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New Day Saturday

ISIS Seizes Scores Of U.S. Guns, Humvees; New U.S. Defense Chief Is In Afghanistan; Three British Teens May Be Headed To Syria; Twenty Three Deaths Across the U.S. This Week; Non-Muslim Related Domestic Terror Threat; New Remarks of Rudy Giuliani; Mass Rally in Moscow; Will Insanity Plea in American Sniper Trial Work?

Aired February 21, 2015 - 06:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: New images this morning of ISIS' show of force. American made M-16's and Humvees as well. What we can learn from all of its fire power?

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: It's being called a threat greater than ISIS right here in the U.S., a new warning from the Department of Homeland Security. We will tell you who they are and what we've learned about how wide spread they maybe.

BLACKWELL: Also former New York City mayor, Rudy Giuliani, refuses to apologize for questioning the president's love of America. You have to hear what he is saying now to CNN.

PAUL: Early Saturday morning, but always so grateful to have your company. I'm Christi Paul.

BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. Good to be with you. Breaking this morning, disturbing new images of ISIS militants getting their hands on scores of American made guns, the militants attacked an Iraqi military post in Anbar Province.

This is new ISIS video that you're seeing now showing dozens of guns seized by ISIS. They also made off with American armor vehicles and Humvees. Of course, this is coming as the U.S. and Iraq are planning this major offensive to take back the ISIS stronghold of Mosul. This is just another propaganda video for the terror group.

But what can we learn about the attack and their weapon power from this video? Let's dig into it with CNN senior international correspondent, Ben Wedeman, in Erbil, and we also have CNN military analyst, Retired Major General James "Spider" Marks.

Ben, I want you to start off for us and tell us about the attack on this military post.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, this video is posted on YouTube yesterday. It seems to be taken place about 60 miles north west of Baghdad near the town of Samara. Now, what you see here is an ongoing assault as the Iraqi placement.

The video shows several Iraqi soldiers dead, one of the bodies burning and then you see lined up in a row. I counted at least 35 M-16 assault rifles made in the United States as well as piles of AK-47 assault rifles, APCs, armored personnel carriers, and a Humvee as well.

Now, we don't have precise details on this attack, but it seems to be taking place in broad daylight. So one wonders where those coalition aircraft. It's not in a mountain area so it's all very visible from the air.

But, this is another example of ISIS getting their hands on American equipment. Now, of course, they had a huge bonanza last June when they took over Mosul, and the Iraqi army essentially fled dropping their arms leaving behind hundreds of Humvees, heavy artillery and loads of ammunition.

But what you're seeing here is a small incident. These things take place on a regular basis where Iraq bases in the dessert fall to ISIS. It's not necessarily the fault of the ordinary soldiers.

Time and time again, we hear of instances where the command structure simply does not reply to urgent request by these isolated bases for help, relief and supplies and for even things like food and water.

So the Iraqi army even though the United States is putting a lot of effort into retraining the Iraqi army is still really got its back against the wall at a time when American officials are talking about offensive operations to try to retake Mosul.

BLACKWELL: Let's pick up right there and take it to the general, Ben, because as you hear that the Iraqi military is having trouble defending what they have already.

What's your degree of confidence that when the U.S. and Iraq launched this offensive in April to take Mosul that they will be able to do it without U.S. combat forces there side by side.

MAJOR GENERAL JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS (RETIRED), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: You know, Victor, great question. The concern that I have is that we're talk of a potential operation that's going take place in Iraq. This should not be public. This is the type of stuff that for whatever reason it baffles me why we're having this conversation and why Central Command, why the Department of Defense would allow this to get out.

But I mean, stuff happens, this is terribly unfortunate, lack of professionalism in almost relaxed approach toward a challenge that we have been trying to get our arms around for well over a year, and we have been conducting an air campaign, very aggressively in a number of places both in Northern Syria and Northern Iraq.

Yet we have this kind of release. What Ben reported on is not unusual. It happens in combat all of the time. Clearly if you have this type of capability and not up to it, it's going to be surrendered to the enemy.

Understand that ISIS has had access sadly to U.S. capability for the longest time because that's what we trained the Iraq army on when we were there. The Iraq army has collapsed. ISIS has been able to gather up. These are just additional spoils of war that go into their inventory for use.

BLACKWELL: General, let me play devil's advocate because I hear your concerns specifically about releasing the details about this effort to retake Mosul, is there possibly some strategic advantage that this would be a last stand of some sort for ISIL where all of their smaller groups would be called to one city.

And that could be where it could be a battle could happen for a larger portion of ISIS than you would see in other smaller outposts and cities, is there an advantage for releasing this months ahead of time?

MARKS: I like the way you're thinking. It's what we called red team. It's the contrarian view of what's going on in the ground. So I don't think that we're that good. I don't think our ability to achieve that level of deception is that good, no, that would not be the case.

Nobody that I ever worked with or any operations that I was involved would do that. That puts our soldiers at risk. The unintended consequences of releasing that information is far were worse than the positive outcomes that we should achieve as you describe.

So that would fall into a high risk category, but it's a deception possibility. I think what happened is everybody knows we're working hard to try to assist the Iraqi forces. We know Mosul has got -- it's a major city and a major problem. It has to be reclaimed and somebody just spoke very freely, which should not have happened.

BLACKWELL: Ben, let me come back to you because the Iraqi military police, and overwhelmingly Shia, you go into these areas, is it possible and is there concern on behalf of the Arab leaders that they could further radicalize or isolate Sunni communities and even grow the ranks of ISIS?

WEDEMAN: Well, this is what CNN correspondents were reporting yesterday that there's worry that in a city like Mosul, which has a large Arab-Sunni population. For Kurdish forces and the Iraqi army, which has dominated by the Shia that it would really just exacerbate an already a complicate situation.

Let's not forget that when the United States was in control of Mosul, that they had problems and of course, the United States military is far above the Iraqi military or the Peshmerga in terms of equipment and training across the board.

So yes the worry is that going in and taking over the city with its large Arab-Sunni population and there are concerns and they're not unrealistic.

BLACKWELL: All right, Ben Wedeman for us in Erbil. Ben, thanks to you and also Major General James "Spider" Marks, we want you to stay with us and talk with us about this next story -- Christi.

PAUL: Yes, 10,000 American troops still in Afghanistan and that's where new Defense Secretary Ashton Carter is right now. He arrived in Kabul just a short time ago. He's also going to Bagram to talk with U.S. troops, to get a firsthand look at their mission.

But Major General "Spider" Marks, I want to stick with you on this one. Are you surprised that he would go to Afghanistan first and so soon given that the threat has been ISIS up to this point and that the focus has been on them?

MARKS: I am, but I am sure that there was a security determination. Not to bring him into a Baghdad. Albeit he could have gone or been secured. My first move would have been Baghdad.

That's the level of resolve so that government, so the very first move would have been external to the Defendant of Defense showing up a relationship with a very tentative ally that we have in that region.

So going to Afghanistan certainly makes perfect sense. That's where our soldiers are still in combat, if you will, it still exists, and we still have deployed soldiers there.

So I would never second guess the sec def in this particular case, but sure, going to Baghdad would have sent a very strong signal to an ally going to Afghanistan and it sends a very strong signal to our troops. I'm OK with that.

PAUL: You know, some say that the Taliban is undergoing resurgence in Afghanistan, how prepared is the U.S. do you think to fight and will this change the military strategy in Afghanistan specifically because we know that troops are scheduled to leave the beginning of next year or the end of next year?

MARKS: Yes. Clearly what the United States has with the government in Kabul is an evolving and maturing relationship that gives us, the United States, the opportunity to make a determination that's in our best interest certainly with the support of the Afghan government.

We have not made a decision. We've learned from our lesson in Iraq. We are going to have a stay-behind presence in Afghanistan albeit far smaller than it should be. But at least the United States has a very robust relationship with this new government in Kabul.

So we have the ability to plus that up. That becomes a political call, but it will be made. It will be recommended by the military commanders on the ground. That's important and that exists and that's an advantage that we have vis-a-vis our situation in Iraq.

PAUL: All righty, Major General Spider Marks. Always appreciate it. Thank you so much.

MARKS: Thank you guys.

BLACKWELL: Right now, a desperate search is on for three girls from London. British officials say they maybe on their way to Syria to join ISIS.

PAUL: Plus, this is a skyscraper on fire in Dubai. Flames pouring out into the street, we will show you more.

BLACKWELL: And it's official, the date is set for boxing's biggest match up, Floyd Mayweather versus Manny Pacquiao, so many people have been waiting years for this. We have the details next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: A quarter after the hour now, and look at this, it's really scary images, a fire in a skyscraper in Dubai. It forced hundreds of people out of their homes. This is a residential building. It happened over night.

And witnesses say that the flames appeared to start on the 50th floor of this luxury apartment building and quickly spread upward. Amazingly, no injuries and no deaths reported although so word on the cause.

PAUL: Ironic that the building is called "The Torch."

BLACKWELL: "The Torch," unbelievable. Imagine that you're above that fire.

PAUL: Yes, where do I go and what do I do?

BLACKWELL: Well, no one was hurt, fortunately.

PAUL: Yes.

BLACKWELL: This morning, British police are still searching for three teenage girls missing from London. You can see them here. It's believed that they may be on the way to Syria to possibly join ISIS.

PAUL: So investigators are asking anyone, if you've got information, please help them get to these girls here. CNN's chief national security correspondent, Jim Sciutto, has more for us. Good morning, Jim.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: The senior British diplomat tells me that the recruitment by ISIS of women and girls is quote, "A clear and disturbing trend and warns that the girls involved in this particular case are at risk of sexual and other exploitation if they make it to the war zone in Syria.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO (voice-over): These three young British school girls are believed to be the newest foreign recruits to ISIS. Caught on surveillance cameras at London's airport with their luggage in tow, London police fear they fled Britain for Syria to join Jihad.

COMMANDER RICHARD WALTON, METROPOLITAN POLICE: We don't know how to three girls have come you up with this plan or encouraged them to go back to Syria. We believe that they're heading towards Syria. We just don't know how it's happened. The parents themselves are mystified.

SCIUTTO: The Muslim girls have been missing since Tuesday when they boarded a flight headed to Istanbul, Turkey. This is the same airport that Hayat Bummediene used to enter Syria right before her husband, Amedi Coulibali carried out the deadly shooting at a Paris kosher market.

Turkey has been the key point into Syria from recruits and other groups. Turkish authorities are working to stem the flow. We told Wolf Blitzer that the U.S. is tracking the movements best as they can.

JEH JOHNSON, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: We have systems in place to track them. It's difficult to pick up broken travel.

SCIUTTO: What does that mean?

JOHNSON: Where you fly to country A and then you go to country B on the ground and we do not know that fact.

SCIUTTO: A senior British diplomat tells CNN that women are a new and growing target for ISIS recruiters. The terrorism research group track estimates nearly one in six ISIS foreign recruits are women. That ISIS recruiting network extends all the way to the U.S. homeland.

In October three teenage girls from Colorado were intercepted at Frankfurt airport in Germany as they were making the way to Syria to join ISIS. It was their parents who tipped off the FBI.

Another American 19-year-old Shannon was arrested at Denver International Airport in April last year on our way to an ISIS camp near the Turkish-Syrian border. She was sentenced to four years in prison after confessing that she wanted to become an ISIS bride.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: The three British girls are friends with another British girl, who travelled to Syria in December. In fact, police interviewed them at the time, but did not consider them to be likely ISIS recruits.

BLACKWELL: All right, Jim Sciutto, thank you so much.

PAUL: Meanwhile, Secretary of State John Kerry will be in London this morning. He is meeting with British Foreign Secretary Philip Hamond to discuss Ukraine and possible sanctions on Russia if the violence doesn't stop there. Tomorrow he is heading to Geneva to meet with Iranian officials and discuss Tehran's disputed nuclear program.

BLACKWELL: Temperatures are dipping across the country, but the death toll is climbing. New overnight numbers on the human cost that this winter blast is taking, and we will find out if there's any end in sight.

PAUL: Also a new government report is warning of armed extremist right here in American. They are ready and willing to attack. They're not affiliated with is. We're talking of people born and raised right here in the U.S.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: See this is the type of scene that will fool you. When you don't see snow or ice caking the roads. It's that black ice. It's slick roadways. They're proving to be bad for the drivers. This is in Tennessee, accidents piling up there. So far it's been contributed to 18 deaths in that state alone.

PAUL: Eighteen, wow, this is a bitter blast here causing close calls to like this one, look at, DOT worker moving from an out of control vehicle. In total 23 people have died this week across the United States as a result of this deep freeze.

And more than 300 flights have been cancelled today because of the dangerously cold conditions. About 125 million Americans are under this wind chill warning advisory. The winter blast is keeping the crews busy.

They have been working so hard and in Massachusetts and several horses were rescued after a structure collapsed under some heavy snow there. Sub-zero temperatures are forcing commuters in Indianapolis to take extra measures to stay warm.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have on gloves. I got on three jackets, overall suit, two pair of socks, two pair of pants, three shirts, and I am warm.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Spring is 28 days away. Is that good news?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I cannot wait to get here and take all this stuff off.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: Yes, Northern Georgia, look at the ice hanging from trees, fences outside of the homes and even sunny south Florida is feeling the chill. They're trading the swim suits for jackets. It's south, Florida and will not last too long.

BLACKWELL: Yes, but it's cold. When you get to the teens in days it's tough. All right, so we have the snow, sleet and freezing rain. We have to bring in CNN's Ivan Cabrera. Uncle, isn't that what you say --

IVAN CABRERA, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, when you have to wear sweaters in Florida, you know that means that we have problems. That's what we're talking about here. Look at the wind chill minus zero. If you're going to be stepping outside, that's the way that it feels. That's not nice.

It's not that it's not just nice but dangerous. Frost bite steps in. You want to protect as much as you can. Let's go ahead and I want to show you what we have going on. How many weekends have westbound there?

This is going to get the knot east in a different way and dangerous way. In the south warnings into North Georgia for snow fall here and the area for ice.

Now, Nashville you're out of it here. Warm air has pushed in and so at this point, we are talking about a rain event. To the east we have the ice storm warnings and all the winter storm warnings.

Now, what will happen is that we have the icing accumulation that will occur and that's the dangerous part here when the roads get coated with the black ice, and you do not see it. I have 360ed on a highway and it's not fun and dangerous.

Take a look at this. This is what is going to happen. The snow totals are going to be kept down because as the storm heading off, this is not a coastal low, so the major cities are going to be on the eastern side of the storm and that's going to bring warmer air.

You're watching the clock and you're going see all of this rain pushing in. It will start to snow Saturday late and then hear the wind streams here and pushing the warmer and milder Atlantic air. What that will do is change the snow and at the surface still going to be freezing.

All of those roofs that have been cleared are going to get coated with ice, and that's heavy stuff and dangerous. Be careful in the northeast. There's the snow across the west something that they have not seen so far, but they will take it where they have not gotten it.

BLACKWELL: Full of good news this morning. Full of good news.

PAUL: Yes, isn't he? It's not his fault. We do not hold you accountable.

BLACKWELL: Thank you.

PAUL: So let me ask you something, you know, the biggest terror threat facing America might be ISIS or al Qaeda. Apparently not, there's a new warning of other extremist that could pose an even bigger threat right here in the U.S. already.

BLACKWELL: We will talk about that and also happening right now tens of thousands are holding a rally in Moscow. We're going take you there live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: When you put it in the proper context, this new video is especially disturbing. It's video from ISIS this morning. Making off with American fire power. These militants attacked an Iraqi army post in Anbar province. Apparently, they killed everyone there and then they took scores of U.S. - made guns. They also took American Humvees, also U.S. armored vehicles. Now, consider, this is - is being unveiled, as we're learning of the details of this massive operation in the next few months to retake the ISIS stronghold of Mosul. We're going to take a much closer look at this latest attack and what we can extrapolate from these new video that's coming up at the top of the hour. Christi.

PAUL: All right. Thanks Victor.

Listen, do you think ISIS is the greatest U.S. terror threat. Well, some people are saying, we need to think again about that. A new government report is warning that there are armed domestic terror groups in neighborhoods around the country and they are ready to attack cops and go after government buildings because they believe their individual rights are under attack. This is a very real threat. They have been - they have been at least 24 attacks in the U.S. since 2010, some federal and local law enforcement groups view the domestic terror threat as equal to and in some cases greater than the threat from foreign Islamic terror groups. As I said, such as ISIS and al Qaeda. CNN's Nick Valencia joins us with more. So, as I understand it, I mean these people don't believe that the federal or state government have any authority over them.

BLACKWELL: Yeah, that's right. Federal officials are concerned about a myriad of groups. Groups that adhere to a militant philosophy. Groups that adhere to - above all, a hate philosophy. The Department of Homeland Security along with the FBI has released a new report and they say there maybe thousands of others like the man that we're about to profile in this piece out there today.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: From California to Florida. All across the United States sporadic attacks on law enforcement by sovereign citizen extremists. A new intelligence estimates circulated this month at the Department of Homeland Security puts a focus on domestic terror threats.

MICHAEL STEINBACH, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, FBI: We have got groups that adhere to an anarchist ideology, a militia ideology, separatist ideology, a hate ideology and unfortunately, there's a number of those throughout the United States that we have to be concerned about.

VALENCIA: Deadly plots like this one last year in coming Georgia, armed with several explosives, smoke grenades and plenty of ammunition. Police said Dennis Marx showed up ready to kill. Deputies eventually shot and killed Marx after he tried to drive his SUV inside the courthouse. The FBI's assistant director tells CNN there are maybe thousands of others out there like Marx ready to attack.

MICHAEL STEINBACH, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, FBI: We have been talking about the international terrorism threat, but there's also domestic groups that are just concerning that we worry about here in the United States.

VALENCIA: A recent survey of state and local law enforcement officers listed sovereign citizen terrorists ahead of foreign Islamic terror groups like ISIS and domestic militia groups as the top domestic threat. Mark Potok from the Southern Poverty Law Center says by some estimates there are 300,000 sovereign citizen in the United States today.

MARK POTOK, SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER: Their beliefs go back about 20-25 years or even further and essentially, they believe that the federal government has no jurisdiction over them.

VALENCIA: The latest DHS report counted 24 violent sovereign citizen related attacks since 2010 and law enforcement officers as the primary target.

POTOK: They have no basis in reality. They often basically are telling people they can get something for nothing. They don't have to pay their taxes. They don't have to pay their credit card debt. They can simply move into a house that's been foreclosed on by the bank and take it for their own. You know, so there's that kind of teaching going on all around the country, and that's what's really driving this movement.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VALENCIA: It's not just violence authorities are worried about, according to Mark Potok with the SPLC, it's also so called paper terrorism, which is the process of burying court officials with nonsensical filings. Many of these court officials are required by a matter of law to file those documents and track them, even though they may have no idea exactly what they are looking at.

PAUL: So, what you mean is when there may be a squatter situation.

VALENCIA: That's right.

PAUL: Then they can end up in that house for months on end because they have tied everything up in the courts.

VALENCIA: And it's a very complicated nuance court filing.

PAUL: Sure.

VALENCIA: Sometimes it just does not make sense, but they are able to do a lot of damage.

PAUL: It is just something else, all right. Hey Nick Valencia, thank you very much.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks you.

PAUL: All right. There are some new reports that we want to tell you about right now. Yemen's former president has left the capital Sana'a. Aides say he is now in Aiden after Shiite rebels let him go under international pressure. Now, he'd been under house arrest for several weeks following a coup by Shiite Houthi rebels in September.

BLACKWELL: Back here in the U.S. New comments from the man once dubbed America's mayor as the fallout continues over his criticism of President Obama. In a "New York Daily News" interview, and look at the front page. Rudy Giuliani claims that commander in chief has been influenced by communists since his youth. This comes on the hills, as you know, of the White House responding to Giuliani who said the president does not love America. And now, members of Giuliani's party, members of the GOP are reacting to Giuliani's comments with some distancing themselves from the former New York City Mayor. CNN's Jim Acosta has the latest now from Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Obama was feeling the love for America.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: It's about making this nation we love more perfect.

ACOSTA: The comment came as the White House slapped right back at Rudy Giuliani after the former New York City major questioned the president's love for his country. White House press secretary Josh Earnest suggested Giuliani had damaged his image as the man dubbed America's mayor after the attacks on 9/11.

JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I can tell you that it's sad to see when somebody who's attained a certain level of public stature and even admiration, tarnishes that legacy so thoroughly. And the truth is I don't take any joy or vindication or satisfaction from that. I think really the only thing that I feel is - I feel sorry for Rudy Giuliani today.

ACOSTA: Giuliani touched off a fire storm when he said earlier this week, "I know this is a horrible thing to say, but I do not believe that the president loves America. He doesn't love you, and he doesn't love me. He was not brought up the way you were brought up and I was brought up to love of this country." The ex-mayor has not apologized.

EARNEST: I don't feel this love of America. I believe his initial approach is to criticize this country and then afterwards to say a few nice things about us.

ACOSTA: Giuliani defended the remark to CNN saying that it has nothing to do with race, adding "the president was brought up, by the way, by a white mother and white grandparents." And because he made the comments at a private event for Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, a potential presidential contender, other possible candidates are on the spot.

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, UVA CENTER FOR POLITICS: If they disagree with what Giuliani said, the activates are going to say, no guts. I want a candidate with guts.

ACOSTA: While Walker is trying to dodge the issue.

SCOTT WALKER: I love America. That's the only person I can come in - what I think and I think America is a great and exceptional country.

ACOSTA: Others are seeking distance. SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R) FLORIDA: Democrats are not asked to answer every

time Joe Biden says something embarrassing. So, I don't know why I should answer every time the Republican does, also - to say that I believe the president loves America, I just think his ideas are bad.

ACOSTA: But it's a line of attack the president has heard before.

SARAH PALIN: This is not a man who sees America as you and I see America.

ACOSTA: Mr. Obama answered the charge repeatedly back in 2008.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Let me be clear. I will let no one question my love of the country.

ACOSTA: Jim Acosta, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL: And new this morning. CNN's Jim Acosta spoke briefly with the former mayor concerning these recent comments, and Giuliani standing by them and opening up about the alleged consequences that he has received as a result as well. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Rudy Giuliani is not backing down one bit. He said to me during this brief phone conversation, "I don't regret making the statement. I believe it. I don't know if he loves America." And then he went on to say during this conversation, I don't feel the same enthusiasm from him for America. One of the things I should point out, Anderson, is that during this phone call, the mayor, the former mayor said that his office has received some death threats. He said a secretary has gotten some death threats over the phone. But the former mayor did not say whether he alerted the police to this threatening phone calls, and CNN has no way of confirming that. Giuliani did go on to say during the conversation that the majority of the phone calls he's received at his office have been supported and he has even heard from a Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal who has set a call to back him up on his comments.

PAUL: So, tweet us and let us know what you think about this, because we're going to be discussing this with some different conversations throughout the morning.

BLACKWELL: Also, tens of thousands of pro-Kremlin activists right now, they are holding a rally in Moscow. We will have a report on that next.

Also, we'll talk about the former mayor, as we said here, we'll talk more about the former mayor's comments and what the conversation with some of our political analysts about what this means and the death threats being sent his way.

PAUL: Also the American sniper trial is winding down. We're looking at the keys to the case for the defense and the prosecution. Let's face some closing arguments start Monday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: In Moscow this morning, thousands of pro-Kremlin activists are marching near Moscow's Red Square. They're holding a rally to condemn what they view as a coup that removed Ukraine's pro-Russian president last year. CNN's Erin McLaughlin is there in Moscow. Erin, what are you seeing there?

ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Lots of people here in Moscow outside of this protest. And they told me that they're feeling the pin so to speak. The ruble has weakened and the price, the cost of living has increased. Now it will be interesting to see how the economic situation that's currently impacting this country will play out with President Putin's approval rating. It's currently sky high and well over 80 percent. But there are new figures expected to come out later in the week and it'll be interesting to see if the economic situation has any sort of impact on that approval rating.

BLACKWELL: Indeed. Erin McLaughlin, thank you so much. We will continue part of that conversation later this morning.

The defensive prosecution have rested, and closing arguments are coming up in the American sniper trial. We will have a look at the keys to the case for the prosecution and the defense, also the jury.

PAUL: And it's the battle that fight fans have been waiting for. The world's top boxers. People, there's finally a date on the calendar.

BLACKWELL: It's going to happen.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: 49 minutes past the hour for you right now and closing arguments expected next week in the American sniper murder trial. This case has been getting so much attention, probably because of the hit movie that's based on the life of Chris Kyle. Now, Eddie Ray Routh is charged with murdering Kyle and his friend, Chad Littlefield at a test of shooting range in February of 2013. Ralph's attorney maintains his client was insane at the time that he was suffering from PTSD. But one of the biggest moments at the trial this week was when prosecutors played the videotaped confession from Routh. Listen here to what Routh told Texas Ranger Danny Briley happened just hours after that shooting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EDDIE RAY ROUTH: I keep talking to Chris. There's a few dozen Chrises in my world, and it's like every time I talk to another man named Chris or get sent to another man named Chris, it was like talking to the wolf, you know. The ones in the sky are the ones that fly, do you know what I mean? The pigs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: All right, let's bring in HLN legal analyst Joey Jackson here. Joey, I mean when you hear that I think a lot of people are speculating, is he insane or did he just act that way? Based on what you've seen, what you've heard, do you think somebody could act insane enough to convince a jury that it is -- that there's credence to it?

JOEY JACKSON, HLN LEGAL ANALYST: Let me say this and good morning to you, of course.

PAUL: Good morning.

JACKSON: You know, it's interesting because you have experts testifying in this case, and what did the defense experts say? The defense experts say he is incase. He thought that you know what they were cannibals, and they were coming to eat him and they were flying pigs and they were hybrid human beings, half-pig half-men and his neighbor was a mafia and the Mexican mafia and he smelt cooking going on. He thought it was human flesh. And then not surprisingly, Christie, you have the rebuttal case with the prosecution and they said you know what, to make the point, that you were suggesting could be make, he is faking it. This is - the Seinfeld episode then that Seinfeld episode they were talking about pigs, and half humans and half pigs, and in addition to that, if you are so paranoid, that is Mr. Routh in derange, why did he initially have his back turned to both Kyle as well as Littlefield? And so there are all these questions about, is he faking, is he not? And so, at the end of the day, though, remember that people look on insanity pleas and insanity defenses with great skepticism? So if the jury needed an excuse to convict and hold him accountable, certainly the experts for the prosecution gave them that out by saying you know what, hold him accountable. He was not insane.

PAUL: You know, the psychiatrist Mitchell Dunn was on the stand for the defense and he said Routh was delusional. He had assessed him after the murders. Delusional isn't synonymous, though, with insanity. At least not within legal boundaries, right?

JACKSON: It's not, Christie. But you know, you have to look at everything on balance. And of course, you know, Mitchell Dunn talked about illusions, he talked about hallucinations, he talked about schizophrenia, he talked about a number of things. And so, what the jury has to do is stay unbalanced. OK, we understand that insanity legally is knowing right and knowing wrong, so let's take all these experts testimony, but let's also take, remember what the defense also did, Christie, was they evaluated the family. They put the family on the stand and they said, hey, mom, what happened to your son? And she said, he went to Iraq. He was happy go lucky. He came back and he was very suicidal. Not the person that we once knew. And he attacked the family, or at least threatened to do so, at a fish fry. We had to get the police involved, he had to be committed to a mental institution, and of course, you have the girlfriend saying, he held us captive, me and my roommate with a sword. Saying, I hear the government. Someone's out to get me. What is going on around here? And so, I think the jury will unbalanced look and say, listen, did he know right? Did he know wrong? If so, guess what? He is convicted. If he didn't, then in the alternative, he is not.

And one last point, Chris, and that's this, remember the prosecution is playing up this issue of drug use and marijuana and alcohol in a major way. Because if the suggestion can be that it was that alcohol and it was that marijuana that made you do what you did, that's not a defense. And as the prosecution certainly reminded that jury what their experts, hey, if he is saying that he was actually intoxicated or he was high at the time and he did this, not a defense at all, you have to convict.

PAUL: So, the key for the prosecution is that he was insane. The key for - that - that he knew what he was doing. The key for the defense is that he was insane. What is the key for the jury?

JACKSON: Well, the key for the jury is to take all of this together. And remember, the interesting thing about any case is you have two professors in that courtroom, and they both sound that you know, that they know what they're doing. Right? You have the prosecution and they are making the argument he's not insane at all. He may be troubled, but by no means is he insane, and here you see it, could Ralph appreciate the wrongfulness of his conduct? If you are the prosecutor, Christie, you say, of course he could. And if you are the defense, you say, they are cannibals, there are delusions, he is schizophrenic, he is on medication, he had no idea what he was doing. You know what? You can't hold him accountable, not guilty by reason of insanity. So it's a lot for a jury to process what they ultimately do. You know what? That's anybody's guess. We do know that in closing arguments you're going to see both those professors in the courtroom, prosecution and the defense making arguments consistent with that theory. What that jury buys, I guess we are going to see when we get a verdict.

PAUL: And it will be interesting, because he has acted sane, obviously, in the courtroom, but we also know that he is being properly medicated now, too. So, Joey, thank you so much. We appreciate your insight as always.

JACKSON: Thank you, Christie.

PAUL: Next hour, by the way, he is going to be here to discuss the Las Vegas road rage case. A lot of happenings in that in the last 24 hours, Victor.

BLACKWELL: All right, we'll look forward to that conversation, we've also got to talk about this brutal show of force by ISIS. The militants have seized scores of American weapons, also armored vehicles in Iraq. What does this mean for the plan defensive to retake Iraq's second largest city?

Also, the CDC has discovered a new virus and it may have already contributed to a Kansas's man's death. Still ahead, what you need to know about it including how it spreads.

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BLACKWELL: It's a done deal. In one of the most anticipated matches in boxing Floyd Manny Mayweather and Manny Pacquaio have now set a date to face each other in the ring. The both boxers made the official announcement on Friday. PAUL: The world's two top fighters have tried to hammer this deal out

for the better part of five years now. Nothing ever came to fruition, but they will square off in Las Vegas, May Second, in what is expected to bust every revenue record in boxing history. I think Victor wants to go cover live.

BLACKWELL: I do want to go, and I also want to hear what the paychecks are. How much are they making for this fight?

PAUL: We will find that out.