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CNN NEWSROOM

Sony's "The Interview" Drawing Crowds; Interview with Mayor Theodore Hoskins; Black Teenager Shot by White Cop in Missouri

Aired December 26, 2014 - 08:00   ET

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


MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This funeral is going to be enormous. This area of Queens will be turned into literally an ocean of blue. NYPD preparing for up to 25,000 police alone to show up for this funeral. All of this as NYPD is also on alert for more attacks.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUEZ (voice-over): NYPD in mourning and on heightened alert.

MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO, (D) NEW YORK: : Any statement suggesting violence towards the police need to be reported to the police so we can stop future tragedies.

MARQUEZ: Seven people arrested in connection with making threats against NYPD. Three arrested for posting threats on social media, two for making false 911 calls. Two others arrested, one for making threats against the 104th precinct in Queens, the other against the 84th precinct in Brooklyn where the two assassinated officers worked. Officer Rafael Ramos' family came to the 84th precinct Wednesday. His eldest son, Justin, calling his father a hero said, "I'm going to miss his loving presence and I can't begin to fathom what life is going to be like without him."

The memorial to the two officers growing in proportion to the sorrow felt city-wide. Police have come, sometimes alone, others in groups. All of it a show of respect, their grief unmistakable.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is sad, it's really hurting me. I know I'm not a police officer, but it just - - it really got to me, watching this on TV with my family.

MARQUEZ: Like NYPD funerals before, an enormous display of respect and grief will blanket the Glendale section of Queens as officers from across the country remember one of their own.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To now bow our heads in memory of Officer Ramos and Officer Liu.

MARQUEZ: Wenjin Liu's funeral is still being planned as the city and country grieve. JetBlue Airlines is working to fly family members from China and has offered to fly two officers from any law enforcement agency along its route to the funerals.

(END VIDEOTAPE) MARQUEZ (on camera): JetBlue says that some 600 individuals from different departments across the country will be brought here. That will be part of that up to 25,000 police officers who are here. When you add in all the public, and the family, and the friends that will show up here, you could have as many as 30,000 people in this area, this small neighborhood here in Queens. Businesses across the city have also raised thousands of dollars for both families. This is the beginning of a very tough time for NYPD and the city of New York. Christine?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: That reporting and all of those lovely gestures, just wish it wasn't necessary, but lovely gestures indeed. Thank you so much, Miguel.

Holiday cheer hard to come by in the suburbs of St. Louis after another shooting death involving a black teenager and a white officer near Ferguson. The case sparked new protests, putting the city of Berkeley, Missouri, on edge, but this time there is video surveillance of this deadly confrontation. We'll speak to the mayor of Berkeley in a moment.

But first, let's bring in George Howell, tracking the latest developments. George?

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christine, this video will be key, a key part of the investigation because it shows exactly what happened. Police say you can see how their officer was confronted by a man who pulled a gun on him.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL (voice-over): There were heated protests, people demanded answers after 18-year-old Antonio Martin was shot and killed by a Berkeley police officer, and online conspiracy theories about what happened ran amuck. People feared this could light the fuse for another Ferguson.

MAYOR THEODORE HOSKINS, BERKELEY, MISSOURI: When I got there, we were all saying the same thing, here's a white policeman killing a black young man. So, when does this stop? And I can assure you that's - - did not happen.

HOWELL: Berkeley Mayor Theodore Hoskins insists this case is very different because this time, he says, there's visual proof clearly showing his officer fired in self defense when confronted by an armed teen. Specifically three surveillance views from the gas station that investigators released to show exactly what happened. In one, you see two men in the parking lot face to face with the officer who responded to a report of shoplifting. Look closer and one of the men (AUDIO GAP) officer. Another angle shows more, presumably after the officer fires his weapon. He falls backward, as if retreating, then he quickly gets back to his feet.

Despite this video proof, the mayor knows some will remain skeptical in this community just few miles from the place that sparked tremendous national controversy. HOSKINS: When it comes to a policeman that's doing the right thing and protecting himself, I'm going to support that, and it doesn't matter if he's black or what.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: So, we know that there could have been more video in this case. The police officer had access to a body camera, Poppy, but at the time of the shooting did not happen to have it on him.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, and that's been a lot of the discussion throughout is should this be required for all police officers to wear those body cameras and have them on when they're on duty. George Howell, thank you very much. Let's talk about this. Let me bring in Theodore Hoskins, he's the mayor of Berkeley, Missouri. Also, Jeffrey Toobin, CNN senior legal analyst and a former federal prosecutor. Thank you both for being here.

Let me begin with you, Mayor. When you look at these cases, you have said there are two similarities and that is it between what happened in Ferguson with Michael Brown and what happened in your community. Both men, 18-years-old, both killed by white police officers, but that is where the similarities end. And you really want people to look at this video to see everything involved with this shooting to understand, because there were protests immediately after this.

HOSKINS: That is correct. I want all of the - - not only the television area, but the community to objectively observe the video. You know, we've come to the conclusion that the perception that a white policeman killed a black young man without cause and we need to review the video to come to the conclusion that the officer was protecting himself, threat of life, and unfortunately I must go out to the Martin family in reference to their loss, but however, I really have to complete the investigation and we're in the process of doing that that the officer was justified.

HARLOW: Let me bring in Jeffrey Toobin here. Yes?

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Can I ask him, ask the mayor a question? Mayor, was the gun that the - - Mr. Martin, the deceased 18-year-old, was his gun found at the scene?

HOSKINS: Yes, it was.

HARLOW: Yes, and they tweeted it out, the St. Louis police tweeted it out.

HOSKINS: That is correct, and my understanding according to my police chief is that our police officer was fortunate and blessed because the safety on the 9 millimeter was in safety mode.

HARLOW: So, Jeff, your take on this because the video is out there and I think that's a good thing for everyone to see as much information as quickly as possible that is accurate, good, so that people can see it. However, we did see protests after this. We've seen them for subsequent nights. In terms of your background, in terms of the criminal justice system, how many people do you think will actually take the time to watch the video and care what it shows? Because this is a bigger conversation.

TOOBIN: A lot, actually. I mean, I have confidence that people will view the facts as the facts, and, you know, at the moment everything about Mr. Martin's death does appear to be as the police and as the mayor are saying it. Certainly that video is not completely dispositive of every issue, and, you know, a full investigation is appropriate, but this does not look at the moment like any sort of police misconduct was involved. This is the problem with using, you know, sort of specific cases to illustrate larger themes.

HARLOW: Well, that's what's been happening.

TOOBIN: Right, because you don't - - cases are all about the individual facts, but the statistics about the world tell you that African Americans have a tough time with the police.

HARLOW: Right.

TOOBIN: In this case, that may not be true, but - --

HARLOW: And the most recent CNN/ORC poll, I think 42% of non whites believe that African Americans are targeted by police officers. Let me ask you this, Mayor. You said that the relationship between the police force and your community in Berkeley is very different than the police force relationship in Ferguson with their community. You said, look, we in Berkeley have a majority black law enforcement, city leadership is black, police chief is black. Do you think, this is a debate that's been going on. How important is it, do you think, for the make up of the police force to reflect the community that it serves and protects?

HOSKINS: I think it's very important. The sensitivity that our police officers, be it black or white, receive every day because they're interacting with the police department interacting with the community, and it makes the police more sensitive. And because of that the city of Berkeley because of its diversity is in a better position to control the police department.

HARLOW: So, Jeff, to that, in Ferguson, Missouri, you have a majority black population policed by a majority white police force. I think 50 out of the 53 officers are white. Does that need to change, and if so, what do you changing? What, are you going to let some of the officers go?

TOOBIN: You can't do that, but obviously there has to be at least a gradual move in a more representative direction in Ferguson. I think one of the reasons things in New York are actually going to get better, not withstand the Eric Garner controversy, is you look at the tragedy, assassination of officers Liu and Ramons, that's the new face of the NYPD. Most of the new hires to the New York City police department are not white males. I mean, Ramos, Liu.

HARLOW: Right.

TOOBIN: They are typical of what's happening in the New York City police department in terms of their own, the diversity they represent, and I think that's a positive sign for the city and I think that's why New York is going to get through this very difficult period in a better way because the police force is doing a lot better.

HARLOW: But we still saw, and Mayor I want you to weight in on this in a moment, but, Jeff, we still saw some of the police officers turning their back on Mayor de Blasio after the assassination of these two officers. We've heard a lot of tough words. We just had a sheriff from Milwaukee on the program this morning who said de Blasio is in the wrong, Eric Holder is in the wrong, the president is in the wrong, they're just - - you know, in this for politics and that they are not supporting the police officers. How do we bridge the gap?

TOOBIN: Well, that is a problem, there's no doubt about it, and the union leadership in New York City, I think, has been appalling. I mean, some of the things Patrick Lynch has said about Mayor de Blasio - -

HARLOW: That he has blood on his hands.

TOOBIN: Blood on his hands. It's just so completely inappropriate and unhelpful and wrong. So, you know, none of this is going to change overnight, but, you know, what people see in the streets is the most important thing, and New Yorkers see a more diverse and inclusive police force and that's what's going to matter more than any thing any politician says.

HARLOW: Mayor, go ahead.

HOSKINS: And may if I add to that, we have a tendency to very quickly lay the blame, and we look at each individual statement and come to the conclusion that they're not supportive of the police department, and I can assure you that is not the case in the city of Berkeley. We are very objective, I have a - - protestors that initially came to the site, they're not objective. They've come to the conclusion that any time an incident occurs, the police is at fault. And I'm not supportive of that position. My position is you review each individual separate and be objective, and that's why we're having an independent investigation of this incident.

HARLOW: We do have to go, but very quickly to you, since we did have the sheriff from Milwaukee say this morning on the program he doesn't think the Attorney General or the president have been supportive of police officers, do you believe that the Attorney General and the president have been supportive of police officers in these recent months?

HOSKINS: I totally disagree with that. I think the Attorney General, the president, has been totally supportive. You know, we are a country of laws and each individual incident is different. The president, or the Attorney General, are not going around saying police officers are always wrong. They're looking at the incidents, so I disagree with the chief in Milwaukee that the president is not supportive of police officers.

HARLOW: Mayor, thank you very much for your time this morning. Merry Christmas, thanks for coming on the program. We appreciate it. Jeff Toobin, as always, thanks. Guys, back to you.

ROMANS: All right, thanks, Poppy. For the second time in less than a month, coalition airstrikes in Iraq have killed the ISIS-appointed governor of Mosul. He was only in office for 25 days since taking over for the last ISIS-appointed governor who was also killed. This as the U.S. rejects claims by ISIS that it shot down a coalition plane over Syria, and Jordan pleads for the pilot's safe return. Let's get right to the Pentagon and bring in Barbara Starr for the very latest. Barbara, and American officials are saying they don't think this plane was shot down, but at any rate, that Jordanian pilot is in the hands of ISIS.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: That is the crisis at the moment, indeed. The Jordanian parliament warning of grave consequences if the pilot's safety is not insured. His family pleading for his return and now today Queen Rania of Jordan, the wife of King Abdullah, putting up a message on her personal social media account, calling for unity. Essentially saying we are all Moaz, the name of the pilot. The Jordanians very concerned about getting him back. You see that image there from her social media account.

But here's where we stand, the U.S. and the Jordanians in agreement now that the plane was not shot down, but not saying what did bring it down. We don't know if the U.S. and the coalition do know exactly what brought it down, was is mechanical trouble, did the pilot run into some sort of problem? What we also know is he - - when he ejected from the F16 it all really happened so quickly that those ISIS fighters on the ground, the ones you see in the photos grabbing him, they were on him so quick that rescue forces on standby in the air, and they always have them up there when there are combat missions, those rescue forces couldn't even get to him in time.

So, now, the question is how to get him back and what is the issue. What really brought down this airplane -- Christine.

ROMANS: All right. Barbara Starr, thank you for that report, Barbara, from the Pentagon.

Let's get to Pamela Brown now from some of the day's other top stories.

Good morning, again.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. Good morning to you at home.

With the official end of the war in Afghanistan just days away, President Obama decided to spend Christmas night paying tribute to the U.S. military. He visited a Marine Corps base in Hawaii as we see in the video to thank the soldiers for their sacrifices, saying Afghanistan will never be the source of another terror attack. The vast majority of U.S. troops will be out of Afghanistan by the end of the week.

Meantime, a very special Christmas gift for an American tourist. She has now been free from jail after spending four months detained in East Timor. Forty-one-year-old Stacy Addison said she was detained in a misunderstanding because she shared a taxi with someone carrying a methamphetamine. Addison isn't home just yet. She's still stuck in East Timor until officials decide to return his passports. I'm glad she's coming home.

And it wasn't exactly a homecoming fit for a king.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Number 23, LeBron James.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: LeBron James did get a warm welcome from Heat fans and scored 30 points during his first visit back to Miami on Christmas day, but his former teammates played the part of Grinch to perfection. Miami's Dwyane Wade scoring 31 points, leading the Heat to the 101-91 victory.

ROMANS: Nothing like a little basketball on Christmas Day.

HARLOW: I was surprised. I know they have football on Thanksgiving but basketball on Christmas Day? Come on!

(CROSSTALK)

ROMANS: Where's John Berman when you need him?

BROWN: I know. Exactly.

ROMANS: All right. Thanks, Pamela.

It got more free publicity, but did people fill up the seats to see "The Interview"? We're going to find out next and see if it's early online release could become the new norm for Hollywood.

HARLOW: Also, a big lump of coal from the Kremlin. Why Russian Vladimir Putin has cancelled holiday vacations for government workers. Is he trying to steal Christmas or save his country?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: The controversial comedy "The Interview" making a big splash on Christmas Day. It premiered in only 331 theaters across the country, not the 3,000 it hoped for after Sony initially pulled the film after that big cyber attack and threats of violence against audiences. Online, it's the number one seller on Google Play and YouTube. Meanwhile, PlayStation and Xbox gaming networks recovering from widespread problems Christmas Day, slowing people's efforts to watch that film online.

Rosa Flores is here with what people are saying about "The Interview."

Good morning.

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Christine. Some people calling it the best Christmas gift that Sony could have ever received on Christmas, why? Because so many people flocked to these independent theaters to see this movie. Some of the people I talked to said they didn't want to watch the movie, they felt it was their patriotic duty to go and watch this film. So what did people say and think about it?

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOURDAN COPPAGE, WATCHED "THE INTERVIEW": It was hilarious, pretty much what I expected it to be given it's a Seth Rogen movie. The gore wasn't too much, not as much as I thought it would be. It was pretty funny and well executed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FLORES: What about box office numbers? Hear this, "Variety" reporting industry estimates a whopping $1 million, huge for a movie that released in 331 independent theaters across the country.

Now, Christine, about rentals we don't know if we'll receive the numbers. But let me tell you something, if they're good, the company might want to release them just to brag a little bit.

ROMANS: We just published the story, Rosa, on CNN Money about how it was a big hit among pirates on Christmas Day, some 750,000 people downloaded it for free.

Let me ask you this, what about the apparent hack on Sony's PlayStation and Microsoft's Xbox live. Plenty of people went to watch it and couldn't. Who was behind it?

FLORES: You know, let me start by saying this, for parents this was like getting coal on Christmas, because they were stuck with a lot of cranky kids. But here's what we know, the hacking group Lizard Squad taking responsibility for this for overwhelming servers. But here's the deal, we don't know that it is related to the release of this movie. That's what we know right now. We don't know it's related at all. But, of course, we'll see later, Christine, and see what's revealed.

ROMANS: All right. Thanks, Rosa.

Pamela?

BROWN: All right. Thanks so much, Christine.

Well, co-directors Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg making a surprise appearance at the midnight screening of "The Interview" on Christmas Day thanking moviegoers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SETH ROGEN, ACTOR: If it wasn't for people like this and people like you guys, this literally would not be (EXPLETIVE DELETED) happening right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: There you go.

After all the controversy, how was the movie and should we be wary of troubles for Sony and Microsoft as the movie was being streamed Christmas Day?

To discuss this, let's bring, CNN's senior media correspondent and host of CNN's "RELIABLE SOURCES", Brian Stelter, and Dawn Chmielewski, senior editor of Re/code, a tech news Web site.

So great to have you both with us to talk about this.

Which it seems like, Brian, I know we've been covering this for so long and now the movie finally out. I know you watched it. What were your thoughts after covering it so much?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it was good enough, it was what I expected. You know, I think Kim Jong-Un might have enjoyed parts of it. Parts of it are pretty funny. They try to even humanize the guy.

But I can see why it might be upsetting to some in North Korea if they ever get a chance to see. Maybe as Christine was saying, the pirated version will be available.

BROWN: Right. So, some are calling this movie sort of a stoner -- stoner head, if you will.

STELTER: Totally.

BROWN: So, Dawn, I'm curious, because, you know, this is a Seth Rogen comedy, didn't do so great among critics, it's safe to say that. Do you think in a way all of this controversy surrounding it, Dawn, helped it and even though it wasn't released into 3,000 movie theaters all of the publicity driving people to watch it?

DAWN CHMIELEWSKI, SENIOR EDITOR, RE/CODE: I think certainly you're right, people wouldn't normally go to the theaters to watch a Seth Rogen film -- look, audiences have a clear expectation about what they're going to get and this film delivers on the expectations. I think Brian artfully captured that.

But I think that this potentially does broaden the audience of people who might be curious about the film and what is it North Korea thought was so dangerous, or perhaps they simply want to support free expression and watch the movie which is what I did.

STELTER: Well, the possibly it makes more money online than theaters is so interesting to me. I mean, $1 million yesterday is strong, given it was only in 300 theaters. But the idea it could make more millions on YouTube and Microsoft's Xbox system is -- you know, could be a landmark moment. BROWN: What I think is so interesting -- I don't think a lot of

people realize you could rent movies on YouTube and this is really impressive that the movie was released online before it was released in theaters. Could this be sort of the wave of the future here, Brian?

STELTER: Well, it's partly a desperation move. I mean, Sony would rather have the movie in 3,000 theaters, the way it was going to be. It would have made a lot more money yesterday if it happened in those 3,000 theaters. But the idea is there is this alternative now, this other way to release a movie is maybe a harbinger for the future.

It was desperation in this moment, but we will see it more in the future if people choose and argue that's the way they want it. You know, if people keep going to see the big movies, the theater also do fine. If people do want them at home, then movie studios like Sony will have to go in that direction.

BROWN: You know, some movies are better on the big screen than perhaps in your computer. Dawn --

STELTER: Two different experiences.

BROWN: What are your thoughts?

CHMIELEWSKI: I think that Brian makes a great point. I think the industry has been wrestling with this issue. The industry has a practice of windowing. So, they have this very clear strategy of releasing in the theaters, then to DVD and on demand and I think that modern audiences have grown accustomed to watching video delivered via the Internet.

So, I think, eventually, we're going to get to a place where movies are released simultaneously, maybe it won't be in this moment.

And, Brian, you're completely right. This is a desperation move by Sony. It'd rather have 3,000 theaters showing this film than a few of us streaming it on our computers since the PlayStation network not an option yesterday.

STELTER: Yes.

CHMIELEWSKI: But I think it is perhaps a bellwether in the future. I think, Brian, we'll also see companies like Netflix continue to push this forward so there will be time simultaneous releases of films in the home and in theaters and audiences get to choose.

STELTER: I thought it was so interesting that the CEO of Sony Pictures in his message to the staff on Wednesday said they're still trying to find more platforms for this movie. Maybe it will come on Netflix in the days or weeks to come. Maybe it will become available in other ways, too.

BROWN: It will be interesting to see how much they end up making when this is all said and done -- $44 million to make the movie and even though it isn't showing in 3,000 theaters as of now, of course, that could change. We'll see how much they end up making.

Quickly, I want to go to North Korea's response to all of this. Dawn, I'm going to go to you for this because he U.S. blamed North Korea for an attack. The hackers had promised this Christmas surprise and even threatened a physical attack if the movie was released, and it was.

So, we heard from North Korea yesterday who condemned the movie in an interview with "The A.P.", basically saying there would be no physical response though and the statement stopped at that. So I'm curious, do you think they sort of left the door open to the fact that we could see more potential hacking attacks?

CHMIELEWSKI: Well, I mean, certainly, the North Koreans have been doing a bit of threatening using the Internet to deliver threats and it had these hollow, what turned out to be hollow threats of violence on Christmas day so perhaps we're hearing a bit more saber rattling and perhaps it will be more cyber attacks. But it's hard to know at this moment.

BROWN: Yes, of course, it's unpredictable. No Christmas Day surprise, though, right, Brian?

STELTER: No, it seems like this -- this overnight, these problems yesterday with the Xbox and PlayStations networks were unrelated. Those had been foreshadowed weeks ahead of time by a different hacker group. And it seems like those servers are now getting online.

I do think, though, Sony does have to contend with future leaks. There might be more leaks of more data and even what's out there has been devastating to the company.

BROWN: But it's interesting how the conversation has changed from the leaked e-mails to all about the movie being released. So, whether that was intentional or not the conversation has changed.

STELTER: I think Sony had like 30 bad days in a row since the hacking November 24th and Christmas Day was the first good day they had, the movie was out and they were no longer so much on the defensive. Now, they were finally on the offensive. It was a show of defiance and that was definitely valuable for them in terms of publicity around what the company has gone through.

BROWN: Absolutely. But I have a feeling this Sony saga is not quite over with yet.

STELTER: And it could happen to anybody. I mean, what a wake-up call this has been to major media companies.

BROWN: Absolutely. A wake-up call is absolutely right.

Dawn Chmielewski, Brian Stelter, thank you very much for coming on to talk about this.

STELTER: Thanks.

CHMIELEWSKI: Thank you. BROWN: Christine, back to you.

ROMANS: Thanks, guys. I'm sure they like the response but I'm sure they'd rather have not had this.

HARLOW: Ever, ever. They want it to end.

ROMANS: All right. Christmas doesn't come for two more weeks in Russia, but members of the government won't be taking any time off. Why President Vladimir Putin canceled holiday vacations for government employees. That's next.

HARLOW: And later, the amazing story of how one woman made it to America, a very talented woman if I say so myself, and the gifts she gave her family that's been passed on for generations. She gave it to us. Christine Romans, this is an amazing story, her roots coming up.

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