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Paris Terrorist Attacks; Boehner Invites Netanyahu; Under- Inflated Footballs; Tentative Deal with Rebels

Aired January 21, 2015 - 14:00   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: I will take it from here. Thank you so much for being with me. I'm Brooke Baldwin. You're watching CNN.

As a terrorist manhunt grips Europe, CNN has just learned that this hunt may now include half a dozen comrades of those three French terrorists. It is believed they may now be in the safe haven of Syria. Here's the fear now. This is according to sources talking to us here at CNN, that these terror associates could make it back into Europe to launch other terror attacks.

In addition, we have learned French authorities still do not know for sure whether the terrorists had planned more attacks from Paris beyond those that played out earlier this month.

Here's what we do know. We do know that the widow of that kosher grocery store out of Paris, that gunman, is thought to be in Syria as well. As for her involvement, CNN has just obtained this new video which appears to show - and she's highlighted, both of them here highlighted -- showing this couple just over the summer walking by a Jewish institution. And, again, sources telling CNN this may be the proof they had been hunting possible terror targets for several months.

The manhunt also extends to this man, the alleged ringleader of Belgium's biggest ISIS linked terror cell. Then we have this new video, this chilling new video now linking this alleged ringleader to Europe's terror network.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It's not fun (ph) seeing blood spilled but it gives me pleasure from time to time to see blood of the disbelievers run because we grew up watching we've grown up, seeing on TV, in the whole world the blood of Muslims being spilled.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: He goes on to say that Muslims who are sick of a quote, "humiliating life in Europe or Africa," should join the fight.

Brian Fishman, let me bring you in, fellow at the New America Foundation and author of "Dysfunction and Decline: Lessons Learned from Inside al Qaeda in Iraq."

Brian, welcome.

BRIAN FISHMAN, FELLOW, NEW AMERICAN FOUNDATION: Thank you for having me.

BALDWIN: Thank you for coming on.

I want to get back to the specifics of what that alleged ringleader said in that video, but first to this notion that these half a dozen terrorists, or individuals, or accomplices, or colleagues of those who had committed the atrocities in Paris could now be in Syria. So if you are counter terrorism officials in Europe, what do you do with that information?

FISHMAN: Well, I think it - you know, it confirms what counter terrorism officials have worried about for a long time, that the vacuum, the power vacuum in Syria and parts of Iraq that has been filled by a range of jihadi organizations, ISIS is one, but Jabhat al Nusra is another, maybe used as a launching pad for attacks in Europe. But one of the questions that I think those CT (ph) officials are going to be asking is, what precisely are the organization inside Syria that these people may be going to work with? Is it ISIS, this sort of new organization that grew out of al Qaeda in Iraq, or is it this organization, Jabhat al Nusra, that is more closely tied to al Qaeda? Those two organizations are in combat with one another in Syria and the direction for these Europeans going into Syria and which organization they link up with tells us a lot about how they're motivated and the threat they may pose in the future.

BALDWIN: OK. So looking at those launch pads, those specific groups.

Let me move along. We showed you that video of that alleged ringleader and I think one of the things that struck me is - the word humiliation that he used in referencing Muslims in Europe are feeling humiliated and he's calling for retaliation. What do you make of this kind of rhetoric?

FISHMAN: Well, this is - this is rhetoric that jihadis going back to Osama bin Laden and even previously have used to describe the west. And this describes sort of -- they think that they've lost a period of Muslim power in the world when there was a caliphate that, you know, spanned, you know, a large portion of the globe and that's now gone. And so when - when --

BALDWIN: Yes, this goes way back.

FISHMAN: Yes. Yes. And so, you know, that's been gone for, you know, over a century now. And this is what ISIS is saying that they're trying to rebuild, to recapture that sense of power and authority that has been lost. But the reason why these jihadis attack, for example, the magazine "Charlie Hebdo," which, you know, depicted the Prophet Mohammed in all sorts of compromising ways, is because that's a symbol to them of this humiliation that they - that, you know, jihadis argue Muslims have suffered at the hands of the west. "Charlie Hebdo" becomes a symbol of the west for jihadis to try to rally more people to their cause and make this argument about humiliation. BALDWIN: And then, then "Charlie Hebdo" in the wake of that, you have

these, you know, CT, counter terrorism measures in France, specifically the numbers we're seeing today to surveil 3,000 people. I mean how is that even possible, Brian?

FISHMAN: Yes, you know, I think, at the end of the day, it's probably not possible. You know, and (INAUDIBLE) ultimately the counter terrorism officials in France are going to have to prioritize. They're going to have to make a judgment about -- based on the, you know, what they believe is the level of radicalization of individuals, whether or not they've travelled to Syria or Yemen or some other place and figure out who they really need to keep an eye on and who they don't.

Now, the danger is that even if those French officials do a very, very good job it's unlikely that they're going to be perfect. And that, of course, is the dangerous world of counter terrorism is that, you know, you have to try to be perfect all of the time. But that's almost not humanly possible.

BALDWIN: It's impossible.

FISHMAN: Yes.

BALDWIN: It's impossible. Brian Fishman, thank you so much for your time. I really appreciate you this afternoon.

Let me move on to another huge story we're watching for you, to Israel and a terror attack aboard a bus in Tel Aviv. And part of this mass stabbing, it was captured on video. And, obviously, it's tough to watch. You can see this woman - oh, I've seen this several times now, see her being stabbed multiple times in her back as that assailant is running away from the scene here. She is one of nine who were wounded.

The suspect is a 23 year-old Palestinian from the West Bank. He was shot in the leg by police. He has since been arrested. Hamas, meantime, praised the attack, calling it, quote, "a daring and heroic attack." Israeli officials compared it with the attacks in Paris and accused the Palestinian Authority of inciting violence against Israelis.

And, speaking of Israel, the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, will get a chance to talk about terror and more directly to the United States Congress. House Speaker John Boehner inviting him to speak next month, February 11th to be precise. One day after the State of the Union Address. Speaker Boehner admits he did not bother to ask the White House before he extended such an invitation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R), HOUSE SPEAKER: I did not consult with the White House. The Congress can make this decision on its own. I don't believe I'm poking anyone in the eye. There is a serious threat that exists in the world. And the president last night kind of papered over it. And the fact is, is that there needs to be a more serious conversation in America about how serious the threat is from radical Islamic jihadists and the threat posed by Iran. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So, the president's biggest political adversary at home invites a foreign leader who has never gotten along well with the president. Hmm. Let's talk about this with David Rohde, a CNN global affairs analyst and investigative reporter for Reuters. David, nice to see you.

DAVID ROHDE, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Thank you.

BALDWIN: So beginning with what really hit me with this is the fact that Speaker Boehner reached out to leader of Israel for such an invite, didn't check with the White House. But at the same time, you know, Netanyahu says -- accepts this invitation and doesn't consult President Obama. Which is worse?

ROHDE: I guess if you're talking about, you know, formal diplomatic niceties, it's worse that Netanyahu, you know, accepts the invitation without speaking to Obama. But Speaker Boehner there was, in fact, you know, poking the president in the eye.

BALDWIN: You say he was, even though he says no, no, no?

ROHDE: Absolutely. I mean, you know, traditionally, foreign affairs is sort of the president's preview. And what this is, is it's round one of multiple fights, you know, you're going to see between this Republican controlled Congress and the White House. And Boehner is saying, we're going to come right at you on foreign policy and on Iran.

BALDWIN: So the White House has said, you know, officially they won't comment on this until they hear exactly, you know, the message that Netanyahu plans to bring to Congress. We know that the topic is Iran. Can you just explain to all of us why Republicans in particular, but some members of the president's own party, are livid, critical of these talks with Iran?

ROHDE: There's a great deal of skepticism that the Iranians are serious, that they're basically playing for time. For years they lied about, you know, trying to building a nuclear bomb. They were discovered very harsh, sort of unprecedented economic sanctions both by the Bush and Obama administrations, brought them to the table but the talks are just dragging on. The key issue for Obama, though, is he sees this, like the new relations with Cuba, a new relation with Iran, this kind of deal is another historic legacy for the president. And that's why both sides already, you know, have the gloves off with the Republicans saying the talks are a joke, more sanctions. Obama saying, give us more time.

BALDWIN: Even Bob Menendez, Senator Bob Menendez, a Democrat, was critical. He said this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BOB MENENDEZ (D-NJ), RANKING MEMBER, FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE: The more I hear from the administration and its quotes, the more it sounds like talking points that come straight out of Teheran. And it feeds to the Iranian narrative of victimization when they are the ones with original sin and elicit nuclear weapons program going back over the course of 20 years that they are unwilling to come clean on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: I mean, twofold. One, do you think some of the skepticism is justified, a, and, b, you mentioned the already we'll call them difficulties between a Democratic president and a Republican Congress, but also increasing a divide between whatever is going on between the U.S. and Iran?

ROHDE: I think there's definitely grounds for skepticism about Iran. It's a divided society. There's hardliners there who don't want to deal as well, and then there's the new President Rouhani who was elected and seems to be more moderate and wants to deal. The question is, you know, does Rouhani really call the shots?

BALDWIN: Right.

ROHDE: Is it the hardliners? The danger for president are Democrats like Senator Menendez. Will enough Democrats in the Senate shift and vote with Republicans to enact tough new sanctions that would basically derail the talks? New sanctions against Iran. BALDWIN: But even Netanyahu's presence in the chamber -

ROHDE: Right.

BALDWIN: How would that effect just, you know, the optics for this - for even Iran?

ROHDE: It does make a deal harder because it looks like, you know, they're arguing that the American hardliners and the Israeli hardliners aren't seriously negotiating either. And so it's a very difficult situation. I think there's genuine skepticism from Netanyahu and, you know, from Republicans and some Democrats about Iran, you know, and it's unclear. The next round of talks land in June are critical. After June, I think, you know, if it doesn't happen by June, the administration's run out of time.

BALDWIN: OK. David, thank you.

ROHDE: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Come back. Thank you.

ROHDE: Sure.

BALDWIN: Next, the story that has everyone talking. Did the New England Patriots cheat in the game that got them to the Super Bowl? Hear the new report about the footballs they used.

Plus, brand new video just into us here at CNN of looting in Ferguson. Hear why police are releasing this video. This is new from inside one of these stores. That's coming up. And one of the places al Qaeda terrorists learn how to kill Americans

is right now in chaos and up for grabs. We're getting word of a breaking deal.

You're watching CNN. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Angry and ashamed. That is what some New England Patriot fans are feeling today after shocking reports from the Pats' locker room. ESPN reports this NFL investigation determine the team's game balls from last Sunday were underinflated for last Sunday's AFC championship game. An even bigger shocker, we're talking 11 out of the 12 game balls were reportedly below league standard. Eleven out of 12.

Here's a little 101 for some of us. A regulation ball was supposed to way between 14 and 15 ounces. It must be inflated between 12.5 and 13.5 pounds of pressure. League source tell ESPN that New England's were two pounds per square inch too light. You with me? Millions of fans watched the pounding - really, that's what it was Sunday -- Boston put on the Colts. But when word of an investigation first leaked, Pats quarterback Tom Brady laughed it off. This is what he said on the radio the day after the game.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you get the sense that you were able to grip the ball better than the Colts last night? Would you care to - would you care to weigh in on that?

TOM BRADY, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS QUARTERBACK: I think I've heard it all at this point. So, oh God.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Joining me now, retired NFL quarterback and "Bleacher Report" analyst Chris Sims, who also works with Belichick. SO we'll get to that in a second.

CHRIS SIMMS, "BLEACHER REPORT": Yes.

BALDWIN: And on the phone with me now from Boston, the guy who you also heard on the other end of that radio interview, former New England Patriot tight end Christian Fauria.

Thank you both, fellas, for being here with me.

SIMMS: Thank you for having us.

BALDWIN: Chris, all right, so I just ran through like the ounces and the pounds and yada yada that you need to know about the balls.

SIMMS: Right. Sure.

BALDWIN: Explain why a not as inflated ball would be easier to catch.

SIMMS: Sure.

BALDWIN: Or to - or to throw.

SIMMS: Well, it would be catch or throw. Listen, I was a quarterback for eight years. I didn't like when the footballs were deflated. I was a guy that actually would rather have them the opposite way.

BALDWIN: Huh.

SIMMS: But there are a majority of quarterbacks that I would say would rather have less air in the football. The big reason, let's just say this football is pretty close to regulation. You can't really squeeze it. You can't see the indention of the ball. But, if you get a ball that's deflated, you could see right away how much easier it is to grab. And, in wet weather, that could help to a degree. But my main thing --

BALDWIN: The cold weather in Foxboro.

SIMMS: Yes. Yes. But it was 51 degrees as far as kickoff.

BALDWIN: Right, it wasn't that bad.

SIMMS: It was not that bad.

My big thing is this. Listen, there's a lot of details that still have not come out about this story, so I think we've got to be careful about jumping to conclusions.

BALDWIN: Yes. No one's jumping to conclusions here. No, no, no.

SIMMS: Yes. And then the other thing too is, I worked for Bill Belichick, like you said. I was never around a bigger rule follower in the NFL than Bill Belichick. If we wanted to bet $5 on the Miami Heat versus the San Antonio Spurs, he would put the kabosh on that immediately. So --

BALDWIN: I'm hearing Christian saying, what, the video camera, because people would push back on you because of that whole video camera thing.

SIMMS: Sure.

BALDWIN: Christian, can you explain to me what happened. What was that, back in 2011?

CHRISTIAN FAURIA, FORMER NEW ENGLAND PATRIOT: Well, OK, you're going to all the way back to (INAUDIBLE). That's what we're starting with? OK, we're starting with -

BALDWIN: I mean, we've got to go there.

FAURIA: Well, I mean, and it's funny because the national perception is, OK, that's where it all started, right? There's, you know, you know, multiple teams and really most teams in the NFL were videotaping signals, what have you, on the sideline. The Patriots and the entire league said, listen, don't do it anymore. And specifically they made sure - the Patriots said, listen, we don't want you to film from this certain area. They did it anyways. So they got caught. They served a fine. They gave up draft picks. And that's where it started.

So, as soon as that happened, every Super Bowl that they've been to or they played in was questioned based on the fact, OK, well, there must be something up. They can't keep winning football games and going to Super Bowls and AFC championships, you know, so many times because nobody else is doing it. Well, I mean -

BALDWIN: Yes.

FAURIA: I disagree with that. You have Tom Brady. You have Bill Belichick. You have great ownership. You have everything you need to have a winning combination. And they have it. But because that exists and because they made that mistake, they're kind of dealing with the residue of it.

BALDWIN: Yes, live to rue (ph) what happened then apparently. And you were his - I mean you were with Brady for a couple of years. You were catching those balls. I mean let me - let me - I think this is what -- when he talked about Gronk (ph), when he talked about Rob Gronkowski (ph), at the time he was talking about when the Pats tight end Rob Gronkowski was penalized for spiking the ball in a game against the Jets. Listen to what Tom Brady said then.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM BRADY: I mean he spikes it every time he scores. So, I don't know if that's, you know, flagrant or what, you know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't you spike it every time you score?

BRADY: Yes, it's - which happens like once every three years. But like when Gronk scores, it's like eight touchdowns a year, he spikes the ball and he deflates the ball, which I love that because I like, you know, the deflated ball. But I feel bad for that football because he puts everything he can into those spikes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Tom Brady likes a deflated ball, Christian. Does that help or hurt this whole investigation here?

FAURIA: I mean isn't this a little much so? I mean aren't we kind of - don't we feel like we're kind of overreacting to this a little bit? I mean if this was Jacksonville or if this was Arizona, do you think there'd be as much heat or as much attention -

BALDWIN: Hey, listen, the Pats are my team. Boston is like a home away from home. This is a legit question when you have, you know, 11 of these 12 balls not exactly how they should be, it's a legit question.

FAURIA: No, I agree with you. I agree with you. and, believe me, when I woke up in the morning, I was like, oh, OK, listen, if anything it's a couple, it's three or four. But for 11 out of 12, it's kind of one of those things where you kind of have to kind of own it and address it because it came out today that the refs checked the balls and everything was legal. And by the time the second half rolled around they weren't. And play was even delayed in the third quarter because they weren't sure if they had a kicking ball or a correct throwing ball.

But, nonetheless, the Patriots got that ball in the third quarter, drove it down Indianapolis' throats and scored. So you can say did it help, did it hurt? I mean obviously the score indicates that.

BALDWIN: OK.

FAURIA: But it isn't - it isn't something that I guess, you know, you can just, you know, turn a blind eye from. I mean Chris will tell you, I mean, you know, quarterbacks are squirrely, right? I mean they all have their own preference about how they want the football and how they want it stuffed (ph) up and how - what they want it to weigh.

BALDWIN: He's smiling. He's smiling on the squirrely comment. What - you can respond to the squirrely comment, but I think -

FAURIA: Because he knows I'm right. I mean, come on.

BALDWIN: But I think also respond to, you know, when he points out that the refs did check thee balls. Listen, this is all football 101 for all of us, really realizing that each of the teams actually bring their own balls that are checked by refs ahead of time.

SIMMS: Yes. Right. Yes, they're usually checked two hours before the game. So, then, once they're checked, they go to the team's sideline and they just sit there. It's not like there's NFL security watching the footballs. So I think that's the time frame you're going to see the NFL really investigate as far as what went on between the time the ball - the footballs were checked in the locker room, to now they sat on the sideline. The team comes out for pregame warm-up. What really went on there.

And, yes, all quarterbacks are a little squirrely, thanks, Christian. You know, but nonetheless, I still think we have to find out the details. Even if we find out that some of this might be true, that doesn't necessarily mean Bill Belichick knew either. This could also be a Tom Brady and a ball boy issue as well. So I just think there's a lot of unanswered questions at this point. And I think Christian had a good point too in the fact that because of spygate back in 2007 there is a little bit of a cloud over the New England Patriots and people are just looking at anything to tear them down.

BALDWIN: People love to hate the Pats, don't they?

SIMMS: Yes. They're been the best organization in football for (INAUDIBLE) 15 years.

BALDWIN: Yes. OK, Chris Simms, Christian Fauria, thank you all very much. And my executive producer was just saying in my ear actually the NFL is now again officially saying they are still looking into it.

SIMMS: Right.

BALDWIN: Looking into it.

Gentlemen, thank you.

SIMMS: Thank you.

FAURIA: Oh, yes, they'll take their time because they're going to - they're going to want to make sure they do it the right way, especially what happened with everything else with Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson. So they're going to -

BALDWIN: As they should.

FAURIA: You know, process. (INAUDIBLE).

BALDWIN: As they should. All right, thanks, guys. Appreciate it.

Coming up next, a U.S. ally reeling as a coup attempt threatens to overtake the government. What this means for the fight against al Qaeda and millions of U.S. dollars.

Plus, the parents of a girl killed in "The Dark Knight" movie massacre, the theater massacre, speaking out saying they do not want the killer's name spoken. How they're trying to prevent his trial from turning into just a total spectacle. They will join me live. Do not miss that conversation.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Got some breaking news out of Yemen. A critical ally in the U.S. war against terror, a Yemen official says rebels have agreed to a tentative deal with the government promising to withdraw its fighters from government buildings, including the presidential palace. But take a look at what happened to the presidential palace just yesterday.

Rebels pounded this before taking it over. And now these rebel leaders are agreeing, as I mentioned a moment ago, to this deal in exchange for changes in Yemen's' constitution that will give them more power. It's a positive step in the nation where al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is really headquartered. American officials says that branch of the terror group poses the most active threat to the United States.

So, let me bring in Bobby Ghosh, our CNN global affairs analyst.

And let's just begin with the news about this possible brokering of a deal, you know, if x, y, z happens, according to this rebels. What do you make of that possibility?

BOBBY GHOSH, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, it's a great thing if it holds. There have been deals before. This is not the first time rebels have disregarded previous agreements on this. There's no reason to believe that they automatically will honor this one until they get what they want, which is quite a lot of power, which is not something that will sit well with quite - with the majority of Yemenis. BALDWIN: You said it yourself when we were in commercial break that

really the capital, Sanaa, is in chaos. You have been to Yemen. You have spent a lot of time in Yemen. Who is really in charge?

GHOSH: Well, at this moment it's hard to see who - that there is one authority over the entire country. The east is where al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is headquartered. The government's (INAUDIBLE) is always run looking loose, even before AQAP existed. There are parts of the country where the government exists only in theory.