ahead this hour, terrorism fears on heightened security. donald trump. compliments vladimir putin. >> and fans crowd movie theatres for the premier of star wars. >> we would like to welcome our viewers all around the world. "newsroom l.a." starts right now.

. >> mr. obama visited the national counterterrorism center in virginia on thursday. >> the president says there is no specific and credible threat to the u.s. this holiday season. cnn senior white house correspondent reports. >> reporter: it was one more attempted show of strength from president obama as he vowed to keep the nation safe from isis terrorists and their so-calmed lone wolf followers during the holidays. >> of course, when terrorists pull off a despicable act like what happened in san bernadino, it tears at our hours. but it also stiffens our resolve. >> after a rare briefing at the national counterterrorism center, the president said there is no current, specific or credible threat to the u.s. homeland. with that intelligence in hand, he urged americans to remain calm. >> so anyone trying to harm americans need to know they need to know that with we're strong

and that we're resilient. and we will not be terrorized. >> it's harder to detect and trust. >> to calm a jittery public, the white house has amped up the president's use of the bully pulp pulpit. >> the same opening apparently exploited by the california terrorists, travel visas for fiancees to travel abroad. only 22% of americans are confident that the government can prevent a lone wolf attack. while a wall street journal nbc news poll finds paris and the

san bernadino terror attacks are viewed as the top events of the year. and 71% of americans see mass shootings in the u.s. as a permanent part of american life. >> republican senator john mccain argued the president won't be able to stamp out the isis threat without taking out the terror army's capital of raqqah in syria. >> there is no plan by this administration to retake raqqah. there is no strategy. and that is indeed shameful. >> president obama will pay a visit to the families of the victims of the terrorist attack in san bernadino tomorrow enroute to his family vacation in hawaii. an annual trip that has been interrupted by threats of the homeland before. jik acosta, cnn, white house.

>> steve moore, a former special agent for the fbi. you heard jim cite an abc news/washington post poll says only 22% of the americans are confident the government can keep them safe from a lone wolf attack. with that in mind, what do you make of the president's attempts to reassure the american public? >> i don't think thaf ear very successful. this is the third one in a month. and right after the last one, we had the attack on san bernadino. i think people are seeing his statements you're safe and you're fine, and then a week later, you have an attack as really undermining everything he he's saying. >> if you look at what the president has been saying is that there's no intelligence that an attack is imminent. and that is essentially true. because what we're looking at is the intelligence of any kind of wide scale attack like a 9/11 or something of that sort. what they don't have intelligence of, and what is really impossible to try and pin down are these lone wolf attacks like what we saw in san

bernadino. it was a couple, but still a lone wolf attack operating independently. >> right. and that's what we were afraid of since 9/12/2001. these small unit attacks that are just the lone wolf. it's defined by someone who tells no one. i'm just going to do that because i know isis would love this. how do you -- there's no footprint for that. >> and you say, when we were talking about this a little bit earlier, you made the point, the only way to get a leg up, a step up over these people is to get silicon valley to get involved in the fight. >> they need to figure out what side they're going to be on. you're either going to encrypt your stuff so that the fbi can't even look at it for the sake of libertarian values. i understand that. but then you're also giving it to the trefts. so where do you want to come down? >> and the president addressed that. they need to talk to the technology sector to strengthen those ties. >> some of those families in the

u.s. ramping up security as well. >> disney parks here in california and florida announced wednesday they're adding metal detectors to their security protocols. >> wall street diz sooe isn-- w isn't the only one doing this. a spokesperson for disney released a statement on the changes. it reads we continually view our comprehensive approach to security and are implementing additional security measures as appropriate. disney will be randomly selecting people for a secondary screening using these new metal detectors. they're also adding what they're calling visible and nonvisible security measures at all of their parks. these measures include the use of specially trained dogs to patrol key areas. some of the other changes you might notice if you head to a disney park. they are discontinuing the sale of toy guns on disney property,

and they're no longer allowing people to bring a toy gun to the theme parks. if you're 14 or older, you also wont be able to wear any cost e costumes at any of the parks. the new toy gun policy they say is being done to make sure a toy gun doesn't cause a distraction or create confusion for their cast members and security personnel in these parks. they note that very few people actually bring these items. they anticipate the impact will be minor. the costume policy, they say, is to allow security to better screen people at their parks. cnn, miami. >> steve moore, if you look at the way the security in these parks have been up until this point, sort of this subtle behind the scenes not very visible security. so now we've got this very visible security, metal detectors and increased police presence. i guess is this now an admission that the previous arraignments didn't go far enough to prevent possible attacks? >> i think it's an indicator

that they're trying to be as measured as they can. until you get to a point where you feel that you can not adequately secure the park due to these kinds of small unit attacks, i think it's appropriate that they didn't have their metal detectors. but now i think it is appropriate. >> are these the best measures to put in place for the so-called soft targets? >> we're learning as we go along. they're good measures. i like the fact that it's random. that it's not every single person. terrorists are risk adverse. if it's a 1 in 10 chance they get caught, it may dissuade them. >> this isn't just about terrorism, though, is it? this kind of security is also aimed at preventing mass shootings as well. a soft starting for a terrorist attack is a soft target for a mas shooting. you see it happening at movie theatres. >> you're absolutely correct. are we going to have to walk through a metal detector to go

to a movie? >> the answer is maybe. >> the reality that people live their lyes in this brand-new environment, people have to come to term, that is going to change. >> life is going to change. we saw what happened at the airports after 9/11. that's a good model for what we may see in the rest of society. >> then it comes back to the issue of the policing and with the tech sector to try to figure out the chatter online and where the intelligence is coming from. if there's no strengthening ties with the technology sector, how much of a hole is there in the intelligence gathering? >> there's a huge hole if you can not see the day to day communications of suspected terrorists. i understand the libertarian concerns about this. you don't want a police state. but at the same time, you don't want to have to be picking up bodies from christmas parties. >> steve moore, stark terms.

appreciate it thank you. >> police here in california have arrested the friend of san bernadino terrorist syd rizwan farook. investigators believe enrique marquez bought two assault rifles used in the december 2nd attack. >> his lawyer declined to comment, leaving the course. kyung lah has details. >> john and isha, enrique marquez has been known now as the gun buyer, but a federal complaint paints a much more detailed picture. as recently as four years ago, he plotted with farook, according to the complaint, some terrifying attacks in southern california. just hours after the terrorist attack in san bernadino, enrique marquez called 911. according to a federal complaint, he told the operator, he was the shooter, talking about syed rizwan farook. marquez said the exploetive used my gun in the shooting.

those ar-15 rifles were purch e purchased by marquez in late 2011 and early 2012. why? they were childhood friends. farook first introduced marquez to islam. marquez would convert in 2007. the complaint says in 2010, farook also introduced marquez to radical islamic ideas, like the lectures of anwar al alaki. the men discussed attacks, using homemade pipe bombs and their newly purchased rifles. first on a nearby riverside city college. and on an orange county california freeway, deploying their pipe bombs during rush hour, then gunning down drivers who tried to flee. investigators say marquez also purchased explosives, a bottle of smokeless powder when he bought the guns. that explosive powder was found in the undetonated bombs in the san bernadino attack and also

traced back to farook's apartment. >> at this point in the investigation, marquez can supply a lot of information. that's a critical thing is that he can fill in a lot of blanks about a time period that electronically the fbi may not be able to recover at this point. >> the terror plot stunned marquez's family who remained out of public view, telling reporters only that he was, quote, a good boy. >> he couldn't fight his way out of a wet paper bag. >> marquez worked at the bar for three years. marquez never mentioned his sham marriage to farook's relative. he never talked about the hobby he would tell investigators -- building pipe bombs with farook, or the guns he bought that would murder and terrorize his community. >> that's what makes him so spooky. he's just a normal, everyday joe blow that you don't give the time of day to. and then the next thing you know -- >> marquez made an initial court appearance. it was very brief. only about five to seven minutes. he did not enter a plea.

he will be held in custody, and there is another court hearing next week. john, isha? >> kyung, thank you. the russian president vladimir putin and u.s. presidential candidate donald trump are sharing admiration. trump says he thinks he could get along with putin. >> however, trump isn't doing well getting along with members of his own party or u.s. allies. dana bash explains. >> vladimir putin is all about projecting strength. that's what his shirtless horse back riding is all about. so it should probably come as no surprise that putin admires the gop candidate obsessed with winning, saying this about donald trump. >> he is a very flamboyant man, very talented, no doubt about that. >> warm words, no doubt prompted by the fact that other gop candidates slam putin for

intervening in syria, trump praised him. and he welcomed putin's statement saying it's always so a great honor to be complimented by a man who's highly respected in russia and beyond. but outside of russia, more are concerned about trump than complimentary, especially after his call to temporarily stop muslims come into america. >> we have to stop muslims. does that make sense, by the way? britain's prime minister took the unusual step of slamming trump from the floor of parliament. >> i think his remarks are divisive, stupid and wrong and i think if he came to our country i think he would unite all of us against him. >> trump did a difficult feat -- united i unitedi uniteding the arab and israel world against him. you are not only a disgrace to the gop but all of america. withdraw from the presidential race as you will never win. that criticism is not likely to matter much to conservative primary voters who like trump's

tough talk from the trail to late night tv. >> do you think jeb bush is scared of you or just scared in general? >> i think he's scared. i defined him. i gave him this term low energy. i said he's a low energy individual. >> but earning an endorsement of sorts from the calculating russian leader may not go over so well with republicans. perhaps trump can send everyone, including putin, a mock trump children's book by jimmy kimmel. >> winners get rich while sad little losers just sit there and bitch. >> donald trump actually did admit earlier tonight if he did not win the election he will, in fact, be a loser. so that was a big admission from the republican front-runner. a short break here, prosecutors have charged martin shrelki with

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>> jose mourinho has been sacked just seven months after leading chelsea to the title, but they're struggling this season. >> they lost nine out of the past 16 games and is currently sitting at 16th in the premier league, a statement on the club's website says they pardon the company by mutual cob sent. >> now, a u.s. executive who outraged the nation is facing fraud charges. u.s. federal authorities arrested martin shkreli. >> he jacked up the price by a drugs used by aids patient by more than 5,000%.

>> a commentator joins us now. always good to have you with us. break down what this shkreli was doing. >> it's a basic bonzi scheme. he was taking assets and stock in his current company and using it to pay off debt from hedge funds and other companies he had been involved in. and that's what's landed him in a lot of trouble. ear talking about serious charge, securities fraud and other charges that could, you know, cause him to go to jail for a pretty long time. we're talking about 20 years if he is convicted of everything that he's been charged of today. >> the u.s. attorney was actually asked -- i guess this is why he's so known out there, because of jacking up the price of the medication.

if it turns up that is part of this, is that a criminal act? can he face charges from that? >> i think what we're hearing from the u.s. attorney is that there's a lot more we don't know about this case, and there are likely to be additional charges. you're correct in stating the $750 pill for very serious aids patients is not a part of this current indictment, but that act, the act of jacking up that medication 5,000% is under investigation by the u.s. attorney and may result in additional charges. right now, this is about the biotech company that he was currently working for. he was fired from that company and there's a $65 million lawsuit by that company saying that he misused assets and money from that company. >> so let me ask you this -- when a state's attorney brings a case like this, this man is so publicly and lays out all these

charges is that because by this age, could we say for certain that they feel they've got a pretty good case and it's a slam dunk case? >> absolutely. we're talking about federal charges brought by the u.s. attorney in brooklyn. we're talking months and months of investigations. these charges aren't brought unless there's evidence. unless there's going to be substantial document stair evidence and witnesses who are going to testify to allow the prosecution hopefully in case to get an indictment, to get an actual conviction. to i think what's so troubling about this defendant is his attitude. he's been so arrogant and flippant. when we talk about these ponzi schemes and people involved in securities fraud, they're taking the investments, they're taking life savings from individuals. and some of them will never recover. so these are people's lives that we're talking about. >> if this guy shkreli hadn't been so notorious in doing what he did with the medication

prices, firstly, would he have been arrested? because, you know, security fraud happens all the time on wall street. i mean, there's $1 1 million involved here, which is a lot of money, but not huge in wall street sense. did he some way bring it on to himself by being such a notorious person? >> clearly he invited unwanted attention. to go on social media, to use the news media in the way that he did and to make such bold and arrogant statements, again, involving people's lives. people who are trying to get access to this very important medication and he was asked over and over again to reduce the pricing and he just laughed it off. so yes -- >> he literally laughed it off. he tweeted lol to hillary clinton. >> if you're going to be engaged in crime, don't go around tweeting about it. don't draw unnecessary attention to yourself, because you might find yourself in a federal indictment the way that he has.

>> how quickly do you expect this to move? >> these cases take a long time. so we'll be watching this for a while. it could take a year before he actually goes to trial. it could take up to two years. as we know, the investigation is ongoing, so there may be some additional charges filed even beyond what was announced today. >> always good to have you with us. >> thanks. >> and federal authorities want everyone to know they do not have shkreli's copy of a $2 million copy of wu tang album. >> he wanted to keep it away from everybody. the fbi says they do not have a seizure warrant and therefore, did not grab the album. >> pleased they made that clear. the new star wars movie is finally playing in north america. feedback from fans lucky enough to be the first to see it. thumb's or thumb's down? what are folks saying? >> they loved the movie.

and now we're in between showings here at the chinese theatre. steeped in tradition where they show the first one. we'll tell you more about it in just a second. what's your feel right now going into this? >> i'm just so excited, you know? we've waited 30 years for this. and so this is going to be a fantastic night. i think everybody is really pumped up. and just really excited to see the movie. >> well put .enjoy the film. there you have it, isha. you can see the sense of anticipation here at the chinese theatre in hollywood. fans are just absolutely fired up to say the least. we'll h v more on all of this in just a little while. back to you.

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you are watching cnn news room live from los angeles. i'm isha sesay. >> i'm john vause. time to check the headlines at this hour. police in california have arrested the friends of a san bernadino terrorist, enrique marquez is charged with providing material support for terrorism, making false statements and immigration fraud. investigators believe he bought two assault rifles used in the december 2nd attack. >> u.s. prosecutors have charged mart martin shkreli with fraud. he made wave whence he jakd up the price of a potentially life-saving drug by 5,000%. >> vlad mire putin said donald trump is the at-bats absolute

leader in the presidential race. trump said he would get along very well with the russian leader. while russia may be softening its starts with assad remaining in power. they're meeting in new york friday for a third time to discuss the country's transition amid an ongoing civil war 37. >> moscow stuck by al-assad but russia now accepts he may need to step down event eventually as part of the peace process. >> russia continues to intervene on assad's behalf. >> matthew chance is embedded with his military at a base. and on thursday, he visited a russian warship to witness the fight firsthand. >> reporter: we were ferried offshore by the russian military. this really is extraordinary access that we're gting to russia's military operations in

iran and syria. we' been brought off the coast of syria. now we're in the eastern mediterranean. and we're just about to go onboard that ship there. it's a missile cruiser. on shore, we found out why it's such a formidable similar bomb of the russian power. after the shoot down of a russian war plane last month, the kremlin vowed to destroy anything that threatens its aircraft in syria. the captain told me his ship, bru brisling with anti-aircraft missiles was sent as a warning on the direct orders of a furious russian president, vladimir putin. >> this is a tlitenning weapon and we have noticed a significant decrease in activity in the skies over syria. >> other countries bombing syria in, in other words, have taken notice.

of it's an extremely impressive and military hardware out here in the eastern mediterranean. it's a missile cruiser. you can see it has these enormous missile launching tube which is is carry a nuclear missile, though we're told they're not onboard at the moment. it has a big gun to defend itself, but most importantly, this shift has very sophisticated surface to aramisles. and that's why it's been deployed here off the coast of syria to provide air defenses for the russian war planes who carry out their air strikes back there in syria. >> targets across syria, firing missiles from ships in the kas peian sea, and from a submarine in the mediterranean. so far, the they have yet to

file a shot in anger, but its mere presence off syria is delivering a powerful message. matthew chance, cnn onboard the missile user. still to come here on cnn news room, the new star wars movie could break box office records for a weekend opener. but that's just a start. the possibility of a flare swas almost always on my mind. thinking about what to avoid, where to go... and how to deal with my uc. to me, that was normal. until i talked to my doctor. she told me that humira helps people like me get uc under control and keep it under control when certain medications haven't worked well enough. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems,

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>> fans all over the world are lining up to see star wars. some have been lining up for days. >> it sounds like you don't understand why. >> it has shattered the record for presales.

>> i wouldn't camp out. >> the movie opens here on friday in wide release, but trickled into a few theatres thursday. >> and outside one los angeles theatre to get stom of the reaction from the lucky fans who were first to see it. so paul, what are they saying there? i've got a question, if star track fans s are trekkies, wha are star wars fans? >> john and isha, this is the man's chinese theatre in hollywood where they showed the premier for the original in '77. so it's steeped in tradition. they came out here, bought ticket online. and look at this family that's come from singapore. brothers and sisters. they were among the first to see it here in the world. what was the experience like for you? >> it was so crazy. it was mind blowing. like being in there. the atmosphere, the excitement, it was going on. like all the fans in one roof, it was crazy. >> and what was it like for you?

>> kind of scary. >> kind of scary. are you going to be okay now? >> yeah. >> and you're dresed nicely as well. what did you think about this? >> i thought it was very good. i thought everything was enjoyable, everything was exciting. it was definitely worth coming down here. >> there ufr it. this is truly a global phenomenon, especially when you come to the chinese theatre. so many people like to come down here and visit. and this movie back in 1977, the first star wars played here for 62 weeks. and you get a sense in talking to the people with this theatre that this is indeed going to be the blockbuster that everyone is predicting. and they're hoping, you know, not only is it just a great movie and everyone enjoys it. but don't forget, our leading export here in america is entertain. and they're hoping it re-energizes the film business. john, isha? >> hey, paul, why did the angry jed die cross the road? to get to the dark side.

what did obi wan tell luke when he had trouble eating chinese food? use the fork, luke. >> all i can do is apologize. >> is there any doubt that if you had the chance, you would leave your set? because we're about a mile away from you and you would run down here? >> i would be there in a heartbeat. i would. i really want to see the movie, but i just don't want to sleep on pavement for a week and not shower or anything. >> i'm sure we could find an outfit for you as well. >> i'm sure you could. thanks, paul. >> thank you, paul. i appreciate it. i give up on you. >> okay. the holiday is after this. >> you have not treated episode vii with the respect that it deserves. star wars the force awhackens is proving to be a cash cow for disney. >> a look at how the franchise

is bringing in the billions. >> it might be the biggest premier in movie history. "star wars -- the force awhacak" is expected to bring in $200 million just in the united states this opening weekend. it's the first new star wars movie since disney bought lucas film back in 2012. but the media giant didn't need to wait for opening night to start cashing in. star wars toys, comic books, video games. disney has been selling them all for months, starting with the splashy merchandise launch party back in september called force friday. some are hailing the decision to buy lucas film for $4 billion as the deal of the century 37. >> we're seeing interest in this film unlike any other movie that's been made. so it's so far defying all logic. but we'll see. we think it's going to do well but we don't know how well. >> i think the $4 billion investment that disney made in

lucas film a few years ago is going to return perhaps many multiples of that over time. >> star wars will be franchised, merchandised, sequeled, prequeled, video gamed, theme parked, digitized and serialized. it's a strategy disney has moved before. buying pixar in 2006 for $7 billion and marvel for $4 billion three years later. the playbook is the same, buy a company with great characters -- >> this is no time to be hysterical -- >> and use the disney merch machine to profit. >> don't bet against disney when it comes to developing franchises. they have certainly done a marvelous job with a lot of the acquisitions they've done, as well as some of the internally generated films they made. the company is on a roll. i would be very surprised if star wars is not a hit and if the franchise just keeps rolling forward. >> wall street already believes disney can do it all again with star wars. the company shares have more than doubled since that deal to buy lucas films. with two additional star wars

movies in the pipeline plus two spinoffs and a huge theme park expansion, the force will be with disney for years. and they haven't even tapped into that other lucas film franchise, indiana jones. cnn, new york. >> i love indy. >> yeah. >> good stuff. >> shifting to your speed now. >> the '70s. >> this is your era. >> star wars was kind of '70s. >> but it completely went past you. if you are into songs of the '70s, then you're going to love next year's inductees into the rock 'n roll hall of fame. >> who knew chicago was from the '70s. you may remember their hits "saturday in the park" still on my ipod. does anybody really know what time it is. >> joining them, another blast from the past, the heavy metal bad deep purple. >> guitarist steve miller of the steve miller band. >> cheep trick, the rockers behind the hit "i want you to want me" also voted in. >> along with rap icons nwa.

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>> a group of young catholics were invited to festivities at the vatican where they sang happy birthday in spanish. [ singing ] >> children and teenagers all involve in projects that welcome migrants to their countries. as for the rest of his special day, the pope in proep francis style kept it low key. the hot new gift item this year has put them in the naughty list. >> i want one. i do, i do.

>> really? don't they blow up? >> the agent 1 limiting them to ground shipping only. officials say the instability of the toy's lithium batteries make them too dangerous to be on an airplane. that means no deliveries internationally or to military post offices. >> can't send one to the pope for his birthday. >> but you could see me going through the bureau on one of them. >> which is terrifying. >> life on the other planet, it's something astronomers around the world are desperately trying to find out because there's no intelligent life here. scientists at the university of south wales has found the closest inhabitable planet in the earth. >> wolf 1061 c is four times as big as earth and 14 light years away. it's the middle planet shown in this animation and it orbits within the so-called goldilocks zone. that's the distance from a star that's not too hot or cold for water, which is considered essential to life as we know it. for more on this exciting new

discovery, we're joined by a planetary exforget. thank you so much for joining us. so everyone is really excited about 1061 c, in the scientific community. what makes it so special. >> what we have now is a statistical idea that planets are very common. nasa has found almost 2000 planets in the last 20 years. so we have a statistical idea they should be common. we now have the technology to start looking at our nearest neighbors and start identifying which particular nearby stars have planets and those are going to be the easiest ones to follow up, to look for signs of life possibly and to get a more detailed understanding of their properties. >> so what you're saying is this gives you a place to look? >> gives us a place to look. >> soo if there is life on this planet, take a guess, what does it look like? >> the simplest thing sit's going to be pond scum. primitive life is all we can really say with any certainty

that's likely to be there. you have water, you have the common elements, you have a source of energy, you're in the habitable zone. pretty inevitable that that's going to produce basic life. what goes beyond that, anybody's guess. >> here's the thing. >> i'm very disappointed it's pond scum. i was hoping for more. >> you have to start somewhere. but to that point, you said it gives you -- now that they have this address almost, now they can start to look. and you made it sound almost easy, but it isn't. >> it's very challenging. we'll be using telescopes on the ground and particularly in space. the hubble telescope, the spitzer telescope, the successor to hubble, the james webb telescope. if you can get a plan that goes in front of the face of its star during that time, you can break down the light of the planet and figure out the spectrum of the planet possibly. look for water, carbon dioxide, eventually even perhaps oxygen.

by the time we get to the late 20s, 2020s, we hope to be able to have a telescope that can actual limb imagine those planets directly, get a spectrum and maybe sometime be able to say that planet there, maybe not wolf 1061, but another star, has a planet that's earth 2.0. >> when we talk about the planet which is closest to us, which looks hospitable, we're still talking an awesomely long way away. 82 trillion miles. >> hop, skip and a jump for the millennium falcon. >> it's not real. >> oh! no jet packs, no millennium falcon, but we're working on it. >> no hyper drive. >> what does this change in terms of what we know about exoplanets. >> what it says to us is the statistics are being born out and if we concentrate on our local 5000 stars, we will start to find ones that are close

enough to us that we can make very detailed examinations of them, looking for signs of lif. >> the guys who found this planet, they're saying in the next 20 years, they'll learn a lot more if there are other intelligent species in our galaxy. do you agree with that? >> i agree in 20 years we'll have telescopes on the ground or in space where we can find evidence of habitable and indeed inhabited planets. whether any of them have intelligent life, that means they have to have developed radio or lasers or something like that to communicate. and that's a much more rare prospect. we have no idea how to estimate those numbers. >> it's absolutely fascinate. it's great to have you with us. >> appreciate the talk. thank you. >> closer to home, we're getting a look at an unusual piece of furnitu furniture. an earthquake proof bed. >> and it may be even scarier

than an earthquake. >> the idea of an earthquake keeps you up at night, maybe you would like to sink into an earthquake proof bed. and we do mean sink. the building could come crashing down and you would be snug in your? >> coffin bed. >> coffin bed as one commentator joked, quake provides free burial. it's apparently provided by a russian company. the details are sketchy. the bed also contains supply, though it's unclear how you would get to them. if this is an earthquake proof bed, i would rather take my chances. poo-pooed one headline. but an expert on earthquake preparedness kept an open mind. >> clearly, if you're able to be in a steel enclosure with supplies, that's not a bad thing. it looks very expensive. >> someone asked, does it come with tourniquets for those of us

who tend to tangle limbs over the side of the bed. some wondered if shaking triggers the thing. you have to worry about the second most common thing people do in bed. babe, did you feel the earth move? seismic activity was sensed by this chinese-made bed demonstrated in 2012. when the man whistles so rescuers can find him, his companion can't keep a straight face. to simulate a building collapse, they dropped 3,000 tons of concrete. at least there's a fire extinguisher underneath. what do you say, thumb's up or thumb's down? >> thumb's up if you can afford it. >> just keep those thumbs out of the way. jeanne moos, cnn, new york.

>> that terrifies me. >> it's like a coffin. did you see that movie, they get married, that girl in the coffin held hostage for weeks and weeks and weeks until they paid the ransom. >> what strange viewing habits you have. no, i did not see that. >> it was like from the '70s. >> i'll see you next year. >> i'll be here, so do tune in next week. the news continues with george howell right after this. whether your car is a new car an old car a big car a small car a car that looks kind of plain a car that looks kind of like a plane a red car a white car a blue car a red white and blue car a green car a city car a country car this car, seriously this car a clean car, a dirty car a car for the two of you

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a man accused of helping terrorists in the san bernardino massacre in court for the first time. plus cnn gets rare access on board a russian warship, ready to fire missiles into syria. and later, u.s. marshals searching for the so-called affluenza teenager who was only sentenced to probation after a deadly drunk driving crash. from cnn world headquarters in atlanta, welcome to our viewers here in the united states and around the world. i'm george howell. "cnn newsroom" starts right now.

and a good day to you. we begin this hour with a new arrest in the u.s. state of california following the terror attack in san bernardino. we now know that a friend of one of the killers' is accused of buying two of the assault rifles used in that mass shooting. that friend's name enrique marquez. he made his first court appearance a few hours ago. his attorney declined to comment as he left the courthouse. cnn's kyung lah joins us now from our los angeles bureau. kyung, good to have you with us. so we're learning more about marquez and his relationship with farook. what more can you tell us? >> up until this time, george, we have known enrique marquez as the gun buyer, the one who bought those two high-powered rifles used in the shooting but also as a friend of syed rizwan farook. he is one of the terrorists who went into that room and killed all those people. but thou we're getting a few more details. a portrait from this federal

complaint that lays out prior attacks as recent as four years ago here in southern california. just hours after the terror attack in san bernardino, enrique marquez called 911. according to a federal complaint, he told the operator he was the shooter, talking about syed rizwan farook. marquez said the expletive used my gun in the shooting. those ar-15 rifles were purchased by marquez in late 2011 and early 2012. why? farook and marquez were childhood friends. court documents say farook first introduced marquez to islam. marquez would convert in 2007. the complaint says in 2010, farook also introduced marquez to radical islamic ideas, like the lectures of al qaeda recruiter anwar al awlaki. in 2007, the men began discussing attacks, using homemade pipe bombs and their

newly purchased rifles. first on nearby riverside city college, and on an orange county, california freeway, deploying their pipe bombs during rush hour, and then gunning down drivers who tried to flee. investigators say marquez also purchased explosives. a bottle of smokeless powder when he bought the guns that explosive powder was found in the undetonated bombs in the san bernardino attack, and also traced back to farook's apartment. at this point in the investigation, marquez can supply a lot of information. that's a critical thing is that he can fill in a lot of blanks about a time period that electronically the fbi may not be able to recover at this point. >> reporter: the terror plots stunned marquez's family, who remain out of public view, telling reporters only that he was, quote, a good boy. >> he couldn't find his way out of a wet paper bag. >> reporter: marquez never mentioned his sham marriage to

farook's relative. he never talked about the hobby he would tell investigator, building pipe bombs with farook, or the guns he bought that would murder and terrorize his community. >> that's what makes him so spooky is because he is just a normal everyday joe blow that you don't give the time of day to. and the next thing you know. >> and he did have an initial court appearance in federal court today. marquez did not speak that much. he did not enter a plea. he is in custody, george, will remain there. there is another court hearing next week. george? >> so kyung, the weapons charge. the big question, why did he buy the weapons for farook? >> well, according to federal agents and laid out in the complaint, he didn't. at least syed rizwan farook didn't want to be detected. he didn't want there to be any additional questions because he had already purchased some handguns. according to federal agents, he had as many as three handguns already under his name. so he asked his friend to buy the ar-phenotype weapons so he

wouldn't raise any additional red flags. >> and kyung, we're talking about the person, marquez, who came forward, called 911. to tell investigators about his childhood friend and also told them about these plots that thankfully did not come to light. but now those plots could be used against him. >> absolutely. what we had heard very early on was when he was first speaking and trying to cooperate with federal officials that he had waived his miranda rights. that he was speaking openly with agents without the presence of an attorney. he now has an attorney. we're in a different realm of the investigation. and you bring up a very interesting point there, george. he called 911. he called the police to let them know who he was, even though they would have found him eventually because the guns were registered under his name, he still called police first. it really suggests how aware was he. he claims he didn't know this was going to happen. >> cnn's kyung lah reporting live for us in los angeles. kyung, thank you so much for your report. >> you bet.

now on to the u.s. state of pennsylvania. federal prosecutors there indicted a 19-year-old man for attempting to provide support to isis. they say he posted links online with the names and addresses and other information of u.s. military members. >> it's pretty crazy. you know, when it's right here at home, it's a different story. you hear it in california and paris. but then it's right up the street from your house. it's real. >> and in california, a 22-year-old man is facing charges after he tried to travel to turkey. authorities say he wanted to join the terror group al nusra front. meanwhile, u.s. president barack obama is hoping to reassure americans that they are safe in their own country. the president says there is no specific or credible threat to the country over the holiday season. our senior white house correspondent jim acosta has this report. >> reporter: it was one more attempted show of strength from president obama as he vowed to keep the nation safe from isis

terrorists and their so-called lone wolf followers during the holidays. >> of course, when terrorists pull off a despicable act like what happened in san bernardino, it tears at our hearts. but it also stiffens our resolve. >> reporter: after a rare briefing at the national counterterrorism center, the president said there is no current specific or credible threat to the u.s. homeland. with that intelligence in hand, he urged americans to remain calm. >> so anyone trying to harm americans need to know, they need to know that we're strong and that we're resilient. that we will not be terrorized. >> reporter: under discussion at the president's meeting, the growing high-tech menace of terrorists concealing their intention through social media and encrypted messaging on smartphones. >> we are concerned about the way some terrorists are using encryption technology to make their plots harder to detect and disrupt. >> reporter: to calm a jittery

public after the terror attack in san bernardino, the white house has amped up the president's use of the bully pulpit. from an oval office address to a stop at the pentagon. the administration has unveiled changes to the terror alert system, and a view of travel visas to spouses entering the u.s. from abroad. the same opening apparently exploited by the california terrorists. but the president is still facing major doubts. a new "washington post"/abc news poll shows only 22% of americans are confident the government can prevent a lone wolf attack, while another poll finds paris and the san bernardino terror attacks are viewed as the top events of the year. and 71 americans see mass shootings in the u.s. as a permanent part of american life. >> we saw too many dark days in 2015. it didn't what v to be this way. >> reporter: republican senator john mccain argued the president won't be able to stamp out the isis threat without taking out the terror army's capital of raqqah in syria.

>> there is no plan by this administration to retake raqqah. there is no strategy. and that is indeed shameful. >> reporter: president obama will pay a visit to the families of the victims of the terrorist attack in san bernardino tomorrow en route to his family vacation in hawaii, an annual trip that has been interrupted by the threats of the homeland before. jim acosta, cnn, the white house. more than a month after the terror attacks in paris and french authorities believe the leader of that massacre got into europe through greece. about a a investigators think he had been in syria for several weeks before the attack. for more on this story let's bring in sara sidner who is live on the greek island of lesbos. sarah, good to have you with us. the thinking here is abaaoud arrived on the island of lesbos

which plays into the growing concern across europe as terrorists slipping in as asylum seekers. what more are you hearing? >> that is exactly right, george. it really has been a great concern, a security concern that not only abaaoud, the ringleader now has been identified as someone who has done that same type of thing using the asylum seekers as cover to get into europe, but there were two others. the stadium attackers are also believed -- they've been unnamed so far, but also believed to have used the same system. we're on the greek island of lesbos where hundreds of thousands of refugee, mostly syrian have come and are simply looking for help. but these men had a whole different idea of what they were planning on doing. and there is a great deal of concern about how they're going to suss out those who intend to do harm as opposed to those who simply need a new home, need a new life. because life is just too

terrible where they are, too dangerous where they are. i want to give you some idea, george, of just how long it may have taken them. authorities have not said exactly the route that they may have taken. but if they were coming out of syria, these attackers, and going through turkey, it could have taken them quite some time to get to leros. getting to lesbos is a lot easier. at leros they probably would have had to stop at an island that is abandoned in the middle of the ocean and picked up by the coast guard. that's how a lot of the refugees if they're heading to leros from turkey would have been able to get there. because it is a very treacherous waterway there. and people would have had to have gotten help from the coast guard. however, we don't know. it's possible their boat could have capsized in the area. that is exactly what has happened this morning with some refugees trying to make it across to lesbos. these are very difficult waters because of the boats that they are using. a lot of the boats ill equipped.

not piloted by someone who really knows how to navigate these dangerous waters and so this has been a place where mostly people are having to be rescued in order to be able to make to it the greek islands. but again, george, this new information is confirming from the authorities that indeed a third person, the ringleader of these paris attacks may well have used these asylum seekers to try and get through to greece and then on to europe. >> sara, because of all that, there is effort among eu leaders to create an additional coast guard to help compliment the coast guards of its nations to better patrol and to better basically process the flow of migrants coming through. sara sidner live for us. thank you so much for your reporting. you're watching "cnn newsroom." and still to come, cnn takes you on to an active russian naval ship. >> well, this really is extraordinary access that we're

getting to russia's military operations in and around syria. >> more on the fight against isis in syria as "newsroom" continues.

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welcome back. diplomats say that russia may be softening its stance on keeping syria's current president in power. but moscow continues to intervene in the country at a military level on behalf of bashar al assad. our senior international correspondent matthew chance is embedded with the russian military. on thursday, he stepped on board a warship to bring us this report. >> reporter: off the syrian coast, a rare glimpse of the naval power behind the kremlin's air war. we were ferried offshore by the russian military. this really is extraordinary access that we're getting to russia's military operations in and around syria. you can see we've been brought off the coast of syria. now we're in the eastern mediterranean. and we're just about to go on board that ship there. it's a missile cruiser. and it's one of the most important russian vessels in this entire region. on board we were shown why the moskva is such a formidable

symbol of russian power. after the shoot-down of a russian warplane by turkish interceptors last month, the kremlin vowed to destroy anything that threatens its aircraft in syria. the captain of the moskva told me his ship, bristling with anti-aircraft missiles was sent as a warning on the direct orders of a furious russian president, vladimir putin. >> translator: the moskva is in itself a threatening weapon. with our arrival we have noticed a significant decrease in the skies over syria. >> reporter: other countries bombing syria, in other words, have taken notice. this is an extremely impressive bit of military hardware out here in the eastern mediterranean. it's a missile cruiser. you can see it's got these enormous missile launching tubes which can carry a nuclear missile, although we're told there are none on board at the moment. it has this big gun as well to

defend itself. but most importantly, this ship, the moskva has very sophisticated surface-to-air missiles. that's why it's been deployed here off the coast of syria, to provide air defenses for the russian warplanes to carry out their air strikes back there in syria. already russia has used its naval power to strike targets across syria, firing cruise missiles from ships in the caspian sea, and from a submarine in the mediterranean. so far the moskva has yet to fire a shot in anger. but its mere presence off syria is delivering a powerful message. matthew chance, cnn on board the moskva missile cruiser. >> in the meantime, mr. putin is making comments about the u.s. presidential election. he called donald trump the, quote, absolute leader of the u.s. presidential race.

but as brian todd explains, there may be a hidden agenda behind these compliments. >> reporter: for about three hours, he wouldn't comment on the american presidential race. but after an exhaustive news conference, vladimir putin got a question he couldn't resist. what do you think of donald trump? >> translator: he is a very flamboyant man, very talented. no doubt about that. he is an absolute leader of the presidential race, as we see it today. he says that he wants to move to another level of relations, to a closer, deeper level of relations with russia. how can we not welcome that? >> reporter: is the feeling mutual? donald trump has both praised and criticized the russian leader. >> putin is a nicer guy than i am. putin is a nastier guy than i. >> reporter: either way, trump seems to think he is the right person to talk directly with vladimir putin. >> i think i would get along well with vladimir putin. i think so. people say what do you mean? i think i would get along well

with him. obama and him, he hates obama. >> reporter: but analysts have a warning for donald trump, reminding him putin once managed kgb agents. >> he reads trump, and he says this is a guy i want to feed his ego. i want to make him feel like he can actually achieve the unrealistically big things he says he can achieve. and then i want to use him in doing that. >> reporter: experts say by praising trump, putin probably was taking a jab at president obama. but they say putin and trump also have similar perspectives on leadership. >> they're both focused on this image of action and strength and the individual's ability to bend global forces, that you really need the great man at the top of the apex of the nation to defend it against the shadowy forces at home and abroad. >> reporter: but there is one shadowy force who vladimir putin happens to respect. a man who like donald trump is an antagonist of barack obama. iran's top commander in syria. u.s. officials have classified suleimani as a terrorist who helped target u.s. troops in

iraq. iranian media reports suleimani met with putin in moscow last week. the russians deny it. if they did meet, it was very likely to assess their common client, syrian president bashar al assad. analysts say putin and suleimani are both very worried that assad may fall, and may have wanted to discuss just how much staying power assad has left. brian todd, cnn, washington. in the fight against isis, the u.s. secretary of state john kerry is holding -- posting i should say diplomats in new york on friday specifically to talk about targeting the terror group's funding. russia's foreign minister sergei lavrov is among those expected to attend. both washington and moscow worked together on a u.n. security council resolution. that resolution adopted unanimously on thursday. it calls for u.n. members to be more assertive in cutting off all the ways isis makes money, closing financial loopholes to stopping the abuse of charitable

causes. for some context on this, let's go live to moscow. jill dougherty was cnn's former bureau chief there, but is currently a researcher at the international center for defense and security. jill, it's always good to have you here to talk all things russia. let's jump right into it. first of all, we have seen the kremlin make it clear it no longer has an objection to syrian president bashar al assad stepping down as part of a peace process. and we saw from secretary kerry's latest visit to moscow that the u.s. is no longer pushing for regime change. so is this how the two superpowers come together and save face? >> yeah, i think actually, george, those positions have been developing for quite some time. and russia was never a really insistent that bashar al assad had to stay as it is right now. i mean, they were always a open to the idea that maybe eventually he would go. but the question was would he be forced out?

would he, you know, as the united states initially wanted, would we have to step down before any type of transition started? et cetera. that's softening. and the american position is moving as well. so what we're getting right now is this push at the united nations to get into a political transition phase. some of the dolts are already there, at least broader details which would be political transition. assad probably goes to the side, maybe is not part of that. but the main thing is he is no longer the main person. it now moves. this is a theory, to a guiding group that would then help to rewrite the constitution, carry out elections, and move to a new governing body while retaining the institutions of the state. they do not want it to collapse as happened in iraq. now a lot of these details, the sticking points are really,

okay, precisely what does happen to bashar al assad. that's where russia comes in. that's where iran comes in. because they do have influence with mr. assad. and then also, who is at the table from the opposition? that has been a big sticking point. so it's not that hard to define some of the real terrorist organizations like isis. the al nusra front. everybody agrees on that. but there are other groups that come in like the free syrian army. most of them are actually acceptable now to russia and to the united states. but there are other groups as well. so that's where the rubber hits the road when you get into these really nitty-gritty details. george? >> and jill, when it comes to cracking down on isis and its funding, this meeting in new york, what more can you tell us about that? >> well, that's a very important part of this. and as you mentioned, that resolution was passed

unanimously. and what it seeks to do is stop terrorist organizations. and a especially isis from using the international banking system as a means of getting funding. and a lot of it is focused on oil sales. much of the money that isis gets is from oil sales. russia in particular has been very insistent about those sales. it has said that turkey is facilitating. you remember the reporting we have been doing on that, the spat between them. so preventing oil, money from getting into the hands of isis would be one of the main things. >> jill dougherty live from moscow. jill, thank you so much for the context on this. you're watching "cnn newsroom." and still to come, the word is out from law enforcement, we're going to find you wherever you are. that's the message from the sheriff searching for the so-called affluenza teen who killed four people and saw no prison time. we've got the story ahead as

this broadcast continues around the world on cnn. when i booked this trip, my friends said i was crazy. why would i stay in someone else's house? but this morning, a city i've never been to felt like one i already knew. i just wanted to thank you for sharing your world with me. it felt like home.

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welcome back to our viewers here in the united states and around the world. you're watching "cnn newsroom." good to have you with us. i'm george howell. the headlines we're following this hour. police arrested the friend of one of the terrorists in the san bernardino massacre. that friend, enrique marquez, now charged with providing material support for terrorism and immigration fraud. investigators believe marquez bought two assault rifles used in the december 2nd attack. u.s. president barack obama says there are no specific and

credible threats to the u.s. over the holiday season. he visited the national counterterrorism center in virginia on thursday. as part of his push to reassure the country that he is in command on national security. u.s. army sergeant bowe bergdahl will be arraigned for court-martial on tuesday. bergdahl spent nearly five years in taliban captivity after he disappeared from his unit in afghanistan. he faces charges of desertion and endangering his fellow soldiers. the u.s. delivered a new supply of ammunition to syrian arab fighters that are battling isis. this makes the third shipment since the united states shifted away from training rebel forces. cnn's chief u.s. security correspondent jim sciutto reports. >> reporter: hundreds of isis militants launch a barrage of rockets during a coordinated attack on a kurdish base in northern iraq. a chilling moment in the aftermath. kurdish peshmerga forces find a

truck with a label in arabic suicide bomber section. wednesday's assault was the largest attack of its kind in months and came just days after president obama out theed this fact. >> since the summer, eisic isil not had a successful major operation on the ground in either syria or iraq. >> reporter: the kurds thwarted the attack with help from coalition air support. what was behind the latest offensive? isis fighting to defend its stronghold in mosul, iraq's second largest city. >> they're basically willing to do whatever it takes to prevent the kurds from effecting their operations. they want to keep mosul at all costs. this is one way in which they're trying to ensure that. >> reporter: likewise, the u.s. sees the kurds as the coalition's most capable ally on the ground. and today defense secretary ash carter visiting erbil in northern iraq, praised the kurds' resolve. >> the kurdish peshmerga have

been exactly what we've been looking for in this whole fight in iraq and syria, namely capable and motivated force that we can enable. >> reporter: now the u.s. is attempting to fortify partners on the ground inside syria. sending a fresh shipment of ammunition to arab rebels there. the u.s. hopes the new supplies will aid the rebels' advance on the capital of isis' self-proclaimed caliphate, the syrian city of raqqah. delivered over land from northern iraq, this is the third shipment. since the u.s. shifted away from training rebel forces outside the country. >> the feeling in dod is these types of operations are actually working. so the resupply efforts are not only being repeated, they're being intensified. >> and that was cnn's jim sciutto reporting. u.s. prosecutors have charged to vilify pharmaceutical chief with fraud, all stemming

from his time as ceo of a biotech firm. martin shkreli is accused of using millions of company dollars to pay off debtors. the 32-year-old made waves this keyer when he jacked up the price of a potentially life-saving drug by 5,000%. shkreli has build a out of jail and denies the charges. the fbi and u.s. marshalls are looking for the so-called affluenza teenager. he is now missing two years after a judge sentenced him to probation for a drunk driving crash, a crash that killed four people. cnn's randi kaye picks up this story. >> reporter: look closely at this video. that young man with the blond hair may be ethan couch. and if it is, he could be in big trouble. that's because couch is on probation and isn't supposed to be drinking alcohol. two and a half years ago at 16, couch drove in a drunken haze, crashed, and killed four people.

>> really need some ambulance. we flipped and oh god. >> reporter: someone posted the beer pong clip on twitter earlier this month, and the county d.a. got wind of it. they went to talk to ethan couch about it. but it seems he disappeared. his probation officer hasn't heard from him in days. no one thoughs where he is. >> i hate to say i told you so, but i told you so. >> reporter: the county sheriff wanted couch locked up back in 2013. but one defense witness changed that. in one of the most bizarre defense strategies we've ever heard of, attorneys for couch blamed the boy's parents for his behavior that night. all because of how they raised him. a psychologist and defense witness testified that the boy suffered from something called affluenza, a lifestyle where wealth brought privilege, and there were no consequences for bad behavior. the so-called affluenza defense touched off outrage around the country. after all, couch's blood alcohol was three times the legal limit, and four people were dead.

but the court bought it. couch pleaded guilty to intoxication manslaughter. but instead of going to jail, the judge sentenced him to alcohol rehabilitation and ten years' probation. his father agreed to pay half a million dollars for his son's pricey rehab digs. victims' families were horrified. >> we had over 180 years of life taken, future life. not 180 years lived, but 180 years of future life taken. and two of those were my wife and daughter. >> reporter: abc news obtained these deposition tapes from one of the victims' civil suits against couch. listen as ethan couch's mother admits letting her son drive illegally. >> you understood if he was at any time he was under 16, he was never to be driving by himself? >> yes. >> nevertheless, you allowed that behavior to happen,

correct? >> yes. >> when is the last time you recall disciplining ethan for anything? >> i don't remember. >> reporter: and now the authorities think couch might have fled the country with none other than his mother. the boy's attorney would not discuss the case. if authorities do find couch, a judge will decide if he violated his probation. if so, this time ethan couch could end up behind bars for a decade. randi kaye, cnn, miami. >> you're watching cnn newsroom. and still to come, chelsea football club manager joce mourinho is sacked over a dismal season. coming up, we'll have more on what led to the downfall of the so-called special one. dave'morning double bogie. game, hey, three putt. and starting each day with a delicious bowl of heart healthy kellogg's raisin bran. how's your cereal? sweet! tastes like winning. how would you know what winning tastes like?

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so it turns out the richest league in the world's most popular sport has lost one of its star members. chelsea football club has sacked

its manager, jose mourinho on thursday. known as the special one, mourinho is the club's most successful manager. but chelsea has had a dismal season losing 9 of the last 16 games. patrick snell has the story. >> reporter: jose mourinho's second charge in chelsea was somewhat similar to his first. success and silverware plenty mixed in with a spectacular exit nobody would have predicted at the start of the season. the special one returned in 2013. almost six years after he left. in the words of the club, by mutual consent. but each back in 2007, there were a series of disagreements with russian owner roman abramvich who to this day still presides over the west london club. while there was no silverware in his first season back, three was clearly the magic number in 2014-'15. mourinho won his third league title with three games to spare, only losing three times in the process. for good measure, the blues also

added the english league cup, the third under mourinho. but this current campaign has seen one setback after another for him, ever since the portuguese signed a new four-you're deal before the season started. swansea overshadowed by an unseemly spat between mourinho and his medical staff including eva carneiro. her lawyers have served notice of a claim of constructive dismissal against the blues. mourinho could be seen by some as a contrary character as journalist and biographer patrick barclay explains. >> as a person, he could be the most charming individual you would ever meet in your life. and very considerate. very humble, and very thoughtful. and it's just that he chooses to act the part of someone else. and, you know, we've all assumed

for years and years and years he does this because it makes him oa for effective leader of players. >> reporter: the defeats come thick and fast including losses to southampton. mourinho once tried and trusted skipper john terry at halftime as his team lost to machine chester city. it followed a defeat to liverpool before another setback at stoke city. a match mourinho couldn't watch due to his one-game stadium ban. stoke, the team that also eliminated the blues from the english league cup. but the biggest shock of them all came when newly promoted bornmouth before it would turn out to be his last two matters in charge between porto in the european champions league and a way to tabletoping leicester city. patrick snell, cnn. switching to weather there is a thick smog once again over beijing. karen maginnis is here to tell

us about it. >> same type of event about seven to ten days ago. it is going to be so oppressive in beijing. and that is going to be lasting for days. typically, these events are not one or two days. they're a series of events. let's good ahead and show you what is going on. the weather event is very conducive for there to be very stagnant air around beijing. very typical. but we have seen two now separate events, or the upcoming one that are going to produce smog conditions so thick, they're saying that visibility may be half of a kilometer or less. so what will happen under this red warning? schools will be closed. that's what happened about a week or so ago. alternate driving days based on driver's license numbers. and because there is so much industry there, they say they're going to be limit organize no use of freight vehicles. now this time of year, there is lots of burning of coal for keeping warm. lots of industry. this is the kind of thing that

you get when you put that many pollutants in the atmosphere. and there is no mixing in the lower levels. why is there no mixing? well, we've got this dome of high pressure across the region. this dome kind of keeps everything settled. so the cooler air lies below there is no mixing in the lower levels. so those pollutants stay trapped. and they will stay trapped for days. so you get this buildup of pollution in the lower levels. so we go from saturday into sunday, monday, and tuesday. so this is probably about a four to five-day event. and we're looking at those levels between 201 and 500. you may remember we saw the first time a red alert. that was on about december 7th. that is the hazardous category. lots of people are saying they are spending a lot of time at the doctors because it is just so difficult as far as your pulmonary system goes. but also on air filters, because

just in their own space, they have to keep the air clean. well, as i mentioned, high pressure dominating in this region. but it's also pushing some of this snow over into the coastal ranges of japan. so it likes some of those areas are expecting some snowfall as we go into the next couple of days. but mostly along those eastern edges. so they'll be dealing with that all the way from sapporo down towards osakosaka, generally speaking. you're watching "cnn newsroom." still ahead, the new "star wars" movie has made it to screens in north america. you'll hear from some of the first fans to see the movie, next on "newsroom." ♪ ♪ it's the final countdown! ♪ ♪ the final countdown!

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and craftsman hand tools are protected by a lifetime full warranty. this holiday season put craftsman tools at the top of your wish list. fans around the world have been filling movie heaters to see "star wars: the force awakens." it's now playing in north america. and there alone the movie could pull in some, get this, $220 million this weekend. but is it living up to the hype? cnn's paul vercammen checked in with some early moviegoers in los angeles and has this report. >> reporter: absolute mania here at the chinese theater in hollywood where they premiered

the first "star wars" in 1977. fans came out. 932 of them to watch for the first of the shows. many of them getting dressed up. there was just sort of mass euphoria as people came out. let's good ahead and get a review from a couple of the fans. no spoiler, please. we have jarell and arturo. your impression of this "star wars." >> wow, it was incredible. it was a rush. it had a lot of the old elements. i don't know. a lot of -- it was a rush. that's all i can say, really. >> and for you, arturo? >> it was really exciting. i was blown away right there at the end. it was very climatic. it was good. >> this almost took on a sports event type of thing. what was it like to be inside the theater with 932 other people? >> oh, man, you wouldn't believe it. everybody having their light sabres up and it was an electric crowd. it was awesome. i've never been to anything like

it. >> it was cool. >> thank you both so much for taking time out. by the way, they're predict all these box office records. and here at the tcl chinese theater, they say they are also outpacing all expectations. and they expect to satter the box office records. reporting from hollywood, i'm paul vercammen. now back to you. >> paul, thank you. and what you saw there in l.a., that is not the scene in china. as the new "star wars" film hasn't triggered the same frenzy seen everywhere else in the world. the franchise isn't all that familiar in china, and won't be seen until much later. let's go to cnn's matt rivers, who joins us from beijing. matt, good have you. let's talk about this. why -- help our viewers understand why this movie won't be shown until three weeks after it is shown in the united states and elsewhere. >> well, as of right now, the chinese government set the release date here in china for january 9th. about three or so weeks after the u.s. premier.

and if it sounds odd that it would be the chinese government setting that release date, well, that's just how things work here. the chinese authorities control which foreign films are allowed to be shown in the country. and they also set the release dates for all of those films. so as far as the reasons why the chinese government makes that decision, like so many other things with the chinese government, we don't exactly know the specific reason why. but there is some situation about the reasons behind it. one of the reasons is that there is a quota of foreign films by chinese law that are allowed into the country each year. so perhaps that quota has already been reached. hence the premier getting moved from december 2015 to january 2016. that's one reason. another reason could be that this particular month in december, the chinese government wants to allow domestic films here in china, chinese films to really pull in as many dollars as possible. and if "star wars" opened up here, perhaps it would drive some of the ticket sales away. a lot of speculation.

but no real clear-cut answers. all i know is i'm trying to avoid spoilers, george, for the next three weeks. >> try to avoid the spoil ertz. so how do you get your hands on one of those bootleg copies, right? i bet that's out there. >> they are out here. they are out here. you can find counterfeit just about anything on the streets here. so i would imagine in the course of journalistic due diligence over the weekend, i might go visit one of the shops just to see what kind of inventory they might be stocking the shelves with now that the movie has officially premiered. >> okay, matt. look, so i was talking the director here who is running the show. and he said look so, if you like the original, you're going to love episode 7. okay. so the question that i have for you is how is disney trying to raise interests in episode 7 there in china? >> well, "star wars" here in china is not really the cultural

phenomenon that you see in other parts of the world. when the movies first premiered back in the late 70s, china was just emerging from chairman mao's cultural revolution, which was this period here in china where any form of western cultural influences were strictly prohibited. so the original films were not even shown here. so then when the prequels came out in the late '90s, they really generated very little interest here in china. that's something that disney is well aware of, that they're basically starting from scratch here there is no sense of nostalgia like there would be this the states. there has been a big marketing push with people on social media here, with events on the great wall. disney is certainly banking on the chinese market. >> matt rivers, live for us in beijing. matt, thank you so much. and no spoilers. we won't tell you. >> you'll have to wait, though, i suppose, matt. thanks. >> thank you. and finally, a seasonal sight that is nothing short of magical. for the 17th year, the canadian pacific railroad has decorated

two trains with spectacular holiday lights. look at that. they send them through 150 communities in canada and the united states. and they attract attention wherever they go. organizers asked people to bring items for their local food bank, and they have even raised more than $9 million in donations. when the trains arrive in a town, it is a party with free concerts. that's awesome. we leave you with that for this hour. well thank you for watching. i'm george howell at "cnn newsroom" in atlanta. i'll be back after the break with more news from around the world. you're watching cnn, the world's news leader. er cedar? "super food?" is that a real thing? it's a great school, but is it the right one for her? is this really any better than the one you got last year? if we consolidate suppliers, what's the savings there? so should we go with the 467 horsepower? ...or is a 423 enough? good question. you ask a lot of good questions... i think we should move you into our new fund. sure... ok. but are you asking enough about how your wealth is managed? wealth management at charles schwab.

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don't settle for u-verse. x1 from xfinity will change the way you experience tv. this man accused of helping the san bernardino terrorists appeared in court for the very first time. plus cnn gets rare access on board a russian warship. ready to fire missiles into syria to protect russian jets. and later, jeb bush is asked if he thinks hillary clinton would be a better president than donald trump. just wait until you hear his response. or lack of response there. from cnn world headquarters in atlanta, we welcome our viewers here in the united states and around the world. i'm george howell. "cnn newsroom" starts right now.

and good day to you. we begin this hour with a new arrest in the san bernardino terror attack. enrique marquez, a friend of the gunman syed farook is accused of buying two of the rifles used in the mass shooting. marquez made his first court appearance on thursday. his attorney declined to comment as he left the courthouse. we get more on this story from cnn justice correspondent pamela brown. >> reporter: 24-year-old enrique marquez is under arrest and now in federal custody, facing charges of providing material support to terrorists and making false statements to purchase firearms. those charges are centered on the two ar-15s used in the san bernardino terrorist attack and aborted plots that marquez and syed farook planned in 2012. marquez allegedly told fbi investigators he bought the two guns for syed farook to help his friend from this redlands neighborhood avoid scrutiny, a

violation of federal and state law. and in a twist, according to the complaint, prosecutor says marquez called 911 after the shootings earlier this month to report his friend. he was the shooter, marquez told the operator, adding quote, used my gun in the shooting. marquez also facing charges of visa and marriage frau, stemming with a marriage to farook's family which investigators say is a scam. he said he knew nothing about the san bernardino attacks that farook launched with his wife tashfeen malik. she came in the summer of 2014 from pakistan. >> how did we miss the lady in san bernardino? >> reporter: today on capitol hill lawmakers pressed obama officials for answers as to how malik got into the u.s., missing signs malik was already radicalized. her thoughts about jihad were contained in private messages she shared with farook. >> there was nothing in the system that we used that would pick that up. there was no data that we would

turn in to actionable information to deny admission. >> reporter: questions too about another concern. how well the u.s. government tracked the more than 9,000 people who had visas revoked for possible ties to terrorism. >> how many of those people are still in the united states? >> i don't know. >> reporter: doesn't that scare you? >> many of the people whose visas are revoked were not in the united states when we revoked the visa. >> you have no idea how many of those people are in the united states. >> reporter: as for san bernardino, the complaint says that marquez and farook built bombs together over the years, and that the powder that was in the ied found at the center where the attack happened in san bernardino was actually purchased by marquez according to this complaint. however, marquez told investigators that he knew nothing about the san bernardino terrorist attack in advance. pamela brown, cnn, washington. the u.s. president barack obama plans to travel to san bernardino on friday to meet

with victims' families from that attack. just thursday, he visited the national counterterrorism center in virginia, saying that americans should feel safe over the holiday season. the president says there are no specific and credible threats to the u.s. listen. >> we cannot give in to fear or change how we live our lives. because that's what terrorists want. that's the only leverage that they have. they can't defeat us on a battlefield. but they can lead us to change. in ways that would undermine what this country is all about. >> and changes are happening. disney theme parks in california and florida announced wednesday they are adding metal detectors to their security protocols. on to the u.s. state of pennsylvania now, where federal prosecutors indicted a 19-year-old man for attempting to provide support to isis. they say that he posted links

online with the names, addresses and other information with u.s. military members. >> it's pretty crazy. you know, when it's right here at home, it's a different story. you hear it in california and paris. but then it's right up the street from your house. it's real. >> and in california, a 22-year-old man is facing charges after he tried to travel to turkey. authorities say he wanted to join the terror group al nusra front. more than a month after the terror attacks in paris and french authorities believe the leader of that massacre got into paris through greece. abdelhamid abaaoud directed the attacks. investigators think he had been in syria until several weeks before the attacks. for more on this situation, let's bring in our senior national correspondent sara sidner who joins us live on the break island of lesbos. sara, i know that what is happening behind you is something that happens day after day and has happened for quite

some time. we see might grants leaving a war-torn area and trying to find safer ground. can you tell us about what is happening there? >> yeah, we just watched as two boats, one that was filled with women and children, came in. the other that was filled with men and then reunited with wives and sisters and uncles right here. there were so many children here that were freezing. they are shivering. they are chilled to the bone. and this is a scene that is repeated over and over and over again. hundreds of thousands of refugees. most of them from syria. most of them are leaving the war there, trying to get away with their lives. and that is literally all they've had with them. they don't carry much of anything with them except for usually a tiny little bag that is sealed to try to keep their documents, things like their passports if they have them or documents they need or even little pictures safe from the cold water.

but it is a very heartbreaking scene when you see these children here. and a situation that they are in. and sort of the look of shock on a lot of the faces of the adults as well, that they have finally made to it safety. but they're chilled to the bone. some of them end up of course in the hospital. and some never make it at all. george? >> sara, you're telling us about this story that is a story in and of itself as migrants do their best to find safety. a desperate, desperate journey for them. and at the same time, we're seeing governments concerned about the flow of migrants, concerned about terrorists slipping in as asylum seekers. and we are hearing from french authorities, the headline, that they believe abaaoud slipped in through greece. how are eu authorities trying to deal with this? >> look, there is a great deal of concern. and there is new evidence according to the investigators that indeed the ringleader abaaoud was able to come through the same route that refugees

use. we should also be clear that he was a belgian moroccan. he likely had his belgian passport, eu able to get in once he got to the eu. he may have used that to get. in we just don't know at this point. what we do know is at some point the investigators saying he made it to leros, along with two other of the attackers who attacked the stadium, who have not yet been named. they too, they believe, made to it leros on the greek isle before getting into europe some weeks before the attack happened. and it is a grave concern of authorities. it is a concern of countries. it is a concern of citizens that amongst these who are true refugees trying to seek refuge, there are those who intend to do harm. but those numbers are so minuscule. and we do have to keep repeating that many of those who attacked europe were actually european citizens as well, george. >> a very important point to make. sara sidner live for us. sarah, thank you so much for your reporting. on this topic of syria,

diplomats say russia may be softening its stance on keeping that country's current president in power, but moscow continues to intervene at the military level on behalf of bashar al assad. our senior international correspondent matthew chance is embedded with the russian military. and on thursday he stepped on board a warship to bring us this report. >> reporter: off the syrian coast, a rare glimpse of the naval power behind the kremlin's air war. we were ferried offshore by the russian military. this really is extraordinary access that we're getting to russia's military operations in and around syria. you can see we've been brought off the coast of syria. now we're in the eastern mediterranean. and we're just about to go on board that ship there. it's called the moskva. it's a missile cruiser. and it's one of the most important russian vessels in this entire region. on board we were shown why the moskva is such a formidable symbol of russian power. after the shoot-down of a russian warplane by turkish

interceptors last month, the kremlin vowed to destroy anything that threatens its aircraft in syria. the captain of the moskva told me his ship, bristling with anti-aircraft missiles was sent as a warning on the direct orders of a furious russian president, vladimir putin. >> translator: the moskva is in itself a threatening weapon. with its arrival in the region, we have noticed a significant decrease in the activity in the skies over syria. >> reporter: other countries bombing syria, in other words, have taken notice. this is an extremely impressive bit of military hardware out here in the eastern mediterranean. it's a missile cruiser. you can see it's got these enormous missile launching tubes which can carry a nuclear missile, although we're told there are none on board at the moment. it's got this big gun as well to defend itself. but most importantly, this ship, the moskva has very sophisticated surface-to-air

missiles. that's why it's been deployed here off the coast of syria, to provide air defenses for the russian warplanes to carry out their air strikes back there in syria. already russia has used its naval power to strike targets across syria, firing cruise missiles from ships in the caspian sea, and from a submarine in the mediterranean. so far the moskva has yet to fire a shot in anger. but its mere presence off syria is delivering a powerful message. matthew chance, cnn on board the moskva missile cruiser. >> diplomats from the international syria support group will meet in new york friday to discuss the country's transition amid its ongoing civil war. and in a rare show of solidarity, the united states

and russia are joining forces to fight isis, specifically its funding in syria. the countries worked together on a u.n. security council resolution that was adopted unanimously on thursday. it calls for a u.n. member to be more assertive, the u.n. to be more assertive in cutting off all the ways that isis makes money. for more on this, let's bring in jill dougherty in moscow. she was cnn's former bureau chief there and is currently a researcher at the international center for defense and security. jill, it's great to have you with us. in a rare moment working to crack down on isis and its funding. first of all, talk about the significance of these nations finding common ground and the expected effect on isis. >> well, that's the important part. this funding, which has become such an issue right now in terms of the money that isis makes

from oil sales and russia has been particularly vehement about this. they say that they have been hitting a number of installations that isis has both in transit, producing, et cetera. and they say a lot of the oil is going into turkey. now the turks deny a lot of that. but if you take that fight aside, it is very true, and everyone agrees that isis makes a lot of money from oil sales. so what they're trying to do with this u.n. resolution is to stop isis from using the international banking system to be able to get money from those sales. and also, i would say sales of antiquities. isis actually is selling the antiquities, the ancient property and art of syria. so that is one part, george, of all this diplomatic side. and then as you mentioned, there

will be a meeting today in new york. today being friday, in new york where the parties will be coming together. the syria support group will be coming together in the morning. and then russia and the united states will be trying to pass this resolution, which in effect puts the stamp of approval on what the process so far, the political transition process that russia and the united states say in general they agree about. but the details are what are making this a bit complex. >> the money issue is key. we always talk about how isis makes a lot of money. but it also uses a lot of money when it comes to running these areas that it supposedly controls. jill, i also want to talk to you about these two nations seeming to come together. the kremlin has made it clear that it has no objection to the syrian president stepping down as part of the peace process. and we heard from secretary kerry's latest visit to moscow that the u.s. is indicating that it is no longer focused on

regime change. that what we're seeing? a thawing of these very what seem to be very solidified positions? >> i think you can say that there certainly is kind of a narrowing of differences, if you want to put it that way, between russia and the united states, trying to find common ground. and you pointed out the two key issue, the fate of president assad. where does he -- does he move aside? when does he move aside to allow this political transition to go through. because one of the sticking points is not only what russia and the united states think about it, it's what people on the ground think about it. and many of the opposition fighters who have been fighting president assad do not want to sit down at the table with him. that's one of the complications. so what you're going to find in the afternoon in new york is that they're going to be discussing these opposition groups, the armed opposition

groups who could be part of the process, whose a terrorist, who is not. and try to compile this list. there are actually two lists, to make sure they know who is amenable to whom. and who can they include in this process. george? >> a former moscow bureau chief. and jill, it's always good to get your insight on what is happening. the perspective from russia. thank you so much for your context here. you're watching "cnn newsroom." and still ahead, with russia jumping into the u.s. presidential race, we ask the candidate jeb bush what he thinks of vladimir putin's warm words about, that's right, donald trump. very interesting response as this broadcast continues worldwide this hour. on cnn.

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welcome back to "cnn newsroom." i'm george howell. the u.s. defense department is transferring more people out of guantanamo bay, cuba. 17 detainees will leave the notorious prison, but officials won't reveal where they're going until the transfer has actually happened. the obama administration has been trying to bring down the population, saying it's a recruiting tool for terrorists. most detainees at gitmo have never been charged with a crime.

now to the u.s. presidential race where it's another battle between two of the republican candidates. but this time it's not donald trump in the middle of it all. cnn has this story. >> reporter: the battle between ted cruz and marco rubio intensifying into an all-out war. >> they're trying to blur the records. >> ted is the one that chose to attack me personally in a very strong way. >> reporter: the two first-term senators bringing new heat to old fights, sparring over their roles in the 2013 debate over comprehensive immigration reform. rubio a co-sponsor of the failed bill, trying to turn his biggest vulnerability with republican voters into a liability for cruz. >> he is going to have a hard time because he has not told the truth about his position in the past on legalization. and even there at the debate he said he didn't intend to legalize people in the future. again, i think it's very crafty language. >> reporter: cruz rejects

rubio's charge that he was for granting legal citizenship. >> i oppose amnesty, citizenship and legalization for illegal aliens. i always have and i always will. and i challenge every other republican candidate to say the same thing. or if not, then to stop making silly assertions that their records and my records on immigration are the same. it is demonstrably false. >> reporter: cruz did author that it would grant legal status, but he said it was designed to be a poison pill to kill the legislation. >> by calling their bluff, we won. we defeated amnesty. we beat it. >> reporter: but that quite different than the senator's own stated intention in an interview in 2013. >> immigration reform, but it was to amend the gang of 8 bill so it actually solves the

problem rather than making the problem worse. >> reporter: the cruz-rubio dell allowing the front-runner donald trump to cruise along unchallenged, on late night showing a rare moment of self-reflection, i would like to see the republican party come together. and i've been a little bit divisive in the sense i've been hitting people pretty hard. >> a little bit. >> reporter: but in almost the next breath, taking a rival at jeb bush. >> do you think jeb bush is scared of you or just scared in general? >> i think he is scared. >> reporter: keeping up the attack on trump following tuesday night's debate. >> look, the guy is a gifted politician but he is not a serious candidate. donald trump doesn't talk about anything serious. >> reporter: meanwhile, donald trump is getting international praise from the president of russia. vladimir putin said thursday that trump is the absolute leader of the presidential race. fellow candidate jeb bush, though, says that's not exactly an endorsement to be proud of.

take a listen. >> i don't respect vladimir putin. he is the leader of an important country. certainly not a regional power, as barack obama called him. but to get praise from vladimir putin is not going to help donald trump. he is not a serious candidate. and he would bring chaos to the presidency just as he has done to this campaign. it's entertaining, but the simple fact is we're at war right now with islamic terrorism. and he has not offered one compelling specific thing to do to keep us safe. it's all high volume, lots of talk, but nothing specific. because he hasn't taken the time to learn the issues. and i think we need someone with a steady hand in the presidency. and we're never going to beat hillary clinton with grandiosity with big language without anything to back it up. >> you say he is not a serious candidate. you say he is a candidate of chaos. the question is what are you going to do about it? your campaign, tim miller said you guys are doing due diligence, looking into whether you could pull out of the pledge you signed to support the

republican nominee, whoever it, including donald trump. why? why are you doing that due diligence? >> well, because donald trump had threatened to go once again to become a third party candidate. and so i didn't know that they were doing. this but that's a smart thing to do in the campaign is to determine exactly what the consequences are for making that kind of decision. look, my intention is the win the nomination. and i think as we get closer to the caucuses in iowa and new hampshire, that donald trump will begin to fall because he is not a serious candidate. listen to his comments as it related to nuclear triad, for crying out loud. this is the pinnacle of our deterrent to be able to be kept safe since the post world wahrer rach war era. he had no clue when hugh hewit asked him that. >> if you could get out of having support the ultimate nominee it f it was donald

trump. >> exactly. that's right. when it was related to his threats to leave the party. >> so now -- thinking guy is not going to win the nomination. >> would he make a better president than hillary clinton? >> i don't think hillary clinton is going to be elected president of the united states. she is not trustworthy. and her proposals aren't much better. >> but you didn't answer my question. >> i learned not to answer questions. that's one of the things you do now in political discourse. you answer what you want to say. >> wait. so you're not going to answer outright? don't republican voters deserve to know? you're attacking donald trump every day now. which is something you got into reluctantly. >> yeah, i am. >> but it's a part of your campaign. so do you think he would make a better president? >> i don't think he is qualified -- oh, absolutely i would be a better president than hillary clinton. that's why i'm running for president. and my point is -- my point is he is not qualified to be commander in chief of the united states of america's greatest fighting force.

and he has had a chance to bone up. god willing he'll start doing it. but this looks like it's all about him, not about creating strategies to keep us safe. >> candidate jeb bush there, at one point saying he just did not want to answer that question, even though he is seeking the presidency of the united states. you're watching "cnn newsroom." and still to come, the special one not so special anymore. chelsea manager jose mourinho is sacked. coming up, what went wrong for one of the most successful coaches in football. you're watching "cnn newsroom." i have asthma... ...one of many pieces in my life. so when my asthma symptoms kept coming back on my long-term control medicine, i talked to my doctor and found a missing piece in my asthma treatment. once-daily breo prevents asthma symptoms. breo is for adults with asthma not well controlled on a long-term asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. breo won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. breo opens up airways to help improve breathing for a full 24 hours. breo contains a type of medicine

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welcome back to our viewers

here in the united states and around the world. you're watching "cnn newsroom." it is good to have you with us. i'm george howell. the headlines we are following for you this hour. investigators believe the man that you see here, enrique marquez bought two assault rifles that were used in the san bernardino terror attacks earlier this month. he was friends with the gunman, syed rizwan farook. marquez is under arrest, charged with providing material support to terrorism. the u.s. president barack obama says there are no specific and credible threats to the u.s. over the holiday season. he visited the national counterterrorism center in virginia on thursday, all part of his push to reassure the country that he is in command on national security. u.s. prosecutors have charged pharmaceutical chief martin shkreli with fraud stemming from his time as ceo of a biotech firm. he is accused of using millions of company dollars to pay off debtors. the 32-year-old made waves this

year when he jacked up the price of a potentially life-saving drug by 5,000%. eu leaders are heading back to their brussels summit where they're expected to tackle the issue of russia and the conflict in ukraine. it is possible they will extend sanctions against moscow. these are live images. we see angela merkel arriving at that summit. on thursday the they said a you know deadline to come up with a new border force to control the flow of refugees into europe. leaders say they have been slow to act on the worst refugee crisis since the second world war. the prime minister of spain is in brussels after being punched in the face wednesday while he was on the campaign trail. spain is gearing up for sunday's general election. the former bailout country is showing strong signs of recovery as our isa soares has the

report. >> reporter: no nation has surprised leaders and economists more than well-behaved spain. however, the country hasn't always been a model student. poor discipline left it with low marks from creditors for overbuilding, overspending and ov overindulging. they turned to europe, asking for a helping hand, the 37 billion euros for its ailing banks. well, that hard work did pay off because uspain shot to top of the eu's economic class by implementing structure reforms as well as tough austerity, and then cutting unemployment. these are all measures that are still delivering. and now spain is one of the fastest growing economies in the eurozone with growth at 9.8%. that's well worth a pass mark. >> overall, the impact of all

the measures by the government has been a clear net positive. >> reporter: despite the impressive growth, ordinary spaniards feel they have yet to benefit. one citizen vented his frustration, punching prime minister in the face on the campaign trail. there is reason to be worried. unemployment is hovering around 21.1%. that's the second highest in the eu after greece. so turning a recovery into votes may be a struggle for him, who is promising jobs and prosperity if reelected. >> translator: in the next four years, if the spanish people give us their trust, this party will provide four big objectives. the first and most important, the most crucial to create jobs. >> reporter: but he faces a threat from new parties like anti-austerity podemos, both of who are looking to capitalize on

spaniards' economic disill losement. >> i'm convinced spaniards are waiting for this moment. many are suffering job cut, promises that haven't been met. >> reporter: while the eu may have given spain top mark, it will be up to spanish citizens to decide whether the country has passed the test of economic reform at the ballot box. isa soares, cnn, london. now the special one who wasn't special enough, it seems. chelsea football has sackeded its manager jose mourinho. it comes just seven months after he led the team to the english premier title. but chelsea had a dismal season, losing 9 of the past 16 games. world sport's patrick snells that story. >> reporter: jose mourinho's second charge in chelsea was somewhat similar to his first. success and silverware plenty mixed in with an all too spectacular exit nobody would have predicted at the start of the season in august.

he returned almost six years after he left, in the words of the club by mutual consent. but each back in 2007, there were a series of disagreements with russian owner roman abramvich who to this day still presides over the west london club. while there was no silverware in his first season back, three was clearly the magic number in 2014-'15. mourinho won his third league title with three games to spare, only losing three times in the process. for good measure, the blues also added the english league cup, the third under mourinho. but this current campaign has seen one setback after another for him, ever since the portuguese signed a new four-you're deal before the season started. an opening day 2-1 draw to swansea overshadowed by an unseemly spat between more and his medical staff for his handling of a supposed injury to aidan azar. her lawyers have served notice of a claim of constructive

dismissal against the blues. mourinho could be seen by some as a contrary character as journalist and biographer patrick barclay explains. >> as a person, he could be the most charming individual you would ever meet in your life. and very considerate. very humble, and very thoughtful. and it's just that he chooses to act the part of someone else. and, you know, we've all assumed for years and years and years he does this because it makes him a more effective leader of players. >> reporter: the defeats come thick and fast including losses to crystal palace, west ham and southampton. mourinho once tried and trusted skipper john terry off at halftime as his team lost to manchester city. it followed a defeat to liverpool before another setback at stoke city. a match mourinho couldn't watch due to his one-game stadium ban. stoke, the team that also eliminated the blues from the english league cup.

but the biggest shock of them all came when newly promoted bournemouth won at stanford bridge in early december before it would turn out to be his last two matches in charge between porto in the european champions league and away to tabletople leicester city. patrick snell, cnn. next on "cnn newsroom," the force awakens hits movies screens in the united states. >> for me, it's ten. tops. >> speechless. i can't even say anything because i don't want to -- i don't want to spoil it because it's so exciting to even talk about it. >> the fans queue up for one of the biggest releases in movie history. you're watching "cnn newsroom."

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>> wow. fans have been filling theaters to see "star wars: the force awakens" around the world this week. it is now playing in north america. and fans dressed up in full form and queued up for early screenings. variety.com says u.s. ticket sales just for thursday night's show ran between 50 to $55 million. but is it living up to the hype? cnn's paul vercammen checked in with some early moviegoers to get this story from los angeles. >> absolute mania here at the chinese heater in hollywood where they premiered the first "star wars" in 1977. fans came out. 932 of them to watch for the first of the shows. many of them getting dressed up. there was just sort of mass euphoria as people came out. let's good ahead and get a review from a couple of the fans. no spoilers, please. we have jarell and arturo. your impression of this "star wars." >> wow, it was incredible. it was a rush. it had a lot of the old elements.

i don't know. a lot of -- it was a rush. that's all i can say, really. >> and for you, arturo? >> it was really exciting. i was blown away right there at the end. it was very climatic. it was just good. it was good. >> in standing here, this almost took on a little of a sports event type thing with everybody cheering and whooping it up. what was it like to be inside the theater with 932 other people? >> oh, man, you wouldn't believe it. everybody having their light sabers up and it was an electric crowd. it was awesome. i've never been to anything like it. >> it was cool. >> thank you both so much for taking time out. by the way, they're predicting all these box office records. and here at the tcl chinese theater, they say they are also outpacing all expectations. and they expect to shatter those box office records. reporting from hollywood, i'm paul vercammen. now back to you. >> paul, thank you. and amid all the excitement over

"the force awakens," there are some die-hard fans who had a bit of a letdown a many theaters are prohibiting masks, full face paint and simulated weapons. >> i'm a little bit bummed out. the last premiers from the last saga i got to take light sabres in and wear something. >> it's kind of a bummer not to be able to go in and see it like that, you know. >> i'm glad to know they are taking safety precautions. but i do wish they were allowing light saber. >> i would rather go and watch the movie and enjoy it. >> that makes me feel little safer. >> some disappointed fans there. but joining me now from london is gary hails. he is commanding officer of uk garrison, known for movie accurate "star wars" costuming. and he has already seen the film. with won't spoil anything for people who haven't seen it yet. but let's talk about this. in your opinion, does it live up to the hype? >> yeah, absolutely.

i've been waiting to see the movie forever. it was a brilliant film. i really enjoyed it. and i think people will not be disappointed. that's my genuine opinion. >> you know, our director said that it's like if you like the originate, you're going to love this one. an that's your feeling on it. if you compare to it the prequels, how does it compare? >> for me, it's "star wars" for the current generation. but it pays almost to what went before. so it kind of brings it up to date in many respects as far as special effects are concerned. film has progressed considerably since 1976 when they made the original movies. >> right. >> so what you're going to see on screen is going to be very different. but they've been very true to the original concepts and the original ideas of "star wars." and tied up some loose ends. and it's a very, very exciting film. you can't go anywhere in the uk at the moment without seeing "star wars" somewhere. emblazoned over the markets.

>> same here in the u.s. so what about these new actors? would you say that the new actors mesh well with the original, the older actors? >> i love the blend of new and old. i think the new guys are fantastic. i think it's very well written, very well directed. it's amazing how comfortable you are with it very, very quickly. as soon as you get in the theater and you sit down, you're a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away comes up, and that's it. you're back. in it's like putting on an old pair of shoes. you're straight in. it's something you're very, very familiar with and comfortable with. and it went in a flash. it was over before i knew it. i was a very, very exciting, very much worth the wait in my opinion. great performances all around. great effects and a good story. >> and a pretty fast pace, right? i heard from one fan that it's like being on a ride.

>> but it's that makes it worth going back to see the second and the third and even the forth time. i know guys over here right now who have been -- one guy was telling me he has been five times already. >> five times! >> five times. >> okay. >> going become to back, which is pretty impressive. i plan to see it again over the weekend. i saw it at the premier on wednesday i was lucky enough to be involved in that. and i'm planning to see it again over the weekend. >> gary hailes, i don't know if i'll see it five times or twice, but i'll get around to seeing it once. >> you should at least see it twice. >> i'll try. gary, thank you so much for taking time with us. you're watching "cnn newsroom." we'll be right back. after the break.

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pope francis celebrated his 79th birthday on thursday. a group of young catholics were invited to the festivities at the vatican, where they sang "happy birthday" in spanish. ♪

>> the children and teenagers are all involved in projects that welcome migrants to their countries. the pope kept the rest of his birthday, though, low-key. switching now to weather. a powerful winter storm is battering the u.s. pacific northwest. it's bringing strong winds, rain, and snow. for more on this, let's go to our meteorologist cara guinness at the national weather center. >> and we've got everything associated with this very powerful storm system moving in from the gulf of alaska. this is part of a system that moved through the allusions, so through the bering sea. it had been a category three hurricane. but now all that moisture kind of lined up across the pacific and aimed at washington, oregon, northern california. but not to forget our viewers up in british columbia. it is just as powerful there with coastal rainfall that could be heavy. that is going to be accompanied by very gusty winds. and then you head into the

mountains. and it's a completely different story. you could see snow fall that will be measured in feet. but in some of these coastal ranges, into the siskiyous, the cascades, the olympics, looking at between mane 8 and 15 inches of snow fall. even back into the bitteroot and the bighorn mountains of montana and idaho, the wind river range in wyoming, and essentially making its way into northern salt lake city. this is what we're looking at snowfall over the next 24, 48 hours as we look towards the weekend before another weather system makes its way onshore into the pacific northwest. so we've got a lot that is happening here. and if you're driving and going through some of those mountain passes, you could see near whiteout conditions. this is kind of an interesting view. here is one cyclone gulf of alaska. and the other one that is moving

through the allusions. and this one is essentially the equivalent of a category 1 hurricane. now it's not the classic hurricane. but just want to give you some idea of the winds and the power associated with it. now let's talk about beijing. and beijing right around december 7th was looking at a red alert. they rarely, if ever do that. but now we're going to see two in one month. the visibility because of all the pollutants in the atmosphere is going to produce visibility down to about a half of a kilometer, or less. essentially, you're looking at very little in the way of visibility over the next couple of days. not just one were to days, four to five days. schools will close. there is a lot of coal burning. this is an industrial area. so that is why the pollutants don't get mixed up in the atmosphere. we've got this dome of high

pressure. and as a consequence, that dome of high pressure doesn't really allow much for mixing in the lower levels. so those pollutants stay towards the ground. and george, they spend a lot of people are saying they spend a lot of time with air filters and going to the doctor. because the pollution is so bad, it is really interfering with the quality of their life. back to you. >> oh, goodness. karen, karen, thank you so much for the insight on what is happening with that smog. life on another planet. it's something astronomers around the world are desperately trying to find. and now scientists in australia have discovered the closest potentially habitable planet to earth outside our solar system. wolf 1061-c as it's called is four times as big as earth, and a mere 14 light years away. it's the middle planet shown in this animation. and it orbits within the

so-called goldilocks zone. that's a star that is not too hot or cold for water which is considered essential for life as we know it. and we've been talking about "star wars" all morning. so let's talk about the force also strong with nasa here. its hubbell space telescope photographed something a jedi could use. a cosmic light sabre. but this celestial sword isn't in a galaxy far far away, it's 1300 light years away in our own galaxy. a newborn star shooting twin jets of plasma into space. but some people say it looks nothing like a light saber. and nasa is falling they say for "star wars" hype. but look that either way it is an impressive sight. with that, we leave you at this hour. thank you for watching. i'm george howell at the cnn center in atlanta. "early start" is coming up for our viewers in the u.s. and for viewers around the world, "newsroom" continues.

you're watching cnn, the world's news leader. so when my asthma symptoms kept coming back on my long-term control medicine, i talked to my doctor and found a missing piece in my asthma treatment. once-daily breo prevents asthma symptoms. breo is for adults with asthma not well controlled on a long-term asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. breo won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. breo opens up airways to help improve breathing for a full 24 hours. breo contains a type of medicine that increases the risk of death from asthma problems and may increase the risk of hospitalization in children and adolescents. breo is not for people whose asthma is well controlled on a long-term asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. once your asthma is well controlled, your doctor will decide if you can stop breo and prescribe a different asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. do not take breo more than prescribed. see your doctor if your asthma does not improve or gets worse. ask your doctor if 24-hour breo could be a missing piece for you. see if you're eligible for 12 months free at mybreo.com.

. .

the neighbor of the san bernardino shooters arrested on terrorism charges. what investigators are now revealing. plus, donald trump duking it out. jeb bush cozying up with vladimir putin. the dramatic issues in the race for president. good morning. i'm boris sanchez. >> i'm alison kosik. there are new issues with the san bernardino case this morning. a friend and former nbo