Return to Transcripts main page

CNN NEWSROOM

Global Condemnation of North Korea over Nuclear Test; Obama Tears Up While Announcing Gun Control; Saudi Arabia/Iran Tensions Rise; Police Investigate New Years Sexual Assaults in Germany; Christopher Hill: World Must Slow North Korea's Nuclear Ambitions; North Korea Says H-Bomb Test is "Defense"; Hadia Pendleton's Father Talks Obama, Guns; Armed Protesters Won't Leave Refuge Facility; Sanders Goes After Wall Street, U.K. Seeks to Ban Trump. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired January 6, 2016 - 02:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(HEADLINES)

[02:00:35] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

ERROL BARNETT, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Errol Barnett.

Thanks for joining our two-hour block. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

We begin with breaking news and global condemnation after North Korea says it conducted a successful test of a hydrogen nuclear bomb.

CHURCH: South Korea's president says this test is a clear provocation. These are photographs of North Korean leader, Kim Jong- Un, signing the order. If the claim is true, this marks a significant advancement for a country which has only tested less powerful plutonium weapons.

BARNETT: The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting in just a few hours. It could take several days, though, to determine whether or not this test was successful as North Korea claims.

CHURCH: CNN's Paula Hancocks is in Seoul, South Korea, with more on this.

Paula, North Korean state TV has broadcast these photos of Kim Jong-Un signing the order for that nuclear test. They're eager to promote this, clearly. But we don't know for sure if this is a hydrogen bomb. What do we know so far about this?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, what we know is what we've heard so far from North Korea. They say at 10:00 a.m. local time, so about six, seven hours ago now, they carried out this -- what they call a successful hydrogen test. Now, as you say, we do not know at this point whether or not it was a hydrogen bomb. We've been hearing from one government institute here in South Korea that the Korean Institute of Nuclear Safety that the radioactive material would have blown east to the Sea of Japan or the east sea. So it will take at least two days for them to collect that material and then to analyze it. Even then, they say, it may not be they can give a definitive answer whether or not it was a hydrogen bomb. But as far as Pyongyang is concerned, they say it was, they say it was successful. You see the photo, Kim Jong-Un signing the order for this to go ahead on January 3rd according to North Korean state's media. It says that he issued the order back in December, the 15th, just a few days after he publicly acknowledged and admitted that they had the H-bomb, a time analysts queries and said was highly unlikely that this could have made a significant jump in nuclear capability. At this point, it's yet to be confirmed whether or not this was a hydrogen nuclear test. But the fact that this test went ahead is lead to go expected swift international condemnation. Meetings across the region are ongoing. There is the head of the U.S. forces in Korea and also the U.S. ambassador to South Korea and the South Korean foreign minister all meeting to discuss what has happened.

CHURCH: So yet to confirm if this is indeed a hydrogen bomb. How do they go about confirming that? If it is, and we don't know for sure, how significant would that be?

HANCOCKS: There are a certain number of ways that they can determine what kind of bomb it was. The way that the immensity of the exPLOsion, the kilotons that were given off and in the case of a hydrogen bomb, it would be far higher than that. It would be a significant level. But, of course, we don't know what kind of casing underground casing the North Koreans have. We know that they have been working on the site in the Northeast of the country over the past couple of years since the last nuclear test in 2013. So and the experts that will be analyzing any data that comes in, any scientific data, they simply don't know the conditions on the ground. So that will make it extremely difficult to ascertain whether or not it was a hydrogen bomb. But you would assume that they would have some kind of an idea as to whether or not it could be that because it is so much more powerful than an atomic bomb. The three previous nuclear tests, the first two, 2006, 2009, and then the 2013 one either plutonium or uranium. It would be a significant increase in capability if the North Koreans have managed to pull this off. Pyongyang has been very clear that they are trying to push their nuclear program forward. They blame the United States for this. They've used the United States as justification for this program. In fact, the announcement this morning at North Korea time was that this was in defense against the United States saying that if the U.S. did not violate North Korea's sovereignty, we will not use nuclear weapons. But if it is a hydrogen bomb, it is a huge jump in capability. But, of course, it is still a big if at this point.

[02:05:45] CHURCH: Indeed, it is.

And Paula Hancocks keeping us up to date in Seoul in South Korea. Paula, we will check back in with you next hour. Many thanks.

BARNETT: Let's show you some of the reaction to all of this. The U.S. is denouncing North Korea's claims of a nuclear test. A spokesman for the National Security Council released a statement. I'll read it to you here. Part of it says, quote, "We will not accept North Korea as a nuclear state. We will continue to protect and defend our allies in the region, including the Republic of Korea, and will respond appropriately to any and all North Korean provocations."

CHURCH: Meantime, Japan is vowing to join forces with its allies to take a stand against North Korea's nuclear test. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe went on national television Wednesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHINZO ABE, JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER (through translation): North Korea's new nuclear test is a serious threat to our nation's security and cannot be tolerated. We strongly denounce it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And here is what we know about North Korea's nuclear capability. Experts believe the North has enough plutonium for about four to eight nuclear war heads. It's unknown how many nuclear devices the regime has assembled beyond those tested. North Korea has an arsenal of short and medium range missiles and is working on longer-range ballistic weapons. The North did stage a rocket launch in 2012 that it said placed a satellite into orbit. But experts are unsure North Korea has the technology to mount a nuclear warhead on a missile and to target a missile effectively.

BARNETT: Let's bring in Mike Chinoy from Hong Kong. He is a senior fellow with the U.S./China Institute at the University of Southern California, USC. He's also the author of "Meltdown, The Inside Story of the North Korean Nuclear Crisis."

Mike, thanks for staying with us here on CNN as we continue to cover this breaking news.

The reaction and condemnation from regional powers, as we just showed you, even Japan to South Korea, that would be expected by the North. So would additional sanctions. Why is North Korea doing this now? What does Kim Jong-Un gain?

MIKE CHINOY, SENIOR FELLOW, U.S./CHINA INSTITUTE, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA & AUTHOR: Well, we've seen here yet again a situation where the North Koreans have seized the initiative, are driving events and forcing everybody to react to them. This fits a pattern of North Korean behavior that we've watched over many, many years. Having an enhanced nuclear capability has been a central theme of Kim Jong-Un's rule. It's one of the key principals guiding his regime. And the North has been making it very clear that that was the direction they were going to go. Kim himself spoke about having a hydrogen bomb a few weeks ago. So it's not altogether surprising that they would take this test. Partly, I think if the North looks around the region based on what we've seen happen after the previous nuclear tests. My guess is the North has calculated that whatever the fallout, it can withstand it. So far, there's no evidence that sanctions that were enacted after previous tests will any impact in terms of changing North Korea's behavior. The North knows that the United States and South Korea are not going to start a war with it over this. And China, even though Beijing is to be furious, in the end is unlikely to take the kind of harsh steps that would compel a change in North Korean behavior. So the North calculates this gives it some leverage if there is any diplomatic activity that follows and yet again, it's in the driver's seat and over other region and beyond to react.

BARNETT: But do you expect the North's relationship will China will stay as it is? It is the nation's strongest ally. It had been pushing for other nations to embrace the North. This alleged H-bomb test could be seen as an insult to those efforts on North Korea's behalf. How is that relationship likely to change after this, if at all, do you think?

[02:09:50] CHINOY: This nuclear test is a slap in the face to China. Beijing shifted its approach to North Korea in recent months. Before then, China had been somewhat more critical and standoffish towards the North. But in the past few months, a top Chinese official visited Pyongyang and was seen next to Kim Jong-Un at a military parade. China encouraged North Korea to shy away from further provocative steps. Clearly, that appropriate didn't work so North Korea is essentially poking China in the eye. For President Xi Jinping, it's a real insult. China will unquestioningly be upset. There is little doubt China will support some kind of international condemnation. But at the end of the day, what's more worrisome than if North Korea has a handful of nuclear devices is instability, collapse and implosion in North Korea. Therefore, my judgment would be that the Chinese are not going to take the kinds of steps that would inflict enough pain to prompt them to change behavior. At the end of the day, it's going to be pretty much business as usual.

BARNETT: Just makes you scratch your head and wonder, if previous sanctions and efforts haven't changed North Korea's behavior, what would?

Mike Chinoy, a senior fellow with the U.S./China Institute at USC, thanks for your time.

CHURCH: Still to come here on CNN NEWSROOM, the U.S. president gets personal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Every time I think about those kids, it gets me mad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Speaking about massacred school children as he makes his case for executive action on gun control.

BARNETT: Also coming up, Iran's president lashes out at Saudi Arabia for cutting ties with Tehran. We'll take you live to Riyadh with the latest. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) (SPORTS)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:15:44] BARNETT: As you may know by now, U.S. President Barack Obama unveiled his plan to reign in gun violence. He announced executive actions at an emotional White House ceremony.

CHURCH: At one point, Mr. Obama teared up as he described a string of gun massacres that become all too common in the U.S.

Senior White House correspondent, Jim Acosta, has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(APPLAUSE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was perhaps the most emotional speech President Obama has ever given in office, first embracing the crowd of mass shooting victims and their families on hand and then openly crying as he made the case for new executive actions on gun control.

OBAMA: From first graders in Newtown --

ACOSTA: The president wiped away tears as he recalled what he's described as his saddest day in office, the slaughter of 20 first graders and six adults in the Sandy Hook school shooting.

OBAMA: Every time I think about those kids, it gets me mad. And by the way, it happens on the streets of Chicago every day.

(APPLAUSE)

ACOSTA: Under the president's new executive actions, a warning to nearly all gun sellers to conduct background checks or risk prosecution. Plus, new FBI and ATF agents, $500 million for mental health care, and a new push to develop smart-gun technology.

To hammer home the argument, the president was joined by the father of Daniel Barden, who died at Sandy Hook.

DANIEL BARDEN, SON DIED AT SANDY HOOK: As a nation, we have to do better. We are better. We're better than this.

ACOSTA: And former Congressman Gabby Giffords, who was nearly killed by a mass shooter five years ago, her husband, Mark Kelly, is now a leader of Victims' Families.

(on camera): It's almost like you're a community of people now.

MARK KELLY, ASTRONAUT & LEADER, VICTIMS' FAMILIES: We are for incredible -- I mean, you know, unbelievable devastating circumstances. So it's not a community that people want to belong to. Just leave it at that. You don't want to be invited into that club. ACOSTA (voice-over): The new executive action stops short of a law

mandating universal background checks across the country. The president blamed the NRA and Republicans in Congress for that.

OBAMA: The gun lobby may be holding Congress hostage right now, but they cannot hold America hostage right now.

ACOSTA: The NRA responded saying, "The proposed executive actions are ripe for abuse by the Obama administration, which has made no secret of contempt for the Second Amendment."

Speaker Paul Ryan says, "rather than focus on criminals and terrorists, the president goes after the most law-abiding of citizens. His words and actions amount to form of intimidation that undermines liberty," a sentiment echoed on the campaign trail.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO, (R), FLORIDA & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He's obsessed with undermining the Second Amendment. He's obsessed with burdening law-abiding citizens who are going to follow the law no matter what it is.

ACOSTA: The White House says that's pure politics.

OBAMA: I believe in the Second Amendment. It's there, written on the paper. It guarantees the right to bear arms. No matter how many times people try to twist my words around.

ACOSTA (on camera): Much of the president's ability to enforce these new actions depends on Congress spending the money to hire new investigators at the ATF and FBI. Republicans have long said they should enforce the existing gun laws, now the White House saying those lawmakers the ability to do just that.

Jim Acosta, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: And later this hour, we'll have more reaction to Mr. Obama's plan. We'll hear from the father of a young victim of gun violence.

CHURCH: I want to turn now to tensions in the Middle East. Iran's president is lashing out at Saudi Arabia over its execution of a Shiite cleric. Hassan Rouhani says the Saudi government cannot hide its, quote, "great crime" by severing ties with Tehran.

BARNETT: The execution spurred protests across the Middle East and similar diplomatic actions by neighboring nations. On Tuesday, Kuwait recalled its ambassador to Tehran.

CHURCH: And for the latest, our international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson, joins us live from Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.

Nic, where is it all going and what efforts are under way to try to de-escalate the tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia?

[02:20:02] NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: There's certainly international pressure on both countries to de- escalate, both from the U.N., the United States. Of course, feeling how this may impact upcoming talks in Syria are going to begin on January 20th in Geneva. What we've heard from the Saudi ambassador to the U.N., this won't affect Saudi Arabia's participation in those talks. But the reality is once you get inside that room, Saudi Arabia and its allies -- and we saw them meet here in late December -- have essentially hardened their position towards whatever Iran's aspirations are in Syria. We know that they're there to keep President al Assad in power. So the diplomatic political impasse to try to get a peace agreement in Syria is only made more difficult by these tensions. There's no indication the tensions themselves are de- escalating here -- (AUDIO PROBLEM).

CHURCH: All right. We certainly had problems there and we just lost our Nic Robertson. We will try to get him. And if we don't get him this hour, we'll certainly talk to him next hour.

BARNETT: Germany's chancellor is expressing anger over what she calls disgusting assaults and attacks that happened during New Year's celebrations.

CHURCH: Police are investigating dozens of complaints that have added fuel to the continuing debate over immigration.

Senior international correspondent, Atika Shubert, reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): New Year's Eve in Germany has always been a rowdy scene, a fireworks free for all. But police now report dozens of women were sexually assaulted and robbed in the chaos.

Police say victims described the perpetrators as small gangs of, quote, "Arab or North African men."

"The men surrounded us. They touched us everywhere. I wanted to take my friend and leave. I turned around and in that moment someone grabbed my bag."

Only identifying herself as Linda, this victim says she is too scared to go out alone and still has nightmares.

"I thought the whole time in the crowd they could kill us or rape us and nobody would notice. Nobody noticed and nobody helped us. I just wanted to get out."

Other women agreed, saying there was no one to help them.

"We ran to the police but we saw the police were so under staffed they couldn't take care of us, and we, as women, paid the price."

But Tuesday morning, the headlines blared that a, quote, "sex mob" of Arab members attacked local women.

In a nationally broadcast press conference, Germany's justice minister said the scale of the attacks may constitute a, quote, "new dimension of organized crime," but cautioned against jumping to go conclusions.

HEIKO MAAS, GERMAN JUSTICE MINISTER (through translation): During these investigations, it will become clear which circle of perpetrators is involved. Making this an issue to over simplifications and connecting it to the issue of refugees is nothing more than misuse of the debate. Now, it is about determining the facts and drawing the necessary conclusions.

SHUBERT: Police have so far recorded 90 criminal incidents, a quarter of which were sexual assaults. One rape was reported. At the time, there were roughly a thousand people in total at the square. Not all were perpetrators.

Police say many of the assaults were likely distraction techniques. The real aim was pick-pocketing, mostly mobile phones and tablets.

Police are still investigating, combing through surveillance video of the area. But the assaults play straight into public fears that the influx of refugees would also bring a crime wave, fueling right wing criticism of Germany's open-door policy towards refugees.

Local residents gathered in angry protests at the site of the attacks.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): What happened here is terrible, but at the same time, not everybody who was here in this square should be incriminated. That is not acceptable, either. The perpetrators must be caught and brought to justice.

SHUBERT: Fear, anger and suspicion. The country is straining under the influx of nearly a million refugees, a tinder box that won't take much to catch fire.

Atika Shubert, CNN, Berlin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: Two major baseball players are suing the television network "al Jazeera, America." Ryan Howard and Ryan Zimmerman filed the suits in federal court in Washington Tuesday.

CHURCH: They accuse the network of defamation and libel after they were mentioned in the documentary, "The Dark Side," about performance- enhancing drugs. Howard and Zimmerman are seeking monetary damages and a retraction. The report also claims NFL Quarterback Peyton Manning's wife received a banned substance. Manning denies the allegations and is considering legal action.

BARNETT: When CNN NEWSROOM continues, we'll have more for you on the breaking news out of North Korea and reaction to its announcement of a nuclear test.

[02:25:04] CHURCH: Plus, reaction to the U.S. president's new push for gun control. We will hear from the father of a young shooting victim.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BARNETT: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. Thanks for staying with us. I'm Errol Barnett.

CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church.

We want to update on our breaking news story. North Korea says it successfully exploded a hydrogen bomb in an underground test. The U.S. says the claim may take days to verify.

BARNETT: Meanwhile, South Korea's foreign minister has just met with the U.S. ambassador in Seoul. South Korea and its allies have all condemned this testing. A hydrogen bomb is much more powerful than anything the country has tested before if this turns out to be true.

CHURCH: Earlier, CNN spoke with former U.S. ambassador to South Korea, Christopher Hill. He is also the former head of U.S. delegation to nuclear talks with North Korea. He says the world community must find a way to slow down the North's nuclear ambitions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTOPHER HILL, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO SOUTH KOREA: I'm not sure saying we're going to respond with strategic patience is going to get us very far. I think what we're going to have to do is discuss the U.N. There will be an effort to tighten sanctions. There will be I think further effort with regional countries, including China. And I hope there will be some understanding that we have to somehow retard this program in the way that we did with the Iranian program. And so I think we're going to have to think very hard about what to do because we can't just leave this one alone.

[02:30:00] I think the real issue is we need to find ways to make sure the program doesn't move forward as quickly as it's been moving. And there are a number of ways to do that. Technical issues. It's very sort of edge-of-your-skis tough measures. But I don't think we can just let this thing continue to grow because if they really exploded a hydrogen weapon, that is a serious matter and they're clearly getting close to putting it on a missile.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ERROL BARNETT, CNN ANCHOR: Let's bring in CNN's Will Ripley now joining us live from Beijing.

Will, you've been to Pyongyang many times. They always claim these tests are for peaceful purposes, but today the north says this is a defensive move. What is the message that they're trying to send?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there are multiple messages. One, North Korea wants to be recognized by the global community as a nuclear power, Errol. This is something that officials I spoke to in Pyongyang told me last year repeatedly, that they will continue to push forward with their nuclear program in spite of the international sanctions. In the last 15 years, North Korea is the only country in the world that has continued to push forward with these nuclear tests, 2006, 2009, 2013, and now this test today. And North Korea claiming that this test of an H-bomb, a hydrogen bomb, hundreds of times more powerful than the other devices, clearly this is -- for a nation that has very few bargaining chips, this is one bargaining chip that they hope, Kim Jong-Un, the supreme leader hopes it will bring others to the table. What the North Koreans want is to sit down with the U.S. president and have a conversation about normalizing relations.

BARNETT: And that's what's, in a way, ironic about this. Before this test, relations with the south were warming. The reunifications are happening among families. You note that this is maybe an aim to meet with the U.S. president. It is President Obama's last year in office. So do they not see that sanctions are going to likely result from this and that it really continues to isolate North Korea, as it has done in the past?

RIPLEY: But keep in mind, this is a country that has moved forward with very heavy sanctions for many years and they've continued to develop this program. North Korea, what it lacks in natural resources, it certainly has plenty of raw uranium untapped in its minds. Mining is one of its major industries and raw commodities are a major export for raw materials. They have the materials. They're showing they're willing to spend the money in spite of economic hardship. They've made this program a major priority.

Keep in mind the timing is significant, as well. Two reasons. On Friday, it is Kim Jong-Un's 33rd birthday. Normally, these tests happen around national holidays, major events. In this case, it must be a clear message to the world of Kim Jong-Un's power. But also, as you mentioned, this is nearing the end of President Obama's second term. It was near tend of President Clinton's second term that he sent Madeleine Albright to Pyongyang for talks. That was close to any sort of normalized ties. When the Bush administration took office, it all kind of ended. There hasn't been any movement with the Obama administration.

We'll have to watch closely to see how this all unfolds and how this process moves forward. Will it bring other nations to the table now that North Korea has shown its program is growing quickly?

BARNETT: It's a cycle of behavior we've seen over the past few years. If this test was successful, North Korea has somehow been able to make stunning advancements.

Will Ripley, live for us in Beijing, thanks very much.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. President Barack Obama held nothing back as he announced the actions he's taking, they're called executive actions, meant to curb gun violence. He blasted Congress for failing to act and his eyes teared up when he recounted recent massacres.

BARNETT: Mr. Obama spelled out the specific steps he will take and insisted he's not threatening the constitutional right to bear arms, the Second Amendment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We know we can't stop every act of violence, every act of evil in the world. But maybe we could try to stop one act of evil, one act of violence. So let me outline what we're going to be doing. Anybody in the business of selling firearms must get a license and conduct background checks or be subject to criminal prosecutions. We're going to hire more folks to process applications faster. We're going to do more to help those suffers from mental illness get the help that they need. We're going to boost gun safety technology. If we can set it up so you can't unlock your phone unless you have the right fingerprints, why can't we do the same for our guns? Second Amendment rights are important. There are other rights we care about, as well. Our inalienable rights for the pursuit of happiness, those rights were stripped from high schoolers in Columbine, and from first graders in Newtown. And from every family who never imagined that their loved one would be taken from our lives by a bullet from a gun. Every time I think about those kids, it gets me mad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[02:35:58] BARNETT: Now, this you could have expected. America's most prominent gun rights group, the National Rifle Association, lambasted the president's plan and his tearful delivery.

CHURCH: An NRA spokesman said, and I quoting directly, "The American people do not need more emotional condescending lectures completely devoid of facts. President Obama's proposals would not have prevented any of the horrific events he mentioned. The timing of this announcement demonstrates not only political exploitation but a fundamental lack of seriousness," end of quote there.

BARNETT: But Democratic presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, responded quickly and enthusiastically via Twitter. Here is what she sent, "Thank you, POTUS, for taking a crucial step forward on gun violence. Our next president has to build on that progress, not rip it away."

CHURCH: The Republican presidential candidates were not so enthusiastic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARCO RUBIO, (R), FLORIDA & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Gun violence is committed by criminals and criminals don't care about laws. They violate it. That's why they're criminals. So he's obsessed with undermining the Second Amendment. He's obsessed with burdening law- abiding citizens who are going to follow the law no matter what it is.

DONALD TRUMP, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & CEO, TRUMP ORGANIZATION: They're not going to take your guns away, folks. They're not going to take your guns away. Not going to do it.

(SHOUTING)

TRUMP: They're trying. It's no good. It's no fair. And they're not going to screw around with the Second Amendment. OK? It's not going to happen. So that's the way it is. That's the way it is.

(CHEERING)

JEB BUSH, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & FORMER FLORIDA GOVERNOR; I'm a strong supporter of the Second Amendment and I will fight as hard as I can against any effort by this president or by any liberal that wants to take away people's rights that are embedded in the Bill of Rights, embedded in our Constitution.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Surrounded by the people personally affected by gun violence, including the parents of Hadia Pendleton, the 15-year-old honor student who was shot dead in 2013 one week after she performed at an event at Mr. Obama's second inauguration. She was killed in a park just a mile from the Obama's home in Chicago.

Hadia's father, Nathaniel Pendleton, joins me now.

Thank you so much, sir, for being with us.

And I want to start by saying how sorry I am for your loss. None of us can imagine the pain you must have gone through.

So when you listened to President Obama's emotional announcement, with of his new measures to try and stop gun violence, what were your thoughts and how much of an impact do you think his new measures will have?

NATHANIEL PENDLETON, FATHER OF HADIA PENDLETON: Well, I thought that he was very authentic with the emotional that he was giving us. Whether or not I think how far this will go, I'm hoping that it will go very far. We need it. Too many kids, too many lives being lost out here, especially in Chicago.

CHURCH: This is certainly the horror, isn't it? I mean, do you think that President Obama's executive orders do go far enough? What more would you like to see happen here?

PENDLETON: Well, what I would like to see is Congress jumping on board to close up these loopholes. That gun dealers have, you know, to be able to give -- to get guns out to urban communities. You know, I don't see a purpose for us in Chicago to really have guns.

CHURCH: The Republican Party is critical of these measures. They say they wouldn't have made any difference to the recent shootings and they vow to reverse his executive order on gun control. What do you say to that and what would you say to Republican Party if you had an opportunity to speak with representatives face-to-face?

PENDLETON: Well, first, for some reason, I don't know why the Republican Party is missing this. Me and my wife, along with, you know, a lot of other people, feel that, you know, the Second Amendment -- we have the Second Amendment right and we do have -- we have the right to bear arms. So I don't that to go anywhere. I mean, I grew up with guns. My father was a district commander. He taught me and my brother how to use guns at a very young age. Me and my the brother has never shot anyone, you know? And the thing is, it's not so much that we're trying to take guns out of people -- you know, out of responsible citizens hands. We're trying to take guns out of the hands of people that are ex felons, that are mentally challenged, you know, things of that nature. We're not trying to interrupt anything. It's just that if you are a criminal, we don't feel like you need to have a gun.

[02:40:52] CHURCH: Nathaniel Pendleton, thank you so much for talking with us. Our thoughts are with you and your family. Many thanks.

PENDLETON: Thank you.

CHURCH: And just impossible to understand what he went through, what his family went through. And that is one of so many young people and older people who have been shot.

BARNETT: And he says he supports the Second Amendment. It's not about taking that away.

CHURCH: About having balance.

BARNETT: Next hour, we will hear from two members of the U.S. Congress on opposite sides of this issue. But they actually agree on one part of the president's plan. Stay tuned to see what that is.

CHURCH: On Thursday, join CNN for a special look at guns in America. The U.S. President will join CNN's Anderson Cooper during a one-hour live town hall event at 8:00 p.m. in Washington. That's 1:00 a.m. Friday in London, and 9:00 a.m. Friday in Hong Kong, only here on CNN.

CNN NEWSROOM continues after this short break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:45:00] BARNETT: Welcome back. If you're watching from the U.S. west coast, the FBI is asking for your help in tracking the movements of the San Bernardino terrorists.

CHURCH: They've put together a nearly four-hour timeline of last month's massacre. But there's an 18-minute gap. When authorities don't know where Sayed Farook and his wife were.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID BOWDICH, FBI AGENT IN CHARGE, LOS ANGELES: We want to ensure that we know whether or not they stopped at any locations, any residents, any business that we don't already know about. We want to ensure that if they made contact with anyone, that we don't already know about between those hours, or between that time, that we're able to fully investigate those matters.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Bowdich says the missing information could help determine the motive for the massacre, which left 14 people dead.

BARNETT: In Oregon, armed protesters occupying a national wildlife refuge facility since Saturday say they're not backing down for now.

CHURCH: The group is upset over land they claim the federal government is taking illegally.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMMON BUNDY, RANCHER: This could have been solved peacefully through the proper method if they would have responded to us. But they continue to ignore us and pushed us to the point where we felt we had to make a stand to defend our rights. So this, today, if something happens, know it, that it is because of the actions of the FBI and because of their intimidation factors and because of their commitment to protect and defend other agencies rather than human people, rather than Americans.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And reaction to the protesters has been mixed. Police have not moved in on the wildlife refuge facility since the occupiers took it over on Saturday.

BARNETT: And our Sara Sidner is there, and she reports, some residents don't want the protesters disturbing their town.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Authorities say the armed protesters at the Mulheur Wildlife Refuge need to leave, but the protesters say they aren't going anywhere.

(on camera): Can you give us some sense of exactly how long you might be here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a lot of work. It definitely -- it's going to take some months.

SIDNER: Months that some local residents in Burns, Oregon, worry could turn into much longer.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel like they lied to us. I feel like the whole protest march was a ruse so that they could do what they're doing right now.

SIDNER: There are some people that aren't ranchers saying they came into our community and took over. Why are they coming from outside into our community?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I understand that concern.

SIDNER (on camera): That group that now calls themselves Citizens for Constitutional Freedom are still here. It's now day four. We don't see any federal or state police out here and it is in the middle of nowhere. We're about 35 miles from the closest town.

(voice-over): The lack of police presence is a stark contrast to the deadly siege and confrontation at Ruby Ridge in Idaho that left three dead, including a U.S. Marshal in 1992. Less than a year later, there was the deadly raid in Waco, Texas, that left at least 75 people dead, including women and children and four federal agents.

(on camera): The word Waco comes up quite often when they start hearing words like takeover. Are you with worried this is going to end that way?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nope. America isn't going to tolerate another Waco.

SIDNER: But you're the only ones here. America is at home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, well, there's a neat quote from World War II that said we can't do that because there would be a rifle behind every blade of grass.

SIDNER (voice-over): The armed group says the federal government is illegally grabbing blades of grass from every land and they want to give it back to local ranchers and farmers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think they can do it in a nonviolent way, it will be worthwhile.

SIDNER: The group's leader, Ammon Bundy, is a Nevada rancher who comes from a long line of Mormons. But in a statement, the Mormon Church says, they "are deeply concerned that those doing this say they are doing so based on scriptural principals. This armed occupation can in no way be justified on a scriptural basis."

The group is made up of men and women from Nevada and Arizona. And while they do not call themselves anti-government, they are opposed to the Bureau of Land Management, a federal agency.

Sara Sidner, CNN, Princeton, Oregon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: Stay with us for more CNN NEWSROOM after this short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:53:31] CHURCH: Bernie Sanders is vowing to break up America's biggest banks during his first year as U.S. president.

BARNETT: In a campaign speech in America's financial capital, Sanders say Congress isn't regulating Wall Street. Instead, he said Wall Street's billions of dollars in lobbyists are regulating the financial sector.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, (I), VERMONT & DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let me be very clear. Greed is not good.

(CHEERING)

SANDERS: In fact, the greed of Wall Street and corporate America is destroying the very fabric of our nation.

(CHEERING)

SANDERS: Under my administration, Wall Street's CEOs will no longer receive a "get out of jail free" card.

(CHEERING)

SANDERS: Not only will big banks not be "too big to fail," but big time bankers will not be "too big to jail."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Meanwhile, the Republican front-runner will soon be at the center of a debate in London. An online citizen's petition to ban Donald Trump from the U.K. has more than enough signatures to force a debate parliament on January 18th.

[02:55:06] BARNETT: All of this stems from Trump's call for a temporary ban on Muslim immigrants in the U.S. The Trump organization says any action that restricts travel would result in the immediate end to future investments there.

CHURCH: And remember, you can always follow us on Twitter anytime. We want to hear from you.

More CNN NEWSROOM after this quick break.

BARNETT: And a debate between two members of the U.S. Congress on opposing sides of the gun control debate. More on all of that after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:59:32] CHURCH: We're following breaking news.

(HEADLINES)

BARNETT: A very big welcome here to our viewers here in the states and those of you watching all around the world. I'm Errol Barnett.

CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church. Thanks for joining us. This is CNN NEWSROOM.