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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

France Honors 130 Victims of Paris Terror Attacks; Presidents of France & Russia Meet; Bears Spoil Holiday Party in Green Bay. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired November 27, 2015 - 05:00   ET

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

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR They weren't just from France, just before they went into the memorial, the parents of Nick Alexander from the U.K. issued a statement saying, "We extend our love and condolences to all those who are being affected by this indiscriminate act and are proud to stand with them in unity at the memorial service on Friday, our lives are linked forever."

[05:00:17] Very much playing in to what the president has been saying.

FRANCOIS HOLLANDE, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): Friday, the 13th of November, is the day we will never forget. France was struck cowardly in an act of organized war, organized from far away, and acted out in cold blood where assassins killed 130 of our people and more than 350 others were wounded in this day of betrayal.

Today, the nation, the entire nation, is struggling to live -- 130 names of the victims, 130 lives taken away, 130 wasted lives, 130 lives we no longer here, and 130 joys. These women, these men, taken away the happiness of their lives because they were life, that they were killed. It's because they were France that they were shot dead, because they were freedom that they were massacred.

At that such serious moment in this such painful time, with the nation in accord with itself, I address in its name our compassion and our affection and our feelings toward the families, the nearest and dearest of all those gathered here, the parents who no longer see their children, the children who will grow up without their parents, couples broken apart by love letters and brothers and sisters separated forever. A hundred thirty dead and so many wounded, marked forever, marked in their flesh, Traumatized at the deepest level.

And so, I want to say quite simply these words: France should be alongside you. We will unite our forces to calm the pain, and after burying the dead, we have to repair to all of you. I promise you, solemnly, that France will do everything, destroy the army of the fanatics that carried out these crimes. It will act without bending down to protect these children.

I promise also that France remain herself such as the disappeared have loved it and wanted France to remain, and if there was a need, a reason for us to stand up today, a reason to fight for our principles, a reason to defend this republic. We find it in their memories, these women, these men, to come from over 50 areas of France, from cities, from suburbs, from villages and towns, they also came from the world, 17 countries sharing their grief with us.

These women, these men on that Friday the 13th where in Paris, a city which lives in the day and shines at night, there are on the terraces of cafes and these place that's open in meeting of ideas they were sharing with the world. On that evening where autumn seemed not to finish, where there was singing at Bataclan to the sounds of an American group showing of friendship in the concert hall which for two centuries embodied the spirit of Paris.

[05:05:11] These men, these women, of all ages, but the majority were less than 35 years old. They were children when the Berlin Wall came down. They had not had the time to believe in the end of history and it already caught up with them. Where in 11 of September of 2001, they had then understood that the world was faced with new danger with the attacks of the beginning of this year upset them.

Many, I know, had demonstrated on the 11th of January as millions of French people had. They had refused to be faced with fear or faced with the threat of terrorism. They knew that France was not the enemy of any people, but they will go where they're called to protect the weakest and be against any kind of domination. These women, these men were the youth of France, the youth of a free people, who cherish culture of its own, and all cultures -- that is to say all cultures.

At the Bataclan, many people made music their work. It's just this music was unbearable to terrorists. It was this harmony they that wanted to break, to smash, it's this joy that they wanted to destroy with their bombs. And they will not stop it.

And we can only respond to them by multiple songs, concerts, shows. We will continue to play in stadiums and in particular the Stade de France in Saint-Denis. We will participate in the great sporting events where the most modest meet. And we will also share the same emotions of our differences, of our different origins and cultures and confessions and faiths because we are one nation only carried by the same values.

What the terrorists want, to divide us and throw us one against other. They will fail, I assure you. They believe in the cult of death. But we have love. Love for life.

Those who fell on the 13th of November were France, all France. They were students, journalists, teachers, people who worked in restaurants and engineers, many other professions, architects, professionals, carpenters, waiters, people who worked in advertising, artists. They were all France, the talents of the world. All of them wanted to succeed for themselves, for their families and for their country.

Let us remember their faces, their names, but also their hopes, their joys and their dreams and we will act tomorrow. We know the enemy. It is hatred, that which kills in Copenhagen, which killed in London, the enemy is fanaticism to submit people to an order is obscurantism.

That is to say Islamism which is this, an enemy which we will defeat with our forces. Those of republic with our weapons, with our arms and democracy and institutions with rights, with law and this fight, we can count on our military undertaken engaged in difficult operations in Syria and Iraq and the Sahil.

We can count on our police officers, our gendarme, together with justice who carried out admirable acts to put terrorists out of state to be able to harm.

[05:10:01] We can count on the parliament to adopt all the measures of defense in the interest of the country and the spirit of national agreement and respect of fundamental freedoms. And then above all, we can count on every French woman and every French man to show vigilance, resolution, humanity, dignity.

We will carry out this fight to the end and we will win it. Being loyal to the every idea of France as it is, the art of living, a ferrous to be together and attachment to secularism, belonging to the nation and confidence in our common destiny, trust in our common destiny, I will tell you here, we will not change. We will be united -- united on the main thing.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR: You have been watching French President Francois Hollande speaking at a remembrance ceremony for the 130 victims of the Paris terror attacks which happened two weeks ago today.

Senior European correspondent Jim Bittermann joining us.

Jim, you know, the speech from the French president, very moving, very solemn, he talked about children not growing up with their parents and couples broken apart.

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR EUROPEAN CORRESPONDENT: Exactly, Alison. The fact is that he was very solemn during the ceremony.

And in the speech, one of the things that he said repeatedly was that he was going to destroy the enemy, destroy the people responsible for this. "I make you a solemn promise," he said, "we will destroy them."

The president wanting to make sure the country knows that France is going to go out after the people responsible for the bloody attacks here two weeks ago. Around him were a lot of the family members of the victims, 130 victims who were killed and also some of the survivors. There were 350 injured in the attacks, and a lot of them in the ceremony today as well as their families and first responders and the honor guard.

And the ceremony that was very ecumenical politically because we had all politicians, the entire political class of France gathered here, the government is here, of course, but former presidents and his governments, any number of members of political parties and leaders from political parties all here today to show unity, which is what President Hollande has been asking for the last few weeks since the attacks happened -- Alison, Boris.

KOSIK: Very strong and moving words from the French president.

Jim Bittermann, live from Paris, thanks so much.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Russia's president declaring himself ready to cooperate with the U.S.-led coalition battling ISIS. Vladimir Putin sitting down with the French president in Moscow yesterday, the latest in a parade of world leaders that President Hollande has met with since the ISIS terror attacks in Paris. Hollande saying afterwards that Putin is ready to strike only against ISIS and only against jihadist groups.

Left unsettled, Bashar al Assad's future as president of Syria, flatly opposed by western powers, but left open by Putin. So, will this be the sticking point in building an international coalition against ISIS?

For some insight, let's bring in senior international correspondent Matthew Chance in Moscow.

Matthew, good morning.

Hollande saying that Putin has agreed to only attacking ISIS, only attacking these jihadist groups. But from Putin's perspective, the moderate Syrian rebels are also a jihadist group. So, does this really change anything in Russia's strategy?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I don't think so. The use of the phrase jihadist groups covers a plethora of factions on the ground in Syria. The other various rebel factions of the groups fighting against the Assad regime. And, you know, that lack of discrimination, if you like, or discernment has been reinforced over the last couple days.

I mean, the rebels themselves, the Turkmen backed by Turkey, filmed themselves on a cell phone shouting "Allahu Akbar", "God is great", while machine gunning the Russian pilot who had ejected out of the aircraft that was shot down by Turkey. One of them, the pilots of the aircraft, was killed.

So, this idea that there are moderate rebels that the Russians should deal with and can be brought in to talks with Assad to form a united front ISIS is just seen as absurd from the perspective here in Russia.

[05:15:00] SANCHEZ: All right. Matthew Chance reporting live in Moscow -- thank you.

KOSIK: Chicago bracing for a new protest, demonstrators furious over the killing of a black teenager by police and planning to target their message at holiday shoppers. That's next.

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SANCHEZ: Authorities in Chicago bracing for a Black Friday protest march along the Magnificent Mile. The mass demonstrations aim at disrupting holiday shopping on one of the busiest shopping days of the year. It's the latest of what had been largely peaceful protests this week since the release of police dash cam video showing black teenager Laquan McDonald being shot 16 times. Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke is being held on a first-degree murder charge.

We get more now from CNN's Rosa Flores.

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ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Alison and Boris, up to now, we have seen up to 200 protesters demonstrate at one time. But they tell us that on Black Friday, that is going to be different, because they're going to descend on the Magnificent Mile here in Chicago.

[05:20:04] They are expecting hundreds of stores to be opened, thousands of shoppers to be around and protesters tell us that they're going to have a bigger group of demonstrators up and down the avenue.

We should add that the McDonald's family, city administrators, religious leaders here in Chicago are asking for calm. They're asking for peaceful protest. They want people to express emotions and demonstrate, but demonstrate peacefully.

Now, we should add that Van Dyke is expected to face a judge for another hearing on Monday -- Alison, Boris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOSIK: OK. Rosa, thanks for that.

And Thanksgiving Day in the NFL, a treat for some teams. A real turkey for others. Coy Wire has this morning's bleacher report, next.

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[05:25:17] KOSIK: Former Packers quarterback Brett Favre brings Lambeau Field fans to their feet one more time. But their arch rival, they spoiled the holiday party.

Coy Wire has more in this morning's bleacher report.

Good morning.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alison and Boris.

The Packers and Bears, they have the NFL's oldest rivalry. They never met on 102 times, but they had never met on Thanksgiving Day. So, this had a bit of a special feel.

At halftime, Packers honored former QB Brett Favre by retiring his number 4 on the wall in Lambeau Field. Then, it got even better, Hall of Famer Bart Starr was in the house, and he came out to show Favre some love. A lot of teary eyes, even producers Brian and Robert here, big cheese heads at CNN, they're all choked up this morning.

But then, Jay Cutler and the boys became the bad news Bears. In the soaking rain, Chicago holds on for the 17-13 upset.

Now, Golden State Warriors are looking for the best start to league history to 17-0 tonight against the Suns.

CNN sports anchor Rachel Nichols sat down with their sharp shooter, reigning MVP Steph Curry. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RACHEL NICHOLS, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Is there any spot on the floor you feel you could not make a shot from?

STEPH CURRY, GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS: I mean, not really. I mean, I know my percentages. So, I know where I more likely to make it than not. It was kind of funny, last game, I was just crossing half-court, and for a second, if I tell you this, I'm going to make it. I kind of -- I did pull the trigger. I had some self control. That confidence is at an all-time high.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Now, Steph Curry is on fire. Last time I checked, he had three-pointers by himself this season already than two other entire NBA teams, the T-Wolves and the Nets. And he and his teammates are going for an NBA record of 33 straight wins. That's their next goal. Lakers did 44 seasons ago -- guys.

SANCHEZ: An impressive streak. He can hit from anywhere on the floor. It's funny, when they won the championship, people said they were just lucky. Now, they're out to prove something, huh, Coy?

WIRE: Absolutely. You know, the sky's the limit for this team. We'll see if they can get that record of 33 straight wins. They're looking unstoppable right now, Boris.

SANCHEZ: They definitely are. Coy Wire, thank you.

WIRE: You're welcome.

SANCHEZ: Russia says it's ready to work with Europe and the U.S. to fight ISIS in Syria, but this won't come easy. We're live, next.

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