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San Bernardino Shooters Used Encrypted Apps; Press Conference on U.S. Defense Secretary Using Private E-mail; Cruz, Rubio Hammer Each Other on Campaign Trail; Russia's Putin Offers High Praise for Trump; Tour of Russia's Syrian Air Base. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired December 17, 2015 - 13:30   ET

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

[13:30:00] EVAN PEREZ, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: It's illegal to buy a firearm for someone who's trying to avoid getting a background check. We expect that to be the center of these charges. He's been talking to the FBI for over a week now. He initially waved his Miranda rights. He's been working with the lawyer in the last week or so. He has been providing information cooperatively with the FBI, providing information that he says indicates that he and Farook back in 2012 were plotting some type of terrorist attack. Not very specific as to what the target was. He has also told the FBI he himself was a convert to Islam. He also described that he and Farook used to build IEDs or pipe bombs. And that it was mostly as a hobby. He says he has no -- he had no knowledge of the terror attack in the San Bernardino and certainly did not make any of the pipe bombs found in the home. As you remember, there were 19 of them found in the House. Some of them were incomplete. As well as the three that did not -- that failed to go off at the inland regional center where the terrorist attack occurred.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: An important development in that story.

Evan, thanks.

Other breaking news we're following this hour, encryption apps appear to have helped the Paris attackers carry out their plan that left 130 people dead, hundreds wounded. For the first time, investigators are now looking into the attacks. They say they do have evidence, they believe, that shows the apps were used by the terrorists to communicate for a time before the attacks.

Our "CNN Money" tech correspondent, Laurie Segall, joining us from New York.

Laurie, what did investigators specifically find?

LAURIE SEGALL, CNN MONEY TECH CORRESPONDENT: Specifically, they're pointing out two different apps that offer encryption technology. One is called telegram. We've spoken about it before on your show, Wolf. Another one is what's app owned by Facebook. The first time they're really coming out and saying they believe these apps were used to plan this attack.

A little information on Telegram. An app launched in 2013 that terrorism analysts keep saying more and more they're seeing is members use it. It offers two layers of encryption. Also public channels where ISIS puts out a lot of propaganda. Group chats with up to 200 people. And also this is a Snapchat-like feature but offers encryption, self-destructing messages and photos.

Law enforcement's obviously paying attention to this. But as we hear from officials, it's harder and harder for them to find out what conversations are happening behind encryption.

You've got to remember, Wolf, encryption is a dual technology. It helps our bank accounts, helps us communicate safely online. It also does the complete opposite, which is it helps terrorism and helps terrorists communicate safely.

BLITZER: The FBI director recently raised concerns about these encryption programs. Warning they could help terrorists carry out attacks and actually has called for a way to decryption some of the data in cases involving criminal terrorist activities. You've spoken to someone involved in What'sapp encryption app. Tell us about that.

SEGALL: Yeah, I spoke to a hacker that everyone from intelligence officials to Edward Snowden has said look out for what this guy builds. His name, he calls himself Moxie Marlin Spike, and he's building out the encryption technology for What'sapp, which is being used by hundreds of millions of users around the world.

He talked to me about why he's building it and why he believes we need it. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOXIE MARLIN SPIKE, FOUNDER, OPEN WHISPER SYSTEMS: What we're trying to do is make mass surveillance impossible. And, you know, terrorists or pedophiles, or whatever the bad people are, they already have access to encryption. Right now, we're the only people who aren't using encryption technology. People already involved in high risk behavior are already using it. What we're trying to do is develop technology that is really simple to use and accessible to just everyday, normal people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEGALL: Wolf, you know, what Moxie said is people, the bad guys, have been using this obviously for a long time. I asked him, OK, but the government wants to have a better relationship, they want a back door, a way in, to these communications, and what he said is, you know, this just is impossible. I think his line was something along the lines, they can't protect their own data, how can we expect them to protect ours? If you built a back door for the good guys, the bad guys will go there too. We're seeing this and it ignites this debate -- Wolf?

BLITZER: What could tech companies do to help law enforcement in this war against terror?

SEGALL: It's hard to get into some of the specifics. You hear how President Obama says we really need to come to the table. We need tech firms and law enforcement to come to the table. They also have separate interests. You know, tech companies want to protect user privacy. They want to make it more difficult for folks to access the data.

And also, you know, what we saw after the Snowden revelations is there was a lot of resentment in the tech community for the amount of government oversight. So now, if law enforcement goes to What'sapp and says we need access to these private communications, What'sapp, because its communications are encrypted, can turn it over but they won't have access to it.

So we're really entering this new time where we have to have and facilitate better discussions between the tech community and the government.

[13:35:23] BLITZER: Laurie Segall, thanks very much.

The happiest place on earth is adding extra security in the wake of the attacks in Paris and San Bernardino. Walt Disney World announced they'll be adding metal detectors at the entrance to the park in Orlando, Florida. They'll also do the same thing at Disneyland out in California. Disney World will stop selling toy guns at the park. Other parks like Universal Orlando and SeaWorld in Florida, they're adding metal detectors, at least for the time being.

Up next, from Russia with love. Vladimir Putin offering high praise for one of the 2016 presidential candidates here in the United States. Can you guess which one? We'll tell you after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest is discussing Ash Carter's use of a personal e-mail after he became the defense secretary of the United States. Let's listen in.

[13:19:53] JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: And I know the Department of Defense has also indicated that they're prepared to cooperate with oversight into this matter. Secretary Carter indicated finally that he has curtailed his use of any e-mail whatsoever, but certainly will ensure moving forward that e-mails about his government work is conducted on his government e-mail consistent with administration policy.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: We know the office here reached out to the Pentagon at the behest of the chief of staff to ask about this. Given that happened much earlier in the year, how was this allowed to go on until just a few months ago?

EARNEST: Well, again, what you said is true, josh, that the White House chief of staff did ask the council's office here at the White House to construct senior officials at the Pentagon to alert them to concerns about the e-mail use. And those concerns were relayed.

In terms of what action was then taken by senior officials at the Pentagon, I'd refer you to them. I just sort of explain what steps they took in response to those inquiries from the --

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: I think the question this raises for a lot of people --

BLITZER: All right, we're going to continue to monitor this White House briefing. Josh Earnest, the press secretary, talking about Ash Carter, the defense secretary, using his personal e-mail. No longer, but using it for a while, while he became the defense secretary of the United States. Raising a lot of eyebrows.

We're going to have much more on this part of the story coming up. The question is why would Ash Carter be doing that, knowing all the controversy surrounding the former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her use of a private e-mail account while she was the secretary of state. Much more on this story coming up.

But let's get to presidential politics here in the U.S. right now. One of the big questions surrounding the Republican field, is there room for only one 44-year-old first term Senator in this race for the White House? Both Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, they're vying to be the party's alternative to Donald Trump. With less than seven weeks to go before the Iowa caucuses, that's led to some heated words out there on the campaign trail. Just today, Cruz hammering Rubio over a failed immigration reform bill. Rubio making a veiled jab at Cruz's vote to curb NSA surveillance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARCO RUBIO, (R), FLORIDA & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have a president, and to be fair, support both weakening us militarily and in our intelligence gathering capabilities.

SEN. TED CRUZ, (R), TEXAS & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Tuesday was very interesting. Because Tuesday, for the first time in five debates, Senator Rubio publicly admitted not only did he support Obama's amnesty but he still supports amnesty citizenship today. He explicitly admitted it in this last --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Joining us now, Julie Pace, the White House correspondent for the Associated Press and a contributor to CNN's "Inside Politics"; also, CNN's chief political analyst, Gloria Borger.

Gloria, do Cruz and Rubio now basically consider each other to be their main rival? Not necessarily Donald Trump?

GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: You think? You know, they are fighting right now not only for the nomination but for the future of the Republican Party here. That's what we see playing out. This is a fight over national security policy. It's a fight over immigration. It's a fight over how much you spend on defense. And these two men are attacking each other because they differ in huge ways. And each of them wants to inherit Trump's voters and supporters. But Cruz is going right at Rubio by using -- you heard him use that word amnesty, Wolf, on immigration. And when you use that word to Republican primary voters, it's a complete red flag. And Rubio is going back at him and saying, wait a minute, you have flip- flopped your position, because back in 2013, you said something very different about legalization for illegal immigrants. This is going to go back and forth and back and forth to get those primary voters.

BLITZER: They're both 44 years old, both Cuban-Americans, both first- term Senators. Obviously, both very smart guys. Very ambitious, both of them.

They're trying to court I guess voters out there who don't like this notion of, quote, "amnesty." And there's a big debate on this whole issue of immigration. Who is more liberal, shall we say, than the other.

JULIE PACE, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: It's this classic issue that Republicans run into, where what you say in a primary could win you states like Iowa and New Hampshire but it might hurt you in a general election.

BLITZER: With Hispanic voters, especially.

PACE: With Hispanic voters, who will be crucial in a race probably against Hillary Clinton.

What I think is so fascinating about this dynamics, for months we've had a primary dominated more with personality, anger at Washington. This is actually a substantive debate and I think it's a sign voters are start to look at issues more. If these two continue on in this path, think you will have an interesting debate about the future of the Republican Party.

[13:45:17] BORGER: And it's a complicated fight they're having. Because what Rubio is saying is that Cruz proposed legislation 2013 -- or that could have led to legalization for illegal immigrants. And what Cruz is saying is the reason I proposed that bill, that measure, is to kill your bill. So it's a complicated issue for voters. And it's just easier for Cruz to say he's for amnesty and I'm not. And the issue's a lot more complex than that.

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: It's important in this race for the Republican nomination --

(CROSSTALK)

BORGER: Of course, yes.

BLITZER: Listen to this. This is the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, talking about this race. He gave a shout-out to someone, namely Donald Trump. I'll put it up on the screen. "He is a very flamboyant man. Very talented, no doubt about that. He is an absolute leader of the president's race, as we see it today. He says he wants to move to another level of relations, to a deeper level of relations with Russia. How can we not welcome that? Of course, we welcome that."

(LAUGHTER)

Julia, a nice shout-out from Putin to Trump.

PACE: The coveted Vladimir Putin endorsement, I guess. Trump will use this on the campaign trail over and over again. He's been talking about how he would be tough with Putin, he would be able to work with him and push America's priorities. I think you'll have a lot of Chuckles at the White House about this idea.

BORGER: I'm not so sure winning the Putin primary is so good --

(LAUGHTER)

-- for a potential Republican presidential nominee because Putin is not popular. That would give Chris Christie, I would think, something else to rail at Trump about. Christie said he would shoot down a Russian jet at your debate the other night if it were in a no-fly zone. So I'm not sure winning Putin's support is good.

BLITZER: Trump does often say, I'm willing to work with Putin. He always recalls --

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: He was on "60 Minutes" the same night I was on "60 Minutes," great ratings, all of that.

BORGER: Both very popular.

Let's see how that works out.

Guys, thanks very much.

Coming up, Russia's fight against ISIS. CNN gets some rare access to the air base they're using in Syria.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This really does feel like the center of a massive Russian military operation. The air is filled with the smell of jet fuel. And the ground shutters with the roar of those warplanes returning from their bombing missions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: What Russia's military commanders are telling Matthew Chance, who's inside Syria. That's after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:51:39] BLITZER: For the first time, CNN is getting an inside look at the Russian aircraft that are used to carry out bombing missions.

Matthew Chance gained rare access to that air base in western Syria.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is how the Kremlin supports its Syrian allies and battles its enemies. We gained rare access to the Syrian base at Latakia, now the military hub of Russia's air war.

(on camera): This really does feel like the center of a massive Russian military operation. The air is filled with the smell of jet fuel, and the ground shudders with the roar of those warplanes returning from their bombing missions.

(voice-over): Russia's defense ministry says more than 200 targets have been struck in just 24 hours. 320 militants killed, it says, from ISIS and other rebel groups fighting the Syrian government and its president, Bashar al Assad.

(on camera): So I'm joined by General Igor Konoshenkov. He's the chief military spokesman for the Russian government, the Russian defense ministry.

(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

I said thank you for the trip. He's escorting us here on the Latakia military base.

Let me ask you that question. That question about who you are targeting. Is it is or are you supporting Assad?

GEN. IGOR KONOSHENKOV, SPOKESMAN, RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTER: (through translation): I can answer that question with our actions. Every day we show you how Russian aviation is fighting international terrorism, destroying their infrastructure in Syria.

CHANCE (voice-over): On our tour of the base, we were shown how Russia carefully arms its bombers, with high-tech precision weaponry. We also saw unguided, or dumb bombs, being loaded. Human rights groups accuse Russia of killing civilians from the air. A charge the Kremlin strenuously denies.

(on camera): Well, there's another plane coming in now just touching down. It's an SU-24 that's going to be very noisy. But it's just carried out an air strike somewhere in Syria against rebel targets, either ISIS or some other opposition group.

(voice-over): Russia says it's stopping ISIS in its tracks, striking their assets and shrinking the territory they and other rebel groups control. And after more than 4,000 sorties over Syria, this Kremlin air war shows no sign of winding down.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Matthew Chance is joining us live now from Syria.

Matthew, excellent reporting.

In another rare example of granting access, earlier you were taken on a mission. Are they showing their successes by allowing all this access?

[13:54:57] CHANCE: Yeah, I think that must be part of it. I have spoken to a lot of defense officials here over the past couple days since I have been embedded with the Russian military and they talk about the conflict in Syria like it's a battle they are winning. They draw comparisons with the U.S.-led coalition. One defense official said, look, in the past two years, we have seen the territory controlled but ISIS increase dozens of times. That was when the United States was bombing ISIS in Syria. Since we have opinion here, the Russians in just three months we have seen that territory decrease. So they are very confident about what they are doing. Yes, that's why they took us offshore. This, unprecedented access really for Russia. It may be normal for the U.S. military. It's very rare for the Russian military to take Western journalists on board their missile cruisers off the coast.

It's a spectacular sight actually. These are very capable bit of military equipment they've got. They can carry nuclear missiles. They are there for air defenses to provide support for the airplanes in the skies over Syria to make sure none of them get shot down anymore.

BLITZER: Matthew Chance giving us an excellent report. Matthew, thank you.

That's it for me. I will be back at 5:00 p.m. eastern in "The Situation Room."

The news continues right after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:00:12] BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: And here we are, top of the hour. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thank you so much for being with me here on --