Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Family: Chapel Hill Killings Were Hate Crime; White House "Welcomes" Ukraine Peace Deal; Boston to Get Slammed with More Snow; Wanted Woman Hayat Boumeddiene Links Up with ISIS

Aired February 12, 2015 - 11:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: New this morning, a community is demanding answers in the shooting deaths of three Muslim students. Right now services are being held for the victims who were shot near the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Craig Stephen Hicks has been charged with first degree murder. Police say an ongoing neighbor dispute over parking may have been a factor in the attack. The FBI has come in, and they're assisting police now in the case.

BERMAN: Family members are sticking by their claims that Hicks threatened the three before the shooting. In fact, the father of two of the victims says he believes this was a hate crime.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMMAD ABU-SAIHA, FATHER OF SHOOTING VICTIMS: My daughter told us on more than two occasions that this man came knocking at the door and fighting about everything with a gun on his belt more than twice. She told us, Daddy, I think he hates us for who we are and how we look.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Just horrible to hear.

Let's bring in Linda Sarsour, a senior strategist for the Campaign to Take on Hate; as well as Chapel Hill's mayor, Mark Kleinschmidt.

Mr. Mayor, let's start with you.

Thank you for your time, I know it's a difficult time for everyone in your community. Clearly a lot of folks are struggling to think three young lives were taken over a parking dispute. Is there anything more to the question this might have been a hate crime?

MARK KLEINSCHMIDT, MAYOR, CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA: That's the question we're struggling with, including the law enforcement officials. Answering that question is what has led us to engage with other authorities, including federal authorities to help determine what the motive could possibly have been. The question, his motivation, is still one that we're very diligently investigating. BERMAN: Linda, as you look at this, what are your concerns? I was on

the news overnight yesterday, very early morning. I was getting so many messages from so many people in the Muslim community trying to alert the world to what went on here, saying they were very concerned and, frankly, very scared.

LINDA SARSOUR, SENIOR STRATEGIST, CAMPAIGN TO TAKE ON HATE: On social media immediately after the incident happened, watching young people across the country talking about how they fear walking in their own college campuses, young women who wear head scarves calling on people not to go out alone and to walk in groups. This is not how we want to live in our country. Many of these young people are born and raised here. The fear is real and it's valid. This is not a paranoia. It sent shockwaves across the country in Arab American and Muslim American communities in every corner across this country.

BOLDUAN: Mr. Mayor, there are two divergent things folks are struggling with as we continue to use that word. You have Chapel Hill, research triangle, very desirable place to live, and then you have this happen. I know a lot of folks are going to be looking to you today to ask the question, is it safe in Chapel Hill? Is this a problem you've been struggling with in the community?

KLEINSCHMIDT: I think you're right in your observation. This incident is a stark -- stands in stark contrast to the reputation and I believe a well-earned reputation of Chapel Hill being a welcoming and embracing community, a community that understands that its greatness is actually derived from the diversity of the folks who come here to learn and to live and build lives and raise families. And that's why it's confusing and it's challenging for us as anyone.

Today in response to that, we are working hard, and I know I personally acknowledge the realities of the fear that folks in the Muslim community are feeling today, both here and around the country. Here locally we are working to ensure that folks feel the compassion, feel the love of the community that they're a part of. We will continue to ensure that this is a safe community.

Events like this in Chapel Hill are very, very rare. In fact, any kind of violent crime is very, very rare and it's something that we're not well practiced and experienced with. But what we are practiced in and what we do do very well is to embrace each other and to provide comfort for each other. That's what we're trying to do today.

BERMAN: It's important at this time, Mr. Mayor, Linda Sarsour, I hope you get the answers you're looking for. Sorry it has to be so short.

We have news just in to CNN.

BOLDUAN: Thank you, both.

BERMAN: The White House is now responding to this deal that was hammered out overnight to reach peace in eastern Ukraine.

Let's get straight to the White House. Michelle Kosinski joins us.

What is the White House saying about this deal?

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: We didn't hear from them right away. We want to make sure their experts could analyze the situation and take a close look. What we have now is a very skeptical, and you can say maybe expectedly so, statement on the situation saying it's a potentially significant step forward, calling on all parties to act and fully implement this agreement right away. And the U.S. is listing what needs to be done, that the cease-fire needs to be honored, heavy weapon removed away, and that Russia needs to stop supporting and arming the rebels inside Ukraine.

I think it's a really telling sentence here, just showing the U.S.'s skepticism of Russia's actions even now. "The true test of today's accord will be in its full and unambiguous implementation including the restoration of Ukrainian control over its border with Russia." Ending this with, "The United States is particularly concerned about the escalation of fighting today, which is inconsistent with the spirit of the accord."

Clearly, the White House is skeptical. They're not sure if this is going to -- to be the successful result that has been waited for so many months now. I think it's been interesting, even in the last few weeks we've seen this progress and language as the U.S. describes Russia's action in Ukraine. At the beginning of the conflict, they would call it an incursion or a violation. Then it got to be something brazen. In the past week, we heard Susan Rice laying out the national security strategy called Russia's actions a deadly and heinous assault. That's where we stand now -- John and Kate?

BERMAN: The White House unwilling to trust, I think, this agreement until they see it's fully implemented. It's based on trust where there is no trust.

BOLDUAN: As you're looking over the statement, importantly, it also continues to be silent on the issue, the critical issue everyone is discussing, whether or not the United States is any closer to making a decision to arm, to offer defensive arms to Ukraine. That's the next step, of course, in this consideration.

Michelle, thank you so much.

Coming up, police and race relations. The head of the FBI says the country is at a crossroads on the issue. He's diving into the debate right now giving a much anticipated and watched speech at Georgetown University. We'll go into it and tell you why and how he's trying to bridge the divide.

The most wanted woman in Europe now gone from Europe. The word is she has linked up with ISIS in Syria. New information coming overnight. We'll tell you the very latest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: This hour, the director of the FBI wrapped up a speech where he took head on the tensions and recent violence between police and minorities. James Comey says getting to the root of what happened last year in Ferguson, Missouri, and Staten Island, New York, is an uncomfortable but necessary conversation.

BERMAN: The director says he doesn't think officers sign up to help black people or white people but all people. He says that years and years on the job makes officers cynical and can affect their judgment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES COMEY, DIRECTOR, FBI: Those of us in law enforcement must redouble our efforts to resist bias and prejudice. We must better understand the people we serve and protect by trying to know deep in our gut what it feels like to be a law-abiding young black man walking down the street and encountering law enforcement. We must understand how that young man may see us. We must resist the lazy shortcuts of cynicism.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Lazy shortcuts of cynicism.

I want to bring in private investigator, our security specialist, Rashid Abdul-Salaam.

Help me understand the significance of this address. Why is it important to hear this from the director of the FBI?

RASHID ABDUL-SALAAM, CNN SECURITY SPECIALIST: It's so important in that Director Comey is the top cop in our nation, and the FBI as far as an agency and entity sets the tone and the standards for law enforcement practice and policies and procedures and training for every law enforcement academy in our nation. The things that he is touching on here are so significant, there are so many different layers of effectiveness to what he is saying because when he talks about the years of activity of particular officers, what that does, it manifests itself into a particular culture outside of the training that officers get. It's a well-known thing when you go through the police academy and get out from training, the first contact that you come into actually working as a police officer is your field training officer. In those first two weeks, or some departments, it may be a month, depending upon how long your probationary period is, that field training officer can, in effect, reverse practically 50 percent or 60 percent of those things that you've learned in the police academy going forward because they have that much influence on how you put into practice your knowledge in going forward as a police officer. It's crucial.

BOLDUAN: Do you also think on some level that Director Comey is kind of trying to balance some of the words that we've heard and the criticism that we've heard when other top law enforcement officials, which would be Attorney General Eric Holder, as well as even New York's Mayor Bill de Blasio -- when they've spoken out on this tension, on these issues, they've been harshly criticized for being unfairly critical of police. Then you hear from police saying law enforcement is not the root cause of the problems. Do you think this maybe is an effort to balance what has seemed to be an imbalanced take by some? ABDUL-SALAAM: It is, because the take that the people are taking in

terms of the criticism to the mayor of New York and to Attorney General Holder and even our president, President Obama, the critics are taking it from a political perspective. Now you have the top cop, who knows law enforcement inside and out, and they, in effect, set the standard for law enforcement application, training and practices, policies and procedures, who is going to contradict this particular individual? It would be interesting to see going forward who, in fact, will try to come forward to contradict the top cop in our nation.

BOLDUAN: Excellent point. Also, you say after all of these speeches, words into action, a lot of folks are going to have that conversation going forward about this.

Rashid, thank you so much. Great to see you.

ABDUL-SALAAM: Thank you so much.

BERMAN: A few minutes before the hour now. We have a forecast for you that you are not going to believe.

BOLDUAN: You don't want to even hear it probably.

BERMAN: A new major snowstorm is headed for Boston, not just snow, but potential blizzard conditions and bitter, bitter cold. We have the ugly details next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: So, Boston, you just can't get a break. The city is about to get slammed with another snowstorm this weekend. This is after the city broke record upon record upon record upon record when it comes to the snow.

BERMAN: This is serious. Possible blizzard conditions, up to a foot more of snow and that's on top of the six feet that has fallen in the last three weeks in some places.

Meteorologist Jennifer Gray joins us from the CNN Weather Center.

Jennifer, this can't possibly be for real.

JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I know, it seems like we're in this horrible dream, this nightmare, of course. I'm sure Bostonians feel that way. But when you already have a couple feet of snow on the ground and now the forecast is calling for an additional foot possibly, it is just not good across the northeast. Add to that, very cold temperatures.

Right now, in Minneapolis, zero. Chicago, 10. Detroit 12. This very cold air is going to push to the east and it is going to be in the northeast in the next 24 hours or so and it is going to stay there. Why? Because we have three rounds of it. We have round one coming through. Round two on Sunday and then round three by the time we get to midweek and look how far south this cold air gets. All the way to the Gulf of Mexico. So we're going to be talking about very cold air at least for the next seven days. These are high temperatures. Boston, you're in the teens and 20s. You've been about the teens and 20s for the last week or so on and off. By the end of next week, you're temperatures are going to get even colder. New York City, highs in the teens. Single digits for lows for tonight and tomorrow morning.

Let's time this thing out. It is going to move to the east. A little bit of snow today and tonight. The big snow maker, possible blizzard conditions, guys, by the time we get to the end of the weekend. We could be talking about another system midweek next week.

BOLDUAN: Say it ain't so, Jennifer.

Thank you, Jennifer.

It's amazing because the mayor said, when we had him on the show, that they need about a week without any snow and they'll be able to get everything cleaned up. It seems that's going to continue to be more and more delayed.

BERMAN: This is no joke. This is a dangerous situation. They have a lot of snow. They have nowhere to put it and they're talking about blizzard conditions. Ferocious winds.

(CROSSTALK)

BOLDUAN: Think about rooftops.

BERMAN: We can only hope for the best for those people.

BOLDUAN: Thanks so much.

BERMAN: A few minutes before the hour right now. Finding love, we're told --

(CROSSTALK)

BOLDUAN: Oh, tell me.

BERMAN: Laurie Segall shows us how the Smartphone now is the key.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAURIE SEGALL, CNN MONEY TECH CORRESPONDENT: There's really no better way to talk about how things have changed and the online dating scene than to go offline to a bar in New York City on a Friday night.

(on camera): Do you use apps to date?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I use Tinder.

SEGALL: Tinder?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I use Cupid.

(CROSSTALK) SEGALL: I think the bar right now is littered full of people on online dates.

(voice-over): The modern dating game, where you're a click or a tap away from love, or something like it. Apps that let you swipe through your options. People are pixels where the formula for love is coded into your Smartphone, filtered by location, age, gender. Your love may never change, but the way we find it has evolved.

And here's the thing about love now. Mobile has changed everything.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALES: No. No.

SEGALL: Remember when you used to ask a friend to set you up? Hinge is an app that browses the network of your Facebook friends and comes up with a match. And Tinder, which uses geo location to link up nearby people who are interested. Swipe if interested, swipe left if not.

Shawn Rad (ph) founded Tinder.

(on camera): Used to have these worlds were there was online and then there was offline.

SHAWN RAD (ph), FOUNDER, TINDER: Online and off line, the distinction exists when I'm behind a computer which is usually at a fixed location. But with our phones, it's with us everywhere we go.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you get like good morning emotes (ph).

SEGALL: Oh, my gosh.

Do you think that technology changes things for the better or for the worse in?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think definitely for the worse. You don't feel like you meet anybody in the bar, you have like 50 matches on your phone.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: New information this morning about the widow of the Paris gunman who attacked the kosher super market. She is in Syria and has linked up with ISIS, according to the terror group itself. 26-year- old Hayat Boumeddiene, French police say -- she is the one there in the beige head scarf -- she is seen as a crucial link to a possible terrorist cell inside France. She was married to Amedy Coulibaly. He was killed by French law enforcement after he murdered a police officer and four hostages.

BOLDUAN: An ISIS French-language magazine published when they say is a question and answer kind of session with his widow. They offer no proof though this is the woman. Boumeddiene allegedly told the group she had no problem reaching ISIS territory. But didn't say what role she may have played in the Paris attacks.

Let's discuss this with CNN terror analyst, Paul Cruickshank.

Paul, you have been looking into this. What do you think is most consequential that she allegedly has said?

PAUL CRUICKSHANK, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: Well, that claiming that she's reached the caliphate, that put out this Q&A yesterday in a French ISIS online magazine, they put the same out in English today, and the basic claim is she's reached Syria, that she's happy to be there and has a message for other jihadis around the world to keep on the fight as well. But as you said, no proof or picture or corroboration that she's actually reached Syria. But she's believed to have crossed the Turkish-Syrian border the day before the attack on the Jewish grocery store by Amedy Coulibaly, her husband.

BERMAN: She got there before the whole world was watching, before everyone was looking for her and presumably would have been taking measures to keep her from getting in there. What's the propaganda significance of this? I would think if she's there, they'd scream it from the rooftops.

CRUICKSHANK: It's of great propaganda significance. Allows ISIS to take some ownership over those attacks in Paris. ISIS now saying that he dispatched his wife off to Syria to join ISIS before the attacks. Allows them to take a lot of propaganda from what is a very popular attack right across the global jihadist community.

BOLDUAN: Paul, this one claim sticks with a lot of folks, that she had no problem getting out, crossing over into Syria. That's a real problem if that's true.

CRUICKSHANK: Yeah, there's a lot of concern about people still crossing the border. About a thousand foreign fighters reaching Syria and Iraq each month. The Turkish authorities have cracked down. It's a long border. They're still able to get these recruits across. Right now, European officials are meeting in Brussels to discuss this whole foreign fighter problem, discussing stronger watch listing and that kind of stuff.

BERMAN: They're going to have to do more than discuss it, I think, in the coming days as more and more people cross that border.

Paul Cruickshank, always great to have you with us.

BOLDUAN: Thanks, Paul.

CRUICKSHANK: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: That's it for us today. Thanks so much for joining us.

BERMAN: "LEGAL VIEW" with Ashleigh Banfield starts right now.