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Dem Candidates Meet in CNN Town Hall; Brazil's Health Minister on the Fight Against Dengue and Zika Virus; Iranian President to Meet with Pope Francis; Obama Ordering End to Juvenile Solitary Confinement; Surprise Twist in Planned Parenthood Case. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired January 26, 2016 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:01]

ERROL BARNETT, CNN HOST: Making their case with less than a week to go until the Iowa caucuses, Democratic candidates offer competing views of who would make a better U.S. President.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Hillary Clinton voted for the war in Iraq.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have a much longer history than one vote, which I have said was a mistake.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: Also ahead, migrant controversy. Denmark moves ahead to vote on a new law that drastically curbs migrant rights.

And a dire super warning, Brazil says they're losing the fight against a mosquito which carries the virus.

A big welcome to those of you watching all around the world, I am Errol Barnett, thanks for joining my second hour of CNN NEWSROOM.

There are now just six days until the Iowa caucuses, the first voting for the 2016 U.S. Presidential nominations. And one last time before that takes place, the Democratic candidates came together to face questions. CNN hosted the town hall meeting Monday night. Each candidate appeared separately on stage and answered questions from the audience. Right now, voters in Iowa are slightly favoring Clinton. Fox News survey shows Clinton ahead of Bernie Sanders by just six points among likely caucus goers. Here are some of the town hall highlights.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How are you feeling a week out?

SANDERS: I am excited. My wife told me to button my coat but I am too fat.

CLINTON: We are all on the Democratic side having a spirited debate about the issues we care about.

SANDERS: The most significant vote and issue regarding foreign policy that we are seeing in this country in modern history was the vote on the war in Iraq. Hillary Clinton voted for the war in Iraq.

CLINTON: First of all, I have a much longer history than one vote, which I have said was a mistake.

SANDERS: Experience is important, but judgment is also important.

CLINTON: But I think the American public has seen me exercising judgment in a lot of other ways.

O'MALLEY: I am the only one of the three of us who has a track record not of being a divider but of bringing people together to get meaningful things done.

CLINTON: So I have a really long history of taking on all kinds of inequality, and when I went to Beijing in 1995 and said human rights were women's rights and women's rights were human rights. That was a statement about inequality.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But just to be clear, you are going to raise taxes to do this?

SANDERS: Yes. We will raise -- we will raise -- we will raise taxes, yes, we will.

CLINTON: You have to have somebody who is a proven, proven fighter.

SANDERS: I think if you look at my record in terms of fighting for women's rights, I think there are very few members of congress who have a stronger record -- it's 100 percent lifetime.

O'MALLEY: You know what I believe is the biggest issue that I think you should be concerned about as a young person who has more time on this planet than I do, and that is climate change.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Which of our previous Presidents has inspired you most and why?

CLINTON: Sorry, President Obama, sorry, Bill, Abraham Lincoln.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: Larry Sabato, Director at the University of Virginia's Center for Politics joins us from Charlottesville, Virginia. Larry, this town hall format allows candidates to think on their toes, engage with caucus voters directly. Who performed the best in that regard?

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA'S CENTER FOR POLITICS: I would have to give the edge to Hillary Clinton. She really had a lot of energy in answering the questions and in responding in a positive way to some tough and occasionally negative queries from some of the participants. I thought her best answer by far, and I have never really heard her put it this way, was to the young person, the young college student who like almost all college students is something of a purist.

I am a college professor. I recognize that particular attitude, but she brought him up to speed on history and she let him know that she had been there for decades before he ever arrived. And it was a revelation to him. I was fascinated by that, if I could add one other thing, I think Bernie Sanders was at his best when he talked about his distant past.

[03:05:01]

I have never really heard much about his upbringing in Brooklyn or how his parents lived or how his father came over penniless from Poland. I thought it was very moving.

BARNETT: Senator Sanders saying he was a very good athlete but not a great athlete, kind of downplaying what he was asked. And I will agree with you, Hillary Clinton did seem peppy. She joked quite a bit with everyone and was very enthusiastic on that stage, but polls do show that Senator Sanders does better with Democratic men and younger voters. How is she trying to convince that block then to changed their minds?

SABATO: She's not doing it through philosophy, she's not really doing it through emotions, she is trying to drive home one point above all. She is the only Democrat running who can be competitive in the November election. And on that almost all analysts agree. She really is the only Democrat running who could potentially win the general election, which is the whole ball game. Notice how she kept coming back to that, directly and indirectly throughout her discussion.

BARNETT: Now Senator Sanders acknowledged that if elected he would raise taxes in order to pay for his Medicare for all health care plan. He does go on to explain that people wouldn't feel it as much since he'll also cut private health care premiums. Might that be his weak spot here in the weeks ahead?

SABATO: It will certainly be his weak spot in a general election. It's going to be his weak spot in other states that are less liberal than Iowa. Iowa is one of the three most liberal Democratic electorates. Oddly, one of the other is New Hampshire and the third is Vermont, Bernie Sanders' home state. So what Sanders is saying sells in places like Iowa, but in a large number of other states, even in the Democratic primaries and caucuses, it won't sell.

BARNETT: All right. Larry Sabato, Director at the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, thanks for your insight. Appreciate you joining us.

SABATO: Thank you.

BARNETT: Now, if you still have got a bit of hunger for what happened at the town hall, you can head to CNN.com/politics. You'll see some of the biggest take aways from the Democratic town hall.

Now, here's a quick look at the Iowa caucuses. Voters from across the state gather on February 1st, different from a primary party, members meet in homes, churches and schools to discuss the candidates and really make their final choice. Because Iowa is the first state to weigh in during the campaign, results could have a significant impact on the rest of the race. Barack Obama won Iowa in 2008, for example, and went on to secure the party's nomination, but Iowa did not help recent Republican winners Rick Santorum and Mike Huckabee.

Now, President Barack Obama is weighing in on the 2016 Presidential race. In an interview with Politico, Mr. Obama defended Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton by drawing a contrast between the front- runner and her rival, Bernie Sanders.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bernie came in with the luxury of being a complete long shot.

BARACK OBAMA, U.S. PRESIDENT: Right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And just letting loose.

OBAMA: Right. I think Hillary came in with the -- both privilege and burden of being perceived as the front-runner. You're always looking at the bright, shiny object that people don't -- have not seen before, that's a disadvantage to her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: Now Bernie Sanders may be the bright, shiny object, but he seems to be connecting well with frustrated voters. On a campaign stop in Iowa, Sanders asked people about their experiences living below the poverty line, and he got one very emotional response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can't buy presents for your children. It's really, really, really hard. And I work three, four, five jobs sometimes, always minimum wage, and I have a degree. I am divorced and I am waiting for disability to come through so my parents have to support me. It's just hard.

SANDERS: Thank you. Thank you. It is not easy for people to stand up and say that, but the truth is that until millions of people who are experiencing exactly what you guys are experiencing, do say that, we don't make change.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[03:10:01]

BARNETT: Now Sanders listened to several other people tell similar stories during that rally.

Meanwhile, Republican front-runner Donald Trump usually has plenty to say. He's endeared himself to his supporters by being unafraid to talk about anything. That's certainly proved true when he sat down with CNN's Wolf Blitzer. Here are highlights of their conversation. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Trump, thank you very much for joining us.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you. I don't like her. She doesn't treat me fairly. I am not a big fan of hers. Who heard of her? He has a lot of problems. He has problems with his Canadian birth. I always liked Sarah Palin. I respected her. I loved her loyalty. The worst thing that's ever happened to Israel is Barack Obama, and especially with respect to this horrible deal that we just made with Iran. I will tell you, I will destroy ISIS. I will destroy ISIS.

The bottom line, I will do a number on ISIS like you wouldn't believe. It was clean. It was nice and the bed was good. That's all I need. I would love for Michael to do it. You know we used to be friends. I don't think we're friends anymore. What Jeb Bush has done to the Bush family is disgraced himself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: And we will have more on the Republican side of this race later in the hour.

Now, we want to address Europe's migrant crisis. With no end in sight to the desperate situation, Denmark is ready to take controversial action. Lawmakers are expected to pass a measure Tuesday that would allow authorities to confiscate migrant's assets. The move is not likely to raise significant cash. A spokesman for an anti-immigration party says the measure is meant to make Denmark less attractive to migrant's altogether.

Our Arwa Damon joins us from Copenhagen on the latest. Arwa, the fear is that the changes made now could very well become permanent. In many ways, change what the European Union is all about. What's being said about these new measures?

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Errol, that is one of the concerns, yes. The other is that these types of measures are not necessarily going to be providing any sort of long- term solution, although, yes, in the interim they may perhaps be protecting Denmark in and of themselves. These measures are not going to potentially significantly impact those who hope to seek asylum here, they're also going to impact Denmark's global image.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAMON: Those who are teaching the new arrivals are appalled by Denmark's new legislation coined the Jewelry Bill, 72-year-old Vicky Kesson is from Germany. She grew up in the ruins of World War II but has called Denmark home for decades.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was shocked when I heard about this idea of confiscating jewelry from refugees. Since I am German, I was immediately thinking about our own history. DAMON: The bill has been through several incarnations. Now it

excludes items of sentimental value, but anything worth more than $1500, cash or valuables, can potentially be confiscated from asylum seekers. But the larger aim of the bill is clear, to deter asylum seekers from coming here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We hope this will be -- start a chain reaction through Europe where other European countries can see this, the need to figure out the rules in order to help European culture.

DAMON: He and supporters of the bill believe Denmark's very way of life is under threat, from migrants and refugees, from non-western societies. That being said, there are plenty of people here who cannot believe that a Danish government would even debate this type of legislation, which humanitarian and aid groups argue is only going to exacerbate the situation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Their own attempt to find a common European solution to this, every country is trying to fence themselves in, trying to scare refugees and asylum seekers away, and this is not going to work in the long run because we have a lot of people in need of international protection, and they are being pushed from one country to another.

DAMON: Hardest for the refugees to bear is a new provision that will delay family reunification, extending the wait from one year to three before an individual can even apply. At one of the camps, Amani shows us pictures of her nine-year-old daughter still in Syria. Thoughts that she might not see her daughter until she's a teenager or that she might not even see her at all are just too much.

[03:15:01]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sometimes I say to my friends, I am scared that if I die here, my daughter won't know where her mother is buried, she tells us. I am scared that one day I will look online and see a picture of my daughter because something happened to her.

DAMON: Those who wanted to keep the refugees out may have just succeeded. Amani has no intention of trying to stay here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DAMON: And, Errol, the bill is expected to very easily pass through parliament, but despite that being the case, a lot of Danes are really upset about what is happening at this stage. Although they do, yes, have some concerns about the potential financial impact of a significant number of asylum seekers actually coming into Denmark, they most certainly do not want to see those who are so desperate for help treated the way it would be stipulated in this particular piece of legislation.

BARNETT: Yeah, we'll continue to watch all of this very closely as many people in Europe will. Arwa Damon, live for us in Copenhagen, a quarter past nine in the morning there, Arwa, thanks. Angry protests in German streets, but just the beginning of a wave of

anti-immigrant resentment growing across Europe. You'll hear why it's prompted a former German police officer to speak out.

Plus, alarming new warning about the dangerous virus linked to severe, sometimes fatal birth defects.

Also coming up for you this hour, a historic meeting coming up in Rome where Iran's President is due to meet with the Pope. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:24:01]

BARNETT: Trading has just kicked off in Europe, and stocks are already down on the heels of oil prices falling yet again. We can go ahead and show you some of the live numbers at this moment from the European indices. You see all of them pulling back more than a percentage point, London's FTSE down more than 1.5 percent along with XETRA DAX. Paris kaka rant is down more than 1.75 percent. Zurich SMI is down by more than 1/3 percent. In Asia, stocks took a hard hit from the falling oil prices, the Shenzhen composite down more than 7 percentage points. Shanghai composite down more than 6 while the Nikkei and Hong Kong's Hang Seng pulled back more than 2 percent.

CNN's Matt Rivers joins us from Beijing with the latest on all of this. Matt, what are some of the forces behind some of those big drops we saw there in China?

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: One of the things, Errol, you mentioned off the top would be oil prices. That is something we've spoken to several analysts who say the falling crude oil prices could have something to do with the fact that the Chinese markets took such a tumble today. You can look no further than the biggest losers were energy stocks. With that the sell off that occurred with the stocks perhaps created a herd mentality and really exacerbated a sell off that we saw picking up only after 2:00 p.m. in China. Stocks were down for the majority of the day but it was after 2:00 p.m. that they really took a nose dive, and by the time that they had closed at 3:00 p.m. local time, the Shanghai composite was at its lowest level since December 2014.

But with the Chinese stock markets, it's rarely just one thing that you can point to and say that is the reason that stocks fell. I spoke to another analyst within the last hour or so, and it was his contention that it's not just oil prices but the fact that the Central Bank continues to pump liquidity into the market. That might seem counter intuitive because liquidity is intended to prop up the markets, make them more flexible, but what this analyst contends is that ordinary, average investors in China continue to see the prop-up measures by the Central Bank. Assume that means the Central Bank does not have a lot of confidence and its here in the markets in China and perhaps has sold their shares towards the end of the day today as a result of the Central Bank's actions, buying back 80 billion Yuen this morning in the announcement coming out here.

BARNETT: China's economic volatility continues, Matt Rivers, live for us in Beijing, thanks.

Brazil's health minister says his country is losing badly in the fight against the mosquito that transmits the dreaded Zika and Dengue Viruses. This comes as the World Health Organization is warning the Zika Virus will likely spread further throughout the Americas sparing only Chile and Canada. Senior Latin American Affairs Editor, Rafael Romo has more on what's been done to prevent more cases from appearing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: The main concern about the Zika Virus is that it has been linked to a rare neurological condition called microcephaly. Babies are born with abnormally small heads.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our advice to pregnant women is that if possible pregnant women should consider deferring travel to areas where Zika Virus is currently circulating.

ROMO: Authorities in Brazil have currently reported nearly 4,000 cases of microcephaly tied to the Zika Virus. And now, the World Health Organization says the Zika Virus will likely spread throughout south, central, and North America with the exception of Chile in the south and Canada in the north because of the type of mosquito that spreads the virus isn't present in those two countries. In the Central American nation of El Salvador, health authorities have already reported more than 3,800 cases of the Zika Virus.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Salvadoran vice minister of health took the unusual step of recommending that women avoid getting pregnant for the next two years.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Colombian President said his country may get as many as 600 cases of microcephaly in the next couple of years. Dr. Beth Bell with from the Centers for Disease Control says it's important to remember that with the exception of pregnant women, Zika is not dangerous to the population as a whole.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What we know now is that for the vast majority of people that is essentially people who are not pregnant, that Zika Virus is a pretty mild infection and actually the majority of people don't have any symptoms.

[03:29:01]

ROMO: So far, 21 countries and territories in the Americas have reported cases of the virus, including Brazil with as many as 1.5 million cases. Health authorities are especially concerned because the South American nation is hosting the Olympic Games this summer. Rafael Romo, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: Now we have an update to a story we brought you at about this time yesterday. Malaysian authorities say the piece of metal debris found off the southern coast of Thailand on Friday does not belong to the missing Malaysia airlines flight 370. They say part numbers on the debris don't match anything from that plane or any Boeing 777 aircraft for that matter. MH-370 disappeared in March of 2014 with 239 people on board.

A rare meeting is just over an hour away. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is due to meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican. We'll take you live to Rome next.

Plus, harsh words fly among the Republican candidates with the Iowa caucuses less than a week away. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:34:01]

BARNETT: Welcome back to those of you watching all around the world, it's CNN NEWSROOM with me, Errol Barnett, my last half hour with you today. Here are headlines.

The Democratic candidates for U.S. President met in a CNN town hall. Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Martin O'Malley appeared on stage separately to answer questions from the audience, took place in the state of Iowa where the first voting for 2016 begins in 6 days.

Denmark's parliament is expected to pass controversial measures designed to deter migrants from coming to the country. The proposals would allow the confiscations of migrants' assets and delay family reunifications.

Brazil's health minister says his country is losing badly in the fight against the mosquito that carries the Dengue and Zika Viruses. The Brazilian government plans to distribute free mosquito repellants to low income, pregnant women. The Zika outbreak has been linked to severe, sometimes fatal birth defects.

Now, in just about an hour and a half from now, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is due to meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican. This is the first meeting between a Pope and an Iranian head of state since 1999. CNN's Erin McLaughlin joins us live from Rome to talk about what to expect. Erin, what is the relationship between Iran and the Vatican?

ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Errol, Vatican watchers tell me that the two have enjoyed a relatively good relationship. Worth keeping in mind that diplomatic ties between the Vatican and Iran have existed since 1954, which is actually 30 years before the United States established diplomatic ties with the Vatican. So from that perspective, Vatican watchers say they're not surprised that President Rouhani would visit Pope Francis as he visits Italy, and that the two have much to talk about.

This is seen very much as a P.R. boost for President Rouhani who's eager to project this image of Iran as not just a key player in the mid east region but also as a key player on the global stage. And Vatican watchers tell me that Pope Francis has much that he would like to discuss with President Rouhani, ranging from the full implementation of the nuclear agreement, an agreement that Pope Francis was very much for, as well as he would like to discuss the resolution of the conflict in Syria, something that Vatican watchers tell me Pope Francis sees Iran as playing a key role in, so the two have lots to talk about.

In addition to that, a Vatican watcher is telling me that they will be on the lookout to see whether or not the Iranian President invites Pope Francis to Iran. It's a country that they say Pope Francis very much wants to visit as well.

BARNETT: That certainly would be noteworthy. Now Europe was Iran's largest trading partner before sanctions, so with sanctions now out of the way, President Rouhani surely wants to shore up a few business deals. What can we expect on that front?

MCLAUGHLIN: That's exactly what we saw him do here in Italy yesterday, Errol. He signed, according to Iranian state media, some $18.4 billion worth of deals with Italian ministers as well as Italian business leaders, deals ranging from infrastructure to energy. Rouhani -- President Rouhani's meeting with Italian business leaders this morning, and the economic relationship that exists between Italy and Iran pre-sanctions was incredibly important to both countries.

We're seeing here with this visit is the hope that that economic relationship will continue, which is vital, of course, for the Italian economy, which is badly in need of this business, but also for the Iranian economy as well, President Rouhani very keen to show the Iranian people that the nuclear agreement is paying off, so to speak. So we're expecting to see these deals also continue not just here in Italy but also in France. He's expected to visit France tomorrow, Errol?

BARNETT: All right, a big week for the Iranian President, Erin McLaughlin live for us in Rome just half past 9:00 there, Erin, thanks.

The top U.S. Republican Presidential candidates are looking for a big win in Iowa, and with less than a week to go, no one's pulling any punches, Jim Acosta has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: One week until the Iowa caucuses, and boasting a commanding lead, Donald Trump is warning his supporters in a video posted on Facebook, the Washington political establishment is out to get him.

TRUMP: They are really trying to stop me. Everybody knows it. Everybody sees it.

ACOSTA: But this ultimate outsider is now charting a more conventional path. Instead of flying back to New York over the weekend, he spent the night in an Iowa hotel and stopped at a local church.

TRUMP: It was really good. I learned something. We talked about humility at church today.

ACOSTA: Trump showed that humility can only go so far. A rally bragging his voters will back him no matter what.

[03:39:01]

TRUMP: I have the most loyal people, did you ever see that? Where I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn't lose any voters, ok? It's like incredible.

ACOSTA: Trump's main rival in Iowa, Ted Cruz, is confident he will catch the GOP frontrunner, poking fun at the billionaire tycoon's recent biblical slipup.

TRUMP: Two Corinthians.

TED CRUZ, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, you know, Two Corinthians walk into a bar...

ACOSTA: To slow Trump's momentum, the Cruz campaign is pointing to some high profile endorsements, former Texas Governor Rick Perry...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ted is the leader we need to reignite the promises.

ACOSTA: To talk show host Glen Beck.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Donald Trump I really, truly believe is a very dangerous man. If you disagree with him, he destroys you.

ACOSTA: But the Texas Senator has no shortage of critics, who dug up this video of Cruz as a teenager joking about taking over the world.

CRUZ: World domination. Rule everything, rich, powerful, that sort of stuff.

ACOSTA: Looking for a last-minute surge, Marco Rubio is campaigning with Iowa's popular conservative Senator Joni Ernst after picking up the endorsement of the Des Moines Register.

PALIN: The next President of the United States, Donald J. Trump.

ACOSTA: Tina Fey proved on Saturday Night Live.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am just here because I belong in a cabinet, I am full of spice and I have got a great rack.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: Our Jim Acosta reporting there.

Now U.S. President Barack Obama is ordering federal prisons to stop the use of solitary confinement with juveniles and low level offenders. Mr. Obama wrote the practice has been increasingly overused and makes it harder for prisoners to reintegrate into society. Mr. Obama used Khalif Browner as an example of that. He was a young man who spent nearly two years in solitary confinement in a federal prison and committed suicide after he was released.

There has been a surprise twist in an investigation into Planned Parenthood. A Texas grand jury has indicted two people who made under cover videos. You're seeing clips showing Planned Parenthood employees selling aborted fetal tissue. At the same time, a grand jury cleared Planned Parenthood of doing anything wrong. CNN Justice Correspondent Pamela Brown talked to Wolf Blitzer about the charges the pair is facing.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: The employees with the Center for Medical Progress, an anti-abortion group are charged with tampering with a governmental record, a second degree felony there, and the director of the center has also been indicted on a misdemeanor count relating to purchasing of human organs. Now you may recall last summer, the center released the secretly recorded conversations with Planned Parenthood officials alleging they were trying to sell fetal tissue for profit.

Planned Parenthood had denied those claims all along. In responses to the news about the two people who made these videos, Planned Parenthood said the anti-abortion extremists spent three years creating a fake company, lying, breaking the law. When they couldn't find any improper or illegal activity, they made it up. A Texas governor's office has chimed on this and said look, there is still a state investigation here. This will not impact that, the governor's office saying also that the state of Texas will continue to protect life.

BARNETT: That was CNN's Justice Correspondent, Pamela Brown reporting.

The makers of the under cover videos said they probably exercised their first amendment rights, their speech and they said they followed the law.

The New Year's Eve attacks in Cologne have sparked protests. You'll hear from a former police officer who's speaking up in their defense.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:44:01]

BARNETT: We have news in to us from Syria. At least 14 people have been killed when two bombs tore apart the center of the city of Homs. The provincial governor says a booby trapped car exploded at a checkpoint and then minutes later a suicide bomber detonated himself in the crowd. A U.K. group reports 15 people are injured. We'll keep watching the story and bring you information as we get it in to us.

Despite harsh winter conditions, the number of refugees heading to Europe escaping war is growing. This week, we're examining the refugee's plight and the European struggle to cope with them. European ministers met in Amsterdam Monday. They moved closer to extend the suspension of the Schengen free travel area for up to two years. The E.U.'s migration commissioner said something has to be done soon or the Schengen zone could collapse. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If the administration does not take serious risks for public order and internal security still remains, some of the states, I don't name the states, but some of the states might need to continue the internal border's controls beyond the time forcing it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: Now Greece is under increasing pressure to stop the flow of refugees or face expulsion from the Schengen zone. Some have said they should close their borders for incoming refugees to stay in Greece. Athens insists it's not getting enough help from E.U. members.

A 15-year-old asylum seeker in Sweden is being accused of stabbing a refugee worker to death. It happened at a home for asylum seekers under the age of 18. The 22-year-old woman who was killed was alone in the home with 8 young male residents. The spokesman said most of the growing number of incidents involving asylum seekers involves refugees starting fights with each other.

Now the case in Sweden and the New Year's Eve attacks on women in Cologne, Germany have intensified the migrant debate. A former Cologne police officer has an insider's perspective on what happened that night and how the country should respond. Atika Shubert brings us his story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For 11 years, Nick was a cop with Germany's federal police. He spent three patrolling the streets of Cologne. Last year, he put his career on hold of pursuing his dream of becoming a mixed martial arts fighter, but when he saw these videos of apparent mass assaults at a train station, he decided to speak out. Many of his former police colleagues could not.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I always say there's a kind of civil war on New Year's Eve when you go.

SHUBERT: Nick took us around his old beat, Cologne's train station. Nick knows by name many of the Moroccan and Algerian pick pockets that target the station. He says they represent a small criminal minority and the vast majority of law abiding refugees.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are a minority, and it's important that people know that this minority causes immense problems since a long time ago.

SHUBERT: Crime is not new, he says, but the numbers have increased along with the surge in refugee arrivals, he says, overwhelming police resources.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are losing trust to the public, you know? When they go through the train station, you know, people are eyeballing them, like showing them, you know, you should have been helping us that night.

SHUBERT: But Nick insists the solution is not to turn refugees away. In fact, he says some of his training partners are new Syrian arrivals and he wants to start a boxing program for refugees.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When they need help they should get help. They should receive that. You know they're so grateful given the opportunity to be part of the society. Everything is going to be way better than it is right now.

SHUBERT: Nick says he agrees with calls for tougher law enforcement of any crime, but not for deportations or turning refugees away. Keeping the door open, he says, is still the right thing to do, Atika Shubert, CNN, Cologne, Germany.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: Now all of this is happening as Denmark prepares to pass controversial measures to discourage migrants from even thinking about coming to that country. Joining us now to talk about this is Sanjayan Srikanthan. He is the Director of Policy and Practice with the International Rescue Committee. Thank you so much for your time. What do you make of Denmark's efforts to seize the property of migrants and refugees? What's your reaction to that?

[03:49:01]

SANJAYAN SRIKANTHAN, INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE: It's deeply disappointing, and I think it reflects the mistrust that exists between refugees and countries in Europe and also the -- really, the thinking that you create this gulf by dissuading them from coming but the reality is these are refugees fleeing conflict. They'll give every valuable they have. I think it's also misguided.

BARNETT: Now the defenders of this policy say it's more about making sure that these migrants or refugees don't get better treatment, so to speak, than those Danes living on government assistance. Do you buy that argument at all?

SRIKANTHAN: Well, it's a hard argument to justify because we wouldn't ask Danish citizens to hand over all their valuables if they're on social welfare, but we're asking refugee to do the same. I think it is asking them to dissuade refugees. There isn't a common policy that's working in Europe where refugees know where there are places and how they can claim them. In the absence of that, we're seeing so many refugees arriving trying to close their individual borders rather than trying to think of collective solutions.

BARNETT: Why then after all of this time, after the problem has intensified and worsened is there no unity in Europe, it seems anyway, with a policy? The refugee relocation scheme, for example, that is also being discussed right now because of its failures. Why hasn't that aspect of all of this been working?

SRIKANTHAN: That's a good question. I think countries have been overwhelmed by the speed at which and the numbers and the scale of the crisis and, therefore, in that desperation, the quickest solution for many countries is to come up with their own national policies, but this is shortsighted because ultimately things like the relocation plan, but also more aid to countries in the Middle East as well as supporting front line countries like Greece who are overwhelmed dealing with -- in some cases, 3,500 people arriving on the one island of Lesbos alone help them cope better with this crisis.

It really needs statesmanship and leadership in Europe, and that's what's been lacking.

BARNETT: Is the Schengen agreement as we know it already dead?

SRIKANTHAN: Well, that's a decision politicians have to make. I think all Europeans would be sad to see the collapse of a system that's lasted over 20 years. There are ways to save that, and I think part of that is also really explaining what the process to claim asylum is. The reason the Schengen system is being overwhelmed with so many refugees arriving, everyone is hopeful they will claim asylum because they don't know if they will or not, if there is a system that will work.

Also, at the Syria conference being held on the 4th of February in London, we're going to talk about what we can do with over 4.6 million refugees in the Middle East. There's one million in Europe. There's far more in the Middle East, and we mustn't forget their story as well.

BARNETT: Sanjayan Srikanthan is the Director of Policy and Practice for the International Rescue Committee. I appreciate you joining us and speaking to us from London this morning, thank you.

SRIKANTHAN: Thank you.

BARNETT: And as was just mentioned, there are millions of Syrians and Iraqis having to flee their homes. You can find out how to help through organizations supporting them by visiting CNN.com/impact. We'll be right back.

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[03:54:01]

BARNETT: A video has just been made public, showing an 18-year-old Ted Cruz discussing his life goals. It's hardly a flattering portrayal. The U.S. Presidential candidate and his campaign are brushing it off. CNN's Jeanne Moos breaks down the blast from the past.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What might 45-year-old Ted Cruz say about 18-year-old Ted Cruz, because 18-year-old Ted Cruz had some funny answers when asked about his aspirations?

CRUZ: Aspirations. Is that like sweat on my butt?

MOOS: Aspiration, like perspiration? I am already sweating for Ted having to watch his old self talk about his future goals.

CRUZ: Take over the world, world domination. You know rule everything, rich, powerful, that sort of stuff.

MOOS: But really, who hasn't been embarrassed by their younger self. I am sure young Hillary Clinton might agree with the Cruz defenders who said thank heavens there were no video cameras when I was a shallow, mouthy teenaged girl. Now if only we could unearth video of a young, handsome Donald Trump articulating his aspirations. The Cruz video even includes his father.

(CROSSTALK)

MOOS: Thanks, dad. The person who posted the video said it came from a classmate of Cruz's who wants to remain anonymous. It was turned into a mock ad. The 18-year-old Cruz's first video was...

CRUZ: (Inaudible)

MOOS: The movie about two guys who inherited a bikini store.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Really, and I had you figured for a brain surgeon.

MOOS: No, the brain surgeon would be young Ben Carson. When asked about the old video, a spokesman for the Cruz campaign told Politico, good to see he's always had a great sense of humor. It could have been worse. At least Ted didn't answer like a bikini contest contestant.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are your goals in life?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know.

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN.

CRUZ: Take over the world.

MOOS: New York.

BARNETT: But did you see his clothes? That's all I am saying. It was a long time ago. Thanks for watching, everyone. I am Errol Barnett. The news continues here on CNN.

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