make the officers fear for his life or the life of others at the hands of Mr. McDonald seem to be a reasonable fear.
[15:20:00]
And one of the things that the defense lawyer is going to do is essentially start stage managing, if you will, the courtroom before the trial even gets under way...
BALDWIN: How do you mean?
COHEN: ... before the video is even shown.
(CROSSTALK)
COHEN: He's going to be -- they are going to be very aware of how their client is dressed, the facial expressions that he has. Your reporter was just talking about someone observing him cracking a smile.
I think the defense lawyer is going to counsel his client to be aware of the fact that if certainly there's a jury, that a jury in a courtroom is watching every move that the lawyer and the defendants make. So be very careful about your affect.
BALDWIN: And the fact that Laquan McDonald's family want the cameras in a courtroom, which isn't done in the state of Illinois, even on sort of this level of court. Do you think that that may be something that they would grant?
COHEN: It's possible.
We do have a belief in this country that trials are supposed to be open, that people have a right to know. There are concerns whenever particularly there's a police shooting case about the transparency and the integrity of the process.
I'm not sure that from, the officer's point of view, cameras in the courtroom would necessarily be the worst thing in the world, depending on how effective his lawyer can be in humanizing him and to making the people -- helping the people watch the trial stand in his shoes at the moment that he is shot.
I think the biggest challenge that his defense lawyer is going to have is not necessarily the first few shots that the officer fired, but the shots, numerous shots that were fired once Mr. McDonald was on the ground.
BALDWIN: Debra Cohen, thank you.
COHEN: Thank you.
BALDWIN: We will be covering it thoroughly.
Rosa Flores, thank you as well.
Now to this. The U.S.-led coalition says an ISIS leader connected to the Paris attacks has been killed in an airstrike, we're told the Syrian-based member of ISIS with a direct link to the ringleader of the attacks ....