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Massive Tornadoes, Flooding Kill 24 People; Iraq Declares Ramadi Free from ISIS; Top 10 Media Stories of 2015; Who's Winning the War on Terror? Aired 9-9:30a ET
Aired December 28, 2015 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[09:00:00] POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: More than 40 people killed across seven states.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You could hear the loud roar, like a train, and within 15 to 20 seconds, it's all over.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That sound, I just can't get that sound out of my head.
HARLOW: Texas survivors describing what it's like to live through powerful tornadoes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All we could do was run to the closet and pray.
HARLOW: But the threat is not over.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why you got to shoot first and ask questions later?
HARLOW: Also, a student and a grandmother shot and killed by Chicago police.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When is the mayor going to step up?
HARLOW: This morning, protesters pressuring Mayor Rahm Emanuel to step down.
Plus, the Iraqi flag rises over Ramadi. It's a key victory against ISIS. But Americans say the terrorists are winning. What a brand-new CNN poll means for 2016.
And Peyton Manning calls doping allegations against him, quote, "trash." And now he's fighting back.
Let's talk. Live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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HARLOW: Good morning, everyone. I'm Poppy Harlow, in today for my friend Carol Costello. Hope you had a good weekend. Thank you for being with us. Let's get right to our breaking news. Thirty million Americans right now under threat, as massive, deadly
storms trudge east. In the last week, violent weather has killed 43 people, 24 of those deaths coming in just the last 48 hours.
We are looking at a true triple threat. Snow, tornadoes and widespread flooding. A closer look at New Mexico, the city of Roswell seeing record snowfall, nearly 16 inches dumping there over the weekend.
That snow now heading east, where multiple massive tornadoes just struck. 11 people killed near Dallas from those the storms.
In Garland, Texas, we know at least 600 homes have been destroyed. And in the Midwest, cars swept away from deadly flash flooding. More than 100 water rescues in Missouri. Standing water shutting down a major interstate this morning.
We'll have a look at today's forecast in just a moment. First, though, I do want to go straight to our Nick Valencia, he is live for us in Garland, Texas, this morning.
Nick, you and I were speaking last night. The conditions were so bad it was even knocking your camera out. You were hearing from people who survived these storms. I know we have 11 lives lost. What are you seeing on the ground?
NICK VALENCIA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is the closest that we've been allowed to get so far, Poppy. And you could see the force of this EF-4 tornado that ripped through this area. This specific apartment complex suffering the brunt of the damage. Behind me, you can see just how powerful that tornado was, ripping through that brick wall.
And over here, as our camera pans, that's the exact path that that tornado took, taking the lives of 11, eight of them here in Garland, Texas.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Whoa, I just got -- there's lightning strike.
VALENCIA (voice-over): Overnight in eastern Texas, blinding rain, lightning, and strong winds in the city of Marshall. Downed trees and power lines possibly the work of yet another tornado touching down in the lone star state. Last night patrons inside a Chili's restaurant, huddling inside a freezing, as tornado sirens sound off. A tornado watch still in effect today. This morning the monster storm system wreaking havoc across the southern states, making its way eastward.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a big tornado. Big, big strong tornado.
VALENCIA: Over the Christmas weekend, Texas bearing the brunt of the storm. Ravaged by nearly half a dozen deadly tornadoes. An airplane passenger snapping this stunning photo of the massive storm on a flight to Dallas. Two powerful EF-3 and EF-4 twisters carving a path of destruction in Rowlett and nearby Garland on Saturday. The death toll, 11, making this the deadliest December for tornadoes in 60 years.
Justin Schuler sifts through what remains of his home in Garland. He and his dog survived by taking cover in a bathtub.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I stepped out because I heard the roaring, and that's when I saw it.
VALENCIA: Willard Jordan heard the tornado rip through his neighborhood in Dallas, his family and home spared.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Buildings cracking, I mean, ripping stuff up. All we could do was run to the closet and pray.
VALENCIA: And this Garland resident rescued by family.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just stayed in my closet all night long, shaking like a leaf on a tree.
VALENCIA: The deadly storm spawning flash floods, white out conditions, and states of emergency in New Mexico and Missouri.
In Missouri, more than 100 water rescues. At least six people in Pulaski County swept away by flood water Saturday night.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a small, dark highway. They probably did not know what hit them until they hit the water.
VALENCIA: The massive system dumping more than 16 inches of snow in New Mexico. Icy roads backing up traffic and shutting down Interstate 40 in Albuquerque.
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[09:05:04] VALENCIA: I just got off the phone with the mayor pro-temp here in the city of Garland. He tells me that at least 3,000 people are still without power. Dozens of families still displaced. Many of them having to spend the night in an American Red Cross shelter -- Poppy.
HARLOW: Nick Valencia, thank you so much for that.
We've got flooding, the biggest threat this morning. A dangerous scene, especially in Missouri. Just moments ago, take a look at this, water on the road. More than waist deep. Never a good idea to drive in that. We've seen multiple cars over the weekend swept away, a number of deaths there. Officials warning drivers find alternate routes this morning or just stay off those roads.
Let's go straight to Jennifer Gray, she's tracking the latest in the severe weather center.
Good morning, Jennifer.
JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning to you, Poppy.
(WEATHER REPORT) HARLOW: Yes. Patience is a virtue. Just keep telling yourself that at the airport. Right, Jennifer?
GRAY: Yes. Exactly.
HARLOW: Thank you very much. Appreciate it.
We're also following breaking news in the fight against ISIS. Iraqi forces, major announcement this morning saying they have, quote, "liberated" the key city of Ramadi from those ISIS militants. This is new video. It shows those troops celebrating in the streets. Also raising the Iraqi flag over that government compound that was surrounded yesterday and liberated this morning. All of this happening just months after an embarrassing setback, when that city fell to ISIS.
I want to go straight to Becky Anderson. She has the latest.
This is huge because it was back in May that it fell. You had Defense Secretary Ash Carter talking about a lack of a will to fight among the Iraqi forces. Now a complete reversal of fortune.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Well, no real surprise then, is it, that this was described as an epic victory by the Iraqi military earlier? This much-touted offensive against ISIS militants in the strategic city of Ramadi, about 60 kilometers away from Baghdad.
Now CNN cannot independently confirm exactly what is going on, on the ground. The extent then of what the Iraqi army has liberated is very difficult to pin down, Poppy. A somewhat more guarded statement, I have to say, from this spokesman for coalition forces earlier today, congratulating the Iraqis on what he called their continued success against ISIS in Ramadi, and offering continued support for the government of Iraq as it moves, it says, to make Ramadi safe for civilians to return.
But what experts conceive is that it is very likely to ISIS militants who had been in control of this government compound in the center of the city may just have moved further north. And it is safe to say, as we've seen in the past, that there is every chance that they can regroup. In fact, reports in the past couple of days that ISIS fighters used civilians as human shields as they retreated from the complex.
As far as a number of ISIS fighters are concerned, it's very difficult to say exactly how many are on the ground. I think, Poppy, the Iraqi army will claim this as its single biggest victory over ISIS since the terror group swept through the country in 2014. And the embarrassment of May 2015, as you pointed out. So while the bigger battle against ISIS is far from over, and Ramadi may not be over as a fight, this is certainly a symbolic victory. And there's no doubt there is a win here, at least for the Obama administration's strategy of providing U.S. air support and military advisers for what are these local boots on the ground. [09:10:14] And also, importantly -- important to point out, these were
Sunni tribal fighters alongside Iraqi Security Forces, not Shiite militia. In the past they were -- often that was a pretty controversial co-option in other operations. So again Iraq's military announcement they control the government complex in the center of Ramadi. How long they can hold it, what they're actually holding happens next really still clearly a big question -- Poppy.
HARLOW: Absolutely. Becky Anderson, thank you very much. I appreciate it.
Back here on American soil, bad news for the Obama administration. We have this new CNN/ORC poll, which is quite a turnaround in --
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BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Debates, shootings, scandals. A relentless news cycle kept the media buzzing in 2015. But 10 moments stood out among the crowded landscape. Here are the top 10 media stories of the year.
STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, "LATE SHOW": Hello, everybody. Thank you so much.
STELTER: Number 10, late night's new look. Stephen Colbert taking over for David Letterman on CBS. Larry Wilmore taking Colbert's spot on Comedy Central and Trevor Noah was taking over for Jon Stewart. Former "Daily Show" correspondent Samantha Bee also getting ready to host a new late night show, as well, starting early next year on TBS.
[09:15:04] Her Photoshoped version of a "Vanity Fair" picture showing the 10 men of late night was a hit on the Internet.
Number nine, scandal brings down "19 Kids and Counting." TLC cancelled the show after Josh Duggar admitted he molested children, including some of his sisters, when he was a teenager. The family stood by Josh in a FOX interview, but things got worse. His name was among those released by hackers who broke into Ashley Madison's database. He admitted cheating on his wife and doing pornography. In an online post he called himself, quote, "the biggest hypocrite ever."
Number eight, Caitlyn Jenner's new name, new look, new life. Her "Vanity Fair" cover had everyone talking, spreading awareness about transgender issues. Her PR rollout started with a Diane Sawyer interview, and then Jenner accepted an ESPY, giving the sports awards show a ratings boost. Her reality show debuted on E! and was renewed for a second season.
Another cover marks number seven, but it couldn't be more different. July's "New York" magazine featured 35 women who had accused Bill Cosby of sexual assault. The headline read, "Cosby, The Women, An Unwelcome Sisterhood." The magazine's Web site crashed for 12 hours following its release. It was a stunning statement of unity against the legendary comic. Cosby has not been charged with any crime and continues to deny the accusations.
Now to number six, "Washington Post" correspondent Jason Rezaian convicted in Iran. His trial for espionage and other charges started in May, ended in August, but was cloaked in secrecy. The "Post" has called the whole thing a sham. The media has widely condemned his detention, saying he's a pawn in Iran's geopolitical power struggle. December marks his 500th day in jail.
Number five, a reminder of the power of a photograph. A 3-year-old Syrian refugee Aylan Kurdi drowned off the coast of Turkey. The image of his body changed the coverage of the refugee crisis gripping Europe, waking the world up, something that countless hours of news coverage and gallons of ink have failed to do. The heated debate about how to solve the problem is ongoing, but the picture remains a haunting look at its toll on humanity.
Number four now, a shooting on live TV. The execution style killings of WDBJ reporter Alison Parker and photojournalist Adam Ward shocked the country. Both victims' significant others also worked at the station. One was in the control room at the time. The murderer, a disgruntled former employee, posted a point of view angle of the shooting on social media, then shot himself later in the day as police closed in.
Horrific events, but a strong response, broadcast journalists posting pictures of themselves outdoing their jobs just like Alison and Adam were doing that day. Others pitched in to help WDBJ stay on the air in the awful days following the tragedy.
Number three, "Charlie Hebdo." January 7th in Paris gunmen stormed the satirical magazine's offices, killing 12 people, including the magazine's editor and several cartoonists. The attackers were apparently seeking revenge for cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed, but the world pushed back. "I am Charlie" became a global rallying cry. Unfortunately it would not be the only time Paris underwent a terrorist attack in 2015.
Number two, here in the U.S., Brian Williams gets kicked off the air. The celebrated "NBC Nightly News" anchor was suspended without pay for six months in February after exaggerating a story about a helicopter mission during the Iraq war. An NBC investigation found at least 10 other embellishments in the anchor's cast. Lester Holt took over the "NBC Nightly News" permanently.
Some critics thought Williams would never return at all, but he did in a new role covering breaking news on MSNBC. And he told Matt Lauer this about the exaggerations.
BRIAN WILLIAMS, FORMER MSNBC ANCHOR: It had to have been ego that made me think I had to be sharper, funnier, quicker.
STELTER: And number one, the biggest media story of 2015 is Donald Trump taking over. It started with controversy.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime, they're rapists, and some, I assume, are good people.
STELTER: But it was followed by rising poll numbers, record debate ratings, talking heads in disbelief, and some frustrated fact checkers. Even when the media calls him out, Trump never seems to back down. He is not afraid to pick a fight with the media, like making controversial comments about FOX News anchor Megyn Kelly, or kicking Univision's Jorge Ramos out of a press conference, or mocking "New York Times" reporter Serge Kovaleski.
Thanks largely to Trump, the early GOP debates attracted more than 20 million viewers each, smashing all prior records. It's the reality TV effect on the campaign trail.
As primary season heats up in 2016, the media circus will continue, but voters will have the last word on Trump.
[09:20:02] Happy media new year, Brian Stelter, CNN, CNN New York.
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HARLOW: Brian, thank you so much.
And for all of you on Twitter who are asking if I'm OK, thank you so much. I got a little hot and I passed out for a moment. I am fine. We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.
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CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Welcome back to NEWSROOM.
Here in the United States, bad news for the Obama administration. A new CNN-ORC poll reveals the American public is largely dissatisfied with the war on terror. In fact only 18 percent think the U.S. has the upper hand, while 40 percent say that terrorists are winning. That's the highest number since September 11th.
Now as for President Obama, 64 percent disapproved of how he's handling ISIS and only 51 percent think the administration can protect against terror attacks. To put this all in perspective, that's eight points lower than the confidence level under President George W. Bush back in 2006.
It's important to point out this poll was taken before the Iraqi military declared victory over Ramadi.
With me to talk about all of this, CNN contributor and co-author of "ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror," Michael Weiss. He's also senior editor of the "Daily Beast."
Nice to see you this morning.
MICHAEL WEISS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: You, too.
ROMANS: We've just learned this morning that Ramadi has been liberated from ISIS by Iraqi forces. In May it was a real setback, quite frankly, for the American administration and for the Iraqis when they lost this.
WEISS: Sure.
ROMANS: And that was when Secretary Ash Carter suggested the inability of some of those forces was -- they didn't have the will to fight. Remember that was a controversy.
WEISS: Yes.
ROMANS: What has changed now that they managed to take it?
WEISS: Well, it seems that they behaved more as a professional military than they have been in the last several months of this war.
[09:25:03] By all accounts, the Hashd al-Shaabi, which is the consortium of Shia militia groups, have hung back from the main theater of operations. It's true that they're sort of corralled in east Ramadi near Habaniya. But when it comes to pushing in to this sort of intense urban combat situation, they're not there. You have the golden division, you have some more credible brigades and Iraqi divisions that are leading the fight. You also have a few hundred Sunni tribesmen, Sunni Arabs tribesmen that have been trained up by the United States and armed that are fighting (INAUDIBLE) with the ISF.
It's important to put this in perspective, though. Ramadi fell in May of this year, right? So that's almost a year after operation inherent resolve got underway. So we lost this battle, we lost this key provincial capital. We've just regained it. Now the real test is can the Iraqi forces hold on to it? My concern, the concern of a lot of analysts, the concern of a lot of people who had either served in Iraq or study the conflict, is what happens if the Shia militias decide to make a play for the city?
You know, in Tikrit, remember that city fell to Baghdad several months before. Shia militias encircled that city and basically set up checkpoints, vetting whoever could come in and out of the city. The real problem with Ramadi is this is sort of the hub, the headquarters, if you like, of Sunni Arab tribal control in Iraq. If the militias go in there, and these are Iranian proxy force, right?
ROMANS: Right.
WEISS: They will be seen with greater suspicion and held in greater contempt than even ISIS. And that will only pave the way for ISIS' return.
ROMANS: There's a lot of work to do. No question.
WEISS: Yes.
ROMANS: A lot of work to do. Meantime, you have this -- what looks in the surface like a victory right now in Ramadi.
WEISS: Sure. ROMANS: At least re-taking Ramadi is something that was badly needed.
But then we've got this new poll, Michael. This CNN poll that shows only 18 percent of Americans say the U.S. is winning the war on terrorism.
WEISS: Yes.
ROMANS: Will -- look at that. Terrorists, who is winning the war to terrorists? Neither side. Only 18 percent say we're winning. Over the weekend, the ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi released this message suggesting that ISIS is under siege. That the rest of the world is united against ISIS. So is ISIS losing influence and losing control, or is ISIS winning? Are the American people behind a little bit on the ground facts?
WEISS: Well, to be frank, I don't think most Americans care if a city called Ramadi, you know.
ROMANS: Right.
WEISS: In a part of the world that they've never been to and doesn't directly affect them falls to one side or the other. What they care about are attacks on the streets of Paris, or attacks in Ankara, or attacks even in Egypt, a popular tourist destination, with an airliner blown out of the sky. These are the optics, these are the sort of data points, if you like.
ROMANS: Right.
WEISS: That have aggregated to create this opinion. Now I've been critical of the way that the administration has both pursued a policy and then also tried to explain its policy. When the president of the United States comes out and says something like ISIS does not pose a mortal threat to the United States.
ROMANS: Right.
WEISS: I don't even know what to do with that. I mean, nobody thinks that ISIS poses a mortal threat that's going to destroy the United States.
ROMANS: Right. Right.
WEISS: So let's just back it up and put it in proper, sensible, human terms.
ROMANS: Right.
WEISS: What they can do and what they are seeking to do every day of the week is wage these kind of spectaculars. Not to -- even to destroy whole cities in -- you know, on Western soil.
ROMANS: Right.
WEISS: To terrorize, to traumatize, to discombobulate populations, and also to try and manipulate the way we conduct our own domestic politics. It is not a coincidence and it is playing right into their hands, that you have the rise of these far right Poujadist populous demagogues in Europe and now in the United States, who say close all the borders, keep all the Muslims out.
ROMANS: Right.
WEISS: Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, he's a shrewd calculator. And the way that he has presented this, it's very specifically oriented for a Sunni audience.
ROMANS: Right.
WEISS: He is saying that ISIS is under siege not just by an international coalition, but really there are three actors. The United States, backed by the Jews, of course, Russia and Iran. The three mortal enemies of the Sunni Arab --
ROMANS: Right.
WEISS: World, and that these guys are all working together. This is a grand conspiracy not aimed at not just Islam, but aimed against Sunnis, for their murder dispossession and disenfranchisement. That is a very -- I mean, it's hard for us to get our imagination around this in the West, but that is a very galvanizing sort of propaganda platform for that part of the world and for that constituency.
ROMANS: And also galvanizing propaganda when they have successes in big European cities.
WEISS: Sure.
ROMANS: We know that there is -- in several European cities right now, they're on high alert for an attack with explosives, with guns.
WEISS: Yes.
ROMANS: Police in Vienna saying those attacks could involve several names on this Vienna alert. How serious do you think that threat is?
WEISS: I think after Paris, they are taking even the faintest hint of an imminent or forthcoming attack with deadly earnest. We saw this in Brussels several weeks ago. The entire city -- I mean, headquarters of NATO shutdown, was on lockdown for that 72 hours.
ROMANS: Right.
WEISS: You know, it's very difficult in our position to say that what they know or what they think ISIS is up to. But as I say, you know, the game is over essentially.
ROMANS: Right.
WEISS: We're not going to take it lightly if we even hear a whisper coming out of Raqqa that they might be planning something.
ROMANS: All right. Michael Weiss, so nice to see you this morning. WEISS: Sure.
ROMANS: Thank you so much.
WEISS: Yes.
ROMANS: All right. Protesters in Chicago are calling for Mayor Rahm Emanuel's immediate resignation after two more deadly police shootings over the weekend. Shootings that left a grandmother and a college student dead. Yesterday the teen's mother spoke out about her son's death.
