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Heated Democratic Debate Prior to N.H. Primary; Donald Trump Interview; Turkey Warns of New Exodus of Refugees as Bomb Rain Down; Julian Assange Awaits U.N. Panel Decision; Zika Not Deterring Brazil Partiers; Highlights from Democratic Debate; Trump Kicks Campaign Up a Notch; China Cracks Down on Critics Beyond Mainland; North Korea Denies Preparations for Rocket Test; Controversial Coldplay, Beyonce Film. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired February 05, 2016 - 02:00   ET

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


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[02:00:33] NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to our viewers in the U.S. and around the world. We're I'm Natalie Allen.

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm George Howell, from CNN headquarters in Atlanta. NEWSROOM starts right now.

A very good day to you. We start this hour with the Democratic candidates running for president of the United States, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, in that heated debate in New Hampshire on MSNBC.

ALLEN: Sanders railed on Clinton for her ties to big banks in Wall Street. He focused a lot of attention on campaign finance reform.

HOWELL: Clinton says she's had enough of the smear tactics. She says while she may have taken money in speaking fees, it never influenced her policies or votes.

ALLEN: The latest poll out of New Hampshire shows Sanders with a growing lead. The CNN/WMUR survey has Sanders with 61 percent support and Hillary Clinton with 30 percent.

HOWELL: That's an increase for Sanders. Two-thirds of New Hampshire voters surveyed say they have decided on a candidate.

This was a more heated Democratic debate than we have seen before. This is important, a few days before the New Hampshire primary.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: Joining us from Los Angeles to talk with us is Matthew Littman. He's a democratic strategist, a former speech writer for Joe Biden and a senior adviser for Barack Obama when he was running for president. And live from the scene of the debate in Manchester, New Hampshire, is Jonathan Tasini, who wrote the book on Bernie Sanders, called "The Essential Bernie Sanders and His Vision for America."

Thank you for joining us.

And since Jonathan has the home field advantage, we'll start in L.A. with you, Matthew.

Was there a winner in this debate?

MATTHEW LITTMAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: First, I was one of the people who thought there were enough debates and we didn't need more. I was wrong. I thought this was the best debate so far in either party. It was terrific. If you went in liking Bernie Sanders, you like Bernie Sanders after the bait. If you like Hillary like I do, you like Hillary after the debate. Her ability to get things done that she's proven over a long career puts her in the driver's seat as far as I'm concerned and makes her a better candidate.

ALLEN: Do you mirror his perspective on this debate, Jonathan?

JONATHAN TASINI, AUTHOR & BERNIE SANDERS SURROGATE: I would say -- I'd say two things. One is, I'm actually in favor of the forum setup that CNN did last night and the one that Chris Cuomo moderated a week or two ago. I think it's a better setup, where candidates get to talk directly to the audience, back and forth.

There was some interesting debate, fireworks, theatrics. I think that the status quo candidate, Hillary Clinton, has not answered very fully or has dodged very important issues, for example, her vote for the Iraq war. She continues to dismiss that, as if it was something that it happened so long ago, we shouldn't care about it. It killed hundreds of thousands of people. Cost the taxpayers. And created is. And in my view, that disqualifies her for bringing the Democratic nominee. And it shows that Bernie Sanders, who voted against the war, has more wisdom on how to pursue foreign policy.

HOWELL: Jonathan, thank you on that.

And, Matthew, we'll get back to that later. But I want to ask you, in broad strokes, when you look at the candidates, and the issues brought up, main street versus wall street, progressive versus establishment, do you feel that secretary Clinton responded to the climb that she says that Mr. Sanders has been the standard-bearer of being progressive?

Listen to this sound byte. We'll talk about it on the other side.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: They get into labels. I don't think it was particularly progressive to vote against the Brady Bill five times.

(APPLAUSE)

CLINTON: I don't think it was progressive to give gun makers and sellers immunity. I don't think it was progressive to vote against Ted Kennedy's immigration reform. We can go back and forth like this.

(APPLAUSE)

CLINTON: But the fact is most people watching tonight want to know what we've done and what we will do. That's why I'm laying out a specific agenda that will make progress, get more jobs, with rising incomes, get us to universal health care coverage, get us to universal pre-K, paid family leave, and the other elements of what I think will build a strong economy that will insure that Americans keep making progress.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[02:05:15] HOWELL: Fair to say, that is a fired-up Hillary Clinton.

So, Matthew, this question first to you. Do you feel he is likely to change people's perceptions with how she answered?

TASINI: There's two things. I have to answer with what Jonathan said about Hillary Clinton. There's a reason that Barack Obama picked her to be secretary of state and why she's considered to be a good secretary of state. And it's important to note that Bernie Sanders has no foreign policy advisers on his campaign. That's number one and two.

On the progressive issue, when Hillary Clinton was out of law school, she was going door-to-door to find out why disabled people weren't showing up in schools. She was working for a foundation at that point. And she was a liberal before being a liberal was cool. There was a long time when regular was president. There's a reason why Planned Parenthood supports Hillary Clinton. He's a progressive. But she wants to get things done. The perfect ideas that Bernie Sanders has, don't let the perfect by the enemy of the good. It doesn't sound that way hearing what Sanders want to do.

HOWELL: Matthew, we did hear, you know, Bernie Sanders made the point that Mrs. Clinton has taken money from Wall Street. Do you feel that Clinton answered that she is progressive enough? And that she's not tied as closely to Wall Street as she's being described?

LITTMAN: Of course not. Let me telescope back a little bit. I think the triumph of this Democratic primary has been, if you want to win the Democratic primary, you have to be progressive. And Bernie Sanders has defined the issues of this campaign, on income inequality, the control of billionaires over the politics, the corruption in Washington, the establishment of politics. Hillary Clinton is the status-quo candidate.

As Bernie Sanders pointed out, it's fine to be a moderate. Some his best friends are moderates. Hillary Clinton is running away from long-term policies she had. I mention the Iraq war. She stood on the Senate floor and argued for the Defense of Marriage Act, which was one of the most anti-gay pieces of legislation, that we had in the past couple of decades. She said that marriage was between a man and a woman, at a time that millions of us, real progressives, were marching in the streets for marriage equality. And she never changed her position until the polls said she should change her position.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: So, on both sides, you see people are heated up about this debate.

We will have more from that interview with Jonathan Tasini and Matthew Littman about the debate in the next hour here on CNN NEWSROOM.

Now, to the Republican side of things, where the race between candidates is a little tighter there. You can see it from the latest CNN/WMUR poll. It shows Donald Trump leading with New Hampshire voters, 29 percent and Marco Rubio second place, with 18 percent.

ALLEN: Iowa caucus winner Ted Cruz has 13 percent, Ohio Governor John Kasich has 12 percent, and for Florida Governor Jeb Bush, 10 percent.

And Donald Trump sat down with CNN for a one-on-one interview. He talked with our Anderson Cooper in New Hampshire just a few days from the primary there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: You're doing more in New Hampshire. Doing more smaller events, more events, four or five already today, events with people up close, asking you questions. Is that a strange in strategy? If so, why?

DONALD TRUMP, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & CEO, TRUMP ORGANIZATION: I don't think so. I feel very comfortable up here. I love being here. You know, I've just been embraced. I have friends that have nice houses. And they invite me over to dinner and they would any way if I was doing this or not. But there's a great level of comfort in New Hampshire for me.

COOPER: This poll, Marco Rubio has jumped to second place. Is he more of a threat than Ted Cruz?

TRUMP: I watch your stuff and say who is going to be moving. In the polls we do pretty well. But I don't know who is second. I really don't. Are you saying that Rubio is in second now?

COOPER: Yes, he did. He is in second.

TRUMP: It was funny, in Iowa, he was third and I was a second and they said he did fantastically well. And me, they were disappointed. I don't know why they were disappointed because I got the most votes in the history of the Iowa -- for the Republicans. And we had a huge turnout. It was really a tremendous -- I really I must say, I really enjoyed Iowa. But this is -- there's a different feeling here. This is an amazing feeling with the people, with the crowds. You probably saw the crowd I had this morning. It was incredible.

COOPER: How important is it for you to win here?

[02:10:08] TRUMP: I'd love to win the debate because I like to win. My life is about winning. I don't like to lose.

(LAUGHTER)

COOPER: I heard that about you.

(LAUGHTER)

TRUMP: You know, your definition of win when you come in second out of 11 people, and actually 17. We started out with 17. Many dropped out. You're second out of 17, you know, we consider that good. But I would love to be number one in New Hampshire. It would send a great signal.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: We'll have more presidential politics ahead here. We'll have the latest on Donald Trump's ongoing political battle with Ted Cruz.

The bombs keep raining down inside Syria. We'll tell you why Turkey warns of a new exodus of refugees and a humanitarian crisis in the making. That's coming up.

HOWELL: Plus, WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, hopes a U.N. panel's ruling will finally allow him to walk free after nearly four years in an embassy in London. But Sweden says, not so fast. That story ahead.

You're watching NEWSROOM.

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[02:14:58] HOWELL: Welcome back. With the mass migration of refugees fleeing Syria, world leaders are pledging $10 billion towards the crisis. It's money that will be used for humanitarian aid and for the countries receiving the most refugees.

ALLEN: But the U.N. says money alone will not solve the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II. This comes after the U.N. temporarily paused peace talks because humanitarian promises have not been fulfilled.

The Turkish prime minister is warning a new exodus of refugees is fleeing from his country towards Syria.

HOWELL: On Wednesday, Russian air support helped the Syrian regime take back two key towns near the city of Aleppo.

CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has this story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A new exodus of Syrians aiming for Turkey and maybe beyond. These images, which we can't verify, seem to show thousands of refugees fleeing late Thursday for the Turkish border, north of the city of Aleppo, one serious commercial heart.

You can sense the panic here. They're fleeing what could be one of the worst fights yet, the battle for Aleppo. A key move in that fight came Wednesday when regime fighters broke the long siege just to the city's north. Russian air power key to this long-desired tactical advance. The rebels left in retreat.

The onslaught here, claimed by opposition members in Geneva where the peace talks collapsed. The change is now in northern towns. The key Shia towns were reached by cutting the supply route east of Aleppo. That could isolate thousands of civilians. Further north, the Kurds are moving in two directions, potentially cutting ISIS off from the Turkish border.

Aleppo itself, a skeleton of a city, where hundreds of thousands live among the bones, the smell of burning plastic strong in the air when we were there 18 months ago. And for those civilians trapped inside, it will be little comfort that these men are to the rescue. Al Qaeda in Syria, pouring in here, they claim, into the city to defend it.

Many rebels in Aleppo and moderate activists insist, it's al Nusra making the call to fight.

(SHOUTING)

PATON WALSH: "Today is the epic day, the historical day of the Aleppo war," this fighter says. "God willing, it will be the cemetery for invaders who came from Russia and Iran."

As for most atrocities in this war, nothing is really new. It's all happened before. Aleppo is being bombed and besieged for three years. It is just, like most atrocities in this war, remarkable that each hell could get still worse.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Beirut.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(HEADLINES)

ALLEN: WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, hopes a U.N. panel will rule in his favor, four years after he sought refuge in London.

HOWELL: The panel is set to announce in the coming hours if it feels that Assange is being unlawfully detained. He has been living in Ecuador's embassy in the British capital. He says he's likely to exit that embassy.

Assange has been trying to stop extradition to Sweden in connection with a sex crime investigation.

ALLEN: Sweden and London say the U.N. decision will make no difference.

It's important to know that Assange is not charged with any crime. HOWELL: Assange has been entangled in this legal standoff for quite

some time now. Back in November of 2010, the Stockholm criminal court issued an arrest parent for Assange. It was based on allegations of sexual assault from two WikiLeaks volunteers.

ALLEN: The following month, Assange turned himself into police in London. He denied my wrongdoing. And his supporters claimed the chargers were politically motivated. He was placed under house arrest.

In May 2012, the U.K. Supreme court denied his appeal for extradition to Sweden. He feared that Sweden would extradite him to the U.S., where he fears could face the death penalty for publishing government secrets on WikiLeaks.

[02:20:23] ALLEN: The following month, Assange south refugee in the Ecuadorean embassy in London and was later granted asylum. He has been there ever since. And the question now, will he walk out? And could he face arrest? We'll soon see what his decision will be.

ALLEN: Brazil is in the midst of a virus outbreak. That's not stopping Rio's big party. Next here, we talk with revelers who say they're not afraid of Zika. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SHOUTING)

(SINGING)

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ALLEN: The Zika Virus and the mosquito that spreads it are considered public enemy number-one around the world. But Jamaica has a fun and clever way to get people focused.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SINGING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: Jamaica reported its first case of Zika, a four-year old. The doctor performing this song, who is also a comedian and poet, says everyone has to help fight the virus.

HOWELL: He's getting people's attention.

Meanwhile, in Uruguay, they're trying to raise awareness of Zika. No reports of the virus have been reported there so far. And they are waiting, trying to keep it that way.

When it comes to Zika, Brazil is ground zero for that outbreak. But that does not deter carnival partiers.

Shasta Darlington has this story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[02:25:15] SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Brazil gearing up for its annual celebration under a cloud cast by the Zika Virus. But you wouldn't know it in Rio de Janeiro, going to the block parties, as they have the trial run before the parades today. Zika isn't the topic of the day. In fact, they're expecting more visitors in Rio de Janeiro, more than a million, the same of last year. And it's the same for one of the hardest-hit cities in the northeast, that's been affected by the Zika Virus and by a spike in birth defects. Well, there, they're expecting more visitors than last year.

This is largely due to the exchange rate. It's gotten too expensive for Brazilians to spend their holidays abroad and much cheaper for foreigners to come here to Brazil.

That doesn't mean that officials aren't doing their part to minimize the risk of being bitten by a mosquito. They have been going door-to- door, trying to eliminate the pools of water that are the main place where the mosquitoes that spread the virus breed. And they've been launching radio campaigns. The president was on national TV, to get people to pitch in and do their part. They've been fumigating.

This is a big deal. The link between the Zika Virus and the birth defects was established by doctors. And there's concern that the carnival celebrations could spread the virus afield. But, again, on the streets, it seems that all people want to do is party.

Shasta Darlington, CNN, Rio de Janeiro.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: Live around the world this hour, you're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

Still ahead, the highlights from Thursday's Democratic presidential debate. You'll find out what made Hillary Clinton say enough is enough. That's next.

ALLEN: Also ahead, officials on China's mainland are cracking down on critics well beyond their borders. We'll have a report.

Stay with us.

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[02:30:27] ALLEN: And welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. We're live in Atlanta. I'm Natalie Allen.

HOWELL: I'm George Howell. The headlines we're following for you this hour --

(HEADLINES) HOWELL: The New Hampshire primary is coming up in just four days' time. And the debate Thursday night gave Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders the perfect opportunity to make their case to voters.

Here are some of the highlights.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(MUSIC)

HILLARY CLINTON, (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: People support me because they know me. They know my life's work. They have worked with me.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, (I), VERMONT & DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Our job together is to end a rigged economy and to create an economy that works for all.

CLINTON: I'm not making promises that I cannot keep. But you will not find that I ever changed a view or a vote because of any donation that I ever received.

I think it's time to end the very artful smear that you and your campaign, has been carrying out in recent weeks --

(SHOUTING)

CLINTON: -- and let's talk the issues.

SANDERS: A kid gets caught with marijuana, that kid has a police record. A Wall Street executive destroys the economy, $5 billion settlement with the government, no criminal record. That is what power is about.

CLINTON: I'm against privatizing the V.A. and I'm going to do everything I can to try to fix what's wrong with the V.A.

SANDERS: I think where we stand, correct me if we're wrong, you have 22 delegates, I have 20 delegates. We need 2,500 delegates to win the domination.

(LAUGHTER)

SANDERS: This is not the biggest deal in the world.

CLINTON: If I'm fortunate to be the nominee, the first person I will call to talk to about where we go and how we get it done will be Senator Sanders.

SANDERS: I happen to respect the secretary, very much. I hope it's mutual.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: It was heated, for sure, but ended on amicable terms.

ALLEN: Certainly, did.

HOWELL: The Republican candidates are also looking ahead to the New Hampshire primary. Donald Trump may have a new target in his sights.

ALLEN: After his loss in Iowa, Trump is changing his campaign strategy.

CNN political correspondent, Sara Murray, has more from Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA MURRAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Donald Trump is kicking his campaign up a notch.

DONALD TRUMP, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & CEO, TRUMP ORGANIZATION: I have you votes, right? Do I have people's votes in here?

(CHEERING)

MURRAY: Unwilling to let another victory slip from his grasp.

TRUMP: I'm actually starting to spend good money. And the reason is, number one, I don't want to take a chance. OK? Number two, I don't want to blow it.

MURRAY: On top of spending on the airwaves, today, he doubled his schedule from two events to four.

TRUMP: Got to do it. Called crunch time, right?

MURRAY: But with just five days until New Hampshire. Trump's campaign schedule is still relatively light, including today, he has just six events planned before the primary.

After losing Iowa, Trump acknowledged he could have built a more solid ground operation.

TRUMP: In retrospect, we could have done much better with the ground game.

MURRAY: Since then, he has made a point of stopping by the campaign offices to rally the troops.

TRUMP: I'll see you in a little while. I'm going to stay here for a while.

(CHEERING)

(APPLAUSE)

MURRAY: One thing he's not doing, downplaying expectations, making it clear, he's playing to win in New Hampshire.

TRUMP: I want to win. I've been here a lot. I have a great relationship with the people of New Hampshire. I love them.

MURRAY: A new CNN/WMUR poll shows for now, Trump is well-positioned. He leads in New Hampshire with 29 percent support from Republican primary voters, compared to 18 percent for Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz at 13 percent, nearly tied for third with John Kasich at 12 percent.

Trump's position on top has Cruz, the Iowa victor, sharpening his knives.

[02:35:05] SEN. TED CRUZ, (R), TEXAS & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald Trump is very rattled right now. He told the entire world he was going to win Iowa and then didn't win.

MURRAY: And accusing Trump of being a sore loser after Iowa.

CRUZ: You could call it a Trumper-tantrum.

MURRAY: And after Jimmy Carter suggested he would prefer a President Trump over Cruz, the Texas Senator turned that around on Trump, as well.

CRUZ: Jimmy Carter said the reason is simple. Donald's views -- this is almost a quote. It's not a direct quote but it's close -- Donald's views are malleable. He has no core beliefs on anything.

MURRAY: But Trump's vowing to New Hampshire voters, one way or another, he is ending up on Pennsylvania Avenue.

TRUMP: Seriously. Who would want to leave the White House?

(CHEERING)

TRUMP: Although, I'm building a hotel next door, which is also located on Pennsylvania Avenue.

(LAUGHTER)

TRUMP: But I'll still be on Pennsylvania Avenue, one way or the other.

MURRAY (on camera): Donald Trump has a couple of days until the New Hampshire primary. And his number-one goal is to make sure people don't eat into his lead. A big part of that is making sure he's visible here in New Hampshire. To that end, the campaign is already adding more events.

Sara Murray, CNN, Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: The next Republican debate is this Saturday. And our Erin Burnett hosts a live post-debate special. You can catch it here on CNN on 11:00 p.m. eastern in the U.S. or noon on Sunday in Hong Kong.

The days of China's critics feeling safe in foreign lands may be over. A disturbing number of arrests, extraditions and disappearances of Chinese dissidents have recently taken place outside of China's borders.

For more, let's go live to CNN senior international correspondent, Ivan Watson, in Hong Kong. He's been following the story.

Ivan, we hear there's new developments.

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. The police in the Chinese city of Guangdong sent a letter to police here in Hong Kong saying that three Hong Kong book sellers have been missing for four months, and the disappearance has helped spark street protests here in Hong Kong, the police announced that those men appear to be in police custody. They're being investigated right now, for some unidentified criminal activity. It is disappearances like this, not only from Hong Kong but other countries, such as Thailand and Myanmar, that are raising questions about whether or not China is carrying out a crackdown against its critics beyond its borders.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WATSON (voice-over): A desperate appeal from a wife to her husband imprisoned halfway around the world.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): I want to tell my husband I hope we will see each other soon. I hope our family will reunite soon.

WATSON: Her husband is a former police officer in China who became a pro-democracy activist. Authorities threw him in prison several times for participating in protests. Last year, he fled with his wife and child to Thailand where they thought they'd be safe. He was suddenly arrested last October and, weeks later, despite objections from the United Nations, he and another Chinese exiles were extradited back to China where they appeared in this confession broadcast on Chinese state tv.

Gushuwah (ph) was left in shock.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): The Chinese government pressured him for so long that he ran away. Why did they still need to chase us?

WATSON (on camera): For decades, critics of the ruling Communist party ran across the border seeking refuge in Thailand. But now Chinese dissidents in Bangkok tell me they live in constant fear of being snatched and dragged back home by Chinese security services.

(voice-over): This is another Chinese activist who ran away to Thailand. She hasn't been back to her Bangkok apartment in days. Too frightened, she says, after at least four Chinese dissidents day peered from Thailand in less than four months.

(on camera): These are your UNHCR documents.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

WATSON (voice-over): She and a fellow Chinese dissident have applied for asylum as political refugees with the U.N. in an effort to escape the long arm of the Chinese law.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WATSON (on camera): The decision to run away from your country, that's a very difficult and very big decision to make.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): I thought I would get protection in Bangkok and wouldn't have to live in fear of arrest all the time.

WATSON (voice-over): Most frightening for Chinese exiles, the case of this man. A well-known Swedish publisher of books critical of the leadership. He mysteriously disappeared from his condominium in October and was next shown on state TV in China in January in police custody. Police in Thailand say they have no record that he ever officially left the country. And they are investigating his possible kidnapping.

[02:40:20] MIKE CHINOY, SENIOR FELLOW, U.S./CHINA INSTITUTE, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: The Chinese government is trying to extend its reach to intimidate and silence critics outside of China.

WATSON: China expert Mike Chinoy argues the cross-border crackdown is part of a broader campaign by Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, to remove any threat to the Chinese Communist Party.

(SHOUTING)

CHINOY: The message is, if you cross us, our reach is so great that we'll get you wherever and it has, therefore, a deterrent on people who might think of doing the same thing.

WATSON: The Chinese government insists it's simply upholding the rule of law, adding that anyone who breaks the law will be punished.

A punishment she says her husband does not deserve.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (through translation): My husband told me he needs to see democracy in China. He will fight until the end.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATSON: Natalie, the timing of the extradition of the two dissidents from Thailand is particularly alarming for human rights groups and for the United Nations. Those two men had been in a Thai prison. They had received United Nations official refugee status, which was supposed to protect them from being returned from their homeland. We're also told they had been granted asylum, fast-track asylum in Canada. And despite that, just a day or two later, they suddenly ended up being taken back to China and ending up behind bars -- Natalie?

ALLEN: Very disturbing.

Thank you for that report. Ivan Watson for us in Hong Kong. We turn now to North Korea and what can be an eminent rocket launch.

HOWELL: A U.S. official says the north may be fueling a rocket that is expected to launch after Monday. Pyongyang insists it is sending a satellite into orbit. But critics believe the launch is a front for a ballistics missile test.

CNN's Brian Todd has this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): New indications that Kim Jung-Un is about to launch a long-range rocket into space. A U.S. official tells CNN North Korea may be fueling a rocket at its site.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When they get real close is when they will move it to the launch pad. We won't have a lot of warning at that point.

TODD: Satellite images from the monitoring group 38 North, show the presence of vehicles, including buses for personnel at the launch site. The images show an ominous sign of the tower.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They made it 10 meters higher since the last time.

TODD (on camera): What does that mean?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It could be that it's a bigger rocket.

TODD (voice-over): A bigger rocket with a longer range, possibly capable of hitting the continental United States. Kim's regime declared it will launch a satellite into space this weekend. While the regime says it's an earth observation satellite, experts say that's a cover.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They can claim that's a civilian satellite. That's what you would need to put an ICBM warhead anywhere on the earth.

TODD: This expected path of the launch has the U.S., South Korean and Japanese militaries on alert.

The first stage of the rocket is supposed to drop into the Yellow Sea off the coast of South Korea. A cover for the actual satellite should fall into the East China Sea. And another stage drops into the Philippine Sea.

But the U.S. and its allies say they will shoot them out of the sky if they go astray.

Coming on the heels of North Korea's fourth nuclear bomb test, analysts believe that Kim is doing this to build his stature inside his country the show he can stand up to its enemies. But they worry he might miscalculate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We know less about him than his father and grandfather. We have concerns that perhaps he doesn't understand the concepts of red lines. He may stumble across a red line that his father or grandfather would have known to stop short of.

TODD (on camera): Experts also worry about Kim's dangerous partnerships. They say North Korea cooperates with Iran on nuclear and missile technology. One analyst said he wouldn't be surprised if when this is launched, there's several Iranian scientists at the site. They want to learn about North Korea's missile technology and buy some of it.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[02:44:43] HOWELL: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

Ahead, Beyonce and the British band Cold Play come under fire for the controversial new video. We'll tell you why critics in India are offended.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOWELL: So, the excitement is building. Super Bowl 50, just days away. And, look, it's not just about the game. Whether you're rooting for the Denver Broncos or the Carolina Panthers, the halftime show will be entertaining. Establish band cold play is headlining.

ALLEN: Beyonce will be there. But there is speculation about surprise performers who may make an appearance. Cold Play band members spoke at a news conference on Thursday. And Chris Martin sounded like he's on the campaign trail.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: How do you get this gig? Do you campaign? How does it all come together? How did you get it?

CHRIS MARTIN, COLD PLAY BAND MEMBER: We started in Iowa three years ago. We had a bus. A small bus. And barely enough money to afford one can of Pepsi. Pepsi stepped in. We got a bigger bus. And we got stickers, cold play for 2016. And we got out there and worked our little butts off.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(LAUGHTER)

ALLEN: That was fun.

Beyonce's Super Bowl appearance should be no surprise. She and Cold Play filmed their latest music video in a rural village in India.

HOWELL: It is a very colorful video. It features children dancing and a Bollywood actress even makes an appearance. But some critics are calling the representation of India stereotypical.

Our Mallika Kapur has more on the controversy from Mumbai.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(SINGING)

[02:50:14] MALLIKA KAPUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's the video taking the interview by storm. It's number one on iTunes India.

"Thank you to the people of India, who made us feel so welcome," tweeting British band Cold Play, but in India, some people are showing it less love.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kids dressed as guards, check. Colors, bright, bright, colors, check. Slums, check.

KAPUR: Like a Mumbai-based musician, many people in India say the video reinforces age-old stereotypes and doesn't know India as it is today.

"Try to count the India cliches, gave up after first 30 seconds," says this tweet.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you become a band as big as Cold Play, you have a little responsibility to show something that is relatively accurate.

(SINGING)

KAPUR: I asked a Bollywood star that appears in the video, what she thinks of the controversy.

UNIDENTIFIED BOLLYWOOD STAR: Some people is loving it. And some isn't. And we use Westernization in our films. And nobody talks about us offending other people sensibilities. But they are showing a part of India which exists.

KAPUR (on camera): This is a village where Cold Play shot most of its music video. While there's a raging debate and discussion about it, over here, nobody seems to care. Nobody even seems to know what Cold Play is.

(voice-over): "Nope, never heard of it," says this street vendor.

(on camera): Cold Play?

Cold Play?

(SINGING)

KAPUR (voice-over): With Cold Play, a little controversy is translating into a lot of clicks in one of the fastest-growing online markets.

Mallika Kapur, CNN, Mumbai. (SINGING)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: They probably know who Cold Play is now.

HOWELL: Probably so.

Switching to weather. Snow is headed towards the New England coast.

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Going to make a messy morning commute from the I-95 corridor. You have to check this out. This storm is a little more potent and intense than what we anticipated this time yesterday. This is the update. This is skimming the New England coast, as we speak. The precipitation, starting to transition to snow in the nation's capital. Rain in New York City. And we've got rain in Boston.

But it won't be long until we start to see the flakes fly in the big apple, all the way towards Massachusetts and into Connecticut and Rhode Island. In fact, from New York, northward, to Boston, that's the area we anticipate the heaviest amounts of snow. Six to eight inches, local, higher amounts. Interstate 95 that sects all of the major cities. It's a fast-moving storm system. It will quickly exit the New York City area by midday today. We'll clear things up nicely.

It will stick around in Boston. That's the area we're anticipating the most amount of snowfall. Extending towards the eastern sections of Maine. Here's where we pinpointed our snowfall totals, just west of the Boston metropolitan area. Six to eight inches. New York City, two to four for you. Inland communities across upstate New York, one to two inches. Winter storm warnings. Eastern Connecticut, Rhode Island, central and eastern sections of Massachusetts, as well as Long Island.

And what a difference a year makes. Do you remember the epic winter of 2014 and '15, into Boston? We haven't gotten there yet. We have quite a ways to go before we reach those snowfall totals we did this time last year in Boston. They could use a couple more inches of snow. On the other side of the world, into Turkey, a quick update. We have a storm system impacting the Istanbul region. Double-check your flight plans. Even in Ankara, that is expected to be impacted by a rain/snow mix. That means rain for you. Look at that cold, cold temperature forecast. Only nine degrees today. Six degrees on Saturday. And rain and wind continues into the Middle East for the first parts of next week, as well.

HOWELL: A lot to talk about.

ALLEN: Thank you, Derek.

HOWELL: Thanks.

VAN DAM: Thanks, guys.

HOWELL: The British television show "Top Gear" is getting a new co- host.

ALLEN: A lot of buzz about this. Matt LeBlanc, the American actor who played Joey on "Friends," will join the show in May. He is the show's first non-British host. He says he is a car nut and a huge fan of the show.

[02:55:08] HOWELL: It's Joey.

LeBlanc is replacing Jeremy Clarkson, with Chris Evans, after Clarkson allegedly hit a producer.

ALLEN: Matt LeBlanc's character on "Friends" was a Porsche enthusiast. Well, sort of. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID SCHWIMMER, ACTOR: Did a Porsche throw up on you?

MATT LEBLANC, ACTOR: Hey. It's Porsche.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: That episode was one of many that inspired the Internet to tweet about friends and "Top Gear."

This Twitter user wrote, "I hope this is the outfit that matt LeBlanc wears in 'Top Gear'."

HOWELL: Another person tweeted, "Following the announcement of matt LeBlanc as "Top Gear" co-host, the BBC unveil the new look Stig."

That's Monica with a Turkey on her head. The Stig is "Top Gear's" anonymous race car driver.

(LAUGHTER)

ALLEN: And another tweeted, "I'm just pleased that Estelle finally got Joey a decent gig."

You might recall Estelle being Joey's agent, from "Friends." Joey never really got his acting career going, did he?

HOWELL: Kind of did.

We thank you for joining us. I'm George Howell.

ALLEN: I'm Natalie Allen.

Stay with us. More of CNN NEWSROOM in the next hour. Be right back.

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