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Two Bombings Hit Russia; Ship Remains Stranded in Antarctica
Aired December 30, 2013 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Two hikers triggered a major avalanche, but walked away with minor injuries. They were on New Hampshire's Mount Washington when this happened. This avalanche carried them some 800 feet over the rocks and the cliff in the ice. They had to climb 200 feet before they could reach rescuers yesterday. They did have some bumps and bruises, the worst injury for one of them, a fractured arm.
The most high-profile symbol of world unity is under this new veil of terrorism. The Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, are in five-and-a-half weeks. Today, a second bombing in two days now has hit the city about 600 miles to the southwest. It's Volgograd. A suspected suicide bomber blew up a trolley bus, killing 14 people, and among the 28 hurt, a 6-month-old baby.
Take you back one day, blast at a major train station left 17 dead in the same city of Volgograd, another 35 were wounded and Russian officials believe a woman set this bomb off.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VLADIMIR MARKIN, SPOKESMAN, RUSSIAN INVESTIGATIVE COMMITTEE (through translator): According to available information, the explosion was carried out by the female suicide bomber who saw a police officer next to her on the way to the metal detectors. She became nervous and activated the explosive device. Preliminarily, the explosion was equivalent to 10 kilograms of TNT.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Mike Baker joining me now, a former CIA covert operations officer.
Nice to have you on, Mike. Welcome.
MIKE BAKER, FORMER CIA COVERT OPERATIONS OFFICER: Thank you.
BALDWIN: Let's talk about the timing of the bombings. It's a month out before the Olympics. Do you think -- we don't know, but could this be maybe meant to be a distraction, possibly warning that something bigger could be lurking?
BAKER: Well, I think it's probably an indication there's going to be a series of these likely, unless the Russian authorities can prevent it. You know, most people are aware of or at least know something of the longstanding and awful brutal conflict that's taken place between the Russians and Chechens, and Sochi, where the Olympics will be kicked off on the 7th of February, is only about a little over 400 miles northeast of Volgograd, which used to be called Stalingrad.
And the importance of Volgograd to Sochi is in part that it's a transportation hub. So a large number of people that will be going to the Olympics will likely be passing through, you know, Volgograd. So, yes, I think this is designed by the Islamists, by the militants, by the terrorists, however you want to refer to them, to send a warning that more of this is on the way.
BALDWIN: Wow. So maybe a series. Maybe this is two of several. Let me just play you some sound. I talked to the man who was in charge of security for the Atlanta Olympic Games back in 1996. This is what he told me, what scares him the most about this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAM RATHBURN, FORMER OLYMPICS SECURITY DIRECTOR: ... is that they're indiscriminate attacks. It's not that they're trying to attack someone because they represent a specific country or to target a specific individual, but rather they're just trying to attack Russian targets so that they can have as much impact on the Russian government, put as much pressure on the Russian government as possible.
Those kind of attacks are very, very difficult to prevent.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So, Mike, given what we have seen in Volgograd, given the possibility of multiple bombings to come, what is the biggest unknown here?
BAKER: Well, the biggest unknown is whether Putin can exert the sort of control that he typically does over the security apparatus that will be trying to keep the games and all the visitors and the athletes safe.
This is not like holding the Olympics in the U.S. or the U.K. Putin has this place under his thumb and he will bring to bear all the resources of the Russian military and law enforcement and intelligence. They have already got an extensive array of security processes in place. They will be layering on even more than that, but, you know, at the end of the day, there's only so much that he can do, even in Russia, to provide security, because he still has to allow for the movement of all those visitors, all those sponsors, all those athletes, so that the Games can go on.
I mean, this is a very serious situation. We have known for some time, because of the proximity to Chechnya and Dagestan and others that make up that region, that this could be a real problem.
BALDWIN: As you point out, just a couple miles from that border. This is just Russia. We were talking, and I know 2016 Summer Games, that's Brazil. You said Brazil in terms of security will be a nightmare. You think more so than Sochi, and if so, why?
BAKER: Well, I think it will be.
I think that's the sort of the thing that's looming in the distance. We're focused obviously on the Winter Olympics, but, in part, it's because Putin, again, has a environment that he controls. And we know the brutality, we know the force they have brought upon terrorists and the rebels, insurgents in that part of the world in the past. If he says he vows there will be security, you can count on the fact he will do everything possible to insure that's the case.
BALDWIN: Yes, not the same with Brazil and Dilma Rousseff?
(CROSSTALK)
BAKER: No, no, because -- in part because of the lack of resources. They don't have the same level of resource capability. It's a much more chaotic environment in a sense. So it will be a different type of concern. And that will be outside forces, as opposed to the domestic terrorism primarily that Russia is trying to deal with.
But I think if you look at the two, I'm actually more concerned about the security going into the Summer Olympics in Brazil than I am for the Winter Olympics.
BALDWIN: OK, Mike Baker, let's hope it stays quiet in Sochi the next couple of weeks.
BAKER: Absolutely.
BALDWIN: Thank you very much. Mike, nice to have you on.
No one -- I should point out, no one has claimed responsibility for the latest bombings in Russia, but a prime suspect here -- we were talking about Chechnya -- a prime suspect is a man by the name of Doku Umarov, leader of this Chechen separatist group. He already has a $5 million bounty on his head.
That is what the U.S. State Department is offering for information on where he is. Back in July, Umarov released a video vowing to release -- quote -- "maximum force" to disrupt the Sochi Olympic Games. His group has claimed responsibility for three bombings. That was back in '09, 2010, and 2011, all of them at transportation sites.
And 74 scientists, tourists, crew members, stranded on board this Russian vessel still stuck in a sea of Antarctic ice, but help could soon be on the way here. The crew of this Chinese icebreaker that tried this daring rescue just a couple of days ago will now use a helicopter to airlift some people to safety. The one drawback here, the biggest variable as you look at the pictures, the weather.
Maritime officials say visibility is too low to launch this helicopter. The Chinese vessel called the Snow Dragon initially tried to cut through ice as thick as six feet, even rigged a cyclone to help.
The expedition's leader, Professor Chris Turney, told CNN's "NEW DAY" that the weather is just too dicey for any kind of rescue, at least right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS TURNEY, EXPEDITION LEADER: Conditions aren't just going to allow for that. You might be aware I'm actually sitting in a tent on the top deck of Shokalskiy, actually. The weather has deteriorated again. Yesterday, it was glorious. We had snow this morning. It's now above freezing, it's actually raining outside, the winds are quite intense, not ideal for helicopter operations, unfortunately.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So again, they'll try again tomorrow and maybe they can get a better shot at getting through some of that ice.
Talk about the condition of the ship, the vessel, itself. Is it doing well? Tell us about the conditions the supplies have you on board.
TURNEY: Yes, the vessel is doing remarkably well. If you get a chance, if you can you visit the Intrepid Science YouTube channel, we just posted a movie this evening to show people around the ship. But the vessel itself is good.
We've got about 10 days worth of food. We just did a stock take. Of fresh food; we got several weeks of delicious dehydrated foods in packets that afterwards, which I know people aren't go down too well.
But the Aurora can also air lift food to us as well. We got plenty of fuel. And we're just keeping ourselves busy. We're doing regular briefings morning and evening. I'm just telling the guys everything we know all the time and just being as transparent as possible, just try to avoid any uncertainty or feeling of things are being held back. We're being quite honest with the team.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Professor Turney says despite the frustration, everyone on board is trying to remain upbeat.
Coming up, tonight, in just a couple hours, a hospital can remove a ventilator keeping this 13-year-old breathing even though she's brain- dead after tonsil surgery. Her family is against it. Can they do anything in these final hours to stop that?
Also, an explosive new report reveals the NSA can intercept laptops you order online and install spyware. Hear why and whether it's legal, coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Right now, the pressure couldn't be more intense. The stakes couldn't be higher for this one California family, because in less than five hours, against their wishes, the Children's Hospital in Oakland can remove the ventilator keeping their daughter, 13-year-old Jahi McMath, breathing.
Her mother has so far raised more than $20,000 through this Web site just to help pay for possibly another medical facility to take care of Jahi, but so far, no place will take this young woman. Jahi went in for a tonsillectomy and a sinus tissue removal back on December 9. She woke up alert, she was talking, but her family says she began to bleed and went into cardiac arrest.
Several independent doctors have since then determined Jahi is dead. However, a judge allowed the family to keep Jahi on life support until 8:00 eastern tonight. They have put a time on this.
CNN's Dan Simon is in Oakland for us.
As the clock is ticking, Dan, what is the word from the hospital?
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it appears that really nothing is going to happen, at least until 5:00 local time today. That's when the hospital essentially has the green light to remove the ventilator that has been supporting Jahi McMath's body during this time.
As we have been reporting, she has been declared brain-dead, and this is an irreversible condition. And you said this all happened after she went in for what seemed like a routine tonsil surgery, also had her adenoids removed. This is what the hospital spokesperson had to say just a short time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAM SINGER, HOSPITAL SPOKESMAN: Jahi McMath is unfortunately deceased. No amount of prayer, no amount of hope, no amount of any type of medical procedure will bring her back. Our sympathies go -- our deepest sympathies go to this family and friends and the community, but there's nothing that we can do for this young woman now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIMON: One can certainly sympathize with her family, who has essentially been praying for a miracle ever since this ordeal happened a few weeks ago.
They want to have her moved to a nursing home facility that would keep her indefinitely. They have reached out to three separate facilities, two in California, one in New York. Apparently, no one is willing to take her, in part because it would require the hospital to perform some surgical procedures, and they have publicly said that they're unwilling to do so on what they describe as a deceased person -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: OK, Dan Simon, we will stay in close contact with you as 5:00 Pacific time draws nearer. Thank you very much, in Oakland for us right now.
You hear these words, and I have to say they sound a little scary, elite computer hackers working for the government. You heard me. Turns out the National Security Agency has a standby team of A-list geeks who can sneak behind firewalls and drain data from the world's most secure computer systems.
According to one official, they get the ungettable.
Brian Todd joins me from Washington to explain.
What is this unit, these super government geeks? Who are they?
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They are super hackers working for the government. Brooke, they're called the Tailored Access Operations, or TAO unit of the NSA. According to "Der Spiegel" magazine, this is an elite team of hackers trained by the NSA, very young, most in their 20s or early 30s.
Now, on how it works, "Der Spiegel" cites internal NSA documents detailing a whole catalogue of different techniques they use for remote hacking, according to the magazine. This unit can tap into those error messages many of us get from Microsoft. They pop up all the time telling us there's a bug in our computers. They access so- called cookies, those tags that pop up showing our computer's favorite Web sites.
It can send people to dummy Facebook or LinkedIn Web sites that look like the real thing, but once we go there, they can infect our computer or read our communications. It's not just this remote hacking capability. This unit according to "Der Spiegel" physically intercepts computers being shipped so they can open up the packages, plant spyware on them, close them up again, send them along, and it infiltrates offices with so-called plumbers who plant their own monitor cables or USB plugs with secret transmitters to send data back to the NSA physically onto a computer.
We contacted the NSA to respond to the "Der Spiegel" report. In a statement, the agency said -- quote -- "Tailored Access Operations is a unique national asset that is on the front lines of enabling the NSA to defending the nation and their allies. TAO's work is centered on computer network exploitation in support of foreign intelligence collection" -- their way, Brooke, of saying Americans inside the United States are not being targeted by this.
BALDWIN: If they're not being targeted by this, who is?
TODD: Well, according to "Der Spiegel," one of Mexico's top security agencies has been targeted by this unit, presumably to learn about drug trafficking and border security operations. It's also targeted foreign-government-run telecommunication firms and OPEC, the alliance of oil-producing nations, to learn secrets on the oil trade, but, of course, they go after terrorists and others.
If they find a terrorist whose computer they want to target, they can just profile that computer completely using those techniques I mentioned and just find out how the person is using it to gain information.
BALDWIN: Wow. Brian Todd, we will be looking for you on "THE SITUATION ROOM" 5:00 Eastern with a full report on this. Brian, thank you very much.
TODD: Thanks, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Coming up, are you ready to ring in the new year? I hope you're celebrating indoors. Well, I won't be. Temperatures in some parts of the country dropping faster than the crystal ball in New York. Find out exactly how cold it could be depending on where you live, where you're celebrating.
Plus, if you're heading to Vegas to bring in the new year, you may want to check out a new show. Oh, yes, move over Donny and Marie, Penn & Teller, and Wayne Newton. Britney Spears is in town. She has what's called a residency in Sin City, pulling in a lot of dough. The business of Britney is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Who knew? Britney Spears now a Vegas gal, at least for the next two years. The pop queen debuting her new show in Sin City, which includes a 100-foot stage, this big massive tree and an angel. On opening night, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, they were just some of the VIPs in attendance. But they have got nothing on Britney when it comes to a big career full of cash.
Christine Romans explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Britney Spears is back to work. With a brand new album, "Britney Jean." And she's headed to Vegas. Not to get married this time, but to make money.
A two-year Planet Hollywood residency. Earning a reported $15 million a year or $300,000 a show. More money for a woman who topped "Forbes" list of highest earning female musicians last year bringing in $58 million.
She's come a long way from Mousketeer. Then teen pop icon. Her first single became one of the best selling singles ever.
And her first album, the best-selling debut in history. Thirty million copies worldwide.
Her second album sold 25 million copies. And Britney was all grown up. Two more albums. And a big screen debut. That film, "Cross Roads" brought in more than $60 million worldwide.
With success came personal struggles and the professional pause. Playing out in front of flash bulbs. Her dad taking control of her finances. He still controls the money today. But fans wanted more. Spears gave it to them with her comeback album "Blackout." The follow-up, "Circus," with her first number one single since her "Baby One More Time" days.
The "Circus Tour" earned more than $130 million worldwide. In 2011, "Femme Fatale" was her sixth album to reach number one. As a judge on the "X Factor" last season.
BRITNEY SPEARS, SINGER: I want to know who let you on stage.
ROMANS: -- she earned $15 million for those opinions. And with fame, came endorsements. A perfume empire with Elizabeth Arden. Deals over the years with Candy's, Hasbro, Toyota and Pepsi. All while at just 32, she's worth more than $200 million.
The business of being Britney Spears is --
SPEARS: Crazy.
ROMANS: Christine Romans, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: And from that to the world of weather, potentially deadly weather moving in from Canada. What we're talking about is just, pure and simple, cold, as everyone is ready to celebrate the new year.
(WEATHER UPDATE)
BALDWIN: Now this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to have cookies and coffee set out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Those cookies going to be laced with anything?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely not, no, no.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: In fewer than 48 hours, buying marijuana in Colorado will be as easy as buying booze. You will get a preview of that.
Plus, you voted on the year's top 10 stories. The results are in all the way from the Boston bombings to the kidnappings in Cleveland. But there are a couple surprises -- list as we look back on 2013 picked by you revealed.
You're watching CNN. Stay right here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Come 8:00 a.m. on New Year's Day in the state of Colorado, anyone over the age of 21 will be able to buy marijuana, as simple as it sounds. Just a few retailers have been able to clear all the regulatory hurdles required for recreational marijuana sellers, and they're scrambling to get ready.
CNN's Casey Wian visits one company preparing for opening day.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a big day for Tim Cullen.
TIM CULLEN, LICENSED MARIJUANA SELLER: I would liken it to graduation, you know? It's just been a tremendous amount of work to get to this point.
WIAN: He's joining a handful of business owners receiving Denver's first licenses to sell marijuana for recreational use starting January 1.
