News Wrap: ‘We have your backs,’ says Obama in open letter to cops

Read the Full Transcript

• HARI SREENIVASAN:

  And in other news: The White House released an open letter from President Obama to law enforcement officers. In it, he again condemned attacks on police, and said — quote — "We have your backs."

  He echoed that message today after a briefing with FBI Director James Comey and Attorney General Loretta Lynch, among others.

  BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States: I strong believe that there's no contradiction between us protecting our officers, honoring our officers, making sure that they have all the tools that they need to do their jobs safely, and building trust between police officers and departments and the communities that they serve.

• HARI SREENIVASAN:

  Administration officials are also under pressure to illuminate the White House in blue light to honor police officers.

  Meanwhile, a policeman was killed in Kansas City, Kansas, today. Officials say he was gunned down as he approached possible suspects in an earlier shooting.

  There's word that American-led airstrikes in Northern Syria killed scores of civilians today. Opposition activists say at least 56 died in air raids aimed at Islamic State forces. They pounded villages near the ISIS stronghold of Manbij. In addition to the dead, dozens were wounded. A news agency linked to the militants said the death toll was closer to 160.

  ISIS claimed responsibility today for last night's rampage on a train in Germany. The group posted video of the attacker, an Afghan refugee vowing to take revenge on infidels. He was killed by police near Wurzburg after slashing passengers.

  Rohit Kachroo of Independent Television News reports.

• ROHIT KACHROO:

  He calls himself a soldier of the caliphate and promises attacks in every village and city, and with a knife in his hand, he says he's preparing for a suicide mission. It was a knife and an axe that he used to slash passengers on an intercity train last night, shouting "God is great."

• GERHARD KALLERT, Regional Police President (through translator):

  We have some very badly injured people, five in total.

• ROHIT KACHROO:

  And yet intelligence services have concluded there was no evidence of direct contact between him and I.S.

  The interior minister said a text in Pashto was found that was partly written in Arabic characters, partly in Latin characters, which indicates that this could be someone who was self-radicalized recently.

  A jihadist made in his bedroom, home alone, they thought, he traveled to Germany on his own. This morning, an I.S. flag was found in his room.

  This was his home until a fortnight ago, at an accomadation center where he lived alongide dozens of other refugees. What counterterrorism officers are here trying to understand is, what happened inside this place and what happened afterwards?

  This attack has reignited old debates here about terrorism and about migration. Hundreds of thousands of people have made a similar journey as this attacker, only one has chosen his same path.

• HARI SREENIVASAN:

  German officials say two of the five wounded victims have life-threatening injuries.

  Back in this country, longtime FOX News chair and CEO Roger Ailes is reportedly on his way out, in the face of sexual harassment claims. NPR reports he's being ousted, and The New York Times says buyout talks are in the advanced stages. The Daily Beast says he will get at least a $40 million paycheck. Former FOX anchor Gretchen Carlson has sued Ailes, alleging he made advances and then fired her when she complained. Ailes denies it.

  In economic news, the International Monetary Fund warned that Britain's departure from the European Union will cut into global growth this year and next. At the same time, it said the U.S. and Chinese economies won't sustain much damage.

  And on Wall Street today, the Dow Jones industrial average gained 26 points to close at 18559. But the Nasdaq fell 19 points, and the S&P 500 slipped three.