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New Day

Jewish Cemetery Desecrated in France; Egyptian F-16s Target ISIS in Libya; NBA All-Star Weekend; Winter Storm to Bury New England; Star-Studded SNL Celebrates 40 Years

Aired February 16, 2015 - 06:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ALISYH CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: French authorities trying to figure out who is behind an act of hatred at a Jewish cemetery. Hundreds of Jewish graves found desecrated, many of them smeared with Nazi graffiti. Just the latest in a pattern of anti-Semitism in Europe.

CNN's Jim Bittermann joins us live from Paris with the latest on the investigation. What do we know this morning, Jim?

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR EUROPEAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Alisyn, precious little about this. It happened somewhere between Friday and Saturday nights. The mayor of the little town where the cemetery is located said they really didn't have any leads into what exactly happened here, except that there were about 300 tombstones that were turned over and broken and that sort of thing. And so it must have been a number of people. These are heavy tombstones. There must have been a number of people involved in this. Yet they have not been able to find anyone who was an eyewitness to the attack.

In any case, police and forensic investigators are going over the cemetery this morning. There's going to be a ceremony tomorrow, which President Hollande says he's going to attend. He said that after making some remarks about his outrage about this attack. He said this event requires the strongest reaction.

And it comes on the heels, as you mentioned, Alisyn, on the heels of a number of anti-Semitic attacks. Of course, there was the big attack last month on the kosher supermarket on the edge of Paris and it has put the Jewish community here on edge. According to those who keep track of security in the Jewish community, they say that, in fact, there were twice as many anti-Semitic attacks last year as in the previous year. Michaela.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Jim, thank you for that. ISIS in Libya is under attack by Egypt. CNN has learned F-16 jets took off early this morning, bombing the terrorist camps and training areas. It is unclear just how much damage was caused. This action by Egypt follows a gruesome video appearing to show the beheadings of more than a dozen Christians on a Libyan beach.

CAMEROTA: House Speaker John Boehner says he is prepared to allow funding to run out for the Department of Homeland Security. This is part of a spat between House Republicans and Senate Republicans, who they say the move would put American lives in danger. The Senate has blocked the House bill three times since it contains an amendment to roll back President Obama's executive action on immigration.

PEREIRA: An international hacking ring making off with around $1 billion in one of the biggest bank heists ever. An internet security firm says hackers covertly installed spying software on bank computers and to get information from bank employees. Then the used the data to make transfers into bogus accounts. The firm says more than 100 banks were hit in 25 countries, including some right here in the United States.

CAMEROTA: So scary.

Well, "Fifty Shades Of Grey" heated up the movie theaters over the Valentine's Day weekend. The racy film earned the top spot with more than $90 million; that's a new record for President's weekend. And the film also jumped into the top five biggest R-rated movies of all times. "Fifty Shades" director Sam Taylor-Johnson also made history. The movie was the biggest opening ever for a female director.

PEREIRA: And it was the debut of your racy voice on NEW DAY.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

PEREIRA: I hadn't heard that before.

CAMEROTA: I reserve it for bondage stories.

PEREIRA: Happy Monday.

CAMEROTA: Is bondage over breakfast too much?

PEREIRA: No, no, no. Maybe just right.

All right. So obviously, a big, big weekend in New York. We had Valentine's Day, we had the SNL 40th anniversary, and oh, by the way the NBA All-Star games. The NBA's biggest stars putting on a quite a show at MSG last night. Andy Scholes was at the game, you lucky fellow. He's bleary eyed this morning but you will forge on with the Bleacher Report.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Sure will. What a great weekends it was, Michaela and Alisyn. You had the All Star weekend with the dunk contest Saturday night. Zach LaVine brought down the house. Steph Curry was great in the three-point contest. Of course, the main event was the game at Madison Square Garden last night. It definitely did not disappoint.

We had a first in last night's game. Paul and Mark pow (ph), I should say. Mark Gasol, first brothers to ever start in an All Star game. They jumped against one another in the opening tip and the elder pal winning like he probably did in everything the two did growing up in Spain as kids. Now, the West at one point, they jumped out to an early 20-point lead in this game, thanks to this guy, Thunders' Russell Westbrook. He poured in 27 points in the first half alone. That was an All Star game record. LeBron, however, he kept the east in it. Here he is with the he reverse slam on the alley-oop. He had 30 points in the game.

The teams combined to hit an All Star record 48 three-pointers in the game. And the West ended up coming out on top, 163-158. It was the highest scoring All Star game ever. Westbrook, your MVP after scoring 41 points, which was just one point shy of Wilt Chamberlain's All Star game record.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUSSELL WESTBROOK, ALL-STAR GAME MVP: I mean, you never want to take no games for granted, especially in an All Star game to go out and show your talents. And I'm just blessed to be able to play the game that I love and definitely happy we got the win.

LEBRON JAMES, PASSED MICHAEL JORDAN IN ASG SCORING: It don't get no better, man, you playing the Garden in front of these fans. They know the game of basketball, and to be able to go out and represent my team and represent this league at the highest level. It means everything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Like I said, what a great weekend it was. The game was awesome, and the dunk contest --

PEREIRA: Can we talk about that?

SCHOLES: It got kind of stale, we'd kind of seen it all. But Zach LaVine, wow! Those first two dunks, just the house, the whole crowd got off. It was crazy.

PEREIRA: He nailed it on the first try too, and that kind of just set the stage.

SCHOLES: Exactly. I mean, and every time he got the ball after that, the whole crude stood up in anticipation for the next dunk. It was an awesome night Saturday. And last night was great as well.

CAMEROTA: Sounded super fun. Andy Scholes, thanks so much.

Well, Boston is breaking winter records. It is already the snowiest month in the city's history, if you can believe it. And we're only halfway through. We are taking you there live to see firsthand what this historic winter is doing to Beantown.

PEREIRA: Boy, this show has been making us laugh in years. Four decades, in fact. Stay tuned: got some of the best clips from SNL's star-studded 40th anniversary celebration. Steve Martin, my favorite.

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CAMEROTA: Frigid temperatures gripping much of the East Coast and snow keeps burying New England. Most noticeably, Boston, it is experiencing its snowiest month in the city's recorded history. We are following extreme weather all across the country for you. Let's begin with CNN's Ryan Young; he is live in Boston for us. Ryan, to say that Boston is breaking records because it snows there all the time on a typical winter. So how is the city dealing with this?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I can tell you people are definitely frustrated with all the snow. It's negative 1 right now and it feels, with the wind chill, is negative 25 right now. And just look at the mountains of snow that have been left behind. They've been trying to pack their patience with this one. Got to think, just yesterday, 16 inches of more snowfall. The crews are cleaning up right behind us right now, trying to get the walkways clear. This is something that everyone's had to deal with; they've spent than $30 million just clearing the snow. If you think about this, where do they put all this at this point? They've been trying to move this outside the city, trying to get it off the streets. But that's a real impact for people.

Walk in this direction. One of the things they've been worried about is getting the streets and keeping them clear, because, obviously, with all this snow, it's a problem. Especially when people are standing here at corners, you can't really see them as they cross the street. Look, we've seen the impact. Roof collapses are happening all over the city and it's something they're watching, trying to make sure no one else gets hurt. Michaela.

PEREIRA: Yes, and Ryan, you are having that affliction that is known as frozen mouth syndrome. It is very difficult to talk when you are really, really cold. And you're finding it out the hard way, isn't it?

YOUNG: Negative 25. Your face exposed. You just try to do the best you can.

PEREIRA: You are doing excellently, my friend. Please get to a warm truck and we will check back in with you.

It is bitterly cold out there. And, folks, we are hearing there is more of it on the way. The next major storm is hitting, Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee right now. And, yes, its next stop will be the snow-battered northeast.

Nick Valencia is live in Nashville; folks there are being told to stay put. No point in trying to even get out there.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No point at all. Good morning, Michaela. It's not quite what we are seeing in Boston and I can actually still feel my mouth though it is kind of cold out here. Just over the course of the last hour, we have seen that freezing rain pick up here on the streets. You just pan down a little bit, you can see this thin white coat of ice layering these streets here.

This is Broadway, one of the main drags in Nashville behind me. You see the streets are empty; of course they very well would be during this hour anyway. But this is a terrible situation for this part of the year in Nashville. About a quarter inch of ice expected on the roads. The Department of Transportation out this weekend, salting abd brineing those roads. Spokesmen for the DOT telling everyone to stay inside.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We will be out there until it is done, we will be continuously salting the roads, plowing the roads as needed to try to clear the roads as quickly a possible.

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VALENCIA: And the worst is still yet to come. Between three and seven inches of snow predicted to fall here and accumulate over the course of the next 24 hours. So the mayor is really emphasizing to everyone, stay indoors. Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Yes, so unusual for Nashville. Thanks, so much, Nick, for that.

VALENCIA: Absolutely.

CAMEROTA: So how long will this last? Let's get right to meteorologist Chad Myers. This is the winter that will never end, Chad.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes and now we are spreading it out. We are not only talking about Boston. We are talking Memphis, Little Rock, Nashville. All the way -- I mean, these are big cities in the way of big icing problems today. Already icing in Memphis and Little Rock and that ice obviously coming down where Nick is.

It will be sleet, it will be freezing rain, and sleet are the pellets. You get a little bit more traction, but the ice is all the way through Raleigh, through the Triad, and there with will be snow as well. Richmond, you may get ten inches of snow. Nashville, just to your north, at least a foot. All the way through parts of Kentucky and the coal fields there. In the southern parts of West Virginia, a foot of snow.

And we're not only talking about the big cities. But we are talking about the big cities too: Philly, New York, and Boston, you will get more snow. There goes the low right there, still spreading ugly weather into parts of Tennessee, Kentucky, parts of North Carolina and then up into D.C. by late tonight. And by tomorrow morning, still seeing overnight tonight, still seeing snow in D.C. Probably four-to- six inches in Washington, D.C. That is enough to paralyze this city. I live there many years working for the weather service. And then you go Boston, finally moving out for you, tomorrow.

Finally, the snow spreads across an area that's very, very cold. Albany right now feels like 31 degrees below zero. New York City, even walking through the city right now, it feels like ten below. And the snow continues. And if you didn't pay attention over the weekend, Boston picked up more snow -- 95.7 for the season.

CAMEROTA: They win.

MYERS: Uncle. (LAUGHTER)

PEREIRA: Yes, uncle indeed. Indeed. Oh my goodness.

CAMEROTA: Thanks, Chad.

All right, stay with CNN for updates on the changing forecast and to post your photos from the storm on Twitter and Instagram, use the #CNNsnow.

PEREIRA: Or #snowbrit (ph). Because I think we all are completely done with winter.

CAMEROTA: Yes. I don't want CNN to take responsibility for the snow. So #snowbrit (ph).

PEREIRA: Fair enough. We shouldn't be.

All right. They have been live from New York for 40 years. "Saturday Night Live", SNL celebrating by hosting a star-studded reunion. If you went to bed early like we did, don't worry. We've got the highlights. We'll show you ahead.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You never said what happened to that balloon operator.

BETTY WHITE, COMEDIAN: Oh, yes. He took good care of me. If you know what I mean. His name was --

BRADLEY COOPER, ACTOR: His name was Greg. Oh, Greg. And he's been a long time, woman.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREIRA: That happened. Yes. The Californians. It may have been Sunday, but for three-and-a-half hours in New York City, it was the best of "Saturday Night Live". You saw Bradley Cooper and Betty White intergenerational make-out sesh, part of the star-studded celebration of the SNL's 40th anniversary, where the cast relived the last of generations past.

Brian Stelter is here, CNN's senior media correspondent and host of "RELIABLE SOURCES". This was a task you enjoyed very much, I'm sure.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it was.

PEREIRA: Walking through the 40 years of SNL.

STELTER: I think SNL silenced the haters last night.

PEREIRA: I think they did.

STELTER: And I know it's fun to say SNL isn't as good as it used to be.

PEREIRA: We always have said that.

STELTER: We always have; we always will. But this is a reminder about how much it's contributed to our culture.

PEREIRA: Yes, let's talk about some of the throwbacks. Because that was really well done, how much they had the current stars and all of those stars of yesteryear blending together old and new together.

STELTER: Yes.

PEREIRA: Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILL FERRELL, COMEDIAN: Let's just do letters beginning with G for 400.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you do the monkey?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This show is actually live so you have to stay in the down and locked position, all right? And that means you too, Kanye West.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(LAUGHTER)

PEREIRA: Imagine having Kanye West and Wayne's World in a room together. Fantastic.

STELTER: Seriously. And I love Celebrity Jeopardy too; I loved seeing Will Ferrell come back for that. They were able do this in a way where it didn't feel hokey. They were able to bring back these classic sketches that didn't feel like they were forcing it.

CAMEROTA: I mean, last week, we were talking about what was happening with Brian Williams and what was happening with Jon Stewart. But doesn't this show just illustrate how much "Saturday Night Live" has become a part of our country's consciousness? All of our catch phrases. We're so familiar with these skits. I mean, this is the fabric of our country.

STELTER: It's the beauty of live TV also. There's been this attempt to bring back more live TV events. Well, this is the original live TV event and I love that they did it for as long as they did last night. Some people wondered how they will fill three-and-a-half hours? I think they pulled it off. I mean, SNL is a mixed bag. There's always a few jokes that don't work. But overall I think they actually pulled this off.

PEREIRA: Well, and the fact is they were very much on point about what's happening in the news.

STELTER: I wondered if they wouldn't mention that name, Brian Williams.

PEREIRA: Brian Williams was mentioned. Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where are you hiding Brian Williams? Where is he? No? Oh, look, I just want to say something in his defense, OK. If the helicopter in front of me gets hit, I'm taking the story. OK?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Jim.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So many things about Saturday night live that people don't know, like, for example, I just found out that one of the original cast members in 1975 was Brian Williams. I don't know if that's true but I never heard that.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREIRA: Might have been on NBC, but you knew when comedians are involved --

CAMEROTA: They have to.

STELTER: I was surprised Matt Lauer looked a little uncomfortable. I thought they would have been expecting some of those jokes. The only thing that would have been better is if Brian Williams came on himself and did Weekend Update, but maybe we can hope for that.

CAMEROTA: Interesting. Now, there was a little mini controversy with Eddie Murphy. He was supposed to do more. He wasn't going to do more. He just said a couple sentences.

STELTER: I think SNL would have loved him star in a sketch but he hadn't been back since, what was it, 1984 I believe? He hadn't been back for many, many years.

PEREIRA: So all is not forgiven?

STELTER: Well, to have him honored I suppose was completely appropriate. But, yes, you do wonder if all is not forgiven in that situation.

CAMEROTA: So is there bad blood with Lorne Michaels and Eddie Murphy?

STELTER: Well, I think his departure from the show was not all that comfortable. A lot of people's departures from the show are not all that comfortable. This is a show that has to bring in new talent all the time, and there is always rivalries behind the scenes. There was a joke at one point about -- who was it that was a cast member and also a host at one point. You got a lot of that.

And you just got the sense I think that the most important glue of the show are the crew and the writers. And I was so glad at the end of the show, they paid tribute to the crew, to the writers of the show, to the people that get it on the air every week. Because when we're watching some of those sketches we forget that those people keep this show alive, keep it on the air, even when there are rivalries among the cast, even when there are all those interesting feuds and things like that.

PEREIRA: One of the things I like about this show is, as you mention, sometimes cast members become stars. When they become stars, they come back and make quite a hit on the show. But then also, there might be a surprise comedic genius in a musical guest star a la Justin Timberlake. He and Jimmy did their thing. Let's watch this because I think the two of them together are genius.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY FALLON, TALK SHOW HOST: We are.

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, MUSICIAN: We are.

FALLON: We are.

TIMBERLAKE: We are.

FALLON AND TIMBERLAKE: Two wild and crazy guys eating (INAUDIBLE) with a samurai.

FALLON: I live in a van down by the river

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREIRA: It is just such a delight to watch these two on screen together. Anything they do.

STELTER: I could have watched that for three-and-a-half hours. I mean, one of reviewer said they did too good a job summarizing the first 40 years in that montage. I kind of agree, but I love what they did. I loved that they were able to pack so much in because it was the ultimate reminder. And then of course they had all these people coming on.

CAMEROTA: All the cameos were so great and so special. I was afraid to watch it last night, because I thought it was going to be like -- if I got even a little taste, I would be up all night watching it. Because I did turn on for -- I turned it on for one second and I saw the Jeopardy skit. And it was so funny. OK, watch this for a second. .

Oh, sorry, we don't have it. We will play that later in the show. It was hilarious. It was Will Ferrell as Alex Trebek. It was so funny and they even did a Bill Cosby joke, which was awesome.

STELTER: They did. People like Will Ferrell have gone on to a huge careers, but they owe so much of it to SNL. The fact that they all came back. I mean, pretty much everybody was there, even folks who had forgotten were part of the show decades ago were there. And it was the kind of program that you can only do once every 40 years.

PEREIRA: Overall, as we finish up here, getting good reviews? Everybody loved it?

STELTER: I would say so. You know, you can nitpick, but I think they really did silence the haters for one night.

PEREIRA: Right on. Right on.

All right. Brian Stelter, thanks so much. We needed that laugh.

CAMEROTA: All right, we're following a lot of news this morning. Let's get right to it.