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Political Storm Brewing over Justice Scalia's Vacancy; Pope Francis Visiting Mexico's Most Dangerous Cities; Japan's Economy Shrank in Final Quarter of Last Year; GOP to Battle Over Obama's Supreme Court Nominee; Pressure on Russia to Halt Strikes on Syria; Former Israeli PM Ehud Olmert Jailed; "The Revenant" Wins Big at BAFTA. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired February 15, 2016 - 00:00   ET

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


[00:00:11] ISHA SESAY, CNN ANCHOR: This is "CNN NEWSROOM" live from Los Angeles. Ahead this hour, the comments get nasty in the latest Republican Presidential Debate, just after news that shook the entire campaign. Plus, Pope Francis celebrates Sunday Mass in one of Mexico's poorest and most notoriously dangerous cities. And, Leonardo DiCaprio's film "The Revenant" wins big at this year's BAFTA's.

Hello, and thank you for joining us; I'm Isha Sesay. "NEWSROOM" L.A. starts right now.

We begin with a political storm brewing in Washington following the death of U.S. Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia. His vacancy leaves the high court split with four conservative-leaning justices and four to the

liberal side. Some Senate republicans fear that whoever President Obama picks to fill the void will tip what had been a conservative tilt to a liberal one. They vow to delay any nominee's approval until the next president takes over, almost a year from now; but President Obama is not deterred.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I plan to fulfill my constitutional responsibilities to nominate a successor in due time. There will be plenty of time for me to do so and for the Senate to fulfill its responsibility to give that person a fair hearing and a timely vote.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Joining me now is Professor Jonathan Turley from George Washington University. Professor Turley, great to have you with us. With about 11 months or so left in office for President Obama, do you believe it's the right move for him to nominate a successor for Justice Scalia?

JONATHAN TURLEY, PROFESSOR, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY, via satellite: I think many presidents would make this move. You know, Wayne Gretzky, the famous hockey player once said that he missed every shot he never took, and this is a shot that all presidents would likely take; but whether they make it is another question. The general rule has been that nominations that occur within two years of the end of a term are problematic and this is much closer than that, and during a very contested, very heated and very passionate political race for the presidency. So the odds that the president could get this through a republican-controlled Senate --

SESAY: And you said it's not just an issue of the amount of time the president has on hand. There are other issues that make this problematic?

TURLEY: Well, that's right. First of all, the greatest problem that the president faces is that Nino Scalia is a conservative icon. He was indeed the intellectual force of the right on the court. He was legitimately viewed as an intellectual, someone who had great depth and scope in his opinions. There really isn't anyone on the court right now that, on the right side, that would be viewed as his equal. For that type of iconic figure to be replaced by President Obama, for conservatives, is perfectly nightmarish. It is unlikely, highly unlikely that the president would ever nominate anyone that would be able to fill Scalia's shoes from the perspective of conservatives, and so if he even nominates a moderate as opposed to a liberal, it would significantly move the center of gravity on the court to the left and that's the reason it's unlikely that this is going to be anything but a battle royale with this nomination.

SESAY: As you take a look at the battle royale that is shaping up, we've heard the rhetoric from those on the campaign trail hoping to take the place of President Obama in the Oval Office, and from other members of the legislature, I mean, as you hear the rhetoric and the heat of the rhetoric and the tone, can you remember a time when it was ever this divided or divisive when it comes to picking a Supreme Court justice?

TURLEY: Well, there's certainly more heat than light that's coming out of this. Unfortunately, that is not unprecedented. We often forget that when the Constitution of the United States was written, it was written not just for times like this, but in times like this. You know, Jefferson referred to his predecessor as the "reign of the witches." This was a pretty poisonous time, even back then. But the problem that you have in any democratic system is it requires compromise and sometimes there's not a compromise in the offing. Sometimes the parties are too far apart and that [00:05:03] may be this case. There's very little runway left to get a compromise, and there's also very little interest on either side, it seems, of reaching a real consensus on a candidate.

SESAY: All that being said, where does that leave the court right now, in the absence of Justice Scalia and the absence of a replacement? Where does it leave the court right now and the major issues it has on its docket?

TURLEY: Well, it leaves it in a very precarious position. By the way, even if a nominee is made soon, it's unlikely that there would be a replacement this term. So we will have a number of decisions that could tie. 4-4. This is a divided court. It is the most controversial cases tend to go 5-4. It's now an even-numbered court, which is not good. So we are very likely going to have ties. When that happens, it's like the Supreme Court didn't render a decision at all. The lower court decision owns the day and that can be good or bad news for the Administration. In some cases they agreed with the lower court and in some cases they did not. But we have some very major cases from affirmative action to union dues to abortion to Obamacare, all of those were expected to go 5-4. Scalia in 30-percent of the cases has been that fifth vote. So we're expecting a lot of ties, and that means that these historic rulings may be less historic by the end of this term.

SESAY: It is wonderful to have you on the program to break it all down for us. Professor Turley, thank you so much for your time and the perspective.

TURLEY: Thank you.

SESAY: Well, it's not just Senate republicans who want to block the President's pick to replace Scalia. At the debate Saturday on CBS, the republican presidential hopefuls weighed in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We need to put people on the bench that understand the Constitution is not a living and breathing document, it is to be interpreted as originally meant.

JEB BUSH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The next president needs to appoint someone with a proven conservative record, similar to Justice Scalia, that is a lover of liberty and then fight and fight and fight for that nomination to make sure that that nomination passes.

GOV. JOHN KASICH (R-OH), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We ought to let the next president of the United States decide who is going to run that Supreme Court with a vote by the people of the United States of America.

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We are one justice away from a Supreme Court that would undermine the religious liberty of millions of Americans and the stakes of this election, for this year, for the Senate, the Senate needs to stand strong and say we're not going to give up the U.S. Supreme Court for a generation by allowing Barack Obama to make one more liberal appointee.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is a tremendous blow to conservativism. It's a tremendous blow frankly to our country. I think it's up to Mitch McConnell and everybody else to stop it. It's called delay, delay, delay.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Well, I'm joined now by Curtis Lee. He's a political reporter for the "Los Angeles Times." Curtis, it's wonderful to have you with us.

CURTIS LESS, FIELD REPORTER, "THE LOS ANGELES TIMES": Thanks so much for having me. SESAY: Delay, delay, delay. The candidates on the debate stage on Saturday seem to be trying to outdo each other in terms of who could be more outraged by the fact that the President would want to nominate a successor to Antonin Scalia. Who are they playing to with all of this rhetoric? Is this about the republican base?

LEE: Absolutely; this is for the republican base. This is for conservative voters, especially there in South Carolina. We're just less than a week out from the primary and certainly they want to appeal to that republican base electorate. By saying that, hey, we want to delay the nomination, I mean, it's certainly something that conservatives are likely in favor of. They do not want to see President Obama appoint a liberal justice to the Scalia's seat. They certainly would like to see a delay there. So I guess whatever candidate -- all the candidates are certainly against that on the republican side.

SESAY: Yes, all vying to be the chief opposer to the president and the debate was probably the most explosive yet. I mean, the gloves were off and the l-word was thrown around, liberally, mostly at Ted Cruz. I want you to take a listen at some of the exchanges in which he was called a liar.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: You're the biggest liar you probably are worse than Jeb Bush. you are the single biggest liar.

CRUZ: All right -

TRUMP: This guy lied -- let me just tell you. This guy lied about Ben Carson when he took votes away from Ben Carson in Iowa and he just continues. And today we had robo calls saying Donald Trump is not going to run in South Carolina -- where I'm leading by a lot; I'm not going to run -- vote for Ted Cruz. This is the same thing he did to Ben Carson. This guy will say anything. Nasty guy. Now I know why he doesn't have one endorsement from any of his colleagues.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: It was unbelievable to watch. Cruz, again and again, folks coming at him, saying he is a liar. In your view, is there a danger here that this tag, of him being a liar, of him being dishonest will stick and will ultimately, obviously, undermine the campaign.

[00:10:01] LEE: I mean, you certainly see Donald Trump going after Jeb Bush, for example, and calling him low energy consistently on the trail and Jeb Bush's poll numbers haven't improved. Now you're seeing Donald Trump go after Ted Cruz consistently. Ted Cruz is his strongest rival on the trail right now. I mean, both are frontrunners for the nomination. This is something that Trump is saying over and over. And in last night's debate, the word liar was used nearly two dozen times. So it's something the Trump campaign certainly wants to get out there and have it become a narrative and we'll see if Cruz can push back against that.

SESAY: Yes, we certainly will. The shadow from George W. Bush loomed large over the debate last night.

LEE: Yes.

SESAY: Donald Trump specifically taking aim at the former president, who we know is going to be on the campaign trail with his brother Jeb. Take a listen to that back and forth and I want to talk about the strategy at play here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUBIO: I thank god all the time it was George W. Bush in the White House on 9/11 and not Al Gore.

[Applause]

RUBIO: I think you can look back in hindsight and say a couple of things: that he kept us safe.

TRUMP: How did he keep us safe when the World Trade Center came down.

{Applause and Cheering]

TRUMP: The world -- I lost hundreds of friends. The World Trade Center came down during the reign of Bush.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: 9/11, the Iraq War, all of them, basically front and center in the debate Saturday night with Donald Trump, you know, challenging this notion of George Bush keeping the United States safe. I mean, talk to me about this strategy here. Obviously he's trying to blunt any kind of momentum Jeb Bush might get from having his brother on the campaign trail, but is this a risky strategy, directly challenging Bush's record in a place like South Carolina?

LEE: We'll see George W. Bush on the trail tomorrow in South Carolina, and he's still very popular with conservatives there in South Carolina. He won the 2000 primary. So seeing Trump go after his brother, that could hurt him with some of those conservative voters who still look at the George W. Bush's presidency as a success and it certainly could hurt him there and it could reverse course on Trump and hurt his candidacy.

SESAY: Yes, there's certainly loud boos as we heard there when he went after former President Bush. We shall see. Curtis, I know you'll be with us next hour. We'll keep the conservation going. For now, thank you very much.

LEE: Thank you.

SESAY: All right; well, the democratic presidential candidates are backing President Obama and pushing Republicans in the Senate to move quickly on the nominee.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I just don't think it looks good that for very overtly political reasons that the Republicans would deny this president the right to exercise his constitutional responsibility, which is to appoint members to the Supreme Court. I don't think the public will look kindly on republican actions to try to thwart what he's supposed to be able to do.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Now, you will hear -- in fact, some might say, a confirmation process would take too long for this president to complete during his remaining days in office. Well, the longest successful confirmation process in the last four decades was Clarence Thomas and that took roughly 100 days. There are 340 days until the next president takes office, so that is plenty of time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: The democratic view of things there. Well, democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton is struggling to get support from young voters, and NBC sketch show "Saturday Night Live" turned her problem into a lounge act. Comedienne, Kate McKinnon did her best impression of Clinton.

("Saturday Night Live clip played")

SESAY: SNL, doing their best Hillary Clinton impression there. Time for a quick break. China's markets are playing catch-up after week- long holiday. Coming up, a closer look at the numbers. Plus, strong words from Pope Francis about wealth and power at the expense of the poor. What he had to say to Mexico's poorest citizens about taking control of their future. Do stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) (SKI REPORT)

[00:18:53] SESAY: (HEADLINES)

Pope Francis is visiting some of Mexico's most dangerous cities during his five-day trip there. He celebrated Mass on Sunday in an area plagued by murders and violence against women. He also visited a children's hospital. CNN's Shasta Darlington gives us a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Pope Francis helicoptered in to one of the most dangerous places in Mexico on his second full day of this trip. Ecatepec, a sprawling suburb outside of Mexico City, notorious for its poverty and notorious for its violence. In fact, the Pontiff's decision to visit here ruffled more than a few official feathers. Of course, it thrilled the hundreds of thousands who lined the papal route hoping to just catch a glance of Pope Francis on his way to celebrate Mass.

[00:20:00] The Mass itself was surprisingly critical. He lashed out at what he called the temptations of wealth, fame and power and during the Angeles, he was even more direct. He called on Mexicans to try to create a land of opportunity instead of a country where young people are destroyed. Take a listen to this.

POPE FRANCIS, via translator: I want to invite you today, again, to be on the frontline, to be the first in all the initiatives which help make this blessed land of Mexico a land of opportunities, where there will be no need to emigrate in order to dream, no need to be exploited in order to work.

DARLINGTON: Back in Mexico City, he visited a children's hospital, many of the patients suffering from cancer. There were some tender moments, for example, when he gave one boy the rosary and asked him to pray for him. Another girl sang "Ave Maria". On Monday he's off to Chiapas, Mexico's poorest state, also the main entry point for Central American immigrants trying to reach the United States.

Shasta Darlington, CNN, Mexico City

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: (HEADLINES)

Now, Japan's economy shrank more than expected in the final quarter of last year. The GDP fell 1.4-percent as consumer spending dropped. The latest numbers are adding to fears of a global slowdown. Despite that news, Japan's stocks surged at Monday's opening.

China shares have slumped on the return from a week-long Lunar New Year holiday. Looking at the numbers, Looking at the Nikkei, up over 7-percent. The Hong Kong Hang Seng, up over 3-percent; Shanghai Composite down, though, well over 1-percent; and looking at Australia's ASX, that is in positive territory, up over 1.5-percent.

Let's bring in Manisha Tank right now; she joins us from Hong Kong with more on the markets. Manisha, give us some perspective on China's stocks and all the turmoil.

MANISHA TANK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, of course. People were really keen to see what was going to happen in Shanghai, with the Shanghai Composite today, Isha, because it's, of course, been closed. It's been closed for the Lunar New Year holiday. It's been a week now and this is the first chance that investors have had to react to this big selloff that we saw a week ago when the markets were shut. So at the open, the shanghai Composite was actually 2.8-percent lower. We can say now it's narrowed those losses, down 1.4-percent or so.

This, as well today, in the wake of trade numbers, which were pretty miserable actually, and you saw a big drop-off in imports, big drop- off in exports. The questions being asked how this happened? A lot of concern around the Yuen and the currency but the consensus amongst analysts seems to be this wasn't much to do with currency and this has been more to do with globally weak demand, something that's been spooking everyone and this is obviously the symptom of weakening economies globally, worldwide and this has been impacting all of the stock markets everywhere.

But, if you were looking to see how China was going to fare, it is faring a little bit better in the mid-morning session, but we still have the rest of the day to go. Isha?

SESAY: Indeed, a lot more time to go. We want to turn our attention to Japan and the economy contracted in the final quarter of last year. What are we to make of the way investors are responding?

TANK: Yes, Isha, the Nikkei is actually, well, you could say soaring. I don't know if that's an ambitious word, but it's doing very well this morning. We're up more than 7-percent and we're looking at possibly the best performance in something like seven years, this is as we go into the afternoon session. We have had, though, GDP numbers as you've already said and the GDP numbers were weaker than expected. What this means is that people are now asking, what do you do about that in terms of policy? They're very much hoping that the Central Bank at least will throw everything the it's got at getting this economy to recover. Now that could mean an extension of the zero interest rate policy. What does that mean? How do you take interest rates below zero? What you do is you make banks have to pay for keeping money part. If that's the case, then what you want to be doing is lending it; lending it to companies, lending it between banks and that gets money out into the system. That's been very much the hope that that would kick in.

[00:25:02] Another thing that I've noticed a lot of analysts saying (no audio) consensus about the Japanese economy is we could see these numbers improve and there will be revisions around early March. So these are always preliminary estimates. They can always be off just a little bit. So it will be interesting to see what the revisions will be.

Many people are asking questions about so-called abenomics; what it is? The prime minister wanted to do with the economy to get it to recover, is it really working? People are say well, we've been having three years of it now, but it doesn't seem anything really is working; so what are you going to do about it now? The hope is definitely there, although, of course, when the markets drop as low as they did last week, they were down 11-percent for the Nikkei, people come in and they look for bargains. We could see a bit of bargain hunting going on in Asia and people being a bit more optimistic after seeing a more positive close on Wall Street on Friday. So we will watch closely to see what happens. Isha?

SESAY: We will indeed. Some great perspective there from our own Manisha Tank, joining us there from Hong Kong. Always appreciated; thank you.

Time for another quick break. The Syrian army is on the move against ISIS. Up next, Fred Pleitgan brings you an exclusive vantage point.

FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We are right on frontline in the Syrian military's battle against ISIS. The soldiers here tell us that ISIS positions are literally only a few miles away from this position.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SESAY: You are watching "CNN NEWSROOM" live from Los Angeles; I'm Isha Sesay. Let's get you caught up on the latest in the U.S. race for president. Republicans are lamenting the vacancy in the Supreme Court after the death of Antonin Scalia. Many Republicans say they will not accept whoever President Obama nominates to replace the court's major conservative voice.

[00:30:00] The two presidential hopefuls, who are also Senators, say they are ready for a fight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUBIO: There is no way the Senate should confirm anyone that Barack Obama tries to appoint in his last year in office to a lifetime appointment.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOLIS, ABC HOST: Does that mean you're going to filibuster anyone, anyone that President Obama nominates?

CRUZ: Absolutely; this should be a decision for the people, George.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Well, both democratic candidates are campaigning in Nevada. Hillary Clinton is looking for a win in the western state. The great Bernie Sanders momentum after his win in New Hampshire. She painted her rival as a one-issue candidate who harps on Wall Street reform. Sander also campaigned, touching on Wall Street and his other platform issues including climate change, criminal justice reform and trade. The Nevada caucuses are set for next Saturday.

Well, the pressure is building on Russia to halt its air strikes in Syria as diplomats debate the terms of a cease-fire. At the Security Conference in Munich, U.S. Senator John McCain accused Russia of using Syria as a live fire exercise for its military. The Kremlin says Presidents Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin held frank and constructive talks by phone Sunday. The White House says Mr. Obama emphasized the importance of Moscow ending its air campaign.

Well those air strikes have shifted the momentum and the conflict in favor of President Bashar al-Assad's regime. The Syrian Army says Russia's support has helped push back ISIS militants. CNN's Fred Pleitgen was given exclusive access to the regime's frontline against ISIS in Eastern Syria, and has this report.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: In the Eastern Syrian dessert, on the fringe of ISIS' self- declared caliphate, the Syrian Army readies its artillery cannons, tankers and armored personnel carriers have dug in.

We're right on the frontline in the Syrian militaries battle against ISIS. The soldiers here tell us that ISIS positions are literally only a few miles away from this position. The top commander for this area tells CNN his forces constantly clash with ISIS here. He didn't want to appear on camera because of Syrian military rules and instead designated a civilian working with him to speak on his behalf. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Over there is the village of Gurbat, he says.

It's considered to be the alternative capital of ISIS.

PLEITGEN: The Syrian military recently launched a major offensive in the north of the country, winning back some territory, but also causing tens of thousands to flee toward the Turkish border. The U.S. says Syrian forces mostly combat moderate rebels and put very little effort into fighting ISIS but the troops here say that is not true.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For three months now is has not been advancing, he says. They've only been retreating.

PLEITGEN: And Assad's army acknowledges that Russian air power has had a big impact.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everything is much better since our Russian friends came in, he says. They gave us the capability to conduct preemptive strikes and also aerial surveillance, to warn us, in advance, about ISIS attacks. And they vowed to continue their push eastward, deeper into ISIS heartland.

PLEITGEN: The commanders here say that they are on the move forward and one of their predictions is, is that if nothing else goes wrong, they think they can be in Raqqah by the end of the year; but they still are far away from achieving that goal and in the past, ISIS has shown it can rebound after being pushed back.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Eastern Syria.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Now former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was heading to prison Monday. He was convicted on bribery charges in 2014 and sentenced to six years in jail. That term was reduced to 18 months. Olmert, who led Israel from 2006 to 2009, will be the first former Israeli premier to go to prison.

CNN's Oren Lieberman is joining us now and is covering the latest developments. He joins us from Jerusalem. Orrin, good to have you with us.

So it's just after 7:30 a.m. there in Israel, where you are. It's my understanding that the Prime Minister has until 10:00 a.m. local to report to that prison. It's our understanding he's not there yet, but that to the side, what do we know about the conditions he'll be held under once he does report to that prison?

OREN LIEBERMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT, via satellite: Well, Isha, former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, will be held in what's known as Ward Ten of a prison called Maasiyahu. This is a ward built, designed especially for him because of the unique circumstances, the unique challenges he poses to the Israeli Prison Service; that's because as a former prime minister, he has state secrets and [00:35:01] cannot be allowed to come into contact with certain other prisoners there, certain members of organized crime. So he will spend most of his time secluded. Other than that the Prison Service said he'll be subjected, or under

the same rules as many other prisoners. He'll be allowed a certain number of books. He'll even be allowed a pillow from home and a TV, but he will have most of his time segregated from the regular prison population.

As a former Prime Minister he has a Secret Service detail. That detail will give up his protection to the Prison Service during his 18-month prison sentence. Isha?

SESAY: Orrin remind our viewers of how Ehud Olmert wound up in this position. It's a spectacular fall from grace.

LIEBERMAN: It is, and it has been a long one that's played out over more than a decade.

This goes back to the mid-90s when he was mayor of Jerusalem. An investigation began, looking into allegations of corruption around what was then called The Holy Land Complex. The real estate developer there got a false assessment on the land so he could get tax benefits there. That launched an investigation that took years. The trial for Olmert and a number of other associates started in 2012. It took another two years and worked its way through the entire appeals system. All this time he moved from the Mayor of Jerusalem on to the Prime Minister, and that, after his premiership, was when all of this caught up with him and he was convicted to, at first, six years and that's been reduced to 18 months; but there is more to his ongoing legal troubles, his legal affairs than just what's become known here as The Holy Land Affair. Isha?

SESAY: His legal troubles are far from over. Oren Lieberman joining us there from Jerusalem. Appreciate it, Orrin; thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Well, next on "CNN NEWSROOM" Live from L.A., we'll take you to the red carpet at Britain's biggest night in film, the BAFTA awards.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SESAY: Marvel's profane superheroes saved the day at the U.S. Box Office this weekend. "Deadpool" starring Ryan Reynolds had the biggest opening ever for an R-rated, taking in $135 million in North America. It also scored the biggest February opening to date, snatching the top spot from last year's hit "50 Shades of Gray." A "Deadpool" sequel is already in the works.

The red carpet has been walked and the winners announced for Britain's biggest night in film, the BAFTA Awards. "The Revenant" swept the top prizes at this year's event. The gritty drama was honored in five categories, including best film. Alejandro Inarritu took home the award for Best Director. Leonardo De Caprio won the Best Actor award to a round of huge applause. This is his [00:40:01] first BAFTA award. "The Revenant" is a favorite to win big at the Oscars in two weeks.

CNN's Nima Elbagir was on the BAFTA red carpet and has more from the star-studded event.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: 15 second; can you put this on?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What is it, your boots?

ELBAGIR: Yes. You are an absolutely live sight.

CUBA GOODING, JR., ACTOR: I saw the panic set in.

JOHN BUYAGA, ACTOR, "STAR WARS": Good Lord! They're screaming my name; it's crazy. I'm trying to have a serious conversation.

ELBAGIR: You love it. You love it.

BUYAGA: I'm trying to be deep. I'm trying to be deep.

SACHA BARON COHEN, ACTOR: Basically that's why I'm here. I'm presenting best white actress today.

ELBAGIR: Mr. Spielberg! Mr. Spielberg!

ELBAGIR: We're going to have Kate Winslet. Can you tell me how long? Hi there.

KATE WINSLET, ACTRESS: (Inaudible)

ELBAGIR: I know, I'm so sorry. I feel so sorry, so sorry.

WINSLET: You should. You should feel bad.

ELBAGIR: I'm wearing another layer.

WINSLET: You should feel really guilty. You've got a whole (inaudible) and everything.

ELBAGIR: I've been watch you since "Malcolm in the Middle."

BRYAN CRANSTON, ACTOR: Thank you.

ELBAGIR: So it's been extraordinary.

CRANSTON: When you were a baby, just a little, little girl.

ELBAGIR: Aren't you the nicest man.

CRANSTON: When you were four.

ELBAGIR: It's valentine's day.

MARK RUFFALO, ACTOR: Will you be my Valentine?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Today and every day.

ISLA FISHER, ACTRESS: We spent Valentine's Day making love. COHEN: And I was actually - spent the day in the office.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: It looked very cold on that carpet, I will say; very glamorous, but very cold

You're watching "CNN NEWSROOM" live from Los Angeles; I'm Isha Sesay. I'll be back at the top of the hour with a look at the day's top story; but first, "World Sport" with Kate Riley starts after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WORLD SPORTS)