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MetroJet Crash "No Accident"; Historic Meeting Between China and Taiwan; UK Flights to Sharm El-Sheikh Resume; Ben Carson Defends Story Details in His Past; "The Peanuts Movie" Pays Tribute to Classic Comic. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired November 07, 2015 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:10] GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR: A deliberate takedown. Why European authorities now believe a bomb may have caused the deadly crash of Flight 9268.

Plus, a historic meeting between long-time foes. What China and Taiwan hope to accomplish in their talks.

And later, good grief, Charlie Brown and the rest of the "Peanuts" gang are back in a new dimension on the big screen.

From CNN world headquarters here in Atlanta, welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm George Howell.

NEWSROOM starts right now.

(MUSIC)

HOWELL: And good day to you.

We start this hour into the investigation into MetroJet flight 9268. European investigator, they are convinced that the crash of that plane was intentional. This according to CNN affiliate France 2. The report says the plane's black boxes indicate everything was fine for the first 23 minutes of flight. Then, a sudden blackout, which suggests a bomb.

Aviation analysts say the data would be different if the plane broke apart because of mechanical or structural failures. And now, we are hearing reports of a vacation flight out of the U.K. that had a very close call with a missile back in August as it approached Sharm el- Sheikh airport.

CNN is covering the story from all angles around the world. Our senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman standing by live for us in Cairo, Egypt. And international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson is live in St. Petersburg, Russia.

But, first, let's go to Ben in Cairo.

Good to have you with us, Ben.

In the coming hours, we expect to hear a statement on the investigation. What more do we know about the timing and what we could expect to hear?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're expecting the press conference by the minister of civil aviation here in Cairo in six hours from now where he's going to say something about the investigation into the crash of the MetroJet airliner last Saturday. We don't know the details, but certainly, evidence seem to be pointing or indications seem to be pointing to the high probability that this plane was indeed brought down by some sort of explosive device. These investigators telling CNN affiliate France 2 reporting it appears the flight indeed was brought down by some sort of bomb. The precise details we don't know.

Now, Egyptian officials have been very sort of hesitant to even entertain the possibility that there was an explosive on this plane. And, in fact, they were quite shocked yesterday when the Russian authorities declared that they would suspend all flights to Egypt, not just Sharm el-Sheikh, after they saw intelligence provided by the United States about whatever the Americans happened to have.

Now, what's interesting is this is the front page of a Cairo daily. It says (SPEAKIGN FOREIGN LANGUAGE) stealing a line from Julius Shakespeare by -- Julius Caesar by Shakespeare. It reveals how the Egyptians are in the sense alone in their insistence that perhaps this was merely a mechanical malfunction -- George.

HOWELL: Egypt, I should say, concerned obviously as Russia suspending flights into Egypt which relies heavily on tourism.

Ben, one other question though to you. Tell us more, please, about a close call with another plane traveling to Sharm el-Sheikh airport.

WEDEMAN: Yes, that happened on the 23rd of August. It was a Thompson Airways plane coming from Stansted in the U.K.

Now, as it approached Sharm el-Sheikh international airport, the co- pilot saw what looked like a projectile heading in the direction of the airplane. He took evasive action. Nothing happened.

But the British Ministry of Transport conducted an investigation to the incident. It said it appears it was not a targeted attack but was connected to routine exercises by the Egyptian military in the area. So, this incident which really does raise a lot of questions -- what on earth are military exercises being conducted near a civil airport. This will probably come up, as well, when we go to the press conference by the minister of civil aviation this afternoon -- George.

HOWELL: Ben Wedeman live for us in Cairo, Egypt -- Ben, thank you so much for your reporting.

Now, let's turn to CNN's Nic Robertson, who is standing by in St. Petersburg, Russia.

[04:05:02] Nic, good to have you with us.

This is a very difficult time for families there. The process of grieving and the process of burying the dead. NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It's a very tough

time for the families. It's made tougher because they don't have answers about why the plane came down and, therefore, what was it that killed their loved ones? They feel that the government is not telling them everything that they know.

And the pain for some families is compounded because they've been told that they won't be getting back bodies, that it will be fragments of their loved ones. And they feel they've been told this in a very harsh way.

On top of that, they're also feeling that the way that this being handled in terms of the paper that they have to complete, the procedures, needing to register the fact that their loved one is deceased, needing proof from the airline that the airliner itself crashed -- at a very difficult time, these families are feeling there is a very, very painful burden placed upon them. So, it's not an easy process here. Tomorrow, there will be a memorial service for those 224 victims. St. Isaac's Cathedral behind me, its bells will toll 224 times for each of the victims.

In the meantime, though, of course, Russia has suspended all its flights to Egypt. There's an estimated 50,000, possibly tens more thousands, of Russian tourists in Egypt at the moment. It's a very popular destination.

The emergency ministry here is coordinating with a special commission. You have the interior ministry, the security services, the tourism ministry, the transport ministry, the finance ministry, the communications ministry, as well as customs officials all involved now in trying to coordinate their response to helping get Russia's tourists back. A hotline has been opened. They've received over 400 calls so far.

So, for the Russian authorities, the next phase now is going to be bringing back all those tourists, as well, George.

HOWELL: But at this point, so as you mentioned, families, they are waiting for answers. Tourists are waiting for answers, as well, Nic. Just about, you know, getting back home.

But at the same time, Russia's still holding, waiting for Egypt which is leading the investigation to come out with a statement. Russia not, stating that a bomb might have been in play, correct?

ROBERTSON: No, they're not. What we've been told is that President Putin received an intelligence assessment from British and the United States, that he has talked with President Sisi in Egypt. What Russia's position is is that Egypt because that's where the crash took place is investigative lead authority. Although both Russia and Egypt have been cooperating extensively, and a big point has been made of that here.

Equally, the point has been made that it must be the Egyptians who come out first and talk about the findings of what has been discovered. It seems that Russia has become impatient for Egypt to put out what is now appears to be apparent, and I think we can interpret from Russia's actions suspending flights it takes equally seriously as the British do that flights into Egypt this time, particularly Sharm el-Sheikh, are not safe. It increases it appears that perception, the Russian perception, the Russian government perception that the terrorism threat, terrorism angle in all of this appears to be the most likely one -- George.

HOWELL: The investigation continues, Nic. Certainly a lot of people have a lot of questions. At this point where you are, there are a lot of families that are grieving. Great loss.

Nic Robertson live in St. Petersburg, Russia -- thank you, Nic.

As this investigation continues to find out exactly what brought this plane down, airlines and their governments have some big decisions to make regarding safety.

CNN's Brian Todd has this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A disturbing finding -- the downing of the plane appears to be no accident. European investigators tell CNN affiliate France 2 sounds from the plane's cockpit voice recorder report an explosion, analysis of the flight data recorder reporting no signal of a mechanical problem.

The officials tell France 2 the voice recorder shows everything is fine during the first 24 minutes of flight. Then in a fraction of a second, a blackout.

ROBERT LISCOUSKI, FORMER U.S. ASST. SEC. OF HOMELAND SECURITY: Clearly, that points to evidence that criminal investigator and forensic investigators are going to want to drill down into -- the timing of the explosion, any other data that can correlate to time and potentially the location of the explosion.

TODD: Even a small amount of explosives placed in an airline cargo container can have a devastating effect as this test conducted on an Airbus fuselage in July showed.

Also, British intelligence says they believe a bomb was placed in the cargo hold of the MetroJet's plane where luggage is stored, that's according to the BBC.

[04:10:02] That follows what CNN reported this week from a U.S. official -- the belief a bomb was planted in luggage somewhere on the aircraft. Suspicion is falling on those with access to sensitive parts of Sharm el-Sheikh airport including the plane's hold.

LISCOUSKI: The vulnerability of hundreds who have access, if you could just extort or turn one of the two of those people to act on your behalf, wittingly or unwittingly through extortion or threats, you can defeat the system.

TODD: And a striking reversal from Vladimir Putin. The Russian president ordering all flights from Russia to Egypt suspended after the Kremlin says the United States and Britain shared intelligence with Russia. A Russian official tells CNN the suspension will be in place until Russian authorities are sure that flying to and from Egypt is safe.

DAVID SOUCIE, CNN AVIATION SAFETY ANALYST: I would avoid the area right now. I definitely don't think that it's a safe place to fly in and out of at this moment. But not just because of terrorism but because of the fact that there's unrest in the safety and security system there.

TODD (on camera): Some airlines and security agencies are concerned enough that they're taking matters into their own hands. The Dutch airline KLM says it's not going to allow passengers flying out of Egypt to check bags through, at least temporarily. Some British carriers are doing the same. And the Department of Homeland Security in the U.S. says temporarily at least it will enhance screening for items going on to planes inbound to the United States.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: You are watching CNN NEWSROOM.

And still to come this hour, Singapore, it is hosting a historic meeting between the leaders of China and Taiwan. Ahead, we look at what has kept them apart and where things stand now.

Plus, Sunday's election may be a historic one in Myanmar. Details on that ahead as CNN NEWSROOM continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:15:44] HOWELL: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm George Howell.

The leaders of Taiwan and China have been leading historic talks in Singapore. Live pictures right now. The president of Taiwan, Ma Ying-jeou, speaking. We saw Chinese President Xi Jinping in opening remarks earlier.

This kind of high-level meeting hasn't happened since the Chinese civil war ended in 1949. That's when the two sides separated after the communist victory. The talks in Singapore are largely symbolic, with no agreements being signed.

We are covering this story from all angles as well. CNN's Matt Rivers is live in Taipei, and our Steven Jiang is in Beijing this hour.

But, first, let's go to Taipei and Matt.

Matt, so, I see there behind you, there's a great crowd, a protest of sorts. What is the feeling among people there about this meeting?

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: George, the protests here have been going on for hours now, extremely peaceful protest. But also, as you can hear, very intense, very pointed. These people here have quite a strong opinion. And for most of them, they are not in favor of it.

Specifically, they don't like how the meeting came about. They don't like in their minds how there's not enough transparency, enough public consultation, public discussion in order to get (AUDIO GAP) of the current administration here in Taipei was too secretive. And by having this meeting, perhaps not reflective of the broader will of the people here in Taiwan.

Polling consistently indicates that people here in Taiwan are relatively OK with the status quo. That would be that there isn't a huge relationship between the two countries, although over the past eight years, we have seen trade in these countries come to historic levels. And so, here in this crowd, people have expressed quite a bit of frustration over the meeting, many not happy that it's taking place.

HOWELL: Matt Rivers, your signal there, we understand that that crowd is loud and vocal. But how representative of the group in Taiwan would you say the crowd is?

RIVERS: That's as good question. But I mean, the people that here right now (AUDIO GAP) currently are the ones with things at stake. They certainly have the biggest opinion. We just spoke on our way here, this is a march that lasted for about two to three hours.

And we spoke to a couple of shopkeepers along the way. One of the people that we spoke to said that he doesn't really care about this meeting. That this is historic, but they're having lower level meetings. He said he doesn't see much of a difference after those meetings take place. But for him, he says it's just kind of business as usual. He's going about his day, opening up his restaurant to the public.

I think that if you talk to other people (AUDIO GAP) here outside of the protest, your average person here in Taipei, I think the opinion you would get is that they're not expecting much if anything to come out of this meeting. They don't expect much change to happen. And so, because of that, it's business as usual here on the streets in Taipei.

HOWELL: Signal breaking up there. But we heard everything you said. And thank you so much for the reporting. To get a sense of the feeling there in Taipei.

And now, let's go to Beijing. Our Steven Jiang is there.

Steven, good to have you with us, as well. So, we are talking about two very different governments that have relied, as Matt mentioned, on the status quo. What is the sense of this meeting on cross strait relations now?

STEVEN JIANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, George, just to illustrate the difference between the two political systems, Matt Rivers reporting just now, it was entirely blacked out here in mainland China because the censors simply did not like what they see in terms again this historic meeting. Now, that is really part of the problem here, isn't it? Despite the

ever closer economic and cultural exchanges and relationship, politically, the sides have gone growing more and more apart.

[04:20:07] Taiwan has been a vibrant democracy since the 1990s, while China remains a one party state. And the government here, the party here under Mr. Xi has really being tightening and strict over all aspects of this nation. Now, that's why Mr. Ma himself has previously said until and unless China becomes democratic, talks about reunification as simply a non-starter.

But still, this moment, this handshake between the two leaders of the two sides and the meetings are unprecedented, as you mentioned. It really hasn't happened for seven decades. That's why so much attention is being paid. At the end of the day, I think both leaders realize they're not going to change the political realities, the political landscape on either side any time soon. Before Mr. Xi especially, he very much has his legacy in mind, trying to maybe at least lay a foundation, or create some framework for future talks about eventually reunification -- George.

HOWELL: But again, at this point in this meeting and we see the handshake as we're talking now, a very important, a very symbolic handshake. But no agreements have been signed, correct?

JIANG: That's right. The handshake is historic. It's the first time they've met in 70 years. But the meeting itself has been -- in being prepared for over two years, it's such a delicate and such a sensitive matter because as you say, both sides split in 1949 after a bloody civil war. The communists won driving the defeat of the nationalists to the island.

And both sides claim to be the government representing the entire Chinese territory, including the mainland and Taiwan, and neither recognize the other's legitimacy. So -- they never signed any peace accord. Technically, they're still at war.

It's in that kind of context make this historic moment so much more amazing. And as Mr. Xi himself has said, you know, blood is thicker than water -- he's trying to frame the talk in the send of both sides have a shared history and a common lineage. And hopefully, in this mind, that would lead to more talks and eventually reunification -- George.

HOWELL: Steven Jiang, live for us in Beijing, with context and perspective -- Steven, thank you so much for your reporting there.

Now, we move on to Myanmar which is preparing for a historic day on Sunday, as well. People there will be voting in what officials are calling the country's freest election in decades.

Not everyone is so enthused though. Western powers have criticized the legitimacy of the election. But Myanmar insists it will be fair and a big step in the country's political reform.

The party's opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, is expected to win the most votes. But a landslide would be needed for that party to control the presidency.

A powerful cold front, it is charging across the eastern U.S., chilling everything in its path.

And let's bring in meteorologist Derek Van Dam to talk more about it.

You feel the weather --

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You feel the change in the weather. But the collision of temperatures also bring severe weather.

You got to see some of this video footage coming out of Ft. Worth. Take a look at this, George. Some footage of a roof being completely blown off of a warehouse.

Scary moments for the individuals inside of the building obviously. This was from an EF-0, that's an enhanced Fujita zero rating. That's on a range from zero to five. So, it's actually the weakest of winds in terms of potential damage across the area.

But nonetheless, again, terrifying moments for those regions. That was in Ft. Worth, Texas. That was late Thursday night.

But this cold front continues to march eastward. Here it is on the map behind me. It's going to cool the temperatures across the Northeast finally because it has been extremely unseasonably warm across the region.

But it's also bringing a significant amount of precipitation, as well, to an area that's already saturated. Here in Atlanta, we've had a significant amount of rain. Several inches the past few days. Guess what, folks, another two to four inches for the greater Atlanta area.

But look at this, into the Florida Panhandle, southeast Georgia, into South and North Carolina, that's an area that we could experience four to six inches of additional rain. That's roughly 100 to 150 millimeters for our international viewers.

This is already a rain-soaked area and a very warm and muggy region, as well, relative humidity values. That's a value of how much available moisture is in the atmosphere, nearing that 100 percent mark. And that's also been indicative of thick fog that has blanketed the region, as well.

Here's an interesting statistic for you. We have had a warmer than average November, and November's continued to gets warmer. According to climate central, since 1970, our Novembers have averaged about 2.3 degrees Fahrenheit above what they were roughly 44 years ago.

[04:25:03] But we can say good-bye that warmth because our cold front continues to march eastward. You see the divide in our temperatures. Roughly 20 degrees difference separates Louisville to the Virginia Beach region. If you're located in New York City, well, you can expect a daytime high of 66 today. It cools off into your Sunday.

I've got to end off with one quick little statistic. Temperatures were record-breaking in New York City.

Look at what it did to one of the ice rinks in Bryant Park. People tried to go ice skating. But, unfortunately, it didn't work out too well because it melted the ice. People were falling left, right and center, and of course, photographers there to catch every moment, George.

HOWELL: Not pleasant fall on the ice like that.

VAN DAM: Not pleasant.

HOWELL: I've done that once or twice.

VAN DAM: Yes, you don't want that. Maybe the puddles will help your fall.

HOWELL: Not really.

Derek, thank you very much.

Now, we move on to a story in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Two police officers there have been arrested in the fatal shooting of a 6-year- old boy this week. Investigators say the boy was killed as these officers pursued his father's car on Tuesday. The father is hospitalized. Police officials had harrowing words about the incident.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COL. MICHAEL D. EDMONSON, LOUSIANA STATE POLICE: Tonight is about the death of Jerry Mardis -- Jeremy Mardis, 6 years old. He didn't deserve to die like that. And that's what's unfortunate. We took some of the body camera footage.

Let me tell you something, I'm not going to talk about it, but I'm going to tell you this. It is the most disturbing thing I've seen. I will leave it at that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: The fatal shooting of a 6-year-old boy. The two officers are charged with second-degree murder.

You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

Still to come this hour, heightened security at Sharm el-Sheikh airport after the devastating plane crash. Tourists there aren't sure how and when they will get home.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:30:26] HOWELL: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM. Good to have you with us. I'm George Howell.

The headlines we're following this hour: The presidents of Taiwan and China shook hands before starting a

historic meeting, marking the first high-level contact between both sides since 1949. In opening remarks, Mr. Xi told Taiwan's leader, quote, "We are from the same family." The summit in Singapore is largely symbolic with no agreements being signed there.

The world health organization says Sierra Leone is now Ebola free. Since the outbreak started nearly two years ago, the country has had far more cases of the virus than its neighbors. One aid worker says this is the beginning of freedom.

European investigators say the black boxes from MetroJet 9268 indicate that a bomb brought that plane down. CNN affiliate France 2 also says the recorders don't reveal any signs of mechanical malfunction. A report says an airport worker may have placed that explosive.

More than 400 tourists from the U.K. who have been stuck in the Sharm el-Sheikh airport could fly home on Saturday. The so called rescue flights of the international airport started on Friday. It's estimated 20,000 Britons are in Sharm el-Sheikh, and it could take 10 days to get them all out.

CNN's Phil Black has this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: As one British tourist emerged from Gatwick Airport today, he screamed, "Home, sweet home," at the top of his voice. There are many relieved tourists returning to the U.K. this evening from Sharm el-Sheikh. Nowhere near as many as there were supposed to be.

Ultimately, the operation to bring back the stranded tourists has not lived up to the hope or expectation that was planned. It was supposed to be 29 flights full of British tourists making their way back. But only eight were allowed to make the journey. Eight planes because of the restrictions at Sharm el-Sheikh airport itself.

Ultimately, it has affected the airlines differently, five airlines. Monaco Airway sent out five empty planes hoping to bring them all back today. Only four were allowed into Sharm el-Sheikh. And of those, only two were allowed to make the return journey.

EasyJet had a tougher time. It hoped to send out eight planes. None of those were allowed into Sharm el-Sheikh. It did, however, have two planes already on the ground. They were allowed to fly back. We spoke to some of the passengers who arrived on the EasyJet flight into Gatwick this afternoon. They all shared a tremendous sense of relief.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think I can speak for all the people when I say that David Cameron absolutely made the right decision. We felt so much safer when we knew they were involved.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People were angry, we didn't get information from nobody, EasyJet or the British U.K. No one told us anything.

BLACK: What was your sense of security on the ground at Sharm el- Sheikh?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It wasn't very good. Yes, I can't understand everything. Everyone knew they're demented. Not safe there at all I don't think.

BLACK: Now, the reason so few British flights are being allowed in and out of Sharm el-Sheikh comes to an additional security precaution being enforced by the British government. These returning flights are not allowed to carry checked luggage. They're supposed to be stored and returned separately.

But Egyptian officials on the ground say they don't have the storage space for so many bags. So, the hope and intention of the British airlines in terms of passengers they're trying to move on a daily basis will not be realized, according to Egyptian officials, until cargo flights are operated to move those bags within a fairly similar time frame.

Phil Black, CNN, at Gatwick Airport in London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Some tourists stuck at Sharm el-Sheikh airport and their relatives back in Britain are sharing their experiences on social media.

I want to read a few of these. Jim Carmela writes, quote, "Stranded in Sharm due to what looks like a whole heap of political posturing. Cheers, guys."

Jason in Sheffield, England, tweeted, "Should have been flying to Sharm on Monday. Feel for those stranded out there."

And Callum tweets, "I hope my family aren't stuck in Egypt much longer. I'm starting to miss my mom's cooking."

And reminding us it could be much worse, Adam writes, "In an all- inclusive hotel with sunny weather, there's no rush to get back."

[04:35:00]Anyone who travels through U.S. airports, you've got to be familiar with taking your shoes off, going through body scanners, and being patted down before you can get into the terminal. So, it may surprise you that there are some glaring security holes across this country's airports.

Senior investigative Drew Griffin has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fifty- four thousand employees at Los Angeles international airport report to work without mandatory bag checks, no body screening and dozens of doors like this one where a badge and a code gets you right on to the tarmac.

Think that's scary? Put yourself in the shoes of L.A.'s airport police chief, Patrick Gannon.

(on camera): Right now, what you have in place doesn't appear to be protection against the lone wolf scenario.

CHIEF PATRICK GANNON, AIRPORT POLICE, LOS ANGELES: When you say lone wolf, are you talking about somebody a lone wolf that has access to the credentialed employee?

GRIFFIN: I'm talking about that guy right there that just walked in with a backpack, with a mug, we don't know what's in his back pack. We don't know what's in his mug and we don't know what is in his heart or in his head.

GANNON: That's correct.

GRIFFIN: Does that concern you?

GANNON: It concerns me all the time. With 54,000 badged employees, they work in a large airport like this, there is no way that you are going to have the ability to screen every single person that comes to work in the airport.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): L.A. tries to minimize the risk by maximizing random checks like this one. Airport workers never know exactly when or where spot checks could occur. Employees also face background checks, yearly updates, and a system built around everyone watching out for anyone who might seem suspicious.

But Chief Gannon admits nothing is foolproof.

(on camera): As we've been at airports across the country, we have not really seen anything that could prevent what Atlanta went through which was guns being smuggled on to airplanes.

GANNON: No, I agree. I agree. In any airport throughout the United States and here also, there is never a 100 percent guarantee that somebody couldn't who wanted to do something illegal or wrong couldn't make that happen.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): What happened in Atlanta is causing a reaction at airports across the country. And you can see why. These are guns, guns smuggled down to as many as 20 flights by one Delta Airline baggage handler. Authorities say that baggage handler took the guns to work in a backpack which was never screened. The motive for the crime: pure profit selling the guns in northeast cities.

But Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson's general manager, Miguel Southwell, testified to a congressional committee, the real danger the gun running exposed is the threat of potential terrorism.

MIGUEL SOUTHWELL, ATLANTA AIRPORT GENERAL MANAGER: We have started to see that people are being recruited to engage and terrorist acts. Some people being recruited from the United States. So now, we have a greater insight of threat.

GRIFFIN: In the wake of last year's gun smuggling incident, Atlanta began full airport screening. A CNN investigation earlier this year found that only two other airport, Miami and Orlando, conduct full employee screening by requiring employees to pass through metal detectors just like passengers.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: Our Drew Griffin there reporting on how weapons were smuggled through the world's busiest airport. He also says the TSA conducted a study after that Atlanta incident and full workers screenings across the U.S. wouldn't lower the risk to the public. Instead, they recommend more frequent background checks and random screenings.

You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

Still ahead, Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson, he's known for his soft-spoken tone, but he lost his cool a bit over what he calls a bunch of lies. That story coming up.

Plus, a different Republican presidential candidate is hosting "Saturday Night Live." Donald Trump promises it will be huge, but not too risky.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:42:21] HOWELL: In U.S. politics, U.S. Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson is slamming a CNN investigation that questioned the validity of biographical stories that are central to his campaign. Carson has said that he was a violent teenager and that religion transformed him. But several childhood friends told CNN they had no recollection of the violent incidents in which Carson described.

On Friday, Mr. Carson lashed out at the media. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: All of you guys trying to pile on is actually going to help me because when I go out to these book signings and I see these thousands of people, they say, "Don't let the media get you down. Don't let them disturb you. Please continue to fight for us." See, they understand that this is a witch hunt.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Blaming the media.

Carson also defended his story of being offered a, quote, "informal" full scholarship to West Point Military Academy. Carson said he turned it down to become a doctor.

Despite controversy, Carson is seeing his poll numbers rise in the key nominating state of Iowa. Carson has the support of 23 percent of likely Republican Iowa caucus-goers. That's a jump from 14 percent in August. Carson trails Donald Trump who has 25 percent. Senator Marco Rubio rounds out the top three with 13 percent.

Among likely Democratic caucus participants, Hillary Clinton, she leads with 55 percent. Bernie Sanders has 37 percent.

And live from New York, Donald Trump, he is set to host "Saturday Night Live" in just a few hours' time. The American TV show is a comedy institution in this country, but some are not laughing. They are calling for a boycott of the broadcast because of Mr. Trump's controversial comments on immigration.

But as our Brian Stelter reports, the show has become a political rite of passage in this country.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Hey there. Saturday night is going to be a very big night for Trump. He's been preparing for days to host "SNL," one of the iconic shows on American TV. He knows a lot is at stake for his campaign.

There's also a lot at stake for NBC because they've made the bet that Trump will bring in ratings as well as controversy and attention. He's the latest in a long line of candidates making the required stop on late night TV.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Great to be here at "Saturday Night Live." But I'll be completely honest -- it's even better for "Saturday Night Live" that I'm here.

STELTER (voice-over): He is back. Donald Trump on "SNL" this weekend.

[04:45:02] But this time, instead of promoting his reality TV show --

TRUMP: "The Apprentice".

STELTER: He's promoting his presidential campaign.

TRUMP: So, let me say this -- Ben Carson is a complete and total loser.

STELTER: These days for White House hopefuls, late-night TV stops are as natural as some speeches in Iowa. Weekend trips to New York for "SNL" cameos are almost a requirement.

For Hillary Clinton's campaign, being on the first episode of this season was a big victory.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All anyone wants to talk about is Donald Trump.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald Trump? Isn't he the one that's like, uh, you're all losers?

SARAH PALIN (R), FORMER ALASKA GOVERNOR: Live from New York, it's Saturday night!

STELTER: And everyone remembers Sarah Palin's appearance in 2008, right before the election, with her impersonator, Tina Fey.

TINA FEY, ACTRESS/COMEDIAN: And I can see Russia from my house.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who is that?

STELTER: One year before Palin's appearance, Senator Barack Obama appeared in a Halloween sketch.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: May I say you make a lovely bride.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's a witch!

STELTER: Back in 1994, former President George H.W. Bush had a chance to respond to the show's jokes about him.

GEORGE H.W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT: I'll have my revenge when the time is right. Not now, wouldn't be prudent at this juncture.

STELTER: These politicians know they'll reach millions of viewers by showing a softer side. Sometimes it can be quite serious. Recall Rudy Giuliani on "SNL's" first episode after 9/11.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can we be funny?

(LAUGHTER)

RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER NYC MAYOR: Why start now?

(APPLAUSE)

STELTER: Another famous New Yorker, Al Sharpton, actually hosted the show in 2003 while running for president.

AL SHARPTON: I like to go clubbing and I do love the ladies.

STELTER: But Trump is the first real front-runner to ever host the show.

TRUMP: I love what you do. It's great.

STELTER: Another mile post in the merging of politics with pop culture.

(on camera): Now, for better or worse, I'm sure many people will be talking about Trump, talking about how he performed come Sunday morning.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: Brian Stelter reporting for us.

And "POLITICAL MANN", it returns to CNN this weekend. Our own Jonathan Mann will bring you the latest on U.S. politics, the presidential race from the candidates' platforms to the political missteps. In London, you can catch it at 11:30 p.m. Saturday. If you're looking for questions about U.S. politics, send them on Twitter @politicalmann or use #answerman. We'll get to some of those questions.

You got to like this story about Charlie Brown. I grew up on that. The timeless "Peanuts" characters are back together for a new movie. We'll give you a behind the scenes look at how it came to life.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:51:36] HOWELL: Charlie Brown is making his 3D debut. The lovable character, his pet companion Snoopy, and the rest of "Peanuts" gang are being brought to life in a new 3D movie.

Our Jake Tapper went to Connecticut to get the scoop from the animators.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHARLIE BROWN: It's not often you get the opportunity to start over with a clean slate. This time things will be different.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The animators behind the new "Peanuts" movie were not starting with a clean slate.

CHARACTERS: He did it!

TAPPER: But like Charlie Brown, they were also tasked with making things different.

The challenge to lure today's audiences which are used to over-the-top special effects and characters with the deceivingly simple smile and dot eyes and relatable characters from "Peanuts." beloved by audiences enamored of Charles Schulz' characters and TV specials for more than 36 years.

CHARACTERS: Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!

TAPPER: What a task.

(on camera): You could develop serious neuroses trying to bring a classic comic strip into the modern 3D CGI era. Luckily, the team here at Blue Sky Studios rose to the challenge.

(voice-over): They even decorated their offices accordingly.

SCOTT CARROLL, ANIMATION SUPERVISOR, BLUE SKY STUDIOS: When they announced it to the studio, we were elated. We were elated, but we were terrified at the same time.

TAPPER: Scott Carroll and Nick Bruno, the film's animation supervisors, explained to me just how daunting this job was.

NICK BRUNO, ANIMATION SUPERVISOR, BLUE SKY STUDIOS: It just seemed like the easiest thing to draw until we started to draw it.

CARROLL: We just had to figure out what can we get away with that still looks right in 3d but also looks like the drawings that he drew.

TAPPER: Back at their desks, the animators explained one of the many challenges those ink-dot eyes.

BRUNO: If you just have two dots, how do you communicate all that emotion? It's hard enough to get them to look down or to the right.

CARROLL: We can change the shape of the eyes themselves to help create a certain emotion. The periwinkles are hugely helpful.

TAPPER: Periwinkles are those emotive lines to the side.

CHARLIE BROWN: Good grief.

TAPPER (on camera): Did you try different kinds of eyes?

BRUNO: We did, yes. We actually tried at one point 3d eyes. We all were horrified.

TAPPER (voice-over): Perhaps the biggest challenge is that Schulz never planned for these "Peanut" characters to be seen in three dimensions.

BRUNO: We built a character -- if we built a character that worked at all angles, it didn't look faithful to Charlie Brown. We built specific head poses for the angle that he drew them at.

TAPPER: Six poses to be exact.

BRUNO: We have a profile left, sparky left, sparky right, profile right, up when they yell, and then looking down like when he's riding.

TAPPER (on camera): And that's it?

BRUNO: That's it.

CARROLL: Snoopy is the most complicated character we have ever built here at Blue Sky.

TAPPER (on camera): It's like animating Picasso really.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is. It really is.

TAPPER (voice-over): For director Steve Martino and his team, having Charles Schulz's son and grandson as writers on the film made staying true to the characters easier.

Schulz's son was particularly influential for this scene --

STEVE MARTINO, DIRECTOR: Craig Schulz is a pilot. He owns a biplane that's a lot like the red baron. He said, let's go up. I want to show you what it's like to do dogfight maneuvers. We went up, and he did stalls, we did loop-de-loops, and it was really informative to me.

[04:55:02] TAPPER: Being humble and open to new ideas is a trait the team here picked up in part from a familiar friend -- Charlie Brown. (on camera): He represents what we all feel and never talk about --

MARTINO: Absolutely. We want to feel like we're buttoned up and together.

Charlie Brown, he lays it all out there. We get to celebrate his attributes of kindness, honesty, and the never-give-up spirit that he's always had.

TAPPER (voice-over): It's a spirit that remains intact and still loveably insecure -- even in spectacular 3D.

Jake Tapper, CNN, Connecticut.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: Now to other movies. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt opened the American film institute festival with their film "By The Sea." Jolie wrote and directed it. They play a couple growing apart. It's the first movie in which they act together since "Mr. and Ms. Smith" ten years ago. It releases in the United States next Friday.

And gamer got to see the trailer for "Warcraft" on Friday inspired by the popular "World of Warcraft." The game franchise is about the fantastical land of orcs and humans. "Warcraft" releases next summer.

And we end the show in Moscow where a new cafe is paying homage to the porcelain throne. That's right, we're talking toilets. The new Crazy Toilet Cafe serves food in urinal-shaped bowls -- look at that. And you can actually sit on a toilet while you eat.

The owner says they haven't had an empty seat since the opening. Talk about a business that will not go down the drain. I am flushed with embarrassment from that.

Thanks for watching. I'm George Howell. I'll be back after the break with another hour of news from around the world.

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