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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?; Peyton Manning Accused of Drug Use; Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired December 28, 2015 - 10:00   ET

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


[10:00:01] CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: We talked to him again this morning and he said, you know, they're getting a lot of phone calls from attorneys now. Do they have a case?

DANNY CEVALLOS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, it's always hard to determine whether they have a case until an investigation is complete. But any time there's a police shooting, there are two separate categories we have to talk about. First, the criminal case, will there be a criminal indictment. But even if there is not and people complain that frequently there is no indictment in police lethal force cases, there may still be a very viable civil claim. In other words, you don't need an indictment or a conviction to hold a city or a municipality liable for either violation of civil rights or wrongful death or any other tort claims.

So those are to be expected. It would be almost a certainty that especially in an accidental shooting case.

ROMANS: Right.

CEVALLOS: That a case like this would be brought.

ROMANS: Danny Cevallos, Tom Verni, thank you so much.

VERNI: OK. Thanks.

ROMANS: The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM begins right now.

Good morning, I'm Christine Romans sitting in for Carol Costello this morning. Thanks for joining me.

Thirty million Americans under threats this morning as a deadly storm tracks east. Violent weather killing 43 people the last week. 24 of those deaths this weekend.

It's a true triple threat storm. Record snow, massive tornadoes and flooding. Parts of New Mexico under 16 inches of snow this morning. That snow now heading east where multiple tornadoes struck northern Texas. Eleven people killed near Dallas. Officials calling the devastation catastrophic this morning.

And in the Midwest, a deadly flash flooding, cars swept away, rescue crews pulling off more than 100 water rescues here in Missouri. A look at today's forecast in just a moment but first Nick Valencia is

in Garland, Texas -- Nick.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine. The sun has just come up within the last couple of hours and it gives us a sense of the scope of just how powerful this storm was. An EF-4 tornado. The second most powerful tornado out there. Winds up to 200 miles per hour. And you could see exactly what it left behind when it ran into this apartment complex. The first residents from this complex have just now started to show up.

We see them sifting through some of their belongings, trying to salvage what little is left. I just spoke to one resident, Josh, who says he was inside this complex with his wife when the tornado hit. He says his family is OK. And they're doing alright. But when he walked out to this area, you could just see still the tears in his eyes from what he's been through the last couple of days.

The path of this tornado is pretty evident here. It came through just alongside this. This is probably one of the hardest hit areas in Garland which suffered the brunt of the damage of that EF-4 tornado. Eight people of the 11 that were killed here in this area happened in Garland.

I just got off the phone with the mayor pro-tem who tells me that thousands of people are still without power. Dozens of families had to spend the night in shelters because there's just really no place else to go.

He does tell me a bit of good news. The mayor who says that they are coping here. The American Red Cross has opened up shelters. They are getting a lot of help from the local emergency management team. But even still, just like the story I told you about and that one resident who's come back, it just really is heartbreaking to see when you have everything that's as precious to you lost. Many of these people don't have insurance. They're trying to figure out a way exactly how they can move forward with their life, especially what they went through this weekend -- Christine.

ROMANS: Hearing about people hiding in interior closets, hiding in the bathtub, pulling a mattress on top of you. If you're talking about an EF-3, EF-4 tornado, that devastation, you're not guaranteed survival in an interior room. And these are devastating winds. What are people saying, I mean, frankly, about how they're going to rebuild?

VALENCIA: Well, we have spoken to some survivors, just really remarkable and courageous stories of survival. I spoke to one man who said he was in the middle of his living room, watching his furniture, his sofa, parts of his kitchen just floating around him as he held on to a 60-pound pit bull and his mother-in-law.

We did catch up with some other survivors who say that they don't know how they are still alive today.

ROMANS: Yes. Unbelievable. All right, Nick Valencia for us in Garland, Texas. Thanks for that,

Nick.

Garland Texas taking a direct hit from an EF-4. Live with me on the phone is Lieutenant Pedro Barineau with the Garland Police Department.

Now the recovery process just beginning. What is your priority right now, sir?

LT. PEDRO BARINEAU, GARLAND POLICE DEPARTMENT: Right now we're continuing to assess the damages that are done. We're going to begin debris removal and sifting down into the debris and finding out if there's anything that's actually a hazard to the community.

ROMANS: Tell us about the stories of survival that you're hearing this morning. What are people telling you about how they made it through? I mean, an EF-4, those are up to 180-mile-per-hour winds.

BARINEAU: Yes, it's amazing. I mean, I'm not a meteorologist, but just the fact that the winds are up to 200 miles an hour are just incredible.

[10:05:05] But the fact that people were able to survive it, that is just amazing. And people in our community were strong. We're going to survive this. We're going to -- it's a resilient city and we have plans in place to make the community strong once again, right before this tornado struck.

ROMANS: Good. You know, we know at least eight people were killed in Garland. Do you know, were they inside their homes? Were they out on the roads? Is there anything we can glean from that about where the safest place to be was in this storm?

BARINEAU: Well, sirens were going off in multiple locations and over and over again. But the location where this tornado impacted mostly off the highway I-30 in the George Bush turnpike. And people that were in their cars got hit by the tornado as well. And we have three people that were confirmed dead in their vehicles. Where the debris was projected from this tornado on the north side of the highway from the direction of the tornado coming south and north. That's exactly what happened there.

But there's so much debris from around, there's no telling where the debris, all of the debris really came from. Whether it came from the highway or from surrounding buildings.

ROMANS: Lieutenant, what are you telling people now? Because, you know, the storm has passed but there still are dangers there. I mean, it's just so much devastation. It is still a dangerous situation. What are you telling people as you move forward and going into the new year?

BARINEAU: As of right now, just keep your head up because it's such a devastating time for so many people who have lost their homes and their property. However, we are resilient. We are working together. We are going to recover from this. We have partnerships with the Red Cross. We have partnerships with other agencies. And we are going to provide all the assistance necessary for people to get back on their feet and back to their daily lives.

ROMANS: Our thoughts and prayers are with all of you especially around the holidays. So much work to do.

And Lieutenant Pedro Barineau, thank you so much for that in Garland for us this morning.

BARINEAU: Thank you. Thank you.

ROMANS: Flooding and snow across the country is the biggest concern right now. Jennifer Gray is in Atlanta with the latest threat this morning -- Jennifer.

JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, Christine, we are going to see the threat of snow, but not only that, the ice we are going to see about a quarter of an inch to half inch accumulation in some spots. That's enough to bring down those trees and power lines and so we are going to see power outages in places like Oklahoma City, most likely, as well as Kansas City.

(WEATHER REPORT)

ROMANS: Yes. Be careful, everyone. A lot of people aren't going to work but they are traveling still to and from grandma's house. And I've got to tell you, around here the cherry blossoms have started to bloom. It has been such a crazy winter.

GRAY: Unreal. It has been crazy.

ROMANS: I know. All right. Jennifer, thank you for that.

GRAY: Yes.

ROMANS: For more on how you can help storm victims in Texas and across the country, visit CNN.com/impact.

Still to come, after months of fierce fighting Iraq delivers a punishing blow to ISIS and retakes the key city of Ramadi. But the fight isn't over. It's really just beginning. Up next, why forces there still face major challenges.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:13:01] ROMANS: A proud moment for Iraq. That's how the international coalition is describing the situation on the ground in the key city of Ramadi. Iraqi forces now say they have successfully pushed out ISIS militants and liberated that town.

You're watching brand new video here that shows the Iraqi flag now flying high over the city center. All this just months after frankly an embarrassing setback when the city fell into the hands of ISIS back in May.

Our CNN crew is on the ground in Baghdad. With us now, CNN senior international correspondent Nima Elbagir.

So this is an important strategic retaking of this town, but there's going to be hard work to hold it.

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Christine. I mean, you saw those pictures of that flag being raised. You absolutely couldn't in any way judge them, so perhaps being a bit previous in putting that flag up given that there is still fighting, they still acknowledge that there is clearing that needs to be done in the north of Ramadi. But it is a moment that's been long time coming to the Iraqi government. And it is strategic not just in terms of massive propaganda blow to ISIS. But it is strategic in terms of setting a blueprint for this fight against ISIS.

You'll remember back in May, those images we saw of that extraordinarily humiliating defeat of the Iraqi government forced to endure even before much of that ISIS forward force had even arrived in the city. Well, now, we're looking at a reinvigorated plan for the fight against ISIS, not just in Iraq, but back in D.C. because that defeat back in May, it caused a complete re-evaluation of how the war against ISIS needed to be fought.

And what we're seeing now on the ground is a blueprint for moving that forward to Mosul, to Fallujah, and perhaps even beyond all the way to those broken borders with Syria. And the key element here is Sunni tribal forces. They have been at the forefront of this fight. And they are expected to be at the forefront of the fight to hold and protect Ramadi once it is fully clear and move beyond there, perhaps even all the way to Mosul.

[10:15:03] So having been here 18 months ago, when this push by ISIS came almost 60 kilometers from the gate of this city of the Iraqi capital city, I have to tell you, Christine, it feels very different standing here today.

ROMANS: All right, Nima Elbagir, thank you for that. And again, you say potentially moving toward Mosul next. We'll see if they can do that, too. Thank you for that, Nima.

Back here on American soil a new CNN/ORC poll reveals the American public is largely dissatisfied with how the war on terror is going. In fact only 18 percent think the U.S. has the upper hand while 40 percent say the terrorists are winning. That's the highest number since September 11th.

As for President Obama, 64 percent disapprove of how he's handling ISIS and only 51 percent think the administration can protect against terror attacks. To put that in perspective, that's eight points lower than the confident level under President George W. Bush back in 2006.

It's important to point out this poll was taken before this Iraqi military victory over Ramadi that we just told you about.

With me now to talk about all this, CNN political commentator and contributing editor for the "Atlantic," Peter Beinart. We're also joined by CNN military analyst, retired General Spider Marks. Welcome to both of you. Peter, let me start with you. President

Obama wants to better communicate the narrative of the war on ISIS to the American people. Here's what he told NPR in an interview recently, listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You know, ISIL combines viciousness with very savvy media operations. And as a consequence, if you have been watching television for the last month, all you've been seeing, all you've been hearing about is these guys with masks or black flags who are potentially coming to get you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: So do you think he sees this as simply a communication failure? Or does he see the broader U.S. frustrations with the actual war against terror?

PETER BEINART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think he believes that -- to be honest, that people's fears of terrorism are exaggerated. That if you look at the period since September 11th, we have not had another terrorist attack on U.S. soil in 15 years now -- nearly on the scale of September 11th. And that the -- most of these attacks we've had have been these lone wolf attacks that are frightening to people but really are no -- don't kill any more people than you find in your average, you know, gun shooting that we tolerate all over the United States.

So I think that's what he really feels. Now what we're seeing since San Bernardino and Paris was this huge spike in fears of terrorism. And ISIS is masterful at making people afraid. I think it's what he was saying. But I think that on the ground they believe that the strategy is working, that ISIS is losing territory. That they are starting to get some success amongst the Sunni tribes that they need to actually take on ISIS in areas where the Kurds don't have a presence. And that the threat of terrorism is not nearly as great as you would believe listening to some of Obama's opponents.

ROMANS: But, but you look at San Bernardino, and that was an ISIS inspired attack.

BEINART: Right.

ROMANS: Not an ISIS directed attack.

BEINART: Yes.

ROMANS: And that's the new face here, where the American public is afraid.

BEINART: Right.

ROMANS: Of this homegrown thing right in their backyard.

BEINART: Right. ROMANS: I mean, that's a real -- San Bernardino is real. That fear

is real.

BEINART: The fear is real. The question is then, how do you view it as a leader, if you don't believe that the fear is as great as people think it?

ROMANS: Right.

BEINART: How do you respond to that? That's the tricky challenge, I think.

ROMANS: So, General Marks, look at this. A CNN/ORC poll shows only 18 percent of Americans think the U.S. is winning that war on terror. There is that number again. But over the weekend, the ISIS leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi releases this new audio message. We think it's from him. That talks about ISIS under siege and their weakness is the rest of the world is against -- the whole world is working together to contain ISIS.

Will Americans' opinion on this fight shift this administration's policy at all? Should Americans' opinions shift what the policy is?

MAJ. GEN. JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: I would hope not. Frankly, what the administration needs to do is ensure that all the elements of power that need to be engaged in order to contain and then defeat ISIS are employed, frankly, equally across the board. But right now, we're in a situation where ISIS has been able to achieve such strength within the caliphate that they've defined.

That the only element of power right now is the military element of power that can really do significant heavy lifting, albeit diplomatic efforts are in place clearly to build a coalition of partners that want to go after ISIS. But I think the American public clearly is frustrated, obviously, but they're looking for a very quick solution and there isn't one.

ROMANS: Right.

MARKS: This is intergenerational. This is going to take a very long time in order for us to contain and then reduce this and it only starts with modernization of that part of world. It starts with education, it starts with governance. All of that is derivative of some degree of security which is not in place yet.

ROMANS: So retaking Ramadi, wow, obviously an important milestone for the Iraqi military, General Marks, is not something that's going to change Americans' perceptions of how this is going?

[10:20:06] MARKS: Probably not. This is really a good deal. Now there could be this euphoric, immediate, episodic response which is great. But unfortunately, this has to be sustained. There has to be an effort against Mosul, which is a very difficult. That map is so telling. You have this big swath that essentially is north and west of Baghdad, leading into Syria. And there are portions of Kurdistan that are in very good control. And there are portions within Baghdad and south that are under control.

But you've got this very large caliphate that extends into Syria that we've been looking at for so long, which is very, very dangerous and needs to be addressed by the Iraqi government.

ROMANS: Peter, let me ask you this. You wrote something for the Atlantic earlier this month that was pretty telling. And this is what you wrote, you know, "Obama's view I suspect Democratic capitalism is real, ideological adversary is not. They're radical Islam of ISIS. It's the authoritarian state managed capitalism of China. While Republicans think ISIS is strong and growing stronger, Obama thinks it's weak and growing weaker."

Two very different world views on display right now.

BEINART: Right, if you go back to September 11th, you'll remember that George W. Bush described jihadist terrorism as the analog to this year's analog to communism and fascism. That a kind of a global ideological competitor to the west. I don't think Obama sees that. I think Obama believes that communism and fascism at their height in the '30s made people believe they could bring economic prosperity.

No one believes that ISIS has the path to economic prosperity. I think he believes that this is a fundamentally weak foe that we can defeat, as long as we don't do self-inflicted wounds.

ROMANS: Right.

BEINART: As long as we don't do things like invading another Middle Eastern country which gives them a big opportunity to act as an anti- occupation force or do the kind of things that Donald Trump is proposing. Ultimately, that strength is on our side because they're not offering really very much that's attractive to that many people.

ROMANS: Peter Beinart, General Spider Marks, so nice to see both of you. Great analysis. Thank you.

MARKS: Thanks, Christine.

ROMANS: Checking top stories. A 1200-acre inferno now 75 percent contained in northern California. As many as 600 firefighters fought back the fast moving wildfire which came within striking distance of beaches. Officials believe the blaze was sparked by downed power lines. They hoped to have it fully contained as soon as tomorrow.

Madonna's son Rocco is being ordered back to New York by a Manhattan court. The judgement says he has to return home with his mother. The 15-year-old reportedly wants to stay in London with his father, director Guy Ritchie. Rocco is apparently tired of being on tour with Madonna.

Still to come, NFL quarterback Peyton Manning accused of doping. Why he's strongly denying it and guess what so is the man who first made the accusation.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [10:26:10] ROMANS: Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is denying an explosive report. This report claimed Manning ordered human growth hormones through his wife. It also claimed to link several other pro athletes to doping.

Here's what the future Hall of Fame quarterback told ESPN in response to the allegations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PEYTON MANNING, DENVER BRONCOS QUARTERBACK: I can't speak for any other athlete. I know what I've done. I know how hard I worked during my 18 years of playing in the NFL. There are no shortcuts in the NFL. I have done it the long way, I've done it the hard way. And to insinuate anything otherwise is a complete and total joke. It's defamation. And it really ticks me off.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: He called it garbage. Then we heard from one of the major sources of the report, a guy named Charlie Sly. He says he was recorded secretly without his permission.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHARLIE SLY, PEYTON MANNING ACCUSER: Statements on any recordings or communications that Al Jazeera plans to air are absolutely false and incorrect. To be clear, I am recanting any such statements and there is no truth to any statement of mine that Al Jazeera plans to air.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: OK. There's only one person who can make sense of all this for us, CNN's Rachel Nichols. She joins us on the phone now from Miami.

It is bizarre to say the least. Manning coming out strong, calling it garbage. And this Charlie Sly who was an intern at a clinic, not even at the time Manning was at the clinic, now is saying, no, he's lying. What's going on?

RACHEL NICHOLS, CNN SPORTS: Yes, I mean, look, this is so difficult to uncover. And that's how these situations often go and even the time that this guy worked at that clinic is up for debate. Al Jazeera says they have employment records that he did work at the clinic at the time all this is going on. So that's the first thing someone has to figure out.

And it's unfortunate for everybody because we've seen versions of this before. An athlete is accused of performance-enhancing drugs. It's often someone we don't expect or seems very, very odd that this is the person was accused of cheating. Sometimes, they'll stomp their feet and vigorously deny it and there is no evidence uncovered and it feels like a terrible position for the athlete who have been put in. Then against sometimes they stomp their feet and vigorously deny it and call them liars and then a smoking gun comes up later. And fans feel that they've been mislead and the athlete sheepishly apologize. And so it's a terrible climate in sports right now when it comes to this issue.

ROMANS: Yes.

NICHOLS: Everyone gets painted with this broad brush. It's difficult on all sides and we'll have to see how this one turns out.

ROMANS: The insinuation here is that when he was recovering from a series of neck surgeries that he was using this HGH somehow having it shipped to his wife, et cetera, et cetera. He's furious and he's threatening legal action.

NICHOLS: Yes. Absolutely. And look, he's threatening that right now. His agents are threatening that. The other players involved, their agents are threatening that. I don't know if this is actually going to make it to court because if it does, it would open Peyton and his wife up to discovery and that process going into their private records a lot more than I think anybody wants that to happen.

Also, someone would have to prove actual malice because he is a public figure and they might have a hard time with that. So I think right now you're just seeing how upset he is and these vigorous denials then we'll have to (INAUDIBLE).

ROMANS: All right, Rachel Nichols for us on the phone from Miami. Thanks for that, Rachel.

All right. Here we go. I'm Christine Romans sitting in for Carol Costello this morning. Thanks for joining me. She could make history as the first female president of the U.S. But Donald Trump says Hillary Clinton is blazing her path to the White House not on her political credentials but on her gender.

Clinton ripping Trump for what she says is his penchant for sexism, and now Trump is firing back. Not just at the Democratic frontrunner but also at her husband who Trump claims has his own issues with sexism.

Here's what he told FOX News yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think he is fair game because his presidency was really considered to be very troubled, to put it mildly, because of all of the things that she's talking to me about. I mean, she's mentioning sexism. I actually turned her exact words.

(END VIDEO CLIP)