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Storms, Tornado in U.S. Kill Seven People; Close View of Rare Tornado in U.S.; Donald Trump Still Leads the Polls; Iraqi Forces Close in on ISIS in Ramadi; British Muslim Family Banned from Flight to the U.S.; 2 Myanmar Migrant Workers to Appeal Death Sentences; 15 Charged in India Lynching of Muslim Man Who Allegedly Ate Beef; Beatles Join Digital Age of Music; Miss Colombia Speaks Out. Aired 1- 2a ET
Aired December 24, 2015 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:16] ISHA SESAY, CNN ANCHOR: This is CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles.
Ahead this hour, severe weather strikes parts of the United States on a day when millions of Americans are traveling for the Christmas holiday.
A new CNN poll finds that despite all the controversy Donald Trump seems to only be gaining strength in the Republican presidential race.
And a Muslim family's planned trip to Disneyland is cut short, and they claim their religion is the reason why.
Hello, and welcome to our viewers in the United States and right around the world. I'm Isha Sesay. NEWSROOM L.A. starts right now.
We start with a severe storm slamming parts of the U.S., including this tornado. Rare for December. Touching down in Mississippi. Four people have died in the state including a 7-year-old boy who was traveling in a car with his family.
And in Arkansas a woman died when a storm sent a tree crashing through her roof. Two other people died in Tennessee. And at least four people are missing in three states. Officials are preparing for more fatalities.
Meteorologist Derek Van Dam joins us now with more.
And Derek, I've got to ask you, how rare is a tornado outbreak at this time of year?
DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, Isha, if we're going to see tornadoes in the United States this late in December, we would see them across the states that are adjacent to the Gulf of Mexico, into Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama. On average December across the United States sees about 24 tornadoes. But get a load of this. We saw in just one day one tornado outbreak, 22 tornadoes reported, over 150 wind reports as well with damage.
Now the tornado you just saw on your TV screens a moment ago is what's called a long track tornado. Typically tornadoes stay on the ground for about five minutes or so. They last about maybe a quarter to a half a mile. But this particular storm saw the tornado likely stay on the ground for over 100 miles, upwards of 135 miles. That actually needs to be verified by the National Weather Service. Regardless of that information, this puts it at the upper echelon of long-track tornadoes.
Only about 0.1 percent of all documented tornadoes since records began back in the '50s have seen tornadoes last over 100 miles just like this. We've got a lot of dynamics here that are taking shape. The surface-level winds are coming out of a southerly direction across the central portions of the United States, really bringing in all of that impressive moisture-laden air from the Gulf of Mexico. But at the mid-levels of the atmosphere this is what's bringing in what's called a vorticity or wind shear, change in direction with height.
This is important because this sets up the dynamics for tornadic development. I'm going to show you exactly what I'm talking about in this three-dimensional diagram of what a tornado takes to actually develop. Take a look at this. We've got this change in wind direction with height. These are the vortices, the vortex tubes that get sucked into the middle of an updraft of a super cell tornado or thunderstorm, and it starts to rotate and spin in that clockwise fashion, eventually forming this tornado that you see just in front of me here.
Lots of dynamics taking place here. But it's really all about tilting these vortex tubes into the upper levels of the atmosphere creating that spinning effect that you saw. Now just to prove my point we're going to talk about what some of the storm chasers actually witnessed on some of their excursions documenting this long track tornado that I'm talking about. If we play this you can actually see some of these vortex tubes that are referred to a moment ago that you can actually see the vortex tube being pulled right into the middle of the tornado.
There it is. That's the vortex tube getting sucked into the updraft of a tornado and that further intensifies a storm. And it's likely, Isha, that when the National Weather Service goes and assesses the damage from the storm it will likely be an ef3 to an ef4 tornado. Does appear as if the tornadoes will actually not be as strong as we head into Thursday. But we still have the possibility of severe weather from New Orleans to Atlanta.
SESAY: Well, we'll be watching the situation very, very closely. Derek Van Dam there at the weather center. We appreciate it. Thank you.
And let's speak to a storm chaser now. Stas Baranski joins us on the phone. He's also a meteorologist. He joins us now from western Arkansas.
Stas, thank you for joining us. Describe for our viewers what it was like to be in the vicinity of this tornado. STAS BARANSKI, STORM CHASER: Hi. It's quite a storm that went
through pretty much all of Mississippi. I'm here more on the western side of Mississippi.
[01:05:04] Basically, I saw the storm on radar. So I could actually see the tornado on the horizon and I let it approach me as close as possible while still being safe of course. And basically the tornado pretty much crossed the road in front of me and I tried to tail up behind it and chase it for as long as I could until I couldn't get past downed trees, and that kind of ended my choice.
It was a large tornado on the horizon. And when it approached me it kind of got skinnier and tightened up. You can see individual sub- vortice go up and down. And it was quite a chase.
SESAY: Yes. I understand that, you know, it's quite hard to keep up with.
BARANSKI: Yes. Absolutely. Storm motion today was crazy with a dynamic in the atmosphere, about 50 to 60 miles an hour or so. It was pretty much an intercept day, not a chase day. So you kind of position yourself for the storm as it will basically go through you but, you know, you want to be out of the way. And get some good video and good footage to share with viewers like you.
SESAY: Yes. And we're looking at some of the video that you have shot.
Tell me, Stas, I know that you've been driving around Mississippi and Arkansas. Talk to me about some of the damage you've seen along the way.
BARANSKI: The damage -- I actually couldn't get past some of the trees. So I didn't really get a chance to look at the damage. I saw a tractor-trailer overturned that was in the path of the damage path but I didn't see too much damage. I mostly chased in an open area. That's what tornadoes should be, the best place to view a tornado, in an open field. But sometimes of course they end up causing damage to lives and property.
SESAY: As you know, Stas, this tornado claimed the lives of several individuals. Were you at any point scared for your own safety?
BARANSKI: I was not. I want to say I knew what I was doing the whole time. It was -- basically I saw with my eyes, saw the motion, projected it where it could cross in front of me. And you know, you've always got to adjust for things that go wrong or go off. But it had a fairly predictable path today. So it was easy to track. And it wasn't that large when I intercepted it. It got a lot larger later on. It was very photogenic, though.
SESAY: Very photogenic. I always feel compelled to ask this question of storm chasers. Why do you do it?
BARANSKI: Yes. I fell in love with weather when I was a little kid. And deep down I just -- I really love big storms. And I woke up at 2:00 a.m. to drive from Oklahoma to the Mississippi area. It took me about eight hours. I drove eight hours to see a couple thunderstorms. Some people might question my sanity, but I just really enjoy this stuff.
SESAY: Well, we are pleased that you are safe. We appreciate you, you know, coming on the line and just sharing some of what you saw as part of your journey.
Stas Baranski, thank you again for speaking to us here at CNN.
BARANSKI: Thank you.
SESAY: All right. Now turning to Saudi Arabia. At least 25 people have died there and 107 others were injured in a hospital fire on Thursday in the southern coastal city of Jazan. This news coming from the Saudi General Directorate of Civil Defense. The cause of the fire has not been officially determined.
And now to the U.S. presidential election and Donald Trump, who appears to be ever more dominant in the Republican race according to a new poll.
CNN's Dana Bash has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're going to win so much in so many different ways that you're going to get tired of winning.
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For a candidate who loves winning, this will be a very merry Christmas.
TRUMP: I'm only kidding. We never get tired of winning, right?
BASH: Donald Trump is so far ahead in CNN/ORC's new national poll, he has more support than the next three GOP candidates combined, Ted Cruz, Ben Carson, and Marco Rubio. His leads are even bigger on the question of voters' confidence in him to deal with key issues, the economy, fighting ISIS, and illegal immigration.
But the best news for Trump may be that Republicans are settling into the idea of him as a formidable candidate to take the White House. 46 percent say they think Republicans' chances are better with Trump at the top of the ticket, up eight points since August.
TRUMP: I know where she went. It's disgusting. I don't want to talk about it. No, it's too disgusting.
BASH: That as Trump's war of words with the Democrats' frontrunner is getting hotter. Hillary Clinton told the "Des Moines Register" that Trump has a, quote, "penchant for sexism."
[01:10:09] HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I really deplore the tone of his campaign and the inflammatory rhetoric that he is using to divide people. His bigotry, his bluster, his bullying have become his campaign. BASH: Trump responded Trump-style, on Twitter, saying, "Be careful,
Hillary, as you play the war on women or women being degraded card." And on his use of a Yiddish word for a certain part of the male anatomy to describe Clinton's 2008 loss to Barack Obama.
TRUMP: She got schlonged. She lost.
BASH: Trump pushed back on the idea that he meant anything vulgar, insisting "schlonged" is a common political term, tweeting, "When I said that Hillary Clinton got schlonged by Obama it meant got beaten badly. The media knows this. Often-used word in politics."
Dana Bash, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: Well, on the Democratic side of this race Hillary Clinton is maintaining her strong lead in the latest CNN/ORC poll boosted by support after her last debate on Saturday. Overall the survey shows Clinton leading Bernie Sanders by 18 points. Post-debate poll numbers show a shift of support back to Clinton.
Well, the CNN/ORC poll also shows that Clinton would face a strong challenge from the three Republicans at the top of the field. In a hypothetical match-up with Donald Trump Clinton narrowly tops him 49 percent to 47 percent. But if she was to face Ted Cruz, Clinton falls behind by two points. And against Marco Rubio Clinton would trail by three points.
Meanwhile, Republican candidate Ben Carson is pushing back against reports that he's shaking up his campaign with his poll numbers falling. This comes after an interview with the "Washington Post" where Carson said this.
"I'm looking at every aspect of the campaign right now. Everything is on the table. Every job is on the table. And we're going to analyze it very carefully."
Now Carson disputed some of that report in an interview with CNN's Don Lemon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: So clarify, what is going on here?
DR. BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I think the "Washington Post" quite frankly had their story already written before they talked to me. And they were convinced that I was going to fire everybody and that we were going to just go in a completely different direction. And that's absolutely not true. I said, you know, we are constantly looking at everything and we're going to continue to look at everything.
No one is ever 100 percent guaranteed that they're always going to be there. And as the organization goes and as our responsibilities grow, you know, some things may have to change. We may have to add some people. We may have to change some people. And the key word there is may.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: Well, Carson was once a frontrunner in the Republican race but is now tied with Marco Rubio for a distant third in a CNN/ORC poll.
To follow all the latest developments in the race for the White House just go to our Web site, CNN.com/politics.
We turn to Iraq now. And Iraqi forces say they are gaining ground against ISIS in the city of Ramadi. The capital of Anbar Province is just about 70 miles or 115 kilometers west of Baghdad. It's part of a wide stretch of north central Iraq shown here on your screens in yellow where ISIS is operating.
Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Iraqi troops roll across a floating bridge, opening a path toward central Ramadi.
Heavy gunfire continues to ring out. Iraqi armored vehicles on the move, fighting street to street. The entire area is mined and booby- trapped by ISIS. Entire houses wired to blow up. Tough work for Iraqi troops, even after weeks of U.S. training to prepare for urban warfare.
COL. STEVE WARREN, COMMANDER, ANTI-ISIS COALITION FORCES: This enemy has had time to set up their defense inside of this city. And it's going to be very difficult and it's going to be a slow process for the Iraqis to slowly, methodically and carefully clear their way through the city.
STARR: Sectarian sensitivities are being handled delicately. The fighters purposely do not include any Iranian-backed Shia militias in this part of the Sunni heartland according to the U.S.
The U.S. already helping Iraq plan for a Sunni-led force to hold the city if it is taken back by Iraqis. Hundreds of Sunni tribal fighters have been trained by the U.S.
The U.S. military anxious to show success of its anti-ISIS strategy.
WARREN: We've begun a training program a year ago to train Iraqi forces to be able to take their country back. And in the last several weeks we've begun to see that happen. That training has started to take hold.
[01:15:09] STARR: Some say for ISIS Ramadi already served its purpose this spring when they chased Iraqi forces from the city.
MAJ. GEN. JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: They've now determined, look, they're going to trade space for time, we're going to go ahead and give up this space called Ramadi, we're going to continue to live to fight another day. STARR: But on this already devastated battlefield of a city
desperation is everywhere. Some ISIS fighters remain dug in and willing to use Ramadi's citizens as they see fit.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Human shields are going to be the favorite tactic that ISIS employs. The significant civilian casualty rate is also going to be a significant problem for Iraqi forces. So if operations go wrong, they're going to have possibly some real problems going into those areas without causing the deaths of civilians.
STARR (on camera): And even if the Iraqis can get Ramadi back and hold on to it, the next challenge still remains, Mosul. Iraq's second largest city, still in the firm grip of ISIS.
Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM, live from Los Angeles, a Muslim family denied entry to the U.S., and they claim no one is telling them why.
And later all you need is love. And the streaming music service to listen to all the Beatles' music. Still ahead on CNN newsroom L.A.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(SPORTS)
[01:20:33] SESAY: This video is coming to CNN from the U.S. state of Minnesota. Activists from the Black Lives Matter movement took their message to the largest mall in the U.S. four protesters were arrested for trespassing in the Mall of America near Minneapolis. Activists then moved to Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport.
This video shows them at a terminal. Two security checkpoints were temporarily closed there. The movement is protesting against alleged police brutality against black people.
Now a Muslim family living in the U.K. was barred from a flight to the U.S. ahead of a family trip to Disneyland. And they want to know why.
CNN's Rene Marsh reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We don't know why you've been taken off the flight.
RENE MARSH, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Inside London's Gatwick Airport, nine members of a British Muslim family were denied boarding of a flight to California. They captured cell phone video of the moment.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's to do with you guys and the USA.
MARSH: Norwegian Airlines tells CNN it acted on instructions from U.S. Homeland Security.
TARIQ MAHMOOD, FAMILY DENIED BOARDING: Even though you haven't done nothing wrong, you feel like you've done something wrong.
MARSH: Tariq Mahmood traveling with his family including seven children were waiting to board when they were stopped.
MAHMOOD: They don't give us an explanation as to what was the problem because I -- because the kids were asking, what is the problem, why we're not going? So we have to ask them, what should we tell our kids what's going on?
MARSH: The families say they had valid U.S. immigration documents and had been planning and saving for a trip to Disneyland with their children for months. The more than $13,000 they say they spent will not be refunded. British government officials are now fighting on their behalf.
STELLA CREASY, BRITISH MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT: The family was simply further told to go home. No further contact has been made with them. No explanation has been provided.
I have to also say this is not the only case that I have had raised with me of somebody traveling to America being stopped at the last minute.
MARSH: Mahmood's wife, who asked we not show her face, says she thinks their religion played a role.
SADAF MAHMOOD, FAMILY DENIED BOARDING: My 10-year-old daughter said to my husband, is it because we're Muslims? And my husband said, why would you say that? And she goes, well, because we were the only Muslim people in that line.
MARSH: U.S. Customs and Border Protection told CNN, quote, "The religion, faith or spiritual beliefs of international traveler are not determining factors."
For flights in or out of the United States, passenger security checks happen long before travelers get to the airport. Even before the airline accepts payment, names are run against the government's no-fly list. If there's a hit, the sale is denied.
For those who've bought a ticket, names are continuously checked against other government databases, searching everything from past itineraries to law enforcement and intelligence information. If there's a problem, the airlines deny boarding at the airport.
But it's not just terrorism. There are other reasons a passenger could be denied boarding, like incomplete documents or health-related issues.
(On camera): We know some members of this family had dual citizenship in the U.K. and Pakistan, and it's believed a family member's e-mail address could be associated with a suspicious Facebook page that mentions al Qaeda. But the family denies that. Now we don't know if any of that had anything to do with why they were
not cleared to board. Meantime, CAIR, the nation's largest Muslim civil rights organization, is asking the Department of Homeland Security to probe whether a Muslim ban is being implemented informally.
Rene Marsh, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: Joining me now is Salam Al-Marayati. He is the president of the Muslim Public Affairs Council.
Thank you so much for joining us.
SALAM AL-MARAYATI, PRESIDENT, MUSLIM PUBLIC AFFAIRS COUNCIL: Thank you.
SESAY: You have said that this move to ban this family from traveling to the United States is reflective of the political climate here in the U.S. Explain what you mean by that.
AL-MARAYATI: I mean, people are scared. There's a lot of fear. And when the public is scared, then the government starts acting in an irrational manner. And unfortunately, communities have to live under a cloud of suspicion.
I remember when Cat Stevens was denied entry into the United States, and he had to work hard to regain that privilege to come to the United States. So I feel really bad for the family that unfortunately lost the opportunity to come to America.
And I see we also live in a polarized world today where Westerners and the Muslim world may live under a cloud of suspicion and Muslims, even if they were born here in the United States or in the West, will also live under a cloud of suspicion for quite some time.
[01:25:06] SESAY: The Council on American Islamic Relations, CAIR, is asking the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to investigate whether Donald Trump's call to ban Muslims from entering the U.S. is being implemented informally. Do you think that's what is happening?
AL-MARAYATI: I wouldn't give Donald Trump any credit for this. Like I said, governments, they start becoming overcautious in this situation. We just had a horrific terrorist incident in San Bernardino. Paris was very recent. So we all have to understand that we're going to have to go through these extra precautions and some of us unfortunately are going to run into these kind of problems.
Now there are means to clear the names of individuals who may have last -- surnames that match names of individuals who are on terrorist lists.
SESAY: How commonplace is that?
AL-MARAYATI: It is common, unfortunately. When you have a last name like Mahmoud, it's common, and if there's somebody named Mahmoud on a terrorist watch list, then you have a case of mistaken identity perhaps. There are ways to clear the names of these individuals.
SESAY: And you also said that you have been speaking to Muslims living here in the United States who are concerned about taking trips out of the U.S. now.
AL-MARAYATI: Right. So for example, I just -- you know, I was just taking my parents to the airport. They're going on what's called Omra, which is going to Mecca outside the time of hajj. And I met another individual. He said he's not going to Mecca because he doesn't want that stamp on his passport because he's afraid by coming back to the United States he's going to be harassed or denied entry back into his home.
So there is a lot of fear and hysteria right now. It's a time of Christmas. And I think that if Christmas is the spirit that we all are going to be experiencing in the next few days, let us remember the words of Jesus to overcome hate through love and reconciliation and let us work towards having goodwill and reconcile with one another. And so I want to wish the Christian world a merry Christmas, and I as a Muslim revere Jesus as the word of God.
And I think that the more understanding we have on that front and the more that people realize that yes, there is ISIS but the majority of people fighting ISIS are Muslim.
SESAY: Yes.
AL-MARAYATI: The Iraqis just had a major victory against ISIS in Ramadi in Iraq. So people have to understand the depth of this issue and not get into stereotypes and fall into the traps of labeling people as terrorists when it's just scapegoating and it's just brushing people with stereotypes and unfortunate generalizations.
SESAY: Yes. Salam Al-Marayati., we appreciate you coming in this time of year and also to share that message of tolerance and peace and people living together peacefully. Thank you.
Time for a very quick break. Two men sentenced to death for the murder of a British couple at a tourist resort in Thailand. Ahead, why they say police botched the investigation and they are not guilty.
Plus, charges against more than a dozen people in connection with a Muslim man's killing, allegedly because he ate beef.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:31:47] SESAY: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. I am Isha Sesay.
The headlines this hour.
(HEADLINES)
SESAY: In Thailand, two migrant workers from Myanmar plan to appeal their death sentences for the murders of two British tourists. The victims' families -- the victims' bodies, I should say, were found on a beach in September of last year. The trial was fraught with controversy and allegations that police mishandled the investigation. The suspects say they were forced to confess.
For more let's bring in "Voice of America" correspondent, Steve Herman. He joins us live via Skype from Bangkok.
Steve, good to have you with us.
As we were just saying, this trial has been mired in controversy. What more can you tell us about the process?
STEVE HERMAN, CORRESPONDENT, VOICE OF AMERICA: Well, this goes back to 2014 when these two workers from Myanmar who had been working at a bar on Katella Island were arrested. There was a confession that came out. They later retracted that confession, saying they had been coerced into it, that they had been tortured and threatened with death. And throughout this whole process there has been considerable skepticism with a lot of critics saying that the evidence just wasn't there and that it was not up to international standards at all and much doubt about the verdict that came out today and these two migrant workers being sentenced to death.
SESAY: Steve, have Thai authorities responded to these criticisms? Especially this criticism that there was a huge amount of outside pressure brought to bear that they hold someone responsible and that they're scapegoating these migrant workers.
HERMAN: Yes. Police have said that in no way were the defendants coerced into their confessions. But they believe that this was a fair trial and that it was open and everyone could observe and that the judges had gone ahead and made their decision based on the evidence that was presented by the prosecutors.
SESAY: Have we heard from the victims' families since the verdict was handed down?
HERMAN: Yes. One of the families, the Miller family, had made some remarks outside the courtroom shortly after the verdict. I believe we're now going to hear from David Miller -- or from Michael Miller, the brother of David Miller.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[01:35:05] MICHAEL MILLER, BROTHER OF DAVID MILLER: We believe the correct verdict has been reached. David always stood up for justice, and justice is what has been delivered today. We respect this court and its decision completely. As the trial has progressed, we came to realize that the police investigation and the forensic work performed was not the so-called shambles it was made out to be. We believe that after a difficult start, the Royal Thai Police conducted a methodical and thorough investigation.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HERMAN: Obviously, others do not agree with the family there and believe that there just wasn't the evidence to convict them, and they're hopeful now that on the appeals process that this decision today will be overturned.
SESAY: We will be watching the situation very closely.
Steve Herman with "Voice of America" joining us there from Bangkok. We appreciate it. Thank you so much.
Turning to India now, police have charged 15 people in connection with the lynching of a Muslim man who had allegedly eaten beef.
Sumnima Udas is in New Delhi with the details.
Sumnima, I know this was a case that caused huge uproar there in India. Just remind us of what happened.
SUMNIMA UDAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Isha, this was really a tragic case that was really like a wake-up call for many Indians when Indians began to ask has Indian society really become so intolerant that you would actually kill someone on rumors that he or she ate beef? What happened was three months ago a group of people went to a local priest and told him to announce on a loudspeaker that a cow had been found, a slaughtered cow, and that's what the priest ended up doing. Suddenly there was a huge mob there in this village. And this village is only about two, three hours from New Delhi. A huge mob gathered. Then they started attacking. They stormed into the House of one of the few Muslim families that lived in this village. They dragged out the father and the son. They started beating them with sticks and bricks. The father eventually ended up dying because of the injuries. And the son was critically injured. And this was a huge story just because this was all based on rumors that he ate beef. And of course Hindus believe that cows are sacred. And it is illegal to slaughter and consume beef in certain states including this one, where this attack took place.
And this wasn't the only one. Shortly thereafter there was a man who was killed in the state of Kashmir on rumors he was transporting beef. A week later in another state the same thing. So in a matter of six weeks four Muslim men were killed on rumors that he ate or slaughtered or transported beef. So this was -- it was a series of events -- Isha?
SESAY: As you lay out these cases that happened over the course of six weeks, just the ones you cited there, it begs the question, is India becoming more intolerant? I mean, what's your take on that? What do the critics, what do the social commentators say?
UDAS: Well, that's the thing. It's important to note it's not like these incidents haven't happened in the past. But ever since Prime Minister Modi came to power, and he of course represents the Hindu Fundamentalist Party here, there is this overwhelming sense that these sorts of attacks are on the rise and the government is not doing enough to stop them and not doing enough to condemn them. In fact, Prime Minister Modi was hugely criticized right after this incident because he did not say anything for at least two weeks and when he finally did he didn't even really talk about that particular incident. He's someone who is very open on Twitter and frequently comments on everything that's happening in India. This was a huge incident. And right after that there were a lot of writers who returned their national awards in retaliation, saying that India has become intolerant because writers also have been killed, writers, secular writers who don't believe in Hindu mythology. They've been killed. At least four of them have been killed in the past year and a half and two years. So there's been a series of incidents. Also another writer, he was smeared in black ink because he was hosting a book launch with a Pakistani writer. What these writers are saying, and there's also filmmakers and there's also all kinds of people from civil society really reacting, saying that India has become way too intolerant, and what these people are saying, India has always been a very pluralistic society and this goes against the very essence of what India is -- Isha?
[01:39:49] SESAY: Sumnima Udas, with an interesting perspective, joining us from New Delhi. Appreciate it, thank you.
Now, the suspect in a hit-and-run in Las Vegas is said to be on suicide watch. We'll tell you why her attorney says she is distraught.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SESAY: Hello, everyone. The woman accused of killing one person when she ran over pedestrians on the Las Vegas Strip is in jail on a suicide watch, according to her attorney.
Here's our Stephanie Elam with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Wearing a navy blue jumpsuit, her hands shackled at her sides, Lakeisha Holloway made her initial court appearance, three days after she drove her 1999 Oldsmobile onto the crowded sidewalk outside of Planet Hollywood and the Paris Hotel on the busy Las Vegas Strip.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Miss Holloway is present in custody.
ELAM: The hit-and-run killed one woman and injured more than 30 people.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This scene goes as far as down to Bali's with people all over the floor. We are going to need someone to shut down traffic.
ELAM: Holloway, who legally changed her name to Patience Paradise Morton in October, is charged with one count of murder with a deadly weapon and one count of leaving the scene of an accident. She's also been charged with one count of child abuse, neglect or endangerment because her 3-year-old daughter was in the back seat of the car.
Her attorneys asked for and were granted a 30-day continuance due to the complexity of the case and their desire to conduct their own investigation.
UNIDENTIFIED JUDGE: Do you agree with that?
ELAM: Holloway, who is being held in an isolated cell under 24-hour surveillance, displayed little emotion throughout the brief court proceedings.
UNIDENTIFIED DEFENSE ATTORNEY: She's distraught. I mean, this is tragic for everybody involved. And as the days go by and the gravity of what happened sinks in I expect that she's going to be in a very difficult mental state. And you can imagine that that would be the case. We've heard some things about her background. All good. I mean, this woman has never been in a position like this before. We want to try to get the best picture we can of who this young lady is and what the circumstances are that put her in this position.
ELAM: One of her attorneys says it is possible that this was anything but an intentional act.
UNIDENTIFIED ATTORNEY: We do believe that this defendant acted intentionally in her behavior. And if you intentionally try and run somebody over, that certainly qualifies as an attempted murder charge, and that's what we are strongly considering.
ELAM: Stephanie Elam, CNN, Las Vegas, Nevada.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[01:45:25] SESAY: We're going to take a quick break.
Miss Colombia breaks her silence about the awkward finale of the Miss Universe Pageant. You will hear what she had to say.
And "Roll over, Beethoven." The Beatles are joining the digital age of music. The details are just ahead.
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SESAY: It's been a "Long and Winding Road," but the Beatles are finally coming to a streaming music service near you.
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(END VIDEO CLIP) [11:49:55] SESAY: It is just so good. The Beatles' music will be available Thursday on nine different streaming services including Spotify, Apple Music, and Google Play. The Beatles have long been a digital holdout, but when they released their music on Apple's iTunes back in 2010 they sold more than two million songs in the first week.
Joining me now to talk more about all of this is Sandro Monetti, managing editor of the "L.A. Business Journal."
Sandro, it's always good to have you with us.
You say this is a beautiful gift for Beatles fans and a long time coming and it took a lot of negotiating.
SANDRO MONETTI, MANAGING EDITOR, L.A. BUSINESS JOURNAL: It certainly did. What a fabulous, festive gift this is for Beatles fans. Their music is going to be "Here, There and Everywhere" on streaming services.
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Not so much a case of "Let It Be" as let it stream, I would say.
SESAY: Oh, my lord.
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MONETTI: So the pun's over. But it did take a long time in getting here. And that's nothing new. Because the Beatles were very slow to get their music onto C.D. They only got them on C.D. in 1987, five years after everybody else. And iTunes, they were only on that in 2010. And streaming, they were late to the party again. But what a party it is. Now the Beatles are here.
SESAY: At the same time slow to the party but it's still in keeping with their philosophy as a band. They embraced new technology.
MONETTI: They did. When they were recording all those classics at abbey road, they were always looking for the very latest studio effects. And so new technology was something they built their career on. And now it's funny, technology has disrupted every industry, music more than any other. Now the Beatles are here.
We see that C.D. sales, of course, have gone off the cliff. Downloads are down. But streaming is where it is. 11.5 billion streams in the first six months of 2015. And so, yeah, the Beatles are in the right place.
SESAY: Does this confer any type of legitimacy to streaming, having the Beatles there? I mean, what does it mean?
MONETTI: It's a momentous moment. It's clear that it's no longer a fad. It's where the music industry is at. The pop charts finally embraced streaming and used those to calculate the charts. And then the Beatles have realized this is where it is. And it really confers greatness on this delivery method. SESAY: But there are those holdout, like the Adeles and the Taylor
Swifts of this world who aren't, you know, embracing the move toward streaming. How can they hold out? You know, just your gut check here.
MONETTI: Well, the two biggest acts in the music world at the moment, Taylor Swift and Adele, have both been reluctant for different reasons. Taylor Swift has kept her music off Spotify in a protest at the low royalties given to artists and songwriters. And Adele has kept her latest smash hit album "25" off streaming services because she just doesn't like it. She says, you know, I'm a traditionalist, I buy C.D.s, I download. It's just not as much fun. It is a different service because it's not ownership. It's access. You know, this isn't like a vinyl you can keep. This isn't a C.D. you can put on the shelf.
SESAY: She says it's disposable.
MONETTI: Yeah, it's disposable. You're kind of renting something. But the Beatles took a while to get into this. They got around a table, they decided to "Come Together," and they said "We Can Work It Out.
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SESAY: Oh, no. Make it stop. Make it stop.
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Sandro Monetti, it's been "A Hard Day's Night. Thank you for being here.
MONETTI: Especially with me here.
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SESAY: Thank you so much.
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All right, then. And this final story for you. Miss Colombia has broken her silence on that awkward crowning at the Miss Universe pageant.
CNN's Brian Stelter has the details.
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BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT & CNN HOST, RELIABLE SOURCES: Miss Colombia speaking out about that mistake heard round the world.
STEVE HARVEY, COMEDIAN & PAGEANT HOST: Miss Universe 2015 is -- Colombia!
(CHEERING) STELTER: Riania Gutierrez posted a lengthy message on Instagram saying, "Life continues, and in the future we will find out why things happen the way they happen."
The 21-year-old congratulating the real winner, Miss Philippines, while showing grace under the pageant lights and saying nothing about the humiliated host, Steve Harvey.
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HARVEY: The first runner-up is Colombia.
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HARVEY: Miss Universe 2015 is Philippines.
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STELTER: It is a moment that will live in TV infamy. The host of "Family Feud," mistakenly reading the first runner-up's name, then correcting himself with the whole universe watching. You could see his discomfort.
The moments after the gaffe, Harvey appears to complain to producers that the teleprompter had the wrong name and said Miss Colombia was the winner. But seconds later, Harvey publicly took the blame.
HARVEY: This is exactly what's on the card. I will take responsibility for this. It was my mistake. It was on the card.
[01:55:00] STELTER: The real winner, Miss Philippines, printed in small type on the card, showing the perils of live television. Harvey tweeted an apology, saying "I feel terrible." And suddenly, Miss Universe was trending like never before.
And maybe that's why Harvey will be back. "Entertainment Tonight" reporting Harvey signed a multiyear contract just a few days before Sunday's pageant. A spokesman tells CNN the company is not ruling out his return next year, saying only, "We do not disclose any information on our contracts."
Now, picture yourself in Harvey's shoes. Would you want a shot at redemption?
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SESAY: Nope. I wouldn't want any part of that.
Our Brian Stelter reporting there.
You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. I'm Isha Sesay.
The news continues with Errol Barnett right after this.
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[02:00:09] ERROL BARNETT: Rare and deadly. A powerful tornado in December rips through Mississippi.
