Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Gunmen Stormed Pakistan University; Sarah Palin Endorses Donald Trump; Trump and Palin's Political Friendship; Michigan Governor Apologizes for Flat-Water Crisis; California Gas Leak; Terror Attack on Pakistani University; Trump Endorsed by Sarah Palin; U.S. Army Prepares for the Worst on Korean Peninsula; Negotiating with Iran; Winter Storm Incoming. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired January 20, 2016 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:13] JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: This is CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles.
The thriller from Wasilla is back. Sarah Palin ready to stump for Trump. That endorsement just part of a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day for Trump's main rival Ted Cruz.
And Trump's plan to deport millions of undocumented workers, he says it worked 60 years ago, but experts tell a different story. In-depth look later this hour.
Hello, everybody. I'd like to welcome our viewers in the United States and all around the world, it's great to have you with us. I'm John Vause. NEWSROOM L.A. starts now.
Well, those stories in just a moment, but we'll start with breaking news out of Pakistan, where there are reports of gunfire at the Bacha Khan University. The school is about 150 kilometers from the capital Islamabad.
This is what we know right now. Reports three gunmen said to be hiding in different parts of the university. Geo News report soldiers have now entered the school and a journalist on the scene tells CNN a blast was heard near the main gate.
As of now the school's chancellor is telling Pakistani media no students have been hurt. But according to Geo News, at least five people have been injured and taken to hospital. All of this coming just over a year after the Taliban killed 134 students in a school in the city of Peshawar not facility from here.
We will have live updates for you as soon as we get them.
Now to the U.S. presidential race. And Donald Trump is facing a tough contest in the Iowa caucuses less than two weeks from now. He got a big boost on Tuesday from Sarah Palin. The former vice presidential candidate endorsed Donald Trump for president, instead of his rival Ted Cruz.
It was a raucous sometimes meandering speech that lashed out ISIS, the Republican establishment and Hillary Clinton. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH PALIN, FORMER REPUBLICAN VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Are you ready to make America great again? Better than anyone, isn't he known for being able to command fire? Are you ready for a commander-in- chief? Are you ready for a command-in-chief who will let our warriors do their job and go kick ISIS ass?
For the GOP establishment to be coming after Donald Trump's supporters, even with accusations that are so false, they are so busted the way that this things works. We, you, a diverse, dynamic, needed support base that they would attack. And now some of them even whispering they're ready to throw in for Hillary over Trump because they can't afford to see the status quo go, otherwise they won't be able to be slurping off the gravy train that's been feeding them all these years. They don't want that to end.
How about the rest of us? Right-wing and bitter clinging, proud clingers of our guns, our God and our religions and our Constitution. Tell us that we're not red enough? Yes, coming from the establishment. Right.
Doggone right we're angry. Justifiably so. Yes. You know, they stomp on our neck, and then they tell us, just chill. OK. Just -- yes, just relax. Well, look, we are mad and we've been had. They need to get used to it. This election is more than just your basic ABCs. Anybody but Clinton. It's more than that this go around.
You only go to war if you're determined to win the war. And you quit footing the bill for these nations who are oil rich. We're paying for some of their squirmishes that have been going on for centuries, where they're fighting each other, and yelling "Allahu Akbar," calling jihad on each other's heads forever and ever. Like I've said before, let them duke it out and let Allah sort it out.
Iowa, you say a lot. Being here tonight, supporting the right man who will allow you to make America great again. God bless you. God bless the United States of America, and our next president of the United States, Donald J. Trump.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Unbelievable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Wow. OK.
(LAUGHTER)
VAUSE: Ron Brownstein, CNN senior political analyst. That stage almost seemed too small for those two people.
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes.
VAUSE: Out there, for Sarah Palin --
BROWNSTEIN: That's the most Sarah Palin that anybody has heard in a long time outside of FOX News Channel, and even there.
[01:05:04] And look, and that's part of the story here. This is going to be as much about varnishing her image by attaching herself to Trump, as vice-versa. But for a slice of the Republican electorate and one that could be important, she is a validating force.
VAUSE: OK. It was a good day for Donald Trump. It was a terrible Tuesday for Ted. OK. So explain to our viewers exactly why this will have such a big impact on Ted Cruz.
BROWNSTEIN: Well, Ted Cruz got squeezed today from both sides in Iowa. And let's say first, let's point out first of all, in Iowa, Donald Trump is playing with the house's money because he is ahead in New Hampshire and Republicans have never nominated someone in the modern primary who do not win one of the two. He's already in a strong position and won. If he wins them both, he puts the rest of the field at a real disadvantage.
In Iowa, Ted Cruz is hit from both sides. Just Sarah Palin reinforcing Donald Trump on the right to an extent, probably even more significant, you have Terry Branstad, the governor, criticizing Cruz over his opposition to ethanol subsidies and that reduces the possibility that more voters in the center, which is where Branstad comes from, will view Cruz as the lesser of two evils to Trump.
VAUSE: You know, Ted Cruz tweeted this out a little earlier. It's actually a bit of damage control, actually. He said, "I love Sarah Palin. Without her support, I would not be in the Senate. Regardless of what she does in 2016, I will always be a big fan."
I mean, Cruz has run a very disciplined campaign for the last couple of months.
BROWNSTEIN: Yes.
VAUSE: Why wouldn't they have locked up Sarah Palin before she went over to the Trump side?
BROWNSTEIN: Well, as an earlier answer, might not have seen something to be a high priority. I mean, Sarah Palin is less of a force in the Republican Party by far than she was once was. But that quote, that tweet is actually indicative of the broader Cruz strategy where he really has not come back as hard against Trump as Trump has gone against him.
And I think that, you know, Cruz may be underestimating the gravity of the situation. Only one Republican in the modern primary era has won both Iowa and New Hampshire. That was Gerald Ford, a sitting president, in 1976 in a contested race anyway. If Trump wins both, that makes it very difficult for everyone else. And Cruz, really, most people think he's in the driver's seat in Iowa but only narrowly. If Trump can expand the electorate or cut away Cruz's support particularly among those blue-collar evangelicals, the place where each of their support kind of overlaps, Cruz could be in a vulnerable position. VAUSE: OK. Let's take a look at the front page of the "New York
Daily News" tomorrow. They are having a little bit of fun, if you like, with this teaming up, "I'm With Stupid."
BROWNSTEIN: Yes.
VAUSE: You know, and I guess it gets to the point that in a general election campaign an endorsement from Sarah Palin would be radioactive, but this is a primary. So -- but again, which begs the question that the tactics that Trump is using to get the nomination, are they really going to come back and maybe hurt him when he runs -- if he gets the nomination to run on the general.
BROWNSTEIN: Well, look, Palin does reflect the same kind of strategy of Trump. She is a candidate focused at what has become the core Republican base, blue-collar, culturally conservative voters outside of urban America who feel that the country is being fundamentally transformed and taken away from them.
If Trump is the nominee, he will test this theory that people like Palin and Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh have been arguing for years that the way for Republicans to win is to give those voters the real deal and millions of them will turn up. The problem is in the process Trump is alienating all the groups at the core of the growing Democratic coalition -- minorities, millennials, socially liberal whites, hard to imagine that you could provoke millions of your side to turn out without inspiring a counter reaction on the other side. And the other side is now bigger.
VAUSE: Yes. Ron, you'll stay with us because there's some interesting poll numbers to talk about on the Democrat side. But we will move on because Donald Trump has been very enthusiastic about the idea of Governor Palin actually joining a future Trump administration. Let's listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If there is a Trump administration, could you see maybe picking up the phone, giving the governor a call, picking her brain on some things or perhaps having her along in some official capacity?
TRUMP: I mean, I'd love that because she really is somebody that knows what's happening and she's a special person. She's really a special person. And I think people know that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Sarah Palin has said -- Sarah Palin said she would be interested in being energy secretary because she wants to get individual states more control over their oil and gas reserves. But the Department of Energy does not regulate oil and gas development. That would be the Department of the Interior. The Department of Energy oversees the U.S. nuclear weapons program, handles radioactive waste and does energy related research. The current Energy secretary is Dr. Ernest Monis. He's a nuclear physicist. So Palin, the politician turned reality TV star, and Donald Trump, the
reality TV star turned politician, have long had what some call a political love affair.
Randi Kaye reports now on the ties that bind.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The political romance between Donald Trump and Sarah Palin began during the campaign of 2008.
TRUMP: I think she's made a tremendous impact. The impact that she has had on rejuvenating almost the Republican Party, it's been unbelievable.
[01:10:08] KAYE: Palin needed that vote of confidence, coming less than three weeks after her announcement as McCain's VP. She was already facing tough questions about her experience.
PALIN: You know I'm the new --
KAYE: Questions that would hit critical mass just a week after Trump's praise of Palin. During this now infamous interview with Katie Couric.
KATIE COURIC, YAHOO GLOBAL NEWS ANCHOR: What newspapers and magazines did you regularly read before you were tapped for this to stay informed and to understand the world?
PALIN: I read most of them again with a great appreciate for the press, for the media.
COURIC: Like what specifically? I'm curious.
PALIN: All of them.
KAYE: Palin did not go on to be vice president and resigned as governor of Alaska in 2009. She became a full time pundit and released two books.
(On camera): Then in 2011 at the height of Donald Trump's so-called birther campaign against President Obama the two had a highly publicized pizza date, while Palin flirted with her own run for president.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How about a Trump-Palin ticket.
PALIN: That sounds exciting.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How did that sound to you, Donald?
TRUMP: It sounds very good.
KAYE (voice-over): Palin in turn had Trump's back on the birther issue. TRUMP: I respect what he's doing in putting his money where his mouth
is. He's actually investigating his speculation on there Obama's birth certificate.
KAYE: Forward to June 2015. Donald Trump announces he's running for president and says this.
TRUMP: They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists, and some, I assume, are good people.
KAYE: It ignited a firestorm. Palin defended him on Facebook, writing, "Mr. Trump should know he's doing something right when the malcontents go ballistic in the press."
In July, Trump got another taste of presidential campaign backlash for saying this about Senator John McCain.
TRUMP: He's a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren't captured, OK, I hate to tell you.
KAYE: Many wondered if it would be the beginning of the end of Trump's meteoric rise.
Palin called both men heroes in an e-mail to CNN, writing, "Senator McCain dedicated his life to serving our country. Putting it all on the line to defend freedom is heroic. And Donald Trump is a hero in another arena."
In December another Trump firestorm.
TRUMP: Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what the hell is going on.
KAYE: And another defense by Palin.
PALIN: He's talking about a temporary ban because we do have a very screwed up system that is resulting in the bad guys coming on over.
TRUMP: Thank you, darling.
KAYE: And today, the political love affair continues. It's anybody guess just how far it will go.
Randi Kaye, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: A look at the Democrats' side now and a new poll shows Bernie Sanders crushing his rival Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire. Senator Sanders' leads Secretary Clinton 60 percent to 33 percent among likely Democratic primary voters. This comes from the CNN-WMUR survey.
The poll was done mostly before the Democratic debate on Sunday night. It found Sanders' support in New Hampshire has grown by 10 percent since last late year. Let's bring Ron Brownstein back in to explain exactly what's happening
with these numbers.
What's your take on this?
BROWNSTEIN: First of all, this is the biggest lead we've seen from Bernie Sanders in New Hampshire. It was about twice as big as the earlier polls. Clearly he's ahead. This is whiter. The reason this is whiter, though, is interesting. This poll projects a big turnout in the Democratic Party among independents who are allowed to vote in New Hampshire. They assume that independents will cast about half of the total votes in the Democratic primary. That would be high by historic standards, so that may kind of inflate the lead a little bit if it doesn't pan out that way.
Having said that, the real significance of this poll for me is the first one I have seen that shows Sanders ahead among self-identified Democrats. Nationally NBC-"Wall Street Journal" this week saw Hillary Clinton up 35 points among people who identify as Democrats and we talked about this a limiting factor for Sanders. In this poll, it shows him breaking past that barrier and that could be a significant source of concern for the Clinton campaign.
VAUSE: Sanders is surging, Clinton is worried. And there's less than two weeks to go.
BROWNSTEIN: Yes.
VAUSE: Ron, thanks for being with us.
BROWNSTEIN: Thank you. Thanks for having me.
VAUSE: Well, more now on our breaking news out of Pakistan.
Let's go to Alexandra Field who is live this hour in New Delhi with some more details about what has been an ongoing situation at a university campus in the northwest part of Pakistan.
So, Alexandra Field, bring us up to date with the latest information you have.
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is certainly being called a hostage situation, John. And we know that there are students and administrators who are at this school. One administrator has said there are some 3,000 students there, some 600 guests there.
[01:15:07] This started near the main gate of the university. Those are the reports. This is the university that's northwest of Peshawar. We're told that there was a blast near that gate this morning.
There have also been journalists on scene who are reporting that they've heard shots fired from within the university. It's believed that the gunmen remained inside of the university. There are reports that are trickling out, but this is one of these situations, John, where we need to be incredibly careful to try and understand what exactly the situation is. There are journalists on scene who've reported that at least five people have been injured and have been airlifted out -- have been taken to hospitals, but again, it's not possible to know at this point what the extent of the injuries are.
If there could be loss of human life because this is a situation that remains very active. There are hostages inside, we understand from the authorities. And that's why the security operation continues there right now. We are being told that the prime minister is now monitoring the situation, keeping a very close eye on this, of course trying to ensure that all students, all staff members, all administrators and all the security forces who have responded remain safe at this point.
There is word from one of the administrators that no students have been hurt. But of course this is something that will continue to develop over the next few hours, Jonathan. We'll have to watch closely and sort through these various reports of what exactly is going on inside that university.
VAUSE: Alexandra Field with the very latest there on that ongoing hostage situation at that university in the northwestern part of Pakistan.
Alexandra, thank you.
A short break here. When we come back, an apology from Michigan's governor for the lead poisoned water in the city of Flint. Find out what he's promising to do to fix it.
Also ahead, growing calls for action to end a dangerous gas leak in Southern California. CNN goes on a tour of the site. We'll have more on that when NEWSROOM L.A. continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(SPORTS)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:20:49] VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody. Update now on the breaking news out of Pakistan where there are reports of gunfire at the Bacha Khan University. A local official tells CNN up to 20 people have been wounded after militants attacked. The prime minister issued a statement saying the school -- apparently the school is about 150 kilometers from the capital Islamabad and this is what we know right now.
Reports say at least three gunmen, said to be hiding in different parts of the university. Geo News, a local broadcaster there reports soldiers have entered the school. And a journalist on the scene tells CNN a blast was heard near the main gate.
Now the school's chancellor has told Pakistani media no students have been injured, but we have got that report from one local official saying up to 20 people have been hurt. So clearly this is a developing story. Much at this point is unclear. But we do know that there has been this attack on this campus in the northwest part of the country. All of this coming a little over a year since the Taliban killed 134 students at a school in the city of Peshawar.
And, again, as soon as we get more concrete details, a better picture of exactly what's happening there in Pakistan, we will bring those details to you.
Moving on now, the Michigan governor Rick Snyder says he's sorry about the crisis in the city of Flint where drinking water is contaminated with lead. And he's promising to fix it. Snyder is asking state lawmakers to approve $28 million for measure to try and end the crisis. And he says he will release his e-mails about the city's water supply from the last two years to provide accountability.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. RICK SNYDER, MICHIGAN: Your families face a crisis. A crisis you did not create and could not have prevented.
I want to speak directly, honestly and sincerely to let you know we are praying for you, we are working hard for you, and we are absolutely committed to taking the right steps to effectively solve this crisis.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Protesters gathered outside the Michigan capitol on Tuesday calling for Snyder's resignation. Some want him arrested. And the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a statement blaming, quote, "Failures and resistance at the state and local levels to work with us in a forthright, transparent and proactive manner consistent with the seriousness of the risks to public health." The agency goes on to say, "We must ensure this situation never happens again."
Another environmental crisis continues to unfold not far from here in Porter Ranch, California. Residents say a massive gas leak is making them sick.
CNN's Paul Vercammen toured the site with California Congressman Brad Sherman.
PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, after the tour, Congressman Sherman who lives here in Porter Ranch said he could not believe how old some of the equipment is here, especially pipeline that's decades old. He also restated he wants the facility shut down after taking that tour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. BRAD SHERMAN, CALIFORNIA: We must have been half a mile away and you could hear this loud, gushing sound. It really surprised me how loud it was. There's enough gas coming out of that every day to fill the Empire State Building over the several months, there's been probably four billion cubic feet of natural gas escaped from that well.
(END VIDEO CLIP) VERCAMMEN: When will this leak be capped? SoCal Gas now says sometime around mid-February perhaps, much earlier than they first forecast. But residents here in Porter Ranch and their councilmen are not buying it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE MIZRAHI, SOCAL GAS SPOKESMAN: Well, things are going really well with the relief of that well that we've drilled We're entering into the last phase. We're down about 8,000 feet and about 8500 feet we will intercept the bad well and we'll be able to then pump the muds and the liquids in there that'll stop the leak.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't believe them. They haven't told us the truth from day one.
MITCHELL ENGLANDER, LOS ANGELES CITY COUNCILMAN: My phone has been ringing, literally, off the hook every single day with people crying. They're in fear. They're in feat that they've lost everything. They've lost their nest egg, they've lost their home, they've lost their sense of community.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[01:25:02] VERCAMMEN: And Councilman Englander came out and he says he thinks between 10,000 to 12,000 people have been displaced by the Porter Ranch gas leak. He says many of those people are not taking money from SoCal Gas to relocate elsewhere and he also said that this is a community that has many residents that have multiple people living inside, including in-laws.
Back to you now, John.
VAUSE: Paul Vercammen, thank you.
We'll take a short break here. When we come back, Donald Trump gets the backing of a public figure that's as just as polarizing as he is. And you'll hear about that controversial roots to his immigration plan.
Also ahead, the U.S. Supreme Court takes up a controversial immigration topic planning to add to this question -- did the president misuse his executive power?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody. I'm John Vause live in Los Angeles.
More on our breaking news out of Pakistan where there has been an attack at a university campus on the -- in the northwestern part of the country.
Correspondent Alexandra Field is live this hour in New Delhi with new details and new developments about what we're hearing about the attackers and the number of people who may have been hurt -- Alexandra. FIELD: John, we are now hearing that two of the attackers have been
killed. That information coming from security forces who are conducting operations on the ground. We are being told that they are now at the campus. They're also doing air surveillance. Their operations have begun. It is not clear, however, how many attackers could remain inside the campus.
[01:30:00] At this point, security forces do not have that information. What we do know is that this incredibly tense and incredibly scene began earlier today when a blast was heard outside of the gate near Bacha Khan University. Journalists are telling us that they also heard a series of gunshots inside at the campus and that they've heard continued explosions there.
That could have something to do with the security operations that are going on right now, John. We just cannot sort that out but we do know that there are thousands of students who attend this University. An administrator had said that there were 3,000 students there, 600 guests. Initial reports have said that five people, unidentified people at this point had been injured and taken to hospitals.
We're now hearing from some of the authorities on the ground that that number could be closer to 20. On top of that, we're hearing now separately that two attackers may have been killed. But John, this is very early going. These operations are continuing right now, this is an evolving hostage situation.
So, simply too early to tell who exactly could've been injured, what the extent of the injuries are and if there could be more who will be injured in the coming hours. Certainly is the hope of the security forces that they can put an end to this swiftly and decisively. But again, no word on how many attackers remain at that campus this morning.
John, we do know that the prime minister's office is closely monitoring the situation, particularly now that we know that these security operations have begun.
VAUSE: OK, Alexandra Field there with the very latest on this attack at a university campus in the northwestern part of Pakistan. Alexandra, thank you.
Donald Trump has picked up a major endorsement from the queen of the tea party. Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin announced her support for the Republican presidential frontrunner during a campaign stop in IOWA. Governor Palin praised Trump for speaking out on the top issues.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARA PALIN, FMR. ALASKA GOVERNOR: He being the only one who's been willing, he's got the guts to wear the issues that need to be spoken about and debated on his sleeve. Where the rest of some of these establishment candidates, they just wanted to duck and hide. They didn't want to talk about these issues until he brought them up. In fact, they've been wearing this political correctness, kind of like a suicide vest.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: While Trump's rise in the Republican field has received a big boost because of his plans for undocumented workers, undocumented immigrants. And his inspiration for that plan, goes back more than 60 years.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: President Eisenhower who was a very nice man, "I like Ike", that was his slogan. Like mine is, make America great again, his was, "I like Ike." And President Eisenhower, probably the number -- the real number's 2.3 million, some people say it's 1.5 million, went through this process.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of people think that's a shameful chapter of American history though.
TRUMP: Well, some people do and some people think it was a very effective chapter. And what happened is, when they removed some, meaning brought them back, when they brought them back and they removed some, everybody else left. And it was very successful in one sense. So, I mean that's the way it is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Political reporter Maeve Reston has been deemed [ph] into Trump's proposal. She's with is now live here in the studio. So Maeve, looking at the Eisenhower deportation plan which had that awful name, "Operation Wetback," it's basically the model for the Trump policy here. He said it worked back then. What have you found out in terms, I guess specifically about the number of undocumented migrants who were actually deported.
MAEVE RESTON, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Well, the truth about this operation which as you said was called, "Operation Wetback" back in '54 is that, it's really almost impossible to -- truly impossible to verify the number of people who were deported or forced to leave the country in that operation. So, while Donald Trump is claiming that this is, you know, the basis for his plans, we know for example that people were counted sometimes two or three times going back over.
There are no good records in this sense. And it's also is really important to think about the fact that many of these people did come back. He claims that they lasted and were taken deep into the interior of Mexico. But many of them did come back and it was not a solution to the immigration problems as he claims it was.
VAUSE: OK. They're looking forward to Mr. Trump's plan here. So, ignoring what we'd know about how the Eisenhower plan did or did not work, what would be the impact, I guess on the economy if they tried something like this again, and I guess, also on families?
RESTON: Well, it's still fascinating. You wonder sometimes if we're asking the right questions on the campaign trail. I mean, what Donald Trump is talking about here is a massive operation, 11 million people. We're talking hundreds, if not, billions of dollars to do that. And it would have a huge impact, not only on overloaded immigration courts but you have 5.1 million children here in America who have at least one undocumented parent.
And we talked to one professor at the University of Texas who talked about that problem and what we would face here in the U.S.
[01:35:05]
So, let's take a listen to that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSIAH HEYMAN, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR INTER-AMERICAN AND BORDER STUDIES: There are about 5.1 million U.S. citizen children with at least one undocumented parent.
RESTON: OK.
HEYMAN: The vast majority of those undocumented parents are Mexican or Central American. So, 5.1 million children in the United States which is a significant proportion of the entire child population in the United States would suddenly be made orphans. Or you can say, "Well, these children don't belong here." But they do belong here, they're U.S. citizens.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Yeah, I think it'll ask you the question. So, getting the answer from Donald Trump is often quite difficult. Very quickly, do we put this to the Trump campaign, what do they say?
RESTON: We did and they did not engage. So, often they are not engaging on these policy details at all.
VAUSE: It's an in depth report, it's on our web site. I recommend everyone to go have a look at it. It's a very interesting reporting and there's a lot of good facts and figures there. Check out the entire piece at CNN.com. Maeve ...
RESTON: Thank you.
VAUSE: ... thank you. Well, the U.S. Supreme Court says it will rule on President Obama's immigration policies. Mr. Obama used executive actions more than a year ago. Formed out programs to allow some undocumented immigrants to be eligible for work and associated benefits.
The high court is likely to rule on the case in six or seven months. Opponents argue the president abused his power by not going to a congress. Federal courts in 26 states have already blocked the program, putting millions of migrants in limbo and terrified of deportation.
Still to come here on CNN NEWSROOM L.A., an exclusive look at a U.S. army unit prepared to respond to a worse case scenario on the Korean peninsula. Also ahead, frustration and high hopes, a U.S. diplomat describes the negotiations to free Americans held in Iran.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:40:04] VAUSE: Just coming after 10:40 here in Los Angeles. And we have more now on our breaking news. Down to Pakistan where gunfire and explosions have been heard at the Bacha Khan University in the northwestern part of the country, an emergency services spokesman now tells CNN, at least seven people have been killed, 20 others have been injured. Officials tell us, two attackers have been killed by security forces.
But at this stage, we do not know how many people carried out this attack at the university. The prime minister of Pakistan issued a statement saying, he is deeply grieved by this attack. So fat though, no claims of responsibility.
Now the growing fears of a nuclear armed North Korea, Pyongyang's recent claims who have tested a hydrogen bomb are especially troubling to the 28,000 U.S. troops stationed near the DMV. Now Paula Hancocks met a U.S. army nuclear war boat scene to see how they're preparing for the possibility of a nuclear attack. She joins us now live from Seoul, Paula.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello John. While Pyongyang's still celebrating it's nuclear test, the troops and South Korea on this side of the border were on a heightened state of alert immediately afterwards, none more so than the 23rd chemical battalion, the fist line of defense for a nuclear or chemical attack. And they showed me how they're preparing for the fallout of the battle that the world hopes it will never see.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANCOCKS (voice-over): North Korea marches closer to realizing it's nuclear ambitions. It's recent nuclear test, worrying the world. Just across the DMV in South Korea, U.S. troops are on high alert. The 23rd chemical battalion is the first line of defense against chemical, biological, or nuclear attack.
Their mission today, to clear an underground facility used to store nuclear weapons. The scenario is staged but the threat is very real. The beauty of being able to train underground for this battalion is, it is far more realistic. North Korea's nuclear and chemical facilities are expected to be deep underground so that they're out of site of satellites and drones.
This is the largest chemical battalion in the whole of the U.S. military, based where the threat is greatest. The troops discover yellow tape or uranium, a substance North Korea is believed to posses.
ADAM W. HILLBURG, COMMANDER, U.S. 23RD CHEMICAL BATTALION: We take into account the newest intelligence to tailor our training. To ensure we're ready for anything that they could possibly have or use on the battlefield. HANCOCKS: For this battalion to be on the ground in Korea is vital,
ready to move at any moment, unfamiliar with the territory.
CAMERON ARMSTRONG, U.S. 23rd CHEMICAL BATTALION: Going into North Korea, it's fairly likely that the mountainous terrain will provide caves and underground facilities for them to be utilizing as weapons facilities.
HANCOCKS: The unit has modified strikers that can operate ahead of the front line to detect radiation or chemical agents. Field labs can be set up wherever needed, testing samples that creates a train of custody that can then be used as evidence in the internation criminal court. The unit's motto is, "Ready to fight tonight" the U.S. military's answer to the unpredictable threats north of the border.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HANCOCKS (on camera): Now these kinds of drills are training are ongoing for the 23rd chemical battalion, but remember, we do have two very significant military drills between the U.S. and South Korea that usually start at the end of February. And every year, without fail, this angulus (ph) Pyongyang who sees them as of excuse, as a dress rehearsal for raising change but the U.S. and South Korea always insist that they are defensive in nature, John.
VAUSE: Paula thank you. Paula Hancocks live this hour from Seoul. While some of the Americans released by Iran on the weekend are speaking out about their experience, so is the U.S. diplomat who negotiated their release. We have details from Jim Sciutto.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Jason Rezaian in the first video since his release, seen laughing with his wife. Still Amir Hekmati, the first of the freed Americans to speak says, their detention ended only after one final night of fear and uncertainty.
AMIR HEKMATI, AMERICAN PRISONER FREED BY IRAN: Up until the last second, we were all worried and concerned. We were just put in a very small room and we had no telephone or access to any information. And we kept being told that we're going to be taking off in two hours until it became six, became 10. So, a total of almost two and a half days was really nerve wrecking.
SCUITTO: Brett McGurk, the American diplomat who negotiated the Americans' release over 14 months of secret talks told us, the first sign of trouble that evening was when he and his team could not locate Rezaian's wife and mother.
BRETT MCGURK, AMERICAN DIPLOMAT: It was actually very concerning. So, we stopped the whole thing.
SCUITTO: It turns out they were being held on their own without any communication in a part of Turan's airport, controlled by the military.
MCGURK: I said, no. I said, you know, the entire thing is off unless they are on the airplane.
SCUITTO: You would've killed the deal if Jason's mother and wife were not on that plane?
MCGURK: Well, part of the deal, I mean Yegi Rezaian was in the deal. So that's part of the deal period.
[01:45:07] SCUITTO: And do you think the Iranians at that point we're trying to change the terms. Well, what they're trying to do?
MCGURK: It's unclear -- I mean, I think, look, there's lot of people in the Iranian system, and the people who hold the keys to the prison cells that didn't never want this to happen.
SCUITTO: McGurk was not convinced the deal was back on until the Swiss Ambassador America's diplomatic representative in Iran narrated the scenes second by second by telephone.
MCGURK: He then was on the tarmac and described the van approaching the airplane, I couldn't the see in the windows and yeah the door is open and one by one he explained it. There's Jason's wife, his mother, Jason, Amir and, Saeed and describe one by one getting on the plane which was the key moment for us. And that was kind of the trigger for us.
So I'll never forget his voice in my ear.
SCUITTO: In fact McGurk says the talks almost fell apart several times including this moment in October when McGurk whose public role included only the war on ISIS showed up unexpectedly at nuclear talks with Iran in Vienna.
But again hope disappears.
MCGURK: And we did make a lot of progress with Syria there. I was there. But then when I got back together with my counterparts I kind of went back to square one.
SCUITTO: I've spoken to diplomats involved in the negotiations who described the urgency of the Americans cases including fears that Jason Rezaian face the prospect, not just of a long prison sentence, but also -- this is alarming, the possibility of a death sentence.
Jim Scuitto, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Saudi Arabia has a cold response to Iran's nuclear deal. The Saudi Foreign Minister told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that his worried Iran would use its newfound money for what he called "nefarious activities".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADEL AL-JUBEIR, SAUDI FOREIGN MINISTER: I think there has been a lot of disinformation's spread by the Iranian Foreign Minister when he said that Saudi Arabia is actively lobbying against this deal and that we're against it.
The position of my government is that we will support any deal that prevents Iran from acquiring a nuclear capability that has a robust and continuous inspection regime and that has not back fruition's. We were assured by President Obama that this was in fact the case and as a consequence we supported the deal.
The concerned that we have is what Iran will do with the windfall in terms of additional revenue that generates as a result of the lifting of some of the sanctions. Our concern is that that will be use to support terrorism and to spread instability in the region.
Our concern is that it will not be use to developed the country and improved the lot of the Iranian people who desperately need to develop their country.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST, THE SITUATION ROOM: But just to be precise, does Saudi Arabia abandoning any possibility of a nuclear option?
AL-JUBEIR: Wolf I would not discuss these things in a public forum certainly not on television. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is committed to two things. I always say two things we do not negotiate over, our faith and our security.
Saudi Arabia will do whatever it takes in order to protect our nation and our people from any harm. And I would leave it at that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The foreign minister's talk show is saying Saudi Arabia opposes Iran's nuclear deal. And he says his country has confidence in Washington but no longer confident in Tehran.
Now an update on latest news we have at Pakistan. We are being told by one local emergency official that seven people had been killed, 20 others had been wounded after gunmen stormed the university campus in the northwestern part of the country.
This is an ongoing situation with report said some of the students may in fact being held hostage right now. There's a university that has about 3,000 students enrolled according to one report, many of the students where in class at the time of the attack.
Officials also telling CNN two of the attackers -- at least two of the attackers had been killed after a shootout with security services. There have also been reports on the number of explosions. This is an ongoing situation it's unclear. Just how many gunmen are in fact on the grounds of the campus?
We will have a live report from the -- regarding the latest news that we have either from Pakistan or New Delhi as soon as we come back a short break.
You're watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [01:50:44] PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Weather watch for the America, Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri with you.
(WEATHER REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: First, let's get the very latest down that breaking news, out of Pakistan at least seven people had been killed, 20 others wounded after gunmen attacked the Bacha Khan University near the Afghan border. Security forces had killed at least two attackers, unclear right now if the seven dead are actually -- that the number of attackers is included in the seven dead, the death toll so far.
Let's bring it out CNN Islamabad Producer Sophia Saifi.
So Sophia there's a lot of unanswered questions right now. We have two attackers, who are killed, death toll of seven right now. What is the very language (ph) you're hearing from the scene?
SOPHIA SAIFI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John we know that this is an ongoing operation, it's very tense situation in Charsadda which the city closed to the main provincial city Peshawar in the northwest of Pakistan. We've been getting information from the military that there's an aerial surveillance. We know -- we are unsure as to how many militants are actually holed up inside the university.
We've been told by vice chancellor of Bacha Khan University that there at least 3,000 students there in a regular day. It's a large campus and that militant had come in and has taken various positions within the different departments of the university itself.
It's a foggy morning in Peshawar, there's not very much the visibility. It's just a very tense situation and information coming out is very vague as of right now.
John.
VAUSE: We had this statement coming from the chancellor saying no students and no guest had been wounded or hurt during this attack. Clearly this is not entirely confirmed to this point exactly who has been killed. But he used the word guest, was he referring to an event which is happening on the campus that -- I was reading that there was hundreds of people who actually were in the campus for special event.
[01:55:07] SAIFI: It was actually the -- well, what we know is -- we don't really know whether what the event was. We know that Bacha Khan was a revolutionary leader of the area and that it is an anniversary celebration. But we're unsure about what exactly was happening.
He did say guest but there is no confirmation as to what the event was precisely.
VAUSE: OK very quickly, what about the possibility that hostages had been taken? SAIFI: There is -- there could be a possibility, there has been similar situations in the past where such as -- I mean the situation is just -- there's every -- there's every chance since the deja vu as to what have to compare to like, you know, when you look back to as to what happened in December 2014 when there was a situation in a school Peshawar where over a 100 students were killed in a very similar situation which was not a hostage situation but or we don't really know as of right now what's going on inside.
VAUSE: Sophia we'll leave it there -- Sophia thank you we'll leave it here. Just a recap, seven dead, 20 injured after gunmen stormed the university campus in northwest of Pakistan.
You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. The news continues with Rosemary Church and Errol Barnett right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
