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NEW DAY SUNDAY

Japan: We Will Never Forgive ISIS; Whitney Houston's Daughter in Coma; Millions in the People in Storm's Path; Are Republicans Ready for 2016?

Aired February 1, 2015 - 08:00   ET

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


VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Next hour of your NEW DAY starts right now.

(MUSIC)

BLACKWELL: ISIS says it's 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 unresponsive. This morning, Bobbi Kristina remains in a medically induced coma.

BLACKWELL: And a major winter storm is slamming the Midwest and heading east. Nearly 100 million people are in this storm's path.

PAUL: And we are wishing you the best if you happen to be one of them. Good morning to you. I'm Christi Paul.

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

PAUL: This morning, one family, really, when you think about it, they had no idea whether their son is alive. They do know he's in the hands of ISIS. That's all they know.

BLACKWELL: Yes, another family is mourning. Their loved one has apparently been killed in another beheading by ISIS.

PAUL: ISIS' latest victim is this man, Japanese freelance journalist Kenji Goto. A video released by ISIS appears to show his decapitated body. He's the second hostage killed by ISIS in just a week. His death is bringing swift condemnation from Japan, the U.S., Britain and France.

BLACKWELL: We don't know the status or the whereabouts of another ISIS hostage, a Jordanian military pilot captured by the militants.

Let's bring in CNN's Will Ripley in Tokyo.

Also joining us, CNN's Jomana Karadsheh in Amman, Jordan. I'm going to start with you, Will. Japan's prime minister says

his country will never give in to ISIS. He's saying they'd like to commit to more support in this humanitarian effort.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. Japan, as you know, pledged $200 million to the coalition to fight ISIS. That was just two days before the first propaganda video showing Kenji Goto and Haruna Yukawa with ISIS demanding its own $200 million ransom, in exchange for the man's safe return. Japan at the time, of course, said that they would not bow to terrorists. They didn't pay the ransom. Haruna Yukawa was beheaded.

But there was hope over the last week and a half as Kenji Goto appeared in several ISIS propaganda messages. And Jordan said it may be willing to conduct a prisoner exchange in exchange for his life and the life of that pilot. There was hope that Goto might come out of it alive. But all those hopes were dashed with the headlines people woke up to here this morning showing the image from the awful video of Kenji Goto in his final moments of life, facing his death with dignity.

But the papers are showing how he lived his life, how he covered the stories of children in war zones, how he covered the stories of families with compassion. That is the way that Goto's mother is saying that she wants her son to be remembered.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUNKO ISHIDO, KENJI GOTO'S MOTHER (through translator): I am 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 and 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: Goto's story is resonating with a lot of people here in Japan. There were silent protesters who stood outside the prime minister's office. Some of them saying, "I am Kenji." Others saying he will be remembered long after his death.

Of course, the most tragic story of all, he was a family man. His wife Rinko is now left to care for their two young daughters, ages two years old and the other a newborn alone.

BLACKWELL: All right, Will. Thank you so much, Will Ripley in Tokyo.

Let's go to Jomana now. Of course, the Jordanian government wants to bring this pilot home. What are they saying about this pilot and these potential continued conversations with ISIS?

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Victor, a short time ago we heard from the Jordanian government here, first of all, condemning the apparent execution of Kenji Goto, saying that they did try to help and save his life. Their focus right now they say continues to be on getting any proof that their pilot is still alive in an effort to try and bring him back home.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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

JAWAD AL-KASASSBEH, PILOT'S BROTHER: It's too hard. It's too hard to wait, circumstances make us too nervous to -- we can't sleep. We can't eat. We can't do anything. Our work is stuck, our life is stuck.

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: Actually, the rumors -- we've heard so much of rumors on TV, Facebook, Twitter. In fact, our government has teach us that never listen to any rumors. We just wait a statement of the guard. This is the unity of Jordan. Trust our government. Trust our king.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KARADSHEH: And, Victor, after that news came out after the apparent execution of Kenji Goto came out, we did speak to the family of the Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kasasbeh. They said they were saddened, they were devastated by this news, and they're really terrified about what this might mean for their own son.

BLACKWELL: Still waiting for proof of life there.

Jomana Karadsheh in Amman, Jordan, for us -- thank you.

PAUL: Let's talk to CNN global affairs analyst, Lieutenant Colonel James Reese, now about this.

Colonel, thanks for being with us. I want to start with this Jordanian plot, and help us understand what kind of back channel discussions can be going on between the Jordanian government and ISIS. I mean, how are they communicating and who is communicating?

LT. COL. JAMES REESE, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, Christie, good morning.

There's lots -- Jordan sits on the Syrian border. They have lots of Syrian refugees. So, you know, you're talking Sunni on Sunni, the whole ethnic aspect.

So, there are lots of different ways they can be doing this. They're going to be doing this by carriers, sending messages back and forth to people. I don't believe that ISIS is getting on a cell phone, having discussions with Jordanians because of their fear of what happens when that cell phone turns on and who's talking. There's cut out ways to do it, they can be sending e-mails to

someone else getting to the Jordanians. So, there are electronic ways to communicate and there are face-to-face ways to do it with their proximity.

PAUL: You know, we need to make a point that at no point has ISIS publicly offered to release the Jordanian pilot. We need to make that clear. The only time they've discussed his fate is when they threatened to kill him if the Goto/Rishawi swap did not happen. And now that Goto is dead, how plausible are any negotiations?

REESE: The Jordanians have some great negotiators and when that started out, you're right, it just started for a swap of the Japanese with the criminal in Jordan and then the promise was they would not kill the Jordanian pilot -- the Jordanians manipulated that somewhat and made that negotiation start moving in their favor, which I think was a very smart move.

I still believe that there is a possibility there could be a prisoner swap for the Jordanian, but this was a key aspect for ISIS to continue to show that they are in charge, they have to show their followers that they still have the upper hand and I think that some of the negotiations have slowed down or failed and that became the reason for the beheading of the Japanese hostage, which is tragic.

PAUL: It is tragic and for ISIS apparently still all about image.

Lieutenant Colonel James Reese, thank you so much.

BLACKWELL: This is a shocking scene. It's eerily similar to the death of Whitney Houston three years ago. But this time, it's her daughter. Bobbi Kristina Brown found face down in her bathtub full of water. She's now in a medically induced coma.

Nick Valencia is following the developments -- Nick.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. I'm Nick Valencia, outside of North Fulton Hospital. This is where Bobbi Kristina Brown is currently hospitalized. We'll give you an update on her condition.

You're watching CNN NEW DAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Twelve minutes past the hour and this morning, the daughter of singer Bobby Brown and the late pop star, Whitney Houston, is in a medically induced coma.

BLACKWELL: Twenty-one-year-old Bobbi Kristina Brown was found face down and unresponsive in a bathtub full of water.

PAUL: And we know she was not breathing when she was discovered near her home in Atlanta yesterday. The circumstances, I'm sure you thought about it, they echo her mother's death. Houston was found in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton hotel almost three years ago, on February 11th.

BLACKWELL: Let's start with CNN's Nick Valencia who is outside the hospital where Brown is being treated.

Nick, what can you tell us this morning?

VALENCIA: Good morning, Victor.

We do that know 21-year-old Bobbi Kristina Brown is alive and breathing today. But there are concerns about her wellbeing. The hospital is being very tight-lipped about her current condition. It's unclear how long she was unconscious and unresponsive in that bathtub.

What's unclear and what police have yet to reveal is if that bathtub was even filled with water. Obviously, there is speculation after they said that the mother, Whitney Houston, died in similar circumstances, and it is also unfortunate to mention, Victor and Christie, Bobbi Kristina, that 21-year-old, she was often associated with chemical dependence, drug and alcohol abuse, which is why yesterday when we asked the Roswell police department, we decided to ask them if alcohol or drugs played a factor in her condition, in her state, they said on an initial sweep of that residence that they didn't find any obvious signs of drug or alcohol abuse.

Right now, though lots of concerns. Her supporters saying she had made positive strides in her life you could see that in her social media page. But, of course, her life filled with turmoil and yesterday another tragic chapter in her life -- Victor, Christi.

BLACKWELL: Yes, we understand, this is being considered a medical incident. Nick, thanks.

VALENCIA: That's right.

BLACKWELL: Let's go to CNN legal analyst Sunny Hostin. She's on the phone with us. And she broke the news last night about her condition.

And when this news broke, Sunny, I thought about Sissy Houston having lost her daughter three years ago, now her granddaughter is in this coma. How is the family doing?

SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST (via telephone): Well, my understanding certainly is that they're very, very concerned. They are at her side. Everyone is just making their way to the hospital, including the person that I've had the opportunity to speak with several times. They are concerned and they are hoping for the best.

BLACKWELL: Now although the investigators have not found any evidence of drugs or alcohol, is that one of the concerns or are those the concerns that the family has?

HOSTIN: No question about it. I mean, there has been a history of drug use. The family has been and remains concerned about that. They have spoken to her about that, about their concerns with her use of drugs, and they were hopeful that she was getting better, and that she was on a different path.

But, of course, given this incident, and I'm not saying that it is drug-related, but they certainly have been concerned about her use of drugs.

BLACKWELL: Yes, our hope for her is that she makes a recovery.

Sunny Hostin having broke the news last night about her being in a medically induced coma at the hospital in North Fulton County, near Atlanta. Sunny, thank you so much. Thanks also to Nick Valencia.

PAUL: All right. Let's talk about the political arena a little bit here. Mitt Romney, he says he's not running for the White House in 2016. So, will that throw open an already competitive race for the GOP presidential nomination? Well, Senator John McCain has some thoughts on that one.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: All right. Twenty after the hour now.

And now that Mitt Romney is out of the presidential race for 2016, it looks like the Republican playing field has been reset, realigned. So, who could benefit from the governor's leaving the race?

Let's bring in CNN's Dana Bash, host of "STATE OF THE UNION."

Dana, good to have you this morning.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Victor.

BLACKWELL: So, who benefits most from Romney pulling out?

BASH: You know, a lot of people are talking about Jeb Bush, but considering the fact that from our understanding Romney was worried about the fact that he had already lost support from donors and from key aides to Jeb Bush, I think it's probably Chris Christie in that, you know, there are few people who sort of occupy that space of the Republican field, the establishment, if you will, part of that space. Jeb bush, Mitt Romney, Chris Christie.

I think I would say Chris Christie but definitely Jeb Bush is, you know, when it comes to the establishment, the one to beat at this point.

BLACKWELL: So, we've talked this morning about this new poll out in Iowa that has Governor Scott Walker at the top with 15 percent. Mike Huckabee down at 10 percent. He won the 2008 Iowa caucuses. These early polls are a lot about name recognition.

Why is he so far down the list here, do we know?

BASH: Well, we should say that now that Mitt Romney is not in the race he's bumped up a little bit. Look, Scott Walker gave a very well-received speech at the first

cattle call in Iowa just last weekend, and he is somebody who is from just -- sort of a nearby state, has the kind of Midwestern values because he is from Wisconsin, but, you know, I've covered Iowa politics enough to know that it might not be the best thing in the world to be peeking a year from the Iowa caucuses.

By the way, today is a year from the Iowa caucuses. That's what I -- that's what I think. You know, Huckabee has been out of the game for eight years, six years maybe, and so he's going to have to crawl his way back and remind them that he was the guy eight years ago, seven years ago?

BLACKWELL: Yes, seven years ago. We know in 2012, everybody had a little time at the top of the polls heading to the start of the caucuses.

BASH: Exactly.

BLACKWELL: Who's on the show today?

BASH: Well, we have Mike Huckabee on the show today. Again, it is one year today from today that voters are going to go into their caucuses in Iowa. So, we're going to see what Mike Huckabee has to say about how he's going to do it again. He's making no secret in how he's very, very interested in another run, after all, he quit his job at FOX.

And we also have another John McCain and, you know, he's actually already endorsed. It's not anybody who's even made that list in Iowa, it's his best friend, Lindsey Graham, who put his toe in the water because he thinks graham is the best on national security and also could kind of give them that mavericky kind of infusion that McCain himself did in 2000 when it comes to the debates and telling it like it is.

BLACKWELL: And it's time to start using the word mavericky again.

Dana Bash --

BASH: Never use that enough, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Thank you so much, Dana.

All right. Keep it here for "STATE OF THE UNION" with Dana Bash starts at the top of the hour, 9:00 a.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.

Quick break. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, hello, I'm your host, Richard Sherman, the greatest corner in the history of the national football league. Joining me as always is my teammate and good friend, running back Marshawn Lynch.

How you doing, Marshawn?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you for asking me that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, Marshawn, are you excited to play in the Super Bowl tomorrow?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you for asking me that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(LAUGHTER)

PAUL: OK. You're 10 hours out, people, at this point to make a Super Bowl game day plan. New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, they want that coveted title.

BLACKWELL: Yes. Our Andy Scholes has the need to know game details. You know why I'm here. You know why I'm here. He's outside the Super Bowl stadium -- Andy.

PAUL: We don't want you to get fined.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Good stuff there, Victor.

If you don't have a ticket to get into today's game, good luck. The cheapest one on stub hub is $8,000. The ticket to get into today's game, is going to will go down as the most expensive ticket in U.S. pro sports history. The match-up to watching today's game is Tom Brady versus Richard Sherman and the Seahawks secondary.

Sherman and Seahawks, they have been amazing lately. After beating the Patriots in their last meeting two years ago Sherman actually went up to Brady and said, you mad, bro?

So, it's going to be fun to see if they have anymore exchanges like that today.

And, Sherman and Seahawks, they've been so dominant. They earned the nickname the legion of boom. Not many quarterbacks have good days against them. Brady, he says he's ready for the challenge.

(BEGIN VIDEO CXLIP)

TOM BRADY, PATRIOTS QUARTERBACK: They've been the best defense in the league for a long time, so they've got a -- it's a big challenge for us. They've been playing really well. They've been playing really well, especially the second half of the season.

JULIAN EDELMAN, PATRIOTS WIDE RECEIVER: It will be the ultimate test. It's going to be the best team we've played. Probably be one of the best defenses I've ever played so we'll see.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SCHOLES: Patriots are a one-point favorite in today's game.

According to pregame.com, an estimated $10 billion will be wagered. You can bet on all kinds of fun, things like what color of Gatorade is going to get poured on the coach. Will Bill Belichick smile in the sidelines?

And, Christi, the one I know what will Katy Perry be wearing during the halftime show.

PAUL: Will she be wearing anything? We know she will. Yes, all right.

Andy Scholes, have a great time. Thank you so much.

And thank you so much for starting with us. Make great memories today.

BLACKWELL: "INSIDE POLITICS" with John King starts right now.