Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Sean Penn Secretly Met with "El Chapo"; Trump: Cruz Could Get Sued If He's the Nominee; Clinton, Sanders Trade Blows Over Gun Control; American Woman Found Dead in Italy; Dow Plunges Thousand Plus Points in the New Year; Interview with Tim Armstrong; Desperation in Famine-Hit Syrian City. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired January 10, 2016 - 18:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:00:43] POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour, 6:00 p.m. Eastern.

Our top story on CNN right now, that secret meeting between a notorious drug lord and an Oscar-winning movie star. I'm talking about Sean Penn. He's caught the attention of the Mexican government and the White House certainly.

Penn writes in "Rolling Stone" magazine details of a secret face-to- face meeting with the leader of Mexico's most violent and powerful drug cartel, El Chapo Guzman. He is and was a fugitive on the lam for quite a long time after breaking out of a maximum security prison in Mexico. Authorities from the United States and Mexico looking for him, but it was Sean Penn the actor who was able to find him, interview him for "Rolling Stone" magazine before any law enforcement official was able to track him down.

Let's go to CNN's senior Latin affairs correspondent Rafael Romo.

What is the Mexican government, and, frankly, White House making -- what are they making of the fact that Sean Penn was able to talk to him first?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, right now we're getting conflicting messages from the Mexican government. One source has told CNN that they knew about the fact that Sean Penn met with Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, while the others were telling us the total opposite.

What the Mexican officials said on the record Friday was that the -- El Chapo Guzman wanted to have a movie made about himself back in October and started reaching out to his associates and attorneys, to Mexican filmmakers, producers and actresses and that those communications helped officials to track him down in northern Mexico in the rugged mountains of Sinaloa state.

That was the intelligence the Mexican government needed to track him down. And as you know, it was on Friday that he was caught in the city of Los Mochis in the state of Sinaloa, and now, we see these images where he's being seen dragged into the prison. Definitely any way you see it, Poppy, a huge victory for the Mexican government.

HARLOW: There's no question about that. Have they talked at all about whether Sean Penn might face any charges? I was speaking with Danny Cevallos last hour, our legal analyst, who said, you know, there is, of course, the extradition between the United States and Mexico. It goes both ways. El Chapo is getting extradited to the United States.

Could Sean Penn face any sort of legal ramifications in Mexico?

ROMO: What a Mexican source has told us is they want to question both Sean Penn and Kate Del Castillo. Kate Del Castillo is the Mexican actress who had the role of facilitating this interview, this meeting between Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman and Sean Penn. They haven't said, Mexican officials, whether they want to pursue any charges or whether they want to go any further with this investigation. But the whole interview was made possible by this woman we're looking at right now.

Back in 2012, she tweeted that she admired and trusted more Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman than the Mexican government and apparently that started a series of communications between her and the drug lord which eventually led to the meeting back in October in the mountains of northern Mexico, Poppy.

HARLOW: Rafael, thank you so much.

And although the exact location is still unknown, an anonymous Mexican federal law enforcement official told the "Associated Press" that the meeting between Penn and Guzman was held in, quote, "Tamazula", that is a community in Durango State that neighbors Sinaloa, the home of Guzman's drug cartel.

Here's how it reportedly went down. Sean Penn, del Castillo, and two handlers self-financed the charter flights from Los Angeles to the undisclosed location. Upon landing, a previously booked minivan took them to a hotel where we now know El Chapo was staying.

[18:05:01] A convoy of imprisoned armored SUVs took them to a dirt airfield about an hour and a half away. Penn's driver was El Chapo's son, at times accelerating to speeds over 100 miles an hour. Two single engine prop planes flew them to a mountainous region two hours away. The SUV drove seven hours to dense jungle to El Chapo's, quote/unquote, "compound". This is about 11 miles from Los Mochis, that is where El Chapo was captured on Friday.

With me now from Chicago, Joseph Lopez, a criminal defense attorney also known as Joseph "The Shark" Lopez.

Thank you so much for being with me.

JOSEPH "THE SHARK" LOPEZ, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: You're welcome. Thank you.

HARLOW: You have represented some of these alleged drug lords and you have the Mexican government now saying they're eager to extradite El Chapo. You said interestingly that Chicago is the most likely place he'll be prosecuted. Why Chicago when you've about got eight states with these outstanding charges against them?

LOPEZ: Well, Chicago is the only place that has two recorded conversations of El Chapo engaging in a heroin transaction with the Flores brothers. Here they have taps discussing the quantities, how much it was going to be, if there's going to be a discount, further negotiation, how it's going get here.

There are two phone conversations here that were recorded by the Flores brothers, and here, we also have the Flores brothers willing to testify against El Chapo. They're the ones that made the recording. Their cases out of Chicago where they have somebody here is as well, my old son who's willing to testify against El Chapo.

And this is the only district in the country where they have El Chapo on the telephone call. And that would be the most likely place where I think that they should prosecute him. But that's going to be up to Washington and they're going to fight, the attorney generals are going to fight to see who's going to be the one that's going to get El Chapo's case. As you noted, there are seven indictments pending, there's been a 10-year warrant for his arrest pending in Mexico. It's going to be a political football between the various districts and we'll have to see what the Obama administration is going to do.

HARLOW: I mean, you're a defense attorney. You defended cartel members in the past. How would you defend him if you were El Chapo's attorney in the U.S.?

LOPEZ: Well, the way you would have to defend them is you would have to fight the recordings and have an expert testify that it's not El Chapo's voice. You would also have to depend on the fact that you have witnesses coming forward that receive significant benefits from the government, which cast a lot of doubt on their testimony as to whether or not they're telling the truth, and you have to go witness by witness by witness.

There are other witnesses here, too, that allegedly are from South America saying they were involved in sending drugs to Mexico from Panama and South America. So, there are a lot of witnesses you have to take on. And, you know, they have to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt and it's a very difficult standard.

HARLOW: What about what he told Sean Penn in this extensive "Rolling Stone" interview? How does that not hurt him in court?

LOPEZ: Well, it does hurt him in court. The only way that would come into evidence if he's willing to testify against him and we don't know if Sean Penn is going to be a witness or not be a witness.

HARLOW: But couldn't the attorneys bring the article as evidence?

LOPEZ: Well, they can't bring the article, but it's my understanding that El Chapo made a videotape and they certainly could play the videotape with his statements on it. That would be admissible.

The article is not admissible, but if he's on the videotape as alleged by Sean Penn saying that they sent this request down there and they received the 17-minute videotape, they certainly can play the 17- minute videotape. And then, again, they could use that to further their conspiracy charge.

So, there are things there. El Chapo is on tape saying what he said to Sean Penn and obviously, they can use those statements against him.

HARLOW: Do you think Sean Penn will face any charges here in the United States or in Mexico?

LOPEZ: I don't see how Sean Penn could face any charges. He didn't obstruct any justices. This was an artistic project that he engages upon. He was out there. He was doing research and apparently for his article and doing research for a proposed movie perhaps that he might be involved in. He didn't do anything to hide El Chapo.

HARLOW: So he has no legal --

(CROSSTALK)

LOPEZ: He didn't lie about it.

HARLOW: And he legally doesn't have go to the authorities and say I know where he's located? I mean, maybe he did and we don't know. I mean, maybe this is what led the authorities to El Chapo. But legally, he doesn't have to do, that does he?

LOPEZ: He doesn't have to do anything. He's an American citizen. He went there on a private venture. He went there for artistic development and he talked to him and it's not a crime.

I see no crime. I see nothing wrong that Sean Penn did. People might want to castigate him for what he did. But, you know, he did what he did because he's an artist and he was trying to develop his project and that's what he did.

HARLOW: What about all the media coverage. I mean, when you talk about getting a, quote/unquote, "fair trial" and you talk about media coverage.

[18:10:00] I mean, this is global media coverage.

LOPEZ: This is global media coverage. It's bigger than John Gotti. It's bigger than Al Capone. Everybody in court will know who El Chapo is.

The only question they have to prove is whether or not he engaged in a conspiracy. It seems like it would be awfully easy for them to at least bring the evidence forward and try to convince to jury and it would be up to the jury to make that decision.

But, you're right. All the press he got, this is bigger than a manhunt for bin Laden. I mean, you see it every day. We've heard about it every day since the escape. We've seen little bits and pieces of what the Mexican government has been doing.

There was a lot of pressure on President Nieto to find him and he found him. I don't know how they found him or how he found him. They're saying it's because of Sean Penn's involvement and tracking producers' phones down in Mexico. I'm not really sure.

But, regardless, they have him. He's in custody. They don't have to send him to the United States. His lawyers can file motions and try to block the extradition of him and it's going to be up to the Mexican government what they want to do with him.

And if they want to keep him there for the next 17 years out of his sentence, then they can send him to the United States. But it's going to be up to the Mexican government what they're going to do with this case.

HARLOW: All right. Joseph Lopez, thanks very much, counselor. Appreciate it.

LOPEZ: You're welcome. Bye.

HARLOW: Ahead this hour, Donald Trump launching brand-new attacks on Ted Cruz, pointing at his citizenship. Is he a U.S. citizen to become president? That is what Donald Trump is questioning. Will it all hold up in court? I'll speak with a constitutional lawyer.

Also, what are the chances of Bernie Sanders defeats Hillary Clinton in Iowa and New Hampshire. Fascinating new polling out today.

And later, breaking news out of Italy, an American woman is mysteriously found dead in her apartment. What her boyfriend just said to CNN.

I'm Poppy Harlow. This is CNN. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: Turning now to presidential politics and Donald Trump launching brand-new attacks on Ted Cruz, his chief rival certainly in Iowa, questioning whether or not Cruz would be eligible to be president since he was born in Canada.

Listen to what he said on NBC's "Meet the Press" this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He has to solve this problem because the Democrats will sue him if he's the nominee. If Ted is the nominee, he will be sued by the Democrats.

[18:15:02] And according to one of the great lawyers of the country at Harvard with strong opinions on this, the whole thing has not been -- this matter -- as he said -- this matter has not been determined.

CHUCK TODD, MEET THE PRESS: I understand that. But I'm talking about your opinion.

TRUMP: I would say that I would want the Supreme Court to rule because they haven't ruled. (END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Before this, Trump famously questioned whether President Obama was actually born in Hawaii, actually born in the United States.

As for Cruz, he freely admits to being born in Canada to a U.S. citizen. His mother, a U.S. citizen.

Here's what he told our Jake Tapper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR, STATE OF THE UNION: Carly Fiorina saying the other day that -- she says it's odd that it wasn't until 2014 that you renounced your dual citizenship, your citizenship with Canada. Now, I know you say you didn't even know about it until "The Dallas Morning News" wrote the story, I think, in 2013? Did you ever go back after that "Dallas Morning News" story and try to find out more about your parents' time in Canada? Whether they did any -- I mean did they vote in Canada when they were there?

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No.

TAPPER: No, they did not?

CRUZ: My mother didn't because she was a U.S. citizen and my mother -- look, the Internet has all sorts of fevered swamp theories but the facts are simple. My mom was born in Wilmington, Delaware. She was an American citizen by birth. She's been an American citizen all 81 years of her life. She's never been a citizen any other place.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: So, I wanted to know what a constitutional lawyer had to say about all of this, the back and forth, the back and forth that will surely continue until February 1st, the Iowa caucuses.

I spoke with Adam Winkler from UCLA for his take.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: You're a constitutional lawyer. Where do you fall on this? Is he eligible to be president?

ADAM WINKLER, UCLA: I think there's no doubt that he is eligible to be president. The Constitution says you have to be a natural born citizen. But the Constitution doesn't define that terminology and we don't know exactly what the framers meant.

HARLOW: And no Supreme Court case has?

WINKLER: None have really made it crystal clear. And so, the prevailing view is that you're a natural born citizen if you're a citizen at birth, as compared to a naturalized citizen, someone who becomes a citizen through a process after they're born. And we know from the Constitution that you're automatically a citizen

if you're born in the United States no matter where your parents are from. But under federal statutes, they also say you're a natural born citizen if both of your parents are citizens and you were born abroad or if you were born abroad and one of your parents is a citizen who's lived in the U.S. for a significant number of years.

HARLOW: Right.

WINKLER: And in Ted Cruz's case, his mother was born in the United States. She's a citizen of the United States and she lived in almost all of her life in the United States.

HARLOW: It's interesting. It's not only Donald Trump asking this question. Senator John McCain also this week coming out and saying this, quote, "worth looking into". John McCain was born outside of the U.S. mainland, who's born in Panama Canal Zone, of course, on a military station where his father stationed. What do you make of that and he ran for president?

WINKLER: Well, I think it shows the ambiguity of the phrase "natural born citizen' leads to these kinds of political debates. Even John McCain like you say who was born abroad himself to American citizens could raise these questions.

Now, Ted Cruz's situation is slightly different. His father was a Canadian citizen, not an American citizen. But nonetheless the American law is clear. When Ted Cruz was born, if your mother was an American citizen who had lived in the United States for five years after the age of 14, she had, and then he's a natural born citizen.

HARLOW: So, and you bring up a huge issue that perhaps the highest court in our nation should clarify. Should the Supreme Court clarify this once and for all?

WINKLER: Well, the Supreme Court needs a case. So you'd have to have a legal challenge that goes to the Supreme Court to clarify what this means. It would be helpful for everyone to clarify it.

Look, we've had debated over citizenship and who gets it and who doesn't based on where they're born now, ever since President Obama announced his candidacy for the presidency back in '07. And so, we really need the Supreme Court to provide the clarity so that we don't have this case.

HARLOW: We need the case.

WINKLER: Yes.

HARLOW: Could the case be if Ted Cruz is elected the next president?

WINKLER: It could be. It could be. We could see, for instance, someone -- secretary of state of particular state would say I'm not going to put Ted Cruz on the ballot because I don't believe that he's eligible to be president. That would prompt Ted Cruz to have to file a lawsuit to get on a ballot, and that could go all the way up to the Supreme Court potentially.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Adam Winkler, thank you for that.

Coming up, the Democratic race gets a little testy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'll get into the White House. I don't need a tour. I know right where the Oval Office is.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're going to need a candidate who can bring out millions and millions of people who in many cases have given up on the political process.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders engage in some point/counterpoint as the new poll shows him running neck and neck in, guess what two states, Iowa and New Hampshire.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:22:44] HARLOW: Now to the Democratic race to the White House.

A new poll just out today shows Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are in a statistical dead heat in two crucial early voting states.

In Iowa, Clinton's lead has shrunk to just three points over Bernie Sanders. That is within the margin of error. Martin O'Malley trailing behind at just 5 percent.

In New Hampshire, the leaders flipped. Bernie Sanders narrowly ahead of Clinton by four points, also within the margin of error.

Clinton turning up the heat on Sanders over gun control.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: President Obama and I and Senator Sanders were all in the Senate at the same time. Two of us voted against what the NRA says was the most important piece of legislation in 20 years for the gun lobby. Senator Sanders voted with them and through this morning has been unwilling to join the president and me in saying that this should be repealed.

SANDERS: Well, what you had was a complicated piece of legislation. There were aspects of it that were absolutely right, aspects of it that were wrong. But as the secretary knows that for many weeks now I said, of course, I'll be happy to take a look at that complicated piece of legislation and deal with it and get rid of those --

INTERVIEWER: Can you say right now that you would vote for it?

SANDERS: -- that are wrong. I will vote to revise that bill. There were parts of it that made

sense to me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: All right. Just so you know, the legislation there talking about, as Ryan Lizza joins me now, CNN political commentator and correspondent for "The New Yorker".

Ryan Lizza, they were talking about this legislation. Of course, you have Bernie Sanders voting against the Brady bill back in '93, but also this was legislation he voted against that would have -- that basically protected gun makers from liability in shootings, Ryan Lizza.

RYAN LIZZA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes.

HARLOW: So, let's start with that. OK?

He's saying that he would look at that again. I just want your take on how big of an issue you think guns and, for example, his vote 20 years ago on that will have in this race as he goes neck and neck with Hillary Clinton in Iowa and New Hampshire.

LIZZA: If you look at the polls, it's a significant issue for Democratic voters and this is why Hillary Clinton is pressing it. Frankly, the voters that have flocked to Bernie Sanders care about gun control, right?

HARLOW: Right.

[18:25:02] LIZZA: So, he's appealing to college educated white liberals, often slightly higher income. Sometimes they call that the wine track in the Democratic Party versus the beer track, which are high school educated lower income voters. So, he's got this wine track, you know, liberal Democrats, they care about gun control, right? And they love Bernie for all of these other issues.

But when they find out that Bernie Sanders is not who they thought he was or not -- at least not who they thought where he might have been on an issue like gun control, I think that's very significant.

It's one of the first issues, frankly, where Hillary Clinton has been able to get to his left and possibly peel off some of those supporters in Iowa and New Hampshire. So, I think it's a big deal. A lot of people who think Bernie Sanders is liberal on every issue and is way left on err issue is very surprised to learn that on guns, he's from a state where gun rights is very important and he's voted with the NRA on a number of big issues.

HARLOW: I do think and like -- those that would defend him say you have to look at the state and the constituents that he's representing in terms of being, you know, a hunting state, et cetera.

All right. You tweeted this.

LIZZA: Uh-oh.

HARLOW: Uh-oh. You tweeted it.

You said, "Wow, Bill Clinton endorsed Gore over Bradley in 2000 Dem primary, but Obama will not endorse Hillary over Sanders."

How likely you do think that Hillary Clinton gets this president's endorsement during the primary?

LIZZA: From what McDonough said on TV, the chief of staff to Obama, what he said today, it sounds like Obama is going to stay out of the race until it's decided. Now, other presidents have certainly done that. Ronald Reagan waited until his Vice President George H.W. Bush had secured the nomination before he actually endorsed Bush.

Bill Clinton didn't do that with Gore. Bill Clinton endorsed Gore over Bradley. It was a very similar race. It was a two-person race. Al Gore against Bill Bradley, just like Hillary Clinton against Bernie Sanders. Clinton made it very clear he wanted Gore be the nominee.

Now, look, Hillary is not in the administration anymore. She's not or never was, of course, Obama's vice president, but she was secretary of state. She was an important part of the administration. She is the overwhelming favorite despite the narrow polls to win the race, and I'm a little surprised that the White House seems to be ruling it out entirely.

HARLOW: Do you think it would help her that much, Ryan --

LIZZA: Yes.

HARLOW: -- on foreign policy given so many Americans against Obama's ISIS strategy?

LIZZA: Poppy, we're talking about a Democratic primary, right?

HARLOW: Right.

LIZZA: In the Democratic primary, Barack Obama is hugely popular, right? Let's remember, the voters that are trying to appeal to right now love Obama. It's not even -- you know, there's no question that his endorsement would be hugely beneficial to him, it would be a huge sign among African-American voters, it would be a huge sign among Hispanic voters, which was --

HARLOW: But she's already got a big lead over Bernie Sanders with minority voters.

LIZZA: What about Iowa? Where did Obama's entire campaign get made in 2008? It's when he beat her in Iowa. If Barack Obama landed in Des Moines between now and February 1st and said, "I want Hillary Clinton as the nominee," I think it would -- the race would be over if he was out there campaigning for her.

HARLOW: It doesn't sound like -- yes. It doesn't sound like we're going to get there. LIZZA: He's not going to do that. It's got to be a huge

disappointment to Hillary Clinton, considering most of her senior campaign staff and strategists have worked for Obama. Some were close advisers. So, I'm a little surprised.

But on the other hand, maybe they decided there's already criticism that the DNC has put their thumbs on the scales for Hillary Clinton and it would somehow, you know, pollute the process and make it unfair.

HARLOW: I want to get your take on this right here. Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg commissioned a poll, we learned from multiple sources. He commissioned a poll last month to see how he would fare as a third-party candidate against a hypothetical matchup between Clinton and Trump. This is not the first time the former mayor has dipped his toe in, if you will, and then pulled out.

Would he get into this race?

LIZZA: I think the circumstances by which he would get in would be if it was Bernie Sanders against Donald Trump because in that race, you'd really have the two of the most far right and far left candidates in the two fields. Then there's a space in the middle.

I honestly have never understood -- if you're electing a sort of center left Democrat -- excuse me -- if the Democrat is a center left person, I don't see how Bloomberg has much of a case to make. On most of the big issues, there's not a big distinction between him and Hillary Clinton.

[18:30:03] RYAN LIZZA, WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, THE NEW YORKER: On most of the big issues, there's not a big distinction between him and Hillary Clinton. So if he were going to run a third-party campaign, he would really have to identify those big issues where neither of the parties are addressing, right?

Historically third-party candidates thrive when they seize on issues that the two parties aren't dealing with in any way. That's why Ross Perot in 1992 was able to get 19 percent of the vote because he was talking about trade, he was talking about the budget deficit in a way that the other parties weren't addressing.

I don't see those issues right now for Bloomberg. One circumstance would be if it's Bernie Sanders against Donald Trump.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: I want to see that poll. I want to see how he did.

Ryan Lizza --

LIZZA: Yes. HARLOW: Thank you very much.

LIZZA: Thanks, Poppy.

HARLOW: Also, Ryan will be watching, I'll be watching, all of you will no doubt be watching the president's final State of the Union address. It is on Tuesday night, our coverage here on CNN with the best political team in television begins right at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

Coming up next, an American woman found dead in Italy with serious injuries. Her boyfriend tells CNN he had not seen her in days. That's what led him to look for her. A live report next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: Breaking news out of Italy. Tonight the mysterious death of an American woman who has triggered a murder investigation. Police discovered Ashley Olsen's body in her Florence apartment with bruises and scratches around her neck. Olsen, an artist from Florida. There's no suspect that have emerged so far. Police spoke with her boyfriend who became concerned he said when he didn't hear from her for days. Friends say Olsen was frequently spotted all around Florence walking her beloved dog, a beagle named Scout.

Our CNN contributor Barbie Nadeau has more on Olsen's life and this death and the investigation tonight from Rome.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: 35-year-old American, Ashley Ann Olsen, was found dead in her apartment in Florence, Italy on Saturday afternoon.

[18:35:05] The young woman had been living in Florence for two years after leaving Florida after her marriage fell apart. She went to join her father, who's an architect and instructor at Art Institute in the city.

She had developed a large group of friends. People spoke very kindly of her. She was very well known in the neighborhood. She walked her small -- beagle dog, named Scout. She was very, very well-known. People recognized her.

Her boyfriend was the one who raised the alarm. He hadn't heard from her after an argument they had three days prior to her body being found. And when he enlisted the help of the landlady in the apartment to open the door where they found the young woman's lifeless body they alerted police, and police are now opening a homicide investigation into just what happened to this young woman. But so far no suspects have been named, or identified, according to the police sources.

This is Barbie Nadeau for CNN in Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Barbie, thank you very much for that. Tonight we'll bring you more as soon as we have it.

Straight ahead, if you're watching the market this week, you felt it. A grim week on Wall Street. The Dow losing more than a thousand points. What it means for to you. We'll discuss.

Also if you didn't win the Powerball last night, you are not alone. Not alone by a long shot. Neither did 292 million other people. Now, of course, you have another chance. This time the jackpot even sweeter. We're talking over a billion dollars. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: If you have never bought a lottery ticket in your life, I would say you should maybe do that tonight or tomorrow because the Powerball jackpot is now $1.3 billion. It is the largest ever, ever, ever, ever. I can't believe that number. You have to see it to believe it.

It is so big some lottery signs aren't even able to display the full amount with all the zeros. No one took home the record drawing of $950 million last night. Some took to social media afterward to express themselves. Look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[18:40:06] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your winning Powerball number, it is lucky 13 tonight.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So nobody won the Powerball.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's really hard to win the Powerball, honey.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dad did.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I won $4, honey. That's not that much.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The new jackpot is $1.3 billion.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I guarantee you this is going to be the kindest three days in U.S. human history. Boyfriends on their best behavior. Girlfriends (INAUDIBLE). Have I told you how much I appreciate you?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Your odds of winning are 1 in 292 million, I should say. The drawing is on Wednesday night. Maybe you should go buy a ticket.

You might feel your odds of seeing gains in your investment are pretty long as well. Consider that 2015 just finishes as the worst year for the Dow Jones Industrial Average since 2008, the beginning of the financial crisis. In 2016 we're a week in, so far not looking so good. The Dow lost 1,079 points last week alone. As of Friday nearly half of the stocks in the S&P 500, that's what makes up your 401(k). They were 20 percent below their yearly highs.

So is this just the market correcting itself and is that a good thing or do you need to brace for more of this the rollercoaster? What should you do with your money when markets open tomorrow morning?

CNN global economic analyst Rana Faroohar is with me.

You're sitting at home. I don't look. I don't touch it. I'm an incredibly conservative investor.

RANA FAROOHAR, CNN GLOBAL ECONOMIC ANALYST: You should be.

HARLOW: That's just -- well, I sort of invest like a 70-year-old.

(LAUGHTER)

HARLOW: I do.

FAROOHAR: Everybody should invest like a 70-year-old.

HARLOW: Well --

FAROOHAR: That's what Warren Buffett says. Put it in an index fund and forget about it.

HARLOW: We learned from the Oracle of Omaha, don't we?

FAROOHAR: Exactly.

HARLOW: But really when people look at this, and they're looking at their savings, they're nearing retirement, they're freaking out.

FAROOHAR: Yes.

HARLOW: Because they're thinking back to 2008. This is not that. What is it?

FAROOHAR: This is not that. This is not that. But I think it is to be a roller coaster this year. I think that we're entering a kind of new era of volatility that we really haven't seen in a number of years. So if you think about what happened after the financial crisis in 2008, the market crashed but then the Federal Reserve bank and many of the world's other central banks came in and pumped a lot of money into the market and that really smoothed things out.

We saw stocks rise, you know, to record highs. Many of us have profited from that over the last few years.

HARLOW: Right.

FAROOHAR: That money is now being pulled out of the market. The U.S. is in recovery. The Central Bank has said, hey, we don't need to interfere anymore, but what that means is that stocks are now going to go back to historically what they tend to do, which is go up and down and up again and probably down again.

HARLOW: Yes.

FAROOHAR: So I think you have to fasten your seatbelt for 2016.

HARLOW: And look at the fundamentals and look at what you're buying into, and if you're a believer in it.

FAROOHAR: Yes.

HARLOW: Let it sit there for a while.

FAROOHAR: For sure. And I think that investing by sector is going to become more important, you know. Technology stocks have suffered because they've been a little frothy. And there's a lot of money in those. They've been up. The U.S. manufacturing sector has been in recession for a while. I think that that's going to continue. So picking the right stock is going to become more important. But also just not doing anything too rash. You know, for the average person, put the money in the index fund. If you don't need it immediately, really don't worry about it. Don't think too much about this year. It is going to be up and down.

HARLOW: So the driver's behind this, now looking globally.

FAROOHAR: Yes.

HARLOW: You've got China and the epic, as you described it, debt crisis in China.

FAROOHAR: Yes.

HARLOW: Which you say is far worse than what we saw here in the United States and the subprime meltdown.

FAROOHAR: Yes.

HARLOW: And you've got oil, around 30 bucks.

FAROOHAR: Yes.

HARLOW: As a big driver in this decline.

FAROOHAR: And there's a kind of strange irony there. One of the reasons that oil is down is because China is so weak. China is basically going through a debt crisis of the type that we went through in the run-up to 2008.

HARLOW: Right.

FAROOHAR: And they're in what feels to them like a recession. Well, China is the world's biggest energy consumer right now. So when they slow down, oil prices go down, too. Now that's bad for a number of countries that export oil but actually it's not terrible for U.S. consumer. It means that gas prices are probably going to be low --

(CROSSTALK)

HARLOW: But it is terrible for all of those people that work in the oil sector.

FAROOHAR: For sure. And a lot of really good middle-class jobs come out of the energy sector, out of the manufacturing sector, which depends on energy, so it's really a double-edged sword.

HARLOW: Let's talk more about China.

FAROOHAR: Yes.

HARLOW: I find it fascinating, you've talked a lot about President Xi Jinping and his consolidation of power and this dramatic shift we're seeing in China right now. It's one thing that Jim Chanos, the big hedge fund billionaire.

FAROOHAR: Yes.

HARLOW: Who called this China meltdown about five years ago.

FAROOHAR: For sure.

HARLOW: He's concerned about that leadership, too.

FAROOHAR: Yes. Well, I think if you look at what's happening in China now, they're trying to do something that only three Asian countries have done, which is jump from being a poor country to a middle class country by global standard. That's a really hard thing to do particularly with a population as large as China and with an authoritarian state. Typically when a country becomes more middle class, you need more political openness. You need freedom.

[18:45:04] You need to kind of create a society like we have here in the U.S. where you can make intellectual property and ideas free flow.

China doesn't have that yet. What Xi Jinping is trying to do is consolidate power supposedly to make the kind of reforms that would move China in that direction, but what we're seeing from the outside now is a lot of journalists being jailed, a lot of business people, both Chinese and Western, having trouble with the authorities. Markets being more closed. So I think the jury is very much out about whether China is going to make that change and how it can make that change.

HARLOW: And it's not capitalism as we know it. It's state-run.

FAROOHAR: It's very much state-run.

HARLOW: Capitalism.

FAROOHAR: And a lot of people feel the state's becoming more heavy- handed.

HARLOW: When you look at one thing ahead this week, what are you looking at?

FAROOHAR: Definitely China still. I mean, China and the emerging markets as a whole make up 40 percent of the global economy. So what happens there matters a lot more than it did 10, 20 years ago. So I think the next global recession if there is one will be made in China.

HARLOW: All right. Rana, thank you. Thank you. FAROOHAR: Thank you.

HARLOW: Appreciate it as always.

Coming up next, our "American Opportunity" segment. You saw the CEO of Microsoft, Satya Nadella, will be sitting in the first lady's box for the State of the Union address. I spoke with AOL's CEO Tim Armstrong this week about not how the company's performing but about why he says we need many, many more women and minorities in the top jobs in tech and frankly what he's doing about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIM ARMSTRONG, CEO, AOL: If you look at the next three billion people coming online, it probably does not look like the executive ranks of the technology companies. It looks like a much more diverse pool of people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: In today's "American Opportunity," diversity or the lack thereof in the top tech jobs in this country right now. I spoke this week with AOL's CEO Tim Armstrong and he told me more women, more minorities at the top of tech companies is not just the right thing to do, it is smart business.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[18:50:01] HARLOW: You have been really outspoken, especially in the last year, Tim, on diversity or, I should say, the lack of diversity especially at the upper echelon of big tech companies.

You said on Bloomberg last year if you look across the tech industry, most companies are actually not representing the consumers they really need to touch. What needs to change in terms of women and minorities?

ARMSTRONG: I think there's two sets of things that need to change with diversity and co-leading the IAB initiative around this called I- Diverse and we're going to -- shooting for putting 10,000 new diverse jobs in the industry.

I'd say it breaks down to two simple things. One is, making sure that companies and organizations are targeting the pool of diverse candidates. That's highly disorganized and highly fragmented right now. We're going to be coming out with a directory in 2016 to allow people to basically get into the pools of diverse talent because it is there and they have an easier pipeline to bring it in.

I think the second piece is inside of companies and education-wise is making sure that the skill sets and jobs we talked about earlier actually that education migrates from inside a company out to the world and companies actually provide more training to diverse people overall. Again, it's another area that if you look at when I got involved in

this a year ago, there's a lot more momentum and a lot more people involved many helping diverse people get into the technology companies than to recognize on the surface, but it's highly fragmented and bringing that together with a more forceful input to companies that's going to be really important and, you know, I think we're going to make a lot of progress this year at our own company and I hope the industry really takes heed of the 10,000 jobs and let's get 10,000 diverse people into the industry and that will foster, you know, a heavy growth rate across all companies I think.

HARLOW: And Tim, what is your -- I mean, what do you feel like your responsibility is being in the top seat at AOL and measuring this? I mean, I know you guys are using internal metrics to look at this. Is there an accountability factor?

ARMSTRONG: I think there is. You know, almost like any other business idea or strategy, I think it needs a real strategy, it needs commitment, it needs people assigned to it, and then also I think the follow-through on it is really important. Some of the reasons with IB, we put out the 10,000 jobs at AOL last year.

HARLOW: Right.

ARMSTRONG: We increased our focus in the diversity pools. We had a 30 percent increase in the amount of diverse candidates that we were able to target and try to get to come to the company. But the reality is, you know, it's pretty clear. You can look through your own organization and really look at the diversity versus your consumer diversity or versus the world's diversity. And you know, it's pretty clear we have a lot of work to do, a lot of other companies do.

But we're just trying to take the steps here. We're looking at this like our mobile strategy. We have a diversity strategy and we're executing against it and you know, we've done a good job over the last six years executing the turnaround of AOL, you know, diversity turnaround and really focus is another area that's on the top of my list and it's on my exec.

I have a one-page list I carry around with me. Our priorities diversity is on that list. And it's five business things, two internal things around the company I want to get done, diversity is one of those. So there's seven things, diversity's one of them. And I'm running it like a business strategy.

HARLOW: So you're saying there's a business case for this, this is about dollars and cents, not just about what should happen?

ARMSTRONG: Yes, I think, you know, the -- if you look at the next three billion people coming online, it probably does not look like the executive ranks of the technology companies. It looks like a much more diverse pool of people. So I think it makes sense in 360 degrees to go after diversity. And my guess is, if you do a good job at it, it's going to have a big output on your business, an improvement in your business overtime. And there's a lot of studies on that. But I don't think you don't need a study if you just look at your own consumer base, it makes total sense.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Tim Armstrong, thank you so much for that.

Coming up next, you're going to want to see this report. A desperate situation in Syria as people live day after day, starving, starving nearly to death. When will they see some aid? Our Arwa Damon brings us their heartbreaking plea, ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:57:09] HARLOW: To Syria now, a country torn apart by years and years of civil war. Relief may finally be on the way for some of the people that need it the most. The Red Cross says it will deliver aid soon to the famine-struck Syrian city of Madaya. The rebel-held town is reported to be on the brink of starvation with emaciated people drinking soup made from leaves and grass.

A warning, before we show you this report, what you're about to see contains very disturbing images, images that may be very hard to watch.

Our CNN senior international correspondent Arwa Damon reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "The children of Madaya are starving," the voice begs. The baby's eyes seeming to echo that desperate plea for help.

A little boy says he hasn't had a real meal in seven days. And this baby, according to the video, has not had milk in a month.

CNN could not independently verify these accounts or the images emerging from the town of Madaya, under siege by regime forces and their allies since July. But the last time aid reached the area was in October. And even then, the ICRC says, they saw hunger in the eyes of its residents.

Doctors Without Borders says 23 patients in the center they support have died of starvation, including six babies. But in the twisted reality of Syria's war, it does have to get this grim for help to arrive.

The U.N. says the Syrian government has agreed to allow eight convoys into Madaya and two other towns also under siege.

ABEER ETEFA, WFP REGIONAL SPOKESPERSON: This is an area that's completely besieged and surrounded by mountains covered in snow. So the little food that gets in is through tunnels and is extremely expensive. And we expect, also, that irreversible damage to some of these children who've witnessed some of the worst weapons of war which is starving them.

DAMON: Syria's cruel and harsh war now into its fifth year has seen scenes like this before and worse.

These stills are being circulated by activists, set to show children eating leaves. And it's hardly the only portion of the population severely suffering from the war, hardly the only atrocity.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Istanbul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Top of the hour, 7:00 p.m. Eastern, 4:00 p.m. Pacific. I'm Poppy Harlow this Sunday evening. Thank you for joining me.

An Oscar-winning actor in the United States now in the spotlight in the investigation into drug kingpin El Chapo. Sean Penn reporting for "Rolling Stone" magazine the details of how he secretly met with Mexico's most notorious drug lord, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman while the cartel leader was a most wanted fugitive. Sean Penn had help, the television actress from Mexico made the arrangements for the meeting and like Sean Penn kept it all secrets.