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North Korean Rocket Launch Draws Condemnation and Concern; Candidates Battle Ahead of New Hampshire Primary; Thousands of Syrians Stranded Along Turkish Border; Broncos Win Super Bowl, Halftime Show Wows; Memorable Super Bowl Ads; New Details in Somali Airliner Explosion; Zika Isn't Stopping Carnival Party in Brazil; Chinese Lunar New Year, Year of the Monkey. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired February 08, 2016 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:20] ISHA SESAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: This is CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. Ahead this hour, one day after North Korea raises international outrage by blasting a satellite into space, the country stirs up new anger from its neighbor to the South.
Plus candidates try to put a positive spin on this weekend's fiery Republican debate held just days before the U.S. campaign's next important vote.
And the Denver Broncos have just won the Super Bowl prompting immediate questions about the future of the team's star quarterback.
Hello, and thank you for joining us. I'm Isha Sesay. NEWSROOM L.A. starts right now.
First, a controversial rocket launch. Then warning shots in the waters off the Korean Peninsula, South Korea's military says its Navy fired warning shots after a North Korean patrol boat crossed into South Korean waters early Monday. The North Korean vessel then retreated. This follows North Korea's rocket launch Sunday that swiftly triggered a wave of international condemnation and speculation.
The U.N. Security Council met in emergency sessions Sunday just hours after the rocket hurdled into space. It says the launched presents a clear threat to international peace and security, and it promises significant measures in response.
We're covering this from all angles. CNN's Paul Hancocks is in Seoul, South Korea, and journalist Michael Firn joins us from Tokyo.
Paula, let's start with you. And Paula, bring us up to speed with the latest reaction there in Seoul.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Isha, there has been strong condemnation here in Seoul, as you might expect. And it came very quickly after that satellite launch as expected. The president Park Geun-Hye effectively saying it's a challenge to world peace. And what Seoul wants to see now is some very strong sanctions. And we know the foreign minister from South Korea was going to be heading over to New York shortly. He'll be meeting with the U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon obviously making his case for why he thinks Pyongyang needs to be punished in this way.
But as far as North Korea is concerned they are delighted with the satellite launch. Just about an hour ago on North Korean television we saw the banner along the bottom of the television announcing that at 7:00 p.m. local time there would be fireworks in Pyongyang to celebrate the launch itself.
So Kim Jong-Un has made it very clear that he puts a premium on his space program. We saw the photos of him smiling. He is very pleased with the result. But of course the rest of the word is not -- Isha.
SESAY: Yes. Paula, appreciate the view there from Seoul. Stand by for us.
Michael Firn, to bring you in now, there in Tokyo, Japan, what's the reaction there? I know strong words earlier from Japanese authorities. What are we hearing post that U.N. Security Council meeting?
MICHAEL FIRN, JOURNALIST: Well, Japan has been waiting since January 6th when North Korea tested what it claimed was a hydrogen bomb for some action from a resolution from the U.N. Security Council. So it's real pushing now for a quick resolution. That's what we heard from the foreign minister --
SESAY: We appear to have lost Michael there. Clearly some problems with the satellite connection. Our apologies for that. But we continue to follow the story very closely for you. I want to bring in Christopher Hill who's joining us now on the phone from Denver, Colorado. He is of course a former U.S. ambassador to North Korea and he headed the U.S. delegation to the six party talks on the North Korean nuclear crisis.
Ambassador Hill, always good to have you with us. Thank you so much for your time. Why do you think North Korea would carry out a satellite launch a month after a nuclear test knowing that the U.N. is already considering sanctions against the regime?
CHRISTOPHER HILL, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO SOUTH KOREA: Well, clearly, they don't seem to be too concerned with U.N. sanctions. I think what matters to them is their trade with China and Russia. It's increasingly concentrated with those two countries. And they don't seem to fear that U.N. sanctions would have an effect on the trade with those two countries. And with respect to the actual test, I think it just follows a military testing routine that they have set up. It's a testing program. They've made some success on the nuclear side. And now they are working on the delivery system. So I think sooner or later North Korea is going to have a deliverable nuclear weapon.
SESAY: With that reality, as you say, sooner or later, how destabilizing is this latest action to regional stability in your view?
HILL: I think it's very destabilizing and it obviously puts China in a tough position. [01:05:05] China is kind of split on this. I mean, they haven't
really decided what they really want to do. There are a lot of people in China who would regard putting pressure on North Korea and somehow doing the bidding of the United States. But then there are others in China who are absolutely sick of the behavior of the North Koreans. So in the absence of the kind of consensus going forward the Chinese kind of turned this indecision into virtue and talk about, you know, the need for patience, et cetera.
But I must say, in this particular instance, they seem to be increasingly frustrated and upset with their North Korean neighbors.
SESAY: Ambassador Hill, is China's public stance calling for patience, any different from what's happening behind closed doors to the best of your knowledge? Do you know or do you expect that they are putting some kind of pressure on North Korea? Or are they basically following the track we've seen publicly?
HILL: They have put additional pressure on North Korea in recent years. It's no secret that they really have no affinity for Kim Jong- Un. But I don't think they've really been prepared to take the very strong steps such as not selling refined oil to North Korea or not buying North Korean coal. So I just don't think they are quite ready for that. And obviously the U.S. has been talking to them. But I think there needs to be much more of an effort with China on this. It's a tough issue for them and I think we need to kind of put this up on the priorities list and we shouldn't just be talking to them about North Korea because the Syrian talks are not going forward right no.
In short, I think we need to really put this up at the level of some of these Middle East negotiations that have been going on.
SESAY: I want to ask you about South Korea, saying that they will now, you know, pick up these talks with the U.S. about a nuclear defense system. Your thoughts on that and again, what does that mean for the strategic balance of power in the region?
HILL: Well, increasingly, in recent years, the South Korean public, which at first some 10 years ago was very much of the view that the U.S. was not doing enough to negotiate with North Korea. And in fact some 10 years ago there were some 45 percent, 50 percent of South Koreans were blaming the U.S. Those days are over. I mean, the South Korean public is like many publics, just really annoyed and upset with the North Koreans.
And so what we're seeing is an increasingly receptivity among the South Korean public toward the idea of the accoutrements of missile defense. So this high attitude missile defense system, so-called THAAD, T-H-A-A-D, is something that the U.S. is going to begin to have pretty serious discussions with the South Koreans. Obviously this is not welcome news to the Chinese. And in fact, there are people in China who believe that the U.S. is somehow using North Korea as an excuse to try to step up this kind of missile defense, which would have an effect on China's own nuclear deterrent.
So there is a lot of concern here about this. But I think given the fact that there seem to be no constraints on North Korea. Given the fact that Kim Jong-Un seems to be -- seems to have zero interest in negotiation, I think it's high time that we began to look at these defensive systems.
SESAY: The actions by South Korea looking to step up this nuclear defense system or pick up the talks, Japan considering, you know, further unilateral action. I mean, all this does in some ways also seems to be an indictment of the U.N. Security Council and their inability to pass sanctions that really hurt North Korea and ultimate result in a change in their actions.
HILL: I think the kind of sanctions that would really hurt North Korea involve a ban on selling gasoline. That sort of thing, as I mentioned earlier. And I think the Chinese worry that this would bring instability in North Korea. And they worry that if North Korea somehow experiences instability, can somehow falls apart this would be perceived as some kind of victory for U.S. policy and a defeat for China. So I think it's just a tough issue for the Chinese.
But clearly to just talk about sanctions at this point while the North Koreans narrowly go about testing nuclear weapons and testing the delivery system for nuclear weapons -- I mean, clearly, something more has to be done. And so I think these missile defense systems are very much on the table and I think frankly will go forward. Now absent some huge change from the North Koreans.
[01:10:01] SESAY: Christopher Hill, it's always great to have you on the show. Thank you so for your insight and perspective.
Christopher Hill, former U.S. ambassador to South Korea. Thank you for your time.
HILL: Thank you very much.
SESAY: And now to the race for the White House. The New Hampshire primary is just one day away. But Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton took a break from campaigning there Sunday. Instead, she spent part of the day in Flint, Michigan, a city dealing with a contaminated water crisis. Clinton attended a church service telling the audience clean water should not be a luxury and that the crisis has to be a national priority.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is not merely unacceptable or wrong, though it is both. What happened in Flint is immoral. The children of Flint are just as precious as the children of any other part of America. They are just as deserving of good health care, of good education, and of bright futures.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: Clinton has made Flint a focus of her campaign since early January. And she promised to be the town's partner through the water crisis. Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio is swinging back after
Saturday's rough debate. He was sharply criticized by rivals over his level of experience. In response, Rubio repeated his slam of President Obama's leadership and what Chris Christie called a memorized 25-second speech. Rubio says he is going to keep criticizing President Obama.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know, it's funny. The -- I don't know. I mean, people think it's a bad thing. I'm going to keep saying it over and over again. Barack Obama is trying to change America. He wants us to be more like the rest of the word. I've never understood that. If you want to be like another country, why don't you move to another country? We want to be America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: Meanwhile, Republican candidate Donald Trump says he is feeling very good about New Hampshire after facing a lot of pressure during Saturday's debate. The latest poll showed Trump with a solid 17-point lead over his closest competitor in the state. And Trump told CNN's Dana Bash he wouldn't be unhappy if he got second place in the primary.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So if I had two seconds, I think I'm doing OK. I'd much rather win. I could say to you, if I came in second or third, I'd be thrilled, OK? And that way we lower -- I know all about expectations. We lower expectations. If I came in second, I wouldn't be happy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: All right then. Well, for more on how Tuesday's primary could play out, I'm joined now by Republican consultant John Thomas.
John, good to have you with us once again. Donald Trump saying, you know, he wouldn't be happy, the polls showing a solid 17-point lead. But I guess what Iowa showed is nothing is what -- you know, nothing is solid anymore in this election. Everything is up for grabs. So talk me about how the race looks to you.
JOHN THOMAS, REPUBLICAN CONSULTANT: Sure.
SESAY: And how much it could alter.
THOMAS: Sure. Well, there are two different races going on in New Hampshire, on the Democratic and Republican side. On the Democratic side we just saw your opening clip. Hillary Clinton has all but abandoned New Hampshire. She realizes that over 70 -- I think 70 percent of the Democratic electorate in New Hampshire says they are solidly -- they've made up their mind and Sanders has a big lead. So she is going back to a South Carolina firewall strategy. You saw that in Flint. She's in Flint because there is a large
African-American population.
SESAY: Yes.
THOMAS: And she's trying to hold them in South Carolina. On the presidential side, you're right. Nothing is set in stone. You can't take anything for granted. And that's evidenced by the fact that almost 40 percent of the electorate in New Hampshire says as of today they're still undecided.
SESAY: Forty percent.
THOMAS: Forty percent. So anything can happen. We don't quite know where all those votes are going to scatter and it's all about who has the momentum going into election night. That's why these debates are so important because that's the candidates' last attempt to put their spin and their message to the electorate.
SESAY: So let's talk about Saturday's debate, the GOP debate. It was a knockdown drag-out. And mainly the knocking and the dragging was of Marco Rubio.
THOMAS: Yes. Marco Rubio got the frontrunner treatment. Donald Trump just sat there and watched the volleying go back and forth each time. Donald Trump was largely unscathed. But the fact is everyone -- I call it a four-way scrum. Everyone is trying to be the anti- Trump, be on that establishment lane because they figure, their calculations that Donald Trump has reached his ceiling. That there needs to be the anti-Trump.
After New Hampshire most of the other candidates are going to drop away and their share of votes will scatter toward anybody but Donald Trump. And so they tried to bring Rubio down because he had a great showing in Iowa. He had momentum and they very well may have slowed down his momentum as we go into New Hampshire.
SESAY: I want to go back to the issue of Trump, because we talk about him having a solid 17-point lead but we also say anything can happen. How much does he have to win by in New Hampshire? How big does his win have to be for it to be credible and for it to really give him that boost, I mean, as you look at the picture.
THOMAS: Sure. Well, Donald Trump is a master at spin. And so --
SESAY: Even if he gets --
(LAUGHTER)
[01:15:02] THOMAS: Even if he gets one point he's going to say it is a decisive win. So from his -- but from the larger standpoint, you know, if he is winning by five that's a pretty healthy lead. If he wins by 10 that's a good lead. And Donald Trump needs that momentum to go into South Carolina and keep running.
SESAY: Let's talk about Cruz very quickly because again -- THOMAS: Cruz who?
SESAY: Exactly. That's the thing. He just kept his head down.
THOMAS: Yes.
SESAY: He was like Ben Carson, just keeping his head down.
THOMAS: Cruz didn't have a great time but he figured look, he's not going to do incredibly well in New Hampshire. It's really that -- that electorate isn't in sync with the evangelical base that Cruz brought in Iowa. And so he felt just keep your head down because if you stand up people are going to start taking shots at you. Kind of reroute and go into South Carolina.
Don't count Cruz out. He's got a lot of money. He's got a lot of endorsement and he's a smart campaigner.
SESAY: Very, very interesting. John Thomas, it's always such a pleasure to get your insights.
THOMAS: Thank you for having me.
SESAY: Thank you so much.
Well, Saturday's Republican debate in New Hampshire got off to an awkward start. And that's putting it mildly as the candidates took the main stage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARTHA RADDATZ, ABC NEWS DEBATE MODERATOR: Dr. Ben Carson.
DAVID MUIR, ABC NEWS DEBATE MODERATOR: Texas Senator Ted Cruz.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: Oh, dear. It doesn't get any easier to watch. It was just a mess. And yes, Ben Carson just continued to stand there. Ted Cruz walked by, as you saw there. And then eventually Donald Trump later joined Carson in the wing. And just kind of stood there. And, yes, others walked by. Trump insists the bumbling entrance wasn't Carson's fault saying he couldn't hear when his name was called.
That's just not how you want to start a debate, though. It really isn't. Yes. He eventually came out, in case you are wondering.
All right. Heading to the Democratic side of things and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders made his "Saturday Night Live" debut this weekend. And during the show Sanders' double ganger Larry David starred in a political sketch called "Bern Your Enthusiasm," spoofing his hit show, "Curb Your Enthusiasm."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My gosh, Mr. Bernie Sanders. I'm your biggest fan and I'm telling you, I'm feeling the Bern.
LARRY DAVID, ACTOR: I don't think so.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, what do you mean you don't think so? Shake my hand.
DAVID: You coughed into your hands. Don't shake it after a cough.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: Absolutely priceless. I'm such a fan of that show, "Curb Your Enthusiasm."
Well, Sanders later joined David in a sketch set on the sinking Titanic arguing that women and children shouldn't be let off the boat first.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Hold on, hold on, wait a second. I am so sick of the 1 percent getting this preferential treatment. Enough is enough.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: It is so weird seeing Sanders and Larry David in the same place. It's like your world colliding.
We'll bring you continuing coverage of the New Hampshire primary all day Tuesday right here on CNN.
Now away from politics, the Denver Broncos are NFL champions. They beat the Carolina Panthers 24-10 in Super Bowl 50 Sunday night. Linebacker Von Miller was the game's MVP leading a punishing defensive performance. But a lot, all of it. All the spotlight is on quarterback Peyton Manning who may have just played his final game.
Manning addressed the retirement rumors.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PEYTON MANNING, BRONCOS QUARTERBACK: Let this sink in. It's been an emotional week, emotional night. And the night is just beginning. I look forward to celebrating with my friends and family. And I think I'll take some time after that and like I said, I'm going to enjoy the night. Take it one step at a time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: Not answering the questions. Well, this -- this is the raucous scene in Denver, where fans are celebrating the victory. We'll have a live report from outside the stadium in California a little later this hour.
We're going to pause for a break now. Somali officials say this video shows who is responsible for the explosion on an airliner last week. The latest on the investigation and the arrests coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(SPORTS)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:23:35] SESAY: Rescue crews in Taiwan have found hope amid the rubble. Two days after an earthquake killed at least 37 people and smashed buildings to the ground, Reuters is reporting that two people have been found alive in the debris. One survivor, a woman, had been pulled out. A man is still trapped, but he is conscious and talking to rescuers. At least 120 people are still missing.
A series of airstrikes rained down on northern Syria Sunday targeting villages leading to the Turkish border. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the strikes believed to be from Russian planes hit towns just north of Aleppo. With Russian air support the Syrian regime is gaining ground on opposition held areas around the city. Multiple casualties have been reported including children.
While Turkey is delivering aid across the Syrian border to refugees fleeing the escalating violence inside their war battered country, humanitarian groups set up temporary shelters and brought food to the tens of thousands of Syrian who have gathered there along the border. The U.N. estimates 40,000 people have been displaced by the recent fighting around Aleppo.
Well, Turkey is already sheltering more than two million Syrians and the government says it still has an open border policy for those fleeing the war. But our Arwa Damon takes you to the border where desperate refugees are now stuck.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They can see Turkey's flag fluttering in the distance. Tens of thousands have fled in recent days. The safety they long for painfully near but closed off.
"What is this life," this woman cries out from one of the packed tents. "Have mercy on us. Have mercy." But so far, there is none.
(On camera): Turkish authorities continue to insist that they have an open door policy, but being here that most certainly does not really seem to be the case. They say that they are providing the refugees with everything that they would need to be able to survive on the other side.
(Voice-over): And while the camp seems to be taking on more of a permanent feel, there is nothing here to protect them from the violence.
"We did not come here to get tents," this man says. "We don't need food or water. We want to get through and provide security for our children." He, like many of the others, has already been displaced by Syria's
relentless violence multiple times. These are the people who held out hope, who didn't want the make the impossible decision to leave everything they have and life behind.
This is said to be the aftermath of just one of the Russian airstrikes pounding Aleppo and its countryside in recent days. The ongoing cries of agony of those who continue to lose loved ones. Day and night. The never-ending desperate scramble to save lives, as the Assad regime's army gains ground under Russian air cover.
Turkey is allowing the wounded and those needing medical treatment through. At the Kilis hospital we meet Saddam Haccar, a rebel fighter injured a few months back who came to Turkey five days ago for surgery. Next to him, a man who arrived the day before, unable to talk. Haccar says the Russian bombing is like nothing they have seen before.
"They come with four planes at a time," he curses Putin.
Rebel commanders warn that they can only hold out in Aleppo for a few months. The U.N. fears that in the rebel held eastern part of the city, upwards of 300,000 civilians are in grave risk.
But despite Turkey's statements that it won't abandon those in need, one more gate to safety, for now, remains closed.
Arwa Damon, CNN, on the Turkey-Syria border.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: So much frustration.
Stay with us. I'll be back with much more news after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:31:14] SESAY: You are watching CNN NEWSROOM from Los Angeles. I'm Isha Sesay.
The headlines this hour --
(HEADLINES)
SESAY: The Denver Broncos are Super Bowl champions. They beat the Carolina Panthers, 24-10, Sunday night for the NFL title. Linebacker Von Miller was named the game's MVP as the Denver defense led the way. It could end up being Peyton Manning's last time on the field.
While the Super Bowl is the biggest sporting event here in the United States and among the biggest in the world, it also featured a major televised concert, the halftime show.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SINGING) (END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: This year, Cold Play, Bruno Mars and Queen B, Beyonce, joining forces. They did not disappoint.
Our Andy Scholes is in Santa Clara outside the stadium. He seems to think Katy Perry was better last year, but, hey.
Let's talk about the game itself. Andy, will this game go down as a classic?
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: You know, Isha, it will, because this could end up being a fairy tale ending for Peyton Manning. Of course, at this moment, we don't know whether or not he is going to retire from the game of football. But you couldn't write a better script than this. Peyton didn't have an amazing game but he did enough to manage the game and let the Broncos defense do what they do best, and that is dominate. Von Miller and the Broncos defense was all over Cam Newton in this game. They forced four turnovers for the Panthers and they got a fumble in the fourth quarter that sealed the win for Denver.
For Manning, at 39 years old, he is the oldest quarterback to within a Super Bowl. He's the only quarterback in the history of the NFL to win with two different teams. He now has the most wins ever by a quarterback with 200. If he goes out, he is going to go out as one of the all-time bests.
After the game, he commented on when or if he is going to retire.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PEYTON MANNING, DENVER BRONCOS QUARTERBACK: I got good advice from Tony Dungy (ph), who is going into the hall of fame. He said don't make an emotional decision. This has been a very emotional week and an emotional night. I have got a couple of priorities in order. I want to kiss my wife, kiss my kids. I want to celebrate with my family and teammates. I'm going to drink a lot of beer tonight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: Peyton is probably drinking beer celebrating right now. The Broncos do have a victory parade scheduled for Tuesday. Isha, he might end up announcing his retirement when they are partying on Tuesday back in Denver.
SESAY: He just might.
Not that I don't trust your taste in halftime shows because you think that Katy Perry was better last year. Nonetheless, I'm going to ask you about this year's halftime performance, Cold Play, Bruno Mars, Beyonce. Give me a score. What did you think? How does it measure up to the greats of the past, Michael Jackson, Prince, Bruce Springsteen?
[01:35:08] SCHOLES: It wasn't bad. I would probably give it a seven on a scale of one to 10, just because I was really wowed last year by Katy Perry. She came riding in on a robotic lion. She had dancing sharks and palm trees. She rode away on a flying star. I just think the acrobatics that were involved with Katy Perry were awesome. This was more of a singing and dancing type show, which there is nothing wrong with. But it felt like Cold Play, they were supposed to be the headliners. And it seems like they were the opening agent for Beyonce. I don't know you how it all fit together. It was by no means bad. But if you give me the option of watching Kate Perry or this year's, I'm going to go with Kate audio Perry.
SESAY: You need to stop saying that, how much you like the dancing sharks.
(LAUGHTER)
But I do get your point about Cold Play.
(CROSSTALK)
SESAY: At least I know what to get you for Christmas.
Andy Scholes joining us live from Santa Clara. Thank you, friend. Take care.
SCHOLES: Thank you. All right.
SESAY: Well, the halftime show is just one of the reasons millions, millions of viewers tune in during the Super Bowl game. Another reason, commercials, like this one, featuring rapper, Drake
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SINGING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Perfect here are the changes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love the changes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When you say call me on my cell phone, just add device eligible for upgrade after 24 months.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Genius.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You also need to include that streaming music will incur additional charges.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fantastic idea.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These changes don't ruin the song at all.
(SHOUTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(LAUGHTER) Sandro Monetti joins me now to talk about some of the memorable ads from this year's Super Bowl. He's managing editor of "L.A. Business Journal."
Sandro, always great to have you with us.
I liked that one. Did you?
SANDRO MONETTI, MANAGING EDITOR, L.A BUSINESS JOURNAL: I did, actually. And I think the advertisers played it safe this year. They went the usual formula, celebrities, and cute fluffy animals.
SESAY: You can't really go wrong with that mix.
I mean, but do you think it was good as in the past? I know you said they played it safe. How many would you say stood out to you? For me, it was slim pickings.
MONETTI: Yeah, there was no clear winner. But just as Peyton Manning knew he had to win the Super Bowl by not making mistakes and playing safe, what I mean by that is in past years we have had outrageously sexy commercials. They really hit the zeitgeist that way. This year, as I said in opener, it went to the formula, which always works. Animals will sell stuff. Stars will sell stuff. Drake was a perfect example. It is the biggest platform that we have in advertising. It is the Super Bowl of the advertising business. And those ads, by the way, it cost $5 million for 30 seconds.
SESAY: Wow.
MONETTI: So you don't want to be taking too many chances.
SESAY: You are right. Another one that we liked was Helen Mirren, the British actress, lecturing those watching.
MONETTI: She can lecture me any time.
SESAY: I'm sure she could.
Let's play a little bit for our viewers so they can get a taste, so to speak.
MONETTI: Yeah.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HELDIN MIRREN, BRITISH ACTRESS: Hello. I'm Heldin Mirren, a notoriously frank and uncensored British lady. The collective, we are dumbfounded that people still drive drunk. So I'll sum it up like this. If you drive drunk, you, simply put, are a short-sighted, utterly useless, oxygen-wasting human form of pollution, a Darwin Award-deserving selfish coward.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: And she used the word "pillic (ph)." MONETTI: She did. That was what you called me during the commercial
break.
(LAUGHTER)
SESAY: It was a good ad, a smart choice, especially because she brings to mind playing the queen of England, that regal telling you what to do.
MONETTI: It's also socially responsible advertising.
SESAY: Yes.
MONETTI: Kind of like a PSA. She is advertising a beer but, at the same time, she is saying drink responsibly. And the message is this is how to enjoy a bill.
SESAY: It did run late in the game when the people they were targeting were probably already pretty drunk.
MONETTI: Isn't that the queen?
SESAY: What are you talking about? Give me what she's drinking.
(LAUGHTER)
What about you, your favorite? Talk to me about some of the ones that you really liked.
MONETTI: There was a ketchup ad that had a parade of wieners running towards the ketchup bottle. When they meet up, it was true love. Romantic, tugged at the heart strings. And as I said earlier, animals sell stuff. Look at all those dachshunds. Animals sell stuff. This is what works. $5 million they spent for that. Yeah, if you are going to spend that kind of money you have got to get it right. You have got to sell an awful lot of hot dog ketchup sauce to make it work. But it's effective, because long after the game, we'll remember commercials like that.
SESAY: I just feel like dressing dogs up in hot dog buns is troubling.
[01:40:12] MONETTI: That's just you.
SESAY: That's just me. I'm going to leave that.
I also liked the Doritos one because I feel like the execs just wait for this year.
MONETTI: They do it well.
SESAY: They do it well.
Let's play the Doritos ad and --
(CROSSTALK) MONETTI: Top of the game, by the way.
SESAY: I actually went for the one with the ultra sound.
MONETTI: Oh, that's the other one.
SESAY: Let's play that one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Eating Doritos on my ultra sound. Do you see what I have to deal with?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Give me that.
(SHOUTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: I thought that was brilliant. Did you like it?
MONETTI: It makes you laugh, doesn't it? That's what it's all about. And if you can remember the product, then it's money well spent.
SESAY: Seriously, for Doritos, though, they probably do wait for this evening, this day, because I feel as if this is a really big moment. And they are kind of become synonymous with Super Bowl, these Doritos ads.
MONETTI: They are the MVP. It's almost expected now as part of the Super Bowl and the coin toss and the trophy presentation is the bore eat owes add. But they have set the bar really high. So the advertising agency that represents them knows that they have to keep getting to that level or they are out. And there's plenty of other advertising agencies waiting for a place.
SESAY: And you said, what, $5 million?
MONETTI: $5 million. It can go a bit lower, but for the end of the fourth quarter, for the kick off, and the halftime show, $5 million is the rate. But you are reaching 114 million viewers.
SESAY: Bang for the buck, though? Do we know from the data how well they do post-Super Bowl?
MONETTI: We do, because now they launch them on the Internet beforehand. If you have got at least 12 million YouTube hits before the game with a teaser of your ad that's a good number.
SESAY: Wow, gosh.
Yes, I'm still troubled by your ad, the dogs dressed as hot dogs. Troubling.
MONETTI: You might buy some ketchup tomorrow and that's what it's all about.
SESAY: I might.
Sandro, always a pleasure.
MONETTI: Thank you.
SESAY: Thank you so much. Thank you.
All right. Time for a quick break. Despite a health scare the party is going strong in Brazil. Hear what tourists are saying about the Zika Virus as they celebrate carnival.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:45:34] SESAY: Welcome back, everyone. More details are emerging on the midair exPLOsion on board a Somali airliner. Authorities released video of two airports workers they say are connected to the blast. No group has claimed responsibility but officials are convinced it was a terror attack.
Robyn Kriel reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBYN KRIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Mid morning Tuesday at Mogadishu International Airport, this closed circuit TV footage shows two airport workers handling what looks to be a laptop computer. Moments later, one of them gives the laptop to a man who, soon after, boarded a plane bound for Djibouti. That plane, Daallo Airlines flight 3159, took off an hour later than scheduled.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After about 20 minutes, there was an exPLOsion inside the airplane.
KRIEL: The laptop was rigged, according to sources close to the investigation, to explode mid flight. The man was ejected out of the plane and left a gaping hole in the fuselage this.
This terrifying cell phone footage shows flight attendants moving people away from the hole, which was directly over the fuel tanks.
(on camera): But because the flight had been delayed, the plane had not reached cruising altitude and the cabin wasn't fully pressurized. Therefore, the exPLOsion was much smaller. And the pilot turned the plane around safely. If the cabin was pressurized, the exPLOsion likely, according to experts, would have been catastrophic.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This would a deliberate terror act.
KRIEL: Somali authorities have arrested more than 20 people have been arrested including the two men seen handing the laptop to the passenger. No group has claimed responsibility for the exPLOsion but U.S. officials tell CNN they believes al Qaeda-linked Somali militants group al Shabaab is behind the attack. A team of FBI investigators is on the ground in Mogadishu assisting Somali police and intelligence to try to piece together exactly how this near disaster could happen.
Robyn Kriel, CNN, Nairobi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: Haiti is without a president after theirs stepped down Sunday. He leaves office after five years without a successor. Critics say the election was fraudulent, trigging weeks of often-violent unrest. Parliament is expected to choose a temporary president in the next few days. Elections are scheduled for April 24th
The Zika Virus doesn't seem to be dampening the carnival atmosphere in Brazil. More than one million tourists are expected in Rio. Hotels are saying their more bookings than last year.
Shasta Darlington reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Forget about Zika, forget about Brazil's economic recession. The only thing people are talking about is carnival. We are right in the center of it. This is where the top-tier schools are competing in night-long parades. They go down the street in front of tens of thousands of people in a spectacle that is broadcast live in front of millions of others. You are going to see three-tiered floats, people in bright costumes as well as dancers wearing little more than sequins and feathers.
That doesn't mean, of course, that authorities haven't tried to raise awareness about the Zika Virus and the mosquito that spreads it. They've been handing out T-shirts and fans, even on putting little shows trying to raise awareness in the hopes that when all of these visitors head home they don't take the Zika Virus with them, especially because we are just six months out from the Olympics. And what happens here will be seen as a litmus test for what's going to happen there.
Shasta Darlington, CNN, Rio de Janeiro.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[01:49:20] SESAY: The whole world will be watching.
China is celebrating the Lunar New Year. And tradition holds the New Year will be big for these guys. Ahead, the significance of the Year of the Monkey.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SESAY: Hello everyone. They are ringing in the Lunar New Year in China. It is a day of celebration and abandon.
Matt Rivers explains why this year holds special promise for those who want to become parents.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Every 12 years, the monkeys take center stage in China. February 8th begins the Year of the Monkey, just one of 12 Chinese Zodiac animals, which makes these guys the most popular kids in class.
Here at the Beijing Zoo, crowds gathered despite being a random cold Tuesday in January. It is a good year to be a monkey. But besides being cute in the Chinese Zodiac, the monkey holds cultural significance. Look no further than one of the most famous Chinese characters in TV history. This is the monkey king, immortalized in a 1980 TV show, seen in the "Monkey King II," a movie version released in theaters. The monkey king is smart and brave, traits commonly associated with a child born in the Year of the Monkey.
"It's mine and my wife's dream to have a child in the Year of the Monkey," this man says. It's his biggest goal this year.
Some Chinese agree with him, especially because last year was a Year of the Sheep, a timid grazing animal thought to produce weaker children. Not ideal.
(CROSSTALK)
RIVERS: Also, for the first time in 30 years, China's government is allowing all citizens to have two children instead of just one. The result of all that? A potential baby boom at maternity wards everywhere.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): This year, already lots of pregnant women are coming to register with us and start the process early, far more than last year.
[01:55:12] RIVERS: Beyond kids, it's just a fun year on the Zodiac calendar.
This woman says it's full of energy and makes people feel happy.
And retailers are set to capitalize on the good vibes. Monkey sweaters, glittery monkey backpacks, cute stuffed monkeys, it is all for sale and there is money to be made this.
This shopper says it helps brands connect with Chinese culture and consumers.
Back at the zoo, the monkeys enjoyed a sunny day and some adoring crowds. They seemed happy. And why not? It's their year, after all. And with crowds like these, maybe they will finally give the pandas a run for their money.
Matt Rivers, CNN, Beijing. (END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: Lots and lots of monkey business. Get it? Monkey, business. All right.
You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live in Los Angeles. I'm Isha Sesay.
The news continues with Rosemary Church and Errol Barnett right after this.
