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Relatives ID Gunman Who Killed Two in Tel Aviv; Monitoring Levees in Illinois, Missouri; Putin: NATO Expansion Threat to Russia; Saudi Arabia Executes 47 for Terror-Related Activities; New ISIS Recruitment Video Features Trump; New CNN Film About Steve Jobs. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired January 2, 2016 - 11:00   ET

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


[11:00:00] FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Relatives identified the gunman who killed two people near a pub in Tel Aviv, Friday. An uncle of the suspect tells CNN that the person in this surveillance video is his nephew. And relatives say he is a 29-year-old Arab Israeli man.

And police say he fired more than 15 rounds from an automatic weapon, killing two people and injuring at least seven. The manhunt is still underway. And we should note that CNN is observing a gag order requested by Israeli police, and we are not naming the suspect or his family members.

Ian Lee is following the story from Jerusalem, so Ian, what more are you learning about this manhunt?

IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Fredericka, police units from all over are joining in this, including the Shin Bet, this is the Israeli version of the FBI. They have called this unique, complex and radical, this shooting, and also recently releasing a statement saying that the police wanted to expose all aspects of the event including the possibility of a victim in an additional area, the motive, and other elements, including the question whether it is about a murderer who acted alone.

So two really big things there. The police looking into a possible other murder that could have happened. We know that one took place less than an hour after this shooting north of Tel Aviv. They are looking to see if there is any connection there.

Also there is -- they are looking to see if he acted alone. Now Israel is a country with heavy security. There are cameras everywhere. They are going to be studying those closely to see if there are any clues there on which way he went.

But it does seem to be somewhat planned, as 24 hours later, Israeli police have yet to capture him. Although they are telling residents in Tel Aviv, go about your normal business, but if you see anything suspicious, report it to police right away.

WHITFIELD: And then Ian, relatives say the gunman is actually from a town about an hour north of Tel Aviv. Is there any explanation as to why they believe he may have been there?

LEE: Well talking to the family today, they told us that when they saw the surveillance video, that they recognized him immediately, although the uncle said he hadn't been back within that time. There are elements about this part of the investigation we just can't say because of that gag order.

And really that gag order is in place to make sure that this suspect isn't tipped off on what the actions the police are taking so that they can capture him. And really, they said their main goal right now, the police' main goal, is to neutralize the suspect and make sure he can't cause harm to anyone else. They still consider him dangerous, Fredericka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Ian Lee, keep us posted. Thank you so much.

Well yesterday, a senior producer with the Huffington Post happened to be at the scene of the Tel Aviv shooting. Megan Robertson is an American who was vacationing in Israel, and she called in to CNN, and then described what she saw.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

MEGAN ROBERTSON, WITNESS: I was in a store about five stores up, just north of where the shooting occurred. We heard multiple rounds of gunshots, and then actually people pulled over their cars, and this is something I had never seen before, usually in the United States, but leapt out of their cars, one man with a handgun, to go to pursue the individual who did this.

So it was a lot of Israelis and people here in Tel Aviv running toward the scene as other people got away from it. So it was a bit of a confusing scene when it happened. One woman, who, she spoke to Channel 2 in Israeli and also to me, she and seven others described how they hid in a storage closet in the basement of a bar next door.

One French woman who said immediately she heard the gunshots and thought of Paris. I mean how terrifying of her. And she thought it was possibly going to come into her store when she realized it was a shooting she had. So it was a very, very terrifying scene, but also, people were really, really coming together afterwards on the street and supporting each other.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And Megan Robertson said many Israelis she spoke with are very much on edge. So let's get more detail now from the Israeli police national spokesperson, Micky Rosenfeld, with us now from Jerusalem.

So Micky, you and I spoke yesterday, but since that time, help us understand this gag order, why it is in place, when you, according to relatives, do have the identity of the suspected gunman but you are protecting his identity.

MICKY ROSENFELD, ISRAELI POLICE NATIONAL SPOKESPERSON: At this moment in time, the Israeli national police are continuing operations in and around the Tel Aviv area in order to try and find that suspect. In order that our operations will be effective, it is important that there is a heavy gag order on all the details after yesterday's incident.

Our main emphasis is to try and understand whether it was a terror- related incident, or whether it was a criminal-related incident. And just over 27 hours since the incident itself in the heart of Tel Aviv, different units, special patrol units, undercover units, and border police are still in the different areas, making a house to house search and searching empty buildings.

WHITFIELD: All right, house to house search, searching empty buildings, are you compelled to increase the perimeter of your search, of your scope, or do you feel like you have narrowed it down to the right areas?

ROSENFELD: Well the road blocks that have been set up also around the city of Tel Aviv, we want to make sure that there won't be any further incidents whatsoever by that specific individual. This heightened security has continued over the last 24 hours since the actual incident itself.

Let's not forget that we had already New Year's celebrations that took place, and there were no specific warnings, no specific terrorist attacks that took place. Our main emphasis and what we are concentrating on, is finding that suspect before there is any further incidents in the Tel Aviv or any around the central area at all.

WHITFIELD: Do you feel like capturing him will be the only way you will be able to discern whether this was criminal, an act of just criminality, or an act of terrorism?

ROSENFELD: Well in any incident such as this, where we saw two Israelis killed and eight others that were injured, our response was immediate. All the different units arrived at the scene as quick as possible. At this moment in time, our units are responding and working in different areas in order to make sure that he won't act again, a lone individual act on his own, so therefore security assessments will continue as long as necessary.

WHITFIELD: OK, and in a statement released by Israeli police, there was a line about asking the public for help, quote, in exposing all aspects of the event, including the possibility of a victim in an additional area, and whether the murderer acted alone. Can you further explain this statement put out by your organization?

ROSENFELD: Yes, one took place this after the initial attack, which was at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, there was a further incident that took place in the Tel Aviv area. So first of all, we are looking to see if there is a connection between the two incidents, that's our first initial response.

And at the same time as we are carrying out the house to house search, we want to find out and make sure all of the leads that we have are concrete, we want to find exactly where the suspect is hiding if he is hiding in the Tel Aviv area.

You have to understand the central area of Tel Aviv is a main populated area with hundreds of tourists that have come in for the New Year, and we have to prevent any further incident from taking place. This incident is being looked at very seriously.

WHITFIELD: And then of course, Micky, we mentioned at the very beginning, we have for a few hours now, that relatives of this suspected gunman actually came forward and identified him, and that is why you are now targeting that person. But now what do you know about, or what can you share about relatives, to what extent they are assisting?

ROSENFELD: There is an ongoing investigation both in the different areas, both in Tel Aviv as well as other parts of the country. All of the Israeli national police are involved in its different districts, different units across the country, working, transferring information and intelligence. All of our emphasis at this moment in time is finding that suspect, and all the different organizations, security organizations here in Israel are working together to find that man.

WHITFIELD: OK, and then relatives say that he was once sentenced to five years in prison for attempting to steal an IDF soldier's weapon. Can you expound on that?

ROSENFELD: I'm not going to go into the details of the investigation itself, but as you can imagine, all of the different security circles working together in a very complex investigation to try and find that suspect. We don't want any other further people being injured, any innocent people being injured or killed on the streets, and that's our main emphasis at the moment here both in Jerusalem as well as Tel Aviv where our main emphasis is at the moment.

WHITFIELD: All right, Micky Rosenfeld, thank you so much for your time, I appreciate it.

ROSENFELD: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, now let's focus on what's happening in the States. The catastrophic flooding in Illinois and Missouri, where water has topped one levee, and officials are anxiously monitoring a second. Overtopped levees can lead to erosion, or worse, breaches.

This is all happening in southern Illinois downstream from where this flooding began earlier in the week in Missouri. Those residents are returning to their homes today to survey the damage, and begin any cleanup they might be able to do. CNN's Dan Simon is in Eureka, Missouri, one of the hardest hit areas. Dan, paint the picture for us. What are you seeing? What are people experiencing there?

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESONDENT: Well hi -- yeah, hi Fredericka. The floodwaters have largely receded, so now you're dealing with the cleanup. Obviously (inaudible) the various streets, the dumpsters, we have been seeing people toss in the furniture, the appliances, all the things that were damaged in the floodwaters. You can see that people have basically piled debris right in front of their garages, all kinds of things. These homes took in several feet of water. We're going to talk to a homeowner right here. This is Jason Peck. He lives in this house.

He told us -- well, we'll talk to you Jason. You said that this happened what, about midnight on Tuesday, you were upstairs I guess in your bedroom, and then you realized in the basement, you saw all the water coming in, right?

JASON PECK, EUREKA RESIDENT: Well yeah, we had been kind of planning for it, sandbagged, all that kind of stuff because we knew -- well we heard it was coming. And then we started hearing some rushing water, went downstairs.

Three o'clock is whenever it got real bad and started just shooting up through the drains, so it was kind of a lost cause at that point, so we put a pump in, and tried to get as much water out as we could.

SIMON: How much water would you say you took in?

PECK: All together, about three to four feet, somewhere in there.

SIMON: And how much did you lose, how much stuff did you lose?

PECK: The entire bottom half of my home. I mean there was my living area, there was my son's -- my boys' room, you know.

SIMON: Pretty emotional for you.

PECK: Yeah.

SIMON: This is a community that is not protected by any levees, so if you do have a situation where the water gets too high, we are talking about the Meramac River, these homes are going to flood. Is that correct?

PECK: It appears so. I mean this is the first flood that I have lived through here -- around here. I guess there have been a few in the past, but it's the first one I have lived through. It is pretty crazy. I didn't believe that it was going to get like this.

SIMON: Have your boys seen the basement?

PECK: No, not yet.

SIMON: Yeah, OK. So where do you go from here? Have your insurance (inaudible) --

PECK: I got the insurance coming out to see what they can do for us. They don't -- I mean there is no flood insurance or anything, it's just sewer backup type stuff, so -- which most of it was, in this house at least. I know some people got more, you know, flood damage than sewer, but got a lot of grossness in there.

SIMON: Got you. Well we wish you the best. PECK: Thanks.

SIMON: Thanks for talking to us.

PECK: Appreciate it.

SIMON: Fredericka, that's the situation. People like Jason just trying to deal with the aftermath, trying to deal with the cleanup. Obviously this has taken a financial toll, but as you saw with Jason, an emotional toll as well. People just trying to grapple with this situation. Never in their wildest dreams did they think that they would be cleaning up flood damage on the day after New Year's. Fred.

WHITFIELD: Yeah, it's a terrible situation, our hearts go out to them. Thank you so much. Dan Simon in Eureka, Missouri.

So while those residents do begin to clean up as best they can, the worst is still to come for some in southern Illinois. Meteorologist, Allison Chinchar is in the CNN weather center, so Allison, what do you mean by there?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well the reason is it is a delayed effect often when you get this. So let's take a look at the Illinois River. Again, notice the current level, about 23.36 feet. Now the record is still about 28, but it is forecast to get awfully close to that.

The key thing to note though, is they are still several days away, likely not going to crest until at least Monday, possibly even Tuesday. So with all of that water rising, it still has a little bit more to go. And here is one of the reasons why.

This entire gray shaded area, anywhere that rain fell in the last two weeks in this area, all eventually comes back into the Mississippi River, whether it's from the Missouri River, the Arkansas River, the Ohio River, or any of just the other basins, it's surrounded. It all has to go somewhere, and so it ends up right here in the Mississippi River.

Now St. Louis, again, has already crested, but the Illinois River, which is just north of that, again, that is going to begin to flow down towards the St. Louis area. The hope is by that point the majority of the water will be a little bit farther south in a few days.

Because look at this, Cairo expected to crest around January 4th, Cape Girardeau about January 3rd, but even when it does, again, it is expected to be the number one on record crest, meaning the highest that level is going to be for the water, is the highest it has ever been in recorded history.

And again, we already know of one levee that's overtopping near Miller City, which is right here on the east side of the Mississippi River just south of Cape Girardeau, but it is very possible that other levees along this area could also overtop, if not even possibly breach, just because of the sheer amount of water that is flowing down the Mississippi.

We go a little farther south towards Memphis and also Pine Bluff, again, the extended delay of a lot of these areas cresting. Once we get even farther, say towards Greenville and Vicksburg, again, number three on record potentially for Vicksburg, Natchez, number two on record for them again.

But notice the dates, January 16th, 17th. We have almost 10 to 14 days before these areas finally see their crest. And the problem with that is, it allows any rain, any rain chances we may have in the next 10 to 14 days to add on top of what these crests already are.

So even though we saw some of them saying they were going to be number four, number five, number six on record, those could change as we start to get more rain. If we pick up, say, an additional one, two, three inches of rain in the next 14 days, all those numbers could change.

Another area, Baton Rouge likely to crest around January 19th. This was very important for not only Baton Rouge, but also downstream near New Orleans, because as the water comes down, they will closely watch. They have the Bonnet Carre spillway, and if it looks like it is going to be just simply too much water, they will access that spillway pouring it into Lake Pontchartrain so that it does not flow into New Orleans.

At this point in time, Fredricka, they do believe they can catch it in time and not cause any problems in New Orleans. But I know many it is on their mind, fingers are crossed that they don't experience the same thing that folks upstream have.

WHITFIELD: All right, Allison Chinchar, thank you so much. All right, a new terror group recruitment video featuring the most familiar face on the campaign trail right here in the United States. Details on that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Welcome back, I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Disturbing new images from the terror group Al-Shabab, the Al-Qaeda affiliate releasing a new recruitment video featuring Donald Trump. The video claims America is quote, racist and shows frontrunner Donald Trump talking about banning Muslims from entering the United States.

That message comes on the heels of an earlier declaration by Democratic contender Hillary Clinton, that a different terror group, ISIS, was using Trump as a recruiting tool. So far, there have been no official responses from the Trump campaign to this Al-Shabab video.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, says NATO expansion is now a threat to his country. Putin has signed a new security strategy outlining the national interest and strategic priorities for Russia. We get more details now from CNN's senior international correspondent, Matthew Chance, in Moscow.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well this isn't necessarily a changing strategy, but it's making formal what Russians officials have really been spelling out for years, which is that NATO and the expansion of the military alliance, is seen very much here as a threat to Russia's national security.

Russia and the West have been at odds over NATO expansion for several years. It was the prospect of Ukraine being absorbed into the alliance that was one of the reasons that Russia annexed Crimea back in 2014, where it has got an important naval base on the Black Sea.

The new national security paper, which is updated every six years in Russia by law, says that Russia's independent and domestic foreign policy triggered what it called a count (ph) action on the part of the United States and allies. Well the paper is only the latest in a series of Russian statements that put Moscow and NATO at loggerheads.

Back in 2014, Russia updated its formal military doctrine, its official preparations to defend Russia with its weapons, to take into its account NATO's growing presence in Eastern Europe . At the time, Russian defense officials said that NATO's enlargement meant the alliance was getting closer to Russia's borders, and presented an external threat to the country. It's still the case apparently that that is what's believed is still true here in Russia. Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, coming up, Saudi Arabia executing dozens of people they branded as terrorists. We'll tell you why there are protests over one particular execution, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A grim start to the new year in Saudi Arabia, that country executing 47 people, all of them convicted of what Saudi Arabia says were terror-related convictions, among them a Shiite cleric who had been highly critical of the Saudi royal family.

One official said the executions were carried out by beheadings and firing squads at a dozen different locations. CNN's Jon Jensen is with me now from Abu Dhabi. So Jon, what can you tell me about this cleric and some of the criticism that he may have carried out about the royal family?

JON JENSEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Fredericka, any criticism in Saudi Arabia about the ruling family is very rare and also generally not tolerated. Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr was very vocal against the monarchy. The kingdom of course is a majority Sunni nation. Nimr was a Shiite cleric, he was living in the eastern region of Saudi Arabia, which is where -- home to the country's minority Shiites.

Now Nimr was extremely vocal back in 2011 when there were a number of Arab Spring inspired protests that broke out in eastern Saudi Arabia. We saw thousands of people head to the streets demanding political freedom, demanding greater economic opportunities. He was arrested, in part, for inciting some of these protests that led to violence in 2012. And after his arrests, more demonstrations broke out. Clashes with security forces led to violence and even a number of deaths.

We are already seeing, in the hours just earlier today, that his execution has the potential to spark even more anger in this very restive region. We are seeing that dozens of people have been taking to the streets in the eastern part of Saudi Arabia near Qatif, chanting against the monarchy. Again, that is extremely rare in Saudi Arabia.

WHITFIELD: And so people are taking great risk when they do protest something like this, aren't there? I mean what are the potential repercussions for citizens who express their dissatisfaction with the executions in general, or particularly of this sheikh?

JENSEN: Well again, if you look back at 2011 and 2012, 2013 when the protests in Saudi Arabia largely died down, that was because of an increased security presence. Now we are seeing some initial reports online that are not confirmed by Saudi's interior ministry, that a number of increased security measures have been taken, trucks being moved towards Qatif in response to this. But to answer your question, Fredricka, there were a number of deaths of protesters back in 2011 during that Arab Spring inspired era. So it could be very deadly if things escalate.

WHITFIELD: All right, Jon Jensen, thank you so much. Appreciate it. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, hello. Good morning again, everyone. Thanks so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. 2016 already off to a rather busy start, especially if you're on the campaign trail for the White House. Republican Senator Marco Rubio has been making stops in South Carolina, but we understand because of some travel issues, at least one of his stops will be canceled if not delayed today.

Democrat Bernie Sanders makes an appearance in New Hampshire this afternoon, and then later tonight, DonaldTrrump holding a rally in Mississippi, plus former president Bill Clinton will start making campaign stops on behalf of his wife this coming week.

And we also understand Jeb Bush, who was planning on making some campaign stops today, we understand travel issues have gotten in the way of his schedule as well. When we get more on all of that, we will be able to bring that to you.

Meantime, some very disturbing new images from the terror group Al- Shabab, the al-Qaeda affiliate releasing a new recruitment video proclaiming America as racist and featuring Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump. This video comes on the heels of an earlier declaration by Hillary Clinton that ISIS was using Trump as a recruiting tool.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We also need to make sure that the really discriminatory messages that Trump is sending around the world don't fall on receptive ears. He is becoming ISIS' best recruiter. They are going to people showing videos of Donald Trump insulting Islam and Muslims in order to recruit more radical jihadists.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, so to be clear, FactFinders declared earlier at that point that Clinton's declaration was not true at that time, so let's bring in our political panel, CNN contributor Bakari Sellers who's a former Democratic state representative from South Carolina, who supports Hillary Clinton. Good to see you, happy New Year. CNN political commentator Ben Ferguson is a conservative talk show host joining us. Happy New Year to you too.

BEN FERGUSON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Happy New Year, good morning.

WHITFIELD: All right, gentlemen, so this new video, a sign that Trump and others need to rethink how they talk about terrorism, Bakari, and their messaging?

BAKARI SELLERS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: (Inaudible) initial announcements when he attacked Hispanics and immigrants who (inaudible). And so what we have --

WHITFIELD: (Inaudible) because it's hard to hear you. So let me begin with you, Ben, on that, and how this video by Al-Shabab may in any way influence what is or is not said on the campaign trail.

FERGUSON: Yeah, I don't think it will influence the election in any capacity. I mean if anything, they got their idea from Hillary Clinton when she mentioned putting Donald Trump in a video. And if you look at this, terrorists will always find a reason to be terrorists.

They found a reason before 9/11 when America wasn't in Afghanistan, wasn't in Iraq. They found reasons in Paris. What was Paris doing around the world that caused them to have the attacks there? So you don't -- the idea that we will have a foreign policy that if we hug everybody and love on everybody and not call terrorists, terrorists, somehow we are going to be safer, I think it has been pretty clear that strategy does not work.

Look at what President Barack Obama has done. He's tried to shut down Guantanamo. He went early on in his presidency into the Middle East and said I'm going to get them to like us again. He pulled American troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan. It did not make us safer. We have seen the rise of Al-Shabab, we've seen the rise of ISIS under this.

So the idea that somehow Donald Trump's words are going to help, you know, terrorists continue to be terrorists I think is pretty naive to think that, because terrorists will always find a reason to kill innocent people, that's why they're terrorists.

WHITFIELD: So at the very top, you said that Hillary Clinton is really to blame, the inspiration perhaps because of a statement she made during that debate, as to why Al-Shabab is -- do you really think that?

FERGUSON: Yeah, I mean what she said wasn't true -- what she said wasn't true, first off. And the second thing is this, ISIS, Al-Shabab and other terrorists like this, they understand social media. They understand how to get media attention.

As soon as that was said, I'm sure they said that's a great idea. Let's throw Donald Trump in there, we'll get even more publicity because of this, (inaudible) bring Hillary Clinton into this, and it worked well for them.

WHITFIELD: All right, let me bring Bakari in now, because now I think we have a clearer signal. You might be able to hear me but not necessarily you, Ben. So Bakari, Ben is saying that Hillary Clinton may have offered some inspiration to Al-Shabab. or any other groups, who have now decided to use Donald Trump in their videos. What's your response to that?

SELLERS: Well that's absurd to think that Hillary Clinton is somehow influencing terrorist tactics. What we do know is that Donald Trump has stupified the political debate of this country. He's interjected so much hate, so much divisiveness, and everyone knows that Donald Trump is ISIS' number one recruiting.

So anytime you say that we're going to pick one group of people based on their religion, isolate them and degrade them, then that's not good for our country. What we're going to see in 2016, is when Donald Trump wins the nomination, Republicans are going to run around with their hair on fire, but our country is going to galvanize and show the world that we are better than a bigot xenophobe known as Donald Trump.

WHITFIELD: All right, we are just about a month away from the Iowa caucuses. And as we lead into that, I wonder, you know, Ben, do you think a Donald Trump or any of the candidates, Ben Carson, are likely to kind of change their dialogue, change their thinking, their strategy, as they lead into Iowa, particularly because, you know, Donald Trump, Ben Carson, are not the, you know, practiced, professional politicos?

FERGUSON: Well I think there's a couple of things here. One, they are not going to change what they say about terrorism and terrorists. That's something you are going to see stay consistent on. I also think that Ted Cruz is a guy that has been under -- basically under the radar for many people thinking he didn't have a real chance at this, and I think you are going to see him go to Iowa and do a very good job there, and moving forward, I think that can change the election.

But let's get back to this other main thing. This is probably the biggest political lie at the end of '15 and the beginning of '16, that somehow Donald Trump is the biggest recruiter for ISIS. There is no evidence to that. It may be the most ridiculous talking point by Democrats I've heard, to imply that somehow someone is joining ISIS or Al-Shabab because of Donald Trump.

They were joining before Donald Trump even thought about getting in this race. They were joining when Donald Trump was a Democrat, they were joining when Hillary Clinton was saying it was a fake video on YouTube that caused the attacks on Benghazi.

They've been recruiting for years now, and to say that Donald Trump is responsible is not only ludicrous, it's also irresponsible, and it shows a total lack of understanding of actual terrorists and how they work, and what terrifies me --

WHITFIELD: Well Ben, it can't be ignored though, this is now -- this video that has just been released, clearly, there is a tie-in to what is happening on the campaign trail to their recruiting tactics, or at least their attacks.

FERGUSON: Right, but they just did this video because Hillary Clinton mentioned it and everyone jumped all over this. They're not idiots. Terrorists -- these terrorists understand how to get media attention, they understand how to do it in a way that will be covered in the U.S.

To say that somehow Donald Trump is the number one recruiter of ISIS tells me that Hillary Clinton and other Democrats truly don't know how to keep us safe or fight terrorism if they think Donald Trump is the reason why people are joining ISIS.

WHITFIELD: All right, so then stop there. Bakari, then how does this change the game?

SELLERS: It doesn't really change the game. I mean to say that Democrats don't know how to fight terrorism, I think --

FERGUSON: You think Donald Trump is the guy that's creating terrorism.

SELLERS: Ben should just pick up the phone and call Osama bin Laden if he thinks that Democrats don't know how to fight terrorism.

FERGUSON: He's dead.

SELLERS: Yes, but -- no wonder, Ben, that was the point. But even more importantly, in this video, Al-Shabab didn't use a Hillary Clinton clip. They didn't use a Hillary Clinton clip. They used a clip from a xenophobic man. I mean they used a clip from Donald Trump. I mean there is no arguing the fact that Donald Trump has taken this political discourse to a new low. There is no arguing that fact whatsoever.

And it -- I am just here hoping that the country rises above this dialogue. You know, Donald Trump literally makes me miss Mitt Romney and other Republicans who actually had good common sense, who actually talked to people with respect.

WHITFIELD: All right, we'll have to leave it there, gentlemen. But we're not done. Hey, the year just got started. We've got a lot of fodder in which to talk about, if not today then the days forward. Bakari Sellers, Ben Ferguson, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

SELLERS: Thanks.

WHITFIELD: Happy New Year to you guys.

SELLERS: Happy New Year.

WHITFIELD: All right, one thing for certain, the political year that was 2015 could be summed up simply as the year of the Donald say many. CNN's Sara Murray takes a look back at the man and his quest to be the Republican presidential nominee.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm really rich, I'll show you that (inaudible).

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: Donald Trump isn't talking like a traditional candidate or drawing a typical campaign crowd.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am wearing Trump. I have my Trump purse, all about Trump.

MURRAY: From the moment he entered the presidential race, it was clear the billionaire businessman was playing by his own rules.

TRUMP: When Mexico sends its people, they are not sending their best. They are bringing drugs. They are bringing crime. They are rapists, and some, I assume, are good people.

MURRAY: Trump hurdled through 2015 sparking controversy and rampant speculation that his presidential bid could end at any moment. He insulted party leaders like former prisoner of war, John McCain.

TRUMP: He is a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren't captured, OK, I hate to tell you.

MURRAY: Even insinuating former president George W. Bush carried some responsibility for 9/11.

TRUMP: When you talk about George Bush, I mean say what you want, the World Trade Center came down during his time.

MURRAY: And Trump went to war with the media.

TRUMP: You haven't been called. Go back to Univision.

MURRAY: Making crude comments about Fox host, Megyn Kelly.

TRUMP: You know, you could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever.

MURRAY: And apparently mocking a New York Times reporter's physical disability. TRUMP: And now the poor guy, you have to see this guy, I don't know what I said. I don't remember. He's going like I don't remember, maybe that's what I said.

MURRAY: But instead of going down in flames, Trump blazed a path to the head of the GOP field, using current events like the terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino to appeal to anxious voters and launch contentious policy proposals.

TRUMP: Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what the hell is going on.

MURRAY: And rallying crowds with his signature call to build a wall along the southern border.

TRUMP: Build a wall. We are going to build a wall. We are going to build a wall.

MURRAY: Trump was no less controversial when it came to his political rivals.

TRUMP: And I found the card.

MURRAY: Releasing Senator Lindsey Graham's personal cell phone number.

TRUMP: 202-228-0292. So I don't know, give it a shot.

CARLY FIORINA (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think women all over this country heard very clearly what Mr. Trump said.

MURRAY: And facing accusations of sexism for criticizing Carly Fiorina's appearance in a Rolling Stone interview, saying look at that face. Can you imagine that, the face of our next president? Those criticisms not stopping Trump from calling Hillary Clinton out for taking a bathroom break during a Democratic debate.

CLINTON: Sorry.

TRUMP: Where did she go? Where did Hillary go? They had to start the debate without her. Phase two. I know where she went. It's disgusting. I don't want to talk about it.

MURRAY: And using vulgar language to describe Clinton's 2008 loss to Barack Obama.

TRUMP: She was favored to win and she got schlonged (ph). She lost. I mean she lost.

MURRAY: Now Trump faces his first real test from voters, the Iowa caucuses, just weeks away.

TRUMP: February 1st, get out and vote. Thank you, thank you.

MURRAY: He has made comments that could inspire a double take from Iowa's stalwart evangelical voters.

TRUMP: When I drink my little wine, which is about the only wine I drink, and have my little cracker, I guess that's a form of asking for forgiveness.

MURRAY: And tried turning Iowans away from Ben Carson, by mocking his claim of childhood violence.

BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I tried to stab someone.

TRUMP: Somebody has to be where the belt's going in, because the belt moves this way, it moves this way. It moves that way? (Inaudible) belt buckle. Anybody have a knife, you want to try it on me?

MURRAY: At one point, Trump even knocked voters' intelligence.

TRUMP: How stupid are the people of Iowa? How stupid are the people of the country to believe this crap?

MURRAY: And true to form, Trump ends the year warning voters to make the campaign worth his while.

TRUMP: If I don't win, I will consider this, and I mean this, a total and complete waste of time.

MURRAY: Sara Murray, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And straight ahead, as flames consumed a hotel in Dubai on New Year's Eve, a photographer was trapped on the 48th floor. Ahead, how he escaped while filming the whole unfolding crisis. Amazing.

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WHITFIELD: As Dubai rang in the New Year with a fireworks display at the world's tallest building, a massive fire was consuming a hotel just blocks away. The flames at the Address Hotel raged well into the next morning. Government officials say at least 16 people received medical assistance, mostly for minor injuries caused by overcrowding and smoke.

Hotel officials said Friday that the fire was contained and all guests and employees had been safely evacuated. Pretty amazing moments. Well s source tells CNN the blaze started when curtains caught fire in a 20th floor residence. On the 48th floor, a photographer on assignment to shoot the fireworks found himself trapped, instead filming the moments of his own survival. His story from CNN's Jon Jensen.

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DENNIS MALLARI: And this stay (ph) were my locations.

JENSEN: New Year's Eve is one night Dennis Mallari will never forget. The 37-year-old photographer was on assignment to take pictures of Dubai's fireworks display at the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa. But at 9.30 PM, his vantage point inside the nearby Address Hotel went up in flames. And Malari, trapped, scared and alone had to fight to make it out alive.

MALLARI: I'm on the side of the building, need help. If I go there, inside the -- try to go exit, I'm not going to die because of the fire. Because of the smoke.

JENSEN: He was stuck on a balcony on the 48th floor, great for photos, but smoke quickly filled the building, and escape wasn't an option.

MALLARI: This is my view at 48th floor.

JENSEN: The Filipino expat first panicked, then sent desperate pleas for help to friends and family on Facebook.

MALLARI: I need help. I had already posted that I'm here 48th floor, help.

JENSEN: He also kept filming to stay calm, especially when things looked the worse.

MALLARI: We were at the 48th floor, Address Hotel, happening right now. I can hear and I can -- I can -- I saw some debris falling down from the building.

JENSEN: After almost two hours, Mallari came up with a last ditch plan. He'd rappel down the building on a window washer's cable even though it wasn't quite long enough to make it.

MALLARI: I prayed, if this is my last chance then so be it.

JENSEN: As he started going over the edge, firefighters found him and saved his life.

MALLARI: You have to pull me back. I have a belt, I have support belt.

JENSEN: After walking down all 48 floors, Mallari was treated for smoke inhalation. He let his friends know he was safe, posting this picture. Then, he continued with work, capturing Dubai's fireworks just meters away from the building that nearly killed him. Jon Jensen, CNN, Dubai.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Wow, a photographer through and through, all the way. All right, the new CNN film, "STEVE JOBS; THE MAN IN THE MACHINE", premieres tomorrow night. Ahead, I'm asking an author who appears in the film about the unique qualities that drew people to Jobs and his products.

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WHITFIELD: Steve Jobs didn't invent the personal computer, but he did change the world, bringing humans and technology closer. That's the subject of a new CNN film airing tomorrow. In "STEVE JOBS; THE MAN IN THE MACHINE", director Alex Gibney explores what drew people to Jobs, despite personal flaws.

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ALEX GIBNEY, FILM DIRECTOR: It didn't matter. People didn't want to hear it. They loved this company, they loved its products, they loved the status symbol of having these things in their hand and looking at it all the time, and it just felt cool. And they'd stood in line for two days to buy one. And they didn't want to hear it.

I was one of those people who had to have an iPhone. I didn't want to hear about other products and I believed against all reason that owning an iPhone made me part of something better. And when it was in my pocket, for every idle moment, my hand was drawn to it, like Frodo's hand to the ring.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Everyone has their personal experiences with these products. Sherry Turkle, author of Reclaiming Conversation; The Power of Talk in a Digital Age, well she appears in the film and she's joining us right now from New York. Good to see you.

SHERRY TURKLE, AUTHOR: Pleasure.

WHITFIELD: So what was your sense of the relationship people had with Steve Jobs? Was it, you know, the product? Was it something about him, you know, his ingenuity, his invention?

TURKLE: Well I think it's an extraordinary combination of people feeling a connection with the product, where they felt they were touching him, and really not caring if he was a nice guy or a bastard. What they cared about, is that he understood something about them, because he invented a machine that was made for them, that would capture them, that would be an imagination extender for them.

WHITFIELD: You know, and people have different reasons as to why they're attracted to, you know, geniuses. You know, sometimes it's they just admire them, you know, others are hoping a little bit of that genius will kind of rub off on them. Was that a combination, too, as to why some people, you know, were just attracted to Jobs, those who had the opportunity to perhaps work with him, or be in his inner circle?

TURKLE: His intensity was so great, the intensity that he brought, the perfectionism, because he had a vision. He had a vision that the computer wouldn't just do things for us, it would do things to us. And he had that vision at a time when people really didn't understand that, people didn't see it that way.

Microsoft was building, you know, boxes that looked like machines, and Steve was saying, no, this isn't a machine. It's an intimate machine. It's a projection of the self. And that vision was hard to sell, but when people got it, they felt that he had touched something deep within them, because when they used his products, they were really touching him and his vision. And it inspired a deep, deep connection to him.

WHITFIELD: And sometimes, when people admire someone, they also want to like that person. But we know in this --

TURKLE: Not here.

WHITFIELD: Yeah? OK, tell me about that, because in this documentary, there is a space for conversation about the personal flaws and the disappointment, and -- or that he was kind of anti- social and not really a warm person. But why does all that matter, or what was your experience, or what did you find?

TURKLE: Well, my experience was is that people -- it's natural that people want to like someone they sort of adore for his creativity and vision. But people were willing to give that up, because you kind of couldn't. And --

WHITFIELD: You couldn't because why?

TURKLE: You couldn't because as the film depicts, he -- that was not his strong suit. The likability factor was not his strong suit. People knew about things in his personal life that made him unlikable. He was hard to work with, he was kind of dictatorial, he knew what he wanted and he was not afraid to kind of cut a clear path toward it. But people admired that tenacity and that drive, and wanted to be close to it. It was exciting.

WHITFIELD: Fantastic.

TURKLE: And in terms of the -- you know, it's funny, the movie makes the point, as it just showed, that people can want to be around these products, are compelled by these products, but at Steve Jobs' own dinner table, people and his children were not allowed to have iPads out and iPhones out. He insisted on conversation. So he also understood the power of these devices to compel us, and he knew how to put them in their place in his own family and in his own home.

WHITFIELD: Wow.

TURKLE: So that's also very interesting.

WHITFIELD: Yeah, it really is. It's a fantastic analysis, because it's just not, you know, cut and dried. It's very complex and that's what this hour is all about. And Sherry Turkle, we really appreciate your time today and we look forward to seeing you in this documentary. You don't want to miss this CNN film, "STEVE JOBS; THE MAN IN THE MACHINE". That's tomorrow night, 9 Eastern right here on CNN. We've got so much more straight ahead in the NEWSROOM, right after this.

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