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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Paris Terror Attacks: Millions March Against Terror; Divers Retrieve One Flight 8501 Black Box; Boko Haram Massacre

Aired January 12, 2015 - 04:30   ET

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

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: We are live on the ground breaking down the developments overnight.

Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans. It is 30 minutes past the hour.

France and the world stand together against terror this morning, in the wake of last week's deadly attacks on satirical magazine "Charlie Hebdo" and on a Jewish supermarket. At least 3.7 million people marching in an anti-terrorism rally in France on Sunday. Officials there say it's biggest such gathering in French history. Among the millions, 40 world leaders, including Britain's prime minister and Germany's chancellor. No top level American official.

The event was peaceful despite the size and renewed threats of terrorism in France and elsewhere. French police sources telling CNN, terror sleeper cells were activated over the weekend. In the U.S., NYPD and other law enforcement are on alert now after an ISIS is re- released. That video calls for followers to, quote, "rise up and kill intelligence officers, police, soldiers and civilians."

From Paris, senior international correspondent Frederik Pleitgen joins us with the latest.

And, Fred, it looks like France has to take the symbolism of yesterday, which was just remarkable and move forward with some policies that will protect its citizens.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, move forward with some policies, but also with some healing within the society. I think for many people here in France, it was really a wake-up call of the events that happened here over the past couple of days. I was at the large unity rally yesterday, Christine. A lot of the people were saying that they believe that France is going through a time before "Charlie Hebdo" and after "Charlie Hebdo." And many of them are rethinking the way that the society needs to organize itself, the way that the society also needs to deal with its minorities.

One of the great things about that rally yesterday was that there were people from the Jewish community, from the Muslim community, as well as the Christian community. One of the great things that I witnessed there was that a Muslim family or several Muslims came up to me and said that they want to make sure the world knows that this did not happen in their name. In fact, one of them had a poster with her that said "Je Suis Jewish", "I am Jewish." And that's one of the messages that they wanted to send, that they stand with the Jewish community in all of this.

Meanwhile, however, there is also a criminal and indeed an anti-terror investigation that keeps going on. Of course, one of the suspects in this is Amedy Coulibaly. He was shot at the kosher supermarket which he raided under siege. That's where those four of the people killed will be laid to rest in Israel tomorrow. The investigation into that continues and the search is still on for his alleged accomplice, Hayat Boumeddiene, who's also his wife.

The latest we got literally just a couple of minutes ago from the Anadolu news agency, which is from Turkey, was that they say they tracked her going to Turkey on January 2nd. That's very significant, because that would put her in Turkey, before any of the events here kicked off. That doesn't mean that she wasn't involved in some way or shape or form. That doesn't mean authorities would want to talk to her, would want to talk to her, because they want to know who might be behind this, what terror networks might be behind this and what also the suspects in all this might have had to do with each other, what's the terror web here that's going to be very significant moving forward for the investigation.

The Turkish authorities tracked Hayat Boumeddiene all the way to the border with Syria and they believe that she went into Syria on January 8th. That, of course, would be a big setback for the investigation here because Hayat Boumeddiene is a person that they badly wanted to talk. But if she's in Syria, presumably, in ISIS-controlled territory, then she would, of course, be out of the reach of investigators.

ISIS plays a pivotal role in all of this. One of the things that's also showed up is that in a video, Amedy Coulibaly, the husband of Hayat Boumeddiene, pledged allegiance to ISIS. That video was found in a safe house that he apparently kept. They found a lot of ISIS propaganda as well, and a whole arsenal of weapons.

Remember, one of the things that witnesses said when he raided the kosher grocery store here on Friday, was that he was armed to the teeth. He came in literally guns blazing, shooting around, and told people there that he was not afraid to die. And many of them said they realized that he knew this was going to be his last day and therefore, that made him all the more dangerous. Four people were killed in that raid.

Police now found that safe house, found the stash. And also, there was a video released showing him pledging allegiance to ISIS. There was an ISIS flag behind him. That is something that's going to be also very important moving forward because remember if you look at the other two suspects in all of this, the Kouachi brothers, they were affiliated with al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

The U.S. is working under the assumption that perhaps Anwar al Awlaki, the American preacher and head of ISIS of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, might have been the one to give the orders for them to conduct terror attacks here in Europe. He, of course, was killed several years back, but that doesn't mean that he wasn't a huge influence. So, there is a huge investigation going on. Literally by the minute, new details that are coming to light to portray this not as lone wolf attacks, but indeed as something where there was a wider web and at least a wider web of influence that could have led to all this, Christine.

ROMANS: And a lot of investigative work still to do as they go through every point of contact of each of these people and try to really understand how far that web reaches.

Fred Pleitgen, thanks for that.

Three-point-seven million people in attendance, 40 world leaders. But the highest American official at Sunday's anti-rally was U.S. ambassador to France, Jane Hartley. Secretary of State Kerry was in India. He was attending a long scheduled entrepreneurship summit. President Obama stayed in Washington. The absence of top level officials is drawing some criticism this morning.

CNN's Erin McPike is in Washington with more on the administration's decision.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christine, keep in mind when President Obama travels anywhere in the world, it activates some very deeply complex security protocols that could, of course, be distracting and take away from the overall significance of the event. But the White House did send U.S. Ambassador Jane Hartley to the event and then, also, the deputy homeland security secretary was in Paris for meetings, as was Attorney General Eric Holder. And he met with some foreign leaders on counterterrorism efforts.

And he addressed that on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION".

ERIC HOLDER, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: We have seen these kinds of attacks, or attempts at these kinds of attacks certainly in the United States. We have seen things like this in the United Kingdom. We've seen this in Nairobi. We've seen this in Australia and Canada.

This is the nature of the new threat we must confront. We can, I think, successfully confront it if we share information in a way that perhaps we have not in the past and do a variety of other things. But I am very concerned about what we saw this week in France.

MCPIKE: We also learned early Sunday that the White House will be hosting a summit on countering violent extremism. And that summit will take place on February 18th -- Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Erin McPike in Washington.

Sunday's march in Paris echoed around the globe as thousands of people rallied behind France following those deadly terror attacks. Here in the U.S., demonstrators from Boston to Los Angeles gathered to show support. In the nation's capital, demonstrators came together for a silent march in the French embassy. In Los Angeles, people held signs with "Je Suis Charlie", the rallying cry for this movement. In San Diego, members of the French community there gathered at the International Houses in Balboa Park. They held a vigil and sang the French national anthem. And in New York City, the Empire State Building was lit up in the colors of the French flag.

We are following the latest on the terror attacks all morning long. But first, breaking news in the search for AirAsia Flight 8501. One black box retrieved and one has been located. The new developments on figuring out why this plane crashed live after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: Happening now: people around the world standing with France opposing terror. Look at the crowds. Officials say in France more than 3.7 million people marched in rallies across the country on Sunday following last week's terror attacks on "Charlie Hebdo" and a kosher supermarket. Forty world leaders linking arms ahead of the march. There was no top level U.S. official among them.

The final suspect in last week's attacks still at large. An international hunt underway this morning for Hayat Boumeddiene, the girlfriend, the wife of the man who police say killed four hostages in the Jewish supermarket before police shot and killed him. Officials say her last known location was on Turkey's border with Syria.

Now to the breaking news in the AirAsia Flight 8501. Divers have retrieved one of the jetliner's two black boxes. It was discovered under part of the plane's wing. Now, efforts underway to recover the critical cockpit voice recorder.

I want to bring in David Molko, tracking the very latest for this morning, live in Jakarta, Indonesia. An important development for investigators here this morning.

DAVID MOLKO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Christine, the pieces of the puzzle are starting to come together in a very big way. Day 16 here of the search and recovery effort. Two weeks since Flight 8501 crashed into the Java Sea.

Yes, search officials have found the flight data recorder and they have recovered it. We understand it is on its way back to Jakarta where the downloading of the data, the crucial information that can help give insight into what has happening during the flight and specifically the final moments of the flight.

The search for the cockpit voice recorder, the other black box, continuing. One official telling us, we are 100 percent sure where it is. It is just a matter of time until we recover it.

Christine, it has been all about the weather for the past couple of weeks. You know, conditions in the Java Sea in monsoon season can change in the blink of an eye. You get strong underwater currents, white caps on top, choppy seas, high winds.

We are told right now that divers are not in the water because conditions are once again so difficult.

The bottom line, though, is they know where the cockpit voice recorder is. The flight data recorder was found underneath the wings from one of the aircraft. They, of course, have that tail location. So, the pieces are coming together. Authorities are feeling fairly confident about the next steps forward and, although, they have not found it yet, that they will find the fuselage of the plane. That's believed where most of the bodies. Still more than 100 remain -- Christine.

ROMANS: That is still really tragic for the families who want to know what happened, but also want to get their family members back. Thank you for that, David.

Forty-three minutes past the hour.

Now to the unimaginable slaughter unfolding in Nigeria. Boko Haram militants wiping out entire villages leaving bodies littered in the streets even burning some victims inside their homes. Local officials say villagers who fled into the bush, militants pursued them on motorcycles, firing indiscriminately. It is feared as many as 2,000 people may have died.

Secretary of State John Kerry touching down in India. He'll be meeting with the prime minister and laying the groundwork for a visit by President Obama at the end of the month. The goal is to boost trade between the two countries, and promote sustainable energy initiatives. Government officials in India have also expressed an interest in making their country more hospitable to foreign investors.

Here at home, the Senate is expected to begin voting today on the Keystone oil pipeline. The Republican-controlled chamber will have to end a Democratic filibuster before taking up the measure. The House is expected to approve its keystone pipeline bill by the end of the week, setting up a showdown with President Obama who has promised to veto the bill.

ROMANS: In the wake of the hack attacks at Sony, Target and Home Depot, President Obama is pushing for more transparency when notifying customers of a breach. In a speech today, he is expected to call for a national standard requiring companies to inform their customers it's been 30 days that they have been hacked. He is also making a push for student privacy moving to keep firms from profiting from information collected in schools as more teachers use tablet online services.

All right. Time for an early start on your money this morning. European stocks are higher, so are U.S. futures. It's been a bumpy year so far for the market. Stocks got off to a bad start. They managed to climb most of last week. On Friday, the Dow fell 170 points, about 1 percent, erasing all the gains for the year.

Oil prices sliding again this morning. Crude oil trading for about $47 a barrel right now. Prices have been in a freefall for months. They seem to stabilize around $48 a barrel last week, but falling again this morning. They plunged thanks to weak demand and a supply glut. That is sending gas prices down as well. The national average for a

gallon of regular, $2.13, the lowest price for gas in almost six years.

The 72nd Golden Globes are in the books. The big Hollywood party was a big night for first-time nominees. It was also a night in which "Boyhood", the coming of age film that was 12 years in the making, staked its claim as a bona fide front runner.

And the hosts, once again, they did not disappoint.

CNN's Stephanie Elam has more from Los Angeles.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christine, the Golden Globes are known for Hollywood's biggest party and this year was no exception. In their third and final year as mistresses of ceremony, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler once again had the crowd cracking. The comedic duo took jabs at everything from North Korea --

TINA FEY, ACTRESS: We celebrate all of the great shows we know and love and all of the movies that North Korea was OK with.

ELAM: To the sexual assault allegations against Bill Cosby.

FEY: Bill Cosby has finally spoken out about the allegations against him. Cosby admitted to a reporter, I put the pills in the people.

ELAM: George Clooney was honored with the lifetime achievement award.

GEORGE CLOONEY, ACTOR: Amal, whatever brought us together, I could not be more proud to be your husband.

ELAM: Along with John Legend, hip hop artist Common took home the best original song award for the civil rights drama, "Selma." On the red carpet, I talked to the star about the similarities between the events of 1965 and now.

COMMON, HIP HOP ARTIST: In one way, sad, but also knowing what happened in Selma and knowing what the people of the civil rights movement did, it was inspiring knowing that we can move things forward.

ELAM: In fact, real world events resonated throughout the night.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Je Suis Charlie.

CLOONEY: Je Suis Charlie.

ELAM: It was the coming of age drama "Boyhood" filmed over 12 years that won the night with three trophies, best picture of the year and best director Richard Linklater.

RICHARD LINKLATER, FILM DIRECTOR: I want to dedicate this to parents that are evolving everywhere and families that are just passing through this world and doing their best.

ELAM: On the TV side, newcomers reigned with "The Affair" snagging best drama and best actress for Ruth Wilson. "Transparent" winning comedy series and best actor for Jeffrey Tambor -- Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Stephanie Elam for us this morning in Los Angeles -- thanks, Stephanie.

Millions marching in France against terror. The country on heightened alert after the attacks killed 14 people as we learn new information about the gunmen and how they planned massacres. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: This morning, France is shaken, but unbowed. Some 3.7 million people gathered for anti-terror marches across France Sunday. Officials say it is the largest such gathering in French history. Meanwhile, investigators are trying to follow all of the threads leading to last week's attacks on the magazine and on a kosher supermarket, combing through the backgrounds of the Kouachi brothers who police say attacked "Charlie Hebdo." Amedy Coulibaly WHO killed four hostages in the kosher supermarket and his wife, Hayat Boumeddiene, believed to be on the run and headed to Syria.

Joining us now from CNN's Paris bureau is Dominique Moisi, founder of the French Institute for International Affairs -- cofounder of the French Institute for International Affairs.

Good morning. Thank you for joining us.

Let's talk first about --

DOMINIQUE MOISI, CO-FOUNDER & SENIOR ADVISER, FRENCH INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS: Good morning.

ROMANS: -- that remarkable show of solidarity in Paris and around France yesterday. Certainly, a game changer for the French people. For every day French resident, this is the biggest defining French moment of their lives, really.

How do you take that moment and move forward with policies that help protect people, but don't spark Islamophobia?

MOISI: Well, it was a moment of grace after three days of horror. And the French felt good. I was myself in the demonstration.

It was a demonstration for and not against. It was for freedom, for solidarity, for fraternity among Frenchmen. And there was a moment of, I would say, resilience and determination. The French suddenly felt they were together. The world was watching them.

They had recovered their unity and also their president. There was the renaissance so to speak of President Francois Hollande who was in control, had the helm, and showing empathy with his people. Of course, how long will that last? This is the issue.

ROMANS: This is the issue.

Let me ask about the lack of top U.S. official there, because the American newspapers a lot about this morning, saying that the Americans weren't there. John Kerry, the secretary of state was in India, on his way to landing in India. The president was in Washington.

What do you make of that? When I'm looking at this image right now of the German chancellor, of the French president, of other European leaders, was this a moment for Europe and the U.S. did not need to be there? What do you make of that?

MOISI: Well, maybe it was a lost opportunity for President Obama, but I don't think the French make much of it, because President Obama went to the French embassy in Washington, wrote a long note of condolence, ended his note with a resounding Viva la France.

No, I don't feel we were abandoned by America at all.

ROMANS: Certainly such a moment.

Let me ask you about in France, the largest Muslim population in Europe. You have second and third generation French citizens of Algerian and North African and Arab descent in some cases. Tell me a little bit about how this community moves forward from here? It must be heart-breaking that a few people from -- who are French would turn against the French in this way. How does France heal from that?

MOISIS: Well, this is a defining moment for the Muslim community of France. They came in large number yesterday. There were scenes of solidarity and embrace between Jews and Muslims. But now there must clearly differentiate themselves with the members of the community that did not behave as French men.

It must not be only an emotional moment. It must be a defining moment, a wake-up call for them. They must adhere deeply to the values of the republic and show it every day in their behavior.

Of course, it is for the French republic also to come and to impose law. There are terrorists in the suburbs of France which are no longer under the rule of law. This must stop.

ROMANS: Dominique Moisi, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you for your insight and analysis. What was really, I have to say, a beautiful day yesterday in France after such an ugly, ugly, ugly event.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: The world united against terror. World leaders joining millions in France in an unprecedented show of solidarity. The country reeling from terror attacks that killed 17 people, as ISIS repeats threats against the West.

We are live breaking down the latest developments and what comes next.

Good morning, everyone. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Great to see you today. I'm John Berman. It is Monday, January 12th. It is 5:00 in the East. It's 11:00 a.m. here in Paris. We welcome you from the United States and also around the world. I'm standing just in front of what is now the memorial outside the offices of "Charlie Hebdo."

The world this country so many people coming together against terror and the wake of last week's deadly attacks here on the satirical magazine, and also the Jewish supermarket just a few miles away. There were 3.7 million people marching in rallies across the nation. Officials say that is the biggest turnout in France history.

Among the millions and millions of people, 40 world leaders, including the Britain's prime minister and Germany's chancellor. But no top level American official. Where was the president? Where was the secretary of state? The event here very, very peaceful.