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ISIS Beheads Japanese Hostage?; New Terror Arrests in Spain; Interview with Joe Wilson; GOP Presidential Hopefuls Gather in Iowa; Did Patriots Deliberately Let the Air Out?; Sundance Film Festival Kicks Off in Utah

Aired January 24, 2015 - 13:00   ET

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

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, again, everyone. Welcome back to the NEWSROOM with this breaking news information about the two Japanese hostages being held by ISIS.

It appears that one of the hostages may have been beheaded. In a new video posted by a known ISIS supporter, hostage Kenji Goto is holding a photograph that appears to show fellow hostage, Haruna Yukawa beheaded.

Now you're about to see images of Yukawa, seen on the right and his fellow hostage released by ISIS more than a week ago. Now instead of a $200 million ransom, ISIS is apparently demanding the release of a female suicide bomber seen here. She confessed to her participation in the 2005 terror attacks in Amman, Jordan location that killed 38 people at a hotel there, and was sentenced to death.

Our Will Ripley has the latest now from Tokyo.

So what is the Japanese government saying about this that maybe one has been killed, one of the Japanese hostages?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and you know, before we get to the reaction, Fred, we just need to reiterate that they have not -- as we have not been able to verify the authenticity of this video because there are some real differences between the video that we're looking at, this new -- this new video by the ISIS supporter and other videos that we've seen in the past from ISIS.

So a lot of intelligence analysts here in Japan and around the world are studying this to determine if it is authentic. But nonetheless, the prime minister, some of his top government officials, are responding. And we're hearing them say, Fred, almost identical statements.

I'm going to read to you what the Japanese chief cabinet spokesman, Yoshihide Suga, said. He said, quote, "This is unforgivable, outrageous violence, and we strongly condemn this. We demand not to harm and release Mr. Goto immediately." That was almost verbatim what the prime minister, Shinzo Abe, said, when he spoke to reporters within the last hour and a half or so. We know that there were emergency meetings that were held, where,

again, the Japanese government said they are having their experts study this video. But here -- here's the bottom line. We do know that Kenji Goto and Haruna Yukawa were held by ISIS. But the question is, there's been some questions about are these videos doctored, what is actually really going on? That's what's still being -- what they're trying to figure out right now, and really trying to figure out if this -- if this photo, this gruesome photo, that was posted online then quickly taken down is indeed the decapitated body of Yukawa, which, of course, would be a devastating blow for his family.

And at the same time, for Goto's family, including his wife, Rinko, who has two daughters at home, including a newborn baby. This has got to be such a -- such a difficult time for her to have. Purportedly the voice of her husband speaking directly to her, saying that there is still hope. He said to her, I could be a dead man, but if Japan is able to secure this release, they'll let me go. Me for her.

Just excruciating ordeal all the way around -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: And then, Will, that's the response from Rinko. But are there other responses coming from other family members about what's being reported?

RIPLEY: Family members have been pretty closely protected. And so we heard from, for example, we heard from Kenji Goto's mother a couple of days ago where she gave a statement, pleading with ISIS directly to spare her son's life.

We have not heard any reaction yet from family members here in Japan. But keep in mind that as all of this was breaking, it was -- it's getting to be -- it's now 3:00 a.m. here. And the news coverage has stopped for the night. But we do expect that perhaps tomorrow morning or in the coming hours, we will start to hear more response, not only from family, but a lot of friends.

Goto, very well connected in the Tokyo journalism world, and he has really dominated the news coverage. There's a lot of footage, a lot of people have come out and praised him for very sensitive and compassionate reporting of the plight of women and children in war zones. And this -- the fact that if, indeed, this video is authentic and ISIS has decided to keep him alive, it shows that they consider him more valuable alive.

And they feel that they can leverage him to pressure the Japanese government to talk to Jordan and try to get something that they want desperately, which is the release of this convicted attempted suicide bomber.

WHITFIELD: All right. Will Ripley, thank you so much. Keep us posted. We're going to talk more about this.

What about the dynamic, the relationship, or even the dialogue between ISIS and Japan, and now Jordan? I'm joined by Phil Mudd, he is a former CIA counterterrorism official and he is in Memphis. So help us understand, Phil. Would this new dynamic that ISIS is now

demanding, a prisoner swap involving someone who is being held, a convicted terrorist in Jordan, and now might there be a different kind of dialogue that Japan and Jordan could engage in to win the release of this -- what we believe to be the remaining Japanese hostage?

PHILIP MUDD, CNN COUNTERTERRORISM ANALYST: I think it's possible, but unlikely. Look, we all knew that $200 million was not a serious conversation. That was an effort by ISIS --

WHITFIELD: It was not.

MUDD: It was not. That was an effort by ISIS to use the two hostages as a ploy to gain an international platform where they were the focus of attention over days. And that's exactly what happened. Now they have extended the amount of time that they can stay on the world stage by executing one individual first, and keeping the second one in reserve.

I do believe that there's a potential for a serious conversation in contrast to the $200 million. A serious conversation about a prisoner exchange.

WHITFIELD: Why is that --

MUDD: I don't know if the Jordanians would be up for that.

WHITFIELD: Why is that more likely? Why is that more likely?

MUDD: Well, first of all, nobody is going to pay $200 million. In my world -- in serving at the CIA for 25 years dealing with foreign governments, you pay a couple of million, $5 million, there are serious conversations about paying for prisoners that others, the Europeans, for example, had paid for in places like Africa. $200 million is simply a way for ISIS to gain attention. They themselves would know that's not a serious number.

WHITFIELD: So then given that in your view ISIS knew or wanted to be able to continue making headlines, and if indeed this execution has happened.

MUDD: Correct.

WHITFIELD: Because, again, CNN has not been able to authenticate nor is the White House able to authenticate this video, and the video message, but it is reasonable to think that ISIS wants to continue to make headlines, but would be willing -- I mean, would it indeed be willing to release a remaining Japanese hostage, even if they were to win the release of a prisoner? Why should anybody --

(CROSSTALK)

MUDD: In my judgment, and this is -- this is not a judgment about what we should do. Let me give you a judgment as a practitioner. If someone agreed to do this in Jordan and Tokyo, I believe ISIS would make the release, would make the exchange. Look, we've got to look at the world through the eyes of the

adversary. I've lived in the Middle East. Women hold the revered place in the home. They're not seen as pawns that you can put on a battlefield. This woman was involved in a failed suicide attack in 2005. Her husband died.

Remember, looking at the world through the eyes of the adversary, ISIS is trying to portray themselves as the protector for a woman who has been incarcerated for 10 years. I'm not saying that's right or wrong. I'm saying that's what they're trying to do in this case. And let's not judge this from a Western optic.

WHITFIELD: And is this latest example, while she's been serving, you know, time for some -- for some time now, and we're talking about this woman, and, you know, she was married to a terrorist. It only makes you start thinking about the "Charlie Hebdo" case now. And we're talking about the relationship of Hayat, you know, Boumeddiene, who is believed to be in Syria.

Are we starting to look at how ISIS is recruiting people or able to use partners, whether it be husband and wife, whether we see brothers. There is this case in now Spain involving two sets of brothers.

What does this tell you about the type of recruitment of ISIS, and how they are using these relationships, I guess, to build, you know, a better team to execute terrorist attacks?

MUDD: This is a really fascinating story. Let me give you a quick picture of the evolution of the al Qaeda threat from the 9/11 hijackers to what we saw in Paris and what we've seen with this -- the woman out of Jordan 10 years ago. The guys that I faced at CIA in '02 and beyond, 2002 and beyond, they would not have considered using a woman for an operation. It never came up with the core al Qaeda. They would have seen that as completely inappropriate.

As this al Qaeda revolution has gone out further afield into places like Europe, I think you're seeing more women involved. One of the reasons is really interesting.

WHITFIELD: What?

MUDD: When I saw cells develop in Europe and the United States, the partnership within those cells wasn't necessarily ideological. In other words, not everybody in a cell would really believe in the al Qaeda message initially. It was emotional. A brother recruiting a brother.

WHITFIELD: Right.

MUDD: An older sort of father figure recruiting somebody else in the community. A man recruiting his girlfriend, which you saw in Paris. So this emotional element is significant in the evolution of al Qaeda.

WHITFIELD: You expect that there's going to be more of that? Because maybe it's been carried out for a long time. But why is it -- at least in the public view, it seems we're just kind of getting hit to this is a tactic.

MUDD: I think because we're transitioning from a core al Qaeda group that was very -- from their perspective, ideologically pure. Their message was, we want to stage a global revolution. There's a small group of several hundred people in Afghanistan led by bin Laden, who shared this ideology.

As you see the ripple effect of the ideology go into places like the United States, Canada, Western Europe, the ideology loses some of its purity. And people start to say, well, now I'm not -- I'm a member of al Qaeda, but I think it's appropriate to have a woman or a girlfriend participate.

The revolution gets broader, more people participate, but it loses some of its purity, because the people who are joining, like the lady who joined in Paris, don't have the same ideological purity as the originators of al Qaeda in Afghanistan did 20 years ago.

WHITFIELD: Yes. All right. Thank you so much, Phil Mudd. I know we --

MUDD: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Want you to talk primarily about the Japanese hostage situation, but that predicament has certainly opened up now a whole another scope on the pairings of alleged terrorists and how they're carrying out their attacks with these kinds of tight relationships, brothers, husband, wives.

Thanks so much for making the shift with me like that. Appreciate it.

MUDD: Thank you. Sure.

WHITFIELD: All right, coming up next, arrest in Spain. More on that over this alleged terror cell. We'll have the newest developments in that investigation, right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: We're following new developments out of Spain on the terror front. Police have arrested four men they believe may have been plotting a terror attack similar to the one carried out at the "Charlie Hebdo" magazine office in Paris. Police say the men are a pair of brothers who had psychological, physical and weapons training.

CNN's Al Goodman is in Madrid.

Al, we understand that police have identified a second location that may have been connected with this possible cell? Explain.

AL GOODMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. Well, first, the big difference here with these arrests compared to dozens of arrests of suspected Islamic militants last year in Spain for allegedly recruiting and trying to send combatants to fight in Iraq and Syria alongside ISIS, for example, is that these four were allegedly ready to carry out an attack. Now the Interior minister of Spain thought these were significant

enough to comment on. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JORGE FERNANDEZ DIAZ, SPANISH INTERIOR MINISTER (Through Translator): What is especially noteworthy with the breakup of this cell are the many parallels with the attacks in Paris carried out against the "Charlie Hebdo" magazine. They are two pairs of brothers, strongly radicalized, with a lot of military, physical and mental training, and willing to carry out an attack. And, according to the police, to blow themselves up while trying that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOODMAN: Fredricka, these happened in the Spanish territory of Silta, on Morocco's north coaster. Another similar territory called Malia, now these are small cities, about 85,000 people each. But they have significant Muslim populations, and the police have considered them sort of as a front line on -- in the fight against terrorism because to get from those places up to the mainland of Spain is just a ferry ride.

And then from Madrid or Spain right up to France, and the rest of Europe. So there is a lot of attention on those areas right now by the authorities -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Al Goodman, thank you so much, from Madrid.

In the battle against ISIS in Iraq, U.S. advisers are being dragged even closer to the fighting. In a moment, I'll ask a former senior diplomat in Iraq what he thinks about more engagement by American advisers.

And the U.S. is reacting to the breaking news of a Japanese hostage held by ISIS, who appears in an image, a video, to have been beheaded.

Erin McPike is at the White House for us.

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, the U.S. says it's working closely with Japan on this. More on those efforts after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: In the United States, the National Security Council is responding to reports of an image that appears to show the beheading of one of the Japanese hostages held by ISIS.

CNN's Erin McPike is at the White House for us today.

What's the White House position on this?

MCPIKE: Fred, we did get in a statement from the National Security Council a short time ago. This is from the deputy spokesperson, Patrick Ventrell. I will read part of that statement to you. He says, "We have seen the video purporting to show that Japanese citizen Haruna Yukawa has been murdered by the terrorist group ISIL. The intelligence community is working to confirm its authenticity. The United States strongly condemns ISIL's actions and we call for the immediate release of all of the remaining hostages.

"The United States is fully supportive of Japan in this matter. We stand in solidarity with Japan and are coordinating closely."

Now, of course, Fred, as Will Ripley has been reporting, this is dominating the Japanese media and hasn't yet because the White House as it has said is still trying to confirm the authenticity of this video -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: And then of course, even despite given this, the president does have plans to leave India and pay his respects to the Saudi Arabian king at his funeral, right?

MCPIKE: Fred, he does. And President Obama took off for India this morning. This is a very important trip to India that he is making. He is the first American president who will be visiting India while in office twice.

Now what he is skipping is a symbolic visit to the Taj Mahal. That was supposed to take place on Tuesday. Now we have seen some reports in Indian media today that perhaps the reason that he is not going to be making that visit is that because Indian security couldn't necessarily support the needs of the Secret Service in protecting the American president. Now we can't confirm that. That's not necessarily something that the White House or Secret Service would confirm.

But he is going to be going to Saudi Arabia, as the White House has explained it, it's because they saw in this schedule opening that Vice President Biden would be arriving in Saudi Arabia, around the time that President Obama would be leaving India. And so instead President Obama can just go.

But this, of course, comes on the heels of the White House coming under a lot of scrutiny in the last two weeks for not sending President Obama or Vice President Biden or Secretary of State John Kerry to Paris for that massive rally after the "Charlie Hebdo" attacks.

I would point out that John Kerry did not go to Paris because he was going to India. He couldn't stop from that -- going to India and the White House said that was a very important commitment for John Kerry. But, of course, Saudi Arabia has been a very important ally of the United States. There has been a bit of a frayed relationship in the last few years, and so this may be a chance for President Obama to reset that relationship with Saudi Arabia -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Erin McPike at the White House, thanks so much.

All right. Also still ahead, let's talk presidential politics. Yes, it's back. The who's who in Iowa today. Potential Republican, presidential candidates trying to get a leg-up in what is expected to be a crowded race for the presidency of 2016.

We'll go live to the Iowa Freedom Summit, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Mortgage rates inched up this week. Have a look.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back. Thanks again for joining me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

All right. With the fighting getting more fierce in the battle to eliminate the ISIS terror group, the U.S. may have to send forces closer to the front lines in Iraq.

So what about that promise from President Barack Obama of no American boots on the ground in combat there?

Well, earlier, I spoke with former U.S. ambassador, Joe Wilson. He's a retired diplomat posted in several African countries and Iraq. He is now the CEO of his own international consulting firm. And I asked him for his thoughts on the role of advisers in Iraq, and in particular, for the battle in the city of Mosul.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE WILSON, CFO, JC WILSON INTERNATIONAL VENTURES: Well, I'd say it's hard for me to see what sort of role we can play that's going to be constructive. After all, we've trained the Iraqi Army for a decade, and we see the results being the -- really the advance of ISIS to key areas right around Baghdad. I think my sense of this is that the -- this does not lend itself to a military solution right now.

The Iraqis are going to have to fight for their own independence and their own national territory. We might be able to provide some technical assistance, but moving American troops into harm's way seems to be counterproductive in many, many different ways.

WHITFIELD: And then if I could turn the corner and ask you about Saudi Arabia as well. The president now making plans to attend the funeral of King Abdullah. And the importance of the ongoing diplomatic relationship between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.

How important is it in stabilizing the region that the U.S. continue with a good diplomatic relationship with the new king?

WILSON: Well, it's certainly important that we understand the complexity of our relationship with the Saudis and understand that they are major actors in the region and can be of great assistance to us or can thwart a lot of what we're attempting to do.

There are a lot of different areas where we can work together. The Islamic State being one of them. And there's some areas where we disagree and where we should try and bridge those differences. Notably, Iran and Iran's nuclear negotiations that were -- that are ongoing right now.

It would be helpful, it seems to me, to be a force for some sort of reconciliation between the Iranians and Saudis, whether that's possible is anybody's guess. But clearly, the Saudis are concerned with having a significant Shia population on the east side of the country where all the oil fields are, and those Shias being perhaps influenced by the Iranian regime.

WHITFIELD: And now let's talk about Yemen. You have had experience, given your post, when in Iraq, what it is to try to move U.S. personnel when imminent danger is arising and making the decision about what U.S. personnel should stay and what should go. And now we know in Yemen hundreds of American personnel have been evacuated but still many stay in place.

I know there has been a 20-year span between when you had to play a part in that decision-making. But what kind of information could you share with us into how do you ascertain the safety of the remaining U.S. personnel, especially in the case of Yemen, when Yemeni security would be in charge of protecting U.S. personnel there, but now that you have this kind of power vacuum, what would be your greatest concern or worries about who stays in place?

WILSON: Well, 20 years ago, when I was in Baghdad, we actually reduced the size of the embassy down to seven essential personnel, at the very end of it. That was obviously a different era. We did not have military programs ongoing in Iraq at that time. But we also didn't have any of the security fears that I'm sure they're confronting in Sana'a and wherever the military is these days out there in Yemen.

So, for example, 20 years ago, in 1990, I was able to walk through the central market of Baghdad without any security whatsoever at Christmas time, which was about two-and-a-half weeks before the Gulf War kicked off. And I was in Sana'a a few years ago and had a security detail with me when I walked through the city because the tension was so great and the hostility towards foreigners was sufficient to merit some protection.

Now the situation there in Sana'a now, and across Yemen, is obviously very insecure. We have key interests in play there, military interests. My guess is you could probably get the American embassy itself down to a small number of personnel. The minimum needed to conduct diplomatic relations. Getting the military right size under these circumstances is probably a little bit more complicated. And it's hard for me to say what they're thinking in that regard.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. That was former ambassador, Joe Wilson, on Yemen, Saudi Arabia, as well as Iraq.

All right. Back in this country, presidential Election Day is -- who is counting? 654 days away. Someone out there is counting. But if you are in Iowa today, it probably feels like Election Day is next Tuesday. That's because right now a who's who of conservative Republicans are speaking at the Iowa Freedom Summit in Des Moines.

Live pictures right now. More than 10 potential presidential candidates are taking the stage today. And CNN's political team is right there in the middle of it all, including political director David Chalian and national political reporter Peter Hamby.

All right, guys, good to see you.

So, David, you first, who is there and how important is it that they are there?

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Well, you've got a slew of candidates. We've got maybe nine potential presidential candidates addressing this group of 1200 conservative activists here today. But it may be important to take a look at who is not here. Because Donald Trump, who is -- says he's considering a run for the White House, made sure when he took the stage here to sort of throw an elbow at those not here, specifically the heavyweight establishment folks, Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney. Give a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN BUSINESSMAN: So you can't have Romney. He choked. You can't have Bush.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: The last thing we need is another Bush.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHALIAN: The seriousness or not of a Donald Trump candidacy is beside the point. Except the crowd here, Peter, really liked his digs at Romney and Bush.

PETER HAMBY, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER: Yes, they totally ate it up, which plays right into what we've been talking about for many months, which is that Iowa is going to be tough for Mitt Romney, if he runs, and Jeb Bush, if he runs, because there is such a vocal conservative electorate here. That doesn't mean that there isn't space for those guys.

Remember, Mitt Romney almost won Iowa with about 30 percent of the caucus vote. But again, this is the conservative action in the Republican Party. The establishment action was actually last night in San Francisco, where Jeb Bush was speaking to an auto dealer convention. And he actually talked about that meeting, that intriguing meeting that he had with Mitt Romney in Salt Lake City just a few days ago. This is what he said about that con-fab.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEB BUSH, FORMER FLORIDA GOVERNOR: I went to visit Governor Romney. I have enormous respect for him. The meeting was set up three months ago under slightly different circumstances, I guess. And I was happy to be able to, you know, continue to have the meeting. We talked about -- we talked about the Patriots. We talked a little

bit about politics. Not as much as you might imagine. We talked about the future of the country. Talked about a need for a more engaged foreign policy, where the United States accepts world power status, because it brings peace and stability in the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMBY: So if you talk to people in Bush and Romney world about this meeting that happened the other night, there isn't any sort of grand bargain that emerged. These guys weren't there to, like, make a deal about who someone is going to run and someone is not going to run for the Republican nomination. Both of them, though, seemed to be full steam ahead.

So we just have to wait and see for when Jeb Bush is actually going to dip his toes in the water, come out here to Iowa and talk to these folks, if they'll have him. Right now, though, he's focused on fundraising.

WHITFIELD: Interesting. OK. So maybe no, you know, bargaining, no, you know, drawing of straws. But potentially were they chatting because they could be talking about a teaming up, kind of testing the waters? Could they make a good team together, Romney and Bush?

Whoever wants to take a stab at that.

(LAUGHTER)

CHALIAN: I don't think we're going to see them. I don't think we're going to see them on a ticket together down the road. But I do think their absence here actually creates a moment for Chris Christie. He is also sort of filling that establishment in the party. This is not his normal crowd that he would normally feel at home with. And watching to see how Chris Christie is received here is going to be one of the key moments of the night.

WHITFIELD: Yes. OK. We'll be watching. You guys let us know what -- you know, what the reception is like, you know, when Chris Christie steals the stage and if he will be appealing to those conservatives because mostly kind of appeals mostly to moderates.

But, David Chalian and Peter Hamby, you keep us posted. Let us know. Keep us in the room with you. Thanks so much.

All right. Still to come, the NFL says footballs used by the Patriots last Sunday were indeed underinflated. Now the league wants to know, was it deliberate cheating?

Sara Ganim is live for us in Foxborough.

SARA GANIM, CNN INVESTIGATIONS CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Fred. The NFL breaking its silence on the so-called deflate-gate controversy. What players are saying in the locker room, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: All right. Eight days now before the Super Bowl, and here's what we know about the NFL's deflated footballs controversy. According to the league, the New England Patriots were using underinflated footballs in the first half of their AFC Championship win over the Indianapolis Colts last Sunday.

Here's what we don't know. Why were the first half footballs deflated? And was it a deliberate act by the Patriots?

Joining me right now from the Patriots' facility in Foxborough, Massachusetts, is Sara Ganim in very cold and blustery, boy, that's bad weather there.

OK. So the players, are they feeling the chill, too?

GANIM: Yes, Fred. A little bit. Of course, they're inside, they're nice and warm. They say they're not going to be distracted by this. That's the bottom line. They said this is something that they're not talking about with their coaches, they're not even talking about it with fellow players. They are focused on the game. That's what they're telling us. Take a listen to what they said a little earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONT'A HIGHTOWER, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS LINEBACKER: At the end of the day, you know, we can't control, you know, any allegations or whatever. All we can do is go out and play ball. So regardless, our goal is to go out and win.

JOSH KLINE, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS GUARD: Just like any other week here, we've just got to stay focused and stay with our game plan and just be ready to go on Sunday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GANIM: Fred, some of the players even told us that their coaches -- they commended their coaches, really, for -- and the staff of the Patriots for keeping the focus on the game on Sunday, for bringing them back around. You know, this is a team that's dealt with controversy before. And they say they know how to deal with it, they know how to stay focused. And none of them seem concerned at all about either the preparation for Sunday's game or the possibility that there may be some more bad news for them before Sunday's game.

WHITFIELD: Wow. So the Patriots, you know, kind of have a reputation, or I'll just say have many reputations. One of them being, you know, they have that, you know, us against them kind of mentality. Are they digging in their heels and maintaining that?

GANIM: You know, we didn't hear any of that from the players, per se. But there is that feeling in the locker room that, you know, they have been through this before. They have dealt with controversy.

We got some of that feeling in the questions that we heard from some of the local reporters. And then also, quite frankly, just in the tone of some of the answers from the players who talked about other times that they've had to deal with controversy. And we heard one person say, you know, this is -- this is something that you guys have had to deal with, staying focused on the big game, when people are criticizing you.

And this team does acknowledge, some of the players acknowledge, that they feel that they're criticized quite often and that's something that they've learned to live with and deal with, and they're going to do that again this week.

WHITFIELD: All right. Sara Ganim, thanks so much. I feel bad because you're the one taking one for the team for us today because it is nasty out there. Get inside. Maybe someone with the Pats will come out and give you a little hot cocoa. That would be nice. That would be the right thing to do.

Sara Ganim --

GANIM: Thank you so much.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: Thanks so much. All right. Good job out there.

And no, it's not your television set. It's a lot of, you know, sideways rain and yuck. And so that image was getting really cloudy there. So bad stuff.

All right. So now let's talk about somebody else who's in the spotlight, Tom Brady. Well, he says he didn't notice a difference in the footballs during the game. And a former NFL ball boy says that's actually possible.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIC KESTER, FORMER NFL BALL BOY: If he was really looking for it, but I do have to say, in the heat of the game, with everything going on, I can totally believe that Brady might not notice a drop in pressure in between quarters or plays.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Not exactly who you expected when you say ball boy -- ball man.

(LAUGHTER)

All right. Joining us to discuss further, former New England Patriots' linebacker, Chad Brown, and former NFL supervisor of officials, Jim Daopoulos.

Did I get that right? All right.

JIM DAOPOULOS, FORMER SUPERVISOR OF NFL OFFICIALS: You got it right.

WHITFIELD: Yay. All right. All right. Touchdown for me. All right. So, Chad, you first. You know, you played with Tom Brady. Do you

believe him?

CHAD BROWN, FORMER NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS LINEBACKER: I do believe him. I really do. Tom's character has been proven to me over the years. And if you pick up a football, I don't think Tom has the forensic ability in his fingers to know whether a football is slightly under inflated. He just knows that it feels good in his hands and it feels like the footballs that the equipment guys have prepared for him over the years.

WHITFIELD: All right. So Jim, the NFL says the footballs were underinflated in the first half of the championship game. But properly inflated in the second half. So do we know for sure that it was the same set of footballs, that it was -- I mean, what could be at issue here? Why is it so complicated?

DAOPOULOS: Basically, what happens, as an official, all I can address is the fact that the referee approves the footballs two-and-a-half hours -- two hours and 15 minutes prior to the game. Once the game begins, he loses control of those footballs. The ball -- footballs go to the ball boy. So what happens in that is about a 10-minute window from the time the referee approves them, they sit in the locker room, in an 80-degree locker room.

They sit in there, under the guide of the NFL security. There is a security individual that keeps an eye on the footballs. They stay in that locker room. When the referee and the head linesman leave about 10 minutes prior to the kickoff, then the footballs are taken out of the locker room and are given to the ball boys. So there is about a 10-minute window that something could happen to them.

But that's the thing that I'm trying to find out. And I don't understand why it has taken so long to make a decision on what actually happened to the footballs. It's -- this is -- this has just dragged on far too long. We need to play football. We need to be more concerned for the Super Bowl that's coming up in another week.

WHITFIELD: Yes, it really has taken a life -- you know, taken on a life of its own, and seems like it's going to continue until, you know, play day. Because, of course, then you have the conversations about, you know, if the Pats win, you know, do they still have -- you know, did they have an unfair advantage? If they lose, oh, well, then there are going to be the discussions that they shouldn't have won in the first place during the championship.

So, you know, Chad, while you were playing for, you know, the Pats, did you ever hear anything? Was there ever a mention about deflated footballs or was it ever a problem, or an observation before?

BROWN: I've never heard any talk about cheating in the Patriots' locker room or facility, whether we're talking footballs or any other way. Obviously, spy-gate has tainted the Patriots in the court of public opinion. But that is the hardest working group of football players I've ever been around, the hardest working set of coaches. It's the best football environment I've ever been around. So their success over the last decade and a half is not due to

cheating. It's due to hard work. And the folks who are most upset are probably fans of other teams. And the Patriots, because of their success, have beaten most of those other teams. So I can understand why those fans are upset.

WHITFIELD: And so, Jim, you know, what do you suppose this has done, you know, to the game, to the NFL, or even to the Patriots or even Tom Brady, in particular, in terms of reputation or trust in the game, the integrity of it all? Those kinds of discussions.

DAOPOULOS: Well, it's really put a damper on what is going on right now. And it's put a damper on what the Patriots have accomplished. And the frustration on my part is that, you know, we have already convicted the Patriots. We have already said it's either Coach Belichick or it's Tom Brady or the equipment manager or the ball boy, without getting the actual results of the investigation by the National Football League.

You know, I kind of like to reserve my judgment. And if somebody did adjust the footballs, then they need to be accountable for that. But right now, it's all pure speculation. And, you know, until those final results come out, let's find out what actually happened, who did what to what footballs, and then go from there. But right now, we're just kind of guessing and we're blaming everybody without anybody knowing for sure what happened to the footballs.

WHITFIELD: All right. Jim Daopoulos, Chad Brown, thanks to both you, gentlemen. Appreciate it.

DAOPOULOS: Thank you.

BROWN: Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: All right. Let's talk weather. Well, you saw that picture in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Boy, is it messy out there. Well, guess what, a lot of that throughout the northeast, and bracing for more. And it's making it very dangerous for drivers out there.

Coming up, we'll show you what parts of the country are in the bull's eye.

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WHITFIELD: Oh, it is miserable out there. Forty million Americans are going to feel it, this nasty winter weather, and traveling is pretty nasty as well. The northeast is getting hit by this major winter storm that is stretching from West Virginia to Maine, a state that could see up to 10 inches of snow, Maine.

These are pictures right now from New Jersey where they have seen a mix of sleet and snow. That's really the worst when it's a mix.

You know, it's OK. Meteorologist Karen Maginnis is with me now.

It's nice, I think, you know, when you just have snow, but when you've got the sleet and you've got that sideways rain and wind, that's just miserable.

KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It is. I took a look at some of the traffic reports coming out of Massachusetts and Rhode Island and Connecticut. It is a mess out there. We've got jackknifed tractor trailers, we've got car accidents all over the place. It is just perfectly miserable as those temperatures hover right around the freezing mark into the northeast and New England.

Wind is a factor here. This may not look all that impressive, generally 10 to 15 miles an hour, but the gusts are between 25 and near 50 miles an hour. And the temperatures, we go from Washington, D.C. 37. It's above freezing. And Philadelphia, New York, Hartford, Boston, all hovering within a few degrees of that magic 32 degrees, which would spell out snow. For the most part.

However, this is a very complex weather system. We're going to have Bombogenesis, you probably heard of that over the last few days, meaning the storm system is going to deepen. It's going to move up towards the northeast and New England. In its wake it could potentially leave heavy amounts of snowfall.

Not for everybody. That I-95 corridor is the area that is most -- going to be the definitive line as to who has the sleet, who has the ice, who has the snow. Snow on the west side and the northern edges of this, but Boston, it looks like you could see as much as a foot of snowfall, but generally speaking, between 6 and 10 inches likely.

Already, some portions of New Jersey, 9 inches of snowfall. Mostly some of the higher elevations in interior northeastern New England. Newark, New Jersey, already in excess of five inches of snow and we have winter storm warnings and watches and advisories everywhere -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Nasty.

MAGINNIS: So slippery, messy weather conditions.

WHITFIELD: Well, it's good that it's starting on the weekend because it gives people a chance to assess how are they going to begin their workweek.

MAGINNIS: Right.

WHITFIELD: But it's not going to be very nice.

MAGINNIS: There's another storm right on its heels. Monday or Tuesday. We're not finished yet.

WHITFIELD: We're not. They just keep coming.

All right. Thank you so much, Karen, appreciate it.

All right, movies are in the spotlight this award season and so is the first big film festival, Sundance, in Park City, Utah.

Speaking of snowing and snowy weather, CNN's Stephanie Elam is in Utah covering the star-studded event. Always a very fun place.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is, Fred. We are here in the CNN film lounge and I am joined right now by Adam Scott and Jason Schwartzman from "The Overnight." They are already cracking me up, we're going to talk to them right after this break.

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WHITFIELD: All right, the Sundance Film Festival is well underway. Celebrities descending on Park City, Utah, and festival goers are getting a first look at some of 2015's newest films. One of those movies, a comedy called "Overnight."

Our Stephanie Elam is there rubbing elbows with the stars of the film.

Stephanie, you lucky dog. Park City, one of my favorite places in the world.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: And then you get to laugh, too.

ELAM: It is a beautiful town here in beautiful Park City, Utah, and I am joined right now by Adam Scott and Jason Schwartzman from "The Overnight."

Gentlemen, it's good to have you here. I got to tell you, no one really does that uncomfortable humor in the way that you did in this movie. Like that's sort of like, oh, I want to cringe. Was that something you were going for?

ADAM SCOTT, ACTOR: Yes, I mean, I think the movie, one of the cool things -- one of the things we're proud of about the movie is that it brings you to places you don't often go in movies. Situations that you may run into in life, but you rarely see replicated in movies. And so we were trying to make it a little uncomfortable and we, ourselves, were pretty uncomfortable at times, too.

ELAM: You had reasons to be pretty uncomfortable at times in the movie.

SCOTT: Yes. Yes.

ELAM: But what was the part of -- because it is based sort of in a reality of that discomfort, but also making it funny. What was the challenge of making that happen?

JASON SCHWARTZMAN, ACTOR: Well, I mean, the -- you know, it's a kind of movie that has a lot of big laughs. So it's got a -- you know, a lot of big, broad, raunchy parts in it, and, you know, often when you see a movie like that I feel like it sometime can lack an honesty or a sensitivity. And I thought what was interesting about this movie is that it really is a combination of those types of bigger comedy moments with, you know, people really looking to connect and find friendship. And I guess it really was not a challenge, but it was always trying to

remember that no matter how funny this movie gets, really our kind of thrill while we're making it was, this is a story about two couples trying to make new friends and learn about themselves.

ELAM: And they do learn about themselves in the process of it. What is it like for you bringing a film here to Sundance and having that feedback where you can actually hear the audience and get that response?

SCOTT: It was great. I mean, my wife and I produced the movie together, along with the Duplass brothers. And so we've seen this from soup to nuts, we've been with these movies, and so far only like 12 people have seen it. We've shown people, but never with more than three or four people at a time.

ELAM: Yes.

SCOTT: So last night, screening it for 1200 people was crazy.

ELAM: Pretty cool. Well, congratulations, best of luck to you.

A lot going on here, Fred. A lot more movies who are still debuting here. So we'll see you later from Sundance. It is -- they like the terminology. They like our terminology.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: OK.

ELAM: They've been wanting to do that.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: All right, Stephanie Elam, Jason Schwartzman and Adam Scott, thanks so much, and congrats on "The Overnight."

All right -- and they're still talking. Keep going.

All right. We have much more straight ahead in the NEWSROOM which all begins right now.