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Dozens Killed in Severe Weather Outbreak; CNN Poll: 60% Disapprove of Obama's Handling of Terror; Europe on High Alert Amid Holiday Terror Threat; Iraqi Military Declares Ramadi 'Fully Liberated'. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired December 28, 2015 - 06:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my gosh. It's big! It's hitting stuff.

[05:58:45] JUSTIN SCHULER (PH), TORNADO SURVIVOR: I heard the roaring, and that's when I saw it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It had a tornado, and I saw it coming.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Buildings cracking. I'm ripping stuff up. All we could do was run to the closet and pray.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Separate weather events all across the Southeast of the United States.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police in Vienna issuing warnings about possible terror attacks.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This warning is so vague.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The resurgence of the Iraqi security forces.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It will mean a legitimate task for the Iraqi government to actually govern the entire country.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why you got to shoot first and ask questions later? It's ridiculous.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shot accidentally.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: By Chicago police.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would grieve for other mothers. And now today, I'm grieving myself.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Chris Cuomo, Alisyn Camerota and Michaela Pereira.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Santa was good to you? Don't revel in that too much. You know he's watching. Good morning, everyone. Welcome to your NEW DAY. It is Monday,

December 28, 6 a.m. in the east. Chris and Alisyn are off. Don Lemon and Christine Romans join me this morning.

We begin with the violent outbreak of severe weather. At least 43 people have been killed in seven states over the past week. Tornadoes devastating North Texas. At least 11 died in the Dallas area over the weekend. Texas governor declaring a disaster in four counties.

The threat is not over. A crippling blizzard is expected to follow those deadly storms.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Really unbelievable weather. Winter storm warnings stretching from Texas to Michigan. States of emergency are in effect in Missouri because of flooding and in New Mexico due to heavy snow.

Let's begin our coverage now with CNN's Nick Valencia. He is in hard-hit Garland, Texas this morning.

Good morning, Nick.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Don.

You're right. This is one of the hardest hit areas of Garland, Texas. And Garland, of course, suffering the brunt end of that damage from the EF-4 tornado. Of the 11 deaths across the state of Texas, eight of them happened here in this city.

Behind me, you can see this apartment complex. Several people were inside. There were injuries, but the local police tell me that everyone was barely able to escape alive.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Whoa, I just got a lightning strike.

VALENCIA (voice-over): Overnight in eastern Texas, blinding rain, lightning and strong winds in the city of Marshall. Downed trees and power lines, possibly the work of yet another tornado, touching down in the Lone Star State.

Last night, patrons inside a Chili's restaurant huddling inside a freezer as tornado sirens sound off. A tornado watch still in effect today. This morning, the monster storm system wreaking havoc across the southern states, making its way eastward.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a big tornado. Big, big, strong tornado.

VALENCIA: Over the Christmas weekend, Texas bearing the brunt of the storm, ravaged by nearly half a dozen deadly tornadoes. An airplane passenger snapping this stunning photo of the massive storm on a flight to Dallas. Two powerful EF-3 and EF-4 twisters carving a path of destruction

in Rowlett and nearby Garland Saturday, the death toll 11, making this the deadliest December for tornados in 60 years.

Justin Schuler (ph) sifts through what remains of his home in Garland. He and his dog survived by taking cover in a bathtub.

SCHULER (ph): I stepped out because I heard the roaring, and what's when I saw it.

VALENCIA: Willard Jordan heard the tornado rip through his neighborhood in Dallas, his family and home spared.

WILLARD JORDAN, EYEWITNESS: Buildings cracking, I mean, ripping stuff up. All we could do was run to the closet and pray.

VALENCIA: And this Garland resident rescued by family.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just stayed in my closet all night long, shaking like a leaf on a tree.

VALENCIA: The deadly storm also spawning flash floods, whiteout conditions and states of emergency in New Mexico and Missouri. In Missouri, more than 100 water rescues, at least six people in Pulaski County, swept away by floodwaters Saturday night.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a small, dark highway. They probably did not know what hit them until they hit the water.

VALENCIA: The massive system dumping more than 16 inches of snow in New Mexico. Icy roads backing up traffic and shutting down Interstate 40 in Albuquerque.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VALENCIA: Back here in Texas, residents tell me they only had a few minutes to prepare for that tornado. The sirens did go off about 10 to 12 minutes before the tornado hit. But the strength, the force of this tornado was so strong that it actually muffled the sounds of the sirens. Residents here tell me the fear and anxiety is still very real -- Christine.

ROMANS: All right. Nick Valencia in Garland. Thank you for that, Nick. Just terrifying moments for those folks.

Where is the severe weather heading next? And will parts of the northeast see their first winter storm of the season?

Let's turn to CNN meteorologist Jennifer Gray with the forecast -- Jennifer.

JENNIFER GRAY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, Christine, this storm is on the move. You are right. The threat is not over. And we could see snow in parts of New England in the coming days.

Look at all of the watches and warnings in place right now. Winter storm warnings across the plains and the Midwest. We have the flooding threat across the middle part of the country and then that winter storm watch for portions of New England.

For today we are going to see that rain continue to push to the east, snow, freezing rain, even sleet across portions of Oklahoma, Texas and the Midwest. The icing is going to be a huge concern, because we know that just a little bit of ice can take down those trees and power lines so we could possibly see power outages across those areas.

The severe weather threat today is going to be for portions of Alabama, Mississippi, damaging winds, isolated tornadoes. We do not think the risk is going to be as severe as it was in Texas. This is weakening just a little bit. But we could have a little bit of rotation and a couple of isolated tornadoes. So keep those weather radios handy for today.

Look at the temperature difference: 37 in Dallas, 29 in Abilene. The east side of the Mississippi, temperatures are in the 70s. Seventy-one in Jackson, 73 in Mobile. So as that front comes through, the temperatures will continue to drop.

Look at this: watches, tornado watch in effect across portions of Mississippi, and we also have a tornado warning in effect for Mississippi, as well. That's in effect until 5:45 Central Time.

We also have a severe thunderstorm warning just outside of New Orleans. So this line of showers and storms, definitely a threat. We're going to see a possibility of large hail, damaging winds, cloud- to-ground lightning. We're also going to see the possibility of those isolated tornadoes.

[06:05:07] This continues to move to the east over the next couple of days. Could bring some snow to New England. That's where we're going to be watching, for sure, because we've had that lack of snowfall over the last couple of months. The season has been very dry as far as snowfall is concerned. So that's one of the things we'll be watching, Michaela, as we go forward in time.

However, we are going to be watching that severe weather threat today, possibility of isolated tornadoes once again, as we go through the morning and the afternoon, Michaela.

PEREIRA: All right. Thank you so much. And we'll be getting updates thought the morning from you, Jennifer.

So those nine tornados are blamed for carving a deadly path of destruction in Garland, Texas, destroying hundreds of homes and buildings.

Joining us now is Stephen Stanley. He's a member of the Garland City Council, representing District 3, and mayor pro tem, B.J. Williams. Gentlemen, I'm so sorry to talk to you under these circumstances, but I wanted to get an update from you.

Maybe you can tell us, Mayor, if you've given -- got an update for us on the current search-and-rescue efforts that are going on there.

B.J. WILLIAMS, MAYOR PRO TEMPORE, GARLAND: Search-and-rescue efforts are ongoing here in Garland, with our first respondents who are doing an outstanding job and moving forward to address the crisis that we're now in.

PEREIRA: Are you aware there are any people missing at this point?

WILLIAMS: No, I'm not.

PEREIRA: OK. So we understand it was an E-4 category tornado. This is making December the deadliest tornado month in Texas in some 60 years. We're hearing reports that there were just a few minutes' notice. Are you concerned about how much warning your residents were given before this happened?

WILLIAMS: Well, we only had a brief warning, but our emergency management systems did work. The storm just arrived and moved so quickly and so fast, that the response time was minimal. But we don't have any issues with our response system and the response that we received.

PEREIRA: Councilman Stanley, have you ever seen anything like this in all your time in Texas?

STEPHEN STANLEY, COUNCIL MEMBER, GARLAND CITY COUNCIL: No. I was born and raised right here in the Garland area. And this is -- we were touched back in -- around 1980 with a tornado in the area in South Garland. But this is the first time that we've had this type of devastation that's hit our community. It's -- it's unfathomable, you know, what everybody has gone through.

And we're just very proud of our first responders and the citizens that have stepped up and come out to help everybody through this trying time.

PEREIRA: We're hearing stories of people riding out the storm in bathtubs and closets, terrifying. A woman describing shaking like a leaf on the tree.

STANLEY: Yes.

PEREIRA: Tell us some of the scenes that you've seen, Councilman, as you've driven around your area.

STANLEY: Well, fortunately, my wife and I, we were out of -- out of the area when it first happened just a few miles just inside of Dallas. But as soon as the storm had passed, we were actually out here in the area within 30 minutes of the tornado passing and talking to the people.

I mean, they were walking around, bewildered and dazed from what had just happened. And many of them were at home when it happened. And -- and, you know, they had seen notices on TV. Some of them did report hearing the sirens. So, you know, as Mayor Pro Tem Williams was saying, our systems

were active. They were -- everybody did what they were always instructed to do.

PEREIRA: Right.

STANLEY: They got to a safe point in their house, and they just hunkered down.

PEREIRA: Mayor Williams, now the part becomes, as the search- and-rescue effort continues, also is housing the people that have been displaced. We know so many people have been. Hundreds of homes destroyed; hundreds of buildings damaged.

And we also know it's terribly cold there now. We'll talk more about the weather that's coming.

But talk to me about the sheltering. How is that system working? Do people know exactly where they can go? And is there enough help for them?

WILLIAMS: The outpouring of assistance has been tremendous. The mayor defined -- you know, called for a disaster area for Garland Saturday night. Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins did, as well, and so did the governor, you know, that night. So, you know, that helped the ball rolling as far as, you know, state and some federal assistance. We do have an emergency facility with approximately 50 people staying there currently. Most folks were able to go to friends and family for the short term.

But the outpouring of donations has been tremendous. One of our local high schools, their front lobby is literally stacked with hundreds of cases of water, food, clothing. It's been unbelievable the amount of donations that have been donated so far, you know, not just to that; but there's an Operation Barbecue Rescue that will be in the area, feeding for free. You know, all of the first responders. It's just been a tremendous outpouring throughout the area.

We cannot say enough about all of our first responders, our -- all of our senior staff that's been basically on scene and in our operations of emergency management since -- since the event happened Saturday night.

PEREIRA: That's the great thing in these kind of situations, how the community will group together and band together.

Mayor, what do you need right now? What does the community of Garland need the most right now? Obviously, the cooperation of Mother Nature, but what resources do you need most?

WILLIAMS: Well, that assessment is ongoing. As Councilman Stanley has mentioned, we do have -- we do have shelters.

I just want to -- to extend our prayers for those who have lost their lives in this tragedy and our prayers and support for the residents. The city of Garland, North Texas and Texas as a whole are pulling together. And we just want to share our residents and those victims, on behalf of our mayor and our council, that all of our resources -- and he's mentioned the declaration, and hope that we'll get support from the state and from the federal level for resources. And we will rebuild and restore this city. That's our total commitment, and we're working together to get that done with our sister cities from across Texas.

PEREIRA: Well, we send you our best, because we know you've got the potential for snow and very cold temperatures coming to your area. Mayor Pro Tem B.J. Williams and Councilman Steven Stanley, thank you for joining us on NEW DAY.

STANLEY: Thank you.

WILLIAMS: Thank you.

PEREIRA: Don.

LEMON: OK. We're going to turn now to the war on terror. A just-released CNN/ORC poll shows diminishing confidence about the U.S. fight against ISIS. Sixty percent of Americans saying they don't approve of how President Barack Obama is handling terrorism.

Let's turn now to CNN senior White House correspondent, Mr. Jim Acosta, traveling with the vacationing first family in Honolulu, Hawaii. He joins us this morning with more on this new poll.

Good morning to you, Jim.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John.

This new CNN/ORC poll shows Americans are very nervous about the possibility of another terrorist attack in the U.S. after what happened in Paris and San Bernardino, and it appears the public has simply lost confidence in the Obama administration's ability to stop a terrorist attack and defeat ISIS.

Take a look at these numbers: our latest poll finds only 18 percent of Americans believe the U.S. is winning the war on ISIS, while 40 percent believe the terrorists have the upper hand.

Just 51 percent, moving onto another number, are confident the government can thwart a terrorist attack. That's way down from 65 percent back in 2010.

But the public, Don, appears to be uncertain about what to do about all of this. Our poll finds Americans are split right down the middle, 49 to 49 percent, on whether to send in ground troops to battle ISIS.

Keep in mind, this poll was conducted before Iraqi security forces apparently succeeded in retaking the key city of Ramadi. That is a crucial development, as it is in line with the president's strategy to use local forces on the ground with U.S. air support to go after ISIS terrorists. Expect the Obama administration to tout that success in Ramadi in the coming days.

A senior administration official tells us the White House wants to sharpen the administration's narrative on the war on ISIS so that Americans understand the president's strategy and the gains made against the terrorist army. So the White House, they're not exactly reconsidering this strategy, but they are reconsidering how they're selling it at this point -- Christine.

ROMANS: All right. Jim Acosta in Honolulu for us. Thanks, Jim.

You know, several European cities on high alert right now after being tipped off about possible terrorist attacks. There's no word on which cities might be targeted, but this warning comes from the police in Vienna. It indicates terrorists could strike anytime between now and New Year's Eve.

CNN's Robyn Kriel live in London with the very latest for us.

Robyn, clearly, all of Europe on heightened alert after the Paris terror attacks. What is new in this Vienna warning?

ROBYN KRIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think what's new, Christine, is the fact that it was issued by Vienna. We have seen this mirrored across -- across European cities. We do not know. I mean, so much is not known about this alert, although they do have quite a bit of information. They said that they did name specific individuals in this alert. So those individuals are being investigated by the Vienna, the Austrian police.

Also, a number of other things, such as the dateline of which these attacks, these possible attacks could happen between Christmas and New Year, an incredibly busy time here in Europe across -- given the holiday season.

We also understand that this has caused heightened surveillance of key areas and key European cities. We know that, as well as that, 48,000 police have been deployed in Paris, not as a result of this exact alert but just given the -- the recent Paris attacks on the 13th of November.

ROMANS: Two thousand new French police recruits, as well. Thank you for that, Robyn Kriel. Again, on high alert in those European capitals -- Michaela.

[06:15:00] PEREIRA: Breaking news: Iraq's military now saying the city of Ramadi is fully liberated, including a government compound long held by ISIS. An Iraqi military official says many ISIS fighters either fled or were killed in airstrikes and fighting on the ground.

Ramadi fell to ISIS in May in an embarrassing defeat to the Iraqi army. Iraqi forces and coalition airstrikes have been trying to retake that city ever since.

LEMON: Also breaking overnight, the Taliban claiming responsibility for a suicide attack in Afghanistan that killed at least one person. Reports say more than a dozen were injured. Afghan police say a terrorist in a white pickup struck outside a school near the airport in Kabul. A Taliban spokesman tweeted the attack targeted a military convoy, but an Afghan official says the victims were all civilians.

ROMANS: To Chicago now. Chicago's embattled mayor, Rahm Emanuel, demanding changes in officer training after two more police- involved shooting deaths. It follows the weekend shooting of a 19- year-old man and a 55-year-old woman as police responded to a domestic disturbance call. Officials say the woman, Betty Jones, was shot accidentally. We'll have more in a live report from Chicago later this hour.

PEREIRA: A new CNN/ORC poll released just minutes ago, fresh off the press, reveals what Americans think about the war on terror. We're going to break down those numbers, some of them surprising, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Welcome back, everyone. The breaking news this morning is out of Iraq. A government compound in Ramadi is back in the hands of Iraqi forces, the Iraqi flag raised over it just minutes ago -- there you're looking at the video there -- after the city spent months under ISIS control.

[06:20:07] In the meantime, I want to show you this new CNN poll. It's brand-new this morning; paints a sobering picture of how the American public feels about the war on terror, a growing majority dispelled [SIC] overall. We're going to go through those numbers and that new information coming out of Ramadi in just moments.

So let's bring in David [SIC] -- Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, a senior fellow at Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a counterterrorism expert; and also Lieutenant Colonel [SIC] Mark Hertling. He's a CNN military analyst and a former commanding general in Europe and the 7th Army. Thank you all for joining us this morning.

General, I want to talk to you about Ramadi. You know the landscape over there. How important is this victory in Ramadi and raising that flag?

LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: It's a very important tactical battle, Don. But it's part of a long -- much longer campaign.

But truthfully, we've seen some things that are heartening. One of the things is that the Iraqi security forces have done this without the help of the Shia militias. That proves to the people of Anbar province that this is not a sectarian government. Mr. al-Abadi has been working that very diligently to show that he is in consideration of all Iraqi people: Shia, Sunni, Kurds, Chaldeans, et cetera.

So what you're seeing is the support from the government for an army that, in the past, under Mr. Maliki, had been really destroyed. Better leadership in the military, better training by the coalition forces; retraining, I should say. But they now realize they have to win it. And that's some of the most important points.

LEMON: And the question is, which I think is a good one -- the question is holding onto Ramadi.

HERTLING: Yes. And that's going to be tenuous, because what -- you realize that, you know, every -- all the Americans are looking right now at the military force, the Iraqi security forces. Once they leave to go do other things, you have to replace them by police.

We had challenges with training police when I was in Iraq, and I'm sure that's still the case, especially in Ramadi, where a lot of policemen were killed in the initial onslaught of ISIS. And it takes a lot longer time, truthfully, to generate a policeman on the beat than it does a soldier who can conduct operations.

So not only police to provide security, but turning on electricity, water, getting the government working again. They're ready to do that, but it's still going to take a little bit of time.

LEMON: OK. With that said, Daveed, I wonder if that will change what Americans think about this now. But look at this new poll, obviously taken before this would have happened in Ramadi: eight -- only 18 percent of Americans say that we are winning the war on terrorism. Is that any truth to that? Is perception reality here?

DAVEED GARTENSTEIN-ROSS, FOUNDATION FOR THE DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACIES: I think perception is accurate in this case. Compare where we are now to where we were five years ago, and the signs are not positive in any way.

Five years ago, Iraq was relatively stable. Today, ISIS controls a broad swath of territory in Iraq. Syria has fallen apart. Libya has fallen apart, and jihadist groups are a large part of that landscape. Mali has a jihadist insurgency that didn't exist five years ago. Tunisia is fundamentally threatened in a way it wasn't then. You have a jihadist insurgency that's emerged in Egypt's Sinai. Yemen has fallen apart as a state. The trends are all in the wrong direction. This is a movement that is burgeoning as opposed to declining.

LEMON: I'll ask you the same question, General. I'm not sure that you believe that the perception is reality here. Do you think that we're actually making grounds or we're doing better in the war on terror -- terrorism than the perception that's actually coming from Americans?

HERTLING: Yes, I think we've got a long-term fight. And Daveed and I, I think, agree on this. This is a generational and perhaps several generational fight to -- for Islam to regain its heart and soul.

But I think the perception, it's very difficult from a military standpoint to use a short-term thing like a polling device, which is helpful to politicians, to drive long-term strategies.

And that's what concerns me most about this poll. Americans now saying, "Hey, we've got to have boots on the ground." No, we don't. The strategy has been solid so far in trying to help Iraqi government regain their security, and it's starting to work. We're starting to see momentum in Iraq and Syria.

There are certainly terrorist organizations all over the world. That's a much bigger problem than what we have in Iraq and Syria.

LEMON: And -- and to your point, let's put the numbers up. Because it's really split, almost 50/50. Forty-nine to 49 percent of people believe that groups on the -- troops on the ground should be deployed in the fight against ISIS. What do you make of that split? Is that the right answer, in your opinion, General?

HERTLING: It is not. And I think, again, we're talking about a strategy.

You know, interesting enough, Don, I was re-reading a book last night. It's always good to get a new idea from reading an old book. And this was T.E. Lawrence on the Arabs, written about 100 years ago. He said it's better that the Arabs do it tolerably than we do it perfectly.

And I think that's an important point to make. We've made some mistakes in the past in this part of the world. We've got to engage the Arabs in this area to regain their security, regain the heart and soul of their government.

LEMON: Daveed, before we go, I want to turn to Vienna. You heard about this attack from -- about several European cities by some friendly advisers, or at least people who are friendly to America, warning of an attack there.

Is it a legitimate warning? And how concerned should folks be about this?

[06:25:09] GARTENSTEIN-ROSS: It's a legitimate warning, but it's not clear just how, you know, authentic the details are behind it. You know, it's a warning that came from a friendly intelligence service. The Austrian police are taking it very seriously. We're not sure who the friendly intelligence service is. We're not sure if the names that they handed out actually map up to actual names of possible attackers or to their kunyas.

So, look, as we can see from events in Paris and subsequent events in Europe, it's a time of greater vigilance than normal. As to whether or not there's actually going to be an attack, that's one of those things that it's very difficult to say.

LEMON: Daveed, General, thank you very much.

HERTLING: Thank you, Don.

LEMON: Christine.

ROMANS: The latest police-involved shooting in Chicago prompting Mayor Rahm Emanuel to take swift action while he fights for his own political life. The latest in a live report, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: Outrage in Chicago. New outrage after two people were fatally shot by police responding to a domestic disturbance. The latest police-involved shooting prompting the mayor to order changes in officer training after authorities said one of the victims, a 55- year-old grandmother, was shot accidentally.

CNN's Rosa Flores live in Chicago with the latest -- Rosa.

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christine, good morning. Here's what we know from authorities.

They say that a domestic dispute call came into dispatch very early Saturday morning. When police arrived on scene they say that they were, quote, "confronted by a combative person," end quote, which resulted in the shooting and killing of two individuals, 19-year-old Quintonio LeGrier and 55-year-old Betty Jones.

Now, according to the coroner, Betty Jones was shot in the chest, and according to police, she was shot accidentally.

Now here's what we know from the family. LeGrier's mother telling...