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Sony Streaming Movie; Hackers Break into Systems; Missouri Shooting; Author Interviews ISIS Fighters

Aired December 24, 2014 - 14:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: And here we go. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thank you so much for being here with me here.

You know, we want to begin with this. If the threats from some North Korean hackers didn't scare you and the power of free speech compelled you to run out and snap up Christmas Day tickets to the year's most controversial movie, well, we have some news for you. You won't be able to - you won't be the first to catch it. Sony has just decided to release "The Interview" today. And you won't even have to leave your house to watch it. It is available right now for purchase on YouTube, Google Play, Microsoft's xBox video and at a price cheaper than what you will pay at those independent movie theaters, who just got the green light to screen the film tomorrow.

So let's talk about this with CNN's Pamela Brown and also let's begin on the phone, I have Brian Stelter, CNN senior media correspondent, host of "Reliable Sources," who has been breaking news all over the place on this one.

So, Brian Stelter, to you. You know, some of my producers and writers have actually been trying to go online, have had some troubles trying to get on to watch this film. What are you hearing about the rollout here online?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: It's going OK, Brooke, but there is a lot of interest in it. Some websites are faring better than others. YouTube seems to be faring pretty well, for example, but Sony also created its own website for this. They call it seetheinterview.com, as if it was some gigantic special event, which I guess that it is. And that website has had a hard time staying online, presumably because a lot of people are trying to access it all at the same time.

BALDWIN: So let me just read this tweet. You know, Seth Rogen and James Franco have been all a twitter over this and so this is the latest from Seth Rogen. "I need to say that a comedy is best viewed in a theater full of people. So, if you can, I'd watch it like that, or call some friends over."

So, Pam Brown, to you. I mean they're obviously still pushing the theater option. What has been the reaction? I talked to a theater owner, you know, yesterday out of Charleston, South Carolina, and he told me he wasn't too worried about this online release. What have others said to you?

PAMELA BROWN, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, we spoke to a theater owner, Westin Cinema, in D.C., and he basically is just focused on the fact that he's showing the movie tomorrow, on Christmas Day, and he's excited about it. In fact, they have been inundated with calls and all of the tickets are sold out for tomorrow, Brooke, for this movie at this particular theater. And so they're thinking about adding more showings of it tomorrow and moving forward. So that just gives you an idea of the response, how people are responding to the fact that these theaters are stepping up to the plate and showing the movie after the major movie chains backed out initially last weekend after we heard that announcement from Sony that they won't be releasing it. Now this huge turn of events just in the past 24 hours and there has been an outpouring. I think for a lot of people it's a way to take a stand for free speech. I think that's what's driving a lot of this. And just pure curiosity too after all the hype over this movie, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Totally. I keep saying this over and over and over, but you can't buy this kind of buzz. I mean who - who would have thunk -

BROWN: Yes.

BALDWIN: That, you know, the notion of holding onto one of these, you know, ticket stubs or movie posters will probably bring in a dollar or two.

Brian Stelter, what about, though, in terms of cold hard cash, you know, if you have people watching this online, what kind of profits will Sony now make from this?

STELTER: Yes. You know, you've heard of turning lemons into lemonade. This is turning controversy into cash. You know, they're charging $6 to rent it, $15 to buy it. So, imagine, if you got a few million people renting this movie, you're talking about serious money.

The fact that the president of the United States has weighed in, in the past hour, is so telling, Brooke. I mean it shows how wild this story has been. The White House issued a statement saying the president welcomes the news that people will be able to decide for themselves whether to see this movie and it goes on to say, he appreciates Sony's work on this. You know, last week he criticized Sony, said they made a mistake by canceling. So clearly he's now showing some support.

And the most important line in his statement is this one. "With today's announcement, people can now make their own choices about the film and that's how it should be." Brooke, a lot of people don't care about this movie. The point is that people now have the choice. It hasn't been censored or restricted by outside hackers.

BALDWIN: All right, true.

Pam, finally to you. You know, when this goes into wider release tomorrow, right, at some of these cities and some of these municipalities, are people at all taking precaution? I mean are security measures, is that even something they're thinking about at all?

BROWN: Absolutely it is. And, in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if you see police officers at some of these theaters where the movie will be showing. We know that police departments have been in coordination with some of these theaters and the FBI has as well. In fact, there was a notice sent out last night, Brooke, after the news came out that these theaters would be showing the movie asking cyber task forces and joint terrorism task force agents to team up and reach out to some of these theaters and educate them on what the possible threat may be and talk to them about some of the safeguards they can put into place to ensure that they're safe and the movie goers are safe, those who want to go see the movie tomorrow, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Pamela Brown, thank you very much. Brian Stelter, on the phone with me on this Christmas Eve, my thanks to both of you.

And North Korea, highly suspected in this Sony hack, we've talked about that. The Internet in that country has gone down and this is all just days after President Obama warned, you remember, in that end of the year news conference of this proportional response from his administration for this act of cyberterrorism. But how exactly did hackers break into Sony's computer system? Tom Foreman has that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Take him out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You want us to kill the leader of North Korea?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What?

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A hack, such as the one on Sony, can start with a list of names like the credits for a film, only this list would be of employees. Hackers would scrutinize that list for people who work on the targeted company's computer network, sorting out their relationships with information from FaceBook and LinkedIn and even figuring out which projects they're involved with. Security specialist Alex Mcgeorge helps companies understand how it works.

ALEX MCGEORGE, SECURITY SPECIALIST: Once you've got a list of people that you think are going to have this level of access, that's who you then target for spearfishing.

FOREMAN: Spearfishing is when a hacker sends an e-mail to a specific person that seems to be coming from a legitimate colleague.

FOREMAN (on camera): And I look at it and because it's from someone I know, I open the e-mail. Not only that, because the subject makes sense, I then click on the attachment and that's critical, right?

MCGEORGE: Right. So now you're going to a webpage that I designed and it's, as you'll notice, as it renders here, it's going to look legitimate. FOREMAN (voice-over): But that website is installing malicious

software. And in seconds, the target's computer is under the hacker's control.

FOREMAN (on camera): Oh, look at that.

MCGEORGE: That is your desktop.

FOREMAN: And now my computer is showing up on your computer.

MCGEORGE: Exactly right.

FOREMAN: And you can see exactly what I'm up to.

MCGEORGE: Exactly right.

FOREMAN (voice-over): The hacker can read e-mails, look at projects, reports, budgets, pictures, even record your every key stroke.

MCGEORGE: So in realtime, I see exactly what you're typing on your screen. And this is how we get passwords.

FOREMAN: This is a simple version of what appears to have been a much more elaborate scheme in the case of Sony.

MICHAEL LYNTON, CEO, SONY ENTERTAINMENT: Both the FBI and (INAUDIBLE), the experts who we brought in, basically said that the malware was so sophisticated that 90 percent of American businesses would have fallen prey to what happened to us.

FOREMAN: And yet the cost of this hack may ultimately prove much harder to calculate.

Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Tom, thank you so much.

Coming up here on CNN, U.S. strikes against ISIS take a terrifying turn. Militants capture a pilot, part of this U.S.-led coalition, after his plane went down over Syria. What this means for the fight against ISIS moving ahead.

And next, another deadly officer involved shooting and even more protests, but as the mayor of the city points out, look at the facts. Folks, this is not Ferguson. The officer had a gun pointed directly at him and the whole thing was caught on tape. We will talk to the mayor of Berkeley, Missouri, who will set the facts straight, right after the break.

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BALDWIN: You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

Let me quote someone from you. We are different from Ferguson. That is the word today from the Berkeley, Missouri, mayor in wake of this officer-involved shooting in his city involving this 18-year-old African-American man who was armed. We'll talk to that mayor here live on CNN in just a few minutes.

But let me back up. The shooting unfolded just before midnight in a town just miles from Ferguson, Missouri. It happened at a gas station. Police say the officer was responding to a shoplifting call. This officer encountered these two men, one of whom pulled out a gun and pointed it at the officer.

And there is surveillance video. Here it is. I know it's tough to make out. We've spotlighted it for you. This is from the gas station. And this is when you can see the officer opening fire, about three rounds, killing the suspect. Killing that suspect.

Then the anger and the protest. People set off smoke bombs and threw bricks at the crowd of officers. About 200 to 300 people gathered there. Multiple arrests. Reports of property damage. At least two officers were injured.

CNN has also learned the officer was not wearing his assigned body camera.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF JON BELMAR, ST. LOUIS COUNTY POLICE: The officer also had a body cam, but he didn't get that assigned to him at roll call today, or last night, and it was handed off to him during his shift. And because of that, from talking to him briefly, he said that right when it was handed to him he was doing something at the time. He clipped it somewhere in the car. He didn't put it on. And the next thing you know, you're here. I think it talks a little bit about sometimes the imperfection of some of the technology that we have and the fact that we're not used to it all the time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: I want to go straight to Berkeley, Missouri, to George Howell.

And, George, as I mentioned, we'll be talking to the mayor and I'll have him explain specifically why this is not, you know, Ferguson. But to you, as far as facts, as far as what happened at that gas station, police say they have identified that teenager who shot - who was shot and killed?

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They are not releasing a name at this point. But, yes, Brooke, they do believe they understand how this happened. How is it different from Ferguson? Well, you know, with what happened in Ferguson, there was no videotape. In this case, we do have video. We see the surveillance video. The police put that out this morning.

And in that video you see - and we've blown it up as best we can so that you can see. But two people with the police officer. You see one person pointing something, looks to be a weapon, at the police officer. They freeze the tape there. That is part of the investigation here. Obviously, they want to understand exactly what led up to this. We know the officer was doing his job that night, basically responding here to this gas station and a report of shoplifting. And that's when this transpired.

So, look, we are just two miles from Ferguson. Any time something like this happens, especially here, the epicenter of, you know, a lot of the unrest, the protests that we've seen here over the last several months, any time something like this happens, people are going to want to get answers. They want to know what happened. And the tensions can be high. That's what we saw last night. But as we are learning more about this, and we're looking at videotape that tells the story, you know, that's really where people are focusing their attention right now.

BALDWIN: We showed the video. This is my final follow-up to you. You know, we showed the video of the unrest and the tossing of bricks and really the violent crowd that swarmed where you are. And I'm curious if it's just daylight, if those people have gone away. I see some people over your left shoulder. I mean do you sense that people understand the facts of this case?

HOWELL: I think that - you know, my best way to answer that is to explain my interaction with the family this morning. And their attitude is this. They want the facts. They want to know what happened. They're looking very closely at that video. They said that they're going to wait to withhold judgment. But, look, they're hurting. They lost a son. They lost a son on Christmas Eve. This is a tragedy for them. But they are also waiting to see what happened. One relative said, look, if he was right, he's right. If he was wrong, he's wrong. They're waiting to see how all of this plays out, Brooke.

BALDWIN: George Howell, thank you very much.

We're going to stay in Berkeley here. We know the mayor of Berkeley, Missouri, who is African-American, he says this violent incident cannot be compared to Ferguson. He said the city's police force is culturally sensitive and more than represents the racial makeup of the city.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR THEODORE HOSKINS (D), BERKELEY, MISSOURI: We have a majority of black officers in our city, OK? The mayor is black. The city manager's black. The finance director is black. The police chief is black. In a city that's 85 percent black, we have a majority police department, OK? So our experience is different from a city that has 50 out of 53 police officers.

Our police officers are more sensitive and it's because of the black and white relationship and it's because they interact and they have a majority of black policeman. So you get a better understanding. And that's why I believe that we're different from the city of Ferguson. In addition, there was no video in the city of Ferguson.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BALDWIN: That was the mayor from earlier today. We now have Mayor Theodore Hoskins joining me live from Berkeley.

Mr. Mayor, welcome.

MAYOR THEODORE HOSKINS (D), BERKELEY, MISSOURI: Thank you for having me this evening.

BALDWIN: Let me begin -- we just heard you in that news conference earlier outlining the myriad of reasons why what happened at that gas station behind you is different from what happened just a couple miles down the road in August. Do you get the sense, though, that people in your community are listening, that they understand what happened there is not the same as what happened in Ferguson?

HOSKINS: I believe they do. There's a distinct difference between what occurred in Ferguson and what's happening in Berkeley, although the similarities are that we have two black teenagers killed by two white policemen. However, if you review the tape and the video of the one that occurred last night, you'll see that the victim initiated this by pointing a gun at the policeman before he fired and I've reviewed that video.

BALDWIN: Let's talk about the video because you have looked at the video I'm sure much more closely than any of us have. Explain to me - I want to hear you explain what exactly happened because I know that this officer responded to this call of shoplifting, runs into these, you know, two gentlemen, and at one point was it the officer who stumbled? Explain what happened.

HOSKINS: No, no, no. This is what occurred. These two individuals left the Mobil Station and they were walking southbound and the policeman pulled up and they walked to the policeman's car and then one walked away and then he turned around briskly and pointed a pistol at the policeman. The policeman stumbled backward and fired as he was going down.

BALDWIN: And so thus shooting and killing this 18 year old. You know, to the correspondent's point a moment ago, you know, let the facts -- there are the facts, but then, of course, it's a tragedy for this one family. I'm wondering if you've had a chance to speak with the family of the young man whose life was lost on Christmas Eve?

HOSKINS: No - no, I haven't. No, I haven't. I intend to do that before the evening ends. We, first of all, are trying to identify all his family members before we release.

BALDWIN: Mayor Hoskins, what about this issue with the body cam that was supposed to be on this police officer and apparently the dash cam in the patrol car wasn't on. Does that concern you?

HOSKINS: Right, right, right. We only have three body cams and the reason we're in the process of training our officers and setting up ordinances of procedures how they are to utilize those body cams. Unfortunately, we have not completed our training, but I expect to do that within the next couple of months. BALDWIN: Let me end with this, as I have covered them myself, the

protests around the country in the wake of what happened a couple of miles away from you, in the wake of what happened in New York, but then again, as you've outlined, this is so, so very different. And if there are some who want to take this as the latest case, you know, of police brutality and want to take to the streets in their communities tonight, what is your message to them?

HOSKINS: Well, my position is, I will not tolerate brutality of any policeman on our citizens. And to the residents, I want -- this is what I want them to be assured and rest assured that I will investigate this independently and make a complete report to the community.

BALDWIN: All right. Mayor Theodore Hoskins, in Berkeley, Missouri, sir, I appreciate you spending some time with me this afternoon. Thank you.

HOSKINS: And I appreciate you having me.

BALDWIN: Coming up, just a couple days ago, the comedic satire, "The Interview," was canceled with no release in sight. Flash forward 24 hours and you can watch it without leaving your home. What happened?

And a bride to be faced a heart-breaking cancer prognosis. She thought she would never be married, but apparently the guy on the left-hand side of your screen here had different plans. We'll tell you what happened. Something that neither of them ever expected.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Bloodied and frightened. You're about to see a picture of a man who's a fighter pilot - here he is -- from Jordan. His plane crashed. The men smiling here are ISIS fighters. They claim they shot this plane down. A senior U.S. official says so far there are no indications this Jordanian plane was shot down whatsoever. So this could mean the plane may have crashed for other reasons. We're, obviously, looking into that and trying to get some answers.

But we are now getting a glimpse into what life is like inside of these ISIS controlled territories from a man who had this terrifying task to walk along ISIS terrorists, to interview them, to share meals with them, to live with them, all the while fearing that at any moment they could take his life. But that is precisely what this German author and journalist did. CNN's Fredrik Pleitgen sat down with him.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDRIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's an extremely rare glimpse into the inner workings of the most dangerous terrorist organization in the world. German author Juergen Todenhoefer managed to visit ISIS territory both in Iraq and in Syria.

JUERGEN TODENHOEFER, JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR: They are only one percent - it's a 1 percent movement in the Islamic world. But this one percent movement has the power of a nuclear tsunami. It's incredible. I was so amazed. I was - I was - I couldn't understand it, this enthusiasm.

PLEITGEN: Todenhoefer spent several days in Mosul, Iraq's second biggest city conquered by ISIS in June. He even visited with mosque where ISIS head Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi gave a speech earlier this year. He also met with child soldiers.

TODENHOEFER: How old are you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE, (through translator): I am 13.

PLEITGEN: Todenhoefer even managed to get access to a Kurdish prisoner in the hands of the extremists.

TODENHOEFER: What did they tell you? What will happen to you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Our captain said that we have Islamic State fighters imprisoned with the Kurdish regional government. You are prisoners here and we will trade you back for our fighters. They didn't say they would kill or slaughter.

PLEITGEN: Todenhoefer says people living in ISIS controlled areas are in fear of the harsh penalties for infringement of the stringent laws, but there's also a sense of order and stability. According to Todenhoefer, fighters say they often manage to defeat much larger armies, like the Iraqi military, because they're not afraid to die.

TODENHOEFER: It took you how many days to conquer? Four days.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We didn't kill 24, but we killed a score of them. So they got terrified and ran away. We don't retreat. We only fight and God almighty will victor us. Those have reverted from Islam do not have a solid ideology, so they ran away. They came to fight for the tyrant, fight for money.

PLEITGEN: During battle he learned many of the ISIS fighters wear suicide vests, willing to blow themselves up rather than be captured. In one interview, a senior ISIS fighter warns the U.S. and Europe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We will conquer Europe some day. It's not a question of us wanting to. We will. We'll kill 150 million, 200 million, 500 million. We don't care about the number.

PLEITGEN: Atrocities ISIS has already committed suggest they're serious about their threats. This German author's visit to the Islamic State shows a brutal, merciless group, but also one that won't go away any time soon.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Munich, Germany.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Coming up here on CNN, and take my word for it as my flight last night was canceled. Holiday travel is no joke this year. People are lining up at airports and train stations hoping to spend Christmas with friends and family and the weather is not cooperating one bit. And, I am so excited to bring you this next story. This young - this young couple. This young woman was told she had merely weeks to live and then flash forward, there is an incredible discovery. Her health is improving. And this couple threw a little surprise gathering, but there's much more to it than that. We'll talk to them live, coming up.

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