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NSA Data Collection is Legal; Unemployment Pay Running Out; Delta Incorrect Pricing; Al Qaeda Poised for More Attacks; 2013 Pop Culture Winners & Losers

Aired December 27, 2013 - 14:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips.

We begin with that fight over your privacy and how it's become a fight in the U.S. legal system. A federal judge has just ruled that the White House-endorsed NSA program that digs into your phone records and is completely legit. Legal. That's a 180-turn from last week when another judge called the NSA snooping program, quote, "almost Orwellian technology."

Not so, says Judge William Polley. Here's what he says. Quote, "No doubt the bulky telephone metadata collection program vacuums up information about virtually every telephone call to, from, or within the United States. As the September 11th attacks demonstrate, technology allowed al Qaeda to operate decentralized and plot international terrorist attacks remotely. The bulky telephone metadata collection program represents the government's counter' punch connecting fragmented and fleeting conversations to reconstruct and eliminate al Qaeda's terror network."

Joining me now from Washington, Evan Perez. He's the CNN justice correspondent.

So, Evan, what exactly does today's ruling ultimately mean?

EVAN PEREZ, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, it means that you have two judges of equal ranks who have opposite conclusions based on the same set of facts, the same program that's run by the NSA. Now, what this means is that the NSA will keep doing this data collection. You know, the judge last week allowed the government to appeal. And today, in this lawsuit filed in New York, the ACLU says it will appeal. So it may take probably another couple years of going through the appeals process before we may yet see a Supreme Court ruling that decides this once and for all.

PHILLIPS: All right, so what happens now? Where does this back and forth go next?

PEREZ: Well, as you know, the president appointed a blue ribbon panel to look at these issues, and they came to the conclusion that this program needs some changes. Now, they suggest that the NSA turn this over to the phone companies and that they store the data and then the NSA has to go to a court to (INAUDIBLE). The Obama administration says this is something they're going to look at. The president says next month he's going to decide or maybe, you know, just make some decisions on what to do with this. But, you know, this is not something that's going to go away just yet. Like I said, the Supreme Court may yet have to decide the legality of this.

PHILLIPS: So, Evan, let me ask you because it was just yesterday on this program that we were talking about how President Obama called al Qaeda just a few months ago, a, quote, "shadow of its former self."

PEREZ: Right.

PHILLIPS: Now the judge says, because of al Qaeda, we need this snooping program, this counterpunch. So which is it?

PEREZ: Well, you know, that's what's so interesting about this ruling today. This judge, he's looking at 9/11. He's looking at the failures of the government that brought on 9/11, that failed to prevent it. And he's saying that this NSA program, and this is an excuse, but this is a reasoning that the NSA, for instance, gives for the reason this program exists. The -- this judge says that this is a program that could have perhaps prevented that -- the attacks on 9/11.

The judge last week in Washington, he came to the opposite conclusion. He said he didn't see any reason for this program to exist. And he says that the government hasn't proved that it does anything to prevent an imminent attack. So, again, differing conclusions based on the same program, the same set of facts, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Evan Perez, thanks so much.

And new this afternoon, Target with a stunning reversal. We now know that personal identification numbers on PINs were in fact stolen, along with credit and debit card information when Target stores were hacked earlier this month. It was a massive data breach, as you know, with more than 40 million accounts affected. So pretty huge news considering that it was just yesterday we were telling you about Target saying, hey, don't worry, your PIN wasn't compromised. Well, for its part, Target believes the PINs do remain safe and secure, but obviously this has huge implications for anyone who shopped at Target using a debit card. And if you did shop at Target, you probably should change your PIN number. I did.

Well, more than a million people who are making ends meet with help from the federal government will take on yet another problem starting tomorrow. Their jobless pay is ending. It's all used up. You know, a lot of these folks have Christmas bills coming, and who knows what other expenses. No two ways about it. Some 1.3 million workers will start 2014 in a jam. Tom Foreman with us now from Washington.

So, Tom, introduce us to these people and give us an idea of what exactly they're losing.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kyra, let's just click through a few basic questions about this.

Who is being effected? It's 1.3 million people who have used up their long term - their regular unemployment benefits. They are considering long-term unemployed, meaning they've been unemployed for more than 26 or 27 weeks. They got regular unemployment through that first period of time. Now they're in this special category being covered by emergency unemployment compensation checks.

When did this special aid, this emergency help, start? That happened back in 2008 when the recession was just raging away. Basically the federal government said there are too many people who are going to struggle too long, and the economy is going to be hurt too much if they don't have any money to spend. So these extensions were added to the regular unemployment relief to make it last longer. It's been renewed 11 times since then. Finally, they're saying, there will be no more renewal.

So, how much money are we talking about to these people? Because that's really what it comes down to. Probably $300, maybe $350 for some people per week. And just as a point of reference here, Kyra, if you look at the stats for a family of four, particularly with a couple of teenagers, anywhere from half to two thirds of $300 a week will go to food alone, let alone your transportation and your housing and your utilities and communication and everything else people need if they want to have hope of getting a job.

PHILLIPS: Oh, it's a lot of money every week no doubt. And you mentioned that Congress started this program as an emergency response to the great recession. But if you look at these numbers, the jobs emergency is over. Unemployment topped out at 10 percent in October and that was 2009, right? It's down to 7 percent now. So is the justification gone for continuing to extend these jobless benefits?

FOREMAN: Well, I don't think really that anybody here will argue that the additional benefits are helpful to people, particularly the people who are receiving them. There's also this question of how you count this. One of the issues with unemployment rates these days is so many people have fallen out of the workforce who aren't being counted anymore. I'm not really sure 7 percent unemployment means the same thing today that it meant 15 years ago or something like that when we were actually talking about much lower rates of insurance -- or of unemployment right now.

So the bottom line is, Kyra, I don't think anybody here thinks the job situation is where it ought to be. Everybody acknowledges that the people out there are suffering. The question is, how much money should the federal government pour into continuing this? Obviously some on the right say, if you cut it off, it encourages people to finally take jobs, even if they pay less than they did before and start working again. Many people on the left will say, these people are already trying to find work. They just can't find it. It's a very difficult situation which Congress will take up again as they consider reopening this box as soon as they come back in January. And we'll have to see how it goes.

PHILLIPS: You mean that do-nothing Congress that we've been talking about all this week, Tom Foreman?

FOREMAN: That do-nothing Congress. Well, maybe 2014, maybe that -

PHILLIPS: Let's hope it's a better year, indeed. Thanks, Tom.

FOREMAN: I don't know.

PHILLIPS: Well, right now, another story that we're following for you in Antarctica. This dramatic rescue operation not necessarily going as planned. Here's the deal. That Chinese ice breaking ship is within sight of that Russian vessel that became stranded Christmas morning. But the ice blow (ph) is far worse than the rescue ship anticipated. And a blizzard has actually slowed down the progress. The crew onboard the research expedition did tweet out this picture saying their savior boat is just in sight. I think it's about 12 miles now, as well as some penguins that you can see at the bottom left there.

They sent out a distress beacon Christmas Day after a blizzard's whipping winds actually pushed the sea ice around the ship, basically froze it right there in its place. And onboard that paralyzed vessel, 74 passengers and crew. And one of the crew members has been speaking with us her on CNN. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS TURNEY, STRANDED ON VESSEL IN ANTARCTICA: Morale is remarkably high. We had a great Christmas. We've just been, unfortunately -- incredibly unfortunate. We're deeply frustrated, not getting out to the open ocean. We were down here following in the footsteps of one of the greatest explorers (INAUDIBLE) Antarctic (INAUDIBLE) expedition, looking at how much change has been in this environment in the last 100 years. And we had a fantastic day on the 23rd working on the Antarctic (INAUDIBLE). The ship was heading north (ph) able to get out. The satellite data has been great the day before. But just as we were coming back to the ship, the conditions were closing in. We moved as quickly as we could, but the ship just couldn't get through. And Christmas morning, we had to put the alert out there could please someone help us break out.

Basically we're continuing our work. It's not ideal. We're not -- we weren't looking to be here for - now that we are here, we're just trying to make the best of a bad bunch. So, we're continuing (INAUDIBLE). We're drilling through the sea ice. We're looking at the life underneath the sea - underneath of the sea ice that - actually trying to get down to the sea bed. We're dropping microphones down to listen to the (INAUDIBLE) seals and the other seas in the area.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Amazing. So their work is still continuing as they wait for their rescue. Now, a decade ago, I had my own expedition to the South Pole. It was pretty darn amazing. And I got to witness exactly what this rescue ship and the two behind it are doing right now. The incredible process of cutting through the ice. We're going to have more of that documentary, "Harsh Continent," next hour.

Well, coming up, how much do you think a flight from Boston to Honolulu is? Well, if you were one of the lucky Delta customers yesterday, it would have only cost you $68. And the same day a man dressed in drag hopped a fence and crossed a runway at Newark Airport, another man was caught doing the same thing on the other side of the country. We've got all the details next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: I'll tell you what, it was definitely a once in a lifetime deal. Perhaps the Christmas present of all Christmas presents. Cheap airfares. And I'm telling you, we mean cheap. Delta Airlines accidentally posted on its website ultra-low prices for flights across the U.S. Accidentally, OK? So if you were trolling delta.com just at the right time, well, you were good to go. We're talking first-class round-trip fares for as low as $13. Cross country flights from Florida to Los Angeles, $27 each way. It was definitely a dream for travelers. And, of course, not so much fun for Delta, who's going to have to basically eat a pretty penny now. But the airline says it will honor those fares. Joining us this afternoon, CNN business correspondent Zain Asher.

So, Zain, what exactly happened?

ZAIN ASHER, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.

Well, it looks like the result of a pretty significant computer glitch. I mean this happened a few months ago with United Continental. That was back in September. But there are reports that what happened was that Delta was sort of trying to change the fares in their system by about $10 or $20, and then a junior programmer, we're hearing, may have made a mistake. And that's how you ended up with a fare going from Florida to Los Angeles for $27. But good news is that they did honor them. So certainly a very generous Christmas present from Delta to its customers.

Kyra.

PHILLIPS: No doubt. OK, so I guess we'll probably find out more about this in the coming days, I'm sure. I hope nobody gets fired because, hey, like we said, it was great for people who were traveling, right?

ASHER: I know.

PHILLIPS: So they were meaning to discount the flights. So that's good news, right?

ASHER: They weren't meaning to discount the flights. No. But -

PHILLIPS: Right, by $10 or $20. They were meaning to discount it by a little bit, right?

ASHER: They were meaning to discount them by a little bit, but, you know, this was actually a pure mistake, basically. But these glitches have actually become so common that a lot of savvy flyers actually search for them. So if you're looking for a flight that costs slightly less than the down payment of a new car, the important thing for you to do is actually get on these price alert lists. That is crucial. I have a couple for you, so it's important to jot them down. Farecompare.com is a good one. It notifies you the instant an air fare changes. The site says it could be the difference between saving or overpaying by hundreds of dollar. So let's say you're watching that Florida to Los Angeles route, for example, that you mentioned, Kyra. Maybe it was $400. Farecompare would actually let you know as soon as it fell to $27. So other good ones out there, Orbitz as well, Travelocity, Kayak as well. So it's important that you get on these watch lists, these price compare lists, if you want to find out the next time that these glitches arise.

Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Oh, I see. So take advantage of the glitches next time around. OK, now I understand.

ASHER: Yes, absolutely.

PHILLIPS: Zain, thanks so much.

ASHER: Of course.

PHILLIPS: Well, the same day that police saw a man hop the fence and run across the runway at New Jersey's Newark International Airport, security cameras actually caught another man doing the same thing at Phoenix's Sky Harbor Airport. And here's the video. Airport authorities say that early Christmas evening, 49-year-old Robert Bump climbed over an eight-foot fence and ran onto the tarmac. Control tower workers spotted him and say that they ran up to him - or actually he ran up to a Southwest jet that had just landed. Well, police say that Bump actually struck the plane's engines with his hands before they caught him walking toward the terminal. Yes, that is his mugshot. The engines had already been turned off and authorities say that Bump appeared to be drunk and really didn't have a motive at this time. Can we look at that mugshot just one more time? Seriously, that is a mugshot of all mugshots. Bump was not having a good day.

All right, next up, CNN has learned that intercepted messages from senior al Qaeda operatives are renewing concerns that the terrorist group is plotting new attacks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SETH JONES, RAND CORPORATION: They're still capable of conducting attacks outside of Yemen, including plotting attacks against the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Here's a scary question, could strep throat kill you? Or an infected knee scratch? That's the warning from one U.S. congresswoman over antibiotic-resistant superbugs. She joins me live, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, a car bombing today sent a shock wave through Beirut. It left four people dead, including a former Lebanese cabinet member, who'd also served as the country's top envoy to Washington. No one has claimed responsibility. But as you know, recent terror attacks in Lebanon are widely seen as a product of the war in neighboring Syria.

Despite losing more commanders to American drone strikes, al Qaeda's been busy the past year, gearing up for attacks in 2014. That's the story from the Pentagon now. Here's CNN's Barbara Starr.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): CNN has learned recent intercepts of messages from senior al Qaeda operatives in Yemen are renewing concern the group is planning new attacks. The intercepts don't indicate specific targets, but are described by one source as, quote, "active plotting."

SETH JONES, RAND CORPORATION: There are multiple indications that al Qaeda in the Arabian peninsula is plotting attacks, both within Yemen, against U.S. and other western structures, as well as overseas.

STARR: The group in Yemen already well known for the failed underwear bomber attempt to bring down an airplane Christmas Day 2009. Four years later, the U.S. intelligence community believes it poses the greatest threat of an attack on the U.S.

JONES: They are still capable of conducting attacks outside of Yemen, including plotting attacks against the United States, in multiple locations, including trying to conduct attacks against the U.S. homeland, especially by taking down aircraft.

STARR: Analysts say the group rebounded in 2013 from battlefield losses. U.S. drone strikes have had mixed results. A drone attack this month failed to kill an al Qaeda planner believed to be behind a plot to attack the U.S. embassy. Yemen says more than a dozen members of a wedding party were killed in that attack. Yemen's al Qaeda leader, Nasser al-Wuhayshi, also advising al Qaeda fighters across the region. And those al Qaeda affiliates from Yemen to Syria, Iraq and Libya are growing stronger. The threat they pose worries key members of Congress.

CANDY CROWLEY, ANCHOR, CNN'S "STATE OF THE UNION": Are we safer now than we were a year ago, two years ago?

SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D), CALIFORNIA: I don't think so.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, I absolutely agree that we're not safer today.

STARR: In Iraq, police are trying to crack down. But al Qaeda openly operates training camps near the Syrian border. And from there, al Qaeda has moved into Syria with weapons and tactics learned during the U.S. war in Iraq. Inside Syria, a key al Qaeda affiliate, also stronger than a year ago. About 100 Americans, along with potentially hundreds from Europe, are fighting alongside thousands of militants.

JONES: If they were able to return to Europe and to get access to the United States or return directly to the United States, they were not put on any watch list, they would pose a very serious threat. They're well trained, they're radicalized, and they have the ability and the intent to strike the U.S. homeland.

STARR (on camera): Analysts say the rise of the new al Qaeda affiliates is part of the price paid for years of attacks against the old core al Qaeda. Many of those leaders are long gone, including Osama bin Laden, and now the new affiliates have much more autonomy, much more freedom to operate as they see fit.

Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, the mile high city is about to get, well, a little higher for some. In less than one week, marijuana becomes legal to sell for recreational use in Colorado, and today businesses became officially legit.

Plus, the winners and losers in 2013 pop culture. The list may surprise you. And some people may be on both. Our panel standing by with their favorite picks.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: 2013 was quite a year in pop culture. Whether it was the blockbuster return of Beyonce or the explosion of reality TV star scandals. The headlines just kept coming.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They were games. Would you like to be in a real war (ph)?

BEYONCE (singing): (INAUDIBLE), I look damn good. I ain't lost (Ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cooking 100 pounds a week, not 50, as in starting a new lab. A lab that you'll run. A cook all your own. Why not? You deserve it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to do the thing that God put Ron Burgundy on this earth to do, have salon-quality hair and read the news.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Uh-huh, honey.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stay close.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's walkers in D.

MILEY CYRUS (singing): And we can't stop and we won't stop. (INAUDIBLE) don't take nothing from nobody. Yeah.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Oh, yeah, plenty of hype to keep people talking. But was everybody a winner? Let's chat about it, shall we? Our panel today, Loni Love, comedian and "Cafe Mocha" host, journalist David Begnaud, and Krista Smith, CNN entertainment commentator and "Vanity Fair" senior west coast editor. Everybody loves a winner, guys. So why don't we start there, OK? Your picks for 2013.

David, kick it off.

DAVID BEGNAUD, JOURNALIST: All right, here we go. So, first of all, Miley Cyrus. I've got to tell you, I think Miley's a winner. I mean, look, she's not exactly the young woman I would want my daughter looking up to as a role model. However, I think she's a big winner in terms of, you know, she made everybody look at her and go, you know what, you might not like what I'm saying or what I'm doing, but I'm making a lot of money. My music is topping the charts. I think she's a winner for the year.

"Duck Dynasty." Look, here's the thing, I'm from Louisiana. I'm not a huge fan of what he said. However, can you be surprised? OK, he's from north Louisiana. I wasn't really surprised when he said that. It's what he believes in. I think he's a winner. I think A&E might end up being a loser.

Speaking of the south, Ms. Paula Deen, a wonderful cook, nice lady, but not quite sure, Kyra. I'm thinking she's a bit of a loser this year.

PHILLIPS: OK, you're not allowed to get to the losers yet.

BEGNAUD: No?

PHILLIPS: You can't get to the losers yet.

BEGNAUD: We're sticking with winners?

PHILLIPS: No, no, no. Hold that thought. We're sticking with winners.

BEGNAUD: All right. OK.

PHILLIPS: I'm staying positive at this half hour.

BEGNAUD: "Duck Dynasty," Miley Cyrus. We're calling them winners. You agree?

PHILLIPS: OK, got you. Even though she's not a role model.

BEGNAUD: All right.

PHILLIPS: I'm going to get back to that one on you.

BEGNAUD: Bingo.

PHILLIPS: All right, Krista. I know Krista loves Beyonce. Who else is a winner for you this year?

KRISTA SMITH, ENTERTAINMENT COMMENTATOR: Well, aside from Beyonce, I'd say Jennifer Lawrence. I mean this girl has become the world's sweetheart. From tripping on her way up to receive her best actress Oscar, to having Jack Nicholson flirt with her. She goes on to do "Hunger Games," which is a huge hit. And then she's on a roll right now to cruise right into another nomination for best supporting actress for "American Hustle." Her clothes keep us talking. Her haircuts keep us talking. I mean we can't get enough of this girl.

PHILLIPS: She's pretty funny, too, on the talk shows.

You also said Robert Redford.