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Deflategate: NFL Investigating Patriots; Bobby Jindal Controversy Over No-Go Comments; ISIS Demands $200 Million for Japanese Hostages

Aired January 20, 2015 - 06:30   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Good to have you back with us here on NEW DAY.

Let's take a look at your headlines. Breaking this morning, another chilling ISIS video surfaces, this time the lives of two Japanese men are at stake in exchange for $200 million. The jihadist in the video warns Japan's prime minister he has 72 hours to comply or the men will be beheaded. The prime minister of Japan responded by saying the international community should not give in. But he stopped short of denying that Japan would consider paying the ransom.

A mysterious inferno in Maryland, six family members are missing after a raging fire guts a $9 million mansion just outside Annapolis, believed to be inside, a husband, wife and their four grandchildren. The four-alarm fire was so intense, the roof and the floors gave way making the home too unstable for fire crews to search. They're bringing in heavy equipment today in the hopes of locating the bodies. The fire has been deemed suspicious.

A patient is in a New Jersey hospital after returning from an Ebola- affected country. A spokesman for American Airlines says an ill passenger was aboard a flight that arrived at Newark International Airport Monday. Health officials say the individual is under the care of doctors as a precaution.

All right. Here's the scariest thing you'll see on the road, a double trailer barreling towards you after skidding on black ice, video shot by a driver who pulled over on the New Jersey turnpike, narrowly misses his car before jumping the barrier, before ending up on the opposite side of the road. The driver filming it stopped when two other trucks in front of him collided. The truck driver of the big rig was OK.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, my gosh.

PEREIRA: Imagine that. You don't know what to do.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Other than pull out your cell phone and video what could be your end coming your way?

PEREIRA: It happened so fast, but in a way slow motion.

CAMEROTA: And the momentum that carried the black ice, the truck is still going even after it jumps the guardrail.

CUOMO: Is that what that was?

CAMEROTA: Yes.

CUOMO: Wow. Well, thank God he's alive and hopefully, everybody was OK. Right it off to that.

All right. Here's another one for you. Remember spygate, the Patriots? Doing a little spying on the side?

CAMEROTA: Yes.

CUOMO: Well, they may in trouble again. The NFL is investigating whether or not the team used deflated footballs in their dominating win over the Colts on Sunday. John Berman -- Andy Scholes has more in this morning's "Bleacher Report."

I mean, this is potentially damaging to that team. Any chance, Andy Scholes, that they get kicked out of the Super Bowl if it's true?

ANDY SCHOLES, BLEACHER REPORT: Absolutely. They're not getting kick out of the Super Bowl and I'm not -- you know, spygate was one thing. I'm sure I'm buying deflategate. The thought is that taking air out of the football in wet conditions will make it easier for the receiver to catch it.

The Patriots say it's ridiculous, but say they'll cooperate fully with the NFL's investigation. The Pats could face a fine and the loss of a draft pick if the league determines the weight of the ball was altered.

When asked about the deflate gate, Tom Brady, well, he couldn't help but laugh.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

HOST: Did you get the sense you were able to grip the ball better than the Colts last night?

(LAUGHTER)

HOST: Would you care to weigh in on that?

TOM BRADY, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: I think I heard it all at this point. Oh, God.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Well, tight end Rob Gronkowski says he knows what happened to the footballs on Sunday. He posted this pic on Twitter with the caption, "Warning, gronking may cause deflation. Whoops, LOL." Got to love Gronk.

All right. On his way home from the AFC championship game, the Patriots' Vince Wilfork came across an overturned jeep wrangler on the highway, so the 6'2", 325-pound lineman did what he said anyone would do, he got out of his car and with one hand pulled the driver out of the jeep to safety.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VINCE WILFORK, PATRIOTS DEFENSIVE TACKLE: It was something we saw and we knew she needed help. The good thing is we got her to safety. I'm glad we did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: The driver was OK. But was charged with drunk driving.

Lindsay Vonn won her record 63rd world cup race in Italy yesterday and she got a surprise visit from boyfriend Tiger Woods. Only Tiger was missing one thing -- one of his front teeth. Tiger's agent says a photographer at the event bumped into Tiger's mouth, knocking out the tooth. Well race organizers are saying woods never reported the incident.

Guys, we've seen tiger get after photographers out on the course for taking pictures during his swing. I think if one of them would have bumped into him and knocked out one of his teeth, there would have been some sort of confrontation.

CAMEROTA: So, but what did happen?

CUOMO: He just told you, a photographer --

CAMEROTA: But he's expressing skepticism about that.

SCHOLES: I don't know. Maybe he's getting some dental work and he didn't think anyone would notice with the skeleton mask he was wearing.

CUOMO: Did they think it was Michael Strahan? What did they think was going to happen?

CAMEROTA: All right. Andy Scholes, thanks so much. We appreciate it.

All right. Was a real-life American sniper a coward? Filmmaker Michael Moore triggering uproar after tweeting, quote, "Snipers aren't heroes." So, is this is an issue of free speech or respect?

We're joined by a former Delta Force commander. We'll ask him.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let me ask you a question, Chris. Would you be surprised if I told you that the navy has credited you with over 160 kills? Do you ever think that you might have seen things or done some things over there that you wish you hadn't?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, that's not me. No.

The thing that gets me is all the guys I couldn't save.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREIRA: The movie, "American Sniper" shattering box office records. Not without controversy. Filmmaker Michael Moore sparking quite an uproar, after tweeting, quote, "Snipers aren't heroes." Moore however claims his tweet was not about the movie or the sniper is based on.

Joining us this morning, retired Lieutenant Colonel James Reese, a former U.S. Delta Force commander.

Colonel, thank you so much for joining us.

First of all, let's look at the original tweet. And then I want you, as a member of the military, to sound off for me. Here's the tweet in a Michael Moore sent. "My uncle killed by a sniper in World War II. We were taught snipers were cowards, will shoot you in the back. Snipers aren't heroes and invaders are worse."

What was your reaction when you saw the tweet, Colonel?

LT. COL. JAMES REESE, U.S. DELTA FORCE COMMANDER (RET): Well, Michaela, good morning.

First off, as a former military officer, I know what all the military folks are doing today, in today's you know, unruly world. When they see something like that from a guy who has tweets of 1.4 million people, a lot of people say -- so what, who cares? It's a lot of something about nothing.

But at the same time, it kind of rolls into, you know, where we are with "Charlie Hebdo" and everything else around the world, how far does free speech really go without giving you know props back to the men and women who let him speak these things by saying oh, by the way, thanks for, you know, doing this and preserving my freedom of speech.

PEREIRA: He went back and sort of well, he tried to clarify, he posted a bigger statement on Facebook, saying that his tweets were in reference to Martin Luther King Jr. And had nothing to do with the film "American Sniper."

Does that matter to you? That clarification? Does it ring true to you?

REESE: To me, as I read it and I watched this last night. I don't, I think he backpedaled on it very quickly. I think he realized very quickly he threw something out there that would be very controversial. And maybe that's what he wanted to do.

But, you know, when you're out there and you say, you know, hey, these snipers are cowards, during the Battle of Fallujah where some of the piece in the movie talks about, our snipers were very beneficial and when I say "our" the Department of Defense, the Navy SEALs, the Delta Force snipers that were out there, so beneficial for the young marines, fighting the Battle in Fallujah, which was just deadly. They were a combat multiplier to help save our young soldiers and marines out there.

PEREIRA: He later went on to talk about the fact that he was raised in a family whose uncle was killed by a sniper and this former experience of their family colored his opinion of all this.

We also know his body of work. I want to put it to the side and talk about what you mention in the wake of the "Charlie Hebdo" massacre, you, I want to you dig deeper on that for me. You think that this is sort of the context in which a comment like that is made. It takes on a significance, bigger than it normally would.

REESE: You know, you know, Michaela, I do. I mean, why throw that comment out?

And, again, I go back -- you know, Michael Moore, you are allowed to say these types of comments in the United States.

PEREIRA: Sure.

REESE: OK? But at the same time, I think a lot of these comments then, if you allow then the other side or the other aspect to be put out, so there is a professional mature discussion about it, then I don't think you get all this, this hate and everything else.

Michael Moore is getting all of this hate mail on his Twitter about his comments. And I think if he would have said, hey, this is what I think. But oh, by the way, let me throw thank yous out to the men and women who support and defend our country, I don't think it would be that bad.

PEREIRA: Well, you and I both know that Twitter is not necessarily the milieu of well thought-out, thoughtful commentary, quite the opposite in fact.

Colonel Reese, always a pleasure to have you with us. Thanks for giving us your perspective on this.

REESE: Thanks, Michaela. Have a great day.

PEREIRA: Just us your thought, give us a tweet, make sure it's well- thought out. Go to NEW DAY on Twitter or you go to Facebook.com/NewDay.

Chris?

CUOMO: All right. So, Mick, others have apologized by Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal is doubling down regarding comments on Muslim no-go zones in Europe, specifically in Britain. Does he have any statement at all? Was he trying to say something else and just got confused? The controversy next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal standing by his controversial comments about so-called no-go zones, those are neighborhoods in Europe that allegedly are so controlled by Muslims, that non-Muslims cannot go there. Others who claimed that no-go zones exists have been forced to apologized. But Jindal is holding his ground.

CNN's Max Foster pressed him for answers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): First, the so-called terror expert on FOX News, declaring England's second city a no-go zone for non-Muslims.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In Britain, it's not just no-go zones a, that are actual cities like Birmingham that are totally Muslims, where non- Muslims just simply don't go in.

FOSTER: That was follow paid prime ministerial slap-down.

DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: When I heard this, frankly, I choked on my porridge. I thought it must be April Fool's Day, this guy is clearly a complete idiot.

FOSTER: Briefly followed by an apology from FOX.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Over the course this last week, we have made some regrettable errors on air.

FOSTER: Now, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has reopened the row, telling me indeed there are no-go areas in the U.K.

GOV. BOBBY JINDAL (R), LOUISIANA: There are people here in London that will tell you there are neighborhoods where the women don't feel safe walking through those neighborhoods without veils. There are neighborhoods where the police are less likely to go. That's a dangerous thing.

FOSTER (on camera): You need to give me -- to make an assertation like that, you need to give me the area, so we can look at it, because I haven't heard of one.

JINDAL: Oh, well, look, I think your viewers know absolutely there are place where the police are less likely to go. They absolutely know there are neighborhoods where they wouldn't feel comfortable.

(CROSSTALK)

FOSTER: Well, that's high crime rates.

(CROSSTALK)

FOSTER: To the extent that they feel uncomfortable, it's not because there too many Muslims there.

JINDAL: We're not saying -- look, this isn't a question. I know the left wants to make this into an attack on religion, and that's not what this is. What we're saying is, it absolutely is an issue for the U.K., absolutely is an issue for America and other European and Western nations.

FOSTER (voice-over): All of this off the back of the Paris terror attacks, which were carried out by Muslims in the name of their faith.

JINDAL: Muslim leaders have a responsibility to step up and denounce these individuals.

(CROSSTALK)

FOSTER (on camera): If they had done that before, would Paris not have happened?

JINDAL: I think if we had had greater integration and assimilation, we would not see the extent of the problem we are facing.

FOSTER (voice-over): Max Foster, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PEREIRA: We want to bring in CNN analyst and author of "In the Land of Invisible Women", Dr. Qanta M. Ahmed.

Really a pleasure to have you this morning.

And, first all, you had your chance to listen this report from Max Foster and here, all the further going back and forth. What is your reaction?

DR. QANTA AHMED, CNN ANALYST: Well, I'm someone who goes to Britain frequently. I was last there in July, including in Birmingham. And I was quite surprised to hear the terminology of a no-go zone.

Though I am familiar with the transformation that is occurring in Muslims in Britain, at least since I've been born, I'm in my fifth decade of life now, what we notice is there are some communities, whether they're in Birmingham has an area called Sparks Hill or East London, in an area called White Chapel, which are very ghettoized by Muslims. I use that word as a Muslim.

PEREIRA: Right.

AHMED: To the point where you see overt religion, overt forms of dress, which often have a heavy Gulf Arab appearance. Something that wasn't there when I grew up in the Warwickshire and Birmingham area in the 1970s. There's definitely a transformation.

CAMEROTA: Does that serve to make non-Muslims not feel comfortable there or they're excluded? If you walked in there or if I walked into that neighborhood, what would happen?

AHMED: Well, I have been in those neighborhoods and really all, what happens is, I feel more exposed, just because I'm not dressing like everyone around me.

CAMEROTA: You're not in a veil.

AHMED: I'm not in a veil.

CAMEROTA: There are neighborhoods where women are fully veiled.

AHMED: Yes, an example being in White Chapel. I used to practice medicine in the Royal London Hospital, right next to the East London mosque. I was the only unveiled face in the street that was not Caucasian, so there are transformations afoot amongst Muslims in Britain, that have struck me even as a Muslim who grew up in Britain.

CUOMO: That doesn't mean, there are no-go zones as being defined by Governor Jindal. Which is whites won't go there, they're not allowed there. You wouldn't go that far.

AHMED: No, I wouldn't go that far. When we do go to some areas of Birmingham, we go to shop and we do see Caucasian women shopping there, dressed like they are in the United States and even in the White Chapel area, which is one of the most densely populated of Bangladeshi orthodox Muslims. There are many Caucasian doctors and nurses working in the area.

CUOMO: So, clumsy as he may have been with how broad he went with it, the idea of assimilation is needed and without it, you have potential problems, do you believe that applies?

AHMED: I think that's fair. And I think that the generation of my parents were much better integrated and were less, less desirous of having a particular garb or dress or particular beard to make them feel as if they were being adequately Muslim. That has been a transformation.

CAMEROTA: But they went further there are some commentators on cable news who have gone further. And they've said that Sharia law is in place in these neighborhoods and that regular police will not go into these neighborhoods. Are these communities so insular that they're using their own legality there?

AHMED: So, there may be another way to look at that. I have not seen evidence that the British Metropolitan Force could not go into a particular location, though Britain for many years has offered parallel court systems. Jewish court systems, as well as Sharia court systems for well over 40 years, where Muslims can go and have their dilemmas adjudicated by Islamic law and that's recognized within the United Kingdom.

If any of the decisions made in those Sharia courts are in conflict with bridge law, British law supersedes. So, that's a very sophisticated arrangement which incidentally the state of Israel also has in the same way. So that individuals can go to their own religious courts. And if there is a conflict, the state court can supersede.

CAMEROTA: Regular police can go into these neighborhoods?

AHMED: As far as I understand, I don't know of any place that the British police force cannot go. The only time I've heard of something like that was probably 25 to 30 years ago when there were riots in an area of London called Brixton. And that was due to ordinary crime and that became a risky place for them to go. But they didn't abandon policing it.

PEREIRA: Is it a question of nuance here, Dr. Ahmed? I think the headline sounds, the ghettoization of Muslims, not a safe place to go. Is there more that needs to be looked at and examined here?

AHMED: I think there's always room for a closer look. The words, phrases of the no-go zone, it implies that somehow our British authorities are ineffective or powerless. And I don't see them at all. In fact, they work very closely with some aspects of problems within the Muslim community. My female colleagues have worked with the British metropolitan police to recognize early forced marriage or to recognize girls at risk of female genital mutilation, and the Muslim community with the British police force has changed legislation.

So, they have good collaboration with the police force.

CUOMO: Part of the surprise here is that we're talking about Britain. If this had been North Paris that they were talking about after the riots that happened there, because of these issues in part, it would have made more sense. That was a little bit of a surprise factor.

But thank you for using your personal experience and your perspective to help us understand it better, Dr. Ahmed.

AHMED: My pleasure.

CAMEROTA: Great to get the context. Thanks so much.

CUOMO: All right. This is one of the stories we're following. There's a lot of news this morning, so let's get to it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ISIS is demanding $200 million in exchange for the lives of two Japanese hostages.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People in Japan are bracing for the worst right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A manhunt is underway for the leader of a suspected terror cell.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ISIS directed this plot in Belgium.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hayat Boumeddiene among Europe's most wanted women.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The path she may have taken out of France and into Syria.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hayat Boumeddiene's last known location, along the Turkey/Syria border.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Obama's State of the Union Address tonight.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His job approval numbers are now 50 percent.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If the economy maintains its forward momentum through 2016 we could be looking at a very different presidential year.

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Chris Cuomo, Alisyn Camerota and Michaela Pereira.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMEROTA: Good morning, everyone. Welcome back to NEW DAY.

We have breaking news. A new ISIS video surfacing, demanding $200 million or two Japanese hostages will be killed. In the video, the hostages are seen wearing orange jump suits, one is a journalist. The other man was allegedly kidnapped in Syria after heading there to train with militant fighters.

CUOMO: Most of this is what we've come to expect, as you saw in the picture. The man with the mask, he's also once again speaking with a British accent and of course wielding the knife. But this time he is addressing Japan's prime minister. And demanding that they comply in 72 hours with this ransom demand or the men will be decapitated. The prime minister calls that threat unforgivable.

We have this covered from every angle.

Let's begin with Will Ripley live from Beijing -- Will.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Chris, we need to keep in mind here that Japan is a pacifist country, its military only engages in self- defense. So, when Prime Minister Shinzo Abe two days ago pledged $200 million to support the effort against ISIS, this was not money ever intended to pay for bombs or to kill women and children, as so-called Jihadi John alleged in this latest video.

This was money supposed to help the refugees, the people who is has left behind repressed. The people whose lives are in turmoil because of ISIS. But nonetheless, because Japan made the promise of $200 million to help innocent people, ISIS is now intent on punishing Japan with the message to the prime minister, putting two Japanese citizens, a journalist, a freelance journalist and the owner of a private military company on their knees and saying that if in three days this ransom is not paid, these men will meet the same fate presumably on video that we saw two Americans and two British citizens endure.