it. >> reporter: just keep those thumbs out of the way. jeanne moos, cnn. we'll leave you with that for the weekend. have a great weekend. i'm poppy harlow. chilling new details about the terror attacks that didn't happen. the friend of the san bernardino killer admits they planned a rush hour attack and a massacre inside a college, so how much more does he know? and could the centerpiece of jeb bush's comeback strategy be donald trump? hear bush's candid take and also why, oh, why, donald trump considers vladimir putin's affection a great honor. the homework that sent everyone home. an entire school district shutting down today over a geography lesson. hear why parents say the teacher wanted to convert their kids to islam.

hello, i'm john berman. >> i'm kate bolduan. terrorism front and center today. let's give you a live look at the white house as just a short time from now president obama is set to hold a his year-end press conference. the conference will, no doubt, focus on terror fears and investigations facing the country and this president. then president obama will be traveling to california to meet with the families of the 14 people massacred in the san bernardino terrorist attack. >> this all comes amidmajor new developments in that case. a friend and former neighbor of the attacker, farook, has been arrested on terrorism charges. this is a picture of him, enrique marquez. they say he and farook planned tax two years ago and they released stunning new details of these plots. want to bring in our justice reporter evan perez, kimberly

dozier, a daily beast contributor. evan, first to you, this affidavit, the details of the attacks planned years ago but not carried out, really chilling. >> it really is. the fact they went right up to the edge of carrying in out and then apparently backed away and decided not to do it because they got spooked by an unrelated case. if you look at what the fbi describes here, they planned one attack, to attack the riverside community college where both of these guys were students. they were going to go to the library or kaf te cafeteria det pipe bombs and carry out a shooting to maximize causalities. the second attack would be to attack a state highway at rush hour, afternoon rush shower. they would make sure they pick a section where there were no sections so when farook would attack it by pipe bombs to disable cars and walk along the highway shooting at people while marquez would be on a hillside shooting at first responders,

law enforcement, people trying to rescue people. it's remarkable the amount of detail in this plan. >> it is remarkable the amount of detail, when you take that in conjunction can the fact they started learning about radical islam back in 2007. then you have these two pretty planned out attacks they didn't go through in '11 and '12. and weeks before the san bernardino attack, you had enrique marquez talking on facebook, saying to a friend on facebook that he was involved in terrorist plots and other things and he might go to prison for fraud. he said he was involved in terrorist plots. was that enough? should that have raised a red flag? >> you have to look at it from the perspective of u.s. intelligence and law enforcement. how much of that legally could they have seen? to say something provocative on facebook, does that automatically trigger an

investigation? no. that's simply an expression of your opinion, which is allowed under the u.s. constitution. if we want the fbi trolling everyone's facebook pages, we would have to change the laws. apparently they used encryption. if you want private companies not to put encryption in their phones, again, we'd have to change the laws. and that brings you back as an american citizen, do i want to live in a free and open society or do i want to be as safe as humanly possible? there is a balance. >> the bigger picture factors into the smaller picture we're seeing with this guy, enrique marquez. if they were making these mroshgts it's strange to think he went from that five years ago to the attacks three weeks ago with no kind of electronic communication. no kind of any warning signs. just utter complete electronic

and human intelligence silence. i have to believe investigators are pressing marquez for that right now. >> they are. one of the things these guys appear to have done was to really try their best to cover their tracks. that's one of the things we're looking at. what the fbi is looking at is the sense that certainly when farook was talking to his future wife, this is before she emigrated here, they were doing private messaging. again, something not visible to the fbi without a warrant, without any probable cause to go looking for it. there's far too many of these people, john, which is what the fbi is dealing with. far too many people have sympathies towards what isis is doing and even saying provocative things, but not enough, going across the line to the point where they can launch investigations. >> to that point, real quick, what do you think that marquez can offer authorities now, in terms of trying to learn more about the radicalization process within the united states? because we're learning more about the extent that farook went to try and radicalize marquez. >> insight into what first got

farook and him interested in this. was it an al qaeda and the arabian peninsula post? did someone reach out online? did they follow someone on twitter? what pulled them down this violent path and made it so attractive to them. farook is dead and tried to cover a lot of his electronic tracks to marquez is the key to that. >> very valuable. >> maybe all they have in terms of intelligence here. thank you so much. new this morning, a staffer for bernie sanders might be feeling the burn in a not so good way. he was fired for breaching hillary clinton's campaign database. dnc suspended sanders' campaign from accessing this database after it allowed a staffer to also view hillary clinton's voters. he said he wantd trying to snoop on clinton's files.

he says, we knew there was a security breach in the data and we were trying to understand what was happening. >> now, a day ahead of the third democratic debate and weeks ahead of the iowa caucuses, the sanders team won't be allowed to use this critical voter database until it proves any accessed data has been discarded. let's discuss the impact of all this. let's bring in nia-malika henderson and democratic strategist jamal simmons. after all this comes out and the campaign says, we didn't do it intentionally and we didn't -- it wasn't nefarious, we didn't look at, it we don't even have it, how big of a deal is it? >> it's a bill big deal for the time being because the sanders' campaign doesn't have access to this data the dnc provides. that's a problem. at some point the campaign told cnn they will provide all the information to the dnc. it also goes to, i think,

sanders' brand. sanders is running kind of a different sort of campaign, above the kind of politics we've seen in the past as part of the argument of his campaign. so this, i think, in some way mars that a bit because it reminds people what they don't like about politics. this unfair edge. if, in fact, they were peeking at clinton's data. >> we have a debate coming up saturday night, hillary clinton and bernie sanders. do you think it's worth hillary clinton bringing this up because you could make the case cyber data issues are complicated, for the former secretary of state? >> she could make that case. frankly, she's kind of starting to move ahead, if not in all the numbers, certainly in the psyche of a lot of people in the party. people are interested in bernie sanders, they like some of the messages sanders has.

i'm not sure a lot of democrats see him as being the next president of the yalgts. if you're hillary clinton, maybe what you don't want to do is get in the way of your opponent, impaling himself. let their campaign have their problems. let the media focus on them and you focus on your message and get your message out. >> nia, i remember when we were in chilly las vegas and talking date after the republican debate, we were talking about the blooming bromance between donald trump and ted cruz. now he has a new blooming bromance. >> someone is moving in. >> donald trump and vladimir putin. the back and forth over the past 24 hours has been quite remarkable. putin complicating donald trump. donald trump saying he was honored to have someone so highly respected in his country and beyond. he was asked about it again on "morning joe" this morning. here's what donald trump said, nia.

>> you know, fine about putin. he's a powerful leader, a strong leader. he's represented the country, the way the country is being represented. he's actually got popularity within his country. they respect him as a leader. >>. >> a lot of folks are saying, what is he doing here? again, what is he doing here? >> i think it tells us what we know about donald trump, he can't resist a compliment. he can't resist this kind of flattery no matter who it comes from. we know putin, obviously, not very well liked here. certainly not very well liked among republicans. but they do have something in common, right? not to say donald trump would ride a horse shirtless, but that kind of bravado -- >> oh, the mental images, nia. >> yes, yes, so nice. but that kind of strength and ma masculinity and testosterone is something trump is going after

in his campaign so game recognizes game in some way. >> putin supports al assad, supports iran, you can make the case helps hezbollah, and as people who point out, journalists killed, some people linking it to the putin regime. if you're running against donald trump, isn't there a way to use his sort of respect for vladimir putin against him? >> the thing about donald trump, the people who are for him are for him. it's hard to move those people off him. the question is, how do you limit his growth? i think if you're a rival campaign, your only hope is to try to keep people from moving toward him and consolidate some votes that are out there that aren't his. the thing about trump, he's addicted to is this add do you lags. one of the toughest things in politics is not to go after the cheap seats. you've got to get people's sights set bigger.

that's where trump gets to be a tougher candidate for people to swallow. >> vladimir putin did not kak cuss in iowa. >> he's a little busy. thanks. >> thanks. let's talk about another candidate, jeb bush on the comeback trail, or at least trying. a trail that runs over donald trump. what he told me about just how far he is willing to push his anti-trump campaign. plus, the feud between marco rubio and ted cruz heating up with a new ad and some old tape that suggests one of them may not be telling the whole truth. and a homework assignment shutting down an entire school district today. hear why parents are furious, saying a teacher was trying to convert their children to islam. get fast-acting, long-lasting relief from heartburn with it neutralizes stomach acid and is the only product that forms a protective barrier that helps keep stomach acid in the stomach where it belongs.

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jeb bush stepping up to become the anti-trump candidate. he says he is the only candidate willing to stand up to the front-runner. there are new ads, new tweets, new statements all targeting trump. but just how bad does bush think trump is? does he think that he would make a better president than, say, hillary clinton? i asked him that and more on "ac 360." watch. i want to start with your reaction to the reporting from the russian news agency. they quote russian president vladimir putin saying donald trump is a bright and talented person without any doubt and the absolute leader of the presidential race. donald trump has responded. he says it's, quote, a great honor to be so nicely complimented by a man so highly respected within his own country

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

out of that pledge you signed to support the republican nominee, whoever it is, including donald trump. why? why are you doing that due diligence? >> because donald trump had threatened to go, once again, to become a third-party candidate. so, i didn't know they were doing this, but that's a smart thing to do in the campaign, is determine exactly what the consequences are for making that kind of decision. look, my intention is to win the nomination. and i think as we get closer to the caucuses in iowa and new hampshire, that donald trump will begin to fall because he's not a serious candidate. >> you spent a lot of time on the campaign trail the last couple months saying you're sick about donald trump. now your super pac went up with an ad today praising you for going after donald trump. you seem much more willing on the debates and on the stump to talk about donald trump. why is this now a good strategy for your campaign? >> well, my strategy is to talk about my plans. and when you compare it to donald trump, it makes it more vivid that long before the

attacks in paris and the tragedy in san bernardino, i laid out a specific proposal to be able to destroy isis, which is exactly what we need to do. it requires america's leadership in the world. it requires building an army, sunni-led in syria, and getting back in the game as it relates to iraq. without american leadership, this isn't going to happen. we can't do it alone. when you compare that to donald trump, who late september said that isis was not a threat and let russia take care of syria when their interest is to prop up one of the most brutal recommend eejs in the world, it shows the lack of understanding of where we are in the world today. >> would he make a better president than hillary clinton? >> i don't think hillary clinton will be elected president of the united states. she's not trustworthy and her proposals aren't much better. >> you didn't answer my question. >> i've learned not to answer questions. that's one of the things you do in political discourse. you answer what you want to say. >> so you're just not going to

answer outright? don't republican voters deserve to know? you're talking donald trump every day now, which is something you got into reluctantly. >> yeah, i am. >> so, do you think he would make a better president than -- >> i don't think he's qualified to be -- >> oh, absolutely. i'd be a better president than hillary clinton. that's why i'm running -- >> no, no -- >> miami point is, he's not qualified to be commander in chief of the united states of the greatest american force. he's had a chance to bone up. god willing he'll do it. in the world right now has been turned under, turned upside down because of the lack of american leadership. we don't need another version of that as the republican nominee. >> there you have it. another republican rivalry, the feud between marco rubio and ted cruz is also picking up steam with fresh attacks coming from both candidates, fueling the bad blood is a long-standing

fight over immigration reform. cruz accusing rubio of supporting amnesty. listen here. >> he's going to have a hard time because he's not told the truth in the past. >> i oppose amnesty. i oppose citizenship. i oppose legalization for illegal aliens. i always have and i always will. and i challenge every other republican candidate to say the same thing, or if not, then to stop making silly assertions that their records and my records on immigration are the same. >> and that's not over yet. that's for sure. joining us to discuss is influential iowa congressman and supporter of ted cruz, congressman steve king. thank you for joining us. >> thank you for having me on. >> really appreciate it. as i said, this fight between

rubio and cruz dates back for years. you've been there for this fight on immigration reform and where they stand. i want you to listen to this, though. this is from 2013. this is ted cruz talking. it sure sounds like he's saying he supports legalization. not citizenship but legalization. >> i don't want immigration reform to fail. i want immigration reform to pass. so, i would urge people of good faith on both sides of the asoo aisle, if the objective is to pass immigration reform on both sides of the border to improve immigration and allows those here illegally to come in out of the shadows, then we should look for areas of bipartisan agreement and compromise to come together. >> so, congressman, how do you explain it, then? >> well, of course, i'm in this arena over here on the house side. i've been involved in this debate for a long time. people know exactly where i stand. i oppose amnesty. i appreciate exactly what ted

cruz has said about being opposed to legalization, to amnesty. here's what i believe happened, and that is he offered an amendment that drew a bright line in blocking citizenship as being a component of the gang of eight bill. when he did that, what was left in the bill was legalization because you couldn't divide legalization from citizenship any other way. and his argument was a rhetorical argument to convince the other side to vote for his amendment. i've done that a number of times myself. anybody in this arena knows that. marco rubio's got to know that. here's the deciding line. if you want to -- if you wonder what it really meant, ted cruz never said, i'll vote for the bill if my amendment passes. had he said that, then he might be able to make this argument, but he did not. he was simply trying to get his amendment to pass because it was a poison bill in the bill. >> it's complicated washington speak but he was supporting an amendment for legalization.

was he for legalization before he was against it? >> john, i would define it this way, though. he drafted an amendment and introduced it that locked citizenship out of the gang of eight's bill. all the rest of the component of the gang of eight bill remained within the bill. you could also argue the other component he was for. he wanted to draw that bright line to take citizenship out of the gang of eight bill to expose this really is about documenting undocumented democrats. that's why chuck schumer and others support it. rub rubio's agenda is something he needs to answer to instead of ted cruz on this one. >> the fact that ted cruz has been tripping up trying to answer this following the debate, is that because he's been -- he was disingenuous now or he's being disingenuous now? because it doesn't seem to the layman you can be both. >> that sounds like a lawyer question. is he disingenuous then or now? i think he can be genuine both times, but i heard him say most

recently in the last few days is precisely accurate the way i understand ted cruz's immigration policy. it's very consistent with his 11-page immigration document he put out, that he has said many times, senator jeff sessions and i had input into that. i've parsed every word in that 11-page document. i trust to know ted cruz. if people don't trust him and know him well enough, i say, look at me. i've stood on this thing for 13 years, opposing every form of immigration, including amnesty. this is a great big stretch to find one thing you can parse or phrase or be critical of ted cruz when you have marco rubio sitting there with the entire gang of eight bill he's embraced. that is perpetual amnesty, instantaneous amnesty and even

retro active amnesty. it sends an invitation to those that have been deported, reapply and come back to america. i think that's where the accountability needs to be on this. if that bill had passed, america would be far less safe today. we would have open borders, people certified, legalized in the united states that could travel back and forth, especially into mexico, at will. that makes us more and more vulnerable, not just to terrorists but also to drug smuggling and all kinds of crimes. by the way, ted cruz understands -- the center is this, we have to restore the respected for the rule of law if we are going to be a first world not a third world country. that's a great big reason why i've endorsed ted cruz for president of the united states. >> congressman steve king, seems like the battle is on. i know we'll be hearing about this from both candidates going forward. thank you, sir. >> thank you. an entire school district closed today. not because of a threat but because of a homework assignment. the parents say that assignment was aimed at converting their

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new this morning, french authorities say the paris attack ringleader, abdelhamid abaaoud, he was on the greek island of leros weeks before the horrific attack. at that point, he was already a wanted man for a suspected role in a belgian terror plot that was thwarted back in january. >> officials are investigating whether he exploited the refugee process to slip into europe undetected. sara sidner. >> reporter: we are seeing dozens and dozens of refugees coming off boats. so far in just the last few hours we have seen five boats filled with people, mostly children. they are freezing. there are families here, people are crying, children are crying. there are also people here

volunteering their time. there are also the coast guard here, helping people bring the boats in of have choppy seas. this is the scene every few hours here, boats are coming in. of course, there is a great deal of concern, especially in europe, because of security because of what they just learned about the main mastermind really, the ringleader of these attacks in paris, so there is a lot of concern about whether or not greece is able to check papers, for example, and find out what people are up to. a very difficult situation. the vast majority of these people are simply refuse geese looking for a better life. >> thanks so much. officials say the number of refugees entering europe by land and sea will hit 1 million by the end of this year. want to bring in cnn national security analyst julia. we hear that report and we hear the news abdelhamid abaaoud

tried to get -- at least was there. we don't know whether he snuck in. we don't know whether he was meeting somebody. we do know these terrorists were using this process, or at least wanted to be connected to it somehow. do you think this was politics or expooectio expediency. >> it may be both, john. from your reporter out there, this is the challenge, a million women and children essentially, and men, fleeing a country and trying to find peace for themselves and a new life. you have one terrorist, right, who may have been there. we don't know why he was there. that's the challenge. how do you show the sort of sympathy we need to show and relieve the pressure on grooegs, turkey and these other countries that are feeling a refugee crisis they cannot stop at this stage. also protect u.s. and western citizens from this one guy going

through. the greeks are going to need more help from an international community, in particular interpol, because a lot of these guys are already on their list. the mastermind here was already being looked for. so with just don't know why he was on greece although this stage, if he exploited the refugee crisis or he was there for another reason. >> fear surrounding terrorists exploiting the refugee process is something that's obviously a huge fear here, a huge part of the political conversation here in the united states right now. president obama is holding his year-end press conference later today. just yesterday, the president said once again there is no credible threat towards -- in the united states of a terror attack heading into the holidays. we've heard him say that in the past. the timing of it, inopportune because we've also seen people died shortly after he's said this previously. what in the national security world, your friends, your

sources, what do they think when the president makes a statement like this? >> well, he's telling the truth to the extent that everything followed at this stage does not suggest imminency. but the reality is, in none of these cases is there that trigger we know, okay, something's about to happen. it's incredibly rare in counterterrorism circles to have that moment where you can stop it. that's the challenge for democrats and republicans. is in a world as men and women, as we've seen, get radicalized online, essentially, have ak se access to arms, and an infinite number of soft targets. you'll never make america's soft targets hardened. there will be those moments we cannot capture. that's the challenge going into the holiday season because people are moving. people are -- you know, you're just going to have a lot more

soft targets. >> absolutely. that's also one of the motivations behind, the secretary of homeland security, he -- they are changing the threat system with all of these concerns in mipd. juliette, thank you. >> thank you. coming up for us still, parents up in arms. an entire school district shut down today after a teacher hands out a homework assignment. homework assignment involved arabic writing and the islamic statement of faith. is the former fresh prince setting his sights on the presidency? actor will smith talks to cnn about a potential white house bid. more importantly, his controversial new film about concussions in the nfl. ♪ 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.

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new this morning, a community in virginia is furious after a public school teacher handed out a homework assignment by islam. the outrage today prompted officials to close all schools in the county as a safety precaution. >> the assignment, copy arabic

caligraphy that read this, there is no god but alla'a and muhammad is alla'a. jason, tell us about this homework assignment and what happened in this town since. >> it gave you a sense of how sensitive communities are. this was a homework assignment handed out in a world geography class at riverhead high school in stanton, virginia. we should be clear, this was a caligraphy assignment. ninth grade students were asked to copy arabic writings. according to the school district, it said, here is the islamic statement of faith written in arabic. in the space below, try copying it by hand. this should give you an idea of the artistic complexity of caligraphy. a number of parents were upset by the assignment. the school said it received threaten willing calls about the

assignment. as a result, the district canceled all classes today. it serves some 10,000 students. many parents have accused the teacher of trying to indoctrinate their children with islam. some students and parents speaking out at a local church. >> why couldn't we just learn to write hello, good-bye, you know, normal words. not that. >> i will not have my children set under a woman who indoctrinates them with the islam religion when i'm a vis shan and i want to stand behind christ. >> the augusta school district released a statement saying, as we have emphasized no lesson was designed to promote a religious viewpoint or change any student's religious belief. although students will continue to learn about world religions as required by the state board of education and the commonwealth standards of learning a different nonreligious example of arabic caligraphy will be used in the future. i just got off the phone with the local sheriff. they gave me a little more

information about this. he tells me, first of all, this was part of a standard workbook. >> she did not create this. >> she did not create this. apparently this teacher has assigned a very similar assignment in the past. there was -- no one said boo about it basically until now. we mamd an attempt to reach out to the teacher but we were unable to reach her. >> what's the atmosphere in the town? >> clearly, the sheriff says they're somewhat overwhelmed by the number -- the school was overwhelmed by the number of hate mail and e-mails they received. >> is that why they shut it down? i don't -- >> you know, i believe so. because the sheriff says they received -- even though there was no specific threat to the school, they just felt uncomfortable with the number of hate mails and e-mails and phone calls they were receiving about this particular assignment. >> jason, thanks so much. coming up for us, he recently called out donald trump about his comments about muslims and mexicans, but is actor will

smith really considering his own white house run? the former "fresh prince of bel air" sits down with cnn. cue the music. plus the most anticipated film in the galaxy. >> oh, really? >> it is finally in theaters. jason has seen it. >> tell us all about it. spoil it for him. >> he's sworn to silence. does it live up to the hype? stay with us. >> yes. it's a highly thercontagious disease.here. it can be especially serious- even fatal to infants. unfortunately, many people who spread it may not know they have it. it's called whooping cough. and the cdc recommends everyone, including those around babies, make sure their whooping cough vaccination is up to date. understand the danger your new grandchild faces. talk to your doctor or pharmacist about you and your family getting a whooping cough vaccination today. the possibility of a flare swas almost always on my mind.

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one of the biggest hold stars will smith is speaking out about football and it is the focus of his new movie "concussion" and he is playing the man who discovered the brain inju injury and the connection to the sport. >> he says the that what it outlines with the chronic endoopathy is what come peld him. here is will smith and rachel nichols. >> knowing what you know now and if trey came to you now and wanted to play football, what would you say? >> i would say, son, is will en, i love you, and fit were up to me, you could play, but your mother said no.

>> that is the right exact answer. >> throw jada pinkett smith right under the bus. >> and this discussion, and this debate and this issue. >> absolutely. >> and look at will smith, right, because we were talking about his son to play football and he was not a football dad, but a football dad, and he was shooting a movie in china and he would fly back once a week for ten weeks in a row to be there every friday night. and football in this country is not just about football, but fathers and sons and what you do on thanksgiving and family tradition, and how you talk to one another, and maybe family member s ths that you don't havh to say to them. >> right. talk about football. >> and so when a movie comes along and challenges that and challenges the safety of the children, it is a big question and it is more than what are they doing after school, but it is about how we live our lives now. >> and it is a huge part of so many of our lives, and we are all football fans, and how we

react to this movie is going to be interesting, but also in the discussion, you talked politics with him, and what did he say? i have not seen this bit of the interview yet. >> well, the kaker he plays is a nigerian immigrant, and he said that after living in that skin for a year, it affect ed him whn he has heard all of the political rhetoric, the anti-immigration talk the of some corner, and he said that it changed the way he thought. he said, gosh, it made me want to say, i need to do something about this, and this is not what i think that america is about, and maybe i need to run for office. we are talking about him running for president, he said that he would not rule it out. and kayne west 2020, and maybe kayne and fresh prince. >> and can we listen to him announcing the candidacy with you? >> i have not made that decision. >> you have not ruled it out though? >> i believe that, i love this

country. i believe that america is the only country on earth where will smith could even exist. so i am forever indebted to this country, and i will defend and expand what we stand for at our best, always. >> sounds like a political speech, right? >> and i would like to now announce my candidacy at president. >> i told him at the end of the interview, if you go on there and run, we will have re-run this on cnn. >> and yes, it sounds like et. >> we heard it for a couple of years from hillary clinton. >> he is running until he tells me that he is not running. >> right. it is fascinating and a great movie, and it is worth seeing for at lot of people, and out there for the parents, there is a scene on the high school football field and you can see the two kids coming after each other, and after watching the

bulk of the movie, you feel like a car crash coming, and it is worth seeing for anybody considering allowing their kid to play football. >> thank you. and there is another film that rachel saw that we would all like to the see. >> and we are the only ones who are not going to be seeing it apparently. >> the film about the galaxy and beyo beyond. >> there are stories about what happened. >> it is true. all of it. the dark side. the jedi. they're real.

>> the force, it's calling to you. >> you just can't look away. "star wars" the force a wakens is the latest installment of the latest series is getting rave reviews apparently after opening last night. let's discuss all of that, and ear muff it for me, and bring ing in the leading movie commentator eric davis the of fandango.com, and so give me all of the details and spoil it all, because john is very fragile right now. >> no, look, no spoilers. it looks like a "star wars" movie and fun like a "star wars" mo vishg and harkens back to the the trilogy, and if you are a fan of the first movie, peshsly, it has a lot of moments similar, but the best part of the film, believe it or not are the new characters. and this this girl daisy ridley who plays rae is fantastic in

the movie, and they get you excited for the next movies to see what happens next. disney did the job. they wanted to say to the fans, we got this, and they got it. >> what makes you an authority on this? let me see the t-shirt to be clear. >> well, i grew up with the "star wars." i had all of the action figures and i saw the trilology when i was a kid and now my 3 1/2-year-old is obsessed with it, and we are having the light saber battles everyday and generational and a fun movie, and great for everybody who can go with their friends and family, and i know a guy who is going with the brother one day, and the wife the next day and the kids -- >> and the mistress the next story, but it is another story. and we just learned that it took in $57 million on the first night. >> that is a new record. that beats "harry potter and the deathly hallows" so that is a

single day record in the united states and also broke the single daily flekd the urecord in the >> when you look at the trailer, it is everything that you want in the "star wars" movie, but is it the special effects or really the characters that you are going to love in the movie? >> well, everything. j.j. abe rap s -- j.j. abrams want ted to bring the practicaly back to the movie. and there is a physical droid that they built that rolls and a lot of the creatures are practical creatures that you can touch and feel, and that is what makes the franchise special, and the first films good and important, and that is what is go going to be here. >> and what you are leaving out which is what a lot of people in my generation want to know, will this make us forget phantom menace, at a tack of the clones? >> well, it is better than the prequels. and if they want to know if it is better than the prequels, it is better than the prequels.

>> he has a cp3 office that lives there, and so you now know where john comes to discussion. do i need to see all of the previous film to enjoy this one? >> no, if you have not seen "star wars," you is have a working knowledge of hans solo and luke skywalker, an princess leia, and that is all you need to know, and going in, they will set it up, because the franchise is about the new kascharacters the new journey, and we are getting a "star wars'" movie every year for the foreseeable person. >> yes, and i feel fan-shamed because i have not seen all of the "star wars," so maybe i will go see it. >> oh, you have the the go see it. >> you know, it is just amazing and blows my mind that you have not seen these films. >> notice that he said that. >> and we will find you, and that is the warning for the teenager who did not go to jail for killing four people while driving drunk, because the defense, they used a defense

that he was too spoiled to know d difference between right and wrong. right now, he is missing and presumed to be on the run. hear who just joined the search. >> and a short time from now, president obama will hold the final news conference of the year on the day that we learn about new terror plots by the san bernardino kirls. oh... ha ha ha! joanne? is that you? it's me... you don't look a day over 70. am i right? jingle jingle. if you're peter pan, you stay young forever. it's what you do. if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. ♪ you make me feel so young... it's what you do. ♪ you make me feel ♪ so spring has sprung. have you ever thought, "i could never do that"?

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-- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com hello, everyone. i'm ashleigh banfield and welcome to "legal view." president obama a short time from now is expected to make the final official white house appearance of 2015. it is his annual end of the year news conference of course, and we are going to be carrying every bit of it live right here on cnn as soon as it gets under way, but then later this evening, his schedule continus.s he is on the way to the west coast, specifically, the tragedy-struck city of san bernardino, california, where he is going to privately meet with some of the families who were devastated by this month's isis-inspired shooting attack that left 14 people dead, and more than 20 others injured. that white house news conference starts in a little bit of an hour and a half, and if the president follows tradition, it is going to be initially a lookback at the admin adminstration's accomplishments er