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Still No Clean Tap Water After Leak; Former NBA Star Says No Regrets on North Korea Trip; Former Defense Secretary Defends Memoir; Storms, High Winds Slam Parts of South; Christie Faces More Scrutiny; Pot Tours a Hit in Denver; Marijuana-Related Stocks Booming; Violence in Iraq Gets Worse; "Lone Survivor" Opens up about New Movie; Golden Globe Awards Tonight
Aired January 12, 2014 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: We have much more straight ahead here in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Welcome. Let's re-start this hour.
This hour we will hear from West Virginia's governor on a water crisis that has left hundreds of thousands of people without clean water for three days. We'll bring you his comments live as it happens and tell you about new health concerns from the chemical leak.
And former NBA star Dennis Rodman gets ready to end his controversial trip to North Korea as his team mate defends their visit in a fiery exchange on CNN.
And blown away. Powerful winds knocked down an entire condo complex under construction. The amazing video coming up.
In just 30 minutes, West Virginia's governor will give an update on a water contamination emergency that's left 300,000 people in his state with no clean tap water for three days. The chemical used to wash coal leaked into the water supply Thursday. Residents hope the governor will have answers about when water can be consumed again.
Our Alina Machado is covering this developing story from Charleston, West Virginia.
ALINA MACHADO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The governor's office tells us chemical levels in the water are going down. That's obviously very good news. But they are also saying that it will likely take several days before they can actually lift this water ban. Residents here are very anxious. They're eager for things to go back to normal.
And we got a sense of that normalcy this afternoon when we went inside a Chili's Restaurant in downtown Charleston. We want to show you some of that video. The restaurant opened its doors for the first time since Thursday today and it was very, very busy.
We did talk to a woman who lives here in Charleston about her concerns once this water ban is lifted. Take a listen at what she had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MICHELE ROSE, RESIDENT: I think that it's going to take some time but I would probably wait, check myself, I could tell -- I could still smell it before I would trust that I can use it.
MACHADO: So even if they were to lift the ban in a few days you would wait --
ROSE: I would probably wait about -- I don't know. A few days, maybe until a week to actually consume it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACHADO: So as you just heard it will likely take several days for many of these residents to feel comfortable enough to drink this water once the ban is lifted.
WHITFIELD: Thanks so much, Alina Machado, there in Charleston, West Virginia.
Again, when the governor takes to the microphone we'll take that press conference live.
All right. Former NBA star Charles Smith spoke exclusively to CNN about his controversial trip to North Korea with Dennis Rodman. Smith sat right next to Rodman in the heated interview with CNN's Chris Cuomo last week.
Well, today he said the trip put a lot of pressure on Rodman. But Smith doesn't regret anything. He said the North Korean government did not pay him but today from Beijing he told CNN's Victor Blackwell and Christi Paul they did get compensated.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHARLES SMITH, WENT TO NORTH KOREA WITH DENNIS RODMAN: You know what, first of all, twofold, one absolutely we were paid. It wasn't as much as, you know, the guys usually get paid when they do stuff with me or our group. But absolutely. I mean the guys --
(CROSSTALK)
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR, NEW DAY WEEKEND: Well, how much was it then? That's the question I typically wouldn't ask but how much were you paid?
SMITH: No -- let me -- let me finish answering the question.
BLACKWELL: Go ahead.
SMITH: It is no different than the top CEO of a company retiring and becoming a consultant. So if anybody has an issue with us being compensated, that's absurd. You know?
BLACKWELL: How much were you paid?
SMITH: Now in answer to your -- why should I mention? It's none of anyone's business how much we got paid.
BLACKWELL: I think it gets to motive, though.
SMITH: And there's no reason for me to answer that.
BLACKWELL: I think it gets to motive because I think there are lots of people --
SMITH: No, it -- why does it have to be a motive?
BLACKWELL: Why would a person go to North Korea for a birthday gift for Kim Jong-Un? And the first half of the interview, the first 25 minutes you talked about culture exchange.
SMITH: We already -- Victor -- sure.
Victor, we already --
BLACKWELL: And now we're talking about a check.
CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR, NEW DAY WEEKEND: Well, and we're also --
SMITH: We already answered the question about --
PAUL: I mean, I think people are wondering who paid you.
SMITH: Victor, we already answered the question. We already answered the question about the birthday date and all that. So we're beyond that.
BLACKWELL: OK.
SMITH: But what I'm saying to you is, why would anybody have an issue with us being compensated? Paddy Power, along with our documentary film crew, paid for the expenses and gave guys honorarium to continue to do the trip.
Now when I say it's more than money and it wasn't about that, it was about the trip. I had an opportunity to go somewhere, to a recluse country that no one goes to. We were invited by the Olympic Committee from North Korea, that it assured our safe passage in and out, which they did. And it was an experience.
No, I have no regrets at all. I think I spent most of my time with a gentleman by the name of Ri Jung-mu (ph) who is the sports minister there in North Korea. We shared a lot of stories about he played soccer there in North Korea. We shared a lot of stories about sports and how they train and different sorts of things.
And I believe -- I can't -- I don't know in the foreseeable future, but I believe that there are going to be positive outcomes from this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: That was Charles Smith. So today, Pope Francis named 19 new cardinals. They come from all over the world and range in change from 55 to 98. All but three are under the age of 80 which makes them eligible to elect the next Pope.
Pope Francis will formally unveil their names in a meeting next month.
In Texas an anonymous bidder paid $350,000 for a permit to kill an endangered black rhino. The controversial auction has been criticized by wild life advocates. But despite protests, the Dallas Safari Club went ahead with it. They say the money will be donated to Namibia to help save the threatened species.
All right, now to some big news out of Iran. Just over a week from today Iran will start getting rid of its uranium stockpile. That's according to the White House which says Iran will also dismantle some infrastructure that makes higher level uranium enrichment possible. It's part of a deal that was first announced in November. In exchange some sanctions against Iran will be eased.
President Obama calls it a big deal, saying this, quote, "With today's agreement, we have made concrete progress. I welcome this important step forward and we will now focus on the critical work of pursuing a comprehensive resolution that addresses our concerns over Iran's nuclear program," end quote.
All right. Right now a lot of criticism for former defense secretary Robert Gates and his tell-all book "Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War." Gates makes some pretty harsh judgments about Congress and the Obama administration, calling Congress incompetent, hypocritical, and egotistical.
He talked to CBS.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT GATES, FORMER DEFENSE SECRETARY: I didn't enjoy it. There is nothing enjoyable about a job where you put men and women in harm's way for their country's sake. Nothing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Gates served four and a half years under President George W. Bush and President Obama. He says he stayed on the job out of duty to the troops, calling it the biggest honor of his life.
Erin McPike joins us live now from Washington with more on the Gates' interview with CBS.
So, Erin, he's pretty critical of how President Obama also handled the war in Afghanistan.
ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, he is and even Republicans are questioning why he didn't wait until President Obama leaves office because they worry it undermines his authority on the world stage as commander-in-chief.
Well, here's how he responded to that in the CBS interview.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GATES: Here I think you have to look at the entirety of the book. And the fact that it deals with getting into wars, getting out of wars, and frankly it seemed to me that with the experience of -- and perspective of working for eight presidents and having been secretary for four and a half years, I didn't think that waiting until 2017 to weigh in on these issues and in a comprehensive and thoughtful way made any sense.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCPIKE: It's one thing to tell the troops that you support them. It's another to work at making them believe that you believe as president that their sacrifice is worth it. That the cause is just, that what they are doing is important for the country, and that they must succeed. President Bush did that with the troops when I was secretary. I did not see President Obama do that. And I said, as I write in the book, there was this absence of passion, this absence of a conviction of the importance of success that disturbed me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCPIKE: You'll notice he's wearing a neck brace and that's due to a fractured vertebrae from a fall just before New Year's. Now interestingly the White House says President Obama called to ask how he was but they apparently didn't talk about the book.
And as for the job Gates had in the book, President Obama and George W. Bush, there may be some surprises about how he felt about it. He said earlier that he didn't enjoy being secretary of defense but naturally he didn't like putting men and women in harm's way. And that's ultimately what led him to decide it was time to leave the job.
Here he is in his own words about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GATES: I became very emotionally caught up with the troops and it got to the point where I couldn't speak to them or about them without choking up. And that was another reason why I thought it's time to go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCPIKE: But we'll be seeing a lot more of Gates in the coming week or so as he embarks on a big media tour to talk more about the criticisms he leveled in the book -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: Erin McPike, thanks so much.
All right. Hurricane strength winds tore through parts of North Carolina bringing these condominium under construction, crashing to the ground.
Coming up next an update on those storms.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Another cold week for the East Coast but not as cold as it has been lately and the West Coast will get more rain.
Meanwhile, this weekend's storm and high winds slammed the south knocking over a condominium under construction and semitrucks.
Our Jennifer Gray has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, no! Look at that.
JENNIFER GRAY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: High winds blow down this condo under construction in North Carolina, leaving behind a pile of rubble during a day of wild weather across the U.S.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I saw my neighbor's patio furniture flying across the parking lot. So then I went down into the garage and waited.
GRAY: In the Raleigh-Durham area, wind gusts reached 85 miles per hour, knocking down trees and power lines. Along with that wind, heavy rain, tornado watches and flood warnings across the region. In Georgia, firefighters successfully rescued a teenager from a mobile home after she was trapped by a fallen tree.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They actually used an airbag placed underneath the tree to pick it up with air so they could get her out.
GRAY: High winds were a big problem in the West, too. Here is a report from Montana.
MIKE ROLLINS, KRTV METEOROLOGIST: You can see how strong they are, they're blowing around the light posts here in Browning, and of course, causing damage across the area. It's so windy, it is hard to stand up.
GRAY: Check out some of the damage KRTV meteorologist Mike Rollins was talking about. Trucks blown all over Interstate 15.
Meanwhile, some welcome relief for parts of the Midwest with temperatures higher than normal. In St. Louis, all they needed was sweat shirts for a visit to the zoo.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Last week I had to wear bib overalls and hats, gloves, base shield, scarf, all sorts of stuff to keep bundled so quite a difference.
GRAY: Meteorologist Jennifer Gray, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And he has built a career by being blunt and brash. But what made Governor Chris Christie a political giant could cause his downfall.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Thursday New Jersey legislators are to vote on expanding the Bridgegate probe into what some are calling a real disaster. That means investigators could get more subpoena power. An indication the state investigation of Governor Chris Christie and his office is far from over.
As CNN's Brian Todd reports, what started out as a massive traffic jam caused by Christie's top aides could in the end bring him down?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This isn't the Chris Christie many of us expected to see, humbled, apologetic.
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: I am not a bully.
TODD: And yet it's that jersey tough-guy style which launched him to political stardom.
CHRISTIE: Are you stupid? On topic. On topic. Next question. Good. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you all very much and I'm sorry for the idiot over there.
It's none of your business. I'll ask you where you send your kids to school. Don't bother me about where I send mine.
And you know what, and you know what, let me tell -- let me tell you this. You know what, it's people who raise their voices and yell and scream like you that are dividing this country. We're here to bring this country together, not to divide it.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
TODD: According to the book "Double Down" about the 2012 campaign, Christie insisted that Mitt Romney get his approval to raise money in New Jersey. The authors say Romney wasn't pleased, quote, "It was like something out of the 'Sopranos'."
JAMES GANDOLFINI, ACTOR, "THE SOPRANOS": We're running a business here.
TODD: But with his sight set on 2016, has Christie gone soft?
PROF. MATTHEW HALE, SETON HALL UNIVERSITY: Governor Christie has spent a good part of the last year trying to run away from the idea that he's a bully. This whole incident just blew that out of the water.
TODD (on camera): Chris Christie now says he's not a focus group tested blow-dried candidate for governor. But does that style still appeal as the scandal plays out. We ask people here in Washington and New Jersey. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If I was I watching you coming within six months, you know, people would say, hey, you know, we don't trust this guy, you know?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I like his style. He's very blunt. He's out there. He's different compared to other politicians and his own party that just beat around the bush.
TODD (voice-over): New Jersey political analyst, Matthew Hale, says Christie helped himself with that news conference, but he's got to stay in front of this scandal, has to be engaged with the investigation. Hale says if Christie doesn't do that, or if information comes out that he knew of the bridge closing around the time it happened, the scandal is not over, Christie is over.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Legalized pot is becoming big business. In a minute I'll tell you how Wall Street is now getting in on the action.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Here are the top stories crossing the CNN news desk right now.
In just a few minutes West Virginia's governor will address the major water contamination crisis that has left 300,000 people in his state without clean tap water. Tests are being done to determine if a chemical used to wash coal remains in the water supply after Thursday's leak. People have had to use bottled water for drinking, cooking and washing for three days.
We'll bring you're the governor's comments live.
A 17-year-old boy who was the subject of a documentary on a rare disease has passed away. Sam Burns from "Life According to Sam" has progeria which causes premature aging. He died on Friday. Last night Sam was supposed to be an honorary captain for the New England Patriots but they held a moment of silence instead for him.
In California the state is getting hit hard by a flu outbreak. Affiliate KGO says at least 11 people have died so far from the flu. At least one hospital in the San Jose area has set up overflow tents to deal with flu patients. The Centers for Disease Control says there is widespread flu activity in at least 35 states.
On the heels of the legalization of marijuana in Colorado there has been a major shift in attitude toward the overall legalization of pot. A new CNN/ORC poll says for the first time ever a majority of Americans now support legalization. 55 percent say they think it should be made legal and only 44 percent are against it. So how does support for legal marijuana stack up against other vices?
Marijuana is also slowly closing in on tobacco support level. The poll shows 71 percent of people think tobacco should be legal.
Legalized recreational marijuana is already big business in Colorado. And it's not just for selling pot. Some entrepreneurs have set up marijuana tours around Denver.
CNN's Randi Kaye went along for the ride.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA HARVEY, CANNABIS TOUR CUSTOMER: Look at those birds in the back. Be still my heart.
RANDI KAYE, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Barbara Harvey does not fit the stereotype. She's 72 years old, a grandmother, and she loves to smoke pot. So today is a dream come true. A cannabis tour, now one of the most popular attractions in Denver. Think Napa Valley wine tours, just replace the vice.
HARVEY: See, these are all the dispensaries in Colorado. We have more dispensaries than Starbucks. How sweet is that?
KAYE: Tour members get VIP access and are quickly ushered into private rooms to make their purchase. First stop is the 3-D dispensary.
HARVEY: What about joints? Do you have some joints?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have some pre-rolls.
HARVEY: This is so if you don't want to smoke the whole joint you can put the remainder for later into this.
KAYE (on camera): So you don't lose it.
HARVEY: And store it. And it doesn't get smashed up.
KAYE: What's that called?
HARVEY: What's this called?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A doob tube.
HARVEY: A doob tube.
KAYE: A doob tube.
(Voice-over): Barbara buys two joints. The Bud Tender, as the guys behind the counter are called, enlightened us.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kind of like a muscle relaxer on your bones. It's going to be very therapeutic for you. You're going to feel just total relaxation in your body. But still have a lot of clarity.
KAYE (on camera): That sounds pretty good to you?
HARVEY: Yes. (LAUGHTER)
KAYE: She'll take one. She'll take one. All right, let's go.
(Voice-over): Time to hit the road again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: America, what a great country.
HARVEY: And I thought maybe someone would like to smoke a joint with me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fire it up. All right. Check this out, legal pot.
HARVEY: Legal pot. Yes.
KAYE (on camera): When you found out there were tours like this, what did you think?
HARVEY: I couldn't wait to go on one. I just think it's a great idea. You know, rather than waste your money on bars, just get in this and drive around Denver, see the sights, you know, and enjoy yourself like you're in your own living room. It's perfect.
KAYE (voice-over): Barbara has suffered from bipolar disorder and sore knees. She says marijuana helps a lot. A few more puffs and it's time to put this joint away.
HARVEY: There it goes. See? And then you cap it and that will put it out. And you don't waste any -- or any tobacco smashing it. Voila.
KAYE (on camera): Why are the tours so popular? Because they get to stop at four dispensaries, they get endless gourmet munchies and they get a personal cannabis concierge who helps them understand everything they need to know about marijuana.
ADDISON MORSE, OWNER, COLORADO ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH: It's been absolutely amazing.
KAYE (voice-over): Addison Morse own this is tour company, Colorado Rocky Mountain High, and can barely keep up with the demand, even at about $300 per person. In these parts, people like her are called ganjapreneurs.
(On camera): How does that label feel?
MORSE: I think that's a perfect label. This is what Colorado's all about. This is who we are here. We were built on silver, gold and oil, and now we're built on the green. And it's really good green.
KAYE (voice-over): Now at their second stop, a dispensary called Starbuds.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So there's three different ones. Do they act the same way? KAYE: This tour customer buys some edibles.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can actually walk out of here without having any problems?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No problems.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There you go. Have a great day.
KAYE: It's a quick stop. Then back in the limo for more fun.
HARVEY: Colorado Rocky Mountain High Tour.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's good. That's good tasting.
KAYE: This tour always includes a stop for lunch or dinner. The group had their mind made up.
(On camera): You guys are demanding tacos? Is that what I hear?
HARVEY: Well, I could eat a taco or two. I'm hungry.
KAYE (voice-over): Randi Kaye, CNN, Denver.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And another way to make money off the marijuana boom legitimately could be in the market.
Alison Kosik looks at how pot stocks are doing on Wall Street.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. When you may think of Wall Street, you may think of money, markets and mutual funds. But what about marijuana? As more Americans say they're in favor of legalizing pot companies that cater to the cannabis industry are cashing in.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KOSIK (voice-over): As some people in Colorado get high, investors in a different setting are getting high on pot stocks. Colorado made recreational sales legal on January 1st.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm excited. I've been dreaming about this since I started smoking.
And investors have been piling into the marijuana market in droves. Shares of Medbox, a company that makes products for businesses that dispense medication is up by triple digits since the beginning of the year.
That's a pricier stock, though Penny Stocks, Hemp, Green Grow, and Grow Life are also blazing. But market watchers warn buying into these companies isn't for the faint of heart.
PAUL R. LAMORICA, ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR, CNNMONEY.COM: These aren't your classic long-term, buy and hold, put them in your 401(k) or your kids' 529 type portfolio stocks. These are very, very risky.
KOSIK: It reminds veteran stock traders like Alan Valdes about the end of prohibition.
ALAN VALDES, STOCK TRADER: If you look back in history, if you look at prohibition once Roosevelt signed that back -- that prohibition was over, basically the breweries never looked back. They made millions.
KOSIK: Companies like Anheuser-Busch, Coors, and Jim Beam were all around when the sale of alcohol was banned for almost 14 years in the 1920s and early '30s. If you happened to own a piece of those companies back then you probably have all the beer you need now.
But does a more elicit substance, marijuana, which is still illegal under federal law, have a future on Wall Street? Valdes is so bullish he's on the board of a marijuana retailer in Washington state.
VALDES: I think it's probably going to be the biggest growth business over the next 10 years.
KOSIK: Valdes' optimism isn't surprising considering the growth the weed industry could see this year. The National Cannabis Industry Association says recreational marijuana businesses in Colorado made at least $5 million in their first five days of sales.
Recreational pot will go on sale in Washington state later this year and Illinois, Massachusetts, and Oregon will begin allowing medical cannabis shops to open. The movement in the market has been so impressive High Times has launched its own investment fund. The High Times Growth Fund anticipate building a full portfolio within two years. It can all leave pot firms with a pretty penny if federal laws blow their way.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOSIK: Market expert say to really legitimize the business, bigger firms will need to start getting in and if blue chip companies become green chip companies then you'll start seeing these stocks become more popular. Public opinion has changed dramatically over the past 50 years, with the Gallup poll showing almost two-thirds of Americans approve the legalization of recreational marijuana -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, thank you so much, Alison.
And now overseas, another deadly day of violence in Iraq. Several car bombings and shootings, rocked that country. Who's behind the attacks?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Now to Iraq where more than 20 people killed and dozens others wounded in car bombings and shooting today. And over the past month there has been a sudden surge in violence in that country.
Our Michael Holmes is in Baghdad -- Michael. MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, a bloody day in Iraq and not just in Anbar Province either. Right here in Baghdad two car bombings this morning. One at a bus station targeting army recruits heading home. And another in a Shia neighborhood a few hours later. The combined death toll seven at least and another two dozen wounded.
You know, we also had word that a gunman attacked an army post in the Abu Ghraib area. They fled to a civilian area, we're told, and here is where it gets all a little murky. A police source telling us, the army responded by firing from a helicopter into that civilian area. Eight people were killed, 17 wounded. No statement has yet from the army on that one.
And it doesn't end there. In Nineveh Province, that's in the north, army helicopters apparently attacking three pickups with armed men on board. This was in the Syrian border. Five men described as al Qaeda-linked gunmen were killed.
And in Mosul, that's also north of Baghdad, a car bomb killed one person, wounded 11. Two journalists targeted in separate attacks one of them was killed, one severely wounded. And then two more bombs in a town north of Baghdad killed four and wounded 26.
So, Fred, you can see this situation is becoming increasingly dire. Now in the place where the latest uptick in violence began, Anbar Province, we're told it's been relatively quiet. In both Ramadi and Fallujah where those al Qaeda-linked militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria tried to take over in recent weeks, tribal leaders say they are in charge, although parts of both cities do have ISIS fighters present and there were sporadic clashes with security forces outside Ramadi.
And between those two cities, an area of three small towns, we're told, militants from the ISIS have been pretty much surrounded by the Iraqi military there. And there were actually some pretty fierce clashes today. There are civilians in those towns of course. They were a little concerned for their safety not surprisingly, not clear what the military plans to do to end that standoff.
It's also not clear whether Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki will follow through on his threat to take on the militants in Fallujah, but were he to do so, the response from tribesmen and militants could a sectarian uprisings worst than anything we've seen so far.
Some tribal leaders in Anbar say Mr. al-Maliki's claim that this is a fight against al Qaeda against terrorism is a smoke screen. Ahead of elections in April, to polish his own image among Shia voters and allow further crackdowns on the Sunnis by the Shia-dominated government.
They say, the Sunnis, that this has been a long time coming, that the government has never followed through on promises of inclusion and power sharing, and empowerment for Sunnis. In fact quite the opposite has happened. And that they say is the real cause of all these tension and violence. Now everybody is hoping a compromise will be reached to diffuse all of this. And a lot of Iraqis fear the deeper the sectarian divide gets, the greater the anger, bitterness and mistrust, well, the harder it's going to be to have any kind of meaningful compromise -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: Thanks so much, Michael Holmes in Baghdad.
It was a military operation that went very wrong in just about every way. Navy SEALs were supposed to confirm the presence of a senior Taliban target in Afghanistan. That mission went terribly wrong when Taliban forces they ambushed the troops. Only one of them, Marcus Luttrell, survived. He wrote a book about his harrowing ordeal and it's now a movie starring Mark Wahlberg.
Jake Tapper sat down to talk with both men about their experiences.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR, "THE LEAD": Marcus, it must have been a difficult decision to let them make a movie. How close is it to what happened?
MARCUS LUTTRELL, NAVY SEAL: I would say it's as close as you can possibly get without having to have killed some of these guys up on the mountain filming it. The most important thing is whether or not the family members of the fallen appreciate what they saw on the film.
TAPPER: Well, what do they think?
LUTTRELL: From my understanding, everything was positive, and that's all you can ask for.
TAPPER: One of the big questions that I have as somebody who covers the war in Afghanistan, did the American people want to hear these stories? They're incredibly powerful. This movie is very, very compelling. Do they want -- do they want to know about it?
MARK WAHLBERG, ACTOR, "LONE SURVIVOR": Well, they should know about it. They need to know about it and it's my job to get as many people into the theaters to see it as possible. I've never felt more strongly about something that I've been a part of, never been more proud to be a part of a project like this.
It's the first time that I've made a movie that was never about me as an actor or my performance. It was always about telling their story.
TAPPER (voice-over): It's clear for Marcus Luttrell the battle that day almost a decade ago still cuts close to the bone today.
(On camera): One of the emotions I felt while watching the film, is first of all just the hopelessness of the situation, how horrific it was, and also just all that loss of life of these brave American men.
And I was torn about the message of the film in the same way that I think I am about the war in Afghanistan itself. I don't want any more senseless American death and at the same time, I know that there are bad people there and good people who need help.
Was that intentional?
LUTTRELL: Well, I don't know what part of the film you were watching, but hopelessness never really came into it. I mean, where did you see that? Because there was never a point where we just felt like we were hopelessly lost or anything like that.
We never gave up. We never felt like that we were losing until we were actually dead. That never came across in the battle and while we were fighting on the mountain. And it was just us against them.
TAPPER: Forget hopelessness. Just the sense of all these wonderful people who died. It seemed senseless. I don't mean to disrespect in any way, but it seemed senseless, all these wonderful people who were killed for an op that went wrong.
LUTTRELL: We spend our whole lives training to defend this country, and then we were sent over there by this country, so you're telling me that because we were over there doing what we were told by our country that it was senseless? My guys, what, they died for nothing?
TAPPER: No, I'm not saying that at all.
LUTTRELL: That's what you said. So let me just say that, yes, it went bad for us over there. But that was our job. That's what we did. We didn't complain about it. We went out there and did what we did best. And that's the end of it, we weren't standing, they were.
We were lucky. I was lucky and the rest of the guys, I mean, we fought as hard as we possibly could. We never felt sorry for ourselves while we were out there. This was the job. We were going after a high-value target. And, you know, it just got switched on us.
TAPPER: Maybe it's just the difference between what a civilian feels when he watches this versus what a soldier does.
WAHLBERG: Absolutely. I mean, I completely agree. You know, but I don't think his opinion is never going to change. That's his job, you know. He feels like --
TAPPER: Oh, I respect that.
WAHLBERG: Oh, I understand. I understand. I -- you know, and the more I -- the more time I spend with Marcus, the more I really start to understand who they are and what they do for us. And it's pretty amazing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And there is quite the buzz that Wahlberg could be up for an Oscar nomination for his role. And in fact it was a huge weekend for "Lone Survivor" at the box office. The movie took in $38.5 million over three days.
And Disney's animated film "Frozen," just hanging in there, coming in at second. The movie has racked up more than $300 million since its release making it Disney's second highest grossing animated film after "The Lion King."
All right, so Hollywood kicks off award season tonight with the Golden Globes. Then it's on to the Oscars. Nominations will be announced this week. So who could be in the running for that golden statue tonight?
And later on in the week, that straight ahead.
We're also focusing attention on L.A. Laker Pau Gasol. He holds two NBA championship rings, two Olympic silver medals and a slew of European basketball titles. But some of his biggest wins have been off the court.
The seven-foot forward shares with CNN's Michaela Pereira how he uses his fame to make an impact for children in need.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR, "NEW DAY": Wind gusts, 235 miles an hour.
MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR, "NEW DAY" (voice-over): In 2013, one of the biggest typhoons in recorded history struck the Philippines, killing thousands and displacing millions. That tragedy captured much of the world's attention including NBA superstar, Pau Gasol.
PAU GASOL, LOS ANGELES LAKERS: The damage that the typhoon caused was huge and it's going to take a lot of time to rebuild. So I thought that I had to do something and utilize my position to attract others and also create awareness.
PEREIRA: Shortly after the typhoon hit, Gasol took to the court pledging $1,000 for every point he made. Turns out it was a great scoring night. He racked up 24 points, making it a $24,000 donation to UNICEF's efforts in the Philippines.
It's not the first time he has teamed up with UNICEF. In fact he has been an ambassador for the organization for over a decade, a job Gasol takes seriously.
GASOL: One thing that I told UNICEF is that if I wanted to be a good ambassador, I needed to live it.
PEREIRA: Gasol has taken several trips with the humanitarian organization to communities in need. His focus is always on the most vulnerable, the children.
GASOL: Most of these kids have traumatic experiences. I always get reminded that children are children and they love having attention and having fun and playing and feeling cared for.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: Some bad news on a big night. That's a water pipe that burst at a hotel where the Golden Globe Awards will be held in just a few hours. My gosh, what a mess. You can see water spraying everywhere at the Beverly Hilton and the red carpet getting soaked and stained there. Even Ryan Seacrest, who's been covering the Golden Globes, just tweeted about the pipe break, saying it could be bad for long gowns at the very least.
Our Nischelle Turner joins us live from that soggy red carpet which is now the wet carpet.
Oh boy, it could be bad for the long gowns, fabulous shoes. Something tell me maybe you have your, you know, rubber boots or something handy? Are you going to survive tonight?
NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Hey, listen, I'm trying. But just so you said, Ryan Seacrest that it could be bad for the long gown. I pinned down and yes, I have a long gown but I'm a smart girl, I'm standing on the platform and not on the soaking red carpet. You also ask about the shoes and I hate to give away my secret. But this is me right now. I have my sneakers on right now until it's time for the red carpet. Then I put on the heels.
I'm a smart girl. I don't want my feet hurting all day. I'm a smart girl.
WHITFIELD: I know you're prepared.
TURNER: If you look right over here -- exactly. This is actually where part of the water main break happened. But now they've opened this section so it looks like crisis averted. The red carpet will be opening in just a few minutes and the 71st Annual Golden Globe Awards will go on as planned.
So maybe just a little bit soggy but everything will be OK. Hopefully they have platform heels on so the water doesn't get up into their shoes.
WHITFIELD: That's right.
TURNER: No, there are some -- there's some really good races -- exactly. There's some really good races that will happen tonight. You want to hear about a couple of the ones --
WHITFIELD: Yes.
TURNER: The really fierce races tonight?
WHITFIELD: Of course.
TURNER: OK. First of well, in the Best Actor in a Movie category, there's a couple of frontrunners that we're seeing emerging. Chiwetel Ejiofor is up for best actor for his portrayal of Solomon Northup in "12 Years a Slave." A lot of people are thinking that he is the favorite in this category. But I would tell you watch out for a couple of first-time nominees in this category. When I tell you they're first-time nominees, you're going to say, excuse me?
I'm talking about Robert Redford in "All is Lost". First ever nomination for Best Actor for a Golden Globe. He's iconic.
WHITFIELD: Which seems so wrong.
TURNER: And Matthew McConaughey. Exactly. Matthew McConaughey for "Dallas Buyers Club." So watch out for those two because they could sneak in on everybody and takes home a statue tonight.
This is what they call the best party in town, Fred. So get ready because these celebrities --
WHITFIELD: I believe it.
TURNER: -- are going to be at the table with a little bit of alcohol and all their friends. It should be a fun night. Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, hosting. Can't get better than that.
WHITFIELD: It is going to be fun with that little champagne flowing. You know. There'll be lots of laughs. And you looking as beautiful. You're looking like a golden statuette yourself right there on the wet carpet.
TURNER: I'm trying to be a little bit of a princess today.
WHITFIELD: Why not? Why not?
All right. Enjoy it and of course we'll be watching your special which starts in about nine minutes from now.
All right, so many say the Golden Globes offer a pretty good prediction of who just might take home an Oscar. Others disagree so we'll find out Thursday when the Oscar nominations are announced.
So let's talk now with -- fast forward and think about the week.
Tom O'Neil with Goldderby.com, about your predictions for the Oscars. So you say pooh-pooh to the -- to the Golden Globes for tonight, let's instead think about what may be a good contender for the Oscars.
Let's talk about some of the front runners. "12 Years a Slave," "Gravity," "American Hustle," what do you like?
TOM O'NEIL, EDITOR, GOLDDERBY.COM: Well, at Goldderby we pulled all the experts, what they like is "12 Years a Slave." We have 29 experts, 20 say "12 Years a Slave" is going to win Best Picture. It's probably going to lead the pack with the most nominations but so did "Lincoln" last year and "Argo" ended up winning.
I think this is a race between "American Hustle" and "Gravity". "Gravity" seems to have the early lead in that second place but "American Hustle" is coming on strong. So it all depends on how many nominations and which ones they get on Thursday.
WHITFIELD: And then your predictions for best actor? O'NEIL: I think it's going to be Matthew McConaughey. I think he's redefined himself as surfer dude to serious actor. Chiwetel Ejiofor will be in there.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
O'NEIL: Bruce Stern will be nominated. I think Leo DiCaprio is going to get his first nomination in five years and Robert Redford is on the cusp there. He has not been campaigning so I think he's in big trouble.
WHITFIELD: And that's the key? The campaigning?
O'NEIL: It is. You know -- like the Globes, for example, Robert Redford didn't even do a press conference at the Globes. And the case of the Oscars, 80 percent of the people who win Oscars win Globes first. It's all a race. So I'll continue.
WHITFIELD: OK, so who's leading the race in the category for the best actress?
O'NEIL: Actress is all about Cate Blanchett. She's won all the precursor awards for "Blue Jasmine". But if "Gravity" wins Best Picture, Sandra Bullock can go along with the rocket ride. You know, she won just a couple of years ago but as Sally Field reminded us, when they like you, they really, really, really like you.
Emma Thompson -- Emma Thompson for "Saving Mr. Banks" will be nominated for sure. Judi Dench for "Philomena" and the question is, will Meryl Streep get snubbed? She did last year for "Hope Springs." She's vulnerable this year. She could be bumped by Amy Adams of "American Hustle."
WHITFIELD: Well, her mantle is very full. I'm sure she wouldn't mind sharing --
O'NEIL: Yes.
WHITFIELD: You know, that honor.
Tom O'Neil, thanks so much. Appreciate that.
And we'll have much more straight ahead after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. It should be a pretty interesting week on Wall Street. Alison Kosik has a preview.
KOSIK: Hi, Fredricka. It's a big week for Apple. The company will begin selling its iPhone 5s and 5c in China this coming week. That's after it inked a deal with China Mobile. It opens Apple up to 700 million new customers. But the gadget maker isn't a market leader in China. The problem is, China's wireless carriers don't subsidize the iPhone so it costs $700. Still analysts expect Apple to get a 20 percent sales bump this year because of the release. On the economic calendar retail sales numbers from December are coming out. The holiday season is expected to have been fairly solid for the major stores. Deep discounting encouraged consumers to buy more.
Also out this week reports on home construction, manufacturing and consumer sentiment.
And finally remember this guy? One of the most infamous faces of corporate greed is about to be a free man. Dennis Kozlowski, former CEO of Tyco, is tentatively scheduled to be released from prison on Friday. Convicted in 2005 of stealing hundreds of millions of dollars from Tyco, Kozlowski was known for his extravagant lifestyle. He once spent $6,000 on a shower curtain.
Fredricka, that's what's coming up on Wall Street.
WHITFIELD: All right. Very good. Thanks so much, Alison.
All right. A major event in the Motor City kicks off our week ahead.
It's the Detroit Auto Show. Starting on Monday top executives in the industry show off their new models to thousands of journalists. At the end of the week, the show opens up to the public and the turnout will likely be huge. Nearly a million people are expected to attend.
On Tuesday New Jersey Governor Chris Christie delivers his State of the State address. It comes just days after he adamantly denied knowing anything about the traffic bridge scandal that's rocked his administration.
On Wednesday, A&E's "Duck Dynasty" begins its fifth season. Last month the show's patriarch Phil Robertson was suspended for making controversial comments about homosexuality and civil rights. His suspension has since been lifted.
On Thursday the 2014 Oscar nominations are announced. The 86th Academy Awards ceremony airs March 2nd. Ellen DeGeneres is the host.
And another highly anticipated announcement on Friday. President Obama reveals his plans to reform the NSA surveillance program. For the past few weeks he's been hearing recommendation from a panel of experts on how to balance national security concerns with Americans' right to privacy.
All right. That's going to do it for me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Much more of the NEWSROOM straight ahead with Kyra Phillips.
You got a lot going on.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks. We're like the twins here.
WHITFIELD: That's right. My goodness.
PHILLIPS: You're working the weekend and the twins are running around going crazy.
WHITFIELD: We're in the club, aren't we?
PHILLIPS: There we go. Great to see you, thanks, Fred.
WHITFIELD: You as well.
