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Edward Snowden Mission Accomplished; Emergency Spacewalk Underway; Almost 2 Million Visit HealthCare.gov Before Enrollment Deadline; Dow Higher Ahead Of Holiday; Last-Minute Shopping; Shoppers Hunt for Last-Minute Deals; How Hackers Get Your Info; Texas Man Wants Pregnant Wife Taken Off Life Support

Aired December 24, 2013 - 13:00   ET

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

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Right now, Edward Snowden says he's won. In a new interview, the admitted NSA hacker talks about his motivation and his justification for spilling national secrets.

And right now, NASA astronauts are working on emergency repairs to the International Space Station. We'll be finding out if those repairs are working.

And right now, markets are winding down for the holidays. Did Santa bring another record close for the Dow?

(MUSIC)

KEILAR: Hi there, I'm Brianna Keilar in Washington. Wolf Blitzer is off today.

And we'll start with Edward Snowden, declaring mission accomplished. In a new interview in "The Washington Post," Snowden opens up on his motives, his justification, and he says as he has already won.

Joe Johns joining me now with this.

What does he mean by that, Joe, he's already won?

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, it's pretty clear he's unapologetic. And if anything, Edward Snowden has been emboldened by all this world attention he's received. This interview is evidence of that, I think. He says he won in terms of personal satisfaction when journalists were able to work on the story, everything he had been trying to do was validated. He doesn't see himself as being disloyal. In fact, he says, quote, "I am still working for the NSA right now. They are the only ones who don't realize it." He actually claims he's trying to help the National Security Agency.

KEILAR: And he actually says he was elected. That's the word --

JOHNS: Right.

KEILAR: -- that he used, that he was elected to uncover the NSA's secrets.

JOHNS: Yes. KEILAR: What does he mean by that?

JOHNS: Well, a play on words, I think, more than anything. But this is where he shows he's not shy about wading into a discussion of Congressional politics. The take away is that the behavior of the people who head up the Congressional intelligence committees made him do what he did. He says Senator Dianne Feinstein elected me when she asked softball questions apparently in committee. Congressman Mike Rogers elected me when he kept these programs hidden. So, again, a play on words.

KEILAR: And he's in Russia. He's been granted temporary asylum --

JOHNS: Right.

KEILAR: -- there. So, as soon as he went there, everyone wondered, oh, OK, well, what are the Russians getting out of this? Did he talk about that?

JOHNS: Sure. Well, he's pretty clear in the fact that he says the Russians aren't getting too much out of it. We know he's been given asylum but it is limited. And he says he's not working with the Russians. Here's that quote "I have no relationship with the Russian government. I have not entered into any agreements with them if I defected at all. I defected from the government to the public." So, a fascinating interview, the world according to Edward Snowden. And we probably haven't heard the last of him.

KEILAR: No, and he says he's living like an indoor cat, right?

JOHNS: Right.

KEILAR: That he's got this sort of life inside now (INAUDIBLE.)

JOHNS: Yes, you would certainly imagine that he wouldn't want to be caught out on the streets too much.

KEILAR: Exactly. Joe Johns, thanks so much for that. And Barton Gellman interviewed Snowden and then wrote that the piece for "The Washington Post." Earlier this morning, he spoke with our Carol Costello about what's next for Snowden and where he could end up.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARTON GELLMAN, WRITER, "THE WASHINGTON POST": He sought asylum and continues to seek asylum from a substantial number of countries. He had said from the beginning, even six months ago when he was in clandestine contact with me and two other journalists, that if he had his choice, he'd be in Iceland. But when you're under pursuit by the United States on felony charges, it's hard to figure out how to get there from here.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, what's next? What might we expect next from Edward Snowden?

GELLMAN: I think he has felt strongly for a long time that he doesn't want to be the story, that his participation in the story tends to distract because he becomes the object of attack and he wants the conversation to be about the public policy questions. Nevertheless, I think he does very much want to see his cause advanced and I would expect that you'll be hearing from him from time to time as he sees opportunities to participate in the conversation.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: And it was in that same article that we learned Snowden rarely leaves his room and that's where he said that he's like an inside cat.

Well, right now, more than 200 miles above the earth, two astronauts are trying to wrap up emergency repairs to the international space station. They're trying to fix a broken cooling pump. You're looking at them right there. Now, without this thing, they've had to turn off some of the station's important electronics. The astronauts have been out there, at this point, for about six hours.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then followed by a full activation of the pump itself to complete a comprehensive checkout.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: So, it sounds there like things are going all right. They're waiting here for a comprehensive test of the part that they were trying to fix.

Alina Machado has been following all of the day's spacewalk for us. How are the repairs going? It sounds all right, Alina. Is that the right take?

ALINA MACHADO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, things are going well, Brianna. We know the spare module or pump is already in position and the fluid lines are connected. And it seems, like you mentioned, that they are starting to wrap things up and they're in the process of hooking up electrical connections and then testing the pump. Astronauts, Rick Mastracchio and Michael Hopkins, are trying to wrap up the job they started on Saturday when they removed a faulty cooling pump that's about the size of a refrigerator. That pump contains ammonia making their job even more delicate.

Now, about an hour ago, we learned that they did have some issues when one of the fluid lines carrying the ammonia in the cooling system became tangled. And that line has since been released so there's some good news there. But the astronauts did report seeing some ammonia flakes which did get on their space suits.

A NASA spokesperson tells CNN there is no real concern, however the astronauts will have to undergo a decontamination process anyway before heading back inside the space station. So, that should take care of that residue -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Yes, and certainly, Alina, we know about the importance of things staying cool when you're around electronics. We deal with that in television because we're around so many things that are electronic and often we complain about how cold our working environment is. A much bigger deal, obviously, if you are in space. And so, this has really sidelined a lot of business of the space station. What are they going to be doing once things get back to normal after this repair?

MACHADO: Well, things are -- you know, it's going to be awhile before things get back to normal. We understand that the crew is going to wrap up the space walk at some point this afternoon. And then once they're inside, the -- they're going to continue to test this pump to make sure that it is fully functional and that it's properly installed before it's completely activated, Brianna. So, we're going to be keeping an eye on this to make sure that everything goes well.

KEILAR: yes, certainly something when you're talking about multiple hours of a spacewalk on Christmas Eve no less. Alina Machado following it for us. Thanks.

Well, you know, there's been a major surge in Obamacare Web site traffic as people are checking out their health care options because tonight at midnight is the latest deadline to get signed up for health care through the Affordable Care Act, if you wanted to be covered on January 1st that is. So, almost 2 million peopling logged on Monday to check out the federal exchange at HealthCare.gov. The call center also logged a quarter of a million calls. It is unknown right now how many of those who checked out yesterday actually signed up for coverage.

Last week, President Obama announced that 1 million people had enrolled. Now, coming up at the bottom of the hour, we'll be taking a closer look at how Obamacare problems may be shaping 2014 and also how the surge in interest could impact the president's message.

Markets are winding down for the holidays. Trading at the New York Stock Exchange shut down a few minutes ago.

Alison Kosik joining me now from New York. How did we do, Alison?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, it looks like it's another record close for the Dow industrials, Brianna. Also, the S&P 500, a strong manufacturing report. That helped fuel the gains. And traders, they were so happy they broke out into song.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CROWD: -- the sun shines, Nellie, and the clouds go drifting by. We will be happy, Nellie, by and by. Down lover's lane we'll wander --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: And this is actually a tradition every year on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. It's a song called "Wait Until the Sun Shines, Nellie." It's been sung on the floor almost every year on Christmas Eve, also New Year's Eve, going back to the early 1930s. It's a song of hope for better times ahead. But, come one, let's face it, times are pretty good if you're invested in the market right now. If you look at the Dow, it's up about 24 percent for the year. The S&P 500 is up 28 percent. The NASDAQ is up a whopping 37 percent. You know, the broad rally puts the Dow on track for its best year in 10 years and the S&P 500 on pace for its best year since 1997 -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Yes. And, Alison, we get so excited when we see that up arrow. But it's -- I think, because of what we've been through, we also worry, OK, it's going up and up. Is this thing going to turn around? Do you think the markets can continue the gains next year?

KOSIK: That really is the question. And you know what? If you talk to most analysts they say the expectation is that the trend is still to go higher, although but probably not as big of a pop as we've seen this year. If you look at the Federal Reserve, it's beginning to pull back on its historic stimulus. So, that could temper the gains. You know what it's really all about? It's really all about how the economy is going to do.

If we keep getting evidence that the recovery has taken hold, stocks could continue to rise. But we really need to see more growth, you know, in jobs and economic growth and the housing market, too. And we really want to watch that one because today we got a report that showed new home sales slipped in November. Also mortgage rates, they're starting to creep higher. And that could wind up crimping the housing recovery -- Brianna.

KEILAR: That's right. We're watching those mortgage rates, too. Alison Kosik, happy holidays to you.

KOSIK: Same to you.

KEILAR: All right. Now, the holiday shopping season has been a bit of a bust though for retailers. The question here is can a last- minute Christmas Eve scramble help save it? You're probably out there. I know I might be doing a little of that. We'll go live to a mall full of shoppers in California next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LOREN RUSSO (PH): Hi, I'm Lieutenant Loren Russo.

MATTHEW GOMEZ (PH): I'm Matthew Gomez.

KATIE BARTOR (PH): I'm Lieutenant Katie Bartor. We're deployed to Kandahar Afghanistan and I want to say happy holidays to family in Los Angeles.

GOMEZ: My family in San Diego.

RUSSO: And to my family in New York City.

ALL: We love you, and we'll see you soon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Only a few hours left to get your last minute shopping in and retailers are slashing prices. That's because they've actually been reporting a rough holiday season for sales. That's why we sent Stephanie Elam to a Best Buy in Burbank, California. Heard, Stephanie, you weren't quite done with your shopping. Maybe, you know, you could do a little work, get some shopping done. You seeing other folks there doing the mad dash in the last few hours?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the time, Brianna, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around these parts. There's a little bit of a line here but they are moving them out here at this Best Buy. They've been pushing them through. 10:00 is when they normally open. Today, they opened at 7:00 a.m. and there were people standing outside waiting to get in here. I want to introduce you to Candace and Elizabeth. Come over here, ladies. This is Candace and this is her mom, Elizabeth. And you're doing some Christmas shopping. What are you looking for?

CANDACE: Headphones.

ELAM: Who are they for?

CANDACE: Myself.

ELAM: OK. So, explain how this, would. Is this your normal Christmas routine?

CANDACE: Well, it was a spur of the moment sort of thing. And I just -- I'm picky with stuff. Like, I don't know what brand I want so I'm just looking, pricing them.

ELAM: OK. You're pricing them or you're going to get them?

CANDACE: Well, pricing right now and then I'm going to see what I want to do.

ELAM: All right, so --

CANDACE: And we're going to go from there.

ELAM: -- Elizabeth, you're here with your daughter.

ELIZABETH: Yes.

ELAM: Is this the normal routine now where the Christmas gifts are picked before Christmas?

ELIZABETH: Usually, yes.

ELAM: But is it usually the day before Christmas?

ELIZABETH: Sometimes.

ELAM: Sometimes.

CANDICE: I think it was just this year, like, we just came the day before.

ELIZABETH: It's, like, spur of the moment, give us something to do, you know?

CANDICE: I mean, usually, it's probably in advance, like, you know, way before.

ELAM: So -- but doesn't make it a little, like, sad on Christmas day when everyone else is opening gifts and you've got your, like, really cool gift that you already wanted but you already have it?

CANDICE: I don't know. Not really.

ELAM: I think the secret is, mom -- does mom -- you already have other stuff ready for her, right?

ELIZABETH: Yes, I do, of course.

ELAM: Loving. Very loving. Well, back at it, have fun, enjoy.

CANDICE: Thank you.

ELAM: Do you think the store is going to be crazier today or calm (INAUDIBLE)?

CANDICE: It was crazier during the week.

ELAM: It was?

CANDICE: It was.

ELAM: So, you -- are you surprised how it is in here right now?

ELIZABETH: Actually, it's not bad at all.

CANDICE: Yes. No, it's less.

ELIZABETH: I think a lot of people are out of town, too. So --

ELAM: Yes. That's a good part of it.

ELIZABETH: It's better for us.

ELAM: It is -- it is better. And this is how Californians are. They're kind of covert with their shopping. They come in. They wear the dark sunglasses like Candice (ph) and Elizabeth. And then they go on and get their gift. And then they disappear out to the world and enjoy a beautiful day out here, Brianna.

KEILAR: Yes. That's -- as a Californian, I can tell you that that is actually true.

I was surprised, Stephanie. I did a little shopping myself last night. There weren't really a lot of people. I thought I was going to have to contend with the hordes. What about after Christmas? Do you think that we're going to see some big sales? ELAM: Always. The day after Christmas is a big deal. And you know, that's another thing. Retailers have not been having the great Christmas that they were -- shopping that they were hoping to have this season. It hasn't really been that ramped up.

Now, part of the reason for stores is because people do a lot of shopping online. That's a huge part of it. But also if they can get more people in there looking for those deals the day after Christmas, a lot of families have traditions. That's what they do. They go out and shop on the day after Christmas. They're going to mark those prices down and get people in to do that, too, Brianna.

KEILAR: All right. Stephanie Elam in Burbank. Thank you so much. Happy holidays to you.

And as you heard Stephanie talking about retailers there, where -- well, Target says that its executives have been meeting for days now. This is because that company is scrambling to contain the fallout from its massive security breach.

Some 40 million debit and credit card numbers were stolen from the company over a three-week period. There's been a handful of lawsuits that have already been filed. There are reports Target is being investigated, as well, by the U.S. Justice Department.

Well, we wanted to know just how easy is it for hackers to use major retailers to get at your information? Gary Tuchman shows us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ADAM MYERS, VICE PRESIDENT OF INTELLIGENCE, CROWD STRIKE: I can teach you within an hour to -- how to have a limited attack against -- against somebody, get into their system.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Get their financial information, their banking information?

MYERS: Sure, yes.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Adam Myers is the vice president of intelligence at a security technology company called Crowd Strike. And he's about to show us how relatively easy it is for people to hack computers of businesses so they could access your credit card information.

Myers says one way criminals sometimes start is by just going on Google and typing in "how to hack."

MYERS: What do you want to hack? Do you want to hack Facebook? Do you want to hack Instagram? Do you want to hack a Twitter account?

TUCHMAN: I want to hack -- I want to hack a bank. Because that's where the money is.

MYERS: "How to hack a bank account," "how to hack a bank." So it's automatic -- these are things that people are searching for. YouTube video on how to hack credit card and transfer money to your credit and savings.

TUCHMAN: This is not any dark secret how people learn stuff like this. They can just do it in ten seconds.

MYERS: Sure.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Criminals can easily find malicious software online, also known as malware. They often go on underground forums to buy a so-called builder software, which builds the malware.

MYERS: So I open up the builder, and this is the thing that's going to allows me to make my malware.

TUCHMAN: The malware code often looks like this, like gobbledygook. But when used effectively, criminals can hack into the computers of retailers and steal your bank information when you swipe your card at checkout.

(on camera): So basically this code and knowing how to do this and learning this and often learning it just from the Internet, from a Google search, can lead you to stealing -- being able to steal millions of dollars?

MYERS: Right.

TUCHMAN: This malware is called Zeus, and Myers says there are many other types of malware with thousands of variations.

(on camera): This person who set up this malware, this Zeus malware, they are now in a position, when someone puts in their financial information, it comes to them, too?

MYERS: Exactly.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): The criminals actually have a scoreboard of sorts.

MYERS: So this is what the bad guy would see.

TUCHMAN: It's a management system where the bad guys keep track of their victims.

(on camera): Right now it says zero total reports on this database, on this management page of the malware. But conceivably it could say 8,000. That means you're controlling 8,000 people in companies' computers?

MYERS: Absolutely.

TUCHMAN: And you can do whatever you want to their computer?

MYERS: Absolutely.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): If the United States had more widespread adoption of chip technology in credit cards like Europe, it would cut down on criminal activity.

In the meantime, the U.S. does have companies like Adam Myers', where many crooks are nailed. Crooks who aren't bright enough to avoid leaving their fingerprints on the work they do.

MYERS: It's not about how smart you need to be to do this. It's about how good you have to be to not get caught.

TUCHMAN: Gary Tuchman, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: It was one of the most talked about political speeches of the year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TED CRUZ (R), TEXAS: I do not like them here or there. I do not like them anywhere. I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Sam I am.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: So where did Ted Cruz's overnight filibuster rank in the top ten political events of the year? We will count them down.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: It is a crucial day for a California family fighting to keep their 13-year-old on life support. In a matter of hours an independent court-appointed doctor is expected to testify behind closed doors on whether or not blood is flowing to Jahi McMath's brain.

On December 9, the girl underwent surgery to remove her tonsils, her adenoids, and some sinus tissue. Soon after that, her family says her condition deteriorated, and she went into cardiac arrest. Doctors say Jahi is brain dead with no chance of recovery.

A judge has ruled that the hospital must hold off on any decision to take Jahi off of life support until December 30.

And in Texas, there is a medical case that is also raising all kinds of legal and ethical questions. A young husband and father is asking his wife be taken off of life support, but as Pamela Brown explains, under Texas law that can't happen, because she is 18 weeks pregnant.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAMELA BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a crushing decision Texas paramedics Erick and Marlise Munoz hoped they would never have to make for one another.

ERICK MUNOZ, HUSBAND OF MARLISE: We talked about it. We are both paramedics. We've seen things out in the field. You know, we both knew that we didn't want to be on life support. BROWN: but last month, Munoz found his wife collapsed and unconscious on the floor inside their home. She was rushed to a hospital, but it was too late. Doctors suspect she suffered from a pulmonary embolism.

MUNOZ: Reached the point where you know, you wish that your wife's body would stop.

BROWN: But the hospital won't let Munoz honor his wife's wishes and remove her ventilator. The reason? Marlise is 18 weeks pregnant, and Texas law specifically protects the life of a fetus in its health and safety code.

DANNY CEVALLOS, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Texas has taken the approach of an expansive view of police power, specifically that the state has a compelling interest in preserving the life of its unborn citizens. And that interest is superior to even the interests of the remaining family that might be charged with raising an ill child.

BROWN: The hospital says it's just following the state laws of Texas.

J.R. LABBE, JPS HOSPITAL SPOKESWOMAN: We have a responsibility of making sure that we follow the laws, whether they are state or federal, when it comes to providing care to patients, and that's what we're doing in this case.

BROWN: Munoz says he wants time to grieve with their 14-month-old son, Mateo. He understands his fight is unpopular but maintains it's deeply rooted in love for his wife.

MUNOZ: I can't say enough about her. And whatever I do will always be short of what she was. I can't do her justice. She's a great woman.

BROWN (on camera): Texas is one of several states with this law that invalidates pregnant women's "do not resuscitate" directives. Meantime, it could be several weeks until doctors can even make a decision about delivering the baby.

Pamela Brown, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: In-fighting and name calling in the nation's capital. Up next, we'll take a look at the top political moments of 2013. Don't worry, though. They're not all bad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi. I'm Lieutenant Commander Dave Hecht (ph), stationed at U.S. Africa command in Stuttgart, Germany. I want to wish my mom and dad, Jerry and Beverly Hecht (ph) in Salt Lakes, Arizona, a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. And to all you Sun Devil fans, go Devils. Go Devils!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: There's been a major surge in traffic on HealthCare.gov. Almost 2 million people checked it out yesterday alone, and that is a record.

Joining me now, "TIME" magazine political reporter Zeke Miller.

So the problems with -- I mean, we already saw you this trend, right, with Obama care not being popular. It taking its toll on President Obama. The Web site didn't help, but now you've got this surge. Does that really help him? Or is it a drop in the bucket?

ZEKE MILLER, POLITICAL REPORTER, "TIME": Well, certainly, I mean, the one-day delay in terms of enrollments so they extended the deadline very quietly, that slight technical fix that was reported yesterday and they finally confirmed, a sign of -- you know, that there is interest in this product. Something the White House has been talking about for a while, that people do want to sign up and enroll in this health insurance.

At the same time, it's sort of the drip, drip, drip continues. You know, starting from October 1 when this law was -- you know, when this part of the law was implemented almost, you know, weekly and sometimes daily there's been, you know, new revelations and new changes being made on the fly.

And that's sort of going to be a political sort of -- something that the White House and the administration is going to have to deal with going forward even into 2014 if these changes continue. It's going to be hard for them to put in the rearview mirror, certainly.

KEILAR: So it's sort of one step in the process. But so that was 2013. I'm sure the president is just thrilled to kind of leave it behind him.