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Lack of Oscar Nomination Diversity Sparks Boycott Talk; First of the Prisoners Released from Iran Back in US; Iraqi Authorites Still Searching for Missing American Contractors; Trump Courts Evangelicals; Democratic Campaign Activities Highlighted; Secretary Kerry Talks Iran Deals; BBC and Buzzfeed's Report on Tennis Match Fixing; Oscar Diversity Controversy; The Eagles' Glenn Frey Dead at 67. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired January 19, 2016 - 00:00   ET

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


[00:00:00] JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: This is "CNN NEWSROOM" live from Los Angeles. Ahead this hour: new details about the prisoner swap between Iran and the U.S., the payoff for Iran and how the deal came together. A boycott on Martin Luther King Day, Director, Spike Lee, to actress Jada Pinkett Smith, say they will not be at this year's Academy Awards because of lack of diversity among the nominees. And, remembering the genius and talent of Glenn Frey, a founding member of one of the greatest rock bands of all time.

Hello, everybody; great to have you with us. I'm John Vause; the first hour of NEWSROOM la starts now.

One of the five Americans Iran released from prison last weekend is now home in the United States; Matthew Trevithick was greeted by his mother as he arrived in Boston. He was in Tehran as a student but was arrested and held for 40 days. He was released separately from the prisoner swap, which released four other Americans, one of that group chose to remain in Iran. The other three are recovering at a U.S. military hospital in Germany. Elise Labott has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELISE LABOTT, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: After being held 545 days inside Iran, tonight all smiles as Jason Rezaian is finally reunited with his family. His brother Ali spoke with Jason shortly after he left Tehran.

ALI REZAIAN, BROTHER, IRANIAN HOSTAGE: He seems in good spirits. He's you, know, together. He's really -- can't wait to get out there, see people, meet people; but right now he has to focus on getting himself better.

Rezaian, former Marine, Amir Hakmati, and pastor Saeed Abedini are now at the U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany undergoing medical checks after their ordeal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They never gave in and they never gave up. At long last they can stand tall and breath deep the fresh air of freedom.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LABOTT: Today Amir Hekmati also reunited with his family and Congressman Dan Kildee, who worked tirelessly for his release.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DANIEL KILDEE, D-MI: Reentering the world as a free person will take more than just a deep breath; it'll take a little bit of help.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LABOTT: In exchange for the American prisoners' freedom, the U.S. pardoned or commuted the sentences of and Iran and six dual citizens of the U.S. and Iran. In Iran headlines of celebration. On the same day the Americans left Iran, the nation shed decades of sanctions as the Iran Nuclear Deal took effect. Iran's president praised his nation's perseverance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HASSAN ROUHANI, PRESIDENT, IRAN, via translator: Today is a historic day, an exceptional day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LABOTT: But behind the scenes it took 14 months of secret diplomacy between Washington and Tehran to free the prisoners, which the U.S. insists was separate from the Nuclear Deal. In November Secretary of State, John Kerry, and Iran's Foreign Minister Zarif, reached an agreement on a prisoner swap only to have it rejected back in Tehran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WENDY SHERMAN, U.S. UNDERSECRETARY OF STATE: There were fits and starts; sometimes it came together and then it would fall apart again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LABOTT: As the deal was coming together once again, Iran detained ten U.S. sailors picked up in their waters. With the prisoner swap in potential jeopardy again, the crisis was averted, when they were let go within 24 hours, keeping the prisoner swap alive.

Another nail biting moment as they prepared to leave: Iranian authorities tried to prevent Rezaian's wife and mother from getting on the plane.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALI REZAIAN: The Iranians, as they've done all along, continued to manipulate them; continued to try to mess with them; and prevent Yegi from leaving for some period of time.

(END VIDEO CLIP) LABOTT: Both Rezaian's his wife and mother were eventually allowed to fly out of Iran with him. Officials are still working to get Iranian- American businessman, Siamak Namazi, released and to obtain answers about former FBI agent, Robert Levinson, who disappeared on an Iranian island in March 2007. The U.S. says as part of the agreement, Iran has promised to seek information about Levinson's whereabouts.

Elise Labott, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: So does the release of the prisoners mean that relations will continue to improve between the U.S. and Iran? Analyst Michael Pregent, of the Hudson Institute, does not think so. He says hardliners in Iran still hold sway.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL PREGENT, MIDDLE EAST ANALYST, HUDSON INSTITUTE: I still believe all decisions are being made by the Supreme Leader; and the Supreme Leader and his Revolutionary Guard are not big fans of this Iran deal.

I hope that the moderates actually win, but when you look at what happened just yesterday with 99-percent of reformist candidates disqualified from running in the February election, [00:05:00] you have to look at things like that too. Those are tangible things that are happening on the ground in Iran that we have to pay attention to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Michael Pregent there, a Middle East analyst for the Hudson Institute, a conservative American think tank. We'll hear more from Michael next hour. We will hear more from him next hour.

The families of four former captives have been reunited with them, another American remains unaccounted for in Iran and Robert Levinson's loved ones continue to wait.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIEL LEVINSON, SON, ROBERT LEVINSON: This has spanned two presidential administrations, and President Obama has had seven years to get him home. He just promised yesterday he was going to be do everything he could. Secretary Kerry said the same thing. I worry that after things like this, after the Nuclear Deal last summer, after this, I don't understand what they're going to be going. What is their plan going forward? We haven't heard from them since the initial call and we'd like to speak with them and find out what are they doing to get my dad home now? What are the next steps because we're just lost here and we're desperate and we've just -- it's been going on for so long.?

I think it's obvious that the Iranian government knows where he is and it takes more than cooperation to find him because we honestly don't where exactly he is, but the Iranians certainly do. (END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Levinson, a former FBI agent and CIA contractor, went missing in Iran in 2007. The Iranians have denied knowledge of his fate.

Iraqi authorities are searching a Baghdad neighborhood for three missing American contractors. And Iraqi security official says the gunmen kidnapped the men from a brothel in the Dora neighborhood on Friday. Investigators are trying to determine if the men were lured to the brothel. A U.S. senator says the kidnapping may not be a coincidence following the U.S. prisoner swap with Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM COTTON, R-AR, U.S. SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: Iran does dominate many of the militias that are very large, influential in Baghdad; and, we just paid a huge price to get back hostages from Iran; and, Iran still has at least two more Americans held hostage, maybe more. We have taught Iran's leaders and the world a bad lesson, that there's a price on the heads of Americans to be held hostage. Even if these three Americans weren't taken hostage by Iranian backed militias, it's a more dangerous world for more Americans around the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Iraqi security forces also set up a checkpoint in Baghdad as part of the search. Two of the contractors are Iraqi-American and the third is Egyptian-American.

To politics now, Donald Trump is looking to build his support from evangelical Christians.

The Republican frontrunner enjoys a healthy lead in New Hampshire, where he campaigned on Monday, but he's in a tight race with his rival, Ted Cruz, with Iowa. Cruz's religion is central to his campaign and he has consider support from the religious right. Here's how Trump has addressed religion in the past:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, R-NY, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm a Protestant, I'm very proud of it, Presbyterian to be exact, but I'm very proud of it.

When we go in church and when I drink my little wine, which is about the only wine I drink and have my cracker, I guess that's a form of asking for forgiveness, I do that as often as possible because I feel cleansed.

Most importantly I brought my Bible.

I'm a good Christian, okay. Remember that.

The bible means a lot to me, but I don't want to get into specifics.

That's my second favorite book of all time. Do you know what my first is? The bible. God will be proud of me.

The Bible is special. I have a great relationship with god. I have a great relationship with the evangelicals. We love the evangelicals.

[Cheers]

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Earlier on Monday Trump spoke to about 10,000 Christian students. Randi Kaye reports, despite some misgivings, many of the students were receptive to Mr. Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: My generals by the way, they're not going --

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Donald Trump, once again courting evangelical voters, this time at Liberty University. Attendance for students was mandatory, even for those not supporting Trump, like C. J. Wilson, who doesn't buy all Trump's talk about faith.

C.J. WILSON, STUDENT, LIBERTY UNIVERSITY: If you're not showing (inaudible), I honestly don't want a President like that. If you're proclaiming and not living it, it's kind of like, I don't like that.

KAYE: So would you vote for Donald Trump if he's the nominee?

WILSON: I wouldn't.

KAYE: Trump, a self-proclaimed Protestant, likes to say he has a great relationship with evangelicals, and that may be true. The most recent polling from Fox News, shows Trump leading nationally with 28- percent; but when Trump tried to quote scripture, which he never does publicly, he stumbled.

TRUMP: 2 Corinthians 3:17, that's the whole ball game. Where the spirit of the lord, right? Where the spirit of the lord is, there is liberty.

[00:10:03] KAYE: Trump said "two" Corinthians instead of "second" Corinthians, giving his audience a good chuckle followed by applause. Many Christian conservatives here are already bothered that Trump has said he doesn't ask for forgiveness from God.

WHITNEY ROBERTSON, STUDENT, LIBERTY UNIVERSITY: I'm going to vote for the person who believes the same things as I do and has the same moral standards. So that's definitely going to be a big deciding factor.

KAYE: Does that sound like Donald Trump for you?

ROBERTSON: It doesn't. I can't necessarily say that Donald Trump has the type of faith that I would put my vote for.

KAYE: These two sisters disagree. They like that Trump is Prolife, though he was once Prochoice. CLAIRE BENNETT, STUDENT, LIBERTY UNIVERSITY: I thought he has changed and he has been faithful since 2011. So that is enough for me. God is about change.

KAYE: Trump again called the Bible his favorite book and promised if he's elected it will be okay to say Merry Christmas again instead of the politically correct Happy Holidays.

TRUMP: If I'm President you're going to see Merry Christmas in department stores, believe me.

KAYE: All reasons many are willing to give Trump a chance. this student prefers Ben Carson, but --

JONATHAN HILDEBRAND, STUDENT, LIBERTY UNIVERSITY: -- spoken about their faith, and I would absolutely love to have a godly man in office, but at this point I see the wave of Trump, the Trump train, and the country getting behind him. I want someone we can elect that will beat Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders. So I feel like that's our guy, so I'm 100-percent behind Donald Trump.

KAYE: This student favors Carson too, but says Trump has his vote if he can protect Christianity, as promised.

ANDRE REIMER, STUDENT, LIBERTY UNIVERSITY: I don't know. I don't know what his daily walk is with the Lord. If he allows this country to continue with religious freedom, that's a huge thing. I think it's being persecuted today. I want to vote on a President that allows me to practice my faith every day.

KAYE: In fact even some who don't believe his values line up with theirs are willing to forgive him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're all sinners, so who are we to judge him?

Randi Kaye, CNN, Lynchburg, Virginia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Well, to the democratic side now, the focus was on electability. Bernie Sanders campaigned in Birmingham, Alabama, in a bid to win more support from African-American voters. He underscored some poll numbers, much like Donald Trump, which actually have him beating Trump by 15 points and tied the race with Hillary Clinton.

Meantime, Secretary Clinton was in Iowa and was emphasizing an achievable agenda and extensive experience.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEC. HILLARY CLINTON, D-NY, DEMOCRACTIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When I was in the Senate, of course I had to work with Republicans. I think every piece of legislation that I introduced, just about, had a republican cosponsor; and I know how important it is to build the relationships that are required to find that common ground, and I intend to do that every single day because we have problems that we can only solve if we work together. We have got to get out of the partisanship in to statesmanship.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Well, for more on this we are joined by Dave Jacobson. He's a Democratic strategist and Campaign Consultant for Schulman Communications. Dave, thanks for coming in.

DAVE JACOBSON, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST & CAMPAIGN CONSULTANT, SCHULMAN COMMUNICATIONS. Thanks for having me.

VAUSE: We're really down to the business end of the season, if you like; or, the start of the business end of the season --

JACOBSON: Right, exactly.

VAUSE: -- and we're starting to see real differences between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders on issues like health care. We are moving in to Iowa, a state where a recent poll said 43-percent of potential Democrat voters identified themselves as socialists.

JACOBSON: Right.

VAUSE: That would seem to give Bernie Sanders a pretty big edge in Iowa?

JACOBSON: Right; well I think he was sort of like driving the debate last night, right. That's because Bernie Sanders is really tapping into people's frustration and their anxiety over the status quo, the dysfunction in Washington. They're looking for a political revolution, which is precisely what he's talking about. They are looking for something new. They want an overhaul of the broken, bitter politics in Washington. They want big changes, revolutionary changes and that's what he is talking about. That's why he is surging in Iowa.

VAUSE: If you look at these poll numbers, he is surging with whites, with white voters, with people with maybe more than $100,000 a year. He is not surging minorities, particularly with African-Americans, which is why he was in Alabama today trying to (inaudible). If he doesn't get those minorities on side, how does he move forward?

JACOBSON: Right; there's no pathway forward. Ultimately, Iowa and New Hampshire are do-or-die states for Bernie Sanders. If he doesn't win both of them, it is game over for him.

Hillary, on the other hand, she can still survive if he wins both because she's got the southern sort of border. She's got South Carolina, other southern states with large African-American populations, who really support her campaign. On the other hand, you have Latinos in Nevada, western states who are supporting her. She has big leads in South Carolina and in Nevada. So she's in a position to be successful in the long haul. The question is can Bernie win the two front states, Iowa and New Hampshire and propel his campaign forward with and appeal to those constituencies.

VAUSE: See, this is the thing, if he wins Iowa and New Hampshire - JACOBSON: Right.

VAUSE: -- and everyone is looking at the polls says, well, you know, Secretary Clinton has the African-American vote but doesn't it change the dynamic in any way? Doesn't he have [00:15:00] momentum? (Inaudible) Bernie Sanders, he's a winner; Clinton's a loser? Everyone is saying oh, my gosh this is 2008 all over again. So things change and it's like the law of unintended consequences, right?

JACOBSON: No, of course. We are in the momentum business. SO if Bernie Sanders does win those two states - that's why I say, like, right now he has no base with African-Americans or hardly any or with Latinos, right? She's dominating with those constituencies but if he wins the first two states that can propel him forward, give him the momentum and the electricity that he needs to appeal to other constituents who, frankly, right now are looking at him as not a real national contender for the nomination.

VAUSE: How did Hillary Clinton manage get herself in to exactly the same position that she was in, you know, back in 2008, only last time it was Barack Obama and not Bernie Sanders?

JACOBSON: Well I think the dynamics are similar, right? Bernie Sanders represents revolution, overhaul, changing the status quo. He's the change guy, right? Eight years ago that was Barack Obama. Hillary Clinton was more of the same. We had eight years of President Bush. She said, look, we've got to go back to the Clinton years, when my husband was in the White House. That obviously didn't work. So - and it is not working with time around. Her more of the same message isn't appealing to Iowa votes, or in New Hampshire. So she has to figure out something to breakthrough. He's working.

VAUSE: He's the 72-year-old change guy?

JACOBSON: I guess so. This is a consistent message. You have seen it throughout his career, so he's just pretty authentic when it comes to --

VAUSE: He's not a mouthpiece, he's an authentic guy.

JACOBSON: Right. That's the issue.

VUASE: Thanks for coming in.

JACOBSON: Thank you for having me. appreciate it.

VAUSE: Thank you. Members of Britain's Parliament had an open debate whether U.S. Presidential candidate Donald Trump should be banned from the U.K. It was in response to an online petition calling for his ban which was launched after Trump proposed a travel ban on Muslims entering the United States. British lawmakers described his remarks as "crazy." Most said banning Trump would be against free speech.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VICTORIA ATKINS, BRITISH PARLIAMENT MEMBER: His comments regarding Muslims are wrong. His policy to close borders, if he is elected as president, is bonkers; and if he met one or two of my constituents, in one of the excellent pubs in my constituency, they may well tell him he is a -

TOM TUGENDHAT, BRITISH PARLIAMENT MEMBER: While I think this man is crazy, while I think this man has no valid points to make, I will not be the one to silence his voice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Last month, British Prime Minister, David Cameron said he was not in favor of any ban on Mr. Trump, calling it "unnecessary."

A short break here on "CNN NEWSROOM" and when we come back, China is out with the latest report on the health of the economy. We'll check the numbers and see how financial markets are

reacting to the GDP numbers. Also ahead, protesters in the U.S. state of Michigan calling for the governor's arrest. We'll have the latest on the lead poisoned water crisis. Stay with us. You are watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:21:48] VAUSE: Welcome back. China's latest economic data shows the country's economy is growing, just not as fast as it has been. Gross domestic product for 2015 grew at a rate of 6.9-percent, right in line with government estimates, but the weakest annual growth in 25 years, since 1990. CNN's Asia Pacific Editor, Andrew Stevens, standing by in Hong Kong, but we will start with CNN's Will Ripley who is also live this hour in Beijing.

So, Will, pretty much in line with what the government said it would be. Gosh, what a surprise; but can the numbers be trusted?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a little convenient, isn't it, they predicted, you know, around 7-percent, and that's exactly how the numbers shake out. I mean, look, even Chinese Government officials, John, as you know, have acknowledged many times in the past that the numbers are at times fiddled with to make sure they meet what the government says they need to be; and the reason for that is simple. This is a one-party state.

The Communist Party controls so many aspects of life here. People put up with censorship. They put up with a heavy-handed approach, a government that squashes political descent. Why do they do that with a relatively small amount of civil unrest? Because the economy has been so prosperous for so many years that people feel the government is providing them with a certain living standard and a certainly level of growth that they've come to expect. So what this raises, whether the number is really 6.9-percent, whether it is closer to 4-percent, as some economists have estimated, it raises the question -- can the Communist Party control this -- what President Xi Jinping called just last year, this new normal? There's no longer the double-digit growth, the growth -- the economy is slowing down. It's transitioning from a developing economy, focusing on manufacturing exports, low-cost exports. That's what fueled the growth for so many years. Now it's transitioning to a consumption-based economy. Consumers, who are making more money and spending more money, retail, that sort of thing, can the Communist Party, as they plan to do, ride this train, you know, drive the boat, if you will, to the way they want it to be? They want 6 1/2-percent growth for the next five years? Can they do it? That's the unknown right now, John.

VAUSE: Yes, it's a long way from the 8-percent that they used to be aiming for a few years ago. Will, thank you.

So, let's got to Andrew Stevens now in Hong Kong. Andrew, what else should we be looking at in these numbers for a better read on where china's economy is right now?

ANDREW STEVENS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, as Will points out there is several different measures, unofficial measures which independent economists and banks look at right now, things like freight, volume, electricity. Some have the GDP growth pegged at around 4 1/2-percent. But, really, the best way to judge what is happening in China is not what the leadership in Beijing says but what it does. Is Beijing pulling out all stops to try to reflect, try to lift this economy? And the answer is no.

Yes, they have cut interest rates. Yes, they are making it easier for banks to lend money to people; but have they gone nuclear, in an economic sense and cut interest rates to zero; they're throwing money at people that they are taking several [00:25:00] measures, which they can take, to try to get things moving? There's no sense of panic there.

It's interesting watching with the reaction to these numbers in the markets because this was the number that everyone had been focusing on for some time. If you think of what had been happening in the lead up, stock markets wobbling globally, the Yuan suddenly being devalued with no prior warning. A lot of people say this is signs that Beijing was panicking. But see how the markets are reacting today? There you have it. The Hang Seng up 1-percent; the Shanghai market's up. The key markets are all actually up today. That is what really the investment community is making of this. So do you -- are we in for a hard landing? The answer at this stage very much unlikely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Andrew, thank you; appreciate the analysis. Thanks for being with us, and Will Ripley also in Beijing. Thank you to you both.

We have another story from China now. Authorities have confirmed one of the missing Hong Kong book sellers is actually in the Mainland. Lee Bo, pictured on these posters, went missing on December 30th. He is one of five book sellers to have mysteriously disappeared in recent months. According to a letter written to the Hong Kong government, Lee says he traveled to China to help with investigations. Hong Kong police requested a meeting with Lee. News of Lee's whereabouts came after his colleague, Gui Minhai, appeared on Chinese State Television Sunday, apparently, confessing to a hit and run accident from 2003.

Short break here. When we come back, the top player in men's tennis is responding to allegation of widespread match fixing. We will hear from Novak Djokovic and get his take on this controversy at the Aussie Open. Also ahead, the Academy Awards are facing fresh criticism over the slate of 2016 nominees. Why that has prompted a boycott, still to come.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:30:02] VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody. I''s just on 9:30 here on Monday night; you are watching "CNN NEWSROOM" live from Los Angeles. I'm John Vause. The headlines this hour:

(HEADLINES)

Back to the warming relations between the United States and Iran. Our Wolf Blitzer sat down with U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry to find out what is behind the latest diplomacy. He asked him if the prisoner swap was linked to the nuclear deal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE, UNITED STATES: No; we really almost had an agreement -- I thought we had an agreement well before implementation day and it got caught up in a snag on interpretation. We had to work it through. Then it simply dovetailed in and it dovetailed in fairly easily, but it was not linked distinctly.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: But no one really believes that it was a coincidence that on the day the implementation of the nuclear deal goes forward with, finally the Americans are released from Iran.

KERRY: Well, it became, as I say, it became convenient; it was not linked. In the last weeks, it just sort of became almost automatic this was all going to happen in one fell swoop, but it was not linked for a year and a half, well I guess it was 15 months we had a series of meetings. I thought we had arrived at an agreement.

BLITZER: I covered the story for a long time. I never really thought these Americans would be released until that implementation deal would go through and the Iranians would get the money, the sanctions that would be released, the billions of dollars. That's what I always assumed. Finally, as part of that deal they would let the Americans leave.

KERRY: I honestly didn't believe that; I thought, as I said. But, it is moot now; it doesn't matter. Look, what's important -- let me clarify one thing because you raised billions of dollars.

I keep hearing on television, 100 billion, 150 billion. It is not 150, it is not 100. There is about $55 billion that, over time, will go to the Iranians; but there's a massive amount, billions of dollars that the Iranians have tied up in debt to the Chinese, debt to other countries, India and so forth. So, there's much less - now that's still a lot of money and I'm not disavowing that, but they have needs somewhere in the vicinity, well upwards of $500 billion to begin to renew their oil extraction capacity, to do other things on infrastructure. They have massive amount of needs.

BLITZER: Jason Rezaian, Amir Hekmati, Saeed Abedini, were they tortured?

KERRY: I haven't had the debrief yet. I honestly I don't know the answer to that. They're being evaluated at the hospital in Landstuhl, and then they will return and we will have the full story.

BLITZER: The - I guess there's a lot of suggestions that after the Iranians, according to the Iran Security Council, illegally tested ballistic missiles, the U.S. was ready to impose fresh sanctions against Iran but you delayed that out of fear it could jeopardize the release of the Americans; is that true?

KERRY: Well I think it is fair to say we wanted to respect the sensitivity of everything that we were doing, but we made it clear we were going to do it. We made it clear week ago. We notified Congress; we made it clear it was going to happen; we also made it clear at the time.

BLITZER: So they violated a U.N. Security Council resolution by these testing ballistic missiles. The Obama Administration said they will be penalized; they will be sanctioned for that -

KERRY: And they have.

BLITZTER: -- but you delayed that until the Americans were released.

KERRY: Well, the President always has the prerogative to choose the timing of what he does, but he made it clear he would enforce the sanctions and he did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: John Kerry there speaking with Wolf Blitzer. (HEADLINES) [00:35:16] One of tennis' biggest stars is down playing allegations of widespread match fixing in the support. Men's Number One, Novak Djokovic says he heard rumors of possible wrongdoing goings on in years past; he was even indirectly approached about throwing a match at $200,000 in 2007, but he says he didn't think there was a problem at the sports highest levels.

The BBC and Buzzfeed say they obtained secret files which accuse a number of top players for throwing matches for payment. Djokovic calls the report speculation. the governing bodies also reject those claims, denying suppressing any such evidence.

Let's bring in CNN Digital Producer, Ravi Libha. He is live in Melbourne this hour. So, Robbie, we had this news conference with Djokovic. Let's listen to what he said about being approached to throw a match with that bribe of $200,000. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NOVAK DJOKOVIC, MEN'S CHAMPION, TENNIS: There's no room for any match fixing or corruption of a sport.

I was not approached directly. I was approached through people that were working with me at that time. Of course we threw it away right away with. Made me feel terrible. Some may call it an opportunity. I call it -- for me that's an act of unsportsmanship, a crime in sports honestly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: So, Robbie, what has been the reaction there to those statements from Djokovic?

RAVI LIBHA, DIGITAL PRODUCER, CNN: Well, John, he's talked about it in the past, being approached indirectly, as you said. It was within the tennis world but they really came to the fore yesterday after that damning report; and there was more reaction today. I spoke to Chris Kermode, who yesterday was really the figurehead, not only for the men's tour, which he heads but also the various governing bodies, and he put it pretty simply. Yes, it was a tough day for tennis yesterday, but he also wanted to reiterate the fact tennis has had nothing to hide and there was never any suppression of evidence, which the report seemed to indicate. So, he wanted to make that very, very clear.

VAUSE: You know, everyone's talking about trying to play down these allegations, that there's nothing to hide. But, you know, this is the start of the Australian Open and it seems, if you look at all of the news reports it's one of the main stories which is getting a lot of attention right now. So how are these allegations overshadowing the start of the season?

LIBHA: John, they certainly have, there's no question about it because yesterday, for instance, we had Serena Williams playing on center court around lunch hour in Melbourne and, you know, Serena had such a great season last year, winning three of the four majors in tennis; but nobody was focused on the match. we were all talking about this match-fixing story and it really rumbled on throughout the day. The results came through, but all the players were asked about it. We heard from Novak; also Maria Sharapova was asked; Roger Federer was asked.

So Day One was not about the tennis at the Australian Open. It was about this story.

VAUSE: Ravi, thank you for the update there, on a beautiful day in Melbourne. Enjoy the tennis, and give us some more details about exactly what's happening with these allegations. Thanks, Ravi.

(HEADLINES)

[00:40:07] VAUSE: Still to come here, two big names in Hollywood are skipping the Oscars this year to boycott over diversity.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Well, two with big names in Hollywood are boycotting the Academy Awards this year because of a lack of diversity among the nominees. Actress Jada Pinkett Smith broke the news with a video on Facebook.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JADA PINKETT SMITH, ACTRESS, HOLLYWOOD: Begging for acknowledgement, or eve asking, diminishes dignity. It diminishes power; and we are a dignified people. We are powerful, and let's not forget it. So, let's let the Academy do them, with all grace and love; and let's do us differently.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: In a separate message, filmmaker Spike Lee said he would skip the show as well. Here's some of what he said, "And how is it possible for the second consecutive year all 20 contenders under the acting category are white, and let's not even get into the other branches. 40 white actors in two years and flava at all. We can't act?"

Joining me now to talk about this is entertainment journalist, Segun Oduolowu. You know, Hollywood, they say they love a sequel. Now they have a sequel to last year's all-white Oscars and now it's even white than white Oscar's. You know, Spike Lee asked the question, how can this happen two years in a row, after all the promises that were made?

SEGUN ODUOLOWU, ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALIST: Well let's take it a step further. How can it happen? It's because the governing body, the Academy, doesn't represent what Hollywood is striving to be. Look at the movies that were number one. You have "Star Wars", a multiethnic cast. The movie that knocked it out of the top spot, "Ride Along 2", buddy cop movie with Ice Cube and Kevin Hart. Color sells.

VAUSE: Right.

ODUOLOWU: So if they're not -- if they are not racist or if they are not prejudice, if they are good businessmen, you would [00:45:04] think diversity should be selling and it should be being awarded at the Academy Awards and it's not.

VAUSE: Because if there is anything this town loves, it's money.

ODUOLOWU: Look, it is built on money; and today, of all days, MLK Day, --

VAUSE: Exactly, yes.

ODUOLOWU: -- for Spike Lee to come out and say he is boycotting it, and Jada Pinkett Smith to say she is, I think -- let's take it a step further. It feels like the big house. It feels like blacks can serve us. We can present awards at the show.

VAUSE: Right. ODUOLOWU: We can even entertain you. Oh, yes; we can have Chris Rock, no disrespect to Chris, we can have you host it -

VAUSE: Tell you jokes, maybe sing a song -

ODUOLOWU: Right, but -

VAUSE: -- or do a dance.

ODUOLOWU: -- do a dance, play a little violin, but you don't get to sit at the table.

VAUSE: Yes. Yes.

ODUOLOWU: And what we are asking for is an opportunity to sit at the table.

The biggest slap in the face, I believe is with "Straight Out of Compton" --

VAUSE: This is amazing. When you look at the nominations for this movie. Go on.

ODUOLOWU: Well the only people nominated are the two white screenwriters.

VAUSE: The two guy white guys that wrote it.

ODUOLOWU: But what is insidious about this is that the Academy has the ability to nominate ten for best picture; they nominated eight.

VAUSE: Right.

ODUOLOWU: So how do you leave "Straight Out of Compton" out, when you have the ability to add two more?

VAUSE: Yes.

ODUOLOWU: Listen, I don't know any of the Academy Award voters personally, so I'm not going to call them racist. What I will say is they vote their prejudices when they are allowed to do it on a ballot. It is 90-percent old, white men. They are not going to have the same touch stones as a younger generation. So "Bridge of Spies" which is the Cold War and feeds in to what they grew up with, is very different than "Beast of No Nation" and "Child Soldiers."

VAUSE: It's what they relate to.

ODUOLOWU: It's what they relate to.

VAUSE: There is a statement that came out from the President of the Academy; I'll read part of it to you. She says, "This is a difficult but important conversation and it is time for big changes. In the coming days and weeks, we will review our membership recruitment in order to bring about much-needed diversity in our 2016 class and beyond." What do you think of that? ODUOLOWU: I believe it is political doubletalk. I mean, listen, she

an African-American woman and I wish her the best in this fight. But she's an elected official. She governs the entire Academy. It is like President Obama basically saying I'm going to try and do all of these things but then you have a Congress on either side that really doesn't want to help support you.

I believe it should be term limits. I don't believe that if you did a movie in this '60s and '70s you should still be a voter for life. There should be a reason, maybe you cycle out every six years -

VAUSE: Sure.

ODUOLOWU: -- but there should be a way for new blood and new vision to be in the Academy.

VAUSE: Very quickly, we're out of time, does this boycott actually mean anything or would it mean more if Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington and Halle Berry and Julia Roberts and people stop watching at home? If those guys didn't turn up and people turned off their televisions and the ratings were abysmal, would that mean a whole lot more?

ODUOLOWU: I think yes, if white Hollywood wanted to show that they have a problem with the whole white or with the whole black out or not having enough black people on the screen, yes, don't come. Let Angelina Jolie and all of her adopted black children not show up. Let Tom Cruise, --

VAUSE: Yes.

ODUOLOWU: Let the Will Smith's and the other actors not show up.

VAUSE: On MLK Day, it's time to stand up.

ODUOLOWU: Absolutely.

VAUSE: Thanks for coming in.

ODUOLOWU: It's good to see you again. Happy new year. We're back.

VAUSE: We're back. Thank you. Still to come here, Glenn Frey, sad not here; he has passed away. We'll take look at his impact on rock music.

[00:50:32] (COMMERCIAL BREAK) ("WORLD SPORTS" Headlines)

VAUSE: The music world has lost a legend. Eagles founding member, Glenn Frey, died on Monday at the age of 67-years-old. The Eagles rose to fame in the '70's with hits like "Hotel California", "Desperado", we know them all. Here's Sara Sidner.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Glenn Frey gave us those laid back, sing-along lyrics, effortlessly weaving rock and country music strains. Born in Detroit, Frey would grow up to become part of a hit-making

machine called "The Eagles." Frey's usual partner in rhyme was Don Henley and the pair's harmonies got stuck in heads for generations. From Tequila Sunrise to Hotel California, which was certified platinum 16 times, Frey's performance and songwriting skills helped send the Eagles to soaring heights commercially.

("Peaceful, Easy Feeling" plays)

SIDNER: Frey got his break as part of a backup band for rock star Linda Ronstadt.

GLENN FREY, SINGER, "THE EAGLES": While touring with Linda that summer, Don and I said we wanted to start our own band and she, more than anyone else, helped us to put together "The Eagles."

[Applause]

SIDNER: On the day Frey died, Linda Ronstadt remembered her friend, and his talent, when she spoke to Anderson Cooper.

LINDA RONSTADT, SINGER: I remember mostly, in that way, the days before he was well known, he was going on raw courage and nerve; and plenty of talent.

SIDNER: The Eagles were formed in 1971 and would amass a collection of greatest hits that became America's best-selling album of the 20th century, selling more copies than the Beatles or Michael Jackson.

Frey's loss is immeasurable to his family, the industry and his fans. Everyone from Stevie Knicks, to presidential candidate Mike Huckabee are paying tribute and, of course, his wingman, Don Henley who said a statement, in part, "he was funny, bull headed, mercurial generous, deeply talented and driven. he loved his wife and kids more than anything."

ERIC SCOTT, SOUND DESIGNER, CNN: Frey and his band mates lived a rock 'n' roll lifestyle, where for years excess was the norm. But when it came to work, Frey never missed a beat. He was a perfectionist. There was zero room for error with him. There was -- everything needed to be exactly where it should be. Musically and technically, really, is where I'm speaking from. Technically everything had to be on point.

[00:55:02] SIDNER: Eric Scott did sound for four years on an Eagles world tour. He now works as a sound designer for CNN. For Scott, Frey has meant so much more than just his music.

You have a very personal story, don't you, about Glenn Frey?

SCOTT: I do. had it not been for Glenn and the Eagles I would have never met my wife. Judy and I met on the Eagles. she had done makeup for them on the "Rolling Stones" cover shoot and then was hired on the spot by Glenn, and I had been working on the tour; that's where we met.

SIDNER: To the Scotts, and fans everywhere, losing Frey was a shock. Their one consolation, his music lives on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Sara is with me in the studio. A lot of people say one of the reasons the band was so successful is because they were perfectionists and that is all Glenn Frey.

SIDNER: Yes; you know, the people that worked with him when they talk about him, they were like, he'd like to have fun. He's be a jokester but when it came down to the technicalities of what was being done and how everything sounded and how everything was performed, he wanted it perfect; not once, but every single time.

VAUSE: And it is a big loss; and yet another big name gone. Of course, this after David Bowie. You'll be back next hour; we'll talk a little bit more. We ran out of time for this hour but we know you will be back next hour. So, thank you.

I'm John Vause, CNN NEWSROOM, back after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)