>> this is "new day" with chris cuomo, alisyn camerota and michaela pereira. good morning, welcome to your "new day." it is friday, january 8th, 6:00 in the east, alisyn and mick are in new york. i'm here in paris, a painful anniversary here mark by another scare, an attempt to attack a police station by an apparent isis sympathizer. the thwarted attack came not just a year to the day since charlie hebdo but nearly at the exact same moment as that attack on the magazine. thankfully it wound up being an empty threat. we have new proof this morning of the real threat to paris and beyond. the number of people involved in these attacks just jumped. we have troubling reporting ahead, alisyn. >> chris, we'll be checking in with you, obviously throughout the entire show about all of that. first, we begin with president obama taking his case for gun y control directly to the american people in a town hall right here on cnn last night.

did he change any minds? cnn's michelle kosinski live at the white house with our top story. good morning, michelle. >> reporter: president obama took four questions on each side of this issue. these people's compelling stories speak to the complexity and emotion of this. you had victims of crime who are against gun regulation, visitings who are for it. but one place you do get a lot of overlap is that one tough question, what are additional steps actually going to do to prevent violence? >> reporter: president obama addressed a crowd split on the issue with a surprising story from his time on the campaign trail, going through rural iowa. he says the first lady brought up the subject of guns for protection. >> at one point, michelle turned to me and she said, if i was living in a farmhouse where the sheriff's department is pretty far away, and somebody can just turn off the highway and come up to the farm, i'd want to have a

shotgun or a rifle to make sure that i was protected and my family was protected. and she was absolutely right. >> reporter: he faced tough questions from familiar faces, taya kyle, wife of murdered american sniper, chris kyle, mark kelly and kimberly corbin is a rape victim and nra supporter. >> i have been unspeakably victimized once already. i refuse to let that happen again to myself or my kids. so why can't your administration see these restrictions you're putting to make it harder for me to own a gun or harder for me to take that where i need to be is actually just making my kids and i less safe? >> there's nothing that we've proposed that would make it harder for you to purchase a firearm. >> reporter: a conspicuous no-show, the nra itself. >> if you listen to the rhetoric, it is so over the top and overheated. i'm happy to talk to them. but the conversation has to be based on facts and truth and what we're actually proposing,

not some, you know, imaginary fiction in which obama's trying to take away your guns. >> reporter: it was the sandy hook shooting that made president obama uncharacteristically emotional this week. he watched himself make that speech. >> i think a lot of people were surprised by that moment. >> i was, too, actually. i visited newtown two days after wat happened. it was still very raw. it's the only time i've ever seen secret service cry on duty. it continues to haunt me. it was one of the worst days of my presidency. >> reporter: as republican presidential candidate ted cruz now campaigns with this image of the president alongside the words obama wants your guns, many conservatives were riled, offend by his calling that kind of rhetoric a conspiracy. which he somewhat testily

defended. >> is it fair to call it a conspiracy? >> yes. >> a lot of people believe this deeply, that they just don't trust you. >> i'm sorry, cooper, yes, it is fair to call it a conspiracy. what are you saying? are you suggesting that the notion that we are creating a plot to take everybody's guns away so that we can impose martial law is a conspiracy? yes, that is a conspiracy. i would hope that you would agree with that. is that controversial? >> and the president repeatedly made the point if we're going to regulate cars to reduce traffic deaths, regulate medicines, even toys, why would we not do the same with guns? michaela? >> donald trump was pushing his own plan to protect the second amendment at a rally in vermont, trump vowed to make gun-free zones in schools a thing of the past. the event was held blocks from

bernie sanders campaign headquarters and was interrupted by protesters. athena jones joins us live from washington with that part of the story. >> reporter: good morning, michaela. it was interesting the split screen moment with these two events going on at the same time. the president touting reasonable measures and trump making a pledge of his own, blasting his moves. >> you know what a gun-free zone is to a sicko? that's bait. that's like gun-free zone. i will get rid of gun-free zones on schools. you have to. and on military bases, my first day, it gets sign. okay? >> reporter: this point about dangers of gun-free zones is something that trump likes to say off. he also likes to say had the people in paris or san bernardino been armed, there would have been a lot fewer victims in those terror attacks. that rally last night was notable because it was held in the heart of bernie sanders territory. he's, of course, the other

candidate on this race on the democratic side who draws huge crowds and really passionate and dedicated fans. sanders represents vermont in the senate. he was in fact mayor of burlington, the town where that rally was held. and the rally was interrupted several times by protesters, at least eight times. many of them were wearing bernie sanders t-shirts shouting things like "this is not vermont." "trump ruins vermont," "get trump out." trump was clearly annoyed. >> here to discuss it, cnn senior political analyst and editorial director of the national journal ron brownstein and political anchor of time warner news, errol louis. let's talk about the town hall meeting with president obama. lots of people beyond conspiracy theorists think the president is somehow trying to curtail gun rights. >> did the president do anything

or say anything to change minds? >> no, i don't think he intended to. really, the positions have been hardened for fight a long time about whether or not gun safety measures should be implemented nationally. the president i think is playing beyond his presidency. i read that last night's event as a legacy event, him sort of saying, look, i'm not going to get this done during my presidency, not with this congress but here are the lines of argument that i hope somebody will pick up and carry forward after this presidency is over. >> ron, the polls are not necessarily what you would imagine they are. last night's cnn released new polling on the president's executive actions. look at this. views on obama's executive orders on guns, 67% of the country -- the respondents at least favor what he's trying to do. you would think that those numbers would be flipped given all of the, you know, noise around this. 67%. let me show you one more

interesting thing. >> sure. >> among gun owners and nongun owners. gun owners, 57% agree, not necessarily with the president's tactic of executive action but with the outcome. >> we talked about this earlier in the week, alisyn. the public opinion about gun control is conflicted, closely divided and somewhat contradictory. as we said earlier in the week, there is majority support for most of these individual measures, like expanding background checks, like reinstalling the assault weapon ban that lapsed after bill clinton's presidency. when you asked broader philosophical question, is it more important to protect gun rights or restrain gun ownership, you get a 50/50 outcome. most people say the majority is on the other side. the public opinion is on a high wire here. my view has been gun control functions more as a cultural issue now than really about the particulars. i mean, it really kuehne of reinforces the cultural divide at the heart of our politics

today with republicans depending on culturally conservative whites, nonurban, democrats depending on this coalition of younger people, minorities, social liberal whites that divide separates not only attitude toward guns but experience with guns. a gun ownership is much more common among republicans than democrats, much more common in rural areas than urban areas. within the republican coalition, gun ownership is much more common. i think you saw that so vividly last night, that cultural separation on this issue, the extent to the which different parts of the country experience this in very different ways. >> absolutely. president obama has an op-ed in "the new york times" today. let me read for you what it says. i will not campaign for, vote for or support any candidate who does not support common sense gun reform. if the 90% of americans who do support common sense gun reforms join me, we will elect the

leadership we deserve. who is this for? >> the president is doing the flip side of what the nra does. the nra don't care what your position is on same-sex marriage or anything else. the president is trying to do, i think it will probably not work. ron puts his finger on an interesting point. for a broad conservative coalition on a wide range of issues, to hold them together, gun ownership checks all of the boxes. you get people on rural issues, all kinds of other issues. people will fight politically to hold that coalition together. that's where the scare tactics come from. on the other hand, for the democrats, the progressives, president obama and his coalition after his presidency, it's not existential. you don't have to hold people together on just this one issue. he's going to try but i don't know that he's going to succeed. >> ron, the nra declined cnn's invitation to be part of the town hall last night. they say they don't want to

engage in a public conversation or any conversation, really, with president obama about this. but the head of the nra did go on fox last night. let me play for you what he said about this. >> did we participate in cnn's event? no, we didn't. we were offered one prescreen question. i'd rather have a conversation with you that's intellectually honest than sit through a lecture and get one opportunity to ask a prescreened question. >> does it make sense to meet with him? >> and talk about what? this president can talk about background checks all day long. that's nothing more than a distraction from the fact that he can't keep us safe. >> you do ask participants what they are going to ask beforehand to make sure that you're not all asking the same question, that 100 people aren't asking the same question, you have diversity of thought. it's not to manage their message. in any event, the nra decided not to be a part of it. >> i think whatever the reasons on the town hall, i think the

broader point is nra doesn't feel the need to negotiate with president obama. the legislative politics of this are very difficult for democrats, mostly because of the small state bias in the senate. gun ownership is perceived differently in rural states. every state getting two senators with the filibuster, it is hard for democrats to get to 60 on this at any point. if you go back to the last time, alisyn, people voted on this in 2013 in the senate, you assign each state's population to the senators, those that supported the expanded background checks represented ed 140 million peo. it did not pass. in some sense we are at that stalema stalemate. it is worth noting in the past they have been more willing to dialogue in the 90s. i think it is awe reflection of the hardening of our plucks and the gift we are having bridging this divide and finding an answer that respects the cultural assessments and the

different ways people are experiencing guns in both urban and royal areas of america. >> ron brownstein, errol louis, thank you. thank you. tensions ratcheting up on the korean peninsula. south korea resumes propaganda broadcasts. all while pyongyang celebrates the 33rd birthday of its reclusive leader. will ripley live in pyongyang with more. will? >> reporter: michaela, the front page of north korea's main state-run newspaper shows this picture of the supreme leader kim jong-un signing the order to test what the north korean regime claims is an h-bomb, though that claim has been disputed by many outside observers around the world. we visited a science center in pyongyang that just opened within the past week. this building is actuallyctuall. in the middle of the building is

a rocket that was used to launch a satellite, a replica of a rocket used to launch a satellite into orbit in 2012. there were replicas of north korean weapons, tanks and planes. there was a whole section in the library focusing on the nuclear technology that this country continues to develop. it just goes to show how engrained this is in daily life here in north korea. meanwhile, on the demilitarized zone, south korea has now been blasting that propaganda across the border, using large loud speakers for some eight hours. this has been considered in the past an act of war by the regime here in pyongyang. how they're going to respond we still don't know because there is no official statement, no official response coming out yet. but some government officials i've been talking to here say they wouldn't be surprised if troops are brought to the border as a show of force from the north to respond to what's happening in the south. michaela. >> we're lucky to have you

there. thank you for that reporting. let's turn back to chris. he has breaking news for us from par russ. chris? >> mick, we have two big developments. there's certainly new information coming in about the november attacks, some confirmation for investigators, about what they believed about the planning, an participanapar fingerprints, tracking for salah abdeslam. there's an urgency about what happened yesterday. many want to dismiss this as a deranged man who tried to get into the police station. there is more and more cause to slow down on that and deeper examination of what might have happened. jim bitterman joins me now with breaking details. in full disclosure, i thought they're going to find out this was a deranged guy. you're saying as you try to track the reporting, there are more and more unknowns that are troubling about this man. how so? >> totally. the paris prosecutors in charge

of terrorism investigations added to the confusion around this this morning by saying they really don't know who this guy is. that he was picked up on a minor criminal charge, declared himself to be a moroccan and gave a name and what not in the south of france a couple years ago. that's how they connected the first identity that came out. but now, they found on his person, on the body, there was a note describing him as a tu near tunisian. the people in the neighborhood thought he was algerian, a homeless guy. they are focusing on a cell phone yesterday which had a german sim card in it. there's something suspicious, shows sophistication. they're hoping they'll get information from the telephone. let's take a look at what we do know so far. a terrorism investigation under way in paris in the wake of yet

another attack, just the latest in the french capital over the past year, this one foiled outside of a police station in northern paris, a man brandishing a butcher knife shouting god is great and carrying a fake explosive device. the man shot and killed by police as he attempted to enter the police station. in the attacker's pocket, the black isis flag printed on a piece of paper, along with a hand written note in arabic claiming responsibility for the attack and pledging allegiance to the state. the incident taking place just before noon nearly one year to the minute after a gunman stormed the offices of the french satirical newspaper charlie hebdo. it was the beginning of a series of attacks that killed 17 people at the newspaper and a kosher supermarket. it came less than two months after a siege on paris.

the prosecutor said this morning, chris, that this illustrates, a good illustration of exactly the kind of problem they're facing, the threat that can be sophisticated, heavy operations. it's a guy with a meat cleaver like we saw yesterday. >> just may be a simple threat, easy to dismiss but the more they like at it, the more it goes to the difficulty of this. stay with us. there's a lot to talk about here. alisyn, i'll get back to you in new york. remember, we are going to, when we come back after the break, talk about this new reporting from these november attacks. they have confirmation about a hideout, about explosives, fingerprints of the man who was on the run but also the unknown just expand. they now know there are more people out there but where are they and what are they planning next? new information, ahead.

wheat? in purina one true instinct grain free, real chicken is always #1. no corn, wheat or soy. support your active dog's whole body health with purina one. what makesheart healthysalad the becalifornia walnuts.r? the best simple veggie dish ever? heart healthy california walnuts. the best simple dinner ever? heart healthy california walnuts. great tasting, heart healthy california walnuts. so simple. get the recipes at walnuts.org. feels like each day liviis a game of chance.aine i wanted to put the odds in my favor. so my doctor told me about botox® an fda-approved treatment that significantly reduces headache days for adults with chronic migraine. 15 or more headache days a month, each lasting 4 hours or more.

it's proven to actually prevent headache days. and it's injected by my doctor once every 3 months. the effects of botox® may spread hours to weeks after injection causing serious symptoms. alert your doctor right away, as difficulty swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems, or muscle weakness can be a sign of a life-threatening condition. side effects may include allergic reactions, neck and injection site pain, fatigue and headache. don't take botox® if you have a skin infection. tell your doctor about your medical history, muscle or nerve conditions, and medications, including botulinum toxins, as these may increase the risk of serious side effects. put the odds on your side. visit botoxchronicmigraine.com to learn how to save on your treatment. talk to a headache specialist today about botox®. you stay up. you listen. you laugh. you worry. you do whatever it takes to take care of your family. and when it's time to plan for your family's future, we're here for you. we're legalzoom, and for over 10 years we've helped

families just like yours with wills and living trusts. so when you're ready, start with us. doing the right thing has never been easier. legalzoom. legal help is here.

just by switching to progressive. so you'll be bringing home the bacon in no time. sorry. get a free quote at progressive.com. we have breaking news on the november paris terror attacks investigation. belgium authorities now say they found a fingerprint of the fugitive attacker who obviously is still on the run. they found it in an apartment in brussels. they believe that apartment was really the factory, where they made the bombs, coordinated the attacks. we know this because we knew it yesterday. in fact, certainly in advance of the wide reporter you're seeing this morning because of cnn

terrorism analysts and editor in chief of the terrorism studies journal ctc sentinel, paul cruickshank. we have this morning the benefit of expertise from former french commando fabrice mongier. >> they discovered the bomb factory in december where they constructed the suicide -- they found a sewing machine there. they found some of the vests that have been -- >> that confirmed their understanding of the planning that went into it. what do you make of the fingerprint of abdeslam? >> i think it might well be just before. he was part of the logistics, the preparation for this attack. very likely that he would have

gone to this bomb factory. the last known location for him on the day after the attacks, when he disappears, the trail goes completely cold is that exact same district in brussels. some possibility he did go back to that apartment but very difficult to tell from investigators if he did do so. there's no necessary suggestion that he did. >> is it true that there is this kind of growing concern of the unknown, that the more they discover, the more broad this terror web seems to be and that there are many still at and the concerns are actually growing, not shrinker as they learn more? >> that's absolutely right. the stunning new development which we broke yesterday, these two operatives still at large, senior members of the conspiracy giving abaaoud directions.

they only put their pictures out on december 4. that would have given them plenty of time to get far away from brussels and belgium. meanwhile, there's a whole external attack planning team in isis territory, in syria and raqqah and other places which are plotting new ways of attack against europe. they're concered some of the european isis fighters are faking their own death. it's very recent intelligence about this, so they can get back into europe, so the security agencies are not so much on lookout for them to plot new carnage over here. 2016, chris, everybody is really worried about what we're going to see happen this year. >> fabrice mognier, you said early on during the investigates, the more they do, the more they're going to learn about how broad the terror network is here. fabrice's point was the french authorities had been handcuffed by the laws here, they weren't

able to do the raids they can now. you say these things are not so simple. even yesterday, when i wanted to dismiss this is a crazy guy with a knife, you said maybe not. there are tactics that you have seen that were stopped yesterday. >> the question is he had a fake suicide bomb. the idea was to get to the police station and use that fake explosive device just to intimidate the police officers and say, okay, look, i have this, now put your weapon down, otherwise everybody will explode, then after this take control of the place and wait for the police and wait and be like, demonstrate he was able with nothing, even a knife, to take hostages in a police station during a state of

emergency in france on the same date as charlie hebdo. >> almost the exact same time as well. if it's as simple as him being a deranged guy with a notify going to a police station, why can't they identify who he is? why did he have different i.d.s in the past? that's a real question. what do you think the answer to it is? >> we understand all those guys are hiding fake passports. >> which you just said, they are faking identities, faking deaths. >> also he has some numbers in his phone. they are following the big idea from syria, their leaders, that says you have to kill the

infid infidels, the christians. with a knife, easy weapon. >> just to amplify what fabrice is saying, we're kauing them lone wolves, they're in touch with them over social media, encouraging these attacks, a string of individual attacks here in france where they were in touch with isis fighters in realtime who were directing them to launch these attacks, even if they never traveled there to syria and iraq. we saw that in the united states. that texas attempted attack where one of the gunmen, elton simpson exchanged d 109 messag the morning of the attack. >> cruickshank, mongier, thank you. nothing is simple anymore. >> generally far from it. thanks so much for that. we'll be back to you shortly. we are getting an exclusive look at the hometown of the executed cleric who sparked that rift between saudi arabia and iran. cnn, the only network to get

this kind of access. what we uncovered, next. lieve t. all across the state the economy is growing, with creative new business incentives, the lowest taxes in decades, and university partnerships, attracting the talent and companies of tomorrow. like in utica, where a new kind of workforce is being trained. and in albany, the nanotechnology capital of the world. let us help grow your company's tomorrow, today at business.ny.gov every auto insurance policy has a number. but not every insurance company understands the life behind it. ♪ those who have served our nation have earned the very best service in return. ♪ usaa. we know what it means to serve. get an auto insurance quote and

see why 92% of our members plan to stay for life. we stop arthritis pain, so you don't have to stop. because you believe in go. onward. today's the day. carpe diem. tylenol® 8hr arthritis pain has two layers of pain relief. the first is fast. the second lasts all day. we give you your day back. what you do with it is up to you. tylenol®.

as tensions between iran and saudi arabia ratchet up, we are getting an exclusive look at the hometown of the prominent cleric executed by the saudis. cnn's nic robertson and his team made that dangerous journey there, the first foreigners and journalists there. nick join nic joins us from riyadh, saudi arabia. >> reporter: at first the government didn't want to take us there. saying this place was too dangerous. it's a shia community, a tiny town. this is the one where all the trouble has been, the with government told us. they wouldn't let us go, said it wasn't safe. they only agreed to let us in if

we went inside in the police's big armored personnel carriers. they said it was too unsafe to get out on the streets to talk to people. we drove through there. the thing that strikes you first, there's big mechanical diggers at both ends of the town that the townspeople have tried to use to dig up the road, make a trench. the police officers in charge of this trip were surprised when we came out that we weren't shot at. plenty of online video where they have been shot at. they told us every time they go in, they get shot at. officers there have been killed. when we spoke later on in the day with the executed cleric's brother, he told me that he wasn't surprised that we weren't shot at because everyone in the town knew that cnn was coming because we had been in touch with him earlier in the day. he told us, he and the rest of the community get really angry when they see the police coming in in these heavy armored personnel carriers, that the problem here he said his brother

wasn't creating violence, as the government says. he the real problem is not that iran is backing these people in the town but the shia community feel hard done by the government here. it's very clear to us that there's absolute tension that exists. not long after we left, huge explosions in the town and a lot of gunfire. alisyn? >> okay, nic. please stay safe there. we'll check back in with you. back here at home, there were several dramatic moments at cnn's town hall on gun violence last night. the widow of fallen american sniper chris kyle confronting president obama on his executive actions. we'll speak with taya kyle about her takeaways, next.

your gut is your digestive core. so choose ultimate flora by renewlife. it has 30 billion probiotic cultures. feel lighter and more energized. ultimate flora. more power to your gut.

president obama making his case for a series of executive actions aimed at preventing gun violence. the president slamming conspiracy theories that he says people believe that he's trying to take everyone's guns away. did he change any minds last night? joining us now is cnn political commentator and host of the ben ferguson show, ben ferguson and cnn political commentator and professor at moorehouse college mark lamont hill. did the president make a different persuasive argument than we heard before and did he change any minds? >> i think that those whose

minds who wanted to be changed will be changed and those who didn't will be in the same place. this gun battle is about emotion as much as anything else. what the president did well last night was respond on the emotional level to concerns about him wanting to confiscate everyone's guns, to the conspiracy theorists. he spoke with reasonable compassion to those who said, wait a minute, i've been through a tragedy. i've had bad things happen, i don't want my access to a gun taken away. the president said, i feel your pain but these proposed measures won't stop that. he spoke with truth and emotion. >> ben, you're one of the people who thinks the president is trying to curtail access to guns. >> sure. >> what did you think of last night. >> if he would have had this town hall and conversation at the beginning of his presidency, it would have been more ek five. last night he tried to rewrite history and say he's not trying

to take away people's guns. before last night, he caz constantly advocating for taking away semiautomatic weapons. that's why there's a trust issue. a lot of this goes back to even the trust issue people have with him, hey, if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. if you like your plan, you can keep your plan with obamacare. that didn't happen for millions of americans. when he says, chill out, conspiracy theorists, i'm not trying to take your gun, yet even in the '90s he was advocating for taking away semiautomatic weapons. then all of a sudden, he says i'm not trying to take away your guns. the average american heard you for the last decade and a half, mr. president. you wanted to take away guns. i think you still want to do it and we don't trust you on the issue. to act as if i'm nuts or the nra is nuts, or anyone that's a gun

advocate is nuts to are thinking you want to take away guns is not reality compared to what you said, every time you said i want to take away semiautomatic weapons. >> it's interesting. >> ben is focused on the mess allege. it's interesting to hear the president's message. it has shifted a little bit. had he come out right at the beginning like donald trump has in this presidential race and said i love the second amendment. the second amendment is wonderful, i'll never touch the second amendment. that is a different message. he might have done the exact same thing but it's a different message. did you hear that last night? >> i think what the president has said from the beginning is i respect guns, gun culture. i respect americans' right to bear arms, i respec the second amendment, however, there need to be reasonable restrictions on that. in the perfect world the president would want an assault weapons ban. i don't think that's at odds with what he's doing right now. he's saying, we can't agree on all of these things.

in fact, last night, the president was in some ways saying there's an open debate about whether or not that will stop somebody from breaking in and hurting you. we can come up with common sense, reasonable provisions that don't play to the extremes. the president may want an assault weapons ban. he's saying we can just close the gun show loophole. there's a big difference, finally, between the conspiracy theorists who think the government is out to confiscate all guns and stop people from having assault weapons. >> how about that moment last night that president obama started with, with saying, every one of you in this room, even the gun owners, you all had to pass a background check. why don't you want the same for other people? that sort of zeroed in on what he's trying to do with these executive actions. make it an even playing field. everybody has to pass a background check. >> i think that the main core issue is this, is it really just going to stop at the background check?

and the thing is, 99% of guns that are purchased by law-abiding citizens are purchased with a background check. he even talked about that last night. the question is this, are we wasting time putting more regulations on law-abiding citizens instead of dealing with the reality which is there is a black market and there are people who don't go through background check on purpose because they're felons. i'm a victim of a gun crime. 9 individual who pulled a gun on me had been in jail three times. if the president said we're going to go after people and have mandatory minimums on those that break the law, i'm in favor of that. if you lie on one of these background checks, you should go to jail for several years. i'm in favor of that but that's not what he said. >> ben ferguson, mark lamont hill, thanks so much. the debate continues this morning. coming up on "new day," the widow of slain american sniper chris kyle squaring 0 of with

president obama on these executive actions last night. we'll speak with taya kyle, next. a big question for you and i, alisyn. could the $700 million powerball jackpot hit $1 billion by tomorrow night? what are the chances you'll actually win? we'll break it down for you next. there are some good statistics. some might depress you, though. >> no, no, we're winning. the best simple veggie dish ever? heart healthy california walnuts. the best simple dinner ever? heart healthy california walnuts. great tasting, heart healthy california walnuts. so simple. get the recipes at walnuts.org. bleeding gums? you may think it's a result of brushing too hard. it's not. it's a sign of early gum disease... listerine(r) can help reverse...

early gum disease in just two weeks. listerine(r). power to your mouth™!

stocks in china rebounding overnight after regulators suspended the circuit breaker system that halted trading twice this week. the shanghai composite index rising 2% after shedding more than 7% of its value on thursday. that has u.s. stock futures higher at this hour with all eyes on the labor department's december jobs report, which will be released at 8:30 eastern this morning. two iraqi refugees with links to isis expected to head to court today, arrested on

terrorism related charges in california and texas. authorities say a 23-year-old in sacramento traveled to syria to fight and then lied to homeland security officials about it while a 24-year-old in houston is charged with trying to provide material support to the terrorists. the governor of maine under fire. he's accused of racial fear mothering. -- racial fear mongering. >> these aren't people who take drugs. these are guys named d-money, smoothy, shifty. they come up here, sell their heroin, then they go back home. incidentally, half the time they impregnate a young, white girl before they leave. >> governor lepage claims his comment were not about race. the head of the bangor chapter

naacp calls his remarks sad and foolish. here's optimistic news. the powerball jackpot soaring to a record $700 million. >> that's a record high. it will be happening saturday night. recent rule changes mean even higher amounts are possible by saturday. but here's something that's almost impossible, michaela, winning it. >> okay, debby downer. >> here's a list of things that are more likely to happen to you by our resident joy kill christine romans. getting struck by lightning, drowning. getting struck by lightning while drowning. >> we have a much higher chance of winning because we bought the tickets. >> having quadruplets naturally. becoming the president of the use. getting hit by an asteroid. >> listen to this. this is a fascinating one. >> becoming a billionaire on your own. >> wait, wait, wait, what?

>> you could become a billionaire on your own more easily than winning the powerball. >> all the ideas will make me a hundredaire or thousandaire at the most. president obama making his pitch for tougher gun control at cnn's town hall. the widow of american sniper chris kyle confronting the president on his executive actions. ahead, we'll speak with taya kyle. when your cold is this bad... ...you need new theraflu expressmax. theraflu expressmax combines... maximum strength medicines available without a prescription... ...to fight your worst cold and flu symptoms... ...so you can feel better fast and get back to the job at hand. new theraflu expressmax. the power to feel better.tm

iall across the state belthe economy is growing,day. with creative new business incentives, and the lowest taxes in decades, attracting the talent and companies of tomorrow. like in the hudson valley, with world class biotech. and on long island, where great universities are creating next generation technologies. let us help grow your company's tomorrow, today at business.ny.gov "you don't want to live with mom and dad forever, do you?" "boo!" (laughs) "i'm making smoothies!" "well...i'm not changing." "so, how can i check my credit score?" "credit karma. don't worry, it's free." "hmmmm." "credit karma. give yourself some credit."

good to have you back with us. the widow of slain american sniper chris kyle taking on president obama at last night's cnn town hall on gun violence. taya kyle, challenging the president on executive actions on gun control, pointing out the violent crime decreased during

his time in office. >> we are at the lowest murder rate in our country. all-time low of murders. we're at an all-time high of gun ownership, right? i'm not necessarily saying the two are correlated but what we're seeing we're at an all-time rate for murder rate. that's a big deal. most of us in this country feel like it could happen at any moment, any of us at any time. when you talk about the nra and after a mass shooting, gun sales go up, i would argue it's not necessarily i think someone will come take my gun from me but i want the hope and the hope that i have the right to protect myself. that i don't end up to be one of these families, that i have the freedom to carry whatever weapon i feel i need. >> you will be able to purchase a firearm. some criminals will get their hands on firearms, even if there's a back ground check. somebody may lie on a form. somebody will intend to commit a crime but they don't have a record that shows up on the

background check system. but in the same way that we don't eliminate all traffic accidents but over the course of 20 years traffic accidents get lower, there's still tragedies. there's still drunk drivers, still people who don't wear seat belts but over time, that violence was reduced and so families are spared. that's the same thing we can do with gun ownership. >> joining us now is the widow of u.s. navy s.e.a.l., chris kyle and the author of "american wife, a memoir of love, war, faith and renewal. taya kyle, thank you for being here. >> thanks for having me. great to be here. >> what did you think about how president obama responded to you and what was your takeaway from the town hall? >> i think that it was a good idea to get everybody together to talk, to see if they could affect change, have a dialogue that wasn't so hateful.

i think we're polarized on this issue. i also think it's not necessarily the open dialogue that we would like. i think that both anderson and cnn were hoping it could be something where one person asks a question, the president responds and we were able to get a remark back. unfortunate unfortunately, people get long-winded, myself included and it doesn't end up that way. the president had an opportunity to say what he felt in return. i think there's more to the story. what he might say common sense, when he might say let's do something, let's try something. and it's a background check or something like that, i get it. i really do. the problem is that we're not enforcing the laws that we have, the federal prosecution rate is at 40%. that means 60% of the people who aren't abiding by background checks or abiding the law, what's the point of it? i know that frustrates him.

the budgets were cut for the atf. i get that, too. it doesn't change the fact that we can't enforce the laws. it seems almost like a placating thing to add more laws. >> he is adding for more money, calling for more money in order to do more background checks. i thought he made an interesting point when he said every gun owner in thisself, you yourself taya, included, had to pass a background check check. why object to expanding the background checks for online sales or gun shows? did that logic make sense to you? >> i think that's the point overall, all of these things sound really good. if when he talks about hey, it's common sense, i completely understand that. common sense to one person might be something different to another. i know he was making sort of a joke with when anderson said something about some people think this is leading to taking away all guns. it's a big conspiracy. it's easy to make that joke. i don't feel anderson had the

time to adequately respond in the way that he could say, no, no, no, that's not what i was talking about. i don't think anybody thinks one president will have the power to develop a big plot nor would they want to. i think the thing that anderson was trying to present is that there's a part of our population who's afraid that these are just steps that take away more and more of our freedoms. i think we can all agree in our last 50 years our freedoms have been cut back substantially. it's just a matter of if you agree they should be taken back. >> you were able to get a gun. you're a gun owner. there are more than 320 million guns in this country. how is the access to guns being cut back? i know that's something that gun rights supporters say. but, you know, there are as many guns in this country as there are people. how do you feel that access is being denied? >> it's a fair point. we'd have to get into the minutia of it.

basically what we're talking about is that if it doesn't work in the first place, right, we can say that. let's just say that it worked all of the time. the background checks did, only healthy people had guns. that's fine. i think the laws are more stringent. if you're going hunting you'd have to drive to the place to lone your gun to somebody else to do the hunt, things like that. i understand what you're saying. i just think that the argument is more basic than that. and the argument is that do the background checks work? are they stopping people in the law-abiding citizens who are doing the background checks aren't the people who are going to murder people. i feel like that's the core of issue isn't necessarily why can't we do this? sure, you can do that. on the other side, somebody else might say it's common sense to arm every school, church and hospital. both sides of the issue are so passionate about how they feel

and what's common sense to one side of the issue is not common sense to the other. the bottom line is we're still in the most amazing place we've ever been in our country. gun ownership is at an all-time high which is great for people who want their guns and murder rate is at an all-time low which is great for people who are afraid if you have more guns, there will be more murder. it's not happening. >> taya, you made that point last night. it was a generous point given the tragedy in your life that you still say that the vast majority of americans are good-hearted, wonderful people and you wanted the president to know that and trumpet that more. i think that came through loud and clear. taya kyle, thanks so much for sharing your per spekt whiff us this morning. >> thanks. >> we're following a lot of news this morning. let's get right to it. what would you have done to prevent these mass shootings? >> i have the right to protect

myself. celebrate that we're good people and 99.9% of us are never going to kill anyone. >> i just want to emphasize, the goal here is just to make progress. >> what he has proposed he doesn't have the authority to do. >> i will get rid of gun-free zones. >> get trump out! >> that test simply underscores america's firm and continued commitment to regional security. >> south korea now ready to assume massive propaganda barrages. >> frankly, they expect more sanctions from the united states and the international community. this is "new day" with chris cuomo, alisyn camerota and michaela pereira. good morning. welcome to your "new day," it is friday, january 8th. i'm chris cuomo. we are live in paris. alisyn and mick are in new york.

first, how is it here? how is it in paris? paris is different, cafe society continues but everything is muted, less foot traffic, less tourism, less signature insutiants. there's new cause for fear on two fronts. in the last two days we've gotten two looks at emerging threats. we have new details about between police and a thursday's deadly confrontation knife-wielding man. it's not as simple as a deranged person doing something that was guaranteed to get him killed. he's an apparent isis sympathizer. there's questions about his identity. authorities are trying to confirm how it is he was able to keep authorities guessing about who he was for so long. there's also now new question and revelations about the planning of the november attacks, what they learned led them to what they now need to know about people still at large, alisyn. we have a lot of reporting from here for you. >> we know you do, chris. we'll get back to you shortly.

up first, president obama in a spirited town hall last night here on cnn. the president insisting he has no plans to take away anyone's games. michelle kosinski is live at the white house with more. >> reporter: as political as this issue is, last night was personal. you had people telling difficult stories, victims of crime on both sides of the debate. the president also got personal at times. but what this also showed was that one question both sides still have is, how are additional steps actually going to prevent violence? >> reporter: president obama addressed a crowd split on the issue with a surprising story from his time on the campaign trail, going through rural iowa. he says the first lady brought up the subject of guns for protection. >> at one point, michelle turned to me and she said, if i was living in a farmhouse where the

sheriff's department is pretty far away, and somebody can just turn off the highway and come up to the farm, i'd want to have a shotgun or a rifle to make sure that i was protected and my family was protected. and she was absolutely right. >> reporter: he faced tough questions from familiar faces, taya kyle, wife of murdered american sniper, chris kyle, mark kelly, husband of former congresswoman and shooting victim gabby giffords and kimberly corbin is a rape victim and nra supporter. >> i have been unspeakably victimized once already. i refuse to let that happen again to myself or my kids. so why can't your administration see these restrictions you're putting to make it harder for me to own a gun or harder for me to take that where i need to be is actually just making my kids and i less safe? >> there's nothing that we've proposed that would make it harder for you to purchase a firearm. >> reporter: a conspicuous no-show, the nra itself. >> if you listen to the rhetoric, it is so over the top

and so overheated. i'm happy to talk to them. but the conversation has to be based on facts and truth and what we're actually proposing, not some, you know, imaginary fiction in which obama's trying to take away your guns. >> reporter: it was the sandy hook shooting that made president obama uncharacteristically emotional this week. he watched himself make that speech. >> i think a lot of people were surprised by that moment. >> i was, too, actually. i visited newtown two days after what happened. it was still very raw. it's the only time i've ever seen secret service cry on duty. it continues to haunt me. it was one of the worst days of my presidency. >> reporter: as republican presidential candidate ted cruz now campaigns with this image of the president alongside the

words "obama wants your guns," many conservatives were riled, offend by his calling that kind of rhetoric a conspiracy. which he somewhat testily defended. >> is it fair to call it a conspiracy? >> yes. >> a lot of people believe this deeply, that they just don't trust you. >> i'm sorry, cooper, yes, it is fair to call it a conspiracy. what are you saying? are you suggesting that the notion that we are creating a plot to take everybody's guns away so that we can impose martial law is a conspiracy? yes, that is a conspiracy. i would hope that you would agree with that. is that controversial? >> reporter: one point president wanted to hammer home is that in this country if we're okay with regulating cars to prevent traffic deaths, okay with regulating things like medicines, even toys, why would we not do the same with guns? alisyn? >> thanks for that background. joining us now is the host of last night's town hall on

guns, cnn's own anderson cooper. live for us in washington. good morning. >> good morning ab wilisyn. >> these town hall meetings can feel dumpily in the room than they appear on twelevision. >> what was the energy inside that room. >> a serious, thoughtful discussion, which is exactly what we wanted it to be. we wanted the president to be asked questions by people who disagreed with him. a lot of people thought this was going to be a rah-rah meet for the president. we didn't want that. we want people on all sides of the issue have a chance to ask questions of the president. we didn't tell people what to ask. it was open to the people we invited. we invited the nra. they chose not to come. a lot of gun supporters did come and nra members did come. >> tell us the back story of the nra, why did they refouz to participate? >> you'd have to ask them that.

i think the message that they put out publicly was that this was going to be -- that they said this was something at one point orchestrated by the white house. that's obviously not true. this is something we reached out to the white house for after the san bernardino attacks. and proposed this idea. the white house thought about it and agreed to do it. we were happy that the president showed up and happy that he was willing that he was willing to be in a room to have a discussion about this. not a lot of yelling, name calling or anything. we wanted a thoughtful, serious discussion about it with people from -- with different perspectives which is frankly we should be having a lot of. >> sure. there was that moment that the president particularly bristled. it was when you mentioned the, if it was fair, to call it a conspiracy theory that people believed he wants to restrict access to guns. so let's play that again for a moment.

>> is it fair to call it a conspiracy? i mean, a lot of people believe this deeply, they just don't trust you. >> i'm sorry, cooper, yes, it is fair to call it a conspiracy. what are you saying? are you suggesting that the notion that we are creating a plot to take everybody's guns away so that we can impose martial law is a conspiracy? yes, that is a conspiracy. i would hope that you would agree with that. is that controversial? >> well, people do think he's trying to restrict access. what did you think of that moment? >> you know, i thought it was interesting. obviously i'm not suggesting that there's a conspiracy to take a huge conspiracy with levers of the u.s. government to take people's guns. certainly gun rights supporters, many of whom were in the room, do feel their rights gradually could be eroded. that is a huge concern.

throughout the evening the president talked about comparing this to cars and, you know, we restrict licenses for cars, why not for guns? sheriff paul babue from panella county, the sheriff there, republican running for congress went back to the president on that and said, look, the cars aren't enshrined in the constitution. the right to bear arms is enshrined in the constitution. for gun owners, this is something that's deeply felt and they feel is in some form under assault. but, look, overall, i thought it was a very thoughtful discussion. certainly any time the president calls you by your last name, it makes you stark. you wonder if you've done something wrong there. i give props to the president for agreeing to come. you know, a lot of presidents don't want to be in a room where they're going to be con front by people who completely disagree with them. this president did. i give a lot of props to taya

kyle and the sheriff and a lot of other people who came who were able to ask questions. >> we'll be speaking with him soon. you and the president did seem to be on a last name basis during much of the program last night. you were calling him president obama, he was calling you coo r cooper. beyond that, there's new information about how americans feel about this and that 67% of americans favor executive orders on guns, however, they don't like the tactics. they don't like that president obama used an executive order for guns which she see as an end run around congress. that's an interesting split. it sort of came out last night. >> i think, look, a lot of people certainly would wish that our representatives could hammer

out -- could actually discuss these things, that there could actually be compromises, there could actually be discussions between various political factions in washington and obviously that's something we see all too infrequently in washington these days. i think that's not all that controversial a notion for most americans. i think maybe that's what's reflected in the polls. but a lot of the executive actions that the president is taking from the white house perspective is trying to just clarify existing laws. it's not necessarily making any new laws. most legal scholars will take he seems to be on pretty firm legal ground in terms of the executive actions he's taken in this, that the laws are in existence and he's actually sort of attempting to, i this i, clarify the language, whether or not that language is all that clear, that's one of the problems. >> yes.

so, again, in the town hall, there's always a different feeling. we don't always see what happens afterwards. when it finished and people were hanging around buzzing, did you feel that any minds were changed? >> i don't know if minds or changed. this is an issue that polarizes the country. we see that in polls, all the polls. this is an issue in which the lines are pretty well drawn. i don't know that anybody walked away with a different opinion but i think certainly in the room, even people that didn't get to ask a question, i talked to a lot of people on both sides of this issue, on all sides of this issue afterward. they liked the discussion. they liked hearing from the president directly. they liked being there. and i think it allowed people to kind of think about these issues in a thoughtful way. in cable news as we all know, there's often a lot of yelling, name calling, side taking. that's not really how you're going to advance this issue at

all as a country. i think, as i said, we wanted a thoughtful night. that's what we got. >> great job last night. thank you for joining us this morning. >> thank you. >> do i have to start calling you camerota now? >> please. donald trump says more people need to be armed. trump making his push at a rally in bernie sanders state of vermont and drawing white vocal opposition. athena jones live in washington with more on this. athena? >> reporter: good morning, michaela. two very different events happening at the same time. trump slamming the president's moves and making a pledge of his own last night. take a listen. >> you know what a gun-free zone is to a sicko? that's bait. that's like gun-free zone. i will get rid of gun-free zones on schools. you have to. and on military bases, my first day, it gets signed. okay?

>> reporter: this point about dangers of gun-free zones is something that trump likes to say often. he also likes to say had the people in paris or san bernardino been armed, there would have been a lot fewer victims in those terror attacks. that rally last night was notable because it was held in the heart of bernie sanders territory. it was interrupt at least eight times by protesters, many of them wearing bernie sanders t-shirts. trump fans were trying to shout them down. protesters chanted things like "this is not vermont." "trump ruins vermont," "get trump out." contentious moments for him there. south korea sending a loud and clear message to kim jong-un. they are resuming their loud speaker propaganda broadcasts across the border. it follows claims from the north that it tested a hydrogen bomb.

this all falls on kim jong-un's 33rd birthday. will ripley is live from north korea, from pyongyang. will, what's the latest? >> reporter: alisyn, we know in south korea they are now beefing up cyber defenses, anticipating retaliation on the cyber front from north korea which has been suspected of major hacking attacks in the past. the pyongyang's regime biggest active aggression or perceived active aggression by much of the outside world happened when the supreme leader kim jong-un signed the order authorizing a nuclear test. north korea's fourth nuclear test in some 15 years. and the shock waves from that are still being felt. china condemning the act which is pretty unusual considering the china and north korea have been friends and allies for fight some time. their relationship seems to be doing pretty well as of late.

those loud speaker broadcasts that south korea is using to retaliate, those could be taken as an act of war here in pyongyang. we haven't receive an official response from the regime yet. the last time south korea turned on their propaganda loud speakers, the north assembled a large amount of troops, more than usual. there are hundreds of thousands of troops along the demilitarized zone. we'll see how things develop here on the ground. michaela? >> we will. thanks so much for that. >> two iraqi refugees with links to isis are expected to appear in court this morning. these men arrested on terror charges in california and in texas. did they pose a direct threat to the u.s.? ed lavandera is live in dallas with the latest. ed? >> reporter: well, good morning, michaela. we learned of these arrests late last night. one arrested in sacramento, one in houston, texas. at this point it doesn't appear these cases are directly related but they are similar in many ways.

both men in their early 20s. the first man from houston was arrested and charged with three criminal counts providing material support to isis and making false statements to immigration officials denying that they were offering material support and expertise to isis in syria. the second man there in sacramento, awuz mohamed unisal jyab entered as a refugee in 2012. according to the federal indictment and investigators, associated with terrorist organizations there, later lied to immigration officials about it. both men entering as refugees, palestinian born, entered as refugees from iraq. the first one, the houston man entered from iraq back in 2009. a lot of questions swirling around what exactly these two men were up to and also a lot of questions because of their refugee status and in their process of trying to become a

u.s. citizen. another story we'll continue to monitor throughout the day. >> absolutely, ed. thanks so much for that. in a somewhat similar story, the man who allegedly planned a machete attack on new year's eve, rebelers in the name of isis will be in court in rochester, new york. prosecutors describe the 25-year-old suspect as an ex-con, muslim convert with mental health issues. his arrest prompted the cancellation of rochester's new year's eve fireworks celebrations is a precaution. the mother of the so-called affluenza teen ethan couch will face a judge in texas this morning. tonya couch is accused of hindering her son's apprehension. before heading to mexico, ethan couch was on probation for killing four people in a drunk driving accident back in 2013 when he was just 13 years old -- or 16 years old, pardon me, at the time he was sentenced to probation. it's been a significant week in paris. there's been all sorts of breaking news. let's go back to chris who is

there on the ground in paris. hi, chris. hey, alisyn, mick. in the last two days we've seen two faces of two very different threats here in paris. they found traces of explosives and evidence of fugitives still wanted for the november attacks, an insight into how that was planned all in brussels. then we have new understanding about what happened yesterday. there's too much that's not known about this man with the knife for it to beed as a simple attack. we'll tell you why when we interview the mayor here, next. find the litter that works best for you. every home, every cat. there's a tidy cats for that. you can't breathed. through your nose. suddenly, you're a mouthbreather. well, just put on a breathe right strip which instantly opens your nose up to 38% more than cold medicine alone.

shut your mouth and say goodnight mouthbreathers. breathe right i drive to the hoop. i drive a racecar. i have a driver. his name is carl. but that's not what we all have in common. we talked to our doctors about treatment with xarelto®. xarelto® is proven to treat and help reduce the risk of dvt and pe blood clots. xarelto® is also proven to reduce the risk of stroke in people with afib, not caused by a heart valve problem. for people with afib currently well managed on warfarin, there is limited information on how xarelto® and warfarin compare in reducing the risk of stroke. you know, taking warfarin, i had to deal with that blood testing routine. i couldn't have a healthy salad whenever i wanted. i found another way. yeah, treatment with xarelto®. hey, safety first. like all blood thinners, don't stop taking xarelto® without talking to your doctor, as this may increase your risk of a blood clot or stroke. while taking, you may bruise more easily and it may take longer for bleeding to stop. xarelto® may increase your risk of bleeding if you take certain medicines. xarelto® can cause serious and in rare cases, fatal bleeding. get help right away for unexpected bleeding, unusual bruising, or tingling.

if you have had spinal anesthesia while on xarelto®, watch for back pain or any nerve or muscle related signs or symptoms. do not take xarelto® if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. tell your doctor before all planned medical or dental procedures. before starting xarelto®, tell your doctor about any kidney, liver, or bleeding problems. xarelto® is the number one prescribed blood thinner in its class. well that calls for a round of kevin nealons. make mine an arnold palmer. same here. with xarelto® there is no regular blood monitoring and no known dietary restrictions. treatment with xarelto® was the right move for us. ask your doctor about xarelto®.

that are lighter in calories and added sugar when you use splenda no calorie sweetener.

think sugar, use splenda we do have breaking news here out of paris. it comes from belgium. prosecutors confirming traces of explosives and hand-made bomb belts were found in an apartment there in early december. they believe this was the factory, this was the planning place, the hideout for those terrorists that wound up coming to paris and doing all the damage that they did. they also found something that's important to the continuing investigation, a fingerprint belonging to fugitive terrorist salah abdeslam. now, let's discuss these

developments. there's more to talk about as well. we have the city's deputy player, patrick klugman. he said, we have no reason for optimism right now. what does that mean to you? >> that we are still at risk, that the threat is very high and that now it's not only a matter of police security intelligence, it's all the population who is becoming fighter terror. >> the media, sometimes even here in paris and certainly the united states, can sometimes exaggerate the negative, play up a wrong side of the story. do you agree with the idea that things are different here, yes, you have cafe society, but it's

muted, people seem to be worried about the new normal. is that fair? >> that's true. they are worried but they don't renounce to going to cafe. you have the winter market, on the champs elysees. >> 50% off. i hope my wife didn't see that. >> i didn't see the change in the behavior of the patrons. this is a constant signal, january 7th, after charlie hebdo, the evening, the terrorists were still in the city, there were thousands of parisians shouting we are not afraid in the palace depubilque.

>> this man comes to a knife, to a police station. he had to know that was not going to go well. maybe he had a plan. maybe he was going to use his fake explosive to gain access, to do more damage, that this is a real threat that can continue. how do you handle that? >> we have to be very cautious, both about what happened yesterday and also the information about that. still, the symbol on the anniversary to go in a police station and enter, shouting allahu akhbar, wielding a knife

is in itself an act of terror, another act of terror in paris. >> he did it at almost the exact same time that the charlie hebdo incident started. >> exact. >> i you can be sick and evil, sick and a terrorist. >> yes. the action is an act of terror. >> something else we're hearing here from parisians, authorities, investigators, they say don't look at paris as if it is unique with what's going on. paris is what all big cities will become at some point in the future as you have more muslim immigration, as you have more terrorism groups popping up. do you see it that way, that this is something of the new normal, well beyond france's borders? >> taims any living and vibrant

democracy, the states know it, other countries also. i think paris is unique, because i can feel it, that when something happened here, it makes a great noise outside of france and in the world. and every democracy. and this is specific and, unfortunately, it creates a supplementary risk because the terrorists know when they hit very symbolic city as paris, they have a lot of echo. >> as you talk to the investigators, they say we needed this state of emergency. we can do raids now, we have policing powers we didn't have before. we're able to do what we need to do to stop people to get warrants that we couldn't before. there's a growing feeling among parisians that this is too much of an intrusion on liberty, it's not only signature parisian lifestyle but it's not getting anything that makes the infringements worthwhile.

should it end? >> as you know, i'm also a lawyer involved in terror cases for the victims. i would say we need these measures because it was really necessary. of course, we're in the france, like in the states, of the freedoms, the civil liberties are cautious and are right to be cautious. but at the end of the day today, i think we didn't go too far but only to what is strictly necessary to fight terror. >> and the question becomes for how long? mr. mayor, thank you very much. >> thank you so much. >> god bless the people here. thank you for having us. >> thank you. alisyn, back to you in new york. one other thing, this is the shopping capital of the world, no question about it. there are ridiculous sales right now. you do see people trying to encourage one another to go out and enjoy life. it's hard to do after something like yesterday. >> absolutely. we saw that indominatibleindomi

spirit there. an arizona sheriff who said americans should arm themselves after the san bernardino attack had a spirited exchange with president obama at last night's town hall on guns. we'll talk to the sheriff, next.

president obama came face-to-face with opponents of his executive actions on gun control during cnn's town hall last night. one of those people was arizona sheriff paul babeu. watch this. >> what would you have done to prevent these mass shootings in the terrorist attack and how do we get those with mental illness and criminals, that's the real problem here, how are we going to get them to follow the laws? >> look, crime is always going to be with us. so i think it's really important for us not to suggest that if we can't solve every crime, we shouldn't try to solve any crimes. the challenge we have is, that

in many instances you don't know ahead of time who's going to be the criminal. the question then becomes, are there ways for us, since we can't identify that person all the time, are there ways for us to make it less lethal when something like that happens? >> paul, babeu is the sheriff of pinal county, arizona. thanks bo s for being on. >> thanks for having me. >> you feel the president didn't answer your question. you tweeted that after the town hall. what do you think the answer is for stopping these mass shootings? you're in law enforcement. >> that's what i was getting to. and asking the president that, clearly he didn't answer that. when you're looking at all these mass shootings, everyone, especially us in law enforcement, have a passion to

protect people and to save lives. what are we going to do to stop these mass shootings? there's two components to this. it's the underlying mental health concerns which many of these mass shootings, that's what we have that goes on. >> yes. >> background checks, many people buy these guns for these individuals or they pass legitimate background checks. >> right. >> then there's the terrorist act as well. the second component is the criminality. you have criminals, this is why in law enforcement we call them criminals because they're not going to follow any law. we already know that all of these gun restriction, that have failed, we can't ignore that information. that's what i was trying to get at with the president, we have to look to solve these issues. $500 million, fight frankly, that he proposed, isn't going to cut it. >> it's a start. look, sheriff, it's a start. you're talking about the money these given towards the mental health component of this. that's what you're asking for.

that's what everyone universally is asking for. let's deal with the mental health component. about the background checks, one of the mass shootings i covered in charleston, south carolina, that was a guy who should have been flaggeded in a background check. he had a felony narcotics charge. >> absolutely. >> what the president said connected to that, there simply isn't the manpower, these background checkers, there are not enough of them. he's calling in his executive action to add more background checkers, for the background check process to be shorter so you don't wait out the three-day background check, period and hand over a gun. it actually might have stopped if these were in place, the charleston massacre. >> in that -- no, it wouldn't have. that person actually had a

background check and they admitted to atf there were mistakes made. >> yes, because of the lack of resources. >> well, no. you had a person. that's like me if i did an investigation and said oh, well i'm sorry i didn't have enough support. that was my job. somebody actually dealt with that specific issue. that's not the issue here. if he wants toen xpad th expand nobody, especially myself, wouldn't want anybody that shouldn't have a weapon, that has mental health concerns -- look, my deputies every day run into these situations, where somebody is suicidal or they try to force suicide by cop. we have people putting my deputies in danger. >> it's terrible. why not have more background checks at gun shows and internet sales? who is that hurting? >> if you're going to look really at the solution, that's not the answer.

we just finished talking about mental health. let's sincerely get everybody to the table. don't have a half baked proposal that you cook up over two weeks in hawaii saying we're going to do this $500 million, let's really focus. half of my jail is full of people with mental health. i have 1,100 inmates. they've committed burglary, theft, domestic violence. >> you're calling for more money for mental health? >> absolutely. that's the real issue. manufacture these shootings law enforcement has even had contact with these people. we know they're a threat. they're getting no help when they're in jail and they're literally on a hamster wheel when they get out. >> they're repeating the cycle again and again. >> i don't think anybody would disagree with that. the president is starting that process by asking for more money and starting that conversation. are you happy with that step? >> i think that there should be more. i'm not happy with it is what

i'm saying. because that's the core issue here. we shouldn't be looking at further restrictions. look at chicago. he keeps mentioning chicago. some of the most restrictive gun laws. you have 12 shootings the very day he made this announcement in chicago. it wasn't anything that he would have done would have prevented those shootings. that's what we need to discuss, the core issue here. >> sheriff babeu, we appreciate you being on "new day" and being part of the town hall to start this dialogue. >> it was great. >> and this national conversation. >> i loved it. >> thanks so much for being a part of that. >> thank you. let's go back now to paris, france, where chris is on the ground. chris? >> we are following breaking news here, alisyn. authorities finding their first cluen 0 the potential whereabouts of a fugitive terrorist responsible for the november attacks here in paris. where was it found? how will it lead investigators to find him? we have a french lawmaker, next.

with creative new business incentives, the lowest taxes in decades, and university partnerships, attracting the talent and companies of tomorrow. like in utica, where a new kind of workforce is being trained. and in albany, the nanotechnology capital of the world. let us help grow your company's tomorrow, today at business.ny.gov i am a lot of things. i am his sunshine. i am his advocate. so i asked about adding once-daily namenda xr to his current treatment for moderate to severe alzheimer's. it works differently. when added to another alzheimer's treatment, it may improve overall function and cognition. and may slow the worsening of symptoms for a while. vo: namenda xr doesn't change how the disease progresses. it shouldn't be taken by anyone allergic to memantine, or who's had a bad reaction to namenda xr or its ingredients.

before starting treatment, tell their doctor if they have, or ever had, a seizure disorder, difficulty passing urine, liver, kidney or bladder problems, and about medications they're taking. certain medications, changes in diet, or medical conditions may affect the amount of namenda xr in the body and may increase side effects. the most common side effects are headache, diarrhea, and dizziness. he's always been my everything. now i am giving back. ask their doctor about once-daily namenda xr and learn about a free trial offer at namendaxr.com. perfect driving record. >>perfect. no tickets. no accidents... >>that is until one of you clips a food truck, ruining your perfect record. >>yup... now, you would think your insurance company would cut you some slack, right? >>no. your insurance rates go through the roof. your perfect record doesn't get you anything. >>anything. perfect! for drivers with accident forgiveness, liberty mutual won't raise your rates due to your first accident. and if you do have an accident,

our claim centers are available to assist you 24/7. for a free quote, call liberty mutual at switch to liberty mutual and you could save up to $509 call today at see car insurance in a whole new light. liberty mutual insurance.

in the last two days, we have seen two advances in two very different threats here in paris.

related to the november attacks that took 130 lives, belgium authorities now say they found a fingerprint of a fugitive attacker, salah abdeslam, one of the men who was there who then drove some of the other terrorists away who was stopped but not detained because he wasn't connected to the event yet. they found it in a brussels apartment that seems to have been a hideout, a laboratory where they were putting together the bomb belts they used. that's a key development but it also leads them to questions of who else was involved in this terror network that's still abroad and what else might they be planning? then we have what happened yesterday, which at first seemed to be dismissed as someone who was reranged, bringing a knife to a police station. now it seems to be something more that is a look at a different threat that is just as real here in paris and beyond. for perspective, let's bring in french senator nathalie goulet. she was the head of a commission

of inquiry that looked into french and european jihadi networks. senator, thank you for joining us. when we talk about yesterday -- >> thank you. >> at first it looked like a deranged person with a knife. now investigators say there are real questions about this man's ability to hide his identity and what his real plan may have been with his fake explosive device, his isis flag, his letter of pledging his loyalty to bag d d baghdadi, the isis lead he. what do you think? >> exactly. first of all, we have absolutely no way to check his i.d. which is very strange. at the beginning we thought he was from morocco, then it looks like he's from tunisia. the d.a. expressed doubt this morning that we could find his i.d. yet. then all the stories is really, really strange.

>> it is strange, because it feeds into this -- >> we are looking for -- >> continue, senator. >> thank you. sorry. yes. we are looking forward, you know, because at the beginning exactly as you said it, we thought it was just somebody with kind of mental illness. then you look more like somebody who wanted to copy, just to improve himself and try to have this minute of fame by committing this kind of crime in a police station. we are now looking -- but what is for sure, he shouldn't have been on the territory. if the i.d. is correct, he was not allowed to stay in france anymore since 2013. so right now, i think that the work would be to be sure of his i.d.

the way he was acting is really strange and investigators are really disturbed about this case, especially the days that we are celebrating -- >> and it shows. obviously the timing wasn't a coincidence. it wasn't just the one-year anniversary. this man went at the police station at exactly the same time, about 11:30 in the morning here, as the attack happened at charlie hebdo. my question for you, senator, is it seems like in these investigations authorities keep figuring out opportunities that were missed. this man had fake identity different times. the november attackers, some of them were under surveillance. the main planner was somebody who you knew was trying to make attacks here in paris and beyond. is france up to speed in

stopping the threat that it faces? >> nobody's able to stop the threat, you know, first of all, we cannot put policeman behind everybody. then we have the borders like swiss cheese. and then we really have some problem because, you know, zero risk will never happen. and we have to learn how to live under the threat. and that is an absolutely new behavior we have. we have to cross intelligence services and we have to be more careful. each city has to be more careful. that's a new way for us. what happened yesterday to come back to your question, is probably linked to this kind of new threat that the people want to duplicate some of this kind of attack, to be famous. and so we have to be very

careful during the celebration, not to provoke any people who are really on the verge of radicalization and will cross a border. i think it's exactly what happened yesterday. >> senator, goulliet, thank you very much. it's difficult not to provoke people who are provoked simply by the parisian way of life. thank you for talking to betweee tested a hydrogen bomb. ahead, we'll take a look at all the world hot spots.

hey, you forgot the milk! that's lactaid. right. 100% real milk, just without the lactose. test test test mmm, it is real . see? delicious. hoof bump! oh. right here girl, boom lactaid®. 100% real milk. no discomfort and for a creamy and delicious treat, try lactaid® ice cream

how long have you had your car insurance? i ask because i had mine for over 20 years before i switched and saved hundreds with the aarp auto insurance program from the hartford. i had done a lot of comparison shopping. the rate was like half of what i was paying. [ female announcer ] $420 is the average amount drivers save when they switch to the aarp auto insurance program from the hartford. you know, it makes me wonder why everyone 50 and over hasn't switched. [ female announcer ] how much could you save? if you're age 50 or over, call now to request your free quote. customers also appreciate lifetime renewability. it's the hartford's promise not to drop you, even if you're in an accident. [ female announcer ] save $420 on average and get lifetime renewability. you've got to consider it. you've got to consider it. [ female announcer ] for your free quote, call the hartford at... or go to gohartfordauto.com today. get this free calculator just for requesting a quote.

several hot spots are flaring up around the world in the first week of the new year. from north korea's claims of a nuclear bomb to the conflicts in saudi arabia and iran. quite start to a new year. only the 8th of january. we'll start with north korea. because it happens to be their reclusive leader's 33rd birthday today. the claims of having launched an

h-bomb. our will ripley got inside there somewhat. do you anticipate this nuclear threat is going to increase? >> well it is certainly going to be a big part of the conversation this year. now that the iranian nuclear threat is off the table so to speak this is kim jong-un putting himself in the conversation. >> inserting himself. >> which he loves to do. election year in the united states. the fact they have tested something is significant. the fact that they have miniaturized the bomb, whether it is h-bomb -- significant? >> very significant. no one believes they are going to fire off in any direction but it changes the depth -- >> the u.n. security council has threatened punitive measures. >> they are already sanctioned out pretty much. all the sanctions you can apply to that country are already in

place. the only country that has any significant influence over north korea are the chinese. that is the one country with whom they are continue to trade and receive aid and supplies. the only who can bring them to heal are the chinese. >> we know tension keeps amp b up. what do you see happening in the weeks and months ahead. >> proxy war. you will hear lots of angry rhetoric but no one is expected iran and saudi arabia to go directly to war against each other but their surrogates are already at war in lebanon. and saudi arabia is actually physically fighting the war there. iran is not. iran is operating through the shia rebels.

saudi arabia is bombing yemen. saudi arabia has troops on the ground in yemen. that is potentially the hottest of the hot spots. >> any room for common ground? >> at the moment no. there is probably going to be more heat. >> libya here seems as though the world is not necessarily paying attention. isis fighting to get control of some oil towns there. our pentagon has been praising some of the reductions in iraq against isis. but libya meanwhile unfettered. we ended 2015 with a little self congratulatory. and it is gaining territory in libya. it is on the outskirts of some really important oil installations and that has a way of focussing the world's attention. when terrorists get close to oil

everyone sits up and pays attention. >> a situation in germany on new year's eve there were some over a hundred assaults. like a mob sexual assault. 31 some suspects have been detained. some 18 of them were seeking asylum in germany. do you think that is going take an impact on what happens in germany with refugee crisis and across europe? >> a lot of germans are already beginning to question merkel's policies about allowing rightly or wrongly, they are questioning whether she should be allowing in so many refugees particularly from syria. things are murky. keep in mind, everything that happened in 2015, all the refugees welcomed into the

areas, that sends a message across to the many refugee camps where syrians are. the message is get to germany. they are trying desperately to get to germany. meanwhile this happens. we're going to see a lot more refugees trying to make their way there. and if germany gets inhospitable that creates a whole new dimension to what is already a pretty tragic humanitarian crisis. >> bobby ghosh, thank you. certainly following in a lot of news this friday. let's get to it. >> i respect the second amendment. i respect the right to bear arms. >> i want the hope that i have the right to protect myself. that i have the freedom to carry whatever weapon i feel i need. >> i have been unspeakably victimized once already. >> i just want to repeat that there is nothing that we could propose that would make it harder for you to purchase a

firearm. >> that's bait. i will get rid of gun free zones. >> everything is fair game and everything gets looked at. everything gets looked at. >> -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >> this is "new day" with chris cuomo, alisyn camerota and michael ra pereira. >> good morning. alisyn and mick are in new york. i'm in paris. tensions are high after an apparent attack at a police station thwarting an isis sympathizer. and breaking news related to the november attacks here in paris. 130 lost their liver, hundreds more injured. authorities now finding new

clues on the fugitive terrorist responsible for carrying out those attacks here in paris. we'll give you details ahead alisyn. >> first president obama making his case for executive action on guns in a town hall meeting right here on cnn. the president facing his critics and blasting conspiracy theorists who came he's trying to take everyone's guns. did he win over any skeptics? michelle kosinski live at the white house. >> the goal was strong voices on both sides of the issue not yelling and battling out but having a real discussion. i don't think there is any argument about that is what this was. some people had some compelling personal story, the president got personal too. but he also had strong words for his opponents. >> president obama addressed a crowd split on the issue with surprising story from his time in the campaign trail going through rural iowa. he says the first lady brought

up the subject of guns for protection. >> at one point michelle turned to me and said, you know, if i was living in a farmhouse where the sheriff's department is pretty far away and somebody can just turn off the highway and come up to the farm, i'd want to have a shotgun or a rifle to make sure that i was protected and my family was protected. and she was absolutely right. >> he faced tough questions from familiar faces. wife of murdered american sniper chris kyle. gabby giffords. kim li corbin is a rape victim and nra supporter. >> i have been a rape victim once and i refuse to let that help to myself and my kids. why can't your organization see that these restriction you are putting that make it harder for me to own a gun is actually just making my kids and i less safe.

>> there is that we would propose that would make it harder for you to purchase a firearm. if you listen to the rhetoric, it is so over the top and so over heated, i'm happy to talk to him. but the conversation has to be based on facts and truth and what we're actually proposing. not some imaginary fiction in which obama is trying to take away your guns. >> it was the sandy hook shooting that made president obama uncharacteristically emotional this week. now he watched himself make that speech. >> i think a lot of people were surprised by that moment. >> i was too, actually. you know, i visited newtown two days after what happened. so it was still very raw. it is the only time i've ever seen secret service cry on duty. it continues to haunt me. it was one of the worst days of

my presidency. >> and as republican presidential candidate ted cruz now campaigns with this mnl of the president alongside the words obama wants your guns, many citizens were riled, offend by his rhetoric calling it a conspiracy. >> is it fair to call it a conspiracy? a lot of people really believe this deeply. they just don't trust you. >> i'm sorry cooper, yes, it is fair to call it a conspiracy. what are you saying? [ applause ] are you suggesting that the notion that we are creating a plot to take everybody's guns away so that we can impose martial law is a conspiracy? yes that is a conspiracy. i would hope that you would agree with that. is that controversial? >> one of the president's key points is that if you are going to continue to regulate the auto industry, regulate medicines, even toys to protect people and and make lives better, why would

you not do the same with guns? michaela. >> all right michelle. thank you so much for that. while donald trump meanwhile pushing his own gun agenda at a rally in vermont. protesters disrupting his rally. athena jones with more. >> reporter: it was interesting to see the split screen moment with these two very different events going on at the same time. trump slamming the president's moves on guns and making a pledge of his own last night. take a listen. >> do you know what a gun-free zone is to a sickco? that is bait. that is like gun free zones. i'll get rid of gun free zones on schools. [ applause ] you have to and on military bases my first day it gets signed. >> so a lot of support in the crowd. the danger of gun free zones is

a point trumps makes often. and meanwhile the rally was in burlington vermont, deep in the heart of the bernie sanders territory. interrupted at least eight times by protesters. you can see the trump fans shouting there. trump himself was clearly annoyed with these protesters, asking security to move a little faster to get him out of here and even at one point saying throw them out in the cold, confiscate their coats. >> that might be effective. a all right athena. thanks for that. the issue of gun control here. and here to discuss is our commenter and donald trump supporter jeffrey lord, and cnn political commentator van jones.

what do you think about the argument that president obama basically led with last night. which is every single one of you in this room, in this town hall who owns a gun had to pass a background check. why object to other people who are trying to buy it online or at gun shows or on the internet having to do the same thing? >> well alisyn -- i think the complaint -- i am not a gun owner. but i believe the complaint is these things don't work very well. there was a shooting in california in the santa barbara area in 2014. and i went and checked on that. it was this young kid who killed all sorts of people. and i believe he was killed himself. and i found out that the brady gun control people had said that california -- they gave california an a minus rating saying they had the best gun control laws in the country. yet this kid managed to get a

gun. so they are doing everything asked and still this happened. >> yes and i want to bring in van. hold on jeffrey. that is an important point. people brought it up last night. how will any of this make a difference in the mass shootings. and some people say they didn't get an adequate answer from the president. >> first there is this argument out there that none of this stuff works, it doesn't make a difference. but unfortunately facts matter. data matters. there are not that many studies because the federal government has been disallowed by the gun lobbies to do any. in missouri, when they backed away from background checks they had a 14% spike in killings. that is about 60 more people a year. in connecticut when they implemented stronger background checks they had a 40% drop in shootings. you can't stop every nut but you can have appreciable, 14%, 40% swings based on having the kind of things the president is

talking about. >> donald trump on the campaign trail has been saying that president obama is coming for your guns. he hates the second amendment. last night the president basically called that a conspiracy theory and tried to tamp it down. will donald trump change his rhetoric? >> i don't think so. donald trump isn't going to tamp down rhetoric on something like this. a lot of people are very concerned about this. and alisyn i'd add one other thing. i dade considerable amount of research about the culture of violence in this country f one thing that was quite noticeable unless i missed it: abortion was never mentioned and there are plenty of americans who believe that abortion -- >> but jeffrey, this was a town hall on guns. also the economy wasn't mentioned china wasn't mentioned. one topic at a time jeffrey. >> no no no alisyn. there is a direct connection

here. if we have created a culture as in the words of one catholic deacon, where human life is treated like trash, what do we expect here? mass shootings have increased dramatically since roe versus wade -- >> so you are saying there is a connection, a correlation between mass shootings and roe versus wade. >> in fact it is opposite. >> if we don't respect human li life, people are going to take human life. >> go ahead. >> it is the opposite. since roe versus wade you have had a decrease in violent crime in all categories across the country. part of what's been remarkable. but you do have these sharp increases in mass shootings. and we're trying to figure out how to deal with that. listen, i don't want to go down this particular rabbit hole. i just want to say i'm very

proud of this president. it takes a lot of courage to sit there and take real questions from real people. cnn didn't script this. he didn't know what was coming. i thought he did a great job. we should be proud of this president. >> nra declined the invitation to be there. >> i really think the problem is the obama administration has gone out of his way to make nra the bad guy. >> and they have gone out of -- >> hold on. >> and distrust with the nra. this is cnn's event. not the white house event. and from my perspective, i would have shown up. but i can understand it because they believe that the obama administration has it out for them so why bother. they think he's not going to be fair. >> van, is that why they didn't come? >> first of all they should know that cnn would be fair and it was a cnn event. second of all that cuts both ways. the nra has made so much money

demonizing president obama and whipping up this fear that is so unfair that he has this hidden agenda to take 300 million guns from people. which is nuts on its face and not what it's about. that goes both ways. >> there is a new cnn orc poll and it talks about how americans feel about what the president is doing. they are really telling. 67% of americans favor the policy in terms of whether the president is trying to do with background checks through his executive order. 67% favor it. 32% oppose. however on the flipside, van. i'll address it to jeffrey first. 54% jeffrey oppose how he's doing it. with executive action. but, you know, he says that he's tried to work through congress. so what was he to do? >> well, you know, years ago alley, they released the lbj tapes. he recorded himself while he was in the white house.

and you constantly hear him on the phone with legislators cajoling them, etc. president obama does not like to do that. it is not just how we make laws but it is how we come to consensus in this country. the civil rights laws of the 1960s were not issued as executive orders they were passed through congress. they were passed overwhelmingly. to this day they are wonderful laws that take great effect. the point is you have to go through that process to bring consensus and he doesn't want to do that. >> what about that, van? does the president care that americans don't like how he went about this? >> i'm sure he does care. but let's not forget a lot of people heard this hue and cry. oh my god this president is going to be the gun grabbing apocalypse and that effected the polls. once people realize how modest

these were they are going to be a lot more accepting and appreciative. he's completely within his rights. that is not a new law. literally it is just clarifying existing law. so listen, the most important thing i can say is simply this. we have had too many funerals. i've seen too many memorial services and too many times you have to stop the news to cover yet again another killing and the fact that this president is taking action i think is something to be applauded and if congress wants more action, they should take more action. >> van, thank you. >> thanks alisyn, thanks van. >> let's get to michaela. >> relations between north and south korea deteriorating once again. south korea resuming loud speaker campaigns. how will kim jong-un respond?

as today happens to be his 33rd birthday. will ripley is live in the north korean capital and joins us from there now. >> reporter: and michaela, that really does add insult to these actions by the south korean government and that is probably precisely why they are doing it. because this regime is all about controlling the message and making sure that the people who live here only consume the information that the government and the regime led by kim jong-un wants them to consume. so for these loud speakers to be broadcasting within earshot of hundreds of thousands of troops stationed along the demilitarized zone it is certainly a proadvocative acvoc. kim jong-un here seen signing the order to detonate the device. the regime says it is a hydrogen bomb. a lot of experts dispute the

claim but it certainly was a nuclear test of some kind that created an earthquake and certainly a lot of political tremors around the world. countries were blindsided. they see that in spite of international sanctions, in spite of multiple efforts to stop this type of activity t regime continues to aggressively invest and grow its nuclear arsenal putting in danger regional allies of the united states such as south korea and japan. and we visited a science center today where we saw developments in missile technology as well. north korea says they now have the capability to send missiles even further beyond their border now. >> thank you for that. two iraqi refugees with links to isis in court today. arrested on terrorism charges in california and texas. a 23-year-old in sacramento authorities say traveled to syria to fight and then lied to homeland security officials.

and a 24-year-old in houston is charged with trying to provide material support to the terrorists. a this point no information the men planned attacks here in the u.s. >> four palestinians killed after attempting to stab israeli soldiers in two separate attacks. the first occurred in the west bank. the other incident heb ron, a pasten man was shot dead at the scene. none of the israeli soldiers were injured. >> and a story that has everyone buzzing. the powerball jackpot. it is soaring to a whopping $720 million. the odds, 1/292 million. as we've told you. you are more likely to get hit by an asteroid. also to have a quadruplets naturally. that one scares me. >> the other was being hit by

lightning while drowning. >> yes. but that's not stopped millions of americans from not buying tickets. imagine if you were to win. if you did you would be richer than all of these people. floyd mayweather. robert downy, jr. taylor swift. >> are you kidding me. >> >> these are the highest paid celebrities we know of. you would have more money than one direction. and there are four of them. a rule change just means that it is easier to match the powerball. >> just the powerball number. the one powerball number. >> that is a fantastic rule. >> how much do you win if of you match that? >> $4. >> there is a 1/25 chance of us winning that. >> 18 past the hour here. let's head back to paris and to chris. >> you know, the easiest way to

assure failure is to anticipate it. that is why i say don't remind people how remote the chances are. go out, buy the ticket. hope for the best. we are in paris because of the "charlie hebdo" anniversary. but in the last two days we've seen two different aspects of risk here and major developments on both fronts. yesterday the guy with the knife going into the pligs. this isolice station. this is this is turning out to be more than first seen. and further developments. we'll have much more when we come back.

in the last two days we've seen two major developments on two entirely different threats facing france. let's bring in a team of people who can really take us deep down into what's going on here. we have cnn european

correspondent jim bitterman. our terrorism analyst and editor and chief of the terrorism studies journal paul cruickshank who's had us a least a day ahead of the reporting. and terrorism expert and former french commando fabrice who understands very well whether they are doing here. yesterday a man with a knife goes to the police station on the one year anniversary of "charlie hebdo" at almost the same time of day. the initial instinct was dismiss him as a lunatic. norths now are saying not so fast. >> he had a cell phone with a german sim card in it. that is something not too easy to get. described by the people as a homeless type they thought. but in fact reminded me of this guy kazani who some months ago

tried to pull off an attack on a high speed train from amsterdam. americans stopped him. he was better armed. also described as the homeless man living in a park in belgium. but he had these weapons. so i think that is they dig deeper they will find more links. >> still can't even identify him. i still don't want to accept it fabrice. you say you bring a knife to a police station, you are looking to get killed and nothing else, you are saying no. there could have been a deeper plan and tactic. >> could be just to use a device just to intimidate the police officer in order to take control of the place. i have an explosive device, if you move i will kill everybody. put your weapon down, take control of the room and wait for the assault of the s.w.a.t. team

and maybe more, you know. >> motivation, certainly isis sympathizers. eye witnesses say he had the flag to al baghdaddy, the leader of that --. the copy cat phenomenon, the low bar of turning someone who is a sympathizer, which they have thousands of within the muslim population here into an active terrorist is a low bar you say. how so is. >> it's very difficult for the authorities to tell when people are going to move from radical thought, which isn't a crime here, to radical action. and what we're seeing increasingly from isis is they are in touch in one way, shea, form or another directly instigating, grooming these people for attacks. and we saw that this that attempted attack in garland, texas in may last year. a string of cases here in france

involving one or two people. it might be the case there was that communication again this time around. we clearly still don't know yet chris. >> and when somebody is a vagrant you would you well why would they? why wouldn't they? >> another point, he said this kufb two stage attack. and one thing we have to be more aware of is when officials run out to the scene and this big rush of first responders, they have to be protected because there could be a two stage attack. could be a guy comes at the police with a meat cleaver. next thing there is a car afterwards. >> you have to prepare. so french authorities come out with a sobering statement. they say we have no cause for optimism. part of that comes off what

cruickshank was bringing us yesterday. developments in the november terror plot. the investigation revealing a bomb factory. fingerprints of someone they are looking for. and all of these leads to others who could still be abroad. how so? >> all these leads and two senior members of this conspiracy still at large. they put out grainy photographs. they were here in paris, before, during and after the attacks. they were giving orders and part of the operations they believe. ferrying back and forth to hungary. wiring money. renting safe houses. the more we find out about this plot chris, the bigger and bigger it happens. they had multiple safe houses in belgium. a villa which they used in preparation. also this bomb factory right in the center of brussels. very near all of those european

union headquarters builds. they built the bombs and transported the suicide vests to paris and final tinkering here and then launched the attack. the scale of is staggering and there is more in the works. the leaders believed to be in syria at the senior level with isis. there is more in the works. they are very worried and this is very recent intelligence. about european isis operatists faking their own deaths so they can get back here and launch more attacks like we saw in paris. >> thank you gentlemen. back to you. >> here at home president obama making a -- we're going tell you

more about the offer and whether the nra is likely to accept it. also the december jobs report is out. we'll bring to crow next. aren't moving in the right direction,bers it can be a burden. but what if you could wake up to lower blood sugar? imagine loving your numbers.

discover once-daily invokana®. with over 6 million prescriptions and counting, it's the #1 prescribed sglt2 inhibitor that works to lower a1c. invokana® is used along with diet and exercise to significantly lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. it's a once-daily pill that works around the clock. here's how: invokana® reduces the amount of sugar allowed back in to the body through the kidneys and sends some sugar out through the process of urination. and while it's not for weight loss, it may help you lose weight. invokana® can cause important side effects, including dehydration, which may cause you to feel dizzy, faint, lightheaded, or weak, especially when you stand up. other side effects may include kidney problems, genital yeast infections, urinary tract infections, changes in urination, high potassium in the blood, increases in cholesterol, or risk of bone fracture.

do not take invokana® if you have severe kidney problems or are on dialysis. stop taking and call your doctor right away if you experience symptoms such as rash, swelling, or difficulty breathing or swallowing. tell your doctor about any medical conditions, medications you are taking, and if you have kidney or liver problems. using invokana® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase risk of low blood sugar. imagine life with a lower a1c. are you loving your numbers? there's only one invokana®. ask your doctor about it by name.

we do have breaking news. the labor department releasing december jobs. christine romans has it. >> it is a very strong number for the end of the year. you saw 292,000 net new jobs. that is a strong performance. and look at this. this number was actually revised higher. it is actually 307,000. so a strong end of the year for hiring. and we had been seeing it across the board. construction strong. professional business services. office jobs, business, lawyers, accountants, tech support folks. those are the kind of jobs you want to see really adding a lot of jobs here. when you look at the year, unemployment right down here at 5%, lowest in several years. sectors are really good.

about 217,000 on average last year. that means last year 2.3, 2.4 million jobs. so all this worry about china, all this worry about the rest of the world, we see strong hiring end of last year. >> really good to see that. thanks. time for the five things to know for your new day. number one, president obama insists he does not want to take guns away in people. during cnn's town hall he says he just wants to close loopholes that allow firearms to get into the wrong hands. >> south korea cranking up the volume on kim jong-un today. this in response to the alleged testing of a hydrogen bomb by the north this week. >> belgian authorities say they have found a fingerprint belonging to salah abdeslam.

>> tomorrow night's powerball drawing soaring to a record-breaking $700 million. the odds going down 1 in 292 million. you got have a chance. for more be sure to visit cnn "new day" com. >> forget about standard submarines, how about something more high-tech? take a look at the future of adventure. >> think of it as a quad copter. but it is a big manned one that goes under water. for the last fifty years we've gone under water in machines called submersibles.

initially the holy grail was to get to the bottom of the planet. and now you realize is that the real goal is just get everybody else down there who wants to go. we just try to make them so they are usable by most people. you can't tell the future, but our kids will have access to the ocean in a way that we never did. our kids are going to go wait a minute. there is an even bigger planet down here. i'm going to explore this place. >> all right. ahead, the president taking on critics in gun control town hall on cnn last night with anderson cooper. did he make his case for tighter restrictions on firearms? we'll discuss with david axelrod. performance...

...reimagined. style... ...reinvented. sophistication... ...redefined. introducing the all-new lexus rx and rx hybrid. agile handling. available 12.3-inch navigation screen and panorama glass roof. never has luxury been this expressive. this is the pursuit of perfection. how long have you had your car insurance? i ask because i had mine for over 20 years before i switched and saved hundreds with the aarp auto insurance program from the hartford. i had done a lot of comparison shopping. the rate was like half of what i was paying. [ female announcer ] $420 is the average amount drivers save when they switch to the aarp auto insurance program from the hartford. you know, it makes me wonder why everyone 50 and over hasn't switched. [ female announcer ] how much could you save? if you're age 50 or over, call now to request your free quote.

customers also appreciate lifetime renewability. it's the hartford's promise not to drop you, even if you're in an accident. [ female announcer ] save $420 on average and get lifetime renewability. you've got to consider it. you've got to consider it. [ female announcer ] for your free quote, call the hartford at... or go to gohartfordauto.com today. get this free calculator just for requesting a quote.

president obama blasting the nra for misleading americans about his stance. the president says he's open to talking with the gun rights group but it comes with a caveat. take a look. >> our position is consistently mischaracterized. and by the way, there is a reason why the nra is not here. they are just down the street.

and since this is the main reason they exist, you would think that they would be prepared to have a debate with the president -- >> they haven't been to the white house in three years. >> we've invited them. >> so right now -- >> we have invited them repeatedly. but if you listen to the rhetoric, it is so over the top and so over heated and most importantly is not acknowledging the fact that there is no other consumer item that we purchase. >> is that -- >> hold on a second. let me finish this point cooper. there is nothing else in our lives that we purchase where we don't try to make it a little safer if we can. >> so just here tonight you would say you would welcome a meeting with the nnra. >> i've said repeatedly i'm happy to talk with them. but the conversation has to be based on facts and truth and

what we're actually proposing. not some imaginary fiction in which obama is trying to take away your guns. >> here to discuss all of this is cnn political commentator and former top adviser to president obama david axelrod. >> let's start with the nra. they have probably lost some of their right to complain about the president's rhetoric but i still i believe their point was they never felt that the president was truly open to anything they had to say so they decided not to have a conversation. is that fair? >> you know i'd like to say yes. but i don't really think this is on the square. the truth is the nra has profited greatly from fileting the president. from portraying him as a guy who wants to confiscate guns. and it's helped their

membership, it's helped them organize. it's helped the gun industry which is flourishing because of the propagation of this notion that the president wants to confiscate guns. i've known him for a long time. obviously. i've worked with him in the white house. and, you know, it just doesn't sync up with the fakcts. there are no doubt he wants universal background checks. but so do the american people according to your poll. but i don't think it is in the marketing interest of the nra to find accommodations with the president. their basic modus operandi is we're against all regulation because that is a camel nose under the tent towards confiscation of guns. >> we've had several people on this morning who were part of the town hall and who are gun owners, including sheriff babu and chris kyle's widow.

and they were not swayed they say by anything that the president said last night. however we have heard that people were moved by the president getting moved by the talk over newtown. is there something interesting that facts are really never going to move the needle here. it is emotion and appealing to people's emotion that will. >> there is no doubt about it. emotion, the back of the brain stuff is really what moves people on these kind of issues in particular. the question is, can you take that and channel it into effective action. i thought the president was pretty effective last night this his presentation. but i didn't expect it was going to sway many opinions because people are so locked in on this question. and so, you know, when you heard the discussion last night, i didn't get the sense that people on the one side were changing their point of view or people on the other side were changing their point of view. it was a healthy dialogue. but not one they thought would

change many opinions. >> as an advisor, you have heard donald trump on the trail. i love the second amendment. nobody loves the second amendment more than me. i'm a huge advocate of the second amendment. >> yes. >> should the president take a page from donald trump and just say that more? reiterate that message more so people don't mistrust him on this? >> maybe so. i doubt it would have that great an impact. i just think this is so baked in. i mean, he's talked more about the second amendment than any democratic president i've seen. but i don't think -- you know, i think even before he took office there is this up tick in purchase of guns and up tick in rhetoric from the gun lobby about how he was a confiscator. based on what? i don't know. alisyn i would like to believe that question rationale sit down and work out these issues but i

thinkly sit down and work out these issues but i think it is a very tough issue to move. >> stick around. when we come back we'll discuss trump's latest attacks on hillary clinton and his effort to draw huge crowds. (vo) new tidy cats lightweight with glade. all the strength and freshness, now easy to lift! half the weight, smells great. find the litter that works best for you. every home, every cat. there's a tidy cats for that.

iall across the state belthe economy is growing,day. with creative new business incentives, and the lowest taxes in decades, attracting the talent and companies of tomorrow. like in the hudson valley, with world class biotech. and on long island, where great universities are creating next generation technologies. let us help grow your company's tomorrow, today at business.ny.gov

the iowa caucuses just 24 kays away and the republican race is get nastier and ad wars are heating up. david, thanks for sticking around. >> finally somebody is going to start voting. which is a relief after all this. >> we've been saying oh it's two years away. it's 24 days now. somehow time sped up. >> which is why you have all of this combat out there. >> okay. exactly. and i'm going the play some examples of it. let's just start with the most sort of jaw dropping and that is donald trump in an instagram ad he's put out about hillary clinton. earlier this week on tuesday donald trump said he was giving any sort of insinuations about bill clinton and his past a

rest. nap time over. because he has come out with this ad. so let me play this for you. the visuals really are what speak to this. so watch this. >> women's rights are human rights and human rights are women's rights once and for all. >> let's keep fighting for opportunity and dignity. >> okay. david. all sorts of guilt by association there. you see hillary clinton with bill cosby. and anthony wehner, monica lewinsky. how effective do you think this is? >> that remains to be seen. he's obviously concluded that there is value in making this fight that he's demonstrating somehow that he can erode her support among women and blunt her attacks for some comments and it is consistent with his approach in this entire campaign. i have said often that donald trump wants to build walls.

but he has no personal boundaries when it comes to his own rhetoric and this is a reflection of that. there is nowhere he won't go. this is obviously something that is in the background when you have the discussion about the clintons. i think there is going to be a potential backlash over this kind of approach if this were actually to become a meme of the republican nominee, whether it is him or someone else. but it is consistent with the campaign he's run. >> let's talk about the exchanges he's having with ted cruz, where donald trump is planting the seed about cruz's citizenship. trump tweeted some free legal advice to ted cruz. he says free legal advice on how to preempt the dems. go to court now and seek declaratory judgment. you will win he says.

so how is ted cruz supposed to handle this issue? >> well i'm sure he was appreciative of -- for trump's legal advice. cruz being a constitutional lawyer. but look, what i think this really reflects is the realization on trump's part that ted cruz is a real problem for him. ted cruz is a real threat to him. he's e leading in iowa. immigration and the whole nativist theme is big among voters there. and he's trying to erode cruz's support there and slow him down elsewhere -- >> -- ignore it? >> well i think -- there is not. i don't think he should go to court and get a declaratory judgment. i think he should do what he's doing which is basically to shrug it off. this birther argument is familiar. we've seen it before. i don't think it is going to be

as effective in this ted cruz case as it was with the base when it was run at barack obama who after all was unpopular. ted cruz is very popular with the very vote who are donald trump is trying to influence here. and think it is even money they are just going to toss this aside and cruz is right the way he's handling it right now. >> who doesn't adele? apparently chris christie does and he using this in an ad against marco rubio. >> what interested me today was rubio attacking christie. ♪ -- >> basically this is the story of lost love -- ♪ hello -- >> -- tween chris christie and marco rubio. two voters respond to this kind of thing?

>> i think what christie is trying to do is underscore the fact that he's under attack. the truth is problems go both ways. whoever emerge as the center right establishment candidate t leading candidate in new hampshire, whether they are in whatever place they finish is likely to move on in this contest. the one who doesn't is going to have a problem. and so you are going to see a lot of sniping between rubio and christie. between bush and those two. between casic kasich and the ot three. and this may be the most consequential continuoest going within the contest right now. >> as long as they keep playing adele. david thank you. good stuff next.

♪ light piano today i saw a giant. it had no arms, but it welcomed me. (crow cawing) it had no heart, but it was alive. (train wheels on tracks) it had no mouth, but it spoke to me. it said, "rocky mountaineer: all aboard amazing".

here is your good stuff. a lata shah was living in a homeless shelt we are her three kids and finally found a job to support them. >> six kids in milwaukee with four families and 200 kids on the waiting list. >> kids the new job but then gets kicked out of the homeless shelter because there were more

people in need. >> he just wants the best for me. for my kids. >> the officer created a go fund me page for lata shah and raised more than $6 thousand. enough to finally rent a home. >> police officers doing wonderful things all the time. time now for newsroom with carol costello. >> thanks so much. isn't it the best day of the week? newsroom starts now. >> good morning. thank you so much for joining me. minutes from now the opening bell will ring on wall street and americans will see if their nest egg will take another beating. this as jobs reports, moments ago. wait for it. it is much stronger than expected. let's break it down with christine romans. ev