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Legal View with Ashleigh Banfield

Two Yemeni Nationals Face Charges In U.S. For Conspiring To Murder Americans Abroad; Yemen's Presidential Palace Now Firmly In Control; Inside the FBI Operation That Foiled Plot To Attack U.S. Congress; Russian Spy Ship Docked In Havana; Preview Of Upcoming Season Of "Inside Man"

Aired January 20, 2015 - 12:30   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN HOST: Breaking news now from CNN. Two Yemeni nationals are now facing charges in the United States for conspiring to murder Americans abroad.

We've got our hands on the court documents, and they say the men were initially arrested in Saudi Arabia, but they're here now in the U.S. And their alleged criminal behavior dates back to 2003 and 2009 when they are said to have met with a senior Al-Qaeda leader.

One of the men has already appeared before a magistrate here in the United States. The other, expected to appear in New York before a magistrate today. We'll continue to update you on those cases there.

And also this hour, we are closely monitoring the rapidly deteriorating situation in Yemen. The presidential palace there is now firmly in control of Shiite rebels. Yemen's Minister of Information said, and this is a quote, "a completion of a coup," adding that the president has no control.

We have some photos that show the aftermath of today's attacks near the palace and it is a mess. Cars burned out, buildings in rubble, gunfire, gun smoke.

Joining in now live from Yemen is CNN senior international correspondent Nick Paton Walsh. He was the only western TV journalist who is reporting live inside this country right now.

I've a lot to ask you about. But first, the significance of this group of people that has now overtaken the government there, the Houthis. Who are they and what do they mean to the United States?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Houthis are said to have backing from Iran which they deny, financial and military backing. They've really gotten access together in the past few months.

They really began, well, a number of years ago. This is a long- running dispute with the government here that began as the Houthi family tribe who increasingly gathered support, different political, tribal, militia groups aligning -- affiliating with them and it become very successful in the past few months in retaking ground in Yemen.

They moved into the capital of Sanaa where they set up check points towards the end of last year. Some say they instilled a sense of order that hadn't been here for a while but of course soon, targeted by Al-Qaeda who are then sort of Sunni enemy here. They are predominantly Shia, the Houthis, and of course, now increasingly adjusting against the administration, the government here for some share in power here.

Now they had managed to reach a deal last year with the administration which then involved a new constitution coming in, but they kidnapped the president chief of staff 72 hours ago and said they wanted that constitution stopped or altered because they did not approve of it.

They sensibly want a larger say for themselves. They feel marginalized. They are predominantly Shia as I say and that's making many concern with the conflict here like many conflicts across Middle East is falling into Sunni, Shia sectarian lines. But sensibly, it's unclear many analysts say if they want a grip on power as in a face in charge of the administration, whether they want to put one of their people as the president or whether they simply want to be sure that they have enough influence of the government here that it effectively does what they say.

That's what some particularly presidential officials say the show of force in the streets is all about, explaining to people they simply will get their way regardless the political situation.

I should point out that we haven't heard from the Houthis today. They say they were attacked first yesterday and they also say it's fair that the constitutions should reflect more of their needs. Ashleigh.

BANFIELD: All right, our Nick Paton Walsh reporting live for us. Be careful, you and your crew, Nick.

And we should remind you that there are several hundred employees at the U.S. Embassy in Yemen and the United States is making plans if need be to make a rapid evacuation of those several hundred people. There are two warships now. CNN has learned that it moved into the Red Sea, the USS Iwo Jima and the USS Fort McHenry are in position and there are plans in the works to either do an air evacuation or a commercial air evacuation depending on the circumstances on the ground. We'll continue to watch that for you.

We're switching gears now to would-be terrorist in the United States. We have some remarkable hidden camera video. That man living in the United States learning to handle a MAC-10 machine pistol because he allegedly wants to use it in an attack against the U.S. Capitol

The video is part of an FBI sting operation you will not believe what the Fed's got on this guy. What he said to them and how much of it is actually on tape. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: The arrest of an Ohio man allegedly plotting an ISIS- inspired attack on the United States Capitol sent shock waves across the country last week.

Twenty-year-old Christopher Lee Cornell is now facing charges of attempting to kill U.S government officials. And although he's been labeled a lone wolf, he was certainly not the only terrorist suspect to be caught up in an FBI undercover sting. In fact, many of us will say, oh to be a fly on the wall in some of those operations.

And now you're about to get the change because Susan Candiotti here at CNN is about to take you inside an FBI operation that foiled another plot to attack the U.S Congress and big.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The video is convincing watch the man seating in the front seat.

AMINE EL KHALIFI: I've thought about this long, long time.

CANDIOTTI: A hidden camera rolling inside a car Amine El Khalifi sounds like his mind's made up.

EL KHALIFI: Listen, I'm going to go alone you're not going to go with me. I'm going to put it everything in my body, I'm going to go inside like a real place, maybe its Capitol or somewhere with --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No man.

EL KHALIFI: -- many people.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then I will die (ph).

EL KHALIFI: I want to see...

CANDIOTTI: A rare frightening look inside the mind of a would-be suicide bomber. Ready to strap on a vest with explosives and blow himself up at the U.S. Capitol. A lone wolf stopped by an FBI undercover sting.

ANDREW MCCABE, FBI ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: The difference here is not just the clear intent to strike us here, but the pursuit of the capability to be able to conduct that attack. And I think the tape shows that very well.

CANDIOTTI: El-Khalifi, an unemployed D.J. seeking revenge on the U.S. for its war on terror. He's convinced God's telling him to kill.

EL-KHALIFI: This is not about (inaudible), it's about Allah. This is not about, you know, us anymore. It's about Allah.

CANDIOTTI: El-Khalifi is in a hurry. The Moroccan national is living illegally in U.S. dealing with assault charges.

EL-KHALIFI: I'm done, I'm done my work is done in this life ends up.

CANDIOTTI: Willing to die, he's inside the store buying nails for shrapnel for his body bomb. Bragging about the size of the nails, excited about the damage he can do.

EL-KHALIFI: Thick ones, I got thick one. Not thin ones. The one who's going to make damage, right?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm doubly nervous, man. Hell man.

CANDIOTTI: Again, he brings up his target, the U.S. Congress.

EL-KHALIFI: I want to go somewhere where there are some suits, those with suits.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hell no.

EL-KHALIFI: It's just that --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maybe (inaudible) them.

EL-KHALIFI: I want those people.

CANDIOTTI: Undercover agents drive El-Khalifi to a landfill setting up a test bomb for his suicide vest. Back inside the car, undercover agent using a cellphone show him how easy it is to detonate a bomb.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to call it, you're going to call it. It's called that. Let me just hit OK, and one and get it to done.

CANDIOTTI: He gives him the phone and moments later.

EL-KHALIFI: Whoa.

CANDIOTTI: The time is getting closer.

EL-KHALIFI: I'm not thinking about anything.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.

EL-KHALIFI: Nothing. I have my decision. I've seen some stuff in my dreams.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's it.

CANDIOTTI: And his dream includes shooting anyone who gets in his way. In a hotel room with undercover agents he practices with a MAC- 10.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You hold the trigger it's going to (inaudible) and then you can hold it tightly, hold it tight. It doesn't take much, it doesn't fire (ph).

EL-KHALIFI: You just point, aim and shoot?

CANDIOTTI: Ready to target the Capitol, El-Khalifi drives a D.C. garage, puts on what he thinks is a real suicide vest and grabs a loaded MAC-10. Both are duds provided by the FBI and agents take him down. MCCABE: Individuals who are self-radicalized can exist off the radar as it were for a long time until they're ready to actually go out and active. That's the scenario that causes us the most concern.

CANDIOTTI: After pleading guilty, El-Khalifi gets a 30-year sentence. He tells a judge "I just want to say, I love Allah."

Susan Candiotti, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANDFIELD: Just remarkable reporting Susan Candiotti, thank you for that.

A Russian spy ship is docked in Havana. You're looking at live pictures just one day before a U.S. delegation arrives there. So, you might think it's raising some questions and you'd be right, about timing. The Russian, the American in Cuba together? Pretty remarkable stuff, we're going to take you live there to Cuba next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: More breaking news to tell you about. This time in Cuba without any warning, a Russian spy ship has docked in Havana's harbor.

The ship arrived earlier today and all of it happens to be going on just a day before a state department delegation from the United States is set to travel Havana to discuss migration issues -- immigration issues and the restoration of full diplomatic ties with Cuba.

Patrick Oppman is in Havana. He's live and as I understand it, the CNN bureau is literally within the eyeshot of this big non-secretive Russian spy ship. It all seems a little odd.

PATRICK OPPMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It may have a secret mission but they're surely not trying to hide this ship's presence. It glided into Havana early this morning in full view of everyone to see. Of course, Cuba has many ports where they can hidden their ship and suddenly chose to put it right here, Ashleigh, about 100 yards from our doorstep, in the area where usually cruise ships dock. This is a heavily tourist area sea, visitors all the time. Now, we're seeing Russian sailors actually getting out and taking photos around, although, they're acting like tourist themselves.

When the ship was here last year, we saw the Russian sailors get off. They bought provisions including quite a bit of Cuban beer and rum. And then, they embarked on a course up near the United States where presumably -- this is a spy ship, they listen in and collected massive amounts of data from the U.S. We're talking about e-mail, telephone calls. This ship is bursting (ph) with antennas and satellite dishes, and really just collects data from the country that it's spying on and soaks up a lot.

And, you know, it's not a huge surprise because the ship was here last year, Vladimir Putin was in Cuba last year and signed an agreement with Cuba to share intelligence gathering capabilities. But the day before the U.S. delegation arrives trying to normalize relations, the first high level delegations in over three decades to come to Cuba, you know, surely, that's going to be red meat for the opponents of normalizing relations with Cuba, Ashleigh.

BANFIELD: Oh man, it's just the coolest thing. I was going to say, you know, say hi to them for me but actually you don't need to because I'm pretty sure they can hear you and me right now, Patrick.

Patrick Oppman, live for us in Havana with the most amazing backdrop.

OPPMAN: They surely can.

BANFIELD: Thank you, Patrick. Keep us posted on everything that happens over there. Wow, has my career ever changed since the 80s.

Coming up next. You know him, he's the inside man. And this time, he is talking about, androids and robots and weird creepy freaky things, I cannot wait to talk to you about it.

Are you ready?

MORGAN SPURLOCK, CNN HOST INSIDE MAN: I'm ready.

BANFIELD: We're back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: Yes, I love this time of year because we're about to announce the new season of Morgan Spurlock's Inside Man. It premiers Thursday night, 9 p.m. Eastern time, here on CNN. The man himself, the Inside Man is right here with me.

But before we get to talk, we have to see because you have done some freaky things the first episode, oh man.

OK. So before we talk, you got to see this. It's cool. It's creepy. It's into the sort of the cutting edge world of robotic. Take a peak.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SPURLOCK: These robots plunge deep in to what's known as the uncanny valley, that feeling of revulsion that people feel when interacting with something that's look human but not quite.

That's creepy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you feel comfortable talking to me?

SPURLOCK: I feel a little weird because what - what happens is like there'll be things that make the android look incredibly human, like when you move the eyes. Yes. But then there's things that kind of give away the facade, like the movement of the mouth or the movement of the arms. The minute, all those things are fixed, it will be unbelievable.

The Telenoid, what are the bare minimum fundamental requirements for human appearance? The Telenoid was created to understand this question.

This is 3,000 percent more creepy.

Meet Telenoid, another tele-operated android.

Hello. Oh my gosh, this is so -- it's like a freaky baby.

TELENOID: Hi, Morgan.

SPURLOCK: Hi. How are you?

TELENOID: OK. Yourself?

SPURLOCK: I'm like in the movie Cocoon right now. It's like -- this is like preparing us for like an alien invasion. Say hello to everybody at home.

TELENOID: Hello everyone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: I can't come up with any better word than really freaky.

SPURLOCK: Freaky. That's like creepy little baby Voldemort that you're holding there and then it's like, and like it's so weird --

BANFIELD: But I like that you called it the uncanny valley where you're revulsion takes over when you see this kind of thing.

SPURLOCK: Yeah.

BANFIELD: I think that's a big part of it. Where revolt -- we find it revolting when we see something too much like us.

SPURLOCK: And that's why -- that's why most robots that you see, they try to make them look much more robotic, but not scary like Terminator robots, but much softer, you know, almost like having rounder, softer features --

BANFIELD: Like Big Hero 6?

SPURLOCK: Like Big Hero 6 because that's a lovable big robot, like that's what we want to see. We want to see something that we're not threatened by and I think that's -- this is not that robot.

BANFIELD: What I -- I was watching as you do the interview, I -- he's even suggesting we're doing the interview with the Japanese-looking woman robot-ish lady, and it almost look like you were talking to her.

SPURLOCK: Yes.

BANFIELD: Was there another person somewhere around --

SPURLOCK: There was my translator. The way that this robot works, the whole idea behind it is it will basically mimic your movements. And so she was sitting in another room just wearing a headset, and there were cameras there that basically mimic her arm movements, her facial features, her lips which -- just the idea that it can capture that is pretty fascinating.

BANFIELD: So you were on Carol Costello's show earlier and I was fascinated by your conversation with her that this --

SPURLOCK: Yeah.

BANFIELD: -- the concept, I mean what's the point? And the point would be that you could actually double yourself.

SPURLOCK: That's right.

BANFIELD: Put yourself in a meeting in Tokyo and be in New York at the same time and have your robot carry on your meeting like you and have people really believe you.

SPURLOCK: Yes. Well that -- we're not quite to that point yet. Right now, I would (inaudible) to be in New York controlling robots and speaking to you. But in a matter of time, and it may not be in our lifetime, we will be able to have almost doubles like that of ourselves that will be able to be in a meeting, or sadly be at the news desk while we're home.

BANFIELD: That's enough. Take that back, rewind. You know this is live, right? That's out there in the internet. So what I don't understand is the -- like how much investment is going to take to make it so realistic, that it could eclipse the value of just the teleconference where your on video and you are you telling your employees, "This is my vision and this is what I want us to do," or whatever your input -- applications --

SPURLOCK: Or at what point it has become multiplicity where it's like, you know, Michael Keaton and suddenly the latest is getting worst, and worst and worst the more duplicants (ph) that we make.

BANFIELD: Yeah.

SPURLOCK: So I think that's why more people are gearing toward just say straight robots. I mean, it's more of a helper rather than a substitute. And I think that's what you'll see next.

BANFIELD: OK. The other thing is what was that baby thing about?

SPURLOCK: That baby thing is so creepy, but the whole idea behind that is like what is the basic model? What's the simplest version of a robot that you can have that some will have a real interaction with. And so that's what they're trying to see, they're trying to see the simplest kind of model of a robot to be --

BANFIELD: Look how gentle you are with it.

SPURLOCK: -- that is one of the scariest things you'll ever hold in your life. That is a nightmare in your lap, that crazy baby.

BANFIELD: I want your life. I want your job. That looks amazing. What else do you have coming up on the series?

SPURLOCK: We have so many good episodes, like we're -- we're trying to explain and demystify Bitcoin to people which is really important. You know, a lot of --

BANFIELD: Thank you.

SPURLOCK: Thank you. It's like for me and for you, we're doing this for the population.

BANFIELD: Good.

SPURLOCK: This is a big one. Medical tourism which, you know, we have millions of Americans now who traveling overseas for procedures, and of course, you know, finding love. We got to get to the bottom of love in New York City.

BANFIELD: We did (inaudible) match get to the bottom of love, isn't that done?

SPURLOCK: Well, I don't think so. I think --

BANFIELD: Really?

SPURLOCK: -- a lot of people haven't matches on match.com. It's like they have a hole to fill that we're exploring.

BANFIELD: So if you've been able to sort of trace all of these crazy websites that have popped, and there's seems to be a new one. I can't keep up with them all because I'm fairly square.

SPURLOCK: You know, like the Tinders and the Grindrs.

BANFIELD: Did you sweep them away? And the beard and the (inaudible), and the everything?

SPURLOCK: That's right. That's where it all comes from. These all comes from that. This is the story of love in New York City now. It's just this. No -- oh yes, no. Yeah.

BANFIELD: Did you dig into how sort of the younger generation, how different they are than say -- I'm going to say we. I'm just going to throw you in --

(CROSSTALK)

SPURLOCK: We are the old folks now.

BANFIELD: You know, and the old lady -- people over here --

SPURLOCK: That's right.

BANFIELD: You know --

SPURLOCK: This young people with their internets. BANFIELD: All those people with (inaudible). So it's different? Are they actually responding differently? Do they have a whole different way of deciding who they're compatible with and it's just not about physical interaction or the physical spark to start with?

SPURLOCK: Well, I think there is a physical spark but I mean they are so much more reliant on technology from minute one, square one. So the idea of meeting someone through -- whether it would be an app or through some sort of a website is not something that they'll be freaked out by. They're like, "No. Of course, I'm going to do this. That's where you meet people," and you talk to them through chat rooms. You look at their picture and decide whether or not you like them. And then from there, you build a relationship.

But it's -- for me, it's interesting because that's like a starting point where as for us, you would almost feel like a second or third step.

BANFIELD: Yeah. Well, I found the love of my life on Match, you know, and I thought it was very stigmatized --

SPURLOCK: Look at this. You are -- see?

BANFIELD: And I don't think it's stigmatized anymore.

SPURLOCK: You're a living proof. Living proof.

(CROSSTALK)

SPURLOCK: No. Now it's OK. That's OK.

BANFIELD: I'm part of the cool kids --

SPURLOCK: That's why, you're in. You're in.

BANFIELD: I like to think that I am. So here is the promo right here. I don't even need to say it, this man is awesome. I love your stuff. It really is great.

SPURLOCK: Thank you.

BANFIELD: But if you're, you know, watching me silently, it start at 9:00 p.m. on CNN right here. It's Thursday, right?

SPURLOCK: That's right. Thursday night.

BANFIELD: Thanks for being here. It's great stuff.

SPURLOCK: Thank you. Thank you.

BANFIELD: And, hey, thank you, everyone, for being with us. Brianna Keilar is going to take over. She's in for Wolf. She starts right now.