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New Day Saturday

New Strikes Target ISIS Stronghold of Mosul; U.S. Charges Six With Aiding Terrorists Overseas; Cops Charged With Beating Man On Scooter; Susan Rice Confirmed No Ransoms Be Paid to ISIS Terrorists; Analysis of Security Situation in Iraq; Jury Selection for Trial of Eddie Routh

Aired February 07, 2015 - 06:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: New details this morning that ISIS is getting hit and getting hit hard by airstrikes. Activists claiming at least 47 terrorists have been killed in a single strike.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: And we're learning more about the U.S. woman who ISIS claimed was killed in those airstrikes. Well, now, there is word the terrorist demanded almost $6 million in exchange for her safe return.

PAUL: And new questions into what really happened to Bobbi Kristina this morning. Authorities now say she has injuries that need explaination.

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

PAUL: I am Christi Paul. I want to begin with that breaking news now, coalition forces unleashing at least a dozen airstrikes against ISIS in the Iraqi city of Mosul.

BLACKWELL: That's according to our CNN crew on the ground there and for weeks now ISIS fighters have maintained their defense in Mosul. Well, now the intensity and frequency of the strikes on the city has ramped up. Of course, that's after the horrific burning death of that Jordanian pilot and this according to Kurdish forces.

Also new this morning, eleven people have been killed and more than 30 wounded after two suicide bombers targeted a busy market and restaurant in the Iraqi capital city of Baghdad.

PAUL: We're going bring Phil Black in here in just a minute, but we do want to go Becky Anderson right now as well. Becky, what are you hearing from Jordan this morning?

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, on the American hostage publicity stunt that ISIS misguidedly hope would drive a wedge between coalition partners Jordan and the United States is how the Jordan's have described these ISIS claims soon after the news broke about Kayla Mulah.

This is what the spokesman told CNN about the details of Friday's airstrikes on Raqqa in Syria. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAHAMMAD AL-MORNANI, SPOKESMAN, JORDANIAN GOVERNMENT: To my knowledge we have targeted and started ammunition and the training camps for terrorists so that will tell you that it would be difficult for us to believe or accept the fact that an American lady hostage was there. What we know about this terrorist organization is that they are liars when it comes to these things.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: If ISIS thought that they would break the result of the coalition then they have awfully miscalculated just in the last hour guides, we have heard it confirmed that this morning a new series airstrikes are targeting position around Raqqa. This, of course, is the self-declared capital of ISIS' caliphate.

It's where clearly indicating that the lethal show of force that King Abdullah has promised is loaded with an unequivocal message. This, he said, is very much the beginning of what he vows will be the end of that militant group -- guys.

PAUL: All right, Becky Anderson, we so appreciate it. Thank you. I want to bring Phil Black in now. He is joining us by phone from Mosul where those strikes are taking place.

We need to point out that Phil is one of the only journalists, western journalists in the immediate area. He is calling us from a mountain top overlooking that hot zone. Phil, help us understand the scene where you are right now. What's going on?

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Sure, Christi. So we're about seven miles from the gates of Mosul. We can see it in the distance. What we can hear, though, is what they're saying. The sounds of aircrafts and airstrikes have been really quite frequent ever since we've arrived over the last hour or so.

We think we have heard at least a dozen or so detonations. They will occupy and have been blocked off through the path and holding the defensive line here. So the airstrikes have really stepped up over the last few weeks or days I should say ever since ISIS showed that video and declared that it had murdered the Jordanian pilot, Moaz al- Kassasbeh.

We don't know if there's a link between those two things, but that's the observation that has been made by the Peshmerga fighters here. These fighters have been trying to circle the city and from every direction as well to cut it off. And that is ahead of what is expected to be in the coming months and free the city from ISIS -- Christi.

PAUL: You know, Phil, Becky was just talking about the hostage situation and how ISIS had claimed a Jordanian airstrike is what killed the American hostage, of course, Kayla Muller. Is there any -- you're there, is there any way to determine who is involved in these airstrikes right now to identify whether certain airstrikes are by coalition forces or strictly Jordanian?

BLACK: Yes, not easily and not credibly to be fair. We can see a large jet aircraft circling regularly in the sky and it appears to be an observation craft. You can also hear and cannot see easily certainly and it's fast and moving attack aircraft, the bomber aircraft, the ones that are responsible for the strikes themselves.

They're flying at such an altitude that it's very difficult to make out what type of aircraft they are let alone what nation is responsible for flying. We do know that the air campaign (inaudible) and so the Australian Air Force as well.

They are the ones (inaudible) the strikes over Iraq -- it's mostly the United States and its Arab partners that have been responsible for the strikes over Syria.

Those sorts have been the basic responsibility in the weight of the strikes that are being handed out between the various members of the coalition. No credible way to look up in the sky and see an aircraft and know just where it comes from.

PAUL: All right, good distinction to make. Phil Black, we so appreciate it. You take good care there, you and the crew, thank you and of course, thanks to Becky Anderson as well.

As Becky was telling us just a short time ago, Kayla Muller, has been held captive for nearly a year and a half. Overnight her parents, Carl and Marsha, released this statement.

Quote, "We are still hopeful that Kayla is alive. We have sent you a private message and asked that you to respond to us privately. We know that you have read the previous communications. You've told us that you treated Kayla as a guest. As your guest, her safety and well-being remains your responsibility. Kayla's mother and I have been doing everything we can to get her released."

So we want to find out a little bit about Kayla from CNN's Pamela Brown now. Good morning, Pamela.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Victor and Christi, we've learned that ISIS sent a note to the Muller family last summer that it had grown tired of waiting after demanding $6 million in ransom money by August 13th, the deadline ISIS' set for execution.

On Friday a spokesperson for the Muller family released new information about Kayla and her strong desire to serve others.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAYLA MULLER: I am in solidarity with the Syrian people.

BROWN (voice-over): The 26-year-old Prescott, Arizona native, Kayla Muller's passion for helping people is what ultimately brought her to the Turkish-Syria border several years ago. In 2011, she took part in this Syria video declaring her support for the refugees and she is seen in this YouTube video addressing Senator John McCain. The humanitarian aid worker volunteered with the Support to Life Organization in Turkey where she helped people living in refugee camps. In 2013, she was credited by her hometown newspaper, "Daily Courier" with reuniting a 6-year-old boy with his family.

She told the newspaper this story is not rare in Syria adding for as long as I live, I will not let the suffering be normal. I will not let this be something we just accept.

In high school, Muller volunteered with the Save Our Corp Coalition among other organization. She won a number of philanthropic awards and was recognized as a national young leader.

She told the "Daily Courier" in 2007, I love cultures and language and learning about people's cultures. After graduating from Northern Arizona University in 2009, she lived and worked with humanitarian aid groups in India and the Middle East.

In August 2013, Muller was kidnapped in the Syrian city of Alepo where she was leaving a Spanish Doctors Without Borders hospital.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What ISIS has been doing for the last year and a half is collecting foreigners for hostages as we sort of seen in the last six months, they have been executing a lot of people who really are tangential to the conflict.

BROWN: After the beheadings of three American hostages, Muller would be the last known American hostage held by ISIS.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: And the family spokesperson says that in May of 2014, ISIS first made contact to the family confirming Kayla's captivity and providing proof of life -- Christi and Victor.

PAUL: All right, Pamela, we appreciate it. Thank you so much.

World leaders are racing to stop the bloodshed in Ukraine. Top U.S. leaders and their European counterparts are in Germany right now trying to work out a peace deal before more lives are lost there.

Plus new details in the case of Whitney Houston's daughter, she is still in a coma, but now investigators have a new focus saying that she has some injuries that need explanation.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: It's 13 minutes after the hour now, and as the airstrikes continue against ISIS, one of the big looming questions is whether the U.S. will send ground troops to fight the terror group?

A U.S. military official tells CNN that the United States is trying to gather as much intelligence as possible about ISIS' defenses in Mosul, Iraq where the latest airstrikes are ponding. As we mentioned earlier, ISIS has continue to reinforce its defenses around the city and if that continues, the Pentagon could recommend sending U.S. ground troops.

Meanwhile, federal officials have charged six people with aiding terrorists overseas in places including Iraq and Syria. According to the Department of Justice, all six people emigrated to the U.S. from Bosnia. It ranges an age from 26 to 42 years old. And officials say two suspects plan to join terrorists in battle.

Let's talk more with Anthony Lemieux. He is the investigator with the National Center for the Study of Terrorism and an associate professor at Georgia State University. Good to have you with us.

So you heard about these arrests, the six people arrested for aiding terrorists overseas. How big of a threat is ISIS to the homeland?

ANTHONY LEMIEUX, INVESTIGATOR, NATIONAL CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF TERRORISM: Thus far ISIS has been really much more focused on getting people to go and join the struggle, you know, the fight that they're having in Iraq and Syria. It's starting to shift a little bit more to attack the targets outside of that region so it's something we certainly want to be vigilant of.

BLACKWELL: You know, there is a Middle East security source that tells CNN that intelligence indicates that ISIS has been developing plans since last year to kidnap western hostages in Jordan and also in Lebanon. How concerning is that?

LEMIUEX: Well, I think, you know, they have learned from the reactions to tge pieces they have put out and continued to develop that it is very affective in getting a lot of eyes on it from across the world. So I think in that sense they have learned that it have very strong value for them. So this is something I would be very, you know, again vigilant about and watching going forward.

BLACKWELL: And you study the propaganda primarily, right? We just heard before the break, the part of this message that was sent from the family of Kayla Muller, the American that ISIS claims Jordanian airstrikes killed. What is the value of a message like that to ISIS?

LEMIUEX: Well, I think, you know, one of the things that they're going try to do potentially is to have some kind of, you know, spectacle depending on whether or not there's a validity to their claims, which, you know, we have no reason to take them to take them at their word for sure.

So it's something that I am concerned about because we do not necessarily know. That's part of what they want that sense of suspense. What are they going to do next? And that's one of the things that people seemed to be focusing on.

BLACKWELL: Obviously it appears that this is a PR stunt. At least that's what Jordanian officials are calling it and many in the U.S. intelligence community are calling that. If ISIS did not get the bang for the buck they were trying to get with this report that Kayla Muller was killed by Jordanian airstrikes, do you expect that they would try again and we'll see her in a video? How many western hostages have died in their custody or they have killed without some propaganda value?

LEMIUEX: Well, that's the big concern. The question about what they would do in that context because if you remember there was a month long period of false hope with regard to the fate of the Jordanian pilot. That's something that it would not surprise me if there were some follow on. Again, it's all speculation at this point.

BLACKWELL: Still waiting for some proof from ISIS as they continue this propaganda war from their end. Anthony Lemieux, thank you so much.

LEMIUEX: Thanks for having me.

BLACKWELL: Christi.

PAUL: Coming up new details in the Bobbi Kristina Brown investigation. Officials are now turning their attention to one person in particular in this case.

Plus vindicated by video, nearly two years after he was allegedly beaten by police, one victim is getting a slice of justice, thanks to surveillance footage his girlfriend found. We have details for you next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: We have new details in the case of Whitney Houston's daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown. As you know, she has been in this medically induced coma for about a week now. Now CNN has learned that investigators are focusing on her boyfriend, Nick Gordon, as they determine how she ended up face down in a tub of water.

Sources close to the family also say Brown has injuries that still need to be explained. The nature of those injuries has not been disclosed. Bobbi Kristina Brown was found unresponsive in that bathtub in her home here in Georgia last weekend. It was Saturday morning.

Coming up in our hour, legal analyst, Joey Jackson joins us to discuss these new developments and what it could mean to the investigation.

PAUL: Meanwhile, Victor, two Philadelphia police officers have been arrested and charged with aggravated assault and criminal conspiracy after they allegedly beat this man who is on a scooter at that time and then tried to cover it up allegedly.

But his girlfriend hunted down surveillance footage that undermined the officers' account of the brutal incident. Our Nick Valencia has been investigating it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Vindicated by video nearly two years after he was brutally beaten by police, 23-year-old Naji Rivera received a slice of justice. The two cops involved in his assault indicted by a grand jury and arrested this week charged with police brutality.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was a broken nose. There were approximately 20 staples to the top of the head from having his head split open.

VALENCIA: It was May 29th, 2013 when veteran officers, Sean McKnight and Kevin Robinson said Rivera resisted arrest after they said he ran a stop sign in his scooter. In an initial police report the officers said Rivera, quote, "attempted to flee on foot after being pulled over."

According to the officers, Rivera then slammed an officer against a brick wall before throwing elbows at an officer during the struggle. Officer Robinson was even said to have suffered minor pain. After watching the surveillance video from the incident, a grand jury determined the officers' story was a lie.

SETH WILLIAMS, PHILADELPHIA DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Video undermined every aspect of the officers' account of the incident. Another officer arrived at the scene and thought that he was thought since there was so much blood on the ground.

VALENCIA: It was Rivera's girlfriend who found the video, the result of knocking on local businesses where the assault happened to see if it had been caught on tape.

COMMISSIONER CHARLES RAMSEY, PHILADELPHIA POLICE: It's painful and embarrassing and brings a lot of issues that you see across the country. We have 6,500 sworn members. These guys do not represent the majority of the police officers.

VALENCIA: The district attorney has dropped all charges against Rivera. His attorney says Rivera knew this day would come.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's unfortunate for the police department as a whole. They're all a pretty good bunch of professionals who try to protect everybody in Philadelphia. They have a tough job, it's a sad thing that this particular incident occurred.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VALENCIA: Rivera was awarded a $200,000 settlement by the city of Philadelphia. As for the officers, both have been suspended for 30 days with the intent to be dismissed from the force. An attorney for Officer McKnight told CNN, he is looking forward to the trial and called McKnight a good cop. Calls to Robinson's attorney have not been returned. Nick Valencia, CNN Atlanta.

PAUL: All righty, Nick, thank you so much.

BLACKWELL: ISIS claims an American hostage is dead, killed in a Jordanian airstrike. Jordan says that's a lie. Now the U.S. is trying to figure out if Kayla Muller is still alive. PAUL: Plus we want to show you some amazing new rescue video from the TransAsia crash. A passenger banging on the window trying to get out of there, this as we learn even more about the frantic moments that lead to the jets deadly plunge. Stay close.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: It's 28 minutes past the hour and more than five hours of talks at the Kremlin between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the leaders of France and Germany and yet no deal to end the fighting in Eastern Ukraine where more than 5,000 lives have already been lost.

BLACKWELL: Now, world leaders working around the clock to stop the bloodshed. We have pictures of John Kerry at the annual Munich Security Conference, there he is, where the crisis is expected to top the agenda in addition to the secretary of the state, Vice President Joe Biden along with the Ukrainian president and the Russian foreign minister are now searching for some sort of resolution here.

CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has the latest for us from Ukraine -- Nick.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Christi, Victor, what you can't hear in my microphone behind is the consistent heavy thought of artillery strikes that's been happening all night and again this morning increasingly close towards Donetsk city center or the capital of the self-declared separatist People's Republic here and it's not a backdrop to peace at all.

We have that extraordinary expected throughout the Kremlin, the head of the two largest colonies in Europe, Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande are going to see Vladimir Putin suggesting a peace proposal and leaving early the following morning with the ideas.

There was little to say other than the thoughts are being constructed. Nobody went back to the ceasefire that signed up last year and behind me continually that thought suggests that they're continually hearing clashes of the Ukrainian military perhaps being increasingly constants.

They are well equipped here too and many are concerned that given how Angela Merkel characterized those peace talks as being perhaps uncertain in their success. If they fail, if there's no cease fire, no - in the fighting, then we could see a further escalation. Civilians caught in the middle here, we've seen, frankly, in towns and near the frontline Ukrainians just furious that neither side are able to stop the violence that they are caught in the middle.

Here in Donetsk we have seen people cut down by artillery strikes just - for food. There's a lack of food, a lack of water. Electricity. Daily life is trying to go on as normal, but this is a city that used to have a million people in it. And it's increasingly hollowed out. And terrified by that constant fear of where the artillery will land next. All hopes high that something could come from Moscow, nothing thus far, it seems dead and in Munich, they're sounding increasingly doubtful as to whether this violence can be negotiated and exited from. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Donetsk. PAUL: All right, Nick. Thank you so much. We appreciate it.

BLACKWELL: Another big story we're following. War planes are in the air over northern Syria. Jordanian war planes are pounding more ISIS targets in the militant stronghold of Raqqa. Activists tell CNN that one strike killed 47 ISIS fighters. Now President Obama is expected to send Congress a proposal that would authorize the use of force against the terror group. Yesterday the White House released the president's national security strategy including how the U.S. plans to battle ISIS.

CNN White House correspondent Michelle Kosinski has more for us. Michelle, good morning.

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Victor and Christi. Right. So, at the same time these reports were emerging and we see the White House spell out the president's national security strategy looking forward, but also defending decisions that have been made.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KOSINSKI: ISIS claiming a Jordanian airstrike killed an American hostage. Against this brutal backdrop the White House today lays out its broad security strategy in defense of the president's own blueprint for the use of American force around the world. SUSAN RICE, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: With the world united in

condemnation of its horrific executions, ISIL should know that their barbarism only fortifies the world's collective resolve.

KOSINSKI: Emphasizing defending that collective effort against ISIS and other threats even when progress is slow. As in Syria, where the U.S. is still in the conflict's vetting stage for arming and training local fighters, which critics, even some former members of the administration say should have been done a long time ago.

RICE: Fighting terrorism is a long term struggle. There will be set backs, and there are no one size fits all solutions.

KOSINSKI: The White House says the goal is strong and sustainable global leadership. The military being only a part of that, but which they say, needs more funding. Also in what's been called the Obama doctrine, avoiding long term conflicts, maximizing diplomacy and what sounds like a hit back at critics and not over reacting.

RICE: Yes, there's a lot going on. Still while the dangers we face maybe more numerous and varied, they're not of the existential nature we confronted during World War II or during the Cold War. We cannot afford to be buffeted by alarmism.

KOSINSKI: As early as next week, the president will ask Congress for more tailored authority to go after ISIS. The challenge is trying to gain bipartisan support for what could be a three year plan targeting ISIS in both Iraq and Syria. But will the president leave open any possibility leeway for using American ground troops? That some in Congress would like, if necessary. So far he has repeatedly said not an option.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOSINSKI: National Security Advisor Susan Rice also talked about this process, this review that's been going on as to how the U.S. government deals with and communicates with families of hostages. This came up in past cases with James Foley and Steven Sotloff. That's what prompted this review, but she emphasized again, the U.S. does not make concessions to terrorists and does not pay ransoms. Victor and Christi?

BLACKWELL: All right. Michelle Kosinski, thank you so much.

PAUL: Let's bring in CNN law enforcement analyst Tom Fuentes to talk about this. Tom, good morning to you. You know, as Michelle just mentioned there, President Obama is expected to go to Congress to request permission for long term military operations against ISIS. Certainly, one of the hot button issues is going to be a deadline. Can you gauge in any way how long you think it might take to just even make a dent in the ISIS infrastructure?

TOM FUENTES, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, Christi, I think in order to determine that you just have to determine what kind of force we send in. If we keep piecemealing it, hoping that the Arab allies in the neighborhood join and put their forces on the ground ahead of ours, you know that's a different issue.

But, you know, if you only send in one or two thousand or 3,000 people to fight, it's going to take a -- it's going to take forever, probably. So that's the choice. But Americans do not want to see tens of thousands of troops show up either, being redeployed back to Iraq, to retake territory we already took over the long war of the Iraq war since 2003. So, I think it's really all contention, and what kind of actions we take and countries like Jordan and hopefully countries like Saudi Arabia and other neighbors take to help support the attempt to defeat ISIS.

PAUL: You know, we just heard Susan Rice say that this is not World War II. But when you talk to people, I think there's a fear, is there not? Do you get a sense of fear that it could be if this is not taken care of. What is the hesitation, Tom, do you think? I mean we've heard the U.K., Jordan, U.S., France, Saudi, all condemning this. But what is the hesitation of them joining forces and just going in there and taking ISIS out?

FUENTES: I don't know. That's a good question, and I think that, you know, until countries, you know, become outraged the way Jordan has, it hopefully won't require every single country to have one of their citizen horrifically murdered. You know, that they should see that this is a threat to them in their neighborhood and it's something they should deal with.

I think comparisons to World War II and other things, the White House should maybe think twice about how they phrase the attempts to fight ISIS or what's going on in Iraq, because this is a possibility that we want in Iraq. Whether we should have invaded or not in 2003, we did. We took over the country, we handed it to Maliki on a silver platter and he set about to create what has happened now while we stood by and watched.

So in a way we stand to be a country that won a war and later lost it, lost territory that we had already won and, you know, considering that we have 5,000 American military killed in Iraq and 55,000 wounded warriors, a trillion dollars driven into one of the largest recession since the Great Depression, to turn around and watch a third of that effort go up in smoke, because ISIS has regained that territory. It's a pretty sad commentary on what we've been doing the last couple of years watching that happen.

PAUL: Yeah. All right. Fuentes, always appreciate your expertise here. Thank you.

FUENTES: Thank you, Christi.

PAUL: Sure. And coming up, we have new details in the moments leading up for that TransAsian plane crash as well.

BLACKWELL: All of this as we get new video. Look at that, inside the red circle. A frantic attempt to get out of this plane. You see a person just banging on the window trying to get out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Well, Serena Williams made history at last week's Australian open, and her win moved her into sole possession, at second place on the all-time list of career grand slams. And that's the focus of this morning's Open Court.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With the straight set win over Maria Sharapova last Saturday, Serena Williams claimed her 6th Australian Open title. The win moved her past Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. And into the sole possession of second place on the career grand slam list.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I think it makes it really special. Because it is number 19 for me and so passing people like Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert, who's been great for me. I really - I am enjoying my time. I am at a point in my career where I do not have to win anymore, and every win is like a super extra bonus and everyone is just more awesome than the last one.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At 33 years old, Williams shows no signs of slowing down and is just three grand slam win shy of tying Steffi Graf who holds the record with 22.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: I want to share this new video with you right now. It was just released this morning. Do you see that passenger down the red circle banging on the window? This was minutes after TransAsia airline 235 plunged into that river. But that survivor obviously desperate and trying to get the attention of rescue workers. From everything that we have been able to discern, and have been told that person was indeed rescued. Now, recovery teams discovered another body this morning as well. Hundreds of meters from the crash site. Of the 58 people on board, 40 have died, 15 survived and three are still unaccounted for this hour.

And in the meantime, we're hearing new details about what went wrong on that flight. Taiwanese aviation official say the pilots dealt with the problems involving both engines before the plane clipped a bridge and crashed into the river, before they were even taking off. Take a look here. You see it, the two engines reportedly stopped producing power one after the other leaving the plane without thrust for more than a minute.

So, we want to bring in CNN David Molko. He is live in Taipei for us right now. David, good to see you. This morning. What - wondering, do investigators have any idea on what happened on this plane with these engines?

DAVID MOLKO, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: Hi, Christi, some very delicate questions to ask - being asked about just what happened in that cockpit. Keep in mind, the flight lasted less than three minutes. So, all of this happened very, very quickly. What we know is that at one point during the flight, neither engine was producing thrust. So that means the plane was going down, it did not have power. They did attempt to restart one of the engines and they did that successfully. Unfortunately, it came too late. The critical moment here, Christi, about 30 seconds into the flight. That is when they first got a warning that there was a problem with the right engine.

What happened next, some sort of conversation about the left engine and that engine actually ended up being shut off. Now, I spoke to the lead investigator here with the accident safety council, aviation safety counsel, I should say, and he said that the critical thing here about what happened in the cockpit is that the pilots should have had some sort of visual warning or a display explaining which engine had a problem, that it was the right engine. He would not go so far as to say the pilots made a mistake. That's one question I put to him, that is one question that's being asked across Taiwan.

But he said that they're looking carefully into what the operating procedure would have been and how they should have responded to that warning and what they actually did. Christi, still a lot of questions here in Taiwan tonight about what happened in that cockpit.

PAUL: I bet. So, what is next for investigators? I mean what are some of the top priorities at this point?

MOLKO: Yes, they are working on a couple of things right now. This is according to the lead investigator. They're finishing up the transcript form the cockpit, a voice recorder and the other big priorities actually taking a physical look at the wreckage there. Investigators here not only from France, where the aircraft is manufactured. Also, Canada where the engines were manufactured, and they're taking a close look at the entire wreckage, but specifically at the engines and at the cockpit and hoping that it will shed some light on exactly what happened, on exactly why this happened. Christi, I should mention as well the search for survivors continuing here behind me. Three people remain unaccounted for, but efforts here will continue until all are returned to their families. Christi?

PAUL: All right, David Molko, grateful for the report there from Taipei. Thank you.

BLACKWELL: And still ahead, jury selection is under way in the high profile murder of American Sniper Chris Kyle. Now, we take a closer look at whether the film's success is creating a problem for this trial.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: 49 minutes past the hour right now. You know, the jury selection process will resume on Monday in the case of the Texas man accused of killing two men including American sniper Chris Kyle.

BLACKWELL: And out of hundreds of prospected jurors, 12 will be selected along with two alternates in the murder trial of Eddie Ray Routh. Opening statements expected to begin on Wednesday.

PAUL: CNN has learned from Routh's attorney that they will plead not guilty by the reason of insanity.

BLACKWELL: The defense has tried to delay the trial, especially following the box office success of the film "American Sniper." Let's talk about this case with HLN legal analyst Joey Jackson. Joey, are you surprised by this jury selection process as the film is out in theaters? I mean it has to create a huge problem.

JOEY JACKSON, HLN LEGAL ANALYST: I certainly would think that it would, Victor. Good morning to you, good morning, Chris, to you. Because you have to evaluate this against the backdrop, of course, of the popularity of this movie grossing $250 million to date. Nominated for six Academy awards remember, in addition to that, Victor, February 2nd in the state of Texas is national Chris Kyle Day, so the trial moves on against the backdrop of all of these things, the popularity of the movie and, of course, the hero that he's deemed to be nationally, and, of course, closer to home in that community, and so certainly there will be challenges of picking a jury. Final thing on that point is, another trial we're following, Aaron Hernandez, there was a juror that was determined just by getting on the jury to be a stealth juror to have, you know, certain inclinations and things that she did not say when she was selected as a jury. So, you know, the parallel is there. Do juries tell you what you want to hear, or are they honest and forthright in terms of who they really and what's their point of service.

BLACKWELL: We've also talked a lot about the Boston bomber jury selection process and how difficult that's going to be as well. But let's talk more about this Mr. Routh, Eddie Ray Routh, do you think he can get a fair trial?

JACKSON: You know, there are complexities on that, of course, for the reasons that we discussed, and when you look at what he is accused of doing, I mean the evidence appears to be compelling in terms of the admissions that he made to the police, in terms of, you know, his sister after the fact going over to her home and things that he told her, the confession he gave her, the fact that he stole the truck of Chris Kyle. And so, I mean, the evidence in it of itself is compelling and then you compound that with the fact that the trial was being held locally in Erath County, where, you know, Chris Kyle and certainly, you know, members of that community from all indications, you know, hardworking, good spirited, very kind, open minded. But you have to wonder whether or not because of all of the implications and all of the pressures and because of how respected Chris Kyle was, whether that's the appropriate venue.

Of course, defense attorneys have asked it to be changed, that is the venue, have asked for postponing. The judge has said, no.

BLACKWELL: And the defense here, in large part is, PTSD. How difficult is it to prove that?

JACKSON: You know, it's difficult for the following reason. It's an insanity defense, Victor, and of course, at insanity what happens is the burden of proof shifts not to the state, but it shifts to the defendant to prove that you were insane what we call a preponderance of the evidence, more likely than not. And so, what they will do in that trial, is they will evaluate Mr. Ralph, his past history, the indication in the 911 call by his sister was that he is paranoid, that he's psychotic, there are indications that he was at Green Oaks psychiatric facility, that he was admitted there on two prior occasions. And so, his state of mind will very much be at issue and remember the determination will be whether he knew right from wrong at the time that he committed the offense against Mr. Kyle and Mr. Littlefield, both dead at his hands.

BLACKWELL: All right, Joey Jackson, again, opening statements expected to begin on Wednesday. Joey, we want you to stick around because in the next hour, we want to get your take on the Bobbi Kristina Brown investigation. This morning, we've learned that police are focusing on her boyfriend, Nick Gordon. They're trying to determine how she ended up face down in that tub of water. So, stay with us for that. But right now let's take a look at other developing stories.

PAUL: Yeah, do you know Rosie O'Donnell is quitting ABC's "The View?" I've heard of that. A woman, she just got there.

BLACKWELL: A couple of months.

PAUL: Five months since back, since back on the show. But apparently, since she divorced her wife last year she says, you know, her personal life has just been stressful and she plans to spend more time with her kids.

BLACKWELL: Another TV host job may be up in the air. NBC in investigating "NBC Nightly News" anchor Brian Williams. On Wednesday, Williams publicly apologized who claiming he was on a chopper that was struck by an RPG in 2003. Now, he was actually on a different helicopter and colleagues say he also told them how sorry he was at a meeting that was on Friday. And his reporting during Hurricane Katrina is now also under scrutiny.

Weather, now. Reno, Nevada, is cleaning up after hurricane force winds.

PAUL: Wow.

BLACKWELL: Look at this, from this dust storm. One of my favorite words in all of language, haboob!

(LAUGHTER)

PAUL: Haboob!

BLACKWELL: Drivers there ...

PAUL: Haboob!

BLACKWELL: I mean they could not even see where they were going.

PAUL: Oh, my goodness. Well, go west to San Francisco and you've got heavy winds and rain that knocked down power there to more than 60,000 people. We need to bring in meteorologist Ivan Cabrera because I saw a bigger picture and a look like there are some storms lined up out in the Pacific waiting yet again.

IVAN CABRERA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it is a congoline (ph) of storms here. We talk about the Pineapple Express, haboob, of course, the sand storm, but yeah, we use that a lot. And I think ...

PAUL: He is a man of many talents, isn't he?

CABRERA: Well - using, I think in the next few days 134 mile an hour wind gusts. That's what we are talking about in Nevada. Incredible stuff that is the equivalent of a category four hurricane. So an inland hurricane under 34. Of course, that was not sustained and we got through it. But never the less, here is the pineapple express. The reason we call it that is because we have a moisture that streams all the way from Hawaii. We have this plume of moisture that comes in and along that a series of lows develop and that's why we're talking about more rain.

Look at this last one here. Do you see that and the band lifting up? That one I think Sunday to Monday is going to be bringing the potential for certainly tropical storm forms wins along the coast, but potentially, as well, over 74 miles an hour. That would put you at hurricane force. Take a look at the rainfall here and why we are going to have some issues here. And I remember that topography here, and we get six to ten inches of rainfall coming down on mountainside. You know that we're going to have issues with flooding and the potential for mud slides as well. So, we're going to watch this closely next couple of days.

PAUL: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: OK. Next hour of your "NEW DAY" starts at the top of the hour in just a couple of minutes. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)