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Iraqi Christians Against U.S. Plan to Give Them Religious Preference; Iranians Begin Travel to the U.S.; Washington State Judge Puts Stay on Refugee Executive Order; U.S. Prepares for Super Bowl; Marine Le Pen Officially Launches Presidential Campaign. 10:00-11:00a ET
Aired February 05, 2017 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[10:00:26] UNIDENTIFED FEMALE: I have no problem with the president, but I prefer that he didn't give this instruction, because we are not terrorists.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: Now warm welcome. After being shut out, Iranians arrive in the United States after President Donald Trump's bid to reinstate
the travel ban is denied. We're going to cross to Washington for you momentarily.
Also ahead...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENITIFIED MALE; It doesn't matter they are Christians, Muslims, believers or not, they are human beings.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: First, in line, Mr. Trump said he would give priority to Christian refugees. But Iraqi Christians say that actually exacerbates
tensions between faiths. A report from Baghdad is coming up.
Plus...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I came here to do something meaningful, to treat patients with cancer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: America is her home, but now this cancer researcher is rethinking her future. We hear from four young professionals living in New
York. Their stories later this hour.
Hello, and welcome to Connect the World. I'm Becky Anderson for you. Just after 7:00 in the evening.
The most powerful man in the world seems to have met his match, and it's not Russia's leader or Germany's or Mexico's, nope, it's this man, James
Robart, on Friday, the judge put a stop for now, at least, to U.S. President Donald Trump's travel ban. That's kept people from these seven
countries out of the United States, including, as you can see, Iran.
Well, this is a plane load of Iranians landing to cheers in Boston just a day after Robart pressed pause on the order that kept them out. Well, as
you might expect, America's new president thinks it's a very bad move.
And just hours ago, more bad news for Mr. Trump as CNN justice reporter Laura Jarrett reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAURA JARRETT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Becky, a federal appeals court early this morning denied the U.S. government's emergency request to resume
President Donald Trump's travel ban. This came just hours after the Justice Department had asked that
court to reinstate the ban that President Trump signed over a week ago.
That order temporarily limited travel to the U.S. for foreign nations from seven Muslim majority nations for 90 days and put a temporary halt on
refugee admissions for 120 days.
What all of this means is that the ruling by the U.S. district court judge James Robart, suspending the ban, will now remain in place, meaning
citizens from those countries and refugee whose have valid U.S. visas are free to come to the U.S.
In arguing for the ban to be put back in place, the Justice Department had told the court Saturday evening it was in the national security interests
to reinstate it, saying blocking it harms the public interest and second guesses the president's national security
judgment.
But just three hours later, the court of appeals did not go along and instead acted both the government and the states who had brought the
lawsuit against the ban to file legal briefs before the court makes a decision on the request to reinstate the ban. Those states argue the
executive order violates the constitution.
As for the travelers, immigration lawyers are telling their clients, take advantage of this safety net while the legal arguments go back and forth
and get on a plane to the U.S. Right now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Laura Jarrett is reporting for you.
So America seems to be back to business as usual for the time being, at least. But for a lot of people, going up to the U.S. border right now,
won't feel much like a walk in the park. There are a lot of big league ideas flying around. And for many of you watching, still way more
questions than answers.
So we are going to try to break it all down for you with the who else but a lawyer. CNN legal
analyst Laura Coates is with us now from the center of all the action, Washington.
Laura, let's try to ease some of the confusion. What are the known knowns at this stage on U.S. immigration policy?
LAURA COATES, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, it's a lot of confusion, Becky. And unfortunately, that confusion is also highlighted in the courts. You
know, on the west coast of the United States, in Washington State, you have a judge saying that the government is likely to win - likely to lose any
argument that says that the ban is constitutional. And in fact, the ban should be
banned.
However, on the east coast, in Massachusetts, you have got another court saying that they think that the Trump administration is likely to win,
because there's no vested interest in the visa or even any entitlement to have access to the courts if you're simply a visa holder.
So, you have got a confusion here that's highlighted. And what we know right now for certain, this is going to be a battle that will come down to
the Supreme Court of the United States trying to figure out what to do next.
ANDERSON: Oh, I love a lawyer in the house. Thank you for that.
What about the unknown knowns at this point?
COATES: The unknowns are much more vast, right, Becky? So here's the problem. On the one hand, the argument is that this ban is in fact a
Muslim ban, and that it is geared towards excluding people from the country who are from these Muslim majority countries at the same time, giving a
preference in about 120 days, people who are the majority religion from a Muslim majority country, meaning Christians.
And so you have on the one hand, whether or not is that a violation of our establishment clause? Remember, the first amendment of the constitution of
the United States says that the United States is denominationally neutral, meaning we don't prefer a religion, let alone advance or advocate for one. And So we do not try to prefer one in the
entry into our country.
So on the one hand, you have got that very big establishment clause, which carries a lot of weight. On the other hand, you've got the president of
the United States, who is the commander-in-chief, and the chief officer for foreign policy, whose role it is to insure the national security. And
their biggest gun they that have at their disposalin their arsenal is this: if the president says that it's the
national security issue, the courts have to weigh those two and say, well, we've got to make sure that we have national security, even over
constitutional principles as long, Becky, as there is a valid and substantiated base (inaudible) our security is at risk.
ANDRESON: That I get. All right, stick with me on this. There may be thousands of people
watching this interview, particularly those from the countries on the banned list and perhaps others who will say, right, what do I do at this
stage? Do I go to an airport somewhere in the world and try to fly to the U.S.? If I do, should I pick a specific airport in the U.S., because
it is likelier that I will get into say Boston than Washington at the moment, or Boston than Seattle? What's the answer to that question?
COATES: Well, it's very confusing, but remember, the ban is nationwide, meaning that the ban on the ban itself, meaning the ban does not exist
right now in the United States, so every state is affected and impacted by the Seattle judge saying that it does not exist.
And if you actually reach the United States, remember, there was a New York order that says if you reach the United States and you are a valid visa
holder and have a legal entitlement to be within this country, then you cannot be deported without due process. That order is in effect. It will
be in effect until February 21, around then, in New York. And that's nationwide as well.
So, there are much more rights for people who are already in the country as opposed to those who are in the application stage and trying to enter. The
rights are almost nonexistent at this point for those people, but people who are actually already here or make it here will have protections at
least nationwide through February 21, I believe.
ANDERSON: Laura, amidst a flurry of other tweets, Mr. Trump called Robart, the judge who suspended the ban on Friday, a so-called judge. Later going
on to seem to accuse him of opening up America to terrorists.
Judges are one of the three main pillars of Washington's checks and balances. So Trump, Mr. Trump can't just name call his way out of this.
How's this likely to go forward? Are we looking at the Supreme Court at this point?
COATES: Well, first, we would like to president to stop tweeting, Becky. It doesn't really -- it's not very productive for us at all, but really
you're right. There is a separation of powers here. And we want an independent judiciary who is not the marionette of any of the other
branches.
And, you know, right now we're in the midst of having a Supreme Court nomination process. And the judge he nominated, Judge Gorsuch, is somebody
who is a staunch believer in having a separation of power and having the judiciary have an independent and equally powerful weight in
all of this.
So this is bound for the Supreme Court if the first circuit court of appeals, which is the one that overseas the Massachusetts judge who said
that they don't think that the ACLU has a valid point and that the ban should actually still be in place, if that, then, goes up to the court and
it's affirmed we will have two different circuits, two different main judicial entities who are battling, and that's when the Supreme Court
gladly steps in. They hate to have confusion because of the very question you asked before, Becky, we don't want a situation where certain parts of
the country are more amenable to equal protection than others, or certain airports, allow people in and others do not.
So, as much as the Supreme Court hates confusion, it loves equal protection all the more. And it has to be clarified, and it could be done very
quickly.
[10:10:58] ANDERSON: How useful to have you in the house today. Thank you for that out of Washington for you today.
It's not just the legal fallout of this ban, then, that's escalating. So is the political fallout. A CNN/ORC poll shows a majority of Americans
disprove of the ban. 53 to 47 percent, though that rests heavily on party lines. We have all seen President Trump's own approval ratings hovering at
historic lows.
Well, Mr. Trump may have campaigned as a man of action, but his dismal numbers makes you wonder, is he getting ahead of himself, trying to do too
much too soon?
Well for more, I want to bring in Roger Simon who just retired as chief political columnist for
Politico. I would like to say you have probably forgotten more about Washington politics than most of
us will ever know. But this is a new era.
Even fellow Republicans, it seems, are seem to be cautioning the Trump administration on this
travel ban. Here's what Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said about it in the last hour. Have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL, (R) KENTUCKY: I think proper vetting is important to the American people, but there is a fine line here between proper vetting
and interfering with the kind of travel or suggesting some kind of religious test. And we need to avoid doing that kind of thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Is that warning just the beginning? What's the likelihood of more Republicans coming out and opposing this ban?
ROGER SIMON, POLITICO: I think there's a great likelihood. When McConnell talks about we didn't do enough vetting, in fact, we didn't do enough
vetting for our president of the United States. We ended up with a guy who we don't know much about, who has never spent a day in public service,
doesn't seem to care about public service, who is as his opponent Hillary Clinton said, seems emotionally unqualified for this job, and we are stuck
with him for the next four years.
ANDERSON: Let's aside what we know to be the roiling issue at the moment, because it's not just this travel ban, is it, that's making headlines. I
want to talk to you about another issue facing the Trump administration. Backlash over orders to roll back financial regulations. Senator Bernie
Sanders spoke to CNN a short time ago and accused Mr. Trump of failing to live up to his campaign promises.
This is Bernie Sanders' view. Let's have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, (D) VERMONT: I don't means to be disrespectful. This guy is a fraud. This guy ran for president of the United States saying I,
Donald Trump, I'm going it take on Wall Street. These guys are getting away with murder. Then suddenly, he appoints all these billionaires. His
major financial adviser comes from Goldman Sachs and now he's going to dismantle legislation that protects consumers. This is a guy who ran for
president saying I am going. I'm the only Republican, I'm not going to cut Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid,
and then he appoints all of these guys who are precisely going to cut Social Security, Medicare, and
Medicaid.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: What are your thoughts on what Sanders is saying here? Is President Trump backtracking on his promises?
SIMON: I think the president has a big problem. The constitution forbids him from accepting emoluments from his job, from accepting rewards, from
accepting money, from accepting benefits. Since taking office, he seems to have done a lot of emolument gathering.
Secondly, as you point to, much of our government now seems to be transactional: you do this for me, and I'll do this for you. You invest
here and I'll make you ambassador there. Well, that, too, is not the way it's supposed to work. It's a very dangerous path. And one wonders how
long Trump thinks he's going to be able to walk down this path and get away with it.
[10:15:31] ANDERSON: You have been around long enough to know that this may look very different, but behind the scenes, favors have always been
done. Political appointments, as in some of these ambassadors, have oft times come as perhaps some would suggest an act of nepotism.
So Roger, this isn't all completely different. It may be wrapped up differently, but it's not completely different from what we have seen
before.
SIMON: It's different in the sense that the members of congress do not know Donald Trump. They don't know what he stands for, who he is, what he
wants, what he'll be satisfied with. They do know that he has never served a day in public office, which seems a strange qualification for a
president.
So this is the person they have to now grapple with. And it's not like grappling with regular political opponents from the past. They simply
don't know who or what they're dealing with.
ANDERSON: OK. All right. Well, they're going to have to deal with it, aren't they? We have another four of years of this.
Roger, I am sorry to say, is retiring and has penned his final Simon Says column for Politico.
It centers on the vigilance in the post-truth era and uses some robust language. Roger, let me just read our viewers a sample, quote, "our long
national nightmare may have just begun. You, each of you, is a majority of one. You can speak out for me. You don't need leaders, you just need a
conscience."
Roger in your final column, you talk about how, quote, "democracy can be transformed into something evil."
Donald Trump is a democratically elected president. What do you see happening next?
SIMON: I see that this election, once again, exposes one of the great flaws of democracy, one of the great flaws of the constitution. The
constitution was written largely by James Madison, a slaveholder, who was very conscious of keeping slaves out of power and in
slavery. And so he devised a system that would give the south power by giving it a lot of voters, three fifths of a slave counted
as a voter, counted as a man.
But when it came down to voting, those slaves could not vote. They were not citizens. They were not human beings. So that is the first compromise
that James Madison made in drawing up the constitution. There would be many others later. They all would fail. They would lead to a terrible
civil war. But you can't get around the fact that unjust systems simply will fail of their own unjustness in a functioning democracy.
ANDERSON: Fascinating. We wish you the best, sir. A pleasure having you on, sir. Viewers, we're going to take a very short break. Back after
this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:21:25] ANDERSON: Well, as lawyers for the U.S. government work to get President
Trump's travel ban reinstated, some Iraqis are receiving welcome news. A U.S. embassy official in
Baghdad now saying holders of valid visas will be allowed to travel to the United States, that includes special immigrant visas granted to people who
work with the U.S. as translators or interpreters. Many question why an exception was not made for them when Mr. Trump signed the executive order.
Joining me from Baghdad with more is our senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman. - Ben.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Becky. Well, we understand that there has been a good deal of confusion and uncertainty
among those Iraqis who would like to travel to the United States, who are planning to travel to the United States.
We spoke to one man. He has an American passport, lives in Chicago. He came here to pick up his wife, who has an immigrant visa. They had
problems actually buying tickets, because many of the airlines were uncertainty that they would even be able to get on the airplane.
The U.S. embassy has been taking an extraordinarily larger number than usual of phone calls from confused Iraqis.
Now, there are some Iraqis, however, who have received from President Trump a suggestion
that maybe they will be given special treatment when they apply to move to the United States as refugees. Some of them, however, are saying thank you
but no thank you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WEDEMAN: The kids in Baghdad's Zayouna camp make due with the little they have. The people here are Christians who fled their town of Karakosh (ph)
in northern Iraq when ISIS took over, losing homes, businesses, almost everything they owned.
You would think they would be rejoicing at President Trump's suggestion he'll give preference
to Christian refugees.
Evelyn Mehdi (Ph) and her family get by on an income from their simple shop. She isn't jumping at the offer.
"I don't want to go abroad," she says. "I love Iraq, my country. It's the country of our parents."
Camp residents have nailed crosses and Iraqi flags to their temporary homes, eager to
stress they're Iraqis first, Christians second.
Some of the people here have been in the camp the last two-and-a-half years. It's a fairly bleak existence. But despite that, some of them say
even given the chance as Christians to move to the United States, they still wouldn't go there.
Evelyn's husband, Samir (ph) shares her skepticism.
"Let's say I went to America, What would I get out of it?" He asks. "No, let me live in my Iraq and die in my Iraq."
Before the U.S. invasion, almost a million and a half Christians lived here. Since then, as many as two thirds have left.
LOUIS RAPHAEL I SAKO, CHALDEAN CATHOLIC PATRIARCH OF BABYLON: Not only Christians suffered, but also others - Muslims, Sunnis, Shia, Yazidi also.
WEDEMAN: Luis Rafael I Sako is the Chaldean Catholic Patriarch of Babylon and leads
the largest Christian community in Iraq. He's at pains to warn giving preference to Christians over
Muslims will only increase resentment.
[10:25:10] SAKO: It doesn't matter they are Christians, Muslims, believers or not, they
are human beings. So just this, you know, sectarian language was very bad.
WEDMAN: The faithful take communion at Baghdad'sSt. Joseph's Church. The pews are emptier than before, a sense of loss haunts many who have seen
loved ones leave never to return. Muafa Touma (Ph) thinks it's a good idea to stop all Iraqis, regardless of religion, from leaving.
"Enough immigration," she says after the service. "They shouldn't let our young people go. No one will be left here."
The American president's words cold comfortable for a dwindling flock.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WEDEMAN: And since the 27th of January when President Trump signed that executive order, many of the Iraqis who had seen the United States as a
final refugee, perhaps that shining light on the hill, now see that light beginning to dim - Becky.
ANDERSON: Ben Wedeman in Baghdad for you. Ben, appreciate it.
Well, Donald Trump defending Vladimir Putin over allegations of killings carried out by the
Russian state. The U.S. president was discussing his Russian counterpart during an interview with Fox News. Have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL O'REILLY, HOST, O'REILLY FACTOR: Do you respect Putin?
TRUMP: I do respect him.
O'REILLY: Do you? Why?
TRUMP: Well, I respect a lot of people, but that doesn't mean I'm going to get along with him. He's a leader of his country. I say it's better get
along with Russia than not.
Will I get along with him? I have no idea.
O'REILLY: He's a killer, though. Putin is a killer.
TRUMP: There's a lot of killers. We have got a lot of killers. What, you think our country is so innocent?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Let's get the view from Moscow where Ivan Watson is standing by for you.
What's the perspective there on Donald Trump's latest on the Russian leader?
IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, the Russian foreign minister gave an interview to an Austrian newspaper this week. He
said it was too early to say yet how cooperation would go with the new Trump Republican administration that still some top positions have to be
filled before that can happen. But it's no secret here that a lot of Russian officials, people in political circles here, the state media,
embrace the election of Donald Trump. And part of that is because he has kind of consistently been respectful, if not complimentary, or at the very
least, he's avoided criticizing Vladimir Putin as he campaigned for office and now that he's been in office.
That's all the more conspicuous since he's had public arguments with longtime American allies like the leaders of Mexico, the leaders of
Australia. He's been very critical of the leader of Germany as well.
There are polls here that suggest a majority of Russian respondents expect that relations will improve between the U.S. and Russia with a Trump
administration.
But there's some confusion, too. I mean, a couple days ago, you had Donald Trump's new ambassador to the United Nations come out and very vigorously
condemn Russia for its alleged role in the conflict in eastern Ukraine and saying that sanctions will not be lifted until Russia withdraws and ends
its occupation of the Crimean peninsula.
It's worth noting that Saturday evening, Donald Trump spoke with the Ukrainian president, Petro Poroshenko, and he indicated, according to a
White House statement that the U.S. would work with Ukraine and with Russia to try to bring an end to the conflict in eastern Ukraine, which saw a
spike of deadly killing and fighting that took place over the course of the last week after a phone call
between Donald Trump and the Russian president. Our indications from the last 24 hours is that some of the fighting seems to have died down a bit
and that repairmen have been able to return some electricity to the beleaguered town of Avdeivka (ph) where some of the civilians have been
killed in this burst of fighting over the course of the last week - Becky.
ANDERSON: Ivan Watson is in Moscow for you today. Thank you.
After the rise of President Trump, could Marine Le Pen be next? She certainly thinks so as the
national front leader launches her bid for the French presidency. Live to Lyons for you up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:32:44] ANDERSON: You're with CNN.
If you are just joining us, welcome to Connect the World with me, Becky Anderson at just after 7:00 in the UAE. Abu Dhabi are broadcasting region.
In France, the far right leader Marine Le Pen is launching a presidential manifesto in Lyon today. Buoyed by Brexit and the election of Donald
Trump, the National Front candidate leading in the polls in France's first round of voting. Not far behind, rising independent candidate Emanuel
Macron, who himself had a big rally in Lyon on Saturday.
Meanwhile, former favorite for the presidency, Republican candidate Francois Fillon, is on the ropes, languishing in the polls since
allegations that his family members were paid for performing fake jobs. There have even been calls for his own party - in his own party for him to
leave the race.
Let's get you bang up to date. Melissa Bell is in Lyon - Melissa.
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORREPSONDENT: Becky, this was the official campaign launch of Marine Le Pen's campaign. And as you just pointed out, a
campaign that has benefited hugely from what appears to be the collapse of Francois Fillon's candidature. It had
looked unstoppable until just a couple of weeks ago. This is really a campaign in which you feel that anything could happen. And that's a
sentiment shared by the public who have been filtering out of this room after listening to their leader Marine Le Pen, a very enthusiastic
reception for the launch of that campaign, which is called in the name of the people.
And it was the most populist of speeches. It was all about a retreat within national borders, leaving NATO, leaving the European Union,
reclaiming French sovereignty, an awful lot in there, Becky, against Islamist fundamentalism, not just in its terrorist forms, but in its
cultural forms. This was really a speech about warning the French that it was time to reclaim their civilization. Would your children, she asked her
enthusiastic public, be raised in a country where French was even spoken.
So, there was an awful lot of fear mongering there.
Marine Le Pen is convinced that after Brexit and Donald Trump's victory, her time has come. In fact, she mentioned both in her speech, pointing out
that it showed that when the people wanted to, they could.
So who is the woman who believes she's going to be France's next president? Have a look.
(BEGIN VDIEOTAPE)
[10:35:08] BELL: She's blonde, blunt, and believes the time has come for her own brand of nationalistic populism to reign in France.
So, who is Marine Le Pen. This is what you need to know about her.
She became head of the far right National Front Party in 2011. She took over from her father, its founder, aiming to clean up the party's racist
and anti-Semitic image. Yet despite that, immigration remains central to Marine Le Pen's program. She wants it capped to no more than 10,000 people
per year. And she wants their access to public services limited.
She also favors ditching the euro in favor of the franc and would hold a referendum on Europe if elected. Finally, there are the protectionist
economic policies that she would introduce in order to boost France's economy.
Internationally, Marine Le Pen is in favor of closer ties with Vladimir Putin. And she's been criticized for taking a loan from a Russian bank.
She says she was left with no choice after being turned down by French banks.
Under the leadership of Marine Le Pen, the National Front has grown more popular. Back in 2002, before she was the party's leader, it made it to
the second round of the presidential election, but by 2012, it scored its best ever result in a national poll with nearly 18 percent of the vote.
What Marine Le Pen now says is that after the Brexit vote in the United Kingdom and Donald
Trump's victory in the United States, her own time is now inevitable.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BELL: Now, the big question, Becky, is whether Marine Le Pen can get past the second round.
The polls suggest she will come top of the first round, therefore making it to the run-off. Can she, then, faced with another candidate around whom an
awful lot of voters would gather still expect to win 50 percent of the vote?
Everyone gathered here is convinced that that's what's going to happen, Becky.
ANDERSON: All right. Good stuff. Thank you.
Well, the scene is set and the stadium prepped. In just eight hours, Super Bowl LI will kick off in Houston, Texas, where this year's game seeing
Super Bowl perennials, the New England Patriots, face off against the Atlanta Falcons who haven't reached a Super Bowl in 18 years.
Well, the sporting spectacular is usually watched by more than 100 million Americans and also
taking to the pitch, Lady Gaga in a highly anticipated halftime show featuring hundreds of drones.
Well, to get us up to speed on Super Bowl LI, Andy Scholes joins us from Houston. Take it away, sir.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Becky.
We're just hours away from Super Bowl LI, and we're expecting a great game this year. The New England Patriots three-point favorites over the Atlanta
Falcons and a big storyline for this year's Super Bowl has been the quarterbacks.
Of course, you have Matt Ryan playing for the Falcons and then you have possibly the greatest
quarterback of all time, Tom Brady, playing for the New England Patriots. He's trying to win his fifth
Super Bowl. No quarterback in the history of the NFL has ever done that.
Now, Brady and his team going through one last walkthrough here at NRG stadium on Saturday
afternoon, and Brady had alongside him his supermodel wife Gisele Bunchen as they were on the field. And a little later in the afternoon, Brady
posted a cool picture onto his Instagram account of himself and his father kissing his mom on the cheek.
Now, Brady got emotional earlier this week when speaking about his mom because she's been dealing with a health issue for the past 18 months. She
hasn't been ail to come to one of his games all season long, but she's here in Houston. She will be at the Super Bowl on Sunday. And Tom Brady talked
about earlier this week how emotional this game will be if he's able to pull it off and win another Super Bowl.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM BRADY, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS QUARTERBACK: I think it's just special because it's this year. I mean it's -- every year is different. The fact
that I have been able to do it before just means I have been a part of really great teams. And this team is trying to beat one of those really
great teams that finishes the job.
MATT RYAN, ATLANTA FALCONS QUARTERBACK: This is what you dream about as a kid is playing in a game, playing in this game. And you know, winning this
game. That's where your thoughts are when you're in your back yard and you're 10 years old and playing with your brothers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: Now, Matt Ryan, who you just heard from, was named the NFL's MVP of this season. It was the first MVP award for Ryan,, but that MVP award
may be a bad sign for the Falcons. Since 2001, MVPs are 0-7 when playing in the Super Bowl. So definitely a good stat if you are a Patriots fan.
Speaking of Patriots fans, you know they dubbed this season the Tom Brady revenge tour. They have been so angry the entire year because if Brady
being suspended for the first four games of the season because of the whole Deflategate saga. The fans there really hold a grudge against NFL
commissioner Roger Goddell playing in the Super Bowl.
And I went down to radio row here at Super Bowl earlier this week, and you could feel the passion from New England fans all the way down here in
Houston.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(CHANTING)
GARRY CALLAHAN, SPORTS TALK SHOW HOST: Brady won't say it, Belichick won't say it, but to New England, it's about revenge.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This one is for you. New England.
CALLAHAN: They always think it's us against the world, but more so now than ever.
MICHAEL HOLLEY, SPORTS TALK SHOW HOST: Patriots fans think Roger Goodell tried to take the franchise out at the knees and tried to railroad Tom
Brady.
DAN SHAUGHNESSY, BOSTON GLOBE COLUMNIST: You hear his father go off on Roger Goodell last week. And I think that represents the feeling of the family.
TOM BRADY SR. TOM BRADY'S FATHER: He wept on a witch hunt and got in way over his head and had to lie his way out numerous ways.
HOLLEY: It's good to hear his family kind of share some of the feelings that he has and he'll never let on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just because we hate him and New England hates him and thinks he's the worst, and we absolutely do, and rightfully so.
CALLAGHAN: I would call it a pure 100 percent hatred.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Conceited, shallow, cowardly.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have never seen anything like it. He is the all-time target, worse than any villain on a team. It's across the board. He's
become the devil.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have not been in Foxborough in the two years since the Deflategate investigation. It feels like there's still a war between
the Patriots, their fans, and you.
ROGER GOODELL, NFL COMMISSIONER: I would tell you it's not awkward at all for me.
I had no doubt that if I wanted to come up to a Patriots game and I asked Mr. Kraft, he would welcome me back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you think Roger Goodell is intentionally avoiding going to games?
CALLAHAN: Oh, god, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is it a problem? Are you scared? Yeah, I know.
CALLAHAN: He is afraid of the reaction he would get if he stepped into Gillette Stadium.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's a cry baby. He's scared.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If the Patriots win on Sunday, do you thing it's going to be awkward on the stage?
HOLLEY: I don't think Goodell wants them to win, so it will be very awkward for him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a big bowl of awkward any way you slice it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCHOLES: If the Patriots win, Becky, all eyes are going to be on that postgame podium to see if it is in fact awkward between the NFL
commissioner Roger Goodell and Tom Brady and Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
ANDERSON: Fascinating.
You didn't invite a single person who is going to sit on the fence there, did you? Say it as it is, fans.
Thank you, sir. That's Andy for you.
Big, big day in the states. I'm Becky Anderson. That was Connect the World from the team working with us here in Abu Dhabi, those in Atlanta,
Georgia, and those working around the world. Thank you for watching. CNN, of course, continues after the break.
END
