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New Day Sunday

ISIS, Second Japanese Hostage Beheaded; Jordan: Still Trying To Free Captured Pilot; Police: Whitney Houston's Daughter Is "Breathing"

Aired February 01, 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: ISIS says it has beheaded a second Japanese hostage sparking outrage around the world as Jordan works to secure the release of a captured pilot also held by ISIS.

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: And the daughter of pop superstar, Whitney Houston found in a bathtub of water eerily similar to how her mother died almost three years ago. Bobbi Kristina has been placed now in a medically induced coma.

BLACKWELL: Plus a major winter snow storm is slamming the Midwest this morning and now the headache is moving east. Thousands of flights already cancelled all just in time for your Monday morning commute.

PAUL: Well, I wish you a good morning any way despite all of that. We are so grateful for your company as always. I'm Christi Paul.

BLACKWELL: Good to with you this morning. I'm Victor Blackwell. President Obama calls the apparent beheading of a Japanese journalist by ISIS a heinous murder and Japan is vowing it will never give in to terrorism.

A video released by the Islamist militants appears to show hostage, Kenji Goto's decapitated body. The Japanese government is trying to confirm its authenticity.

Now the fate of another ISIS hostage a Jordanian pilot, well, that remains unknown right now. Jordan says it will not give up on trying to secure his freedom.

Will Ripley joins us from toke. Will, can you tell us about the reaction across Tokyo to the killing of this second Japanese hostage?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Victor, Christi, so much sadness here. Japan woke up to this awful news early this morning and within hours, the newspapers had printed special editions. Of course, one thing that they are showing is a still frame from the ISIS propaganda video.

But more important than that is pictures like this showing Kenji Goto reporting with kindness and compassion from war zones telling the stories of women and children who were suffering. These are the pictures the people in Japan will choose to remember when they think about Kenji Goto. That is the memory that his mother also hopes people will carry on. Here is what she said today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUNKO ISHIDO, KENJI GOTO'S MOTHER (through translator): I'm shedding tears of sorrow. I just can't think of any words to say, but I don't want this sorrow to create a chain of hatred. Kenji worked for children who suffered from conflicts in poverty and his goal was to create a society without war. I want to pass on his thoughts to people around the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP

RIPLEY: We have not yet heard from Kenji Goto's wife, the mother of his two young daughters one who is just 2 years old who has been asking her when her father will be coming home.

Also a silent protest outside of the prime minister's office, people didn't say anything, but they were holding signs that were very powerful. Perhaps the most powerful one of all saying Kenji, you will be alive in our memories. That is how the Japanese people are choosing to remember this man. Not for how he died, but how he lived -- Victor.

BLACKWELL: Will, are we hearing more from the Japanese government? We know initially ISIS demanded $200 million ransom the same amount that was dedicated to the Syrian refugees. What is the Japanese government saying about that?

RIPLEY: The prime minister continues to voice strong condemnation for this, even as he is facing some growing criticism from opposition party members and also members of the public here about how he handled this entire situation with ISIS.

The $200 million ransom came after he, the prime minister, announced $200 million in financial support for the coalition against ISIS. It was a very public announcement that he made in the Middle East and it made headlines all over the Middle East.

And now people here are asking, did that announcement need to be so public? Given the fact that there were two Japanese men in ISIS custody?

Haruna Yukawa who was beheaded last week and now Kenji Goto apparently beheaded as well. There will be some tough questions even as right now it's time to mourn and time to remember.

Moving forward, a lot of people are going to be asking how this could have been prevented and what can be done in the future to try to prevent more awful situations like this for Japan and other countries.

BLACKWELL: You just feel for that mother when you hear her words there. Will Ripley in Tokyo for us. Thank you, Will. PAUL: We want to point out the new ISIS video doesn't say anything about the fate of that Jordanian pilot. Jordan says it is still trying to secure his release. Here is his picture. He was captured in December after his plane crashed over ISIS territory in Syria.

Now ISIS has demanded the Jordanian government release a convicted female terrorist if they want him back alive. CNN's Jomana Karadsheh is live from Amman, Jordan. What are you hearing this morning there, Jomana?

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christi, a short time after the news came out about this apparent beheading of Kenji Goto, we spoke to the family of the Jordanian pilot, Moaz Kassasbeh, and they said they were devastated by the news and really terrified about what this might mean for their own son.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARADSHEH (voice-over): All the Kassasbeh family can do is sit and wait for word on the fate of 26-year-old Moaz held captive by ISIS for more than a month. The wait is taking its toll.

JAWAD AL-KASSASBEH, PILOT'S BROTHER: It's too hard. It's too hard to wait. The circumstances that we must know make us too nervous. We can't sleep. We can't eat. We can't do anything. Our work has stopped. Our life has stopped.

KARADSHEH: In Amman, life is normal but since ISIS threatened to execute the Jordanian pilot it's been a mood of anxiety and uncertainty.

RAFAT YOUSIF, JORDANIAN CITIZEN: We saw so much rumors on TV and Facebook and, in fact, what the government has never listened to any like (inaudible). We just wait for the statement of the government. This is the unity of Jordan. Trust our government. Trust our king.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KARADSHEH: Christi, this morning, we are hearing from the Jordanian government. They say they strongly condemn the killing and apparent beheading of Kenji Goto. They say they tried to save his life and now they say their focus continues to try and get any prove that their pilot is still alive and to try and save him.

PAUL: All right, Jomana Karadsheh, thank you so much.

BLACKWELL: Let's talk more about that and bring in CNN military analyst, Lt. General Mark Hertling. General, I want to talk more about the Jordanian pilot. Jordan's government has demanded proof that the pilot is still alive if they want this prison swap.

But this new video doesn't show him on camera next in line to be killed as we have seen in the case of these other beheadings. If in this tragic game ISIS had a card to play still having this Jordanian pilot, would they not show it? Do you believe this pilot is even alive? LT. GENERAL MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: They would show it, Victor. I think that is a critically important piece of this very disturbing puzzle and that is if the pilot is still alive, they would have shown him to get the prisoner back if, indeed, that's what they wanted.

But in all honesty this is an organization that no one can trust. It is not a political organization. It is not an organization that is dealing at the level of a sovereign state. It is a terrorist gang of criminals and that is unfortunate about all this.

I think this entire situation with Mr. Goto and all of our condolences go out to Goto family and all of Japan on this. It has to do with the fact that it was a game to ISIS. This is an organization that's trying to take society back to the 9th Century and we can't allow that to happen -- Victor.

BLACKWELL: And the game continues at least from ISIS's perspective because Jordan is still working to try to free this pilot. How does the beheading of Goto change the negotiations with Jordan?

HERTLING: I think it actually deteriorates from any trust that you might have that this organization would actually negotiate in kind. Again, this is not a tit for tat. This is not a prisoner exchange. This is truly ransom in a criminal extent.

That's what Arab gangs do and that's what they are doing. So there is very little to be trusted in this organization and I think Jordan is finding that out now -- Victor.

BLACKWELL: You know, there are some experts who say, in theory, in generalities the swapping prisoners for hostages is better than just paying ransom or paying for the release of prisoners. What do you think about that?

HERTLING: Prisoner swaps have gone back in military history for decades and centuries. That is what warring armies do to each other. But again, when you add this piece of being a ransom as opposed to a prisoner swap where it's changing from $200 million to a prisoner who is in jail to not even showing the safety of one of the potential swappees, then you're not dealing with an organization that adhering to the rules of society.

So that is what makes terrorist organizations very different. It's not a warring faction and it's not a political party, it's a criminal gang.

BLACKWELL: And there appear to be no rules when it comes to ISIS. Lt. General Mark Hertling, stand by for us. We want to continue this conversation a little later in the hour, thank you.

PAUL: So one of the things people are wondering, is the U.S. losing the propaganda war against ISIS? I mean, the militants we know they spread their hate and their fear in these videos claiming that they have this army thirsty for westerner's blood. So we will take a look what might be able be done to stop that ISIS propaganda. BLACKWELL: Another heart breaking story this weekend, we have a team at the hospital where the daughter of the late singer, Whitney Houston, is in a medically induced coma after she was found unresponsive in her home.

Plus a major winter storm is hitting the Midwest right now. But get ready because it's moving east already cancelling more than a thousand flights.

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BLACKWELL: This morning that daughter of singer, Bobby Brown, and the late pop star, Whitney Houston is in a medically induced coma. She is 21 years old. Bobbi Kristina Brown was found face down and unresponsive in a bathtub full of water.

She was not breathing when her husband and a friend discovered her at her home near Atlanta yesterday. Of course, this is happening and it's eerily similar to her mother's death.

Houston was found in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton that hotel in Los Angeles almost three years ago. CNN's Nick Valencia has been outside the hospital where Brown is being treated -- Nick.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Victor and Christi, nearly three years since she died, Whitney Houston's only child, Bobbi Kristina Brown, was found unconscious in her home in Roswell, Georgia.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALENCIA (voice-over): It was eerily familiar, Bobbi Kristina Brown found unresponsive, face down in a bathtub at her home early Saturday morning, the only daughter of deceased pop star, Whitney Houston, and singer, Bobby Brown. Her mother died in a similar scene almost three years ago.

OFFICER LISA HOLLAND, ROSWELL POLICE: Bobbi Kristina's husband found her face down in a bathtub in the bathroom of their home. She was unresponsive, meaning not breathing, no heartbeat he immediately started CPR on her.

VALENCIA (on camera): Brown was taken to North Fulton Hospital where police say she is alive and breathing, but the hospital says they cannot say what her current condition is. Police are treating the case as a medical incident.

Is there any indication that perhaps medication was a factor at all, prescribed medication?

HOLLAND: Right now, they did not see anything on the scene that would indicate that. No alcohol or drugs lying around that would indicate that.

VALENCIA (voice-over): Since her mother's death in February of 2012, there has been concern about the 21-year-old's well-being. "People" magazine editor, Mary Margaret. MARY MARGARET, SENIOR EDITOR, "PEOPLE" MAGAZINE (via telephone): There has been growing concerns. People have wondered what, you know, the money that she was given when she turned 21, how that would play into her increasing dependence and she what she would do with that. This is sort of the worst fears realized.

VALENCIA: Recently there were signs that Brown had made positive changes in her life. She tweeted about get healthier and working out and resurrecting her acting career. Her supporters say they hope this is a tragic accident and just a horrible coincidence.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VALENCIA: Police say that they are going to continue with their investigation. Everyone so far inside that home is cooperating with police. Victor, Christi.

BLACKWELL: All right, Nick Valencia, reporting for us. Nick, thank you.

PAUL: So as we just said, Bobbi Kristina Brown is in a medically induced coma. We want to get some more insight as to why doctors utilized this practice.

I want to bring in Dr. Celine Gounder joining us by phone. Dr. Gounder, thank you so much. First of all, why exactly or what exactly does it mean to be put in a medically induced coma?

DR. CELINE GOUNDER, PUBLIC HEALTH SPECIALIST (via telephone): The medications are given to alleviate pain and essentially to knock you out so that you can be hooked up to a ventilator, especially if she has essentially gone through a drowning incident and we don't know that yet.

But she has had tremendous damage to the lungs as a result and if her heart stops there would also be medications to support her heart and blood pressure.

But these are pretty traumatic things and for that reason they put people into medically induced coma to allow them to help survive this kind of life support.

PAUL: So how dire does the situation have to be in order to resort to this strategy?

GOUNDER: Well, the need to put somebody into a medically induced coma really comes down do they need to be on the ventilator and as you reported earlier, she had stopped breathing and her heart had stopped and it really depends how long she was down before she was found.

If she was found within a minute or so of the incident, her prognosis is much better, but if she had been down for several minutes or even an hour, that bodes very poorly for her survival.

PAUL: So Dr. Gounder, knowing what we know about this case, how long would she be kept in a medically induced coma before other tactics might be used?

GOUNDER: Well, essentially, they are going to be monitoring her vital signs, her blood pressure, her heart rate, her breathing and how well is she oxygenating and using those kinds of parameters, they'll be determining can they wean her from the ventilator and can they reduce other medications that are supporting her.

Within the next day or two, we will have a much better sense as to whether she may recover from this and then, you know, it will be between the doctors and the family to discuss how -- the subsequent steps.

PAUL: OK, in the next day or two. All right, well, thank you so much, Dr. Celine Gounder, for being with us and she will be back the next hour as well, Victor, because we have that other big medical story we are watching and that is the measles and we will talk about that as well.

BLACKWELL: Yes, and that is something to be concerned about as people prepare for the Super Bowl and we will talk about that in just a moment too.

But first, we got to talk about the thousands of flights cancelled as this major winter storm sweeps through the Midwest and begin to move east. More than a thousand flights cancelled already. We will tell you how this will impact your Monday travel plans.

Also back to the Super Bowl, just hours away. We are live outside phoenix. The University of Phoenix Stadium there with everything you need to know for tonight's big game. What to look for heading into Super Bowl XLIX.

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PAUL: Good morning to all you waking up in Chicago even if you're not yet awake. You can see why. This is one of those days where it's snowy. We understand the salt trucks are ready. You want to stay in bed and take a look outside.

BLACKWELL: Do it.

PAUL: And see what is happening and enjoy it from the beauty of the window because there are some serious travel headaches ahead with this snow.

BLACKWELL: Snow is always more fun when you're watching it on television.

PAUL: I know, yes, exactly.

BLACKWELL: But there are these major problems. More than a thousand flights have already been cancelled as Chicago sees its first major winter storm of the season. Forecasters say the area could see as much as 14 inches and blizzard-like conditions.

Let's bring in CNN's newest correspondent, Ryan Young. Ryan, I don't know if this is the way we should welcome a new correspondent to CNN by sending him to a blizzard but welcome, nonetheless.

RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thank you so much. Especially after living in Atlanta for ten years, I've dealt with snow before, but never blowing sideways like it is right now. You say stay inside on a morning like this, it sounds like a great idea at this point.

But look this bad as we walk toward the river the river is not frozen over. But you can see the accumulation and see the snow around. As you talk about that morning commute, everybody is getting ready for Monday and thinking about Super Bowl Sunday as well.

Look at the roads. The people here have been working very hard. In fact, we have seen steady travel throughout the overnight hours and they have done a great job moving the snow off the road here.

You did say up to 10 to 14 inches by Monday so we are expecting the bulk of the snow coming in. The flight cancellations have a ripple effect throughout the country, but so far so good in Chicago because things have not stopped moving so far.

BLACKWELL: Ryan, this is not a city that is new to winter weather and new to snow or snow new to them. Does it appear that the city has everything prepared for that rush on Monday morning?

YOUNG: You know, one of the things I've noticed, especially from the windows, all of the trucks that were moving through the street. This is Michigan Avenue. We have seen nothing but trucks making sure the roadways are clear. Traffic hasn't stopped.

I did talk to a taxi cab driver, who is expecting things to get bad. He said, look, I'm trying to make as much money on Saturday so I don't have to worry about Sunday. I wanted very little to do with the game, but look, right now, everything is moving very smoothly.

BLACKWELL: Yes, and people likely will be staying in. Ryan Young, welcome, and thank you.

YOUNG: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: Ivan Cabrera joins us next hour to tell us exactly where the storm is heading.

PAUL: Yes, Victor, local media is saying that the stores were crowded and people were buying shovels and food. That's what you do.

I want to tell you about this video that purportedly shows a hostage being killed. ISIS tells JAPAN, let the nightmare begin. The militants are notorious as you know for trying to recruit followers with their images of death and destruction and fear, but can the U.S. and other nations defeat them in the propaganda war? We will dig into that next.

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