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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

The President Defends Gun Control; South Korea Heightens "Defensive Posture"; Terror Fears in Paris. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired January 08, 2016 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:36] CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Imaginary fiction. President Obama slamming opponents of gun control in a live CNN town hall debate. Did he make his case for gun violence? Convince law- abiding Americans he doesn't want to take their guns?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR: South Korea taking his serious actions after the reclusive regime claimed it's tested a hydrogen bomb. How will North Korea react?

ROMANS: New terror fears in Paris this morning after a knife- wielding man found with an ISIS flag is killed outside the police station. Is this the new normal for France?

Good morning and welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.

KOSIK: And I'm Alison Kosik, in for John Berman. It's Friday, January 8th. It's 4:00 a.m. in the East. Good morning.

ROMANS: Good morning, everybody.

President Obama taking on his opponents face-to-face, his opponents on gun violence face to face at a town hall last night, right here on CNN. The president answering questions from a gun executive, a sheriff, a rape survivor and a widow who all oppose his executive actions on gun violence announced this week.

The president pushed back against the claims that he wants to take guns away from law-abiding Americans. He called that very notion an imaginary fiction. The president took questions from people who agree with his plan to expand background checks. Among them, gun control advocate Mark Kelly, the husband of former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords who was gravely wounded in the 2011 shooting.

KOSIK: The president's campaign for gun safety continues in this morning's "New York Times", with an op-ed that looked ahead to election season. And he says this, quote, "I will not campaign for, vote for or support any candidate, even in my own party, who does not support common-sense gun reform. All of the Democrats running for the White House support stricter gun laws."

So, the statement seems aimed at Democrats running for tight races in Congress who may want the president's support.

For the latest, let's bring in CNN's Jim Acosta at the White House -- Jim.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Christine and Alison, President Obama confronted critics of his executive actions on gun control at a CNN town hall last night. Gun rights supporters told the president they're worried those new executive actions aimed at expanding the nation's background check systems could prevent law- abiding citizens from buying firearms.

The president insisted his moves won't interfere with those rights and the president went off on the nation's top gun lobby, the NRA, accusing the group of skipping the town hall so it can continue to mislead gun owners about his record. He also blamed the NRA for skyrocketing gun sales around the country. Here's what he had to say.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our position is mischaracterized. And by the way, there's a reason why the NRA is not here. They are just down the street. And since this is the main reason they exist, you'd think that they'd be prepared to have a debate with the president.

ACOSTA: The president insisted he supports the right to bear arms in the Second Amendment. The president also recounted his meeting with the family members of the children killed in Sandy Hook school shooting three years ago, adding it was the only time he'd seen the Secret Service cry on duty -- Christine and Alison.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: Yes, emotional, no question.

One question last night came from Taya Kyle, the widow of American sniper Chris Kyle who was shot dead by an acquaintance in Texas. She said she wants the freedom to carry whatever weapon she chooses. She said tighter regulations won't stop criminals from getting guns.

The president responded at his proposal is akin to adding seatbelts and airbags to cars, gradually increasing safety without burdening gun owners.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: You will be able to purchase a firearm. Some criminals will get their hands on firearms even if there is a background check. Somebody may lie on a form. Somebody will intend to commit a crime, but they don't have a record that shows up on the background checks system.

There is a way for us to set up a system where you, a responsible gun owner, who I'm assuming given your husband and your family is a much better marksman than I am, can have a firearm to protect yourself. But where it is much harder for somebody to fill up a car with guns and sell them to 13-year-old kids on the streets.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[04:05:02] ROMANS: The president thanks Taya Kyle and her husband for their service. Taya will be live on "NEW DAY" later this morning. So, don't miss that.

KOSIK: The town hall on guns came just hours after a new CNN poll appeared showing most Americans support the president's plan. Two-thirds, including a majority of Republicans say they favor his executive orders increasing the reach of background checks and improving enforcement of existing laws. But many people are skeptical the proposal will have any effect. Less than half think it will reduce gun related deaths. Many also oppose the way the president is making the changes. More than half disapprove of using executive actions to tighten gun regulations.

ROMANS: While the president was making the case for gun safety and tightening gun restrictions, Donald Trump was promising to get rid of some in a rally in Burlington, Vermont. At a rally in Burlington, Vermont, Trump vows to get rid of gun free zones in schools. And on military bases, he called gun free zones bait for sickos with weapons.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We need our guns. We need the guns. Whether we like it or not, we need our guns.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Now, Burlington is Bernie Sanders territory. Not only is Vermont the state he represents in the Senate. He was once mayor of Burlington itself, which made it challenging turf for a Trump event.

CNN's Jeff Zeleny has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Christine and Alison, Donald Trump is used to loud and raucous rallies, but the one in Burlington last night certainly topped most of them. Throughout the evening, he was interrupted by protesters again and again. Many of them were wearing Bernie Sanders shirts.

Take a listen to some of the action.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is not Vermont! Trump ruins Vermont.

(CHANTING)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get Trump out!

ZELENY: It was clear as the evening went on, Donald Trump was agitated how long it took security to remove some of the protesters.

TRUMP: OK, security, move a little faster please. Thank you, security. Get them out of here.

ZELENY: But after most of the protesters left, Donald Trump talked about guns. He said he is against gun free zones in America. He also delivered sharp criticism of his Republican rivals, as well as the Democratic candidates.

From here, Donald Trump goes to South Carolina on Friday for another rally and kicks up his campaigning in Iowa over the weekend -- Christine and Alison.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOSIK: OK, Jeff, thanks for that.

And Ted Cruz now defending himself on two fronts against questions about his eligibility to be president. John McCain has joined Donald Trump, saying that Cruz's birth in Canada to an American mother makes it uncertain whether he can run for president. Cruz says McCain is bringing up the issue because the Arizona senator plans to endorse Marco Rubio.

A spokeswoman says McCain isn't endorsing anybody at this stage.

ROMANS: Bill Clinton on the campaign trail in Iowa shoring up votes for his wife Hillary. The former president spoke to hundreds of people Thursday at the National Czechoslovak Museum and Library. He told the crowd you'll never have a chance to vote for a better candidate.

Meantime, Hillary Clinton expected to pick up an endorsement from Planned Parenthood. A formal announcement is set to come during a campaign event in Manchester, New Hampshire, on Sunday.

KOSIK: Breaking overnight, tensions on the Korean Peninsula ratcheting up. South Korea this morning heightening its defensive posture near the border with the north and increasing its cyber security defense following the north's claim it tested an H-bomb.

Also overnight, South Korea renewed its propaganda broadcast blasting messages across the DMZ on loud speakers. It's something the north regards as an act of war.

For the very latest, let's turn to CNN's Paula Hancocks. She is live in Seoul.

Good morning, Paula.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alison.

Well, Seoul knows that this angers Pyongyang. The South Koreans used the loud speakers many times in the past. Every time, Pyongyang has become very annoyed by them.

So, they know there is a chance there could be repercussions that could be a response back in the summer of last year, there was a violent response when they were broadcasting music, they broadcast K- pop, news reports and also messages that the regime is lying to the people of North Korea. When they did this, North Korean soldiers actually fired upon these loud speakers.

This is why we have the increase in security along the border on the South Korean side. They are well-aware just how angry North Korea gets from the loud speakers. And so, they are adjusting their stance accordingly.

And, of course, the cyber security increased. South Korea says that they have seen North Korea attack them online in the past, many times. And so, they really are preparing themselves for any eventually. Now, they say this will be one part of their response to Wednesday's North Korean nuclear test -- Alison.

[04:10:04] KOSIK: So, as things get more and more tense between North and South, how concerned is the South that this tension can certainly escalate into something so much bigger?

HANCOCKS: Well, there is an awareness that could happen. That is why they heightened the security. We have seen it before.

But it's not certain what the North Korean's reaction will be. South Koreans are working with allies and United States to try and push through some substantive sanctions in the United Nations.

This is just one track of many tracks that South Korea is trying to pursue. What they want to see is sanctions that will actually bite, sanctions that will really affect North Korea, and be able to try and slowdown their nuclear ambitions, because at this point, even though it is heavily sanctioned, they are still progressing -- Alison.

KOSIK: OK. CNN's Paula Hancocks, thanks so much.

ROMANS: Eleven minutes after the hour. And early start on your money now.

The Dow makes history, posting its worst four-day start to a year ever. The Dow dropped 392 points on Thursday. It's now down more than 5 percent for the start of the year, something we've never seen before.

Both the Dow and NASDAQ now officially in a correction. That means this is the 10 percent drop from the highs last summer. The S&P 500 still has a way go before it is officially a correction.

Let me show you what it looks like right now. Futures right now are higher, thank goodness. Markets in Europe up as well. Asia finished mixed. So, you have not seen a continuation of the violent fearful selling in stocks that really just spread around the world this week.

China has ditched the so-called circuit breakers. That's the sort of the speed bump which halted trading twice this week. Now, the rule was meant to calm investors down after a steep drop. It really just added to the uncertainty around the globe. Still, some analysts aren't happy with the move, saying regulators don't have a -- Chinese regulators don't have a clear plan for how to shore up the market there.

So, watching those green arrows this morning and hoping that means by the end of the week, at least we will not have so much violent selling. Job support, by the way, in four hours and 18 minutes. So, we could have a big piece of information to trade with today as well.

KOSIK: OK, increased security in Paris this morning after a knife wielding man is shot outside the police station in anniversary of the "Charlie Hebdo" massacre. Is the French security prepared to handle an increase in lone style terror attacks?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:15:42] KOSIK: There is high anxiety in France after French authorities thwart yet another act of terrorism. A man brandishing a meat cleaver attempted to enter a police station just as the country was marking the anniversary of the "Charlie Hebdo" attacks. We were learning more about the intentions about this apparent lone wolf with a printout of the ISIS flag.

Let's get more now from CNN international correspondent Erin McLaughlin who is live in Paris.

Erin, what are the authorities learning about the suspect? Could he have been part of a bigger terror attack?

ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alison.

Well, authorities have yet to release the identity or yet to make it public of the man accused of yesterday's attack. But as you say, we are learning more about his background. Authorities are saying that they were aware of his criminal past. He had a criminal history, but what they weren't aware of or had any record of is any past links to extremists or extremist ideology.

The justice minister yesterday saying the piece of paper found on his body that had the ISIS flag on it -- well, authorities, she said, are still working to determine whether or not that in fact indicates a link to ISIS ideology or simply an indication that he was mentally disabled.

So, authorities are trying to work out the motives behind yesterday's attack. It appears that they are looking at it as a lone wolf style attack, which really illustrates the problem facing French authorities. Not only are they trying to stop or any potential attacks that could happen such as the ones that happened in November, but they're looking what to do about lone wolves. Big problem for authorities here -- Christine and Alison.

KOSIK: Big problem indeed.

Erin McLaughlin, thanks so much.

ROMANS: All right. Joining us now to talk more about this, Haras Rafiq. He is managing director for the Quilliam Foundation. He joins us this morning from London.

And certainly, the timing of this attack, Haras, was frightening. Almost at the moment of the one-year anniversary of the "Charlie Hebdo" attack which was the moment when France changed, I think, when France really changed and had to confront this reality within its borders.

Let's talk about this particular attack. Meat cleaver. A fake suicide bomb. A printed out ISIS flag. It sounds as though this is an ISIS-inspired event. Not an ISIS-organized event.

HARAS RAFIQ, MANAGING DIRECTOR, QUILLIAM FOUNDATION: Absolutely. It -- first of all, we can determine a few things from the actions that he had yesterday. The belt that he was wearing, the suicide belt he was wearing was a fake suicide belt. It was very clear that he wanted people to know that he was wearing the belt. Therefore, he actually wants -- he was actually yesterday trying to die as a martyr and trying to commit as much damage and take as many people with him.

We know that this particular person has a criminal past and we also know that ISIS online and ISIS people who are operating within the communities offer people quick redemption, people who are vulnerable, people who maybe homeless. Offer them quick redemption in the afterlife for any acts of so-called sins they may have done while they were alive. So, it looks as they somebody was inspired.

I actually don't like the word "lone wolf" because it implies he was acting on his own entirely. We prefer the term self starter, because it's very, very common that -- in fact, nearly all the cases we observed, the people that actually carry out these attacks which were inspired by ISIL or even al Qaeda in the past, have a network of support around them either in the online world and in many cases in the offline world as well.

KOSIK: You know, the French government is currently monitoring thousands of people with suspected ties to terrorism. Is there really any way to know ahead of time when someone is going to, by themselves, possibly commit an act of terrorism?

[04:20:02] RAFIQ: I think we have to look at some of the problems that monitoring poses on resources of any government or any agency. Typically, to monitor somebody for 24 hours a day, it takes an average 20 people to do that. That's just to monitor one person. So, it's not possible, it's not only possible to monitor every single person who may well be thinking about carrying out an attack.

What France doesn't have yet is an effective de-radicalization program and more than that, an effective counseling program, something that counters the ideology. And I think that's really what France should be focusing a lot of its energy on is making sure there is effective and alternative counter-narratives and messages to people who may be looking to -- for an identity and looking for a cause. And ISIL is providing this cause.

The counter-narratives are more important right now than actually making sure that every single person is monitored, because that's impossible to do.

ROMANS: That's a really interesting perspective. Especially when you look at in this case what appears to be a criminal background, a criminal history. We have seen that again and again. We have seen young men, criminals on wrong side of the law again and again. Not religious in any sense of the word, and then somehow either in the prison system or in the criminal system, find this meaning.

Somehow, the jihadi narrative is resonating with the hopeless and aimless. And that's what France needs to be focusing on, you say.

RAFIQ: Absolutely, the narrative, the ideology. Islamism, as we call it, as opposed to Islam, the faith. That is why the point you made is very, very important.

Quite often, a lot of these people are not religious. Islamism is a political ideology, rather than a faith if you like, rather than the tenets of the faith. Islamism in the past, just as communism has, just as fascism has, just as other isms have, using the same techniques -- provide people who are looking for an identity or cause or looking for solutions to their problems that they may be facing in day-to-day life. Charismatic recruiters through this ideological prisms provides them the solutions, and more than that, provides them an identity and redemption for anything that they might have done in the past.

ROMANS: Fascinating.

KOSIK: All right. Haras Rafiq, thanks so much for coming on and giving us your expertise on this.

RAFIQ: My pleasure.

ROMANS: All right. Back home, a long-awaited meeting in Oregon. A local sheriff meets with protesters occupying federal land. Will this situation be resolved soon? Will it be with peaceful or with force?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:26:12] ROMANS: Two Iraqi refugees living in the U.S. are in federal custody this morning. They face terrorism-related charges. The arrests, one in Houston, the other in Sacramento. They do not appear to be directly related.

Authorities say the Texas man is charged with trying to provide material support to ISIS. Both are accused of lying to immigration officials about alleged ties to terror groups. Federal officials say there was an arrest to Milwaukee related to one of those suspects.

KOSIK: Breaking overnight, a woman attacks several passengers aboard a United Express flight from New York to Chicago, forcing a landing in Detroit. It is not clear what set the woman off, but other passengers worked to restrain her as the flight with four crew and 69 passengers made the diversion. The woman was arrested upon landing. The flight continued on to Chicago.

ROMANS: In Oregon, sheriff plans to meet again with the protesters today trying to peacefully resolve the armed occupation of the building on a national wildlife refuge. Harney County sheriff David Ward, he met with the leader of that group Thursday. He offered them safe passage out of the county, but Ammon Bundy refused.

The group took over the building last weekend. They are protesting federal land use rules, they say, and they have shown no sign of leaving.

KOSIK: The governor of Maine is under fire for racially charged comments during a town hall event this week while discussing the state's drug epidemic. Governor Paul LePage used language some found offensive in describing how the state is going after drug traffickers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. PAUL LEPAGE (R), MAINE: These aren't people who take drugs. These are guys with the name D-Money, Smoothie, Shifty. These type of guys that come from Connecticut, New York, they come up here, they sell their heroin, and then they go back home. Incidentally, half the time, they impregnate a young white girl before they leave, which is a real sad thing because then we have another issue that we got to deal with down the road.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: A spokesman says the governor was not talking about race, but rather about the emotional cost of kids born as a result of the involvement with drug traffickers.

ROMANS: All right. Twenty-eight minutes past the hour.

President Obama defending his executive action guns in a live CNN town hall. Did he convince Americans, law-abiding Americans, no, he doesn't want to take your guns away?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)