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Taking Ramadi Back; Manhunt For Tel Aviv Shooter; Mississippi Rising, Several States On High Alert As Flooding Threatens Region. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired January 02, 2016 - 04:00   ET

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

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GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Taking back Ramadi from ISIS, Iraqi forces sweeping through, evacuating civilians and tracking down the final few militants. Plus a manhunt in Tel Aviv, police there looking for a gunman who killed two innocent people and injured a number of others in the heart of the city. And the Mississippi rising. Several U.S. states are on high alert as severe flooding impacts the region.

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From CNN world headquarters in Atlanta, welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm George Howell, "CNN Newsroom" starts right now.

And a good day to you. Police in Israel are searching for a gunman who killed two people and wounded seven others outside of a pub.

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It happened in Tel Aviv Friday afternoon on a popular street on that coastal city. Officials say it could have been much worse, but the rain and the cold temperatures kept most visitors away. Police believe the gunman used an automatic weapon and fired more than 15 rounds. Megan Robertson, a senior producer with "The Huffington Post" describes what she saw.

MEGAN ROBERTSON, PRODUCER, "THE HUFFINGTON POST": I was in a store about five stores up, just north of where the shooting occurred. We heard multiple rounds of gunshots, and then actually people pulled over their cars, and this was something I had never seen before, usually in the United States. But leapt out their cars, one man with a handgun, so as if to pursue the individual who did this. So it was a lot of Israelis and people here in Tel Aviv running towards the scene, as other people got away from it. So it was a bit of a confusing scene when it happened.

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HOWELL: Let's go live to Jerusalem. Our Ian Lee is following this story. Ian, good to have you this hour. Police have been combing Tel Aviv, looking for this gunman on the run. But, apart from seeing him on surveillance video, do they have any new or additional leads?

IAN LEE, CORRESPONDENT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: George, this morning we were talking to the police. They say they don't have anything. There has been a gag order put in place on the latest developments, so the police are not talking about where this investigation is going right now. But yesterday, when talking to the police, they were looking very closely at surveillance video. Israel is a country that has a lot of that all over the place. They're watching it. We have two videos that were released, or that, that were at least to the media, that we've been looking at. But there's other videos that the police will be going over, looking at what -- which direction they believe the suspect went, where they will be able to find him. Now local Israeli media is describing this man as an Israeli Arab from the norther part of the country that has had a brush with the law in the past, who's been imprisoned, but the police are still not saying who they believe this person is or whether they have captured him or not. And still, really, they're not even calling this a terrorist or a criminal act yet. So there's still a lot of questions to remain while this manhunt, this really massive manhunt continues.

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HOWELL: Well, with so much unknown at this point, Ian, you know, in the aftermath of what happened, I mean are people being told to stay away, in an abundance of caution, that this could be something bigger, or are people being told to carry on as normal?

LEE: You know, that's really the interesting thing. And really from the get go this has been a bizarre case. Talking to people here, it really doesn't fit a lot of the incidents that we've seen in the past, whether it be criminal or a terrorist attack. And right after the attack took place, the police beefed up security at synagogues, as it is Shabbat and people are going to pray. But other than that, they said go about your normal lives. They're telling people in Tel Aviv to go about, just to be a bit more aware, a bit more cautious about what's going on around them. But that may, you know, lead to the fact that they don't believe he is in the media -- immediate vicinity where people could be caught up in some sort of incident. But really right now, George, the police are very much tight-lipped as this investigation continues.

HOWELL: CNN correspondent, Ian Lee, live for us in Jerusalem. Ian, thank you so much for your reporting there, and we will stay in touch. Now on to northwestern India. That is where soldiers and police are trying to secure an air force base under attack in Punjab state, near the border with Pakistan.

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Four attackers were killed there, as well as civilians -- a civilian, I should say, and two security personnel. No group at this point has claimed responsibility. This attack comes a week after India and Pakistan pledged to improve diplomatic relations. The video you see here is the first time in almost 12 years that the Indian Prime Minister visited Pakistan. The two countries have long been at odds over control of territories in north -- that are north of India.

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HOWELL: Forty-seven people in Saudi Arabia convicted of plotting and committing acts of terror targeting civilians have been executed.

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According to the Interior Ministry, the executions were carried out in 12 different locations. Four convicts were beheaded. It is not yet clear how the others died. Officials say the executed men believed in extremist ideology, and that they were members of terror groups. They were convicted of plotting and carrying out attacks against civilians, including an attack on the U.S. Consulate in 2004.

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Now in Afghanistan, the capital city of Kabul is dealing with the aftermath of a suicide attack.

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At least one person was killed, a 12-year-old boy. This attack hit a restaurant that's very popular with French ex-pats. The Taliban have claimed responsibility, saying the restaurant was owned by "the invaders." One suspect was arrested. This attack comes as Afghanistan tries to jump start peace talks.

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In Iraq this hour government forces say they are working to free roughly a thousand families trapped in eastern Ramadi, and to seek the remaining militants there.

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The Iraqi government says it drove ISIS out of the heart of Ramadi on Monday. Ramadi fell to the terror group back in May and Iraqi forces have been fighting to reclaim that key city for more than a week now.

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Let's go live to Bagdad. Nima Elbagir is there, almost 120 kilometers east of Ramadi, and now joins us by phone. Nima, very good to have you with us. So let's talk about the situation there, ISIS still holding on to parts of the outskirts of that city, reportedly even staging an attack on a nearby base. What more can you tell us?

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Iraqi Army calls this part of the ongoing security clear up operation. They say that they're working to purge ISIS fighters from the areas in which they have a remaining presence. But there is definitely a sense of the fighting within that security purge is intensifying. Yesterday evening a complex attack on the 10th Division base on the outskirts of the city, only about 35 kilometers from the central government district in which the Iraqi Army raised the Iraqi flag less than a week ago. The, the situation we understand from local government officials was multiple car bombs, at least car bombs, coming towards that 10th Division base. They say it was repulsed, that there are limited injuries, but it does give you a sense how fierce the fighting continues to be in those areas where ISIS still has a presence. The concern has been here, with ongoing bad weather, that that is hampering the, the ability of the coalition to maintain the intensity of the attacks that we've seen in support of Iraqi government operations on the ground there, and that ISIS could possibly be exploiting those windows in which, in which the (casters) can't get into the sky, George.

HOWELL: Now let's talk about these efforts to rescue people from the militants' control. I saw your report earlier, a very touching report that goes right to the heart of it about what people have experienced, and how they managed to survive. What, what can you tell us about what you've seen and what you've heard?

ELBAGIR: It was just extraordinarily heartbreaking, George. Of course, having been within that city for so long, having lived under ISIS control since May this year, there is always going to be a sense of, of the difficulties, of the desolation within that city. But to hear that people are being used as human shields. The government is extracting families, a few hundred now have come out. But there, there is a concern that hundreds more still remain inside that eastern district that are being used by ISIS to slow that clean-up operation, that they are being moved there. One woman 70-years-old told us how her neighbors had to carry her out in her wheelchair, that that was the only way that she was able to escape. All these families living within these areas talk about fathers and brothers taken away at sword point by ISIS for daring to say that they didn't want their families to be moved into that area of advance. It's really heartbreaking, especially when you hear the descriptions of the desolation of their homes, of the hospital, of the school. It doesn't sound like there's going to be much to return home to, even after this clear-up operation is finally brought to a close, George.

HOWELL: Many of the residents of the tent city, women and children, where many of the men from those families are being questioned, Nima, you know, to insure that there are no ties or associations with ISIS. Though, you know, these families, men, women and children, all thankful to be safe now and out of ISIS control. Senior international correspondent, Nima Elbagir, live for us. Thank you so much for your reporting.

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Fears over terror attacks on New Year's Eve began to fizzle after the stroke of midnight and the ball dropped in New York's Times Square. But we've learned authorities have claimed to have stopped one man who plotted an attack in New York State.

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Boris Sanchez has the details. BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A homegrown terror plot to attack

people celebrating the New Year thwarted by the feds. Twenty-five- year-old Emanuel Lutchman now facing charges of attempting to provide material support to ISIS. His alleged plan? Police say he was looking to attack a bar and restaurant while revelers partied overnight in Rochester, New York.

MARK CHIARENZA, BAR OWNER, ROCHESTER, NEW YORK: I was nervous owning some establishments downtown. It, you know, it's a little scary. But then I, I sat back and thought, you know, we have very good security staff, there's great police presence on the east avenue and, you know, they're really just trying to put the fear into us, and we're not going to let that happen.

SANCHEZ: Talking to an FBI informant, Lutchman allegedly discussed using a pressure cooker bomb and kidnapping people. According to a criminal complaint, he told the information quote I will take a life. I don't have a problem with that. The Feds say that on Tuesday Lutchman went to an area Walmart with the informant to stock up for the attack, buying black ski masks, zip ties, knives, a machete, duct tape, ammonia, and latex gloves. And the complaint says he planned to release a video after the attack.

GOV. ANDREW CUOMO, NEW YORK CITY: There's also a new normal when it comes to terrorism.

SANCHEZ: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo talking about the suspect's alleged path to radicalization.

CUOMO: He served time in Attica, became a Muslim, went out, became radicalized on the Internet, and became the proponent of, of one of these terrorist groups, the ISIL groups, and pled allegiance to the ISIL group, and had a specific plan to assassinate people.

SANCHEZ: But Lutchman's neighbor's say that's not the man they knew.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's a street kid. He's not a hardcore terrorist, you know. He just jumped on a bandwagon, being a little stupid.

SANCHEZ: If convicted, Lutchman could face up to 20 years in prison and a quarter million dollar fine. Boris Sanchez, CNN, New York.

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HOWELL: A massive fire on New Year's Eve at a luxury hotel in Dubai is now under investigation.

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But a source with knowledge of that investigation told CNN the blaze started when curtains caught fire on the twentieth floor. Meanwhile, witnesses to the fire are still reflecting on what they saw.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were really shocked because it was burning right up the building, all the way. And we came to see if the fireworks were going to be going, and the lights were turned off, so we went back to the flat. We were scared. There were explosions, and we didn't know what was happening.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The police and the civil authorities seemed to get here in good time. But I was amazed at the pace that the fire went up the left hand side of building.

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HOWELL: There's still smoke behind him there, you saw. We know at least 16 people were injured in that incident. You're watching "CNN Newsroom," and still to come, authorities in the U.S. State of Illinois, they are on edge as the death toll and the flood waters keep rising there.

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We'll have the latest for you, plus, the U.S. President, Barack Obama, he reveals his controversial New Year's resolution, taking on the gun lobby in the United States. Stay with us. You're watching "CNN Newsroom."

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HOWELL: Welcome back to "CNN Newsroom." I'm George Howell. The beginning of 2016 is not bringing much relief to the U.K. in terms of weather. More rain is on the way for parts of that country, already dealing with unprecedented flooding and the threat of ice and snow that could hamper clean-up efforts there. In some areas what would normally be a month's worth of rain fell in just one day. U.K.'s Environment Agency says more than 7,000 homes have been flooded in the last week.

And in the United States, the death toll is rising from severe flooding in the Mid-West. In the State of Illinois nine people have been killed, while in Missouri at least 15 people lost their lives. People in the southern-most tip of Illinois are watching the levies very closely as authorities go door to door asking people to evacuate. One levy has already been breached. Twelve counties have been declared disaster areas with the Governor calling in the National Guard. Flooding is a big concern. Let's go to our meteorologist, Karen Maginnis for an update on the situation. Karen.

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KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN METEROLOGIST: George, when those levies become overtopped, that means the water is spilling over them, there is a, a little bit of reinforcement underneath them. But once they become overtopped, that constant flow of water kind of erodes what earthen material is there and eventually the entire levy will breach. That is, if it continues to be overtopped, and that's what we're looking at right now across some sections of southern Illinois, extending all the way down towards New Orleans, where there are different levies in place and have been put in place to prevent just exactly what we're anticipating over the next couple of weeks. And, yes, I do mean weeks. Already 16 states where the rivers are at

or above flood stage, and the rivers downstream from central sections of Missouri, we're looking at those rising over the next several weeks, all the way down to New Orleans. Right now 281 rivers at or above flood stage, most of those extending from Iowa and Illinois down towards Texas, into Louisiana, the Florida Panhandle, and into the Carolinas. Now we've heard about the fatalities already across the Mid-West. Once those flooding rains began, right around December 26th through the 28th, there were about 1,500, 1,600 millimeters reported. And already we have reports of as much as two dozen fatalities associated with flooding, and the majority of those, about two-thirds of them, are from people who have driven their vehicles into the flooded waters.

While across the United Kingdom back to back storm systems could add up another 25 to 100 millimeters. We have seen just a succession of storms across this region. The primary areas that will be hit in the next 48 hours, from Glasgow down towards Liverpool, through Edinburgh, and into Wales. And, George, it looks like gale-force winds. We could see the winds gust around 80 kilometers per hour. Back to you.

HOWELL: That's the situation there in the U.K. And then in the Mid- West, Karen, I remember, you know, from my time working in the Chicago bureau, that they're typically ready, they, they expect the flooding this time of year, but usually from snow melt, not from so much rain.

MAGINNIS: Right. Right, it's a spring event. To see it in winter is very unusual.

HOWELL: It is. Karen Maginnis, thank you so much.

This coming week with be a notable week for the U.S President, Barack Obama, preparing now to bypass Congress in order to enact sweeping gun reforms. On Monday Mr. Obama will meet with his Attorney General to discuss available options. And sources at the White House say his plans will increase background checks on people purchasing guns. CNN's Jim Acosta has this report.

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JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: For President Obama the final round is about to begin.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE U.S.A.: In 2016 I'm going to leave it out all on the field.

ACOSTA: Up first in the President's eighth and last year in office, Mr. Obama's long-promised response to mass shootings in the U.S. Sources familiar with the plan say they will be a package of executive actions on gun control. Expected before the January 12th State of the Union and aimed at the gun show loophole which allows some firearm sellers to avoid conducting background checks on their customers.

OBAMA: And all across America survivors of gun violence, and those who lost a child, or a parent, or a spouse to gun violence are forced to mark such awful anniversaries every single day. And yet Congress still hasn't done anything to prevent what happened to them from happening to other families.

ACOSTA: The President will review the slate of administrative changes with Attorney General Loretta Lynch on Monday. The White House argues the President's actions will be within his executive authority and in line with polls that show broad support for tightening background checks.

OBAMA: Change is always going to take all of us. The gun lobby is loud and well-organized in its defense of effortlessly available guns for anyone. The rest of us are going to have to be just as passionate and well-organized in our defense of our kids. That's the work of citizenship, to stand up and fight for the change that we seek.

ACOSTA: Vowing to fight the move, the nation's biggest gun lobby, the NRA, says the President is doing what he always does when he doesn't get his way, defying the will of the people and using executive action.

Another controversial proposal coming in the new year, the President will ask Congress to shut down the terrorist detention center at Guantanamo, a facility Mr. Obama may close on his own, if law makers balk at the White House plan.

OBAMA: It'll be an uphill battle.

ACOSTA: The President also hopes to travel to Cuba and perhaps more than a dozen other countries in what' shaping up to be a global farewell tour. But the President's agenda could be upended by setbacks in the war on ISIS, a foreign policy crisis that could complicate White House plans to have the President campaign heavily with the 2016 Democratic nominee, a prospect that may well put him and Hillary Clinton on the trail together again.

OBAMA: I think we will have a strong Democratic nominee. I think that Democratic nominee will win. I think I will have a Democratic successor.

ACOSTA: But, first, the President will lay out his plans for his final year in office at the fast-approaching State of the Union address, which is less than two weeks away. White House officials say don't expect a long laundry list of proposals in part because the President is almost out of time. Jim Acosta, CNN, traveling with the President in Honolulu.

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HOWELL: And now to the race for the White House, it is official, 2016, we are now in an election year here in the U.S. And we're already seeing some candidates switch up their strategies to attract more voters, and others seemingly have new campaigns in the new year. Mary Moloney explains.

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MARY MOLONEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At the Rose Bowl Parade skywriters weren't focused on football. Instead set sights on Republican presidential frontrunner, Donald Trump. The message, America is Trump is disgusting. Trump, known for his biting insults hasn't been shy on the trail or on Twitter, writing: people ask why do you tweet and retweet to millions about Jeb Bush when he's so low in the polls? Because of his big dollar hate ads on me. Those ads irritate Trump.

DONALD TRUMP, AMERICAN BUSINESSMAN: It bothers me when I see a guy spending, you know, $60 million on ads against me, a lot of it, right?

MOLONEY: Trump vowing to start spending about $2 million a week to ensure victory.

TRUMP: I'm going to start spending a lot of money 'cause I don't want to take any chances.

MOLONEY: For his part, Jeb Bush cancelled pricey ad buys, moved staff to early voting states, and insisted Trump will fail.

JEB BUSH, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're living in this reality TV kind of political environment where he fills the space by saying outrageous things. I think the, the motion of the here and now will subside.

MOLONEY: Ben Carson overhauled his staff, losing three top aides. His team says the campaign is gaining energy. On the other side of the political aisle, Hillary Clinton will bring her not-so-secret weapon, President Bill Clinton, on the campaign trail, but she may not change much in the new year. Friday her campaign announced it raised $112 million for the primaries since officially jumping into the race in April. Both Republican and Democratic candidates will hit the trail Monday, marking a new phase in the new year. I'm Mary Moloney reporting.

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HOWELL: Now let's take a quick look at the upcoming Iowa caucuses.

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Voters from across that state gather on February first. The process is different from a primary, as party members meet in homes, churches and schools to discuss the candidates and then make their choice. And, this is important, since Iowa is the first state to weigh in during a campaign, the results could have a big impact on the nomination -- nomination race. Barak Obama won Iowa in 2008, and then went on to secure his party's nomination. But Iowa did not help recent Republican winners Rick Santorum or Mike Huckabee.

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Now to Puerto Rico. The island is going to default on some of its debt again.

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Puerto Rico owes $1 billion to creditors, due on January fourth. According to the Governor, the territory's government will pay all but $37 million of that. The Governor says that money was never guaranteed, and creditors should know this. This will be the second default in the island's history. The first was in early August.

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You're watching "CNN Newsroom." Here is a loaded question for you. How many of the big stories of 2015 do you remember?

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We'll take a look back at the top 10 global headlines as this broadcast continues around the world this hour on "CNN International" and "CNN U.S.A."

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOWELL: And welcome back to our viewers. Here in the United States and around the world you are watching "CNN Newsroom." It's good to have you with us this day. I'm George Howell.

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The headlines we're following for you, in Saudi Arabia 47 people convicted of plotting and committing terror attacks, acts of terror targeting civilians, have been executned. According to the Interior Ministry, the prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr is among the dead. Officials say the men executed believed in extremist ideology, and that they were members of terror groups.

Police in Tel Aviv are searching for a gunman who opened fire outside a pub on Friday, killing at least two people. Officials say more than 15 rounds were shot from an automatic weapon. Investigators don't yet know if this was a terror attack.

Indian forces are fighting off a militant attack on an airbase near the border with Pakistan. At least four militants were killed there, and a civilian and two guards are dead. This attack comes as India and Pakistan try to revive political talks.

The terror group Al-Shabaab has released a new recruitment video. It warns Muslims in America about racism and discrimination. The video features messages from radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, the al-Qaeda leader who was killed back in 2011. The video also highlights U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump and his call for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States.

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The year of 2015 terror attacks certainly dominated the headlines, but there were other powerful stories to tell, including Cuba and the U.S. being back on speaking terms, and a major earthquake in Nepal. CNN's Anderson Cooper has the 2015's top 10 moments from around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE) ANDERSON COOPER, ANCHOR "CNN'S ANDERSON COOPER 360": Our top 10 starts with a shocking prison escape inside the Mexican jail cell of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. The drug kingpin walks into a shower and vanishes, fleeing through this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's very difficult to breath down here. A lot of dirt, dust. This is the bike that "El Chapo" used to ride out of the prison.

COOPER: "El Chapo" remains at large and the question still lingers, who helped him escape?

Number nine, a moment for the history books, Cuba and America back on speaking terms. Americans boarding planes bound for Havana, thanks to a momentus thawing of icy diplomatic relations between the two countries.

OBAMA: A year ago it might have seemed impossible that the United States would once again be raising our flag, the Stars and Stripes, over an embassy in Havana.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A powerful earthquake has hit Nepal.

COOPER: Number eight, a massive quake hits in Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, 10 feet in 30 seconds, triggering an avalanche on Mount Everest. Days of aftershocks followed. More than 8,000 people died.

Very few stories were more divisive than number seven on our list.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Relations between the United States and Iran are poised to enter a new era after decades of hostility.

COOPER: And the historic agreement to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons, some hailing it as a major victory for diplomacy.

OBAMA: There's a reason why 99 percent of the world thinks this is a good deal. It's because it's a good deal.

COOPER: Others calling it a deal with the devil.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL: ...destruction. This deal doesn't make peace more likely. It makes war more likely.

COOPER: Powerful words from the leader of Israel. Even more powerful, this moment on the floor of the United Nations. Forty-four seconds of uncomfortable silence signifying what he says is the deafening silence toward Iran from the West.

At number six, the bloody war rages in Syria and Iraq. The sprawling mess in a dangers proxy war. U.S. led coalition airstrikes pound ISIS targets in Syria. Russia says it's bombing ISIS targets as well.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Russians are not attacking ISIS. They are conducting strikes in areas where there are anti-regime militias. Those strikes will bolster Bashar al-Assad.

COOPER: On the sidelines, Turkey fiercely protecting its borders.

CHRIS CUOMO, CO-HOST "NEW DAY," CNN: Turkey shooting down a Russian war plane.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: An SU-24 Russian war plane crashed in the mountains of Syria near the Turkish border.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Russians are understandably absolutely furious.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: President Putin speaking out, calling the incident a quote stab in the back.

COOPER: It is this year the world watched the biggest escalation of the American military campaign against ISIS to date.

OBAMA: I will not put American boots on the ground in Syria.

BLITZER: The U.S. stepping up its presence on the ground.

ERIN BURNETT, ANCHOR "ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT," CNN: President Obama putting combat boots on the ground in Iraq and Syria, the first time officially sending Special Forces into Syria to fight ISIS.

COOPER: Rounding out the top five, a rock-star welcome for Pope Francis as he toured the United States and Cuba, the masses before millions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This man is playing extraordinarily well on the New York stage.

BLITZER: Revered, I want to listen in a little bit. The crowds are so excited.

COOPER: Off-the-cuff moments as (honey) glimpses into the life of the Catholic so many have come to love.

POPE FRANCIS: God bless America.

COOPER: He then went to a war zone in the Central African Republic, part of the pontiff's historic visit to Africa.

Number four, city under siege.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CO-ANCHOR "NEW DAY," CNN: A manhunt is underway for the gunman that perpetrated this heinous attack on the offices of Charlie Hebdo.

JIM BITTERMANN, SENIOR EUROPEAN CORRESPONDENT, PARIS: The editor of the newspaper is among the dead, as well as one of the cartoonists who was responsible for the very famous Mohammed cartoon that got the newspaper in trouble back in 2011.

COOPER: Two Islamist terrorist brothers forced their way into the offices of the satirical magazine "Charlie Hebdo," opening fire and killing 12. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We walked in and it was obviously a very disturbing scene to see. There was bodies on the floor, and people were crying out for help.

COOPER: Chaos spilling into the street. A Muslim police officer executed on camera. The police car tries to flee, but the manhunt of the killers intensifies. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula claims responsibility. Meantime shoppers in a Jewish grocery store are held hostage, not by the brothers, but a man working apparently in concert with them. After three intense days, 17 innocent people are dead, three terrorists killed.

Number three, a Germanwings commercial airline crashes, killing everyone on board. The co-pilot of Germanwings flight 9525 now considered a culprit. Andreas Lubitz locks the captain out of the cockpit and steers the Airbus A320 into the ground. A chilling revelation as prosecutors hear the horror unfold on the black box voice recorder.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The screams are in the last instants. And I'd remind you that death was instantaneous.

COOPER: Lubitz flying the plane into the side of a mountain, obliterating it and everyone onboard.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: CNN learning Lubitz reprogrammed the plane's autopilot in flight, changing the setting from cruising altitude, 38,000 feet, to just 100 feet, a premeditated plan condemning everyone onboard.

COOPER: Senseless killings sparking a question that struck fear around the world. Can you trust the person piloting your plane?

And number two, two million Syrians run for their lives, the refugee crisis on a scale not seen since World War II.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Running for their lives, Syrian refugees crossing the border by the thousands, trying to escape the war and violence at home.

COOPER: In Syria, President Bashar al-Assad drops barrel bombs on his own people, as ISIS terrorists carve a bloody path through the country. Terrified Syrians flee.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They fired more tear gas, so people are kind of panicking.

COOPER: At borders across Europe men, women, and children are pushed back. Tens of thousands more with nothing but the clothes on their back desperately cram into boats destined for unknown shores. Some would never make it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Still so very disturbing, two-year-old Aylan Kurdi was found face down on a Turkish beach. He drowned at sea while crossing the Mediterranean with his family. COOPER: The picture of the toddler's lifeless body seen across the

globe, becoming a symbolic image of the human suffering. Still, in many countries, fear of the unknown prevails.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have breaking news for you out of Paris, France.

COOPER: And, number one, ISIS terrorizes the world, spreading their brutality beyond the borders of Iraq and Syria. An explosion rings out outside a soccer stadium in Paris, the first of three suicide bombers to detonate outside the stadium, marking the start of a series of terror attacks, the likes of which Paris has never seen.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The whole time he's -- he said don't run, just stay, and he... Those words saved my life 'cause the people who ran were shot.

COOPER: People flee for their lives, a pregnant woman so terrified she hangs from the side of a building to escape the gunfire. At several restaurants innocent diners are slayed as terrorists unload round after round.

FRANCOIS HOLLANDE, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): We are at war. The war against terrorism.

COOPER: Unimaginable, the slaughter of 130 people in Paris happening just 24 hours after this. In Beirut, Lebanon, a pair of suicide bombs with blast so powerful when the smoke clears 43 people are left dead. ISIS' ability to incite terror and fear across the world made clear when they do the unimaginable.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: New U.S. intelligence suggests the plane was most likely brought down by a bomb.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ISIS is holding this photo up as proof that it downed Metrojet 9268. ISIS says they detonated it in midair and, as you know, 224 people were killed.

COOPER: Then an attack on U.S. soil.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: [A] disturbed husband and wife drop off their little baby, drive to a holiday party, and kill 14 people.

COOPER: The pair radicalized and at least partly inspired by ISIS carry out the deadliest terror attack in the United States since 9-11, leaving many to wonder and worry where ISIS could strike next.

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HOWELL: Your top 10 stories of 2015. You're watching "CNN Newsroom."

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Still ahead, a look at how actress Mira Sorvino is helping women fight modern day slavery. The story is (plain) incredible. Stay with us.

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HOWELL: This week CNN is profiling anti-slavery heroes who are partening -- partnering with the CNN Freedom Project. And today we focus on actress Mira Sorvino.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Here's to Ima and Flor, two of our very own who are now going to be advising our President of this country.

MIRA SORVINO, UNODC GOODWIL AMBASSADOR: The past is, is really a model. I would say they're like anywhere in the country take a CAST, and say replicate this, this is best practices, but you have to have somebody like Kate Buck to (heart), and you have to have the survivors being the life blood of it. Otherwise it won't work. The, the anti- trafficking, the anti-modern day slavery work that I do is enormously fulfilling and has become a complete passion of mine. This is something that I think that the average person never thinks about. There's upward of 30 million people living as slaves right now in every country.

KATE BUCK, CEO, CAST LA: She is in it for the long haul and tries to learn as much as she can about an issue in order to be a more effective advocate.

SORVINO: I am so proud of you.

FLOR: I'm living proof that human trafficking exists, but also that there is hope and help nowadays.

SORVINO: The current statistics are that only one in 100 slaves will be rescued. And to think that each one of them is a Flor, who is an incredibly beautiful soul. The United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime called me and asked me if I would become their Goodwill Ambassador on Human Trafficking. And it is an enormous honor and I was sworn in 2009.

BUCK: She's contributed in so many ways. I mean, first and foremost, I think she had demonstrated to survivors that, even someone who lives a really good life and is a celebrity, is on television, that she's still interested in their individual experiences.

SORVINO: We have to eradicate this. It cannot exist under our watch, and it does. And we all are a party to it by our non-action. What we need are people who are brave enough to stand up against these forces. You know, we need people to step up and be heroes because it, it's really this, you know, monumental fight that we fight, and we have no resources, but we have the heart.

HOWELL: To learn more you can go to CNN.com/freedom. There you can see how people around the world are making a difference in the fight against modern day slavery, along with gripping stories of hope and courage. That's CNN.com/freedom.

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In China workers are trying to rescue 17 miners trapped inside a mine, and they've hit a roadblock.

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Reports say, during a drilling expedition, a well collapsed and flooded part of the mine. The result narrowed the living space of four of the men who are trapped. One rescue expert says the collapse shows just how difficult that operation is, given that rescuers are dealing with unstable conditions. The mine collapsed on Christmas, leaving one person dead.

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Government ministers in Delhi, India, carpooled to work on New Year's Day. This is part of new driving restrictions there.

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The temporary measures are aimed at reducing pollution. Only private vehicles are allowed on the road every other day. Extra officers were sent out on Friday to make sure that odd-numbered vehicle license plates were on the streets. Delhi adds roughly 1,400 cars to the road every day.

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Singer Natalie Cole has passed away.

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She was often mentioned in the same breath with other greats like Aretha Franklin. Tributes when we come back.

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HOWELL: That's one of the many hits from singer Natalie Cole, who passed away on Thursday. Cole won two of her nine Grammys with the song you hear titled "This Will be an Everlasting Love." Cole's renderings were indeed beautiful, but she also made it known that her life was at times very troubled, as she battled substance abuse. Jeremy Roth has her story.

JEREMY ROTH, PRODUCER, "CNN NEWSOURCE," CNN: She was the daughter of a singing legend, who found her own musical success. As the child of Nat "King" Cole and orchestra singer Maria Hawkins Ellington, Natalie Cole was exposed to a rich performing tradition from a young age. Her 1991 version of her late father's standard "Unforgettable," a virtual duet alongside his voice, helped the album sell millions of copies and win six Grammys in 1992. Cole was open about a year's long struggle with drug abuse. She was diagnosed in 2008 with Hepatitis C, and went on a public search for a kidney transplant. Here's Cole on CNN's "Larry King Live" in 2009.

NATALIE COLE, AMERICAN SINGER, SONGWRITER: It's like a virus, you know, and they it very aggressively. But I've had it forever, and I got it from, from drug use.

ROTH: A nurse at the hospital where Cole was being treated was so moved by the star's struggle that, when he niece suddenly died, she arranged for Cole to receive her kidney. Meanwhile her family says, in her absence, they're now left with quote heavy hearts, but add that she died how she lived, with dignity, strength, and honor. Natalie Cole was 65 years old.

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HOWELL: That was Jeremy Roth reporting for us. Reaction to Natalie Cole's death has been swift.

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Comedian Arsenio Hall wrote: In college I named my base guitar Natalie. As a young standup comic, I opened for Natalie Cole. She was all that in all ways. Rest in peace. Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson wrote: Natalie Cole, sister, beloved, and of substance and sound. May her soul rest in peace. Inseparable. Talk show host and legal analyst Star Jones wrote: No one is ever ready for the heaviness to your heart when you lose someone you love. The angels have my sister, Natalie Cole, now. Actress Marlee Madlin -- Matlin, I should say, wrote: I'm saddened by the news of the passing of my friend, Natalie Cole. Lovely songbird and great actress too, she is now singing in heaven. And singer India Arie wrote: Rest in peace, Natalie Cole, I really loved her. She was always so kind and fun and encouraging. I can't believe she's gone.

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HOWELL: Now to the U.S. State of California, that is where two parents in the city of San Diego are celebrating some of the rarest twins you will ever find. These are twins born in different years. Sharon Chen from our affiliate KSWB has more on last year's and this year's newest surprises.

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SHARON CHEN, KSWB, FOX 5, SAN DIEGO: Meet Harvey Charles Gillman. He's the New Year's baby at Sharp Mary Birch Hospital.

REBECCA GILLMAN: He was born at twelve...

JOSH GILLMAN: Thirty-five.

R. GILLMAN: ..thirty-five.

J. GILLMAN: [It's] very exciting. The nurses are very excited to have a New Year's baby.

CHEN: Harvey wasn't supposed to be here for another week, but it was yesterday when mom knew the time was now.

R. GILLMAN: I was actually sitting at the table, and I was just eating yogurt.

CHEN: And how do you know when it's time. Well, there's an app.

R. GILLMAN: We looked down and we're like, that's five minutes apart. And he was like...

J. GILLMAN: It's go time.

CHEN: Meantime, at Kaiser Zion, twin babies ended last year and began the New Year.

LUIS VALENCIA, FATHER: This is the first baby.

CHEN: Twin babies. Little Jaelyn was born a minute before midnight in 2015, and her little brother Luis...

VALENCIA: He's a New Year's baby.

CHEN: ...three minutes later in 2016. Proud papa, Luis Valencia, says the babies weren't expected for another month, but they were excited when they found out the possibility.

VALENCIA: We were actually watching the clock.

CHEN: The Valencias actually had plans to ring in the New Year up in L.A.

VALENCIA: So I was all preparing to go up north with my family.

CHEN: But now they're not only celebrating the new year, but the last one too.

VALENCIA: It's pretty much the best we (could hope for). So (everything's) like two birthday parties, back to back.

CHEN: And speaking of parties, the Gillman's had to cancel too. But for both families, there is no celebration sweeter than this.

R. GILLMAN: It's a good party, best New Year's party.

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HOWELL: Truly congratulations to them. That was Sharon Chen from our affiliate KSWB reporting. And that wraps this hour of "CNN Newsroom." I'm George Howell at the CNN Center in Atlanta. I'll be back after the break with more news from around the world. You're watching CNN, the world's news leader.

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