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Ceasefire Deal Reached in Ukraine Peace Talks; Obama Requests ISIS War Authorization; Failed Attempts to Rescue Kayla Mueller; Interview with Rep. Paul Gosar; Arctic Cold Front Moving In; North Carolina Shooting Victims Remembered

Aired February 12, 2015 - 07:00   ET

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

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's something that Ukraine has said is very important. It does appear that over time the Ukrainian government will get control of that border.

But a lot of this is really -- in the detail, so this is a lot of it. That detail we have yet to hear about.

And really words of caution, because what we heard from the German foreign ministry today saying that not everything was agreed, the fact that this took 17 hours to get to this point. An indication that perhaps this agreement, as good as it looks on paper right now, is really yet to stick on the battlefield, Chris.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: And they had a good one before. You know, and I remember being with you in Kiev and you telling me how complicated this is.

And word from the front is, Nic, that Russian equipment still coming across the border. The rebels still wanting to fight. So we do have to be skeptical, though at least this is, how do we say it, at least a beginning to the process?

ROBERTSON: It is part of a beginning. Look, I mean what the Europeans really wanted to get out of this was an end to the bloodshed. So it does seem if the cease-fire holds for now, they will get this pause.

But you know, one of the things that's not been addressed around the table is Russia has denied -- Russia has denied all along that it's put troops, put weapons in to support the separatists. So where does Russia stand going forward on this deal? That's a very big and open question right now. Whatever the separatists, whatever the Ukrainian government are agreeing to at the moment, what's really Russia's long- term plan? That's what has a lot of people worried and concerned about this -- Alisyn.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: All right. So many questions, and the details need to be hammered out. Nic Robertson, thank you for all that.

Turning now to the battle against ISIS. The president formally asking Congress to authorize the use of military force to take out the terrorists. The White House says it's not a large-scale ground operation. But the president's request does leave wiggle room if the threat evolves.

Let's get right to White House correspondent Michelle Kosinski with some of the key points of the proposal that even Democrats have some questions about this morning -- Michelle.

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Right, Alisyn. And an authorization really shapes the parameters of war, contains it. But this one actually ended up leaving lots of flexibility for things to change down the road.

And when you look at this three-year authorization request, the only big restriction is against enduring offensive ground combat operations or, as the president put it, long-term large-scale operations like what we saw in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But who's to say what enduring means or how long that is? Clearly, there's room for interpretation there. It also allows for the 2001 authorization against al Qaeda and its affiliates to stand. And allows the president to fight ISIS wherever it is. As well as groups alongside ISIS, affiliated with it. And allows for other kinds of combat, some of which we've already seen, like Special Operations, search and rescue, calling in airstrikes.

So now this rests with Congress. To approve it or not, come up with their own. And you have Democrats who would like to see this more restrictive. You have some Republicans who would like to see it less restrictive. So the White House is not necessarily expecting this to be easy. And they expect some tweaks -- Michaela.

PEREIRA: Easy to say the least. All right. Michelle, thank you so much. In his war authorization request, President Obama names the Americans that have been killed in ISIS captivity, including aid worker, Kayla Mueller. This morning we learn more about the failed attempts to rescue her.

Our justice correspondent, Pamela Brown, is following these developments for us live from Washington.

Good morning once again, Pam.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning to you, Michaela.

We are learning new details from the Mueller family spokesperson. And according to her, she says that the family actually reached out to the White House last summer when ISIS set a deadline to execute Kayla and asked if it would be willing to swap Dr. Sadiki for Kayla. ISIS had repeatedly asked for Sadiki's release. And the family saw it in media reports and, of course, were looking for any option to rescue their daughter by that execution deadline.

The spokesperson says Kayla was still alive even past that deadline. And then we're also learning that, contrary to some reports, the family never turned down a military operation, because it was too risky. Instead, the spokesperson says the family asked the White House if it could be notified of any rescue missions following that failed rescue attempt last July.

And also as it turns out on a separate occasion, Kayla's boyfriend, who she was kidnapped with, tried to rescue her after he was released; and he posed as her husband, apparently, at a Syrian terrorist training camp. Kayla wasn't in on this ruse, and she said she didn't have a husband, so that man was turned away, according to the family spokesperson. But it is evident that there were many attempts to try to bring Kayla home -- Chris.

CUOMO: It's tough, Pamela. I don't know if it makes it easier or harder to know that there were so many attempts.

Let's get some more -- some perspective here on this from somebody who is very close to the situation, Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar. He represents Kayla Mueller's hometown of Prescott, Arizona, but you were more than just a representative here. You were counsel for the family. You were an advocate for the family.

And now we know that there was a lot of activity going on and that ordinary criticism, Congressman, that the government didn't try enough, doesn't seem to be the case here. Is that accurate?

REP. PAUL GOSAR (R), ARIZONA: Well, I mean, only people that really know that directly, Chris, is the White House and the family. The family themselves. I can't imagine what the family had to go through there. They're very stalwart in what they've had to go through. But there is some conflicting evidence that maybe they -- the White House and the administration didn't do all they could.

CUOMO: Right, but you know, that's why they're coming out with the information about the rescues and such.

And the last time were you on, you said you didn't believe ISIS, but you knew more was going on. You were compelled to conceal. Tell us why.

GOSAR: Well, you know, just their whole edict of how they, you know, use torture and actually when they did execute, they came up with proof. But you know, people have to look at the goodness of what this young lady was trying to do. She was trying to reach out in a humanitarian way to help people. And you have to look at that goodness, Chris, that you know, prevails over evil.

CUOMO: No question. In many ways, Kayla represents the best hope. Not just for us in our generation that we're going to have here. But what will work in fixing the problem in that part of the world. Military action doesn't seem to get it done. People who help defeat the idea seem to be the key.

President Obama said, Congressman, that the U.S. did everything it could do. Do you believe that?

GOSAR: Well, like I said, I'm not privy to everything for those dictations. You know, I was led into little scant pieces here and there. But some of the evidence is showing that maybe the attempt at Raqqah may have been past due, that there was a closer window that they could have interceded in. But that's all speculative, beyond my perspective.

CUOMO: Well, we know certain things, they could have swapped a hostage for somebody else. And they didn't. The family asked them to do that. They could have allowed negotiations, and they didn't, because of this somewhat confusing policy. Given the fact that you are going to have young people and old people like Kayla, who are going there to work, to live, to try to improve the situation, do you think the U.S. needs to rethink how it deals with people when taken captive?

GOSAR: Well, the thing about it, if we're going to pay ransoms, Chris, and we can start down that policy, then every American going abroad will be subject to that same application. And then we have a problem all the way across the board. So it is a tough call, particularly when you look at somebody so young and so vibrant. But there's another side of that story, is that when you concede, it creates a huge, big problem for us traveling abroad.

CUOMO: One of the challenges here is that, now that Kayla is gone, it's about how do we best help the family as they move forward? The rescue attempts, do you know if they knew? This suggestion that Kayla had been paired off with some terrorist thug, were they aware of that?

GOSAR: I'm not -- I'm not sure, Chris. So once again, you know, the family let me in on certain aspects and kept me apprised of some of that aspect but not all of that. I think some of that aspect is still very speculative.

CUOMO: One of your aides travelled to Turkey to search for leads on Kayla. That's an unusual effort. Why did you make it? And did it help in any way? And were you getting information from the administration to help your own efforts?

GOSAR: Well, what we did is that there was an excursion for the chief of staffs to go into southern Turkey. And that had already been planned for a different reason. And so I just approached my chief of staff, would he be willing to go to the refugee camps to have, to see if there's another lead they could actually follow. I mean, you're in the location; why not try?

One of the things that we were kind of taken aback was that, in reaching out to the embassy in Ankara, and the person that he contacted basically said, "Go back to Washington, D.C. and do it from there." And I thought that seemed very odd, that you have somebody that at least made an attempt to try to find some leads on an individual in the refugee camp that was not the greatest place to be in. And to get that kind of response from the embassy. So that was a little bit odd.

CUOMO: Well, Congressman Gosar, thank you for going above and beyond what we usually imagine as the duties of a representative to the people in their district. And thank you for sharing what you know with us on NEW DAY.

GOSAR: Thank you very much, Chris. And let's keep the family in their thoughts and prayers.

CUOMO: Absolutely. Michaela.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Emotional testimony from the widow of Chris Kyle as the so-called "American Sniper" murder trial gets underway in Texas. Taya Kyle was the state's first witness against 27-year-old Eddie Ray Routh, the veteran accused of murdering the former Navy SEAL and his friend. On the stand, she tearfully recounted the last conversation she had on the phone with her husband before he was allegedly shot and killed by Routh at a gun range.

CAMEROTA: Two Al Jazeera journalists are free after more than 400 days in an Egyptian jail. Both men still face a retrial. They were imprisoned, along with an Australian colleague, charged with promoting terror.

CUOMO: Veteran CBS correspondent Bob Simon was killed in a car crash in New York City overnight. Simon covered major overseas conflicts and reported for "60 Minutes," a career that spanned five decades. The 27-time Emmy winner was just 73 years old.

CAMEROTA: He could have gone on for ten more years.

PEREIRA: He really could have.

CAMEROTA: And it seems like he was. He was working on that piece you're saying, about Ebola with his daughter.

PEREIRA: Yes.

CAMEROTA: Such a loss.

PEREIRA: What a shock, to have so many people, especially the CBS family. Our thoughts and prayer go out to them, as well, and to his family.

Let's talk about this thing that we've been warning people about, the snow, the cold. Remember that? Yes, it's coming. More snow for the northeast, bitter, bitter cold temperatures for millions, right in time for the weekend.

Jennifer Gray, you planned it well. Keeping track of the latest forecast for us. So how bad is it going to get?

JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I'm back. It looks like we are going to see very, very cold temperatures -- we're talking some of the coldest temperatures of the season -- by the end of the weekend.

This morning, temperatures cold already. Sioux Falls, the wind chill, 14 below zero. It's 2 below in Minneapolis right now with a wind chill of 18 below zero. The very frigid temperatures are going to move to the east as we go through today and then even colder air coming in behind it by the end of the weekend. High temperatures are going to be in the teens in Boston on Friday. Saturday, a high of 22. Back to 19 on Sunday.

New York City, your high is 20 on Friday. We see lows in the single digits, even below zero in Boston by Saturday morning. Your temperature, 2 below zero. That's one component.

And then we have the snow. We are going to get a little bit of snow today and tomorrow. That's not the big story.

The bigger story is what's coming by the end of the weekend. We are talking about big-time snow again, possible blizzard conditions, windy conditions, and a lot of snow. So we could see another one of these strong systems, just like we've seen, one after another right in the northeast. And yes, Boston, one of the areas, in the bull's eye, could see up to a foot of snow.

By the time we get through Monday, of course, Maine could see well over two feet of snow. Models do have a little bit of different opinions on this one. Of course, but Boston is still in the bull's eye, with mostly like 12-15 inches of snow. We could see eight to ten inches across places like Vermont, New Hampshire.

And so guys, this is going to be another big one to impact the northeast by the time we get to the end of the weekend.

PEREIRA: Still trying to get rid of the snow from last time.

CAMEROTA: Oh, my gosh. It will never not be winter. Never.

GRAY: And then we're looking at a third one possibly by the middle part of next week.

PEREIRA: No, not yet. Not yet.

CUOMO: A little bit of this winds up being positive attitude. Yes, it's cold. The snow is here. But you know...

CAMEROTA: This is historic. This isn't just winter. I mean, this is...

CUOMO: It's only historic until the next time.

CAMEROTA: Yes. This is epic, what's happening.

CUOMO: It's always epic until the next time.

CAMEROTA: All right. Well, back to one of our top stories, this one such a tragedy, three Muslim students murdered in North Carolina. Was this a dispute over a parking spot? Or was it a hate crime? We'll speak with the brother of one of the victims, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. SUZANNE BARAKAT, SISTER OF VICTIM: I want to make sure that they're recognized for that and that the world realizes what we have lost. They all had so much to offer. And I just want to make sure that we continue that legacy for them in their name, in their honor. And that all of us as Americans collectively -- not let their deaths go in vain.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: That was the sister of Deah Barakat, one of the three Muslim students shot and killed at their home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, this week. Police say the shootings may have stemmed from an ongoing parking dispute, but the victim's families think there's something deeper.

Joining us now is Deah's brother, Farris Barakat, who attended a vigil last night where the three were honored and remembered.

Farris, thanks so much for being on NEW DAY.

FARRIS BARAKAT, BROTHER OF VICTIM: No problem. Thank you for having me.

CAMEROTA: We're so sorry about this senseless tragedy. You know, we cover a lot of terrible stories here. But this one is the one that I hear people talking about in the elevators and in the hallways. This one really has struck a chord, because all three of your family members seem to have been such special people. Can you tell us a little about the vigil last night?

F. BARAKAT: They're absolutely special people. And you know, I'm seeing this from the inside. I'm not seeing it from the outside, and I can only imagine that the world hasn't seen anything like this before. Because this news is literally everywhere. And I want to thank you guys, everyone for the support, for standing up against violence.

And the vigil last night was amazing. As far as I can see, even on stage there were students at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill who were there to show support and be in solidarity with my family. And that means a lot to us, and thank you very much.

CAMEROTA: Now, have you and your family been able to learn any more about what led up to this shooting?

F. BARAKAT: Well, what we know is that Yusor had not felt comfortable around Mr. Hicks on previous occasions. He showed up to the door before, complaining about the noise that her friends made as they left the parking lot one day, talking about how they had woken up his wife. And he came to the door and pulled his jacket up and said, to kind of indicate that he had a weapon before. And Yusor, I guess, being the passive and kind person, didn't think much of it.

And we tried to show him -- I swear, we tried to show him unconditional love in the sense that, you know, we respect our neighbor deeply. And we love him as, as we are taught to in our religion. So you know, to show unconditional love and then to have him use that gun instead of, you know, maybe carrying it as is his right to do so but to use it on my family, he had no right to do that. And rage or hate or whatever it is definitely took over at that moment. And it's now between him and God on what's next.

CAMEROTA: The police have said that they believe the shootings may have been motivated by, quote, "an ongoing neighbor dispute over parking." And you experienced some of the neighbor's wrath yourself when you went to visit the apartment. What happened?

F. BARAKAT: The first time I visited the apartment, and this is the absolute first time, I came out. And the neighbor had come to my brother's apartment and said, "Hey, are you guys parked out there?"

And at first I thought, you know, this guy is taking a leadership role in his community, in a sense, making sure that people understand and the new people, you know, the new kids on the block, understand what the parking rules are. And ever since then, we've made sure to follow the regulations and rules.

My brother, after being visited by Mr. Hicks, repeatedly -- has repeatedly been to the office and has asked, is he OK to park here and here? They gave him the clear, and they said, if Mr. Hicks bothers you again, please call the police.

And maybe they should have. But again, we can't -- we can't go back and think that maybe they should have or not. We know they're in a great place right now, and that's what keeps us strong.

CAMEROTA: Your words are so heartening to everyone who is struggling with how to make sense of this senseless situation. What do you think...

F. BARAKAT: We're not going to make sense of it.

CAMEROTA: You're right. I mean, there really will be no answer here. But what do you think really was at the root of this? Was this about a parking spot? Or was it, as your sister-in-law believed and told her family, that he was, he did have some sort of particular animosity against them?

F. BARAKAT: You know, if -- if I'm at work and someone spills coffee on me and I didn't think much of them, maybe I wouldn't be so bitter. But you know, if I was a bigoted, ignorant man and I see a Muslim spill coffee on me, it's going to be a lot worse.

So you know, if I end up killing a Muslim over spilled coffee, you can't tell me it's over spilled coffee. It could particularly be based around the parking spot, but the hate and the anger and the rage was not -- there's -- I mean, if it comes to where three amazing lives are taken from us, because of a parking spot, then we are in a more desperate state than I guess any of us have ever thought we would be.

But we're not there. And this is what I'm telling you: it's not over a parking spot. And we appreciate and thank everyone who has supported us on this. There's so much support on this.

And again, my mom wanted to spread the message that don't fight fire with fire. Don't fight ignorance with ignorance. The judgment is between him and his Lord now. And, you know, God forgives, but you know, even unfortunately, he doesn't even believe in God, it seems.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

F. BARAKAT: And then, I guess, such a bitter soul, and we pray for him.

CAMEROTA: Boy, your message and your mom's message are so powerful. And hopefully, everyone will heed them.

F. BARAKAT: Absolutely.

CAMEROTA: Can you tell us more about your brother and his wife and her sister? They sound like such special people, and we know that they were big parts of the community. What can you share with us?

F. BARAKAT: I have still not fully uncovered what it had meant to me to have him as a brother. Because sometimes I don't even think that I lost him. We were doing a press release, and we were going as a family. And my thought was, OK, who is going to tell my brother; and is he going to meet us there?

And all this news and at the vigil, you know, I wanted to text my brother, be like, "Man, check out all this huge reaction." But soon after I realized that the reason we're all here is because my brother was taken from me. So I don't understand fully what it means to have lost him. But he was an amazing person.

And today you'll see many, many people coming out to commemorate their lives, and Yusor is absolutely the most, like, down to the core, passive, and kind-hearted and easy-going person. And as I know, a very, very able and talented person. And, you know, I wanted to set up a Facebook group for them. You know, not sure why, exactly, at the beginning. But I knew that I wanted to pool this, like, energy. And the first thought that came to my mind was, "Hey, I can go to do Razan. She's an amazing, accomplished person who I can depend on." And then I was like -- but then it hit me again that Razan was also taken from us, as well.

So each and every one of them, I've wanted to be within this -- in this experience and wanted to share it with them, and every little bit I'm reminded as how I cannot do that.

CAMEROTA: Oh, boy. We understand. I mean, even though we didn't know them, we feel your loss today.

Farris, thanks so much for being on NEW DAY and sharing your personal story. And we're praying for you, and we're thinking of your family.

F. BARAKAT: Thank you very much and thank you for all the support.

CAMEROTA: Thank you.

We want to know what you think about this story. Was it really a parking dispute? Was it more? Tweet us @NewDay or go to Facebook.com/NewDay. We'd love to read your thoughts.

Let's go to Chris.

CUOMO: Congress and the president agree the U.S. must fight back against ISIS, but there's a political battle over just how far we should go when it comes to putting troops on the ground. If so, for how long? There's a lot to deal with, and John King will do that for you on "Inside Politics," coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: After all-night talks, a potential ceasefire in eastern Ukraine has finally been reached. The fighting could stop as early as Sunday. The leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine are set to sign the agreement, and that would end months of bloodshed, at least temporarily.

There is cause for skepticism. Word from the front is that Russian equipment is still crossing the border at this hour and that rebels vow to continue fighting.

CAMEROTA: President Obama asking Congress to authorize military force to combat ISIS. The plan does not involve a large-scale ground operation in Iraq or Syria, but it does leave the door open if, quote, "the threat evolves."

The president making it clear the operation would rely mostly on airstrikes, and that's prompting bipartisan skepticism. Republicans want stronger measures, including the use of ground forces, while Democrats outraged the president even left the door open for the deployment of ground troops.

PEREIRA: Tens of thousands of demonstrators taking to the streets to protest Shiite Muslim rebels taking control of Yemen. This after the U.S., Britain and France all shut down their embassies over security concerns. Yemen's former leader is gone, having resigned after Houthi rebels seized control of key government facilities, dissolved parliament, and placed him under house arrest.

CUOMO: All right. We have some video shot by NBC station KXAS in Dallas for you. Take a look at this. Helicopter was over this high- speed police chase. It ends after the suspect rams into two vehicles before side-swiping and rear-ending that minivan. The man and woman in that minivan quickly got out of the vehicle, and then dragged the suspect out of his car and brought him to the ground. Police get to the scene, take the man into custody.