Return to Transcripts main page

New Day Saturday

ISIS: Coalition Airstrikes Chased Us Out; Hagel: U.S. Ground Troops May Be Needed in Iraq; Hostages' Fate Unknown as Deadline Passes; FAA Investigates JetBlue Near Collision; Focus on Super Bowl Security; Super Bowl Security: 4,000 Private Security Personnel on Hand; CDC: Measles Outbreak Spreads to 14 States; Romney Won't Run for President in 2016

Aired January 31, 2015 - 07:00   ET

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

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: And outgoing Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says U.S. troops could be needed on the front lines in Iraq. In a CNN exclusive, he also gets candid about pressure from the White House over transferring detainees out of Guantanamo Bay.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: And protecting the Super Bowl. Law enforcement not taking any chances with the tens of thousands of people headed to the big game. We'll take you live to Phoenix.

PAUL: We are always so glad to have your company this morning. I'm Christi Paul.

BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. Good to be with you.

We've got new video of ISIS fighters on the war path in northern Iraq. Look. They're heading to Kirkuk and they vow there will be a lot of beheadings, even more chilling, they're grinning and boasting about killing victims like, quote -- in their words, "dogs in the street." The heavily armed militants launched a surprise attack that captured this oil rich city. Peshmerga and Kurdish fighters are trying to fend them off. But ISIS militants also admit they've been chased out of Kobani in Syria by U.S.-led air strikes.

Let's go to CNN's Phil Black. He's on the Turkish side of the border with Syria.

Phil, tell us more about what the ISIS fighters are saying about why they pulled out of Kobani.

PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they say, Victor, it does come down to those U.S.-led coalition airstrikes. And there is really not too much doubt they had a significant impact on fighting there. Late last year when we were at the border watching ISIS advance on Kobani, they were moving incredibly quickly. It really looked like they would take the city within days. Fighters on the ground were pleading desperately for airstrikes to help them. And when they evidently came, it made really a significant difference. It slowed down that ISIS advance. And over the weeks and months since, it has been responsible it's

estimated for killing hundreds of ISIS fighters to the point where they have now decided that the losses are simply too great to maintain that offensive on that city. In case there is any doubt now about just why they have pulled back, take a listen now to an ISIS fighter speaking from that location just on the outskirts of Kobani.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I swear by God, the planes did not leave the air day and night. They did air strikes all day and night. They targeted everything. They even attacked motorcycles. They haven't left a building standing. But by God willing, we will return and we will have our revenge multiplied.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACK: So, an ISIS fighter there describing relentless airstrikes, killing many of their colleagues.

Another key development that really made a difference, too, is Kurdish fighters crossing across Turkish territory into that Syrian city to help those Kurdish fighters who are desperately trying to hold the town. It's worth noting, though, that those ISIS fighters are describing this pullback as temporary. They say they are still committed to taking Kobani -- Victor, Christi.

BLACKWELL: Well, Phil, let me ask you, you hear from that militant that they will go back to take Kobani or attempt to take Kobani. But considering that the U.S. commitment will be the same to protect this city, is there any indication whether they will have additional resources to go in and take it once and for all?

BLACK: Not in the short term you wouldn't think. What it really does hinge on, as you say, is continued willingness by the United States and its allies to maintain those airstrikes against Kobani. Initially, Kobani was not a priority for that air campaign. They were looking to degrade ISIS' capabilities in other areas, that long term mission to really degrade and wind back that ISIS capability to take and hold ground. That's the next phase.

Now having stopped that advance on Kobani, it is all about that steady degradation of ISIS military and logistical capabilities and its ability to really take whole ground and create that Islamic state.

BLACKWELL: All right. Phil Black on the Turkish side of the border with Syria -- Phil, thanks.

PAUL: Now with fighting in Iraq intensifies, there's this big question that remains, will U.S. troops be sent back to the front lines?

During an exclusive interview with CNN, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the option is still on the table.

Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has more for us. Good morning, Barbara.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: I asked Secretary Hagel if he thought it was possible, a small number of U.S. troops might get sent to the front lines in Iraq to help Iraqi combat troops do things like picking out targets. He made clear it's an idea that cannot yet be ruled out.

CHUCK HAGEL, DEFENSE SECRETARY: He said to his combatant commanders, specifically General Dempsey and General Austin, if you believe and you want to recommend, you think you need to recommend to me to the president that we should look at other options, then I want you to bring those recommendations to me.

That so far has not happened. Whether that would happen in the future, again, the president has said to his commanders, if you think this is what's going to be required, I need to know it. You need to make the recommendation. And I'll listen.

STARR: What do you think?

HAGEL: Well, I think just as the president said and the advice I have given the president is what General Dempsey has, is that we have to look at all the options. And I think it may require a forward deployment of some of our troops, not doing the fighting, not doing the combat work that we did at one time for six years in Iraq and we did for many, many years in Afghanistan. But to help air strike precision, locate --

STARR: Moving targets, intelligence --

HAGEL: -- those are things we can continue to support. Now, I would say that we're not there yet. Whether we get there or not, I don't know. Whether that's something that our military commanders would recommend into the future, I don't know.

But I think just as the president has made clear, I need to know your honest opinion and he's been very forthright about that. What you think. If that's something you think is required.

STARR: But you're saying you think it could be necessary?

HAGEL: It could be. But I'm not willing to say that it will be necessary. I say it could be necessary.

STARR: Hagel leaves office in a few days but his view is one that is shared by some current military commanders.

Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL: All right. Thank you, Barbara.

I want to bring in CNN global affairs analyst, Lieutenant Colonel James Reese.

Lieutenant Colonel Reese, thank you so much.

I want to ask you right out of the gate: do you believe that the U.S. should send in troops?

LT. COL. JAMES REESE (RET), CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, Christine, good morning. I mean, right now, we already have troops on the ground. If you mirror what Secretary Hagel says, we don't know yet.

I think the U.S. forces and the coalition, we are gaining success in Iraq. We're helping the Iraqis enabling them to do what they have. We're seeing that up the Euphrates River Valley -- I'm sorry, the Tigris River Valley, from Baghdad up to Mosul. They have gained back land. We have isolated ISIS inside Mosul.

And what I do believe is, when the Iraqis go into Mosul because the large city and all the possibilities and collateral damage the Iraqis want that air support. That's when we will take a hard look at putting air controllers to help them control the air and limit the collateral damage.

PAUL: We just heard, you know, from Phil Black, talking about how ISIS is pulling back from Kobani but saying it is temporary. What do you see, though, here is a long term solution. We know that ISIS is intent on continuing this fight.

REESE: Well, there's no question. They're going to continue to fight, continue to fight until I believe that there will have to be some type of diplomatic discussions with the coalition. I believe it needs to be led by the Arabic senior leaders within the coalition, the Saudis, the Iraqis, the Jordanians, they're going to need to get some of these people to come to bear and I think that will happen, probably at some time when some more of the senior leadership from ISIS, al- Baghdadi, either gets killed or captured during this fight. It's not going to happen tomorrow. This could be a long term fight.

But right now in Iraq, the Iraqis are doing the right thing. They're concentrating their combat power. I think after Mosul, then they'll look to turn west. But this is not going anywhere anytime soon.

PAUL: You mentioned diplomatic discussions. Do you really think that that's possible with this brutal group that ISIS has shown itself to be?

REESE: Eventually, it will happen. We've seen it throughout history. It's happened with the Japanese, the Germans, throughout history. It takes sometime. There are backchannel discussions going on with people on the fringes and, again, may not necessarily be from the U.S. side. But we have a very strong coalition of the Arab states.

PAUL: All right. Lieutenant Colonel James Reese, always appreciate your insight. Thank you for being with us.

REESE: Thanks, Christi. BLACKWELL: We've talked this morning about this potential swap

involving Japan and Jordan and ISIS. But we still have no idea if the two hostages taken by ISIS are dead or alive. But ahead, we're going to talk about what's really at stake. And what the terror group's true motives might be.

PAUL: Also, we're going to take you live to Maine. Another round of winter weather is about to hit all of you in the Northeast. We're so sorry to say. How everybody there is preparing ahead of this storm and really how bad is it going to be?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Another deadline has passed, but this morning, there is still no word on the fate of these two hostages held by ISIS. One is a Jordanian pilot, the other a Japanese journalist.

PAUL: The terrorist groups have been in negotiations over a possible prisoner swap. But we are still waiting this hour to see if anything is going to happen with that.

CNN's Will Ripley has more for us from Tokyo.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: More than a day after this latest apparent ISIS deadline, here's where we stand right now. There are still no answers about the fate of those two hostages, the Japanese journalist Kenji Goto and the Jordanian pilot, Muath al- Kasasbeh.

There are also serious questions about ISIS' true intentions here. Do they really want to negotiate? Do they really want that prisoner exchange with the Iraqi woman Sajida al-Rishawi, in exchange for the safe return of the pilot and the journalist? Or do they have a different motive here? Are they trying to bend the will of two key U.S. allies, Jordan and Japan? Are they trying to pit these countries against each other? Are they really serious about all of this?

Or do they just want to drag this process on, stay in the headlines as long as possible and legitimatize themselves in a global view at a time when they are under some serious pressure from repeated coalition air strikes. Their numbers are down. And they've had some key territory taken away from them. Is this ISIS just trying to elevate itself to state level by talking with a regional power, Jordan, and world power, Japan?

And then there is, of course, the question about what is going to happen to these two hostages. Both of their families have been speaking out, both of their families in agony right now. Kenji Goto's wife saying that he had received e-mails from the terror group telling her that she herself has to expose their propaganda to the world or that her husband will be ISIS' next victim.

There are also rising tensions with protests outside King Abdullah's palace, increasing dissatisfaction among his people about how all of this is being handled. And so many questions right now about how this is going to end as we wait to learn what ISIS' next move will be.

Will Ripley, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: All right. Will, thank you so much.

Coming up next hour, we will talk to a terrorism expert who will explain how kidnapping and ransom can be big business for some terror groups.

PAUL: We're learning new details about what could have been a major disaster. A JetBlue flight nearly crashes into a small plane as it's preparing for landing. We're going to have a live report for you.

BLACKWELL: Plus, officials are playing some tough defense when it comes to keeping fans safe at tomorrow's Super Bowl. How they're getting prepped, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: This could have been a major disaster. A JetBlue flight nearly crashes into a small plane as it prepared for a landing.

PAUL: Yes, we learned that this jet was headed from Orlando to West Chester County airport in New York. And the FAA is investigating now.

BLACKWELL: Let's bring in CNN national reporter Nick Valencia.

What do we know about how this happened?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN NATIONAL REPORTER: Yes, this happened last week, last Sunday. We're just finding out about it now, new details emerging about this very scary. It could have been really bad.

We know that this flight, JetBlue Flight 94, was taking off from Orlando on its way to White Plains, New York, and on its dissension, the alarm system, the collision warning system goes off indicating that a small plane was heading right towards it. Now, passengers told local media that the JetBlue flight shot up in a defensive maneuver and they could hear the audible whoosh of that small plane going underneath it. It came so close.

Now, they are investigating this. The FAA just releasing a statement to CNN. I want to read part of that, saying that the pilot of the smaller aircraft inside received the alert and then climbed in response to the alert. The general aviation flight was operating under visual flight rules and was not required to communicate with air traffic controllers.

JetBlue says that they are investigating and that they're cooperating, also launching their own internal investigation.

So, we're just learning more details about this. We're trying to reach out to some of those passengers that were on this plane. But that audible swoosh, it came so close just right underneath that plane.

PAUL: This is a lot of people's worse fears when they're flying, because you look at the map of how many planes are out there. And you this think how do they not?

VALENCIA: And from the sounds of it, from that statement, saying that everyone technically was doing the right thing.

PAUL: Right.

VALENCIA: That this flight was operating under visual flight rules, didn't have to communicate to air traffic controllers.

PAUL: You wonder if that will change at some point.

VALENCIA: You wonder if this incident, yes, is going to change things, change the way things are done.

BLACKWELL: At least starts a serious conversation.

VALENCIA: We're working on getting more details for you guys hopefully next hour.

PAUL: All righty. Nick, thank you.

BLACKWELL: All right. Meanwhile this has been the scene for most of the week in Maine. Look at this -- trouble on the roads, mounds of snow everywhere, and it appears there will be more of the same over the next few hours as more winter weather moves into the Northeast.

Let's bring in CNN correspondent Sara Ganim who is live in Portland, Maine.

A little breezy there, a little chilly. How's it looking?

SARA GANIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A little breezy, yes. Well, let's start with some good news which is that it is stopped snowing in New England finally, at least for a little bit.

Now, the bad news is that today is all about those wind-chills and this brutal cold in the Northeast. Several Northeast cities are going to be around zero or below zero when you factor in the wind chill. Boston, for example, the low today is nine. Bridgeport, Connecticut, the low is going to be three. Burlington, Vermont, one. New York, eight.

Portland where I am standing right now, the low is 11 right now. It's about 15 but with this wind chill, Victor, its about negative two feeling. My face is most certainly colder than it was earlier this week during the blizzard. You know, there's a lot of snow around me already.

When I talked to the mayor yesterday, he said it's these back to back to back snowstorms that really present a challenge for this city, there is another one potentially coming through here with several more inches of snow Sunday into Monday. Take a listen to what he said about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR MICHAEL BRENNAN, PORTLAND, MAINE: That's why we've had parking bans in order to allow the crews at night to be able to go in and remove the snow. But every time when you continue to have snow coming down, it is a challenge to find a place to put it. But, you know, last year, we were rated as one of the seven best cities in the United States for snow removal. So, we're kind of used to this. And we're working on it really hard. The crews deserve enormous amount of thanks and appreciation because they've done a great job.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GANIM: So, when he talks about snow removal, Victor, and the challenges that presents, he is talking about big plow piles like this one. They're all over the city of Portland, and I've seen crews really racing. They haven't gotten here yet, but they're racing to get rid of this snow, get it out of the city. Put it into dump trucks and ship it out because when they get more snow and they're going to get more snow, they have to have a place to get that snow and get it off the streets. And if all of this snow that you can see around me is still here, that's going to present a safety problem for the roads -- Victor.

BLACKWELL: Big job. Very cold morning. You make it look great. It doesn't look a degree below 30.

(LAUGHTER)

BLACKWELL: Sara, thank you very much.

PAUL: I'll take the snow, mounds of snow over cold any day, though, I will say.

Listen, still ahead, how do you keep tens of thousands of football fans safe on Super Bowl Sunday? We're taking you inside the security prep ahead of the big game.

And we're also talking measles. The outbreak that started at Disneyland more than a month ago, do you know it now spread to 14 states? We'll talk to a doctor about how can you avoid getting sick.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: The game is just 36 hours away, 36 or so. Defense, of course, will be key on the field but also off the field. Of course, we're learning this after calls for more lone wolf terror attacks against the U.S. and questions about cybersecurity.

While there is no specific threat, thousands of federal and local police officers will be on hand at the Super Bowl.

Joining us now live from Super Bowl Central in Phoenix is CNN correspondent Andy Scholes. Andy, what has the security presence been like there on the ground?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Victor, you walk around here downtown Phoenix, you can't go far without seeing some sort of security. You know, nearly 50 federal, state and local agencies are collaborating to make this a safe event headed by the Department of Homeland Security.

And, you know, when we've gone to events, we've gone through metal detectors, we've had pat-downs. It's the same thing they're going to do at the game on Sunday.

And over -- the numbers out there of how many security are here are pretty impressive. Over 4,000 security personnel are working this weekend, along with every single member of the Phoenix Police Department. The chief of police said no one is taking any time off during this week. It's all hands on deck this week.

You can definitely tell -- there's been no credible threat according to the Department of Homeland Security. But they're not taking any chances, Victor.

BLACKWELL: All right. Andy Scholes there for us at Super Bowl Central. We'll talk to you a little later in the morning.

So, how do you keep thousands of fans safe in the big game?

PAUL: Uh-huh. CNN's Stephanie Elam takes us inside the security preps heading into Super Bowl Sunday.

So, he just talked about what's on the ground. What don't we see?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Seahawks and Patriots are busy preparing for battle, teams of law enforcement are focused on security in and around the event. But at least 72,000 people expected here in the University of Phoenix Stadium for Super Bowl XLIX, and thousands more coming to the Phoenix area, that's no easy task.

So, security is everywhere -- from helicopters and perches above the crowds, to bomb-sniffing dogs on the ground, agents from the local and federal level are watching Super Bowl revelers for any suspicious activity. The Department of Homeland Security directing personnel and resources from Customs and Border Protection, the Secret Service and FEMA to the area.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm confident that we will have a safe and secure and successful event on Sunday.

ELAM: At the stadium, every bag will be checked and every person screened. Vehicles entering the parking lot will be scanned, and individuals without the proper tickets or credentials won't be allowed on the premises.

Last year, the Super Bowl was the most watched television event in history. That fact alone can make the game a prime target for terrorists. But law enforcement is working to stay several steps ahead.

And Jeh Johnson says while there is no credible threat against the Super Bowl, all of these provisions are to ensure everyone's safety, so that the big story remains the big game.

Stephanie Elam, CNN, Glendale, Arizona.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Let's bring in CNN security analyst Tom Fuentes now.

Tom, let's start with listening -- start by listening, rather, to FBI's Michael Steinbach, who spoke to CNN's Pamela Brown at the command center where they'll be monitoring the game.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAMELA BROWN, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Leading up to the Super Bowl, knowing all that's out there, all the chatter. I mean, are you concerned at all? How do you feel leading into a big event like this?

MICHAEL STEINBACH, FBI COUNTERTERRORISM DIVISION CHIEF: The FBI, again, in conjunction with the intelligence community and state and local partners, we look at all events across the country, public venues that could be a target -- small, medium, large. And in particular, an event like the Super Bowl is a concern. So, we begin planning and preparing months in advance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Tom, considering this new lone wolf environment, is there a greater domestic threat at big events like the Super Bowl. Or is the threat the same as it was over the past few years?

TOM FUENTES, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, Victor, I think the threat has been high for a long time at all of these type of events. The FBI has permanent units that address all the special events year round. I mean you go from one to the other. And they overlap. I mean, right now, we're planning on the Super Bowl. The FBI has already people working on the Indianapolis 500 in May, already working on, you know, the next inauguration, the next Fourth of July, the next major event.

Wherever tens of thousands of people gather, the threat is there that somebody is going to want to disrupt it and possibly kill some of attendees. So, this is an on going effort 24/7, every day of the year. And it just continues for the Super Bowl as well.

BLACKWELL: Hey, Tom, I'm not sure if you read it, but Juliette Kayyem, our national security analyst, has an opinion piece on CNN.com. And she starts it with "I know how to have a perfectly safe Super Bowl, don't have a Super Bowl, because the reality is that perfect security is simply not attainable."

And that needs to be part of this conversation, that you can do everything you can to try to mitigate the threat, but there is always that threat and possibility.

FUENTES: Well, there always is. And some events are more easily contained than others. The Super Bowl is a fixed site. Everybody is going to attend is going to be in one building. And pretty much one parking lot around the building and a couple of hotels near that. So, it's actually in some ways an easier event to control than say the Boston marathon that Juliet was, you know, reporting on, where you have 26 miles of roadway to try to keep an eye on all parts of that road.

So I think, you know, every major event, I mean, if we want to let the terrorists win, we'll stop having any major event. Stop riding on public transportation. Stop going to churches, synagogues, mosques. I mean, we can fold our tent and just say they win.

BLACKWELL: Yes, of course, that's not going to happen. We've got to find a way to keep moving on. You know that this is a new reality. In the context of the drone crash at the White House last week, how big a threat are drones to events like the Super Bowl since they were likely be great weather and that retractable roof will be opened?

FUENTES: Well, there are threats, it depends on, you know, some mastermind figuring out how to go ahead and combine the explosives with the device to fly in there. You know, we've had this before. The FBI uncovered a plot 2011 where an individual had a model airplane that had a 10-foot wing span and was capable of carrying 50 pound of explosives. His plan was to fly it into the Capitol Dome in Washington and then he and five other gunmen with AK-47s were going to shoot down all of the people evacuating the Capitol building.

So, it's not the first time that someone thought up the use of a drone, if you will, to rain some terrorist act down. And, of course, we're using drones and there are threats from ISIS saying, look, and from Taliban and Pakistan saying, look, you're using drones on us in Pakistan, in Yemen, in other places, we'll use them on you. That's part of the problem here.

We know that authorities are trying to make this. We've seen the promotion of the Super Bowling, no drone zone, our Rene Marsh has reported and turned some of that video.

Tom Fuentes, thanks for talking with us.

FUENTES: Thank you, Victor.

PAUL: We want to give you a programming reminder here. Our Rachael Nichols teams up with Hall of Famer Dan Marino for CNN's "Kickoff in Arizona". It airs today at 4:30 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.

BLACKWELL: The recent measles outbreak is not just California's problem anymore. It's spread to several other states now, including a college in New York City. We just confirmed this new development and we'll have more next.

Plus, Mitt Romney says he is not going to run for president in 2016. So, has his decision reset the field for other Republican hopefuls? (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: We want to share something with you we're just getting in here to CNN. New York state just confirmed that a Bard College student has the measles. That student goes to the Annandale on Hudson, New York campus, we've learned. Apparently, the student traveled on an Amtrak train across the state. So, we're working to get more information on this particular part of this story this hour.

But let's think about this, the number of measles cases rising across the country. And this is just one of the latest. In California alone, it has risen to 91 with 54 cases now linked to the outbreak at Disneyland specifically. That outbreak has spread to 14 states as you see on the map there.

Tom Foreman is taking a look at how you can catch this highly infectious disease.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We all know that if you're on something like a plane or a bus or a train and somebody near you were to sneeze and they had measles, you have a real chance of being exposed to the measles virus. But a study from MIT last year found that actually much worse than that. If I were seated on a plane like this and somebody way in the back sneezed, the truth is that virus now can travel in sort of invisible clouds of micro droplets all the way up to where I am seated here.

And what's more, despite the fact that planes have a lot of systems to filter the air, if the virus stays in the air, it can viable for two hours. If it lands in the backs of arm wrests or on chairs, it's same thing. And that's a real problem, because if you are not safe against this disease, you have a 90 percent chance of getting it just by being in the same place, because it is a highly infectious disease.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL: Tom Foreman, thank you so much.

Doesn't make you feel better, does it, Victor?

BLACKWELL: No, it doesn't. We saw how easy it is to catch.

Now, let's get into the facts with a doctor, Dr. Walter Orenstein is an associate director at Emory Vaccine Center in Atlanta.

So, let's start with this -- we know there is a big game tomorrow. Tens of thousands of people at the University of Phoenix Stadium. There is now measles in Arizona. Of course, there will be people from around the country. How intimate does this contact need to be and how dangerous is it for these people?

DR. WALTER ORENSTEIN, EMORY VACCINE CENTER: Well, clearly, the closer the contact, the more concern about it. The biggest thing is to try to ensure you're immune. And we recommend that children get two doses of measles containing vaccine. There are disseminators, people who cough a lot and get it into the air.

I remember an outbreak I helped investigate in the 1980s in Atlanta, where children who came into a pediatrician's office an hour after a case left got the disease. But the vaccine is highly effective. The point is to make sure you're immune.

BLACKWELL: The conversation has been going on for a few days about whether some parents don't believe that their kids should get the vaccination. I actually want to play some sound from a father of two who refuses to vaccinate his two young sons and then we'll talk about it. Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. JACK WOLFSON, CARDIOLOGIST: What I'm opposed to is the fact that we're injecting chemicals into our children. This is aluminum, mercury, sometimes aborted fetal proteins, there's antibiotics in there. We're doing something that is totally foreign and totally unnatural to our children. We're experimenting on our children.

Our children have the right to get infections. We have immune systems for that purpose. As the doctor previously said, there were millions of cases, rarely did anybody die from this. These are typically benign childhood conditions.

We cannot sterilize the body. We cannot sterilize our society.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Aborted fetal proteins. Any truth to what he is saying?

ORENSTEIN: I think it's an exaggeration. What we do know is that measles is a serious disease, 400 to 500 people used to die every year in the United States before we had vaccine. Complications are common. Ear infections, pneumonia, diarrhea, and the kids who get it are very toxic.

It starts out like a small cold. So that's where it gets spread a lot. They're not very sick. And then fevers can get as high as 103 to 105 degrees. The children are very toxic.

Vaccines are really weaken at the measles vaccine is just a weakened virus. It doesn't cause disease. But it prepares your immune system. Your immune system is like an army. It detects the enemy and prevents it from invading and killing cells. And that's what the vaccine does. It prepares that army, so it's not overwhelmed by the virus.

BLACKWELL: So, how do we stamp it out this time?

ORENSTEIN: I think the big issue is we need to get people to get vaccinated. The higher. the level, the less likely to spread. The way the virus spreads is if I have the virus, I have to find a susceptible. If I don't find this susceptible during my contagious period, which is about eight days, then the virus will die out. And that's why we have been so successful until recently as we've been able to keep the immunity levels up. BLACKWELL: Yes. Now in 14 states and we had the news this morning

just in to CNN that it spread to Bard College in New York. But so many people together tomorrow at the Super Bowl. We talked about the security features. This is one thing that people have to be concerned about.

Dr. Walt Orenstein, thank you so much.

ORENSTEIN: Thank you very much.

BLACKWELL: Christi?

PAUL: All righty. Let's talk politics. Mitt Romney opted out of the 2016 presidential race. So, a lot of people are wondering -- is that decision going to help or hurt any of the other potential candidates? Our experts are weighing in on that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Here's a look at other top stories developing now. A local official reports 12 people were killed Friday after a rocket attack in Ukraine. It happened in the eastern city of Donetsk.

PAUL: It's unclear who is responsible for the shelling. But until now, fighting was largely concentrated on the outskirts of the city near the nearby.

BLACKWELL: One person is dead and two are injured after an accident on set of the new Martin Scorsese latest film by that director. It happened after part of a building used for scenery collapsed. Workers were repairing the building after it was deemed unsafe. Now the film, a story about two Jesuit priests in 17th century in Japan is in production in Taiwan.

PAUL: And Ohio says it will delay the execution of seven death row inmates. Officials say they're apparently finding an adequate supply of drugs that comply with the state's new execution protocol. So, as a result, there will be no inmates put to death in 2015.

The next execution is a year from now, scheduled for January of 2016.

BLACKWELL: So, what kind of animal is this, this little puppy? He has the head of a pit bull, but the body of a dachshund. Someone called the Moultrie, Georgia Humane Society reporting a stray, OK. I mean, they weren't sure what it was. But one of our producers met this odd dog and despite the unusual appearance, he says he's actually quite nice.

PAUL: And looking for a home. Just so you know, which is the main point there. Cute dog though, and looks happy.

BLACKWELL: Yes, looks happy.

PAUL: Very cute.

OK. Let's talk about U.S. tennis star Serena Williams. She beat Maria Sharapova to win the Australian Open earlier this morning, if you missed it. This is Williams' 19th grand slam win, also her sixth Australian open title. Sharapova beat Williams back in 2004.

BLACKWELL: Been a while.

PAUL: Yes, it has.

BLACKWELL: All right. So, this is follower who terrorized a kosher supermarket in Paris and gunned down innocent shoppers -- here he is, Amedy Coulibaly -- recorded the horrible attack using a GoPro camera and then e-mailed it. But who are the possible recipients? Accomplices? Another ISIS-trained killers? We've got details at the top of the hour.

PAUL: But coming up next, Mitt Romney says he is not the one for president. Who is going to -- who is this going to affect most? Who does want to run?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: All righty. Fifty-four minutes past the hour.

Let's talk some politics. Mitt Romney has announced he doesn't want it. Not running for president. There are a lot of other Republicans, though, still thinking about jumping into the ring -- Chris Christie, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Rand Paul.

Let's bring in senior digital correspondent Chris Moody.

Chris, we look at this list, these are some pretty hefty names here. Does Romney's decision help one of these potential candidates, do you think?

CHRIS MOODY, CNN SENIOR DIGITAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think it helps quite a bit of them, particularly I think Jeb Bush who is doing a lot of behind the scenes maneuvering with big time donors, just in the past couple weeks, from our reporting at CNN, Romney was kind of taken aback by how quickly Jeb was moving. And so, he looked into running and decided that it just wasn't his time. But it also opens up an opportunity for some of these other candidates.

You're right. It's going to be a really deep bench, a really hard fight for the Republican nomination this year. You've got a lot of powerful sitting governors and members of Congress that are going to be coming in. With Chris Christie, this opens up more opportunities for him to go after big dollar donors where before, it could have been just Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney duking it out over that donor class.

PAUL: So, let's talk about Jeb Bush here for a second. Did he get the support Romney was looking for, at the end of the day when you say that Romney decided to bow out? I mean, we know that David Kochel, a former Romney official, has been chosen as Bush's campaign manager. Do you think more Romney camp folks are going to move over to him?

MOODY: I think you're going to start to see that, but not just to Jeb Bush. You're going to see old Romney hands moving to several of the other candidates, I would imagine, Chris Christie will be pushing not only for those consultants but also for those donors.

Remember, right now we're in the period of the primary that's all going on behind closed doors. These possible candidates are making maneuvers and New York City looking for donors. In Iowa, looking for the top consultants and in New Hampshire in the early voting states.

So, we're in that period right now, it's kind of the shadow primary behind the scenes, and then it's really going to kick into public high gear up here later in the spring and early summer.

PAUL: There is no doubt Hillary Clinton looks to be the most popular Democratic candidate for 2016. If she decides to run, you've got so many contenders for the Republican ticket. Will the battle for the nomination itself end up hurting the final candidate in the end, do you think?

MOODY: This is going to be the tricky part. How do the Republicans choose a nominee without tearing down the one who ultimately becomes the nominee? This was a problem for Romney in 2012 when he had to fight these internal battles for months, and then once he was ready to battle Barack Obama for the general election, he was battered and beaten. It was really tough for him. And not only taking it in the public eye, but also on fundraising.

So, I think what the Republicans have done, the Republican Party is contracted the primary calendar to make it nice and tight and clean, that way they could have it all ready early in the summer in 2016 so they can face whoever the Democratic nominee is.

But if Hillary Clinton does get in, she has a much smoother path to the nominations than the Republicans do that are looking at it right now.

PAUL: OK. But talk to me about the timeline a little bit, because Hillary Clinton herself hasn't come out and said, yes, I am running, this is my goal.

By what point do these candidates need to make their intentions known, in order to keep the momentum going?

MOODY: It's a very good question and it's something that their consultants are looking into. These announcements are very finely timed. Right now, what they're doing, they're choosing their language carefully. They're saying, I'm thinking about possibly running, which means they can still raise money for these PACs that they put together, and they are not under the campaign finance restrictions of when they officially are candidates.

And a lot of them have decided from what we're hearing right now, that possibly late spring is about the right time that they want to kick it into the really high gear and announce that official campaign for the presidency.

PAUL: We heard rumbling there was a dinner planned between Chris Christie and Mitt Romney. Is that an indication to you that Romney may throw his support behind Christie? MOODY: You know, if you gave a careful read to Mitt Romney's

statement to his close supporters yesterday, it really was not perfectly clear if he would put his support behind someone. From what we've heard, Romney has had meetings, phone calls and possibly face- to-face dinners with a lot of these potential candidates.

So, I think it's going to be interesting. I don't think he is going to put his support behind someone immediately. I think it might take some time.

PAUL: All right. Chris Moody, so appreciate your perspective. Thank you for being with us.

MOODY: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: We're going to talk more about that statement later this morning. He says is there any scenario which I could come back into this race? Unlikely. Not a no.

PAUL: Not -- it's never definitive in politics. I think we're learning that.

BLACKWELL: The door is open just a bit.

All right. Stay with us. We've got a lot more coming up this morning.

PAUL: Yes, the next hour of your NEW DAY starts right now.

(MUSIC PLAYING)