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Tensions Rise after North Korean Missile Launch; Rescues Made Following Taiwan Earthquake; Broncos Win Super Bowl, Mixed Reaction to Halftime Show; Do Polls Predict New Hampshire Primary Winners; Turkey Open-Door Policy for Syrian Refugees Seems Closed; UAE Criticized over Syrian Refugee Crisis; New Details in Somali Airliner explosion; Predicting the Winning Presidential Candidates. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired February 08, 2016 - 02:00   ET

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

(HEADLINES)

[02:00:35] ERROL BARNETT, CNN ANCHOR: A big welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. I'm Errol Barnett.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Rosemary Church. Thanks for joining us. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

In a little less than three hours, North Korea is planning some fireworks in Pyongyang to celebrate Sunday's rocket launch.

BARNETT: But North Korea's neighbors and the U.N. Security Council are definitely not celebrating. They are furious and worried that the rocket launch that North Korea insists is for peaceful purposes was really only a cover to test a ballistic missile. The U.N. Security Council met in an emergency session on Sunday.

CHURCH: U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called the launch deeply deplorable and a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions. The council is promising punitive action.

BARNETT: Now all of this has tensions escalating on the Korean peninsula. And warning shots, we understand, were fired by South Korea's navy at a North Korean patrol boat on Monday.

We're finding now out more from Paula Hancocks who joins us from Seoul.

Paula, these warning shots aren't that unusual, but considering the North's provocative satellite launch, how concerned are officials right now?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Errol, this happened in the early hours of this morning, and it was a North Korean patrol boat just after 7:00 local time that crossed over this maritime border. But it's worth mentioning it's a border that North Korea does not recognize, so this has happened in the past many times. There were warning shots fired by the South Korean patrol boat. 20 minutes later, we understand, the North Korean boat headed back into its own waters. This is not that unusual, but it is a time when the international

community is watching the Korean peninsula very closely, when Seoul is giving words of condemnation for its northern neighbor, just after that satellite launch, which Seoul and many outside of South Korea see as a long-range missile test.

But North Korea is continuing unrelentlessly, and it is celebrating, as you say. Fireworks will be carried out in the streets of Pyongyang tonight. We've just watched one of the bulletins, a special song at the end of it, which we haven't heard before. The chorus saying, "Who can we thank for this great success, our great leader." So really, North Korean is milking it for all it's worth. Kim Jong-Un has been very clear that he puts a premium on his space program. He's also said that it is a peaceful program. But few outside of Pyongyang believe that.

BARNETT: But the North may have overplayed its hand, Paula. The sanctions against North Korea obviously haven't done much to change its behavior. How much is that playing into support for the U.S. missile defense system?

HANCOCKS: Well, that could be a game changer when it comes to missile defense on the peninsula. This is a missile defense system which the U.S. and South Korea, up until now, have not admitted to even talking about, even behind closed doors, because it's so controversial when it comes to China. China's concerned that it could interfere with its own systems. It's concerned that the U.S. could spy on them. But of course, Washington has said that that is not the case, that this system will just be trained on North Korea. But China simply does not want it in the region. They have put pressure on South Korea in the past not to accept it.

So both the U.S. and South Korea have simply said North Korea has gone so far that we do need to consider deploying it here, and experts say it's likely that they will go ahead with this deployment, which, of course, will anger China.

BARNETT: Paula Hancocks live for us in Seoul this afternoon. Just a few minute past 4:00 p.m. there. Thanks, Paula.

CHURCH: Joining me to talk more about this is Philip Yun, the executive director and COO of the Ploughshares Fund.

Thank you, sir, for being with us.

PHILIP YUN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & COO, PLOUGHSHARES FUND: Sure.

CHURCH: We know the U.N. Security Council has strongly condemned North Korea's long-range rocket launch. But what exactly went into orbit here? Was it a satellite, as they say? And what is Pyongyang's likely long-term plan here?

[02:04:54] YUN: Well, we're still trying to figure out the analysis. North Korea claims that they put a satellite up in orbit, twice the size of what was sent up in a couple years ago. We're still trying to get confirmation on that. It's not entirely clear. Some people say it was not a successful launch. So we're just going to have to wait.

I think what this all means is that we're kind of in the same situation we almost two years ago. After a series ever escalations, which we're going to have, I'm sure, U.N. condemnation sanctions were basically in the same placement North Korea is moving forward with its nuclear weapons, with another test, it has another missile, another rocket launch test, and so what this means is that over a period of time, North Korea will eventually get a sophisticated, rather small nuclear arsenal, I believe, and a rather sophisticated delivery vehicle, in other words, missiles to deliver them. That's where we're going. We're not quite there yet, but that's where we're headed.

CHURCH: Right, that's what's caused so much concern. Now North Korea says this is part of its peaceful space program and that there will be more launches like this. That's a little built of a different, less- menacing description compared to what we have heard in the past. Do you make anything of that?

YUN: That's always how they've talked about this. In fact, it was a satellite launch, the North-south trajectory and all that. But essentially, the technology to put up a rocket and satellite is very similar to what it's going to take to deliver a nuclear device. It's slightly different. But when they do this kind of test, they're going to learn a lot to do that. This is rocket science. You have to put the rocket into air, it has to go into orbit and come down in the place you want it to go. All this stuff is something that the North is trying to do. And this particular test is going to give them more information to eventually develop that kind of capability.

CHURCH: Interesting. And of course, the U.N. Security Council is vowing to adopt a new resolution, but that's had little impact in the past. What is China doing at this juncture?

YUN: China can't do it all on its own. There's a huge disagreement between the United States and China. China's playing the good cop. The United States is playing the bad cop. That works, but they're completely uncoordinated. So what's happening right now is there's a lot of discussion about how to get China basically on board. They have to use more meaningful sticks. And likewise, the United States, South Korea and Japan on the other hand have to be willing to do, use more meaningful carrots. But until we can be coordinated and push North Korea to be willing to have a conversation, we're not going to get anywhere. And in a sense, time is on North Korea's side, because, as I said, status quo is going to allow North Korea to continue its missile and nuclear weapons capability and to get where it wants to be.

BARNETT: All right, Philip Yun, thank you so much for talking with us. We appreciate it.

YUN: Sure. Thank you.

And to another part of the Asian region now. More than 48 hours after a deadly earthquake in Taiwan, rescue crews have found a glimmer of hope. Reuters reports that two victims have been found alive in the rubble. BARNETT: Now a woman was reportedly pulled from the wreckage. A man,

we understand, is still trapped in the debris, but he is alert and talking to rescuers right now, which is just incredible. This quake killed at least 37 people and about 120 are still missing.

Elise Hu is a correspondent for National Public Radio, NPR. She joins us from Taipei in Taiwan.

And, Elise, I want to discuss some of those survival stories in a moment. But first, update us on the damage and deaths, and if aftershocks have continued.

ELISE HU, CORRESPONDENT, NPR: Well, you are right, Errol. The casualty count is at least 37 dead. More than 100 people still unaccounted for, and they are believed to be largely in that building, the golden dragon, as it's translated, apartment complex that was worst hit by - this earthquake in southern Taiwan. Now there is a parallel track now, a parallel narrative emerging, and that question is why that particular apartment complex sustained so much damage, while the rest of Taiwan was relatively unscathed. Now another dozen or so buildings were damaged, but they didn't see the extent of the damage that we at that particular apartment complex that sort of collapsed onto itself. So a lot of questions and an investigation is already under way. That building we have learned is more than 20 years old, and the construction company that put it up went out of business. It's now defunct. So there's going to be a lot of anger and outrage in the coming weeks as this investigation unfolds, because so much tragedy has already occurred there in the hours following the quake.

BARNETT: People may not know where to direct their anger, if at all, some of these deaths could have been minimized or avoided. A lot of people are missing, but there have been some incredible stories of survival. Tell us more about that.

[02:10:14] HU: That's right. You mentioned the two survivors that rescue crews believe they have found today. And they have been, those survivors have essentially been trapped under the rubble for more than 48 hours. That's already incredible. Late last night, Taipei time, two brothers and their mother were pulled out alive. They told the story of how they took turns yelling for help so they could preserve their energy and their voices. There's also the story of a 3-year-old boy who was found just sort of twisted under mangled metal and his arm crushed by concrete. He was yelling for help, 3 years old. They weren't able to get to him immediately, because it was just a difficult rescue. So crews actually fed him through a straw. They got a straw to him so he could have some water and have some sustenance while they tried to figure out a way to get him out. He has now been rescued. But unfortunately, his parents are still missing.

BARNETT: We can see some live images as those rescues continue around that building. We have our fingers crossed and hope for more stories of survival like the ones you've just mentioned.

Elise Hu, correspondent for NPR, thanks for your time and for speaking for us from Taipei, Taiwan.

CHURCH: Incredible stories there.

Let's take a short break. Still to come, the NFL has crowned a new champion and we will have the highlights from America's biggest sporting event, Super Bowl 50.

Plus, the U.S. presidential candidates have one day until the next test for the White House. We're talking about New Hampshire. We'll have the latest poll numbers and the war of words after this quick break.

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(SPORTS)

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[02:15:48] CHURCH: The NFL has a new champion. The Denver Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50 Sunday night. The team's defense set the tone in a hard-fought win.

BARNETT: Yes, they did. Take a look at the fans in Denver happily celebrating this victory. This may as well be live pictures, because even though it's well past midnight, the fans are still up.

The question is whether the starting Quarterback Peyton Manning will be back next year. It's been rumored that he might retire, ending what's been a legendary career.

CHURCH: Andy Scholes is live in Santa Clara, California, outside the stadium.

So, Andy, what a big upset this was. What went wrong for the Panthers?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know what, Rosie, the Panthers were the favorites in this game. They had a game plan of Cam Newton, best player this year in the NFL. He was the MVP. He was going to lead them to victory. But it just didn't work out for them. They got behind early on, and that was the one thing they couldn't do against the Broncos' defense. The Broncos have an amazing defense. The Broncos really needed to get a lead because they couldn't count on Peyton Manning to have to lead them up and down the field, because we all know Peyton Manning, as great as he's been in his career, he's not the Peyton Manning of old that we have known. That's what happened. The Broncos got the lead, and Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware pinned their ears back and attacked Cam Newton, forced the Panthers into four turnovers in the game. And I tell you what, when you turn the ball over four times in a Super Bowl, your chances of winning are very, very slim.

For Peyton Manning, how great is this for him? 39 years old, oldest quarterback to ever win a Super Bowl. He's now won a Super Bowl with two different teams. Only quarterback to every do that. He has 200 career wins, the most ever for a quarterback. If he does end up walking away, guys, and retiring after this game, what a fairy tale ending.

BARNETT: Really was fairy tale. And, Andy, everyone in the Manning family, right, was thrilled to see the Broncos rack up points as the game went on, but what in the world is with Ely Manning, Payton Manning's quarterback brother. His non-reaction is going viral at the moment. What is the story there? Why wasn't he happy for his brother?

SCHOLES: You know what? It's very puzzling.

(LAUGHTER)

A lot of the speculation, the speculation online, at least right now, is Ely Manning coming into today had two Super Bowl championships while Peyton only had one. So that's the one thing he's always been able to hold over his brother's head. He had two, Peyton only had one. In the grand scheme of things, Peyton Manning is one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. Ely Manning, not so much. But Ely had those two Super Bowl rings. Now they're even. I guess in the sibling rivalry, Ely's not going to have the bragging rights any more. But it's hard to think that. You think he would be happy for his brother, but who knows why he was making that face.

CHURCH: He's going to have to explain it, though.

Before you go, though, Andy, we want to talk about the halftime show. When you look at Twitter, there is a lot of hating on Chris Martin with ColdPlay, and he was brilliant. What is going on with that?

SCHOLES: Well, I would say there definitely was mixed reactions from the halftime show, because some people thought it was a little bit of a weird mix. ColdPlay was supposed to be the headliner, and it kind of seemed like they were the opening act for Beyonce. She got the loudest cheers. Social media was talking more about Beyonce than ColdPlay. So I can see why some people were having mixed reactions about this, because it was kind of an odd combination.

Me, myself, personally, I kind of liked Katy Perry's performance last year al little more.

(LAUGHTER)

She had acrobatics, dancing sharks. She flew away on a star at the end of her performance.

CHURCH: You like drama.

BARNETT: There you go.

SCHOLES: There you go. That's just my preference, but, hey, to each his own.

BARNETT: Beyonce kind of stumbled?

(CROSSTALK)

CHURCH: Yeah, but she saved it.

BARNETT: She did a very good. Don't upset the beehive.

Andy Scholes, thanks so much. We'll chat with you next hour.

Still to come this hour on NEWSROOM, Donald Trump is leading the Republican polls in New Hampshire. And with just one day left until the primary there, we'll tell you how undecided voters could make or break him.

[02:19:57] CHURCH: Plus, new fight is driving tens of thousands of Syrians out of Aleppo. We will take you to the Turkish/Syrian border where many are now stranded, just trying to make it to safety. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: On Tuesday, voters in New Hampshire head to the polls for the first primary of the 2016 election season. Among Democrats, Bernie Sanders looks to have the upper hand. That is according to the latest CNN poll of New Hampshire voters. It shows Sanders with 58 percent support. That's 23 points ahead of Hillary Clinton.

BARNETT: Meanwhile, check out the Republican side of this race. Donald Trump -- you see it there -- with a third of the vote, according to that poll, and that's more than twice the support for his nearest competitor, Marco Rubio.

CHURCH: Now the question now is whether these polls have any influence or predict who will actually win in New Hampshire. Granite State voters are known for a tendency to decide late.

BARNETT: Earlier, I spoke with Trent Spiner, executive editor of the "New Hampshire Union Leader" newspaper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRENT SPINER, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, NEW HAMPSHIRE UNION LEADER: If you really dig deeper into the numbers, more than 50 percent of the people are undecided. A lot of people in New Hampshire, Granite Staters, really don't care what Iowa did. They don't care about the polls. They want to go out and meet the candidates themselves. And I think Marco Rubio had a really big test at the debate and I'm not sure that he passed it. So I think voters who said -- I had some friends in the audience, they said I'm really trying to decide between Trump or Rubio. And they left that debate saying, you know what, I need to get back out on the trail and see more people. So I think it's really up for grabs here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: And we'll have more from Trent next hour.

Republican candidate, Marco Rubio, says he's going to keep criticizing President Obama. This follows Saturday's rough debate. And he says that, because Rubio himself was attacked by rivals over his level of experience. In response, Rubio repeatedly slammed President Barack Obama's leadership in what Chris Christie called a memorized 25-second speech.

[02:25:09] CHURCH: Meanwhile, Donald Trump says he is feeling very good about New Hampshire. He told CNN he wouldn't be happy if he came in second place in the primaries.

And on the Democratic side, Bernie Sanders tells CNN he is expecting a close win on Tuesday's primary, even though he's leading Hillary Clinton in the polls.

CHURCH: You see the candidates trying to lower expectations. Sanders continues to suggest that Clinton would owe favors to big Wall Street donors if elected. Sanders told CNN's Jake Tapper it's a cloud over Clinton's candidacy that she has yet to clear up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, (I), VERMONT & DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: All I said is what is a fact. And if the Clinton campaign wants to contradict this fact I'd like to hear it. What I said is that she has a super PAC, and she recently, according to her reports, received $15 million from Wall Street. End of discussion. I never said anything more.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: Now Hillary Clinton took a break from campaigning in New Hampshire Sunday. Instead, she spent part of the day in Flint, Michigan. Of course, this is the city dealing with a contaminated water crisis.

CHURCH: Clinton attended a church service, telling the audience clean water should not be a luxury. And she explained to CNN's Jake Tapper why the issue is so important to her. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: It's an issue that I don't want people to forget about, because it's not the only Flint in our country. There are other places where these kinds of toxins, lead, other sorts of pollutants are really affecting people's lives, and I'm just not going to give up on this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And we'll bring you continuing coverage of the New Hampshire primary all day Tuesday as it happens right here on CNN.

BARNETT: Still to come this hour, the UAE is facing criticism for its response to the Syrian refugee crisis. But the Emirates are defending their policy of keeping their doors shut to migrants.

CHURCH: And the beginning of a new lunar year. How the Chinese are celebrating. We show you. That's still to come. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:30:34] CHURCH: A warm welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and, of course, all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

BARNETT: And I'm Errol Barnett. We're 30 minutes into our two-hour block.

Let's update you on our top stories.

(HEADLINES)

CHURCH: A series of airstrikes rained down on northern Syria Monday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says strikes, believed to be from Russian planes, targeted villages north of Aleppo. With Russian air support, the Syrian regime is advancing on opposition-held places around the city. Numerous casualties have been reported, including children.

BARNETT: The U.N. estimates more than 40,000 people have been displaced, and that's just by the fighting around Aleppo.

CHURCH: Turkey says it still has an open-board policy for Syrians fleeing the war, but as out Arwa Damon reports, it's a very different reality at the Turkish/Syrian border.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They can see Turkey's flag fluttering in the distance. Tens of thousands have fled in recent days. The safety they long for painfully near but closed off.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

DAMON: "What is this life," this woman cries out from one of the packed tents. "Have mercy on us. Have mercy."

But so far, there is none.

(on camera): Turkish authorities continue to insist that they have an open-door policy, but being here that most certainly does not really seem to be the case. They say that they are providing the refugees with everything that they would need to be able to survive on the other side.

(voice-over): And while the camp seems to be taking on more of a permanent feel, there is nothing here to protect them from the violence.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

DAMON: "We did not come here to get tents," this man says. "We don't need food or water. We want to get through and provide security for our children." He, like many of the others, has already been displaced by serious,

relentless violence, multiple times. These are the people who held out hope, who didn't want to make the impossible decision to leave everything they have and life behind.

(SHOUTING)

DAMON: This is said to be the aftermath of just one of the Russian airstrikes pounding Aleppo and this countryside in recent days. The ongoing cries of agony of those who continue to lose loved ones day and night. The never-ending, desperate scramble to save lives as the Assad regime's army gains ground under Russian air cover.

Turkey is allowing the wounded and those needing medical treatment through. At this hospital, we meet Sadea Ashed (ph), a rebel fighter injured a few months back, who came to Turkey five days ago for surgery. Next to him, a man who arrived the day before, unable to talk. Ashed (ph) says the Russian bombing is like nothing they have seen before. "They come with four planes at a time," he curses Putin.

Rebel commanders warn that they can only hold out in Aleppo for a few months. The U.N. fears that in the rebel-held eastern part of the city, a force of 300,000 civilians, are in grave risk.

But despite Turkey's statements that it won't abandon those in need, one more gate to safety, for now, remains closed.

Arwa Damon, CNN, on the Turkey/Syrian border.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[02:35:15] CHURCH: And here's a reminder of the staggering toll the conflict in Syria has taken. More than 250,000 people have been killed since 2011. That's according to the United Nations.

BARNETT: And more than 4.5 million people have fled Syria, mainly to neighboring countries, including Turkey and Lebanon. Another 6.6 million displaced, with millions more in need of humanitarian aid.

CHURCH: The Gulf Arab States have faced criticism over their response to the Syria refugee crisis. The United Arab Emirates has pledged more than $130 million to help.

BARNETT: But despite its generosity, many think the country should do much more.

Jon Jensen explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JON JENSEN, CNN PRODUCER (voice-over): By land or by sea, a perilous journey, but still perhaps safer than staying at home. More than four million Syrians have fled the war, taking refuge in places like Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, even Europe.

Bahra Basha (ph) chose the UAE. He left not because of violence, he didn't see much in Damascus where he's from, but because Dubai offers more opportunity for a 27-year-old with an MBA.

BAHRA BASHA (ph), SYRIAN REFUGEE: Our choices were very limited. So only few countries are welcoming us anyway. So you can't get a visa anywhere you want.

JENSEN: Bahra (ph), though, is one of the lucky few. He isn't actually a refugee. In fact, there are no Syrian refugees in the gulf, according to human rights groups. That's because none of the Gulf States are signatories to the U.N. Refugee Agency's 1951 convention.

Syrians can and do come, but first need work visas. That strong criticism here, nations keeping their doors closed during the worst refugee crisis since World War II.

(on camera): We asked the government repeatedly about the criticism and they defended their policies, pointing to the fact that over 100,000 Syrians have come here since 2011. And they also said you can't ignore the UAE's generous financial aid.

(voice-over): The Gulf States are among the biggest donors to Syrian refugees, giving millions since 2011, along with aid. Much of it comes from here, the U.N. Refugee Agency's largest stockpile of relief supplies in the world, just outside Dubai.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The countries have provided $1.2 billion to the Syria humanitarian situation since 2011, and this is a generous donation.

JENSEN: Local observers say that money has been vital, and that singling out the Gulf States is just unfair.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Without the help that the Arab Gulf States have given, probably Europe and America and the rest of the world would have ended up with a much more catastrophic situation than we already in.

JENSEN: Many here argue that the entire world could be doing more.

Bahra (ph) is doing his part in his spare time, teaching other Syrians who came here how to find better jobs, so they, too, can stay in a city where he feels welcome and, for now, at least, at home.

Jon Jensen, CNN, Dubai.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(HEADLINES)

CHURCH: More details are emerging on the midair explosion onboard a Somali airliner. Officials released video of two airport workers they say are connected to the blast on the Somali airplane.

BARNETT: No group has claimed responsibility but officials say they are convinced this was a terror attack.

Robyn Kriel has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[02:39:47] ROBYN KRIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Mid morning Tuesday at Mogadishu International Airport, this closed circuit TV footage shows two airport workers handling what looks to be a laptop computer. Moments later, one of them gives the laptop to a man who, soon after, boarded a plane bound for Djibouti. That plane, Daallo Airlines flight 3159, took off an hour later than scheduled.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After about 20 minutes, there was an exPLOsion inside the airplane.

KRIEL: The laptop was rigged, according to sources close to the investigation, to explode mid flight. The man was ejected out of the plane and left a gaping hole in the fuselage this.

This terrifying cell phone footage shows flight attendants moving people away from the hole, which was directly over the fuel tanks.

(on camera): But because the flight had been delayed, the plane had not reached cruising altitude and the cabin wasn't fully pressurized. Therefore, the exPLOsion was much smaller. And the pilot turned the plane around safely. If the cabin was pressurized, the exPLOsion likely, according to experts, would have been catastrophic.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This would a deliberate terror act.

KRIEL: Somali authorities have arrested more than 20 people have been arrested including the two men seen handing the laptop to the passenger. No group has claimed responsibility for the exPLOsion but U.S. officials tell CNN they believes al Qaeda-linked Somali militants group al Shabaab is behind the attack. A team of FBI investigators is on the ground in Mogadishu assisting Somali police and intelligence to try to piece together exactly how this near disaster could happen.

Robyn Kriel, CNN, Nairobi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: We'll take a break on CNN NEWSROOM. But still to come, the Year of the Monkey kicks off with an extravagant celebration in China. The traditions of the Lunar New Year. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:45:41] CHURCH: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. The Zika Virus is not keeping people away from Brazil's carnival. Hotels are reporting higher bookings than last year. More than one million tourists are expected to travel to Rio de Janeiro for the celebration.

BARNETT: Certainly looks like a lot of fun. But tourism officials are saying people really need to take precautions. They are urging this point. They say wear insect repellant. The mosquito-borne virus has been linked to abnormalities and spread through sexual contact.

CHURCH: And for more on the weather conditions in that part of the world, where, for some, it's the wet season, Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri joins us.

Pedram, the problem is the warmer temperatures, isn't it? That's sort of keeping this going, the whole Zika Virus.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. And we know El Nino is upon us as well. And El Nino for this part of the year spells more moisture for a part of the world that is already in the wet season. Copacabana Beach, hundreds upon hundreds of people dotting the beaches. And you take a look at the climatological norm, that is among the wettest times of the year before it tapers off in June, July, and August. You take a look at Rio de Janeiro and Recife. 100,000 people have already been exposed to the Zika Virus across this region. But there is your rainfall expectations for January. This is how much accumulated. 184 millimeters. Again, the wet season in place, and then you take a look, very dry so far in 2016. So in that sense, it is good news. Some images showing you a woman looking at the hotel area, looking down at what is one of 500 parades expected to take place across this region of Brazil. But the quiet patterns. Some thunderstorms could possibly pop up in this part of the world as you expect it.

But I want to shift the attention and take you to Asia. In portions of Asia, Lunar New Year upon us. It is wonderful news for travel but poor news when it comes to air quality. All of them in the unhealthy category. Not unusual, but this time of year, we know a lot of people, the age-old tradition of firecrackers, fireworks, a lot of people out there with firecrackers and fire workers and a lot of people in Shanghai are restricting the use and abandoning using fireworks in this region on a personal level and issuing about a $76 or 500 yen ticket. And 300,000 people are working together to enforce this as far as volunteers are concerned. Interesting to note that with one firecracker, if you light one up, you could certainly cause pollution in an area that's about 10 cubic meters in space, so one person can cause that much pollution. You think about increasing that number to several million people, it becomes a major story. This played out in 2015. The spring festival in Beijing. The smog on the 18th of February last year, air quality was considered good for about a several hour period of after the fireworks took place across that region, the air quality spiked 15 times higher than what it was just several hours earlier. This time around, it is also very quiet. Mild weather. This helps to reduce the winds, so the pollutants really settle in. That's why officials, Rosie and Errol, are banning personal fireworks use in areas of China.

BARNETT: Oh, man. I had no idea that fireworks contributed in any way to kind of smog and that kind of thing. Can't have any fun now, Pedram. Thanks a lot.

(LAUGHTER)

JAVAHERI: Don't blame me.

(LAUGHTER)

CHURCH: Thanks, Pedram. Appreciate it. See you later.

JAVAHERI: Thanks.

CHURCH: And, as you heard from Pedram, people around the world are celebrating the Lunar New Year. China's spring festival marks the beginning of the Year of the Monkey. It lasts for 15 days.

BARNETT: Asian families traditionally gather for special meals. Children are given envelopes with money, if you're lucky. Adult children travel home to be with their families for the holiday.

[02:50:06] CHURCH: And the New Year is when millions of people have their fortunes read, hoping to get a glimpse of the future.

Our Alexandra Field joins us from Beijing with some predictions about the presidential race in the U.S.

Alexandra, and the polls haven't been completely reliable in predicting the future, so how reliable is the fortune teller that you had an opportunity to speak with?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, well, the polls aren't an exact science, but they are supposed to be a reflection of what's going on, on the ground. However, there have been some curveballs this year.

However, we spoke to a fortune teller who says you have to look past the ground, you have to look to the stars to see what kind of factors could influence this race.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FIELD (voice-over): Forget pollsters and pundits, for predictions for the presidential election here, you could always come here.

Every Chinese New Year, many seek ancient wisdom to find out what the future holds. The methods can seem mysterious.

(on camera): Who wins between the two of them?

PRISCILLA LAM (ph), FORTUNE TELLER: Hillary.

FIELD (voice-over): Hong Kong is still home to fortune tellers. They read palms, charts, even faces.

What about these faces?

(on camera): So what feature's most important in a politician's face?

LAM (ph): Usually, long face.

FIELD: The shape of the face? LAM (ph): Shape. Long faces, full.

FIELD (voice-over): That's right. By looking at their features, Priscilla Lam says she can see the outcomes of campaign half a world away. Take the Democrats.

LAM (ph): Hillary's got the best.

FIELD (on camera): Hillary's got the best face for president?

LAM (ph): Sharp eyes. OK? Sharp eyes, long face, high nose, flexible lips.

FIELD (voice-over): In the Republican field, there's more for her to pick apart.

LAM (ph): Donald Trump the best.

FIELD (on camera): Comes in first in New Hampshire?

LAM (ph): Comes in first.

FIELD: Who's number two in New Hampshire?

LAM (ph): Number two, OK. So this one. Number two.

FIELD (voice-over): Of course, it isn't all about face.

DONALD TRUMP, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & CEO, TRUMP ORGANIZATION: I think she's got a beautiful face.

FIELD: You've got to have luck on your side in 2016. And that's already decided, she said, by their birthdays and the stars.

LAM (ph): Yeah, OK, there's no Donald Trump maybe is the winner. And his birthday, OK, he's fire, is stronger than Hillary.

FIELD: That means Priscilla's projections put the elephant in front of the donkey in the year of the fire monkey.

(on camera): How confident are you that you can take the faces and birthdays and predict the next president of the United States?

LAM (ph): 80 percent.

FIELD: And the rest is up to what?

LAM (ph): Up the weather, the phase of the election and also their presentation.

FIELD: At one point, the pollsters, the pundits and Priscilla probably agree on.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FIELD: And we can all imagine that Donald Trump would be pleased to hear that it seems he has the most luck of anyone on his side this year. However, there is good news for Hillary Clinton on this. According to our fortune teller, she seems to be the second most lucky this year, our fortune teller says she has nor luck on her side in 2016 than she had eight years ago when she was vying for her party's nomination the last time around -- Rosemary?

CHURCH: We will have to do a follow-up, won't we, in the months ahead and see how --

(CROSSTALK)

FIELD: -- the test on Tuesday.

CHURCH: Absolutely.

Alexandra Field, many thanks, joining us live from Beijing.

BARNETT: I like how she said, don't forget about the weather.

CHURCH: Yes.

BARNETT: It can play just as much of a role.

Now, we're going to stick with the race for the White House. New Hampshire is known for voters who only make up their minds in the final days before the primaries.

CHURCH: One of these voters talked to CNN about the effect the primaries have on people in her state.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED NEW HAMPSHIRE VOTER: New Hampshire is a perfect place for someone who is a do-it-yourselfer and who appreciates nature. The thing about New Hampshire that's kind of cool and different is that it's sort of the home of cottage industry, and I'm a perfect example of that by, you know, you need a glass, you make it. My husband's a builder. We needed a house, he built it. We're like very resourceful.

To make change and being willing to work for it is very much the New Hampshire way.

People here say it like it is. You know, it's the real deal. When you have an election cycle like this happening, people kind of come out of the woodwork and speak out.

I like the excitement. I like bringing people into our state and having them get fired up about stuff that's going to affect the country. And so the other night, my son goes hey, mom, Hillary Clinton's on the phone. She wasn't on the phone, but it was pretty cute.

VOICE: You have 19 new voice messages.

UNIDENTIFIED NEW HAMPSHIRE VOTER: Like 19 people have my phone number.

VOICE: Hi, I'm a volunteer calling from the committee that supports John Kasich for president.

VOICE: Message deleted.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Answer a few questions for sorority research.

VOICE: Message deleted.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Donald Trump will expel all illegal immigrants and build a border wall.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, I'm a volunteer calling for committee that supports John Kasich for president.

[02:55:14] UNIDENTIFIED NEW HAMPSHIRE VOTER: Kasich, they're hitting it hard with him.

We have lots of junk mail. Here we have Hillary and Jeb and Bernie. I put it in the recycling. So I'm more interested in what people have to say to me, directly.

New Hampshire, there's room for everybody. So you just don't know how things are going to go. I know with glass, we have plenty of Republicans, plenty of Democrats coming here they all need the same stuff. We're all in it together.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Don't you love it. I want a glass, I'll make some.

BARNETT: It's a do-it-yourself kind of household. You could imagine the husband saying, could you make me a glass of water, love. Make it yourself. Literally, make it yourself.

CHURCH: We'll see what happens.

Thanks for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Rosemary Church.

BARNETT: I'm Errol Barnett. You can always connect with us on social media. Great to see from where you're watching.

We'll have more news from the NEWSROOM after the break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:00:09] BARNETT: Frustration and talks of fresh sanctions at the U.N. after North Korea's launch of a long-range rocket.