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Mexico Returns El Chapo to Prison; Muslim Woman Escorted from Trump South Carolina Rally; Examining Life in North Korea; Egyptian Hotel Scene of Terror Attack on Westerners; Arab Foreign Ministers Meeting Regarding Saudi Strikke Hitting Iranian Embassy in Yemen. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired January 9, 2016 - 04:00   ET

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


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[04:00:00] LYNDA KINKADE, CNN NEWSROOM SHOW HOST: The notorious Mexican drug lord finally recaptured. How police track down El Chapo?

Plus, tensions remain high in the Korean Peninsula days after Pyongyang says they detonated a hydrogen bomb. We'll have a live report from inside North Korea.

And a Muslim woman escorted out from a Donald Trump rally after standing up in protest, but it was Trump supporters who made all the noise.

Hello, and welcome to our viewers in the U.S. and around the world. I'm Lynda Kinkade, and this is CNN Newsroom.

Our top story, Mexico is returning the world's top drug lord to the same prison he escaped from last year. Joaquin El Chapo Guzman was recaptured on Friday after a month-long investigation led to officials to a house where he was hiding with his associates.

During a shoot-out, Guzman escaped, but he was later captured on a highway near Los Mochis. Their time Guzman has being captured by Mexican authorities.

CNN's Rafael Romo has more on El Chapo's dramatic arrest this time around.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS SENIOR EDITOR: He was paraded in front of the media and forced to look straight into the cameras. Joaquin Guzman known as El Chapo, one of the most wanted men in the world caught at last.

For the first time, authorities are disclosing details about the raid to capture him in Sinaloa States, his home turf. Officials say five of his associates died in the shoot-out. Guzman and one of his lieutenants took advantage of the firefight to flee through a manhole connecting to the sewer system.

Navy personnel chased him through the sewer tunnel, Attorney General Gomez said, they came out through a manhole to the street level and fled in vehicles. This picture of El Chapo was taken shortly after his capture on a highway outside Los Mochis. The soldiers took him and his aide to a motel where they waited for reinforcements.

He was then led by Mexican soldiers into a military truck and later flown to Mexico City. President Enrique Pena Nieto broke the news on Twitter saying "mission accomplished." The Mexican government is under great pressure to extradite the drug lord to the United States. He faces drug charges in several states.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: What you really have to establish is that there is an indictable offense that has been committed that is probable cause to believe that he committed that offense and that we would otherwise have jurisdiction over them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: Mexicans reacted with a mix of surprise and disbelief.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I, like all Mexicans, hope the capture was real, this man says. This case tells you a lot about corruption in Mexico. What was the clue that finally led authorities to El Chapo? Attorney General Gomez says El Chapo got reckless; his associates started calling producers and actresses because El Chapo wanted a movie made about himself.

Now he's going back to the same prison from where he escaped nearly six months ago, while officials decide if he will be extradited to the United States.

Rafael Romo, CNN.

KINKADE: Now that Joaquin Guzman is back in custody, attention turns to his cartel. And just who may be the next to run it. Later this hour, we'll examine who could be next in line.

Venezuelan's new parliament majority is cleaning House since during controversy by removing images of late President Hugo Chavez from National Assembly. Lawmakers will sworn this week marking the political shift since Chavez was elected 17 years ago.

Current President Nicolas Maduro denounced the removal of the Chavez images and counted by hanging pictures of his predecessor in the capital plaza and placing them under armed guard. Hundreds of people were there protesting the removal of the portraits.

CNN's Shasta Darlington has more.

SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This week marks a new era in Venezuelan politics with the opposition taking control of Congress for the time in nearly 17 years. And yet, it's these images that are sparking some of the most heated debate, portraits of the late Hugo Chavez being removed from the assembly.

You can see the new president of the assembly, Henry Ramos Allup on the steps of the capitol ordering them removed. You can even hear him saying at one point take them away, you can even throw them in the toilet, nothing stays here. Now this decision has outraged many of Chavez's supporters.

[04:04:58] Remember, he was elected back in 1998, and was in power until he died in 2013. His handpicked successor, Nicolas Maduro came out calling it an affront to the nation and urging Venezuelans to rebel against what he calls the neo-fascism in the assembly. The opposition has defended their decision saying they need to break with the past and what they say represents a Marxist view.

Now, the problem here is that this really sets a tone for the coming weeks and months if in a country that is really suffering its biggest economic crisis in over a century.

There is triple digit inflation, rising crime and violence, and shortages of the most basic of goods. What many voters were saying they wanted were these economic problems dealt with, instead what they're getting are the two sides throwing punches.

Shasta Darlington, CNN, Rio de Janeiro.

KINKADE: At least three European tourists were wounded on Friday when two men carrying knives attacked a hotel along the Red Sea Coast in Egypt. Interior ministry officials say one attacker was killed and the other wounded at the Bella Vista hotel in the City of Hurghada.

No group has claimed responsibility that Islamist militants have attacked Egyptian tourism attraction recently. Tourism of course is critical for the Egyptian economy.

Now to Israel where police say they found and killed a man suspected of killing two people outside a Tel Aviv pub on New Year's Day.

The authorities did not release the gunman's name that said previously that the suspect was an Arab Israeli. He's also suspected of killing a taxi driver that same day. A family member says he has a psychological disorder. It's unclear what exactly motivated the attack.

In about an hour, we expect French President Francois Hollande to unveil a flag for a young female police officer who was killed one year ago during a string of terror attacks in Paris.

Amedy Coulibaly gunned down Clarissa Jean-Phillipe a day before he stormed a kosher supermarket and killed four people there. Police later showed and killed Coulibaly after a 10th standoffs.

Erin McLaughlin is following this story and joins me now from Paris. Erin, what can you tell us about this female police officer and how will her life be honored today?

ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, she was 25 years old. Clarissa Jean-Phillipe was on a highway, she stopped Amedy Coulibaly after a near car accident. Coulibaly shot her and then tried to shoot her colleague, his gun jammed, he somehow got away.

The very next day, that is when Coulibaly stormed that kosher supermarket tragically killing four people being -- before being shot and killed by authorities. There will be a ceremony remembering the kosher market super -- kosher market attack later today. In the next hour or so, French President Francois Hollande will unveil a plaque remembering Clarissa and her sacrifice.

It will be the latest ceremony in a week of ceremonies remembering the Charlie Hebdo attacks, the week that of course that was interrupted by yet another attack, an individual, a man attacked a police station with a butcher knife. He also was wearing a fake explosive belt. That is when authorities shot and killed him.

They're still trying to figure out his identity, but officials here are treating that as a lone wolf-style attack. And it really illustrates they say the problems, the challenges that people here in France face.

Authorities are facing not only are they trying to stop the prospect of yet another elaborate attack the likes of which this country saw November 13, but also they're dealing with the prospect of these lone wolf style attacks, people acting out on their own volition, perhaps self-radicalized. Those attacks very difficult to predict and very difficut to prevent.

In the words of the French prosecutor and authorities here in France have no reason they say to be optimistic. Lynda.

KINKADE: And Erin, talking about how authorities can prevent another attack, just explain the security situation there and how are people dealing with this. Obviously these commemorations coming less than two months after the last major attack which left 130 people dead.

MCLAUGHLIN: I wouldn't say people here are afraid. They seem to be going about their business as usual. People I have talked to say that they are accepting of what the government is saying, which is that France is at war, people here also seem to be accepting of what the government is doing as a result.

For instance, in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo attacks, a legislation was passed that it would increase government powers to survey its citizens, electronic surveillance.

[04:10:00] In the wake of the November 13th attacks, the government implemented a state of emergency, a state of emergency which persists today, which gives the government more powers to be able to do things such as, search homes without warrants.

And then in February, the government is expected to introduce even more legislation giving them more surveillance powers. This of course, in a country that fiercely guards its civil liberties and yet, today people here see these measures as necessary.

KINKADE: OK. Erin McLaughlin, thank you so much for that update from Paris. We will check in with you again shortly.

A CNN exclusive, we'll take you to the hometown of the Shiite cleric whose execution by Saudi Arabia has sparked sectarian and diplomatic tensions right across the Middle East.

Plus, CNN goes inside North Korea, an exclusive look at life there since leaders say they detonated a hydrogen bomb. But now another new doubt is cast on its weapons program.

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[04:14:58] KINKADE: Welcome back. Arab foreign ministers will be meeting on Saturday to discuss the attack on the Saudi embassy in Iran. Since that attack last weekend, seven countries have cut down diplomatic ties with Iran.

The violent protest were triggered by the Saudi execution of the Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr who is highly respected in Iran. His execution has fueled sectarian tensions right across the Middle East.

CNN's Nic Robertson paid an exclusive visit to the cleric's hometown in Eastern Saudi Arabia and met with his brother to get his perspective on what's been happening.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: As we approach what's become Saudi Arabia's most dangerous town, a digger dubbed by the towns people gouging out a sectarian divide, cutting themselves off from the rest of the country.

It is the Shia town of Awamia, the hometown of executed Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr. The police have told us it's not safe for us to drive our own vehicles here. We're in one of their armored personnel carriers. They say it's too dangerous for us to get outside of the vehicle. Just around here they say they get shot at, a couple of their officers have been killed right here.

An online video, we can't be sure when it was shot, purports to be a police convoy just like ours under attack here. In a nearby hospital, we visit a young victim of the violence. He is clinging to life, caught in the crossfire between police and the men they call terrorists.

He says his name is Mohammed. He's eight years old. But his father doesn't want to be on the camera. He's very concerned about it. And what we've been told by authorities here is that if he appears on camera, then when he goes back into Awamia, he will face problems.

Victims of the rising violence are increasingly common here. This man beaten in Awamia. He is a Shia, he shows me his injuries, shot in the ankle, his wrist broken and stabbed in the head. He tells me his kidnappers accused him of being a government spy, which he denies.

Our drive through Awamia however, is proving uneventful. Shops are open, no one shoots at us. Shocking to police. But not everyone is so surprised. Al-Nimr's brother whose contacted us here, he says it is safe for us to get out of the vehicle and go meet with him.

He's been calling for calm. We meet later in a nearby town. He defends his brother whom the government accuses of inciting the violence. MOHAMMED AL-NIMR, BROTHER OF EXECUTED CLERIC: (TRANSLATED) There is a

real problem in this country between the Shia and the government. It's a political problem about the rights of the Shias.

ROBERTSON: Since 2011, tensions in this tiny town of 25,000 people have grown. Confrontations between handfuls of youth and police have sometimes turned deadly. Protesters in the rounds. Police say they want to avoid civilian casualties and arrest the people they call terrorists.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MANSOUR AL-TURKI, SAUDI ARABIAN MINISTRY OF INTERIOR: We want to engage these people directly, then we know there will be victims. That is not allowed actually in our jobs. So, we have to work patiently.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: In Awamia, time is on no one's side as tensions here and across the region rise.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Awamia, Saudi Arabia.

KINKADE: For the second straight day, South Korea is blasting anti- Pyongyang propaganda across the DMC of North Korea. The loud speaker broadcasts started after the North claimed to have detonated a hydrogen bomb.

On Friday, South Korea's foreign minister spoke with his Chinese counterpart. China is North Korea's only real ally and has reaffirmed its opposition to Pyongyang's nuclear test.

Now for several days, North Korea has been celebrating its test and CNN is the only U.S. broadcaster reporting from inside the country.

Our reporter is Will Ripley and he joins us now from Pyongyang. Will, North Korea has just aired what it says is a test run of a submarine launched missile. And we know one U.S. think tank claims to have some satellite images which seem to support that but there is some skepticism.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and that skepticism when it was raised primarily from the South Koreans who often try to dispute North Korea's claims when they make a military announcement, for example, the nuclear test.

South Korea was one of the countries along with China and the U.S. to try to detect the change tin radiation levels which they haven't found so far. In this case, what the South Korean and what South Korean media have been saying, is that it looks like the images that North Korea released of this submarine-launched missile may have actually been edited clips of video from previous attempts at submarine launched missiles or previous videos -- videos that had been released by state media here.

[04:20:05] However, what is indisputable is the fact that the North Koreans are continuing to develop that technology, the technology to miniaturize warheads, place them on missiles and then launch those missiles from submarines or from the ground.

And of course, the nuclear test this week, just another troubling layer for the international community underscoring the fact that North Korea's military capability does continue to increase in spite of international sanctions and pressure to stop.

KINKADE: And of course, Will, there is a lot of skepticism as well about whether North Korea even tested a hydrogen bomb. What are people in North Korea saying?

RIPLEY: They believe what their government is telling them. I mean, it was front page news. It was all over television as well as newspapers and radio here, all state controlled of course. We visited a science center yesterday, talked to young students who spoke with pride about their country's accomplishment, successfully testing a hydrogen bomb.

So, while there may be plenty of skepticism in the outside world, we have not found any of it here on the ground in Pyongyang.

KINKADE: And, Will, given that China is North Korea's main trading partner and ally, is of course has the potential to win a lot of power there. We know the Chinese foreign minister met with his South Korean counterpart. Do you know if he's reached out to North Korean officials?

RIPLEY: We don't know at this point what level of communication if any there has been between China and North Korea over this particular nuclear test. But, yes, the two countries do have, as far as North, from North Korea's advantage point, is there by far, their biggest and most important friend.

China has sent a high ranking member of their Communist Party here just in October, hand delivering a letter from President Xi Jinping to mark a major national holiday here, the Founder's Day celebration. And China was blindsided by this nuclear test.

They were not given advance warning like they were during the previous tests the most recently in 2013 and also 2009 and 2006. So, China is under a lot of international pressure to do something about this considering they provide a lot of economic aid to North Korea and also are a major trading partner - the largest trading partner for North Korea.

But any discussions happening behind closed doors we certainly don't know about it aside from the official public statements condemning what North Korea has done, urging peace and stability on the peninsula and also urging the North Koreans to denuclearize.

KINKADE: And, Will, as I mentioned earlier, South Korea has been blasting propaganda into North Korea prodding its rivals so much that North Korea says the broadcast is pushing it to the brink of war.

Just explain for us how far that noise reaches. Can you hear it where you are?

RIPLEY: Yes, so we're in Pyongyang, it's about a two-hour drive to the demilitarized zone, 175 kilometers or so. So, those loud speakers would not have an effect, it wouldn't be able to hear them anywhere near the capital. In fact, the capital has its own loud speakers that are playing music and other messages throughout the day that we can hear from our hotel, people here in their homes.

So, the loud speakers sending music is something that the North Koreans use to distribute their own propaganda within this country. But what is significant about those proud speakers on the DMZ from the South Korean side is that they're sending South Korean propaganda messages within ear shot of hundreds of thousands of North Korean troops or station along the demilitarized zone.

North Korea has one of the largest standing armies in the world and that is infuriating for the regime that its soldiers who are tasked with loyally defending the Northern side of the peninsula can hear these messages from the South that could perhaps send messages to cast doubt or create suspicion in the regime led by the supreme leader Kim Jong-un.

And so, that's why the North considers that loud speaker propaganda are in active war. One official I talked to here said they wouldn't be surprised if there was military action with the North possibly sending more troops to the DMZ, like they did over the summer. But we haven't gotten any official response of information about what the North's strategy will be in response yet, Lynda.

KINKADE: Certainly an interesting tactic by the South. Some great reporting there, Will Ripley in Pyongyang. Thank you very much.

Well, the bush fire has burned for more than 60,000 hectares, that's almost 150,000 acres in Western Australia.

Allison Chinchar is standing by the international weather center. Allison, I understand that four towns in the South of the State are being asked to evacuate their homes.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN FREELANCE METEOROLOGIST: Yes, and one of those cities is the Town of Harvey because it really ramped up so quickly down there, it really didn't have a lot of chance to have much warning in there. So, they're asking people right now to voluntarily evacuate, but as the wildfires begin to progress, they may have do mandatory evacuations for the entire Town of Harvey, and maybe even some of the surrounding towns, as well.

And they are doing this because they look at other images. In fact, take a look at this one. This is inside of the Town of Waroona, this is from Western Australia. Look at the fire. Again, it's not just the flames that you can see. It's also the smoke plume that is out there and it stretches for an incredibly vast amount of space.

[04:24:59] Here is a look at some of the NASA MODIS imagery that we have. This is from Tuesday. Now all the white dots those are clouds, but notice we fast forward just one day, now you start to he see this grayish brown color. That is the smoke from the initial fire that was sparked by lightning.

Fast forward one more day, notice how quickly it spread. Again, these fires doubled in size overnight because the wind direction that we have really helped enhance it. Then we fast forward one more day and again, it's kind of hard to see because now you have all of these clouds from the convection.

You'd think that would be a good thing, having all these thunderstorms develop in the area, but the problem was we didn't really get that much rain out of it. All they really got was strong winds and a lot of lightning. And that's the last thing they need to have in the area because lightning was the initial cause of the fires in the first place.

Now, again, we do expect some rain, but the biggest thing they're looking forward to is the change in wind direction. It had been coming from the Northeast, now going to be an onshore wind and that actually makes it little bit easier for the firefighters to battle the blaze.

So, again, they are looking forward to that wind shift and it should be taking place in the next 48 hours.

Moving on to the U.S., we are talking about a huge bat of cold arctic air coming down into parts of the Midwest. Look at some of these numbers. Again, Fargo, average is minus 8. They will be minus 21 degrees Celsius on Saturday. Minneapolis, going from minus 12 to minus 16 tomorrow.

And again, folks, keep in mind these are just the temperatures. This does not include the wind-chill. Because all of these areas are expected to have about a 20-kilometer per hour wind.

And again, Lynda, one thing to note, the Vikings playoff game, they are playing the Seahawks, may go down as the coldest Vikings game in history on Sunday. Temperature expected to be 0 degrees Fahrenheit at the start of the game with a wind chill of minus 18. I don't even know how many layers you could put on to make that feel OK.

KINKADE: That is chilly. I think it's the type of game you'd want to watch at home.

CHINCHAR: Yes.

KINKADE: Allison Chinchar, thank you so much.

CHINCHAR: Thank you.

KINKADE: Well, still ahead, fugitive drug cartel leader El Chapo is back in custody. Now the Mexican government is under pressure to extradite the drug lord to the U.S. We'll have more on those developments just ahead.

Also, what police say influenced a man to ambush a police officer in the U.S. State of Pennsylvania.

Stay with us. You're watching CNN Newsroom. [04:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: Hello. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Welcome back to our viewers in the U.S. and around the world.

Here is an update on the top story we're following this hour. The extended manhunt for drug lord Joaquin Guzman, better known as El Chapo is over. Mexican authorities recaptured the fugitive at a pre- dawn raid in the Mexican City of Los Mochis in the Sinaloa State. Guzman had been on the run since he tunneled out of a maximum security prison in July.

The new majority of Venezuela National Assembly is joined controversy for removing images of the late President Hugo Chavez. Current President Nicholas Maduro countered it by hanging pictures of his predecessor in the capital plaza. Hundreds of people there were protesting the removal of the portrait.

In the next half hour, French President Francois Hollande is expected to unveil another plaque in Paris as France marks one year since 17 people were killed during days of terror attacks. This morning, the ceremony as the police officer Clarissa Jean-Phillipe killed by a gunman the day before he stormed a supermarket and killed four other people.

At least three tourists were wounded when two men carrying knives attacked a hotel in Egypt's Red Sea Coast. Official say one attacker was killed and the other wounded at the Bella Vista hotel in the City of Hurghada.

Back to our top story now. The world's top drug lord is back in custody and the Mexican government is under pressure to extradite Joaquin Guzman to the U.S. where he faces federal indictments and charges in half a dozen states.

Last year, the prisoner's escape spread criticism about Mexico's -- Mexican's ability to control Guzman that some saying he's should have been held in the U.S.

Earlier, CNN asked a journalist in Mexico City with intimate knowledge about the case to weigh in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAN-ALBERT HOOTSEN, DUTCH JOURNALIST LIVING IN MEXICO CITY: Well, the Mexican government is in a very difficult position. In 2014, El Chapo was arrested for the second time, the Mexican government said we have the de privado that he would have to stay 300 or 400 years in Mexico before any extradition could even be contemplated, and then escaped, which since severely damaged the level of trust between the U.S. and Mexican authorities.

And now there is an official request for extradition and the Mexican government is now in position in which it is almost -- in which kind of almost impossibly resist the demand for extraditing Chapo. But then again, Chapo's lawyers will most likely file more injunctions which could delay its extradition of an extended period of time.

So, right now the Mexican government is going to need to extradite him at some point, but it is still a -- the question is still how long that is going to take.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: And with El Chapo back in custody, attention now turns to his cartel and just who will run it.

Nick Valencia takes a look at the man who could replace El Chapo Guzman at the top of the Sinaloa drug ring.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: While El Chapo is behind bars, the cartel was effectively run by El Chapo's right hand man, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada. Now the next generation might be stepping in.

According to Mexican media reports, a Chicago-based drug dealer for the Sinaloa cartel recently testified that Zambada has reportedly been grooming his own sons known as "Los Mayitos" for the last 10 years. Many believe they're in line to inherit the Sinaloa drug empire, but Mexican officials have arrested three of Zambada's sons.

Zambada's sons grew up in dad's drug business. Drug was analyst still be a long mile, he tell CNN, they were trained to be just as brutal as El Chapo. Of course, El Chapo may have his own sons to consider, but leading crime analysts say "Los Mayitos" may be better equipped to deal with the dynamics of modern drug trafficking, technology and business strategy.

However, with only one of "Los Mayitos" not currently in custody, the organization that looks to promote from within may be running out of viable options.

Nick Valencia, CNN, Atlanta.

KINKADE: The U.S. special authorities say the suspect accused of ambushing a Philadelphia police officer on Thursday night had traveled to Saudi Arabia and Egypt within the past five years.

[04:35:04] The FBI could not say whether the man had interacted with any terrorist groups. Philadelphia police say the suspect said he shot the officer in the name of ISIS.

Miguel Marquez reports.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: These photos show a man firing his gun directly into a Philadelphia police officer's car and police say he claims to have done it in the name of radical Islam.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The shots fired. The suspect has shot. I'm bleeding heavily.

(END VIDEO CLIP) MARQUEZ: The suspect, 30-year-old, Philadelphia resident, Edward Archer, allegedly ambushed Officer Jesse Hartnett at close range firing at least 11 shots from his .9-millimeter pistol striking the officer three times in the arm.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES CLARK, PHILADELPHIA POLICE CAPTAIN: He pledges his allegiance to Islamic state, he follows Allah and that is the reason he was called upon to do this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUEZ: Hartnett managed to get out of the car and return fire hitting the gunman in the buttocks. Police arrested him and recovered the gun.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD ROSS, PHILADELPHIA POLICE COMMISSIONER: The bravery he demonstrated was absolutely remarkable. His will to live undoubtedly saved his life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUEZ: But it was revealed by the police commissioner that the weapon used was a stolen police gun.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROSS: It was stolen back in October of 2013. It was reported. And that is one of the things that you absolutely regret the most when an officer's gun is stolen that is used against one of your own.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUEZ: The FBI confirmed its involvement releasing a statement, "We are working side by side with the Philadelphia Police Department." But made it clear, "Philadelphia police are the lead agency in the case."

In response to this shooting and another attack on police in Paris, the New York Police Department issued an internal memo urging officers to exercise heightened vigilance and implement proactive measures at all times, reminding them that ISIS has called for supporters to carry out attacks on law enforcement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM KENNEY, PHILADELPHIA MAYOR: Our main concern at the moment today is the wellbeing and the health and recovery and rehabilitation of Officer Hartnett.

ROSS: It's both confounding and astonishing that he was able to escape it like this. And I can't say it enough for his bravery in how he conducted himself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Miguel Marquez is reporting there.

Well, still to come, the Donald Trump campaign has been accused of Islamphobia before. We'll tell you why there may be more of that criticism just ahead after a rally in South Carolina.

[04:40:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: Welcome back. A Muslim woman was escorted out of a Donald Trump rally in South Carolina. Rose Hamid wore a hijab to the rally and stood up in silent protest. The new U.S. presidential candidate linked Syrian refugees to ISIS. Though she said nothing, Trump supporters pointed and shouted at Hamid until police led her out.

No Jeff Zeleny has the details.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Now Donald Trump attracts protesters pretty much everywhere he goes across the country. No exception on Friday night here in Rock Hill, South Carolina. He drew a crowd of about 6,000 people or so to the campus of Winthrop University.

He fired them up talking about his pointed plans on immigration. His republican rivals, as well as his attacks on Hillary Clinton. But something changed about midway through the rally. There were few sporadic protest throughout the crowd. And then we noticed that one woman was standing up with a friend of hers silently protesting.

It turns out she was a 56-year-old, Rose Hamid. She's a flight attendant from nearby Charlotte. Well, the crowd quickly began to turn on her right around here and the police escorted her. Take a look at some of this video as she is being escorted out of the Donald Trump rally.

She says for no reason in particular, she wasn't saying anything, but on the way out, some of these supporters of Donald Trump were aggressive and rude to her. She said she was not scared at all, but she had this takeaway from her experience.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROSE HAMID, MUSLIM WOMAN ESCORTED OUT OF TRUMP RALLY: What happened when the crowd got this like hateful crowd mentality as I was being escorted, it was really quite telling and a vivid example of what happens when you start using this hateful rhetoric and how it can incite a crowd where moments ago were very kind to me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY: Now it was unclear if Donald Trump knew exactly what was happening him, there were protests breaking out throughout the event. But his rhetoric has caused some of these protests at his rallies across the country.

Now, he's campaigning aggressively in South Carolina which is home to the first primary in the South. But before that comes Iowa, that's why he's heading there on Saturday. He's watching a tough fight with Ted Cruz, the Senator from Texas. He's up by in many opinion polls including a new one by Fox News out on Friday night, up four points over Donald Trump. Which is exactly why Donald Trump is spending his Saturday in Iowa.

Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Rock Hill, South Carolina.

KINKADE: And Donald Trump used the rally in South Carolina to further his attack on White House plans to strengthen gun control. And he claimed that his main democratic challenger for the 2016 presidential race will continue what he sees as a clamp down on a basic right.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have a president that wants to kill the Second Amendment, we have Hillary Clinton who wants to destroy and take your guns away from you by the way. She wants to take your guns away.

(CROWD BOOING)

TRUMP: And frankly, you can't do that with an Executive Order. You know, you're supposed to sit down with the democrats and the republicans, and the liberals, and the conservatives, and everybody else and you're supposed to handler out deals.

And maybe you can't do it, but it's hard. You know, to do that is hard because it means you have to devote -- that's what I do, my whole life is making deals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: On Thursday, during a CNN's special Town Hall on gun control, President Obama firmly denied that he intended to deprive responsible Americans with their weapons.

He told moderator Anderson Cooper that republican claims to the contrary are part of a plot to deceive voters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, AC360 SHOW HOST: But let me just say, is it fair to call it a conspiracy?

BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA PRESIDENT: Well, yes.

COOPER: I mean, a lot of people really believe this deeply that they just don't...

(CROSSTALK)

OBAMA: No, no.

COOPER: ... they just don't trust you.

OBAMA: I'm sorry, Cooper. Yes, it's fair to call it a conspiracy. What are you saying?

(APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: Are they -- are you suggesting that the notion that we are creating a plot to take everybody's guns away so that we can employ Martial Law...

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: Not everybody but there is certainly...

OBAMA: ... is a conspiracy? Yes, that is a conspiracy. I would hope that you would agree with that. Is that controversial?

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: And (Inaudible), my colleague that the admin spoke with CNN political commentator, Jeffrey Lord. We asked him to his reaction to Mr. Obama's performance at CNN's Guns in America Town Hall meeting. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[04:44:58] JEFFREY LORD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: There is a pretty wide gaffe here on this issue. And, you know, it's too bad -- I mean, this has been going on for decades. And, you know, I notice the National Rifle Association was not there.

And I should say, you know, one of the Christmas presents I got unexpectedly to me from a relative was a membership in the NRA. I don't even own a gun. But I guess I how need to take that post- Christmas that I'm a member of the NRA.

And I would just suggest here that the White House has made a mistake. You know, they tried to make the NRA the bad guy here. For months and months and for all the time that he's been in office. And then they want them to come to this and this was a CNN event, not a White House event. But I think that the damage has been so severe here that there is just no trust. And that's not a good thing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, let's talk about the candidate's vast reaction, though. You have Donald Trump saying you won't be able to get guns, it's the same thing that we hear every time someone talks about gun control.

We hear that they're want to go take wanting to take your guns away. However, we did a poll, a CNN/ORC that showed, yes, most democrats said they assumed the president moderate plan to rein in some guns. But also republicans that took the poll agreed, as well, so the numbers were quite lower. So how does that square with what you're saying?

LORD: Well, the thing that -- you know, I live here in Pennsylvania. And this is a very, very sensitive issue. A lot of people tend to think of Pennsylvania as an urban Northeastern state or mid-Atlantic state.

And point of fact a fair share of elections have been lost here by proponents of gun control because we have a lot of hunters, a lot of NRA members, a lot of gun owners here in the state.

So, I tend to think that you have to -- the polls aren't as important as actual elections. And when we get to election time, boy, gun owners really -- gun owners really turn out. And I think that's what you have to look at.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As far as the republican field, everyone it seems just about saying that Donald Trump will not be the candidate, but now that we're into 2016, we have a lot of the candidates bickering among themselves this week. Who knows how far he may go. What do you think?

LORD: Yes, I mean, I have always been -- you know, everybody thought I was crazy when I said he was going to run in the first place. And then he said well, he wouldn't file and he wouldn't file his finances and all this and here we are. I really do think he's very serious. I think he has touched a nerve here in this country that was sort of out there before he got in into the race that had nothing to do with it. But he understands it totally.

And I think that this is, you know, sort of rocket fuel for his campaign. But one thing I would caution on, when Ronald Reagan ran against President Gerald Ford, the incumbent in 1976, Reagan lost not only the Iowa Caucus, he lost the next five primaries, and yet, suddenly he won the North Carolina primary and this went on to the convention where he lost 117 votes.

Four years later, he lost the Iowa Caucuses to George H.W. Bush, one in New Hampshire and then they sort of battled back and forth and went on until May, and then Reagan -- Reagan finally nailed it down.

So, my suggestion here, is this going to go on for a good -- a good long while here between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, and perhaps Marco Rubio and someone else, Ted -- Chris Christie, et cetera. I think this will go on for a while, but I think Donald Trump is very well- positioned here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And what does mean to the democratic field as far as they sit and wait to see how this shakes out.

LORD: They do, although just tonight, I was seeing, you know, how much strength Bernie Sanders has in New Hampshire. I mean, if he -- I think it's frankly unlikely, but, boy, if he up ends Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire, I mean, this is not - this does not bode well.

And just in general, I have to say, Hillary Clinton, whether it's Hillary Clinton or anyone else, the democrats held the White House for eight years. It's very hard, Ronald Reagan was the rare exception, he was able to help elect George H.W. Bush to what they called in the day Reagan's third term.

But President Clinton couldn't accomplish this this for Al Gore, George H. -- George W. Bush for John McCain. Dwight Eisenhower couldn't manage the trick for Richard Nixon and Dwight Eisenhower was a pretty popular president. So, it's a pretty hard road to hoe here for Hillary Clinton I think.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That is going to be some interesting months ahead for sure. Jeffrey Lord, thank you so much for joining us.

LORD: All right. Thanks for having me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Now still to come on CNN Newsroom, typically it's the female presidential contenders who face scrutiny for what they wear. Well, now the tables have turned. Why Marco Rubio is caught in flack for his footwear. The videos that went viral just ahead.

[04:50:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: Welcome back. U.S. presidential candidates are usually scrutinized for their policy proposals and not their fashion sense, well, unless they're women. But the internet went wild what one male republican candidate wore on his speech. Here is Jeanne Moos with the frenzy over the footwear.

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Marco Rubio may say...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, (R) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is the most important election.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MOOS: But it's what he elected to wear on his feet that have his fellow republicans and the press poking fun. A vote for Marco Rubio is "a vote for men's high healed booties," tweeted Ted Cruz's communications director linking to a New York magazine article with that headline "Man in heels," one reporter called them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my God, look at that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There they are.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, no, no, he didn't used of that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is it Marco is beyond -- this Austin towers, baby.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MOOS: And if it wasn't Austin powers, it was Harry styles from One Direction inspiring Rubio comparisons. When Harry wears his boots with heels, girls squeal. Will they squeal "I love you, Marco?"

[04:54:59] The heels add maybe two inches to the 5 foot, 10-inch Rubio. Reporters tried to figure out which designer booties he was wearing. Until the Rubio campaign told politico they were from Florsheims, or perhaps the duke. This duke dress boot will unleash that kingly appearance in you for 135 bucks.

Fellow candidate Carly Fiorina, flaunted her higher heeled boots tweeting, "Yes, at Marco Rubio, but can you can rock these?" And Rand Paul rubbed it in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAND PAUL, (R) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So, I'm in Whoopi Goldberg's office, I'm trying to choose some new shoes where seem Rubio has that cute new boots, and I'm wondering, well, I need some new, too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MOOS: Chris Christie might or at least some new socks since these two seem mismatched. But Senator Rubio's boots are made for walking. And to those who dare snicker...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you, boots? Dad is walking.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

KINKADE: Yes. Some high heeled booties.

Now most people around the United States are anxiously awaiting for Saturday night, that's when numbers will be drawn for the Powerball lottery jackpot. It's worth $800 million or less. It's also the biggest lottery in the U.S. history. And if there is no winning ticket drawn, the jackpot will only continue to swell.

Well, I think I'll have to go out and get my ticket today. Thanks so much for joining us. I'm Lynda Kinkade. I'll be back after the break with another hour of news from right across the world. Stay with us.

[05:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)