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Obama Ending Africa Tour in Ethiopia; Turkey Shifts Terror Tactics with Airstrikes; Bobbi Kristina Brown Dies at 22; Donald Trump Leads GOP Polls; Hillary Clinton Still Answering Questions About E- mail Server; Obama Delivers Message of Hope to Kenyans; Turkey Grapples with New Wave of Violence; Hulk Hogan Apologizes for Racist Remarks; Ant-Man Tops Box Office; Aired 3-4p ET
Aired July 26, 2015 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:08] ERROL BARNETT, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. President Barack Obama touches down in Ethiopia just as the region comes to grips with another deadly terrorist attack.
ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: Plus, after months in medically induced coma the daughter of singing star Whitney Houston has died.
BARNETT: And despite all the controversy, presidential candidate Donald Trump remains number one in the Republican polls.
ASHER: Hello, and a warm welcome to all of our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Zain Asher.
BARNETT: Good to be with you, Zain. Hey, everyone. I'm Errol Barnett. This is CNN NEWSROOM.
Now we begin in Somalia, where terror group al-Shabaab is claiming responsibility for a deadly attack at an upscale hotel in Mogadishu.
ASHER: That's right. Police say at least 15 people were killed when a suicide bomber rammed the front gate with a vehicle loaded with explosives. Al-Shabaab says it was targeting Western envoys. Now the hotel houses the diplomatic missions of several countries, and that includes China as well.
BARNETT: The attacks happened while the U.S. president was in neighboring Kenya for the first leg of his Africa tour. Barack Obama gave a passionate speech in Nairobi, saying the U.S. and Kenya must work together to fight al-Shabaab.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're going to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you in this fight against terrorism for as long as it takes.
(APPLAUSE)
But as I mentioned yesterday, it is important to remember that violent extremists want us to turn against one another.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Mr. Obama is now in Ethiopia, where he's expected to attend a welcome ceremony within the hour at the National Palace.
Now CNN correspondent Robyn Kriel has been following his trip. She joins me now from the capital Addis Ababa.
So, Robyn, when just as President Obama was traveling to Ethiopia, there was that attack at a hotel in Somalia that al-Shabaab militants actually claimed responsibility for. So clearly in this region security is a problem. But how will Obama's visit make a difference, do you think?
ROBYN KRIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think Obama's visit is sending a clear message to Kenya and Ethiopia. It's a historical visit. First sitting U.S. president to visit both of those countries. But we're told that security is one of the major reasons that he is making this visit. And obviously, security in this region as highlighted from this attack yesterday and all throughout the past month there's been a series of bloody attacks, both in Somalia and even some small-scale attacks in Kenya that really talk to this idea of security cooperation in this region.
President Obama and the United States already trains and equips as well as gives a lot of money to African Union forces including Kenya and Ethiopia. We managed to sit down and get both the Ethiopian side and the American side and exactly what the U.S. plans to do in the future in its fight against terror in this region and just what kind of a role Ethiopia hopes to take.
Here's that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRIEL (voice-over): Al-Shabaab militants wait to ambush an African Union convoy in southern Somalia. The attack went largely unnoticed until this gruesome terror video appeared online. The al Qaeda-linked group claims they've killed dozens of Ethiopian troops. Identity documents purport to show the dead.
The Ethiopian military is regarded as the most disciplined, effective and battle hardened among the 22,000 troops of the African Union's mission to Somalia. Their mandate is peace enforcement. Their contribution to fighting al-Shabaab hasn't gone unnoticed.
U.S. President Barack Obama thanked Ethiopia for its leadership and cooperation last year.
OBAMA: Our counterterrorism cooperation and the partnerships that we have formed with countries like Ethiopia are going to be critical to our overall efforts to defeat terrorism.
KRIEL: Those efforts have ramped up just this month with a new ground offensive by African forces and U.S. airstrikes.
MATT BRYDEN, SOMALIA SECURITY EXPERT: Obama traveling to Ethiopia, I think, is an indication of continued U.S. engagement, possibly some increased, and also signaling a U.S. awareness that more needs to be done. That the last few years of combined regional and international efforts to contain al-Shabaab haven't done enough, and it is time to step up both the campaign against al-Shabaab and the support for the countries that are on the front lines.
KRIEL: The Ethiopians believe they can teach the Americans a thing or two about achieving that.
GETACHEW REDA, ADVISER TO ETHIOPIAN GOVERNMENT: The United States has to do some learning as to how realities on the ground and understanding the realities on the ground would better inform whatever decisions they make.
[03:05:07] KRIEL: Reda adds that the two countries have a long way in addressing what he calls their differences in approach. When pressed on that --
REDA: Less limited attack.
KRIEL (on camera): It said that the African Union's war against al- Shabaab in Somalia is the cheapest, most effective war against militant Islam in the world. But the countries fighting that war, including Ethiopia, need more support in terms of financing training and equipment. As one Western diplomat told us, it's our treasure, but it's their blood.
(Voice-over): A high price to pay for the long desired goal of stability in the Horn of Africa.
REDA: Peace in Somalia would also have dividends to the rest of the region.
KRIEL: And the rest of the world.
Ethiopia wants to be more than a military enforcer. It wants to be the regional power broker, too. And it wants the U.S. to listen, understand and support it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KRIEL: In the last week you've seen this level of cooperation increasing. Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda, part of those AU forces, have launched a very big mission into southern Somalia where they've tried to sort of make sure al-Shabaab gets out of its stronghold including the city of Dinsoor that they've been in for the past seven years, and the U.S. has been providing airstrike cover and essentially striking targets directly in support of African Union forces.
Back to you in the studio.
ASHER: Yes. And Robyn, in addition to security issues Obama is expected to discuss human rights abuses in Ethiopia as well and he's expected to address the African Union on Tuesday.
OK, Robyn Kriel, thank you so much, joining us live there from Addis Ababa. We appreciate that. Thank you.
BARNETT: We also do expect there to be within this hour some kind of welcoming ceremony.
ASHER: Right.
BARNETT: If that does happen as scheduled we'll bring that to you live. So do stay tuned for that.
Now attackers dressed in army fatigues stormed a police station in northwestern India on Monday, killing five people. Police in Punjab state say they're still exchanging fire with the gunmen holed up inside the station. Thankfully, though, there are no hostages.
ASHER: Now one official describes it as a terror attack, although it is not clear which group the attackers belong to.
BARNETT: Now in Yemen the government and Houthi rebels are blaming each other for breaching a five-day humanitarian cease-fire.
ASHER: The Saudi-backed government accuses Houthi militia of shelling almost immediately after the truce went into effect midnight on Sunday according to a source close to the government. Meanwhile, the Houthi- backed Defense Ministry says the Saudi-led coalition breached the cease-fire by launching two airstrikes in Hajja and Sadaa. We are told that one person was killed.
BARNETT: All right. We're turning our attention now to Turkey, a nation struggling with a spate of violent attacks that really has killed dozens of people there. Most recently there was this car bombing that killed two security officers responding to an emergency call.
ASHER: Now Turkey in response have actually asked for an emergency NATO meeting to discuss the bold steps that it's taking to fight terrorism including weekend airstrikes on ISIS positions in Syria and bombing Kurdish militants in Iraq as well.
BARNETT: Now for the latest on the stepped-up measures by Turkey let's bring in CNN's Jomana Karadsheh. As you see in the screen, she joins us now live from Amman, Jordan.
Jomana, great to connect with you. As we mentioned there, Turkey now taking a more aggressive stance against ISIS but it's also fighting Kurdish rebels, the PKK, a group which itself is fighting ISIS in the region. I'm just wondering how the Kurdish population here is reacting to this.
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a very complicated situation, as you mentioned there, Errol. We heard from the PKK issuing a statement saying that the cease-fire that has been in effect between Turkey and the group since 2013 is now over and it's dead basically. And we also heard from the Kurdish -- president of the Kurdistan regional government in northern Iraq. That is where we saw the bombardment of PKK positions by the Turkish Air Force take place in the past few days. Masrud Barzani releasing a statement also after speaking with the
Turkish prime minister, really concerned about the situation and calling for calm by all parties here. And we heard Barzani saying that -- you know, his quote was peace is the only solution to problems and years of dialogue is better than an hour of fighting.
That old saying here, Errol, that my enemy's enemy is my friend doesn't really apply while both, as you mentioned, the Kurds and Turkey here are fighting ISIS. They view ISIS as the enemy. For Turkey the PKK is considered a terrorist organization just like ISIS that poses a threat to its national security, and the concern here is that Turkey is opening up these two fronts now, attacking and taking this aggressive action against both ISIS and the PKK.
[03:10:15] A lot of concern here that this could invite more retaliatory attacks that we could see with the end of the cease-fire between the PKK and Turkey. You know, three bloody decades fighting between Turkey and the PKK, and a lot of concern about these retaliatory attacks that might happen as a result of this aggressive action by Turkey, Errol.
BARNETT: Yes. And that certainly is concerning. Let's talk a bit more about how this all looks from the Turkish perspective. The country has called an emergency NATO meeting. That's set for Tuesday. There have been a number of attacks inside the country over the past week, and within that time some 800-plus people have been detained.
What outcome is Turkey likely looking for here?
KARADSHEH: Well, it's very unclear because we don't really know what Turkey is going to ask for at this meeting. It's been -- it's called for this extraordinary NATO meeting under Article 4, which usually is to brief NATO allies on the action it is currently taking on its military operations and also for consultation with allies. Not necessarily -- we're not really going to see any outcome out of this tomorrow.
It is unclear. We don't know what Turkey might ask for. But of course as you mentioned we have seen some dramatic change in the Turkish position over the past few days. So this is something that we would expect to see Turkey calling its allies, convening this meeting to brief them on this situation, and what it sees as a serious threat to its territorial integrity, to its national security in this case.
And it's also worth mentioning, Errol, while this is a rare meeting Turkey has in the past asked for four of these meetings by NATO out of five that we have seen in the organization's history. One was over the Iraq war in 2003 and two of them over Syria since 2012. So we'll have to wait and see what comes out of this meeting in Brussels tomorrow at this point -- Errol.
BARNETT: Yes, we'll certainly be watching that closely.
Jomana Karadsheh, live for us in Amman, Jordan. Twelve minutes past 10:00 in the morning there.
Jomana, thanks.
ASHER: And we have some very sad news to share with you. The daughter and only child of the late Whitney Houston is now dead. Bobbi Kristina Brown had been in a medically induced coma since she was found unresponsive in a bathtub in her home in the U.S. state of Georgia.
BARNETT: Now when her condition deteriorated recently, she was moved to hospice care. In a statement the family representative said the following, quote, "Bobbi Kristina Brown passed away Sunday, July 26th, 2015, surrounded by her family. She is finally at peace in the arms of God."
ASHER: Now Bobbi Kristina Brown was only 22 years old.
CNN's Alina Machado looks at her short and often controversial life.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA MACHADO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As the adorable daughter of pop icon Whitney Houston, Bobbi Kristina Brown was thrust into the spotlight at a tender age.
Born in Livingston, New Jersey, in 1993, she was the only child of Houston and R&B singer, Bobby Brown. At just 12 years old, her family's drama was turned into reality TV fodder on "Being Bobby Brown."
WHITNEY HOUSTON, SINGER: I'm watching you, young lady.
MACHADO: Then in 2012, tragedy. Whitney died suddenly. Her mother's shocking death sending Bobbi to Cedar Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
BOBBI KRISTINA BROWN, DAUGHTER OF WHITNEY HOUSTON & BOBBY BROWN: I'm going to make it now. It's going to be good.
MACHADO: As Bobbi tried to recover from the loss, cameras went along for Lifetime's "The Houstons: On Our Own."
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you see how happy you are?
BROWN: I really was.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've got to find this girl again.
BROWN: That girl has just been through a lot. I miss her so much.
MACHADO: Estranged from her father for nearly two and a half years after Whitney's death, she shared this photo of them reuniting in June of 2014. Her parents struggled with addiction, and Bobbi, too, faced allegations of drug use.
CISSY HOUSTON, GRANDMOTHER: I wanted to do the right thing. All I'm trying to do is guide her to the right place in her life.
MACHADO: But Bobbi tried to move forward, explaining on Oprah's "Next Chapter" how she was coping with her mother's death.
BROWN: I can hear her voice, you know, in spirit, talking to me and telling me, you know, "Keep moving, baby, you know, I'm right here, I got you."
MACHADO: As Bobbi Kristina dealt with the loss of her mother, she sparked a romance with Nick Gordon. The relationship raised eyebrows. Days before she was found unresponsive in a bathtub at the home she shared with Gordon, she posted these photos on Instagram and tweeted, "Miss you, Mommy, so much, loving you more every second."
[03:15:09] Now more than three years after her mother's death, the 22- year-old's life also cut short by pain and tragedy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: That was Alina Machado there. That life cut too short way too soon. You can read more on the short troubled life of Bobbi Kristina Brown by going to our Web site, CNN.com.
BARNETT: Now it is 3:15 a.m. in the U.S. state of Florida. Right now Coast Guard crews are searching through the night for Perry Cohen and Austin Stephanos. The 14-year-olds went missing while on a fishing trip Friday off the Florida coast.
ASHER: Now on Sunday there was a development. Coast Guard teams found the boys' boat capsized. They're now combing a huge area surrounding that spot.
Now Joe Namath, former NFL quarterback, is a neighbor of the teens and is also helping in the search.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE NAMATH, FORMER NFL QUARTERBACK AND MISSING BOYS' NEIGHBOR: Well, you know, the love is there. We're all praying. And Nick actually wants the folks to know that are trying to help out that are out there searching to be very careful. We've got a lot of people out on the water and in the air looking. Both families have been hard at work at this and praying. So let's just stay safe, and we'll keep on looking until we find them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BARNETT: They've got so many concerned folks there right now. The community actually held a vigil for the boys over the weekend. Their families are offering $100,000 for their rescue.
Now Fiat Chrysler is facing a massive fine from the U.S. government. Coming up next, we'll show you what the U.S. automaker has to pay and why.
ASHER: Of course also ahead, he keeps saying controversial things, and yet billionaire Donald Trump continues to lead in the Republican field. We'll tell you why.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:20:50] ASHER: Welcome back, everyone. In Australia a 39-year-old man accused of aiding ISIS is going to be staying in custody. Adam Brookman appeared in court earlier but didn't apply for bail. So he'll remain in custody until November. Brookman is a nurse and he says he traveled to Syria on a humanitarian mission and was forced to join the terror group after being injured.
BARNETT: Now Brookman surrendered to Turkish officials before being returned to Australia. He now faces up to 10 years in prison.
ASHER: Former FIFA vice president Jack Warner is expected to appear in a court of Spain courtroom in the coming hours. He's resisting extradition to the U.S. to face charges linked to the FIFA corruption scandal.
BARNETT: U.S. prosecutors say South Africa funneled $10 million to Warner and two other FIFA executives. They say it was bribe money to buy support for South Africa's successful bid to host the 2010 World Cup.
ASHER: OK. To some news in the U.S. Presidential candidate Donald Trump is once again leading a national poll among Republican nominees.
BARNETT: That's right. This is despite --
ASHER: You can't hold him down.
BARNETT: You can't.
ASHER: You can't.
BARNETT: You can't hold him down.
ASHER: Despite what he says.
BARNETT: That's exactly right. He's made controversial statements about Mexicans and U.S. Senator John McCain. Republican respondents still, though, picked Trump as their frontrunner for 2016. For now.
ASHER: For now. We'll see what happens.
BARNETT: Jeremy Roth has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Donald Trump is leading the pack. In a new CNN/ORC poll, 18 percent of Republicans surveyed say they want Trump to be their party's nominee for president. Jeb Bush came in second with 15 percent. The other 14 GOP candidates polled at or below 10 percent.
Trump called into CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION" Sunday morning.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They view me as an outsider, I guess, and now they're starting to view me not as an outsider because I'm leading in all the polls, not just yours.
RICK PERRY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We don't need a Republican divider-in-chief.
ROTH: Trumps rising popularity and controversial statements on undocumented immigrants and Senator John McCain have pushed more traditional Republican candidates to fight back.
PERRY: As he has come forward, as we've got to see the real Donald Trump, I've got some real problems with that. I think that what he is saying and what he is doing is not necessarily moving the cause of conservatism forward.
SEAN SPICER, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE: Our number one goal is to win the White House back.
ROTH: This very public rift among fellow GOP-ers is worrying party officials.
SPICER: The name calling, however, needs to stop. We've got to remember what Ronald Reagan taught, his eleventh commandment, that thou shall not speak ill of another Republican.
ROTH: Even though some have called for the celebrity candidate to drop out of the race, that new poll shows 52 percent of Americans want Trump to stay in.
I'm Jeremy Roth, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: And you've got to wonder what he's going to be like on the debate stage when they let him loose.
BARNETT: I cannot -- I can't wait. You know, Trump has said he's yet to turn his attention to Hillary Clinton but when he does he says he will beat her easily. He also said Clinton's use of a personal e-mail server is criminal.
ASHER: And out on the campaign trail this weekend Clinton has had to answer new questions about sending and receiving classified e-mails while she was secretary of state.
Mary Maloney reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARY MOLONEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a constant theme on the Clinton campaign trail. Hillary Clinton's e-mails on a private server while she served as secretary of state. The rhetoric for the Clinton camp hasn't changed.
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I did not e-mail any classified material to anyone on my e- mail. There is no classified material. MOLONEY: The intelligence community investigated, taking a small
chunk of the 30,000 e-mails Clinton released. Out of 40 messages reviewed, investigators found four with classified information. At least one e-mail had been released to the public.
The Inspector General's Office says the messages were classified when they were sent and are classified now. The problem? The State Department never marked the e-mails classified, and Clinton may not have known she had information that should have remained on a secure system. Now the inspector general for the intelligence community wants the Justice Department to investigate if classified information was compromised.
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: It's a situation ripe with political peril, probably not legal peril. But for someone running for president, political peril is a big deal.
[03:25:02] MOLONEY: Republicans used the revelation to renew attacks and question the candidate's judgment. Clinton says, if asked, she will testify before Congress.
CLINTON: We are all accountable to the American people to get the facts right. And I will do my part.
MOLONEY: I'm Mary Moloney, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: Officials in the U.S. are set to hit Fiat Chrysler's automobiles with a record fine. $105 million for mishandling recalls involving 11 million vehicles.
BARNETT: Now that includes a recall of 1.5 million Jeeps with gas tanks that can leak after a severe rear impact. Federal safety officials have been pressing the automaker over its handling of recalls for several years.
ASHER: This just in to CNN NEWSROOM. Chinese stocks plunged sharply at the beginning of the trading week with the Shanghai composite dropping nearly 8.5 percent.
This has been incredibly volatile these past few months.
BARNETT: Yes.
ASHER: And the Shenzhen losing 7 percent. We had seen the Chinese government tried to intervene to stabilize things a bit. But as you can see, it is dropping ever so sharply there.
BARNETT: And that deep red just comes amid many concerns over China's economic health, questions over their economic numbers, and if they were --
ASHER: Right.
BARNETT: Perhaps fudging them somewhat. China of course denies that. And this is --
ASHER: (INAUDIBLE).
BARNETT: This is an unwelcomed development. The country's biggest one-day loss since February 2007. We'll of course keep our eyes on this.
ASHER: OK. We are going to take a quick break. Excuse me. Next on CNN NEWSROOM, we're looking at U.S. President Barack Obama is getting a warm welcome in Ethiopia's capital today. That story just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:30:10] BARNETT: Hey, thanks for kicking off your week with us. This is CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Errol Barnett.
ASHER: And I'm Zain Asher. Let's give you your headlines. The U.S. president is in Ethiopia right now for the second and final stop of his Africa tour. Barack Obama starts his day in the capital with a welcome ceremony at the National Palace. He's also expected to hold a joint news conference with the prime minister.
BARNETT: Al-Shabaab is claiming an attack in Somalia's capital that killed at least 15 people. Police say it happened when a suicide bomber drove a vehicle full of explosives into the front gate of an upscale hotel. The diplomatic missions of several countries are housed there. The terror group says it was targeting Western diplomats.
ASHER: Attackers dressed in army fatigues stormed a police station in northwestern India killing five people. The gunmen are still holed up inside the station, but there are no hostages. One official describes it as a terror attack, although it is not clear which group the attackers belong to.
BARNETT: NATO ministers are set to meet Tuesday to discuss Turkey's stepped-up anti-terror campaign. Turkish air strikes have been targeting ISIS in Syria and PKK militants in Iraq. It all comes amid an outbreak of violence in southern Turkey including a car bombing Sunday that killed two people.
ASHER: Ethiopia is welcoming U.S. President Barack Obama with a special ceremony in the capital Addis Ababa.
BARNETT: That's right. And this trip follows his venture to Kenya. He gave a speech in Nairobi covering a range of topics including women's rights and terrorism.
Jim Acosta was there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Obama capped an emotional return to the land of his father with an impassioned speech steeped in Kenyan pride.
OBAMA: And of course, I'm the first Kenyan-American to be president of the United States.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: That goes without saying.
ACOSTA: But even as he tried to weave his own family story into a larger narrative of hope for the African people --
OBAMA: I believe there is no limit to what you can achieve.
ACOSTA: -- the president issued a challenge to the continent of his ancestors to change by rejecting the oppression of women.
OBAMA: Treating women as second class citizens is a bad tradition. It holds you back.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: There's no excuse for sexual assault or domestic violence. There's no reason that young girls should suffer genital mutilation.
ACOSTA: Mr. Obama likened the problems to Americans who cling to the Confederate flag as a symbol of white power.
OBAMA: Just because something is a tradition doesn't make it right.
ACOSTA: The president also vowed to back Kenyans in their fight against the al Qaeda-linked terror group, al-Shabaab.
OBAMA: We're going to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you in this fight against terrorism for as long as it takes.
(APPLAUSE)
ACOSTA: But standing in front of Kenya's president, Mr. Obama risked offending his host by calling on the country's leaders to crackdown on corruption.
OBAMA: Here in Kenya, it's time to change habits.
ACOSTA: Still the president pointed to his family's humble beginning, insisting Kenya, like the Obamas, can overcome obstacles.
OBAMA: In the end, we're all part of one tribe. The human tribe.
ACOSTA: The president described his trip to Kenya as something of a family reunion. He sang and danced with relatives like half-sister, Alma, who introduced Mr. Obama as a man who first visited Kenya in an old Volkswagen and returned in a motorcade.
DR. ALMA OBAMA, HALF-SISTER OF PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: He gets it. He's one of us.
ACOSTA: Kenyans swarmed the president as he departed, knowing the next time he returns to this land, it will be when he's out of office, though one woman told us, he left a message that will last. NANCY NGANGA, KENYAN RESIDENT: I think it's going to change my life,
actually, by preventing a woman from harassment.
ACOSTA (on camera): Just as the president departed Kenya for Ethiopia, there were reports of casualties from large terror attacks in both Nigeria and Somalia, so expect the president to intensify his discussions with African leaders about the fight against terrorist groups like al-Shabaab and Boko Haram.
Jim Acosta, CNN, Nairobi, Kenya.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BARNETT: Let's get you new details now on Turkey's stepped-up offensive against ISIS and PKK militants. NATO is set to meet at Turkey's request on Tuesday to discuss the developing situation.
ASHER: The Turkish government plans to explain what it is doing and drum up international support as well.
CNN's Arwa Damon has more on the intensifying fight.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Turkey is now fighting on two fronts. Bombing ISIS for the first time in Syria, making the nation a target for ISIS revenge, and going after the PKK, the Kurdistan Workers Party, in northern Iraq, which Turkey has long labeled a terrorist organization, which already proved it can and will retaliate, laying an ambush for Turkish security forces in the country's Kurdish heartland, killing two. The shaky cease-fire with the PKK officially dead.
[03:35:24] Turkey also launched a country-wide anti-terrorism operation, rounding up some 850 individuals the government says have ties to terrorism. Among them, around three dozen foreigners.
Turkey is on the offensive.
AHMET DAVUTOGLU, TURKISH PRIME MINISTER (Through Translation): Whoever presents a threat to our borders, the order is very clear. We have authorized the Turkish armed forces with a directive from the prime ministry, no matter which terror group. Whoever approaches our borders in a way that threatens our borders, without needing a second order, the necessary precautions will be taken and punished.
DAMON: But the aggressive stance may also be a byproduct of Turkish politics. President Erdogan has yet to form a coalition government, been blamed for allowing the threat post by ISIS to thrive, and flip- flopped on his position vis-a-vis the Kurds, now turning against them since they came into political power as a party in the country's most recent elections.
All of which puts Turkey, a key NATO ally, in a contentious position at a precarious time. Turkey has finally agreed to open its bases and airspace to coalition aircraft going after ISIS in Syria, something Washington has been pressuring it to do. And Turkey is calling on NATO to convene regarding terror threats to its security.
(On camera): Engagement, whether with the PKK or ISIS, will come at a cost. Airstrikes and crackdowns rarely eliminate threats, especially not in a region this volatile where tensions run deep and alliances are murky.
Arwa Damon, CNN, Istanbul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BARNETT: Still to come here on CNN NEWSROOM, wrestling star Hulk Hogan is at the center of controversy for comments he made a decade ago. What he said and how it came to light after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:40:22] ASHER: All right. Take a look at this incredible video. This is from northern India, there you can see heavy rains, have actually caused the landslides and floodings you've seen here.
The slides have actually forced officials to close a national highway in the area. Now it's cutting off the districts -- cutting the districts off from other parts of the state.
BARNETT: And you know, this is common at this time of year throughout India. Mudslides become more frequent all over the country.
Our meteorologist Derek Van Dam is back once again to talk to us about why and just how intense these things can be.
DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, and in fact they can run about 35 miles per hour with debris rolling down the side of a hill.
ASHER: That's how fast they can go?
VAN DAM: That's how fast they can do. And they pick up rocks and they pick up trees and they pretty much demolish anything in its path. Obviously going that fast with that type of weight behind it. Scary stuff, something you do not want to encounter. Unfortunately, pretty much all countries across the world are susceptible to landslides or mudslides in some form.
Here in the United States we have on average about $3.5 billion U.S. of damage thanks to landslides per year. Basically, heavy rainfall soaking the sides of the topography, the mountains, the terrain. Eventually the gravity wins, the slope fails, and, well, ultimately takes it down in a big torrent of mud and rock. Not something you want to see.
Well, in India this is the time of year where we start to see the frequency of landslides and mudslides increasing. That is thanks to the monsoonal rains that have settled there. And particular at the moment we have a few areas of low pressure we're monitoring. One across the Bay of Bengal bringing heavy rain to Myanmar, Bangladesh, the eastern half of India, but the Gujarat State, the most western state in India, currently under the highest, most extreme warning for monsoonal rains.
And take a look at how much rain we're expecting to fall over the next 48 hours over that area. Computer models indicating anywhere between 300, perhaps even upwards of 500 millimeters in those higher elevations. That's going to lead to the possibility of mudslides and landslides once again. We're going to hop across the continent into Europe and talk about a storm system that's brought strong to severe weather this past weekend. It's been a rough go from Poland into Germany as well as the Netherlands. Wind gusts in excess of 100 miles or rather kilometers per hour.
But take a look at what this strong line of winds did at a sailing event in Hamburg, Germany. This was the moment when the boat was going down wind on its last beat. It was jiving. And unfortunately, it capsized. That looks like it hurt.
BARNETT: Right.
VAN DAM: You can see the guys just actually falling from one of the sides of the boat. Well, fortunately, no one was injured and they've uprighted the boat and they're going to assess the damage.
BARNETT: Scary stuff there.
VAN DAM: It is. I do not want to be part of it.
(LAUGHTER)
ASHER: Yes.
BARNETT: Thanks a lot.
ASHER: Thank you so much, Derek.
Hulk Hogan is apologizing for a racist rant caught on an unauthorized sex tape from nearly a decade ago. The wrestling superstar and the WWE have now parted ways.
BARNETT: CNN's Jason Carroll has more on Hogan's rant. And as you might expect, going to give you a warning here because the language used is offensive.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Wrestling superstar Hulk Hogan got a smack down from World Wrestling Entertainment firing the WWE star after he was heard repeating the N word in a racist rant.
According to RadarOnline and "The National Enquirer," Hogan is heard on the tape which was recorded in 2006 talking about his daughter, Brooke, whom he accused of sleeping with an African-American.
"I mean, I am a racist to a point, (EXPLETIVE DELETED). But then when it comes to nice people (EXPLETIVE DELETED) and whatever." Then says, "I mean, I'd rather if she was going to (EXPLETIVE DELETED) some (EXPLETIVE DELETED), I'd rather have her marry an eight-foot tall (EXPLETIVE DELETED) worth a hundred million dollars. Like a basketball player. I guess we're all a little racist. (EXPLETIVE DELETED)"
Hogan's rant captured during his performance in a secretly recorded sex tape and he's suing Gawker to try to stop the online Web site from releasing it. Hogan responded Friday in a statement saying, "It was unacceptable for me to have used that offensive language. There is no excuse for it and I apologize for having done it. I am disappointed with myself that I used language that is offensive and inconsistent with my own beliefs. It is not who I am."
LISA BLOOM, THE BLOOM FIRM, AVVO LEGAL ANALYST: I don't know who would want to enter into a contract with him after this. I wouldn't be surprised if everybody just drops him cold.
CARROLL: Hogan says he is resigning from the WWE. While the WWE's saying Hogan was fired. "WWE terminated its contract with Terry Bollea, a.k.a. Hulk Hogan. The WWE is committed to embracing and celebrating individuals from all backgrounds, as demonstrated by the diversity of our employees, performers, and fans worldwide."
MARC LAMONT HILL, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: What we saw on that tape is exactly what 21st century racism looks like. You may like black people and be friendly to black children but you don't want your child to marry a black person.
CARROLL: When Hogan used the N word during a 2012 radio broadcast, he explained that a black wrestler, Booker T, called him the word during a match.
HOGAN: They're all talking trash. Booker T. goes, I'm coming for you, Hogan, you (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
CARROLL: Hogan got a pass that time but now finds himself in the same position of other celebrities caught using racially charged language. Remember Mel Gibson's rants?
MEL GIBSON, ACTOR: And if you get raped by a pack of (EXPLETIVE DELETED) it will be your fault.
CARROLL: And Michael Richards. Both caught. Others such as Paula Deen, Justin Bieber, and Madonna also caught and also apologized for using the word.
Apology alone works for some, not for all. As for Hogan, his name and likeness stricken from the WWE Web site.
(On camera): We did reach out to Hogan's daughter, Brooke. Her representatives did not return our calls. A number of people have actually taken to Twitter to support Hogan. One of those people supporting him, Dennis Rodman, who tweeted out he did not believe that Hogan had a, quote, "racist bone in his body."
Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: All right. We want to get you some breaking news. This just in to CNN. At least 21 people have been killed in Afghanistan after a gunfight broke out at a wedding. It happened north of Kabul.
BARNETT: Now officials say a gunfight broke out between two illegal armed groups. Two teenage boys are among the dead. Eight others were wounded.
We will bring you more information on this story as it becomes available. We'll be back with the day's biggest stories after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:50:55] BARNETT: The first episode of Caitlyn Jenner's "I Am Cait" docu-series premiered Sunday night. Now it follows Caitlyn, formerly Bruce Jenner, as she goes public with her gender transition. It also chronicles her journey as a transgender advocate. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAITLYN JENNER, FORMER OLYMPIAN BRUCE JENNER: OK, we're officially off the property. We're out into the world. It's so great out there. Look at that. Isn't it great? Maybe someday you'll be normal?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You are normal.
JENNER: Just blend into society.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You are normal.
JENNER: Put it this way. I'm the new normal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: The new normal. Now the series opened with Jenner on the morning of her "Vanity Fair" cover debut confessing her fears of living up to her responsibilities.
BARNETT: And now to a very noteworthy magazine cover. More than 40 women have come forward and accused comedian Bill Cosby of sexual assault. Well, now 35 of those women have come together on the cover of "New York" magazine. They're shown seated in rows with the date of their alleged assault beneath them. In a 13-page essay inside the women talk about their accusations and the backlash they face in speaking out.
ASHER: Now in a 2005 deposition Bill Cosby admitted to drug use and sexual relationships with at least five of those women but says they were all consensual. Cosby has never been criminally charged, and he denies any wrongdoing.
BARNETT: Now as we mentioned earlier, the 22-year-old daughter of late singing star Whitney Houston has died. In late January Bobbi Kristina Brown was found unresponsive in the bathtub of her home. ASHER: Doctors placed her in a medically induced coma and sadly her
condition did continue to deteriorate. She was moved to hospice care last month.
BARNETT: Kim Serafin, the senior editor of "In Touch Weekly" joins us from Los Angeles to talk about Bobbi Kristina and other major headlines out of the entertainment industry.
So, Kim, Bobbi Kristina no longer with us. What exactly do we know about what happened?
KIM SERAFIN, SENIOR EDITOR, IN TOUCH WEEKLY: Yes, it's really sad. I mean, I think everything pointed obviously to this happening. But you're right, this happened January 31st. We knew that she was put into a medically induced coma and just really never came out of it. And there had been various rumors. You know, Bobby Brown had made some comments about her being alive. Then of course they had to put out statements talking about irreversible brain damage.
We know that back in June she was transferred to a hospice. So clearly time was running out. And it's really sad and it's just -- it's sad. I mean, there's really nothing more to say about this. She clearly never really dealt with losing her mother. There had been tweets that she'd sent out just a few days before this happened, before she was found in the bathtub where she was working on some projects, but then other information emerged about police being called to her apartment. It's just -- it's just all really sad.
BARNETT: Yes. And the -- I mean, there is an investigation looking into some of the issues and why this happened. The family is asking for privacy, and we certainly understand that.
SERAFIN: Yes.
BARNETT: So let's go ahead and discuss some feel-good news in the entertainment world. "Ant-Man" apparently holding on to the number one top spot this past weekend, beating Adam Sandler and Jake Gyllenhaal's movies. What's the latest there?
SERAFIN: Yes. Weekend box office, "Ant-Man," a Marvel movie, continues to dominate. Just by a little. Just beat Adam Sandler's film "Pixels" by -- it was 24.8 versus 24 million. This could change potentially when the official numbers come out on Monday. But right now "Ant-Man" seems to hold the number one spot.
Adam Sandler, of course, used to be you'd never want to go up against an Adam Sandler movie because he just dominated the box office. His box office results have been a little bit lower but he still does well. Even movies that get terrible reviews. "Pixels" did not get the best reviews. About 1980s video games masquerading as aliens that come and attack earth.
BARNETT: Right.
SERAFIN: But, you know, $24 million still not bad. And Jake Gyllenhaal's boxing movie "Southpaw" made about 16 million, which is not great but better than expected. So this is more of an adult film.
BARNETT: OK. OK. Now apparently Tom Cruise, according to what he said this past weekend, is open to a "Top Gun" sequel. This is the original kind of huge movie that came out back in 1986. But he has said this with conditions. What do we know about that?
[03:55:11] SERAFIN: Yes. The rumors have always been flying about whether there would be another "Top Gun." There's been some reports that producers have said there was a script in development. But now Tom Cruise at the "Mission: Impossible" premier said it would be fun. That's basically what he said.
And of course this has just set the Internet aflame. He did say, as you mentioned, there would be conditions. He wants to do it not with CGI jets. He wants to do real stunts like they did the first one. So this makes sense. This is Tom Cruise. You know, if you've seen any of those previews or trailers of the new "Mission: Impossible," he's hanging off the side of a plane.
BARNETT: Right.
SERAFIN: And he did that stunt himself and there's a lot of things that went into doing that but he did that stunt and we know he does his own stunts. So I think if Tom Cruise said it would be fun and he wants to get back in those jets I think it's going to happen.
BARNETT: I think it's no surprise that he says that, too. He always wants to make a point that he does his own stunts. I mean, he's a top action movie star. It's like Tom, we get it, we know you can jump out of planes.
SERAFIN: Yes.
BARNETT: All right. Kim Serafin, great to chat with you.
SERAFIN: Yes. Exactly.
BARNETT: Thanks for your time. The senior editor of "In Touch Weekly" chatting with us this week from L.A.
SERAFIN: Great. Thanks so much.
ASHER: There absolutely is no one better at jumping out of planes I think than Tom Cruise.
BARNETT: For movies anyway.
ASHER: Very gifted at that, I'd say.
BARNETT: Yes.
ASHER: OK. Thank you so much for watching, everyone. I am Zain Asher.
BARNETT: And I'm Errol Barnett. Zain will be filling in with me here all week. ASHER: Yes. I'm happy about that. Yes.
BARNETT: Hope you're excited. And stay with CNN. "EARLY START" is next for those of you in the States.
ASHER: And for the rest of you another edition of "CNN NEWSROOM" begins right after this quick break. Don't go away.
BARNETT: OK.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
