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Search for Black Widow Near Olympics; Piles of Snow Expected on East Coast; Travel Woes Amidst Snow Warnings; Scandals Taint Christie's Inauguration; Identity Theft a Concern after Target Hack; Family of U.S. Hostage Begs for Release; Prince Harry Back from South Pole Adventure

Aired January 21, 2014 - 09:00   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Police officer needs to dive to get that ball.

(LAUGHTER)

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN HOST, "NEW DAY": Dedication to the catch.

COSTELLO: I know. Thanks, all. Thanks so much.

NEWSROOM starts now.

Good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me.

How safe will Americans be at the Olympics? Security tightens as the games draw closer. As the search intensifies for suspected terrorists known as the black widow.

Police around the games are now handing out fliers searching for that women. But they also suspect there are two more black widows threatening terror attacks around Sochi.

This as hundreds of American athletes and dignitaries start heading towards Russian. As an added precaution the State Department and the U.S. military are sending two U.S. warships to the Black Sea. Helicopters and C-17 aircraft are also heading to the region just in case American athletes need to be evacuated.

Phil Black is in Volgograd, Russia with more this morning.

Good morning, Phil.

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

Black widows, they are female suicide bombers often acting to try and take revenge for the lost of a husband or loved one. They are a known threat in this country because they have attacked and killed here many times.

But according to the security plan to protect Sochi, they were never supposed to get close to the Olympic city.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLACK (voice-over): Russian Police are racing against the clock to find this woman who they say may be working with a known terrorist organization planning an attack on the Olympics. And she may already be inside Sochi ready to strike.

JEFF BEATTY, SECURITY CONSULTANT: Obviously the Russian security forces are concerned that perhaps people have already penetrated their outer perimeter and are in Sochi.

BLACK: Twenty-two-year-old Ruzanna Ibragimova is described as a black widow, a notorious type of suicide terrorist that's emerged in Russia's clashes with Chechen separatists. Police distributed fliers to hotels in Sochi and they're asking staff to be on the lookout for her. Experts say there could be other so-called black widows planning a strike.

FRANCES FRAGOS TOWNSEND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: We shouldn't assume that she is the only they're concerned about. She's likely part of a larger network that they're looking at.

BLACK: Ibragimova is believed to be from Dagestan, a Russian Republic in the caucuses region. In the U.S., law enforcement agents have been conducting knock-and-talk interviews with people from that region for weeks, asking community members if there are any issues where they should be focusing.

This morning, the Russian Anti-Terrorist Committee posted a statement saying they killed seven rebels in Makhachkala, Dagestan early last week. One of those killed is a black widow by the name of Zaira Alieva.

All this after a new terror threat this past weekend from two young men in this video claiming responsibility for twin suicide bombings in Volgograd last month. And they say, "As for the Olympics, we've prepared a present for you."

Terror analysts say Sochi is uniquely at risk because Islamic militant hotbeds are within the country leaving the Olympics closer than ever to danger.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACK: Russian authorities are not commenting on the black widow Sochi suspect. Their official line is that there is an adequate security plan in place. They believe they've done all they can to protect these games.

The only reason we know about this suspect is because the authorities have turned to hotel workers to try and find her. Clearly they are concerned. This wasn't supposed to happen. Terrorists were not supposed to be able to enter the city through the so-called ring of steel surrounding it. But it is now possible that one has with just weeks to go until the games begin -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Phil Black reporting live from Russia this morning. Thanks so much.

This time of year, cold weather is nothing new. But in about 12 hours half the country will start feeling temperatures 10 to 20 degrees below average. More than 2,000 flights have already been cancelled ahead of the cold front that's expected to bring about a foot of snow from Virginia all the way up to Maine.

In Ohio the governor has declared a state of emergency because of a shortage of propane and heating oil. In our nation's capital, government offices are already closed. And people at Indianapolis are driving through snow as they wrap up their morning commutes. It is nasty out there.

CNN's George Howell is in Chicago, Rene Marsh is live at Reagan National Airport.

But, George, I want to start with you so you can get out of the cold as soon as possible.

Good morning.

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, good morning. Three degrees here in Chicago. So we're getting to see the storm first. And it is headed your way, rather headed toward the East Coast, headed toward New York, headed toward Washington, D.C.

Overnight here in Chicago we saw the effect of lake-effect snow. And you can see what happened behind us. We got, you know, couple of inches of snow. It comes in just as fast as it goes away.

Today we're expecting to see sun which is great news. But again very cold temperatures. That's the situation here. And as the storm continues to move eastward it will also drop temperatures as it moves toward -- Carol.

COSTELLO: George Howell reporting live from Chicago this morning.

Now we want to bring in Rene Marsh. She's live at Reagan National Airport where flights have already been cancelled.

Good morning.

RENE MARSH, CNN AVIATION AND GOVERNMENT REGULATION CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. You know, the snow isn't here quite yet, but we're already seeing the problems here in the Washington, D.C. area. Let's give you some perspective. On a typical day they have roughly 200 cancellations. Today we're already past 2,000 as far as cancellations at airports across the country.

But the problem airports, we have a list for you. At the top of the list, Philadelphia. Of course airports we're talking about in New York as well as New Jersey, and right here in the Washington, D.C. area.

I'm joined by one of those travelers who's trying to get to his destination. You have a job interview in New Orleans. And you're stuck right now here.

STEVEN WRIGHT, TRAVELER: Yes, ma'am. Actually I was trying to get to New Orleans for a job interview. And I understand there may be some issues for flights to trying to -- inbound flights, I suppose, but I don't see any snow here and I know for a fact New Orleans is roughly in the 50s, close to 60s right now.

So I'm just not understanding why I'm not able to get out of the area. I'm hoping they're delaying our flight and I would like to actually get there before the snow starts.

MARSH: And you know what, he's not the only one who has that question. You know, you look out the window, you don't see any snow here. He's pulled up the app on his iPhone and he says that it's in the 60s in New Orleans. But this is just a perfect example of a ripple effect problems in one area, it creates a big problem throughout the country -- Carol.

COSTELLO: And I know we're having a problem with strong winds down south so maybe that's the reason but I'm with him, you always wonder why, Rene Marsh, and good luck to that guy.

Inauguration day in New Jersey. What would normally be Chris Christie's day to bask in the spotlight has -- now has scandals casting long shadows on him and his presidential ambitions. At his side today and at the center of the latest controversy, his lieutenant governor Kim Guadagno.

She fiercely denies claims that she tried to strong arm Hoboken's mayor on Christie's behalf. Hoboken's mayor, a Democrat, brushed off that denial in an exclusive interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR, AC 360: So when you see the lieutenant governor, I mean, in a press conference now saying point blank, that you're memory of -- your recollection of this conversation is offensive, is completely inaccurate. And as a victim of Sandy, she's offended. What do you -- you're saying she's lying?

MAYOR DAWN ZIMMER (D), HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY: Well, yes. She said she would deny it. And she's denying it. So part of me is not surprised. And my reaction is, you're offended? How do you think I feel and everyone in Hoboken feels? We haven't really -- you know, we haven't been given that many -- much Sandy funding. And we have been told that there's a connection between the two. When there's a push to get one particular project through.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: CNN's Erin McPike is in Trenton this morning with more.

Good morning. ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, good morning to you. Well, just so we know what was happening later today, I want to point out to you that Christie is coming here to the Trenton War Memorial and he will be giving his inaugural address just after he is sworn in at noon.

But I just spoke with an aide to Governor Chris Christie who tells that the Ellis Island event this evening will be cancelled due to severe winter weather. As you know the East Coast is getting pounded with a blizzard. So it's not the best day for his inauguration. Obviously also there are these controversies that are overshadowing this inauguration.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Governor Christie, do you have a few seconds, sir?

MCPIKE (voice-over): In his prepared remarks, the embattled New Jersey governor is expected to discuss the need for smaller government and unity among the people, but apparently, missing, the scandals engulfing his administration.

On Monday, forceful denials and charges of lying flew back and forth between Chris Christie's Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno and Hoboken's Democratic Mayor Dawn Zimmer.

LT. GOVERNOR KIM GUADAGNO (R), NEW JERSEY: The suggestion that anyone would hold back Sandy relief funds for any reason is wholly and completely false.

MCPIKE: Guadagno, a Sandy victim herself, called Zimmer's accusations false and illogical. Zimmer spoke exclusively to Anderson Cooper on Monday night about the alleged threat.

ZIMMER: This isn't something that, you know, forget. When the lieutenant governor of the state of New Jersey tells you in a parking lot, if you tell anyone, I will deny it, you remember it. And I -- you know, I was very upset. I did a journal entry, you know, a few days later.

MCPIKE: Zimmer also accused New Jersey Community Affairs Commissioner Richard Constable of intimidation for the project. He says the claims are absurd, adding, "I welcome a full and thorough law enforcement review of her libelous claims."

Complicating matters, Zimmer herself has given different versions of her story and still supports Christie's record as governor.

ZIMMER: He has done very good things for Hoboken. I mean, I think he's done terrific things for the state. Overall, I do think that he has been a great governor.

MCPIKE: A new national poll from the Pew Research Center shows his unfavorable rating doubling in the past year from 17 to 34 percent. A majority of respondents who have heard of the George Washington Bridge controversy say they don't believe Christie when he said he wasn't aware his aides ordered the lane closures.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCPIKE: And, Carol, there is another new national poll coming out this afternoon at 3:00 p.m. Quinnipiac University is putting out a poll on what this controversy may have done to some of his presidential ambitions -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Well, what's really fascinating, we've got some excerpts of Christie's inaugural speech. I'm going to read a part of it to you and our viewers. He's going to say, quote, "We cannot fall victim to the attitude of Washington, D.C. The attitude that says, I am always right and you are always wrong. The attitude that puts everyone into a box they are not permitted to leave. The attitude that puts political whims ahead of policy agreements. The belief that compromise is a dirty word."

It's interesting because that's exactly what the mayor of Hoboken and others are accusing Christie of doing.

MCPIKE: Well, Carol, that's right. But obviously this inaugural address was supposed to be a platform for him to preview a campaign message potentially for 2016. So he is going to talk a lot about bipartisanship today and try to move forward and past these controversies.

COSTELLO: All right. Erin McPike, thanks so much.

And stay with us for live coverage of Chris Christie's swearing in and inaugural address. Out coverage begins this morning 11:00 Eastern with Jake Tapper.

Just weeks after that massive breach at Target, this morning another disturbing case of credit card fraud. Police in south Texas have arrested two Mexican citizens along the border near McAllen, Texas. They say the duo was carrying nearly 100 fake credit cards containing account information from Texas residents.

Now the suspects are accused of racking up tens of thousands of dollars reportedly at Best Buy, at Wal-Mart, and Toys R' Us. Initially the arrests were thought to be linked to the Target hacking. But investigators now say that may not be the case. But the arrests certainly asked to concerns about where all this personal information that he's stolen from Target has gone.

CNN's chief business correspondent Christine Romans is live in New York to tell us more.

Good morning.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

It's almost like the Wild West out there with your personal information. You know, there's a black market for it. People can get that information and create fraudulent credit cards and debit cards. And it can go so far as, you know, identity theft and trying to get a mortgage out on your house. I mean, these are some of those -- the horror stories you've been hearing.

Now if you're a Target shopper and you're worried about the latest in the Target saga, let me be clear. You might have been one of those 70 million people who got an e-mail from Target and you might be concerned about whether it's real or not.

Let me show you what it looks like. Look at the top of that from the target.com. The From, the To and the subject there. Really clear to make sure you're not sucked in by a scammer trying to make you think that it is officially Target.

Here's what you do if you see an e-mail from Target pop up in your box. Go to https, corporate.target.com, and make sure you go right there to the Target Web site -- the Target corporate Web site and it can tell you what to do.

Check your credit history. Go to annualcreditreport.com and check your credit history. It's free. Check your credit history to see if there's anything unusual that's happened. Also check your debit and bank statements every day if you think that you could have been one of the 70 million people. And you could put a freeze on your -- on your account, too. So you should try to do that.

Now when you open up the e-mail, when you get this e-mail from Target, there's going to be a link for credit monitoring. You can pursue that or you can go to the corporate Web site for Target to do that yourself. Creditmonitoring.target.com. And -- but be very careful. I want to really reiterate because Target has said they've already found 12 different potential scams of people using their name and trying to go out there and scam even more money from nervous customers.

Don't click on anything that looks unusual, don't click anything that doesn't have a header that looks exactly like I showed you. Don't click on anything that has misspellings and don't click on anything that asks for your Social Security number or for your personal information. That's somebody trying to add insult to injury. So really be careful there. Go to the Target Web site and just try to backtrack that way so you don't get hurt again -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Good advice. Christine Romans, many thanks.

ROMANS: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: Still to come in the NEWSROOM, he's being held in North Korea on charges he tried to bring down the government. But could a new video showing Kenneth Bae mean his release is in the works?

Pamela Brown is in New York with that story.

Good morning.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Carol. That's right. Kenneth Bae's sister is saying she is scared after seeing her brother for the first time in month in that videotaped statement. More on her reaction coming up right after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: The family of American hostage Kenneth Bae making desperate plea to gain freedom for the American held captive in North Korea, accused of bringing down the government through activities.

The statement released by Bae's sister, Terri Chung, reads in part, "Our family apologizes on Kenneth's behalf. He has now served 15 months of his sentence, but faces chronic health problems. We humbly ask for your mercy to release my brother.

Now, that statement comes as Kenneth Bae is seen on camera for the first time in months. In a video, his sister tells CNN it was very hard to watch.

Pamela Brown is in New York with more.

Good morning.

BROWN: Well, good morning to you, Carol.

You know, Terri Chung, seeing her brother in that video tape statement, she said it was upsetting and she says her family is scared about what's going to happen next. The American Christian missionary Kenneth Bae has been in prison in North Korea for 15 months. His sister says he is now the longest American detained in recent history. She's pleading with the U.S. government to bring him home now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN (voice-over): Overnight, Kenneth Bae's family heartbroken, after watching his first appearance in months.

TERRI CHUNG, KENNETH BAE'S SISTER: It still is very difficult for the family to watch, him having to plead for help from the U.S. government.

BROWN: The American missionary held in North Korea for more than a year, write a statement before cameras in a Pyongyang hospital.

Bae pleading with the U.S. government, press and my family to stop worsening his situation by, quote, "making vile rumors about North Korea."

CHUNG: That was probably the most frightening moment for us in that press conference, which is why we're imploring our leaders, now is the time to bring this man home.

BROWN: Bae went on to say that he committed a, quote, "serious crime" against that country's government, adding that he did not experience any human rights abuse. Bae said he wants to be pardoned by the North Koreans and return to his loving family. Asking the press, U.S. government, and his family to, quote, "make a more active effort and pay more attention."

Experts say these new images of Bae could be a positive sign, given North Korea's history of coercing confessions before releasing their captives.

DR. JEFFREY LEWIS, EAST ASIA SCHOLAR: The fact that they've paraded him out and gone through this farce suggests that they have some kind of demand in mind.

BROWN: Earlier this month, former NBA star Dennis Rodman traveled to North Korea for an exhibition game for leader Kim Jung-un's birthday. In an interview with NEW DAY, Rodman appeared to point blame at Bae for his detention.

DENNIS RODMAN, FORMER NBA PLAYER: Do you understand what he did in his country?

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: What did he do? You tell me. You tell me. What did he do?

RODMAN: No, no, no. You tell me. You tell me. Why is he held captive?

BROWN: Rodman has since apologized and checked into rehab. But his controversial visit has U.S. officials questioning whether it played a roll in Kim Jung-un's decision to show Bae.

BILL RICHARDSON, FORMER U.N. AMBASSADOR: This Rodman intervention was a disaster for him, and maybe now he wants to initiate a possible dialogue with Kenneth Bae as a bargaining chip.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: And experts say Bae's videotape statement follows North Korea's pattern of exacting false confessions. Most recently, 85- year-old Merrill Newman, a Korean War veteran freed from the country after he says he was forced to give a false confession. So, perhaps giving the Bae family hope there -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I hope so. Pamela Brown reporting live from New York this morning.

Still to come, reports of nude dancing and wild drinking. More from Prince Harry's adventure to the South Pole.

Max Foster is live in London with more.

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: He'd go back to some antics, let's say, Carol. We'll have those stories for you. We'll hear all about it this morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COSTELLO: Prince Harry is back from his trip to the South Pole. He's now free from that infamous beard he grew. The fresh faced 29-year- old and his teammates are opening up for the first time about the 200- mile journey.

And rumors are flying about exactly how much fun they had in the South Pole. Rumors flying they danced in the nude while drinking champagne, which sounds kind of like a fun event in cold temperatures.

Let's head to London and Max Foster.

Really?

FOSTER: I see someone opened the can on this today. There was a press conference. Prince Harry was there.

Dominic West, the actor, also went on this trip. And as you say, it involved wounded servicemen and women on the very long track. So, when they got to the South Pole they were relieved and wanted to celebrate. They did indeed take one of the prosthetic legs off one of the trackers and drank champagne out of it. The Australians, according to Dominique West, got naked, but Harry didn't dance naked this time. We can confirm he went on a two day bender with Icelandic truck drivers drinking lethal home brew.

This is all according to Dominic West. It does seem as though Prince Harry earned relaxation time, because during the whole trip, he was the one building the latrines.

Here's Dominic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOMINIC WEST, ACTOR: He sort of took it upon himself to dig the pits and with quite an artistic flair. He built this amazing one. We stayed in a camp two or three days. He went to town on it, took him hours. I mean, sort of had castellated wind breaks and lovely roll holder, flat form for your feet, list of instructions. I thought, God, this guy has got real flare, or too much time on his hands.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Too much time, probably I think, Carol.

For Harry, though, very serious event. You know, he's raising awareness for wounded service veterans. That was really the message that he was giving that message today.

COSTELLO: You've got to love Prince Harry. I know I shouldn't be laughing at that, but that's really funny.

(LAUGHTER)

FOSTER: Well, he was being serious. We'll let you hear him because he won't be happy if we only talk about him drinking champagne out of prosthetic limbs. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRINCE HARRY: I hope this truly unbelievable achievement by everyone behind me and Latin America, Canada and Australia, what they've achieved will remind everybody that that is simply -- that they can achieve anything they want to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)]

FOSTER: Absolutely. They know how to celebrate, Carol.

COSTELLO: They certainly do.

Max Foster, thanks so much.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM: freezing temperatures and heating oil in short supply. That's the problem facing many states today. What's being done about it, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)