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Fiji Getting Hit by Monster Storm; British P.M. Gets Deal Believed to Stop G.B. from Leaving EU; Pivotal Weekend in U.S. Presidential Race; Final Results in Uganda Elections Expected; Airbnb Growing Phenomenon in Japan. Aired 3-3:30a ET

Aired February 20, 2016 - 03:00   ET

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


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[03:00:14] NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR: Fiji is getting hit by a monster storm that could become the strongest ever recorded in the island. We're tracking cyclone Winston, we'll bring you the very latest.

The British prime minister gets the deal he believes will stop his country from leaving the European Union. Now he just needs to persuade a lot of British people.

Also a pivotal weekend of the U.S. presidential race why what happens for Clinton and Sanders in Vegas and the rest of Nevada is unlikely to stay there, you know, the saying there.

All right, hello everyone to "CNN Newsroom", I'm Natalie Allen. Thank you for joining us.

And we start this hour with a story developing in the South Pacific where a cyclone equivalent to a category five hurricane is still building strength and beginning to rake across the islands of Fiji.

A short time ago with the Fiji's Red Cross Operations Manager told me what the aid group is doing to keep people safe.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

ESEROMA LEDUA, FIJI'S RED CROSS OPERATOR'S MANAGER: Victims of-- the population evacuated to Red Cross centers that are open and are manage by the district offices unit.

Different districts, direct calls of officers and volunteers supporting what they are currently doing in attending to evacuees that might need support in terms of blankets and also dry clothes to keep them warm tonight.

But in terms of our preparedness, the meteorological society together with our branches, currently on watch and await approach since the lunch time today. We are currently waiting for the weather to ease a little bit so that at least we can look at what are some areas that are affected and also people to be assisted.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

ALLEN: That's was an hour ago, the Red Cross with us there. The country is now under a curfew because Derek Van Dam is here to tell us it's bearing down right now.

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN WEATHER ANCHOR: It is.

ALLEN: This is a huge cyclone.

VAN DAM: That's right Natalie. The ferocity of how quickly this storm developed strength into a strong category 5 equivalent Atlantic hurricane it is impacting the island nation of Fiji right now. Viti Levu, the largest island within the nation that also houses the capital of Fiji, Suva, this is the area that is bearing the brunt of the storm.

I want to show you something from NASA's Himawari satellite -- ah this actually a Japanese satellite. But what you're looking at is satellite interpretation of the storm.

Now there some very important things that I'd like to point out with the eye wall of this storm as it passes just to the north of Suva just the capital of Fiji. It is starting to deteriorate and disorganize the center of the storm.

So, to me, officially that means that it is interacting with land and that landfall has occurred. That's very important because with a direct hit like this we would expect the strongest of winds to have occurred when that eye wall passed over land from ocean.

Now, take a look at my weather graphics and we'll get a little bit more information. Here's Suva, it's roughly about 80 kilometers to the south of the southern portions of this eye wall. Remember the eye wall of a tropical cyclone is where we find our strongest, most ferocious winds and it is easily said that winds in excess of 200 to perhaps even 250 kilometers per hour with higher wind gusts near the center of the storm.

So this will be a catastrophic storm for the Fiji islands as we start to pick up the pieces over the next 24 hours. Again our satellite loop indicating our storm has made landfall. A very intense storm as we zoom right into the center of it. A lots of convection and thunderstorm activity with this as it continues to march in a westerly direction.

We don't expect the storm to intensify further than this now that it has impacted with land, but comparing this to previous tropical cyclones it was only Evan back in December 2012 that also impacted this region.

Fortunately, from that particular storm no deaths because, this particular nation is very susceptible but also ready and prepared for storms of this magnitude. The other concern here is this is a mountainous nation and that means any heavy rainfall will filter down to the lower elevations meaning landslides, mud slides and flooding will also be the other concern. So, let's just recap the concerns and what is taking place now in the

island of Fiji. The Fiji islands, I should say Natalie. Strong winds in excess of 200, 250 kilometers per hour, flash flooding, mud slides, coastal storm surge for the lower elevation. This is a dire situation and it deteriorated very quickly.

[03:05:01] ALLEN: Yeah, in the past 24 hours you said it's extremely strong and that 900,000 people could be impacted.

VAN DAM: Nine hundred thousand people the population of Fiji.

ALLEN: All right. Thank you Derek, we'll keep in touch with you for the next few hours.

VAN DAM: Absolutely.

ALLEN: Well, we want to turn now to the U.K. In about two hours, British Prime Minister David Cameron will show his cabinet the deal he made to keep his country in the European Union. But even though he vows to campaign for his heart and soul as he said, this could be a tough sell.

A close ally, the country's justice secretary reportedly plans to campaign for a British exit from the E.U. Mr. Cameron insists the deal would give the U.K. special status in the U.E. and should be approved.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Britain will be permanently out of ever closer union, never part of a European super state. There will be tough new restrictions on access to our welfare system for E.U. migrants. No more something for nothing.

Britain will never join the Euro and we've secured vital protections for our economy. And a full say over the rules of the free trade single market while remaining outside the Europe.

I believe that it is enough for me to recommend that the United Kingdom remain in the European Union having the best of both worlds.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: The cabinet is just the first hurdle. If it approves the deal, the British public then would vote on it in a referendum.

CNN Money Europe editor Nina Dos Santos has more on that and how intense negotiations in Brussels led to this point.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN MONEY EUROPE EDITOR: After two days worth of very lengthy and at times rather tense negotiations, David Cameron finally won the package of reforms that he feels is enough to take back to the British people and try to campaign and convince them to stay inside the European Union when eventually he gets around to calling that's referendum. Many people hoping it may well be during the month of June.

Now, this is the 35 page document that has been released after these meetings for the taking place over the last two days at this summit in Brussels. It includes safeguards for the city of London. Also states on some Britain's sovereignty and putting to bed finally that question of whether Britain would keep the pound or decide to join the Euro zone.

Currently countries inside the European Union are in theory, supposed to sign up to join the single currency, but that question is being put to bed too.

One of the most contentious issues that European leaders had to deal with was the issue of an emergency break applied to migrants who are seeking benefits inside the U.K. Some eastern European countries had been asking for a much shorter period of time for that emergency brake to be put on.

David Cameron and then managed to come to a compromise of seven years and also was crucial here in this package is that it just applies to the U.K. It is not supposed to set a dangerous precedent for other countries inside the block to decide to open up the treaties and negotiate on their own terms for similar concessions.

But the issue is that this doesn't entirely put to bed the question of whether the U.K. will stay inside the EU. It now has to go to the British people. It has to go to David Cameron's own cabinet that could be more hostile to somebody's packages. And this is why Martin Schulz, the head of the European Parliament said that he thought this was just the start of a process when I asked him earlier.

MARTIN SCHULZ, HEAD OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: My feeling is no is the answer. It is now the end of a process David Cameron has launched. He said, I won the new deal of the United Kingdom with the European Union. It means with all the other member states building the European Union. He got now the new deal and it's still up to British voters to vote if this is enough or not.

(END VIDOE CLIP)

DOS SANTOS: So, that's the president of the European Parliament, another one of these key institutions that part of the machinery that will be helping Mr. Cameron try and coming up with a reform package that really he can campaign for.

What we keep hearing here from Brussels is that nobody wants the U.K. to leave the European Union. It's the second biggest economy inside the European Union. Forty-four percent of the U.K.'s trade is with the EU, so there's a lot at stake here.

But the key question here is how the U.K. and part of the U.K.'s current government views documents like these. Are these reforms that David Cameron has managed to secure in Brussels after all these hours of negotiation going to be enough to convince his own government and then to convince his own people? It will take months from now to decide that. Nina Dos Santos, CNN Money in Brussels.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: Well, stay tuned here to CNN. We expect to hear from British Prime Minister Cameron in a little less than two hours time when he has called a cabinet meeting.

We'll bring you that live along with analysis from London. That' a 10:00 a.m. London time.

[03:10:13] We turn to the race for the U.S. presidency and the countdown for two critical voting states. Democrats hold their caucuses in Nevada on Saturday. Polls there indicating the race between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders is too close to call.

Meantime, polls open in just a few hours in South Carolina for the Republican primary there. Donald Trump is leading in the state but not by as much as he has been.

Well, here's how the poll numbers look on the Republican side.

A CNN poll of polls shows 34 percent of South Carolina voters who were surveyed support Trump, Ted Cruz has 20 percent, this margin was wider a few days ago. Marco Rubio comes in third followed by Jeb Bush, Ben Carson and John Kasich.

Nationally, the top three choices are still Trump, Cruz and Rubio, and their numbers are roughly the same as the South Carolina poll. The bottom standings are a bit different on the national level with Kasich ahead of Carson and Bush.

Well, as the Republican candidates take on each other, the frontrunner Donald Trump has a bone to pick with a tech giant Apple. At a campaign event ahead of the South Carolina primary, he turned Apple's battle with the U.S. justice department into a rallying cry.

Here's CNN Politics Reporter Sara Murray.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARA MURRAY, CNN CORRESPONDET: Twenty-four hours after taking on the Pope, Donald Trump is taking on one of America's biggest companies.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (R): First of all, Apple ought to give the security for that phone, okay?

What I think you want to do is boycott Apple until such time as they give that security number.

MURRAY: His suggestion to black list the tech giant coming as the company refuses to unlock an iPhone that belonged to one of the San Bernardino killers.

TRUMP: How do you like? I just (inaudible) it. MURRAY: Trump's latest move a signal he has no plans to water down his

bombastic style after a blistering week on the trail in South Carolina.

TRUMP: This guy Ted Cruz is really a liar. I'll tell you why--

MURRAY: In fact, he's using his final hours before Saturday's primary to go for the jugular.

TRUMP: I'll tell you what was good. Even Marco Rubio said he's a liar. And when a politician says another politician is a liar, I never heard that before. I felt so good.

MURRAY: But he's also left explaining why he voiced support for the Iraq invasion in 2002 after spending months claiming he was an early opponent.

TRUMP: The first guy that ever asked me about Iraq was Howard Stern. I said, I don't know yeah, I guess so. Then I started looking at it before the war started I was against that war, I was against that war.

MURRAY: Meanwhile, Ted Cruz is fighting his own two front war, trying to gain on Trump and send off Marco Rubio.

MARCO RUBIO(R) PRESIDENTIAL: And I need your support tomorrow so I'm asking for your help.

MURRAY: Cruz swiping Rubio over national security.

TED CRUZ, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know two debates ago when I stood on the stage and saw three Republican candidates, including Marco Rubio standing up there and saying, sure, we should drop women. I remember thinking, are you guys nuts?

MURRAY: And casting him as a shape shifter on immigration.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Marco Rubio burned us once. He shouldn't get the chance to sell us out again.

MURRAY: While the top tier goes to battle, others are looking to land their closing arguments with a softer touch.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I'd really appreciate one of those hugs you've been talking about.

MURRAY: Jeb Bush even welcoming his family on the campaign trail for his closing argument.

BARBARA BUSH, FORMER U.S. FIRST LADY: Jeb has been a great son, great father, great husband, married well, and is one of my four favorite sons.

JEB BUSH, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (R): I swear to God when we were on the bus she -- we were walking down, she whispered in my ear, you really are my favorite. I don't understand.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: Sara Murray reporting there.

Well, as far as Donald Trump asking for a boycott of Apple until it cooperates with the government, a senior Apple executive said the tech giant is in fine company based on other people Trump has attacked. The executive said the company is fighting on behalf of its customers.

Well, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are in a near dead heat ahead of Nevada's Democratic caucuses that happens Saturday.

The latest CNN/ORC poll shows Clinton with a narrow lead over Sanders among likely caucus goers in the silver state, 48 percent to 47 percent and how is that for close?

Clinton is leading nationally but Sanders has narrowed the gap to six percent as points. Clinton is up 48 percent to the Vermont senator's 42 percent. With such a close race expected in this first contest in the western U.S., Sanders and Clinton spent Friday making a last-ditch effort to lure voters. And Clinton scored a big endorsement ahead of South Carolina's Democratic Party which happens in a few days.

[03:15:09] Our senior Washington Correspondent Jeff Zeleny has more now from Sparks, Nevada.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINTON CORRESPONDENT: It's shaping up as the Vegas prize fight of politics, on the eve of the Nevada caucuses, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in a deadlocked Democratic race. They're drawing cheers and jeers. Like when Clinton suggested that Sanders is a Democrat come lately.

HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Maybe it's that Senator Sanders wasn't really a Democrat until he decided to run for president. He doesn't even know, you know, lastly Democratic presidents did. And I, you know, well, it's true. It's true. You know it's true.

ZELENY: Flying across Nevada today, Sanders says he's counting on one win at a time.

BERNIE SANDERS, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I hope we have a very large, very, very large voter turnout tomorrow.

ZELENY: The candidates are trying to break through the distractions of Las Vegas.

CLINTON: Now, you get there. You got to get there at 11:00 a.m. You can't sleep in. Sleep in, you know, the next day.

ZELENY: Working to get out the vote for Saturday's caucuses, particularly targeting Latino voters.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: [Foreign Language Spoken] ZELENY: In South Carolina today, Clinton picked up the endorsement of Congressman James Clyburn and influential seal of approval for next weeks primary there.

JAMES CLYBURN, U.S. HOUSE DEMOCRATICS: The future of the Democratic Party and the United States of America will be best served with the experiences and know-how of Hillary Clinton as our 45th president.

ZELENY: Eight years ago Clyburn declined to endorse, a decision that enraged Bill Clinton. Clyburn recounted the anger in his 2014 memoir. He said the former president called him in the middle of the night saying if you bastards want to fight, you damn well will get one.

The endorsement could complicate Sanders attempt to win over black voters. In a new interview with B.E.T., he suggested Hillary Clinton was embracing Obama for one reason.

SANDERS: Everything the president does is wonderful. She love the president, he loves her all that stuff. And we know what that's about. That's going to a win support from the African-American community where the president is obviously popular. But you know what, I have enormous respect for the president. He's a friend we've worked together. I think he's done a great job in many respects. But, you know what, like any other human being, he is wrong on certain issues.

ZELENY: Now, Nevada was once seen by Hillary Clinton supporters as a place where she could rebound her candidacy. It is increasing the (inaudible) laboratory for how she will take on Bernie Sanders in the long term. She said he's promising free this, free that, free everything.

The problem for her is though his supporters seem to like that and seem to be answering his call for that political revolution.

Jeff Zeleny, CNN Sparks, Nevada.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: There's another election we're watching. The results of Uganda's presidential election should be in soon. Will be incumbent extend his 30-year rule?

We'll have a live report from Africa coming up here.

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ALLEN: You are looking a video from Libya. These images are said to show the aftermath of the U.S. air strike near the Tunisian border. U.S. official say the bombing targeted an ISIS cell that may have been training for an attack abroad.

The main target was this man, a senior militant suspected of being behind two deadly terror attacks in Tunisia last year [03:20:07] ALLEN: ... had been training for an attack, targeted in

ISIS cell that may have been training for an attack abroad. The main target was this man. A senior militant suspected of being behind two deadly terror attacks in Tunisa last year. One turned out at a museum another, a slaughter of tourists on a beach.

ISIS has taken advantage of a power vacuum in Libya and has a cell working there.

For the final results in Uganda's elections are expected in just a few more hours but the hotly contested leadership vote has been marred by protests and accusations of vote rigging.

The main opposition leader was detained for the third time this week as police clashed with his supporters on Friday.

Early numbers show the country's current leader President Yoweri Museveni may be on track to win his fifth term in office.

For the latest let's bring in Robyn Kriel she's live from Nairobi Kenya.

Museveni has been in power for 30 years. And despite these scuffles in the streets and, -- it looks like he may hang on for another term there, Robyn.

What's the reaction about what's played out on the streets after this election?

ROBYN KRIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we can tell you on the streets of Kampala, according to our journalist there, Natalie, is that the streets are very quiet. We're told police road blocks have been set up around Kampala ever since those scuffles with police and the military police yesterday which left two people dead and ended up having the opposition -- leading opposition candidate Kizza Besigye arrested under house arrest. They're not calling it house arrest. The Kampala Police Spokesman Patrick Onyango is calling it preventive arrest.

Also Amama Mbabazi who's the -- one of the second leading opposition candidates he is also under this preventive arrest at his house. Preventive they say because they don't want any more scuffles to occur, they don't want any more laws to be broken.

What I can tell you about the counting currently underway at Mandela National Stadium where the independent electoral commission is counting their votes is that Yoweri Museveni last time we checked was about 60 percent leading in votes counted and Kizza Besigye the leading opposition candidate currently under preventive arrest at his house has 30 percent Natalie.

ALLEN: Thank you Robyn Kriel for us following it from Nairobi.

Airbnb has travelers feeling at home all around the world.

We'll tell you about one surprising nation where business is booming.

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ALLEN: Airbnb is a growing phenomenon around the world. It is especially strong in Japan where the vacation rental site has taken off albeit increasing tourism there.

Our Will Ripley reports for us from Tokyo.

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WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Breakfast in Tokyo.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are making pancakes.

RIPLEY: A cooking lesson for Canadian student Yalleni Viratorasda (ph) on a nine-day Japanese vacation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They are really precious moments because I get to be with my host, Haki (ph).

RIPLEY: Financial adviser Yumi Amori (ph) rents out a room in her apartment for around $40 a night using the website Airbnb.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The room is almost full all the time.

RIPLEY: She averages 10 guests a month from all over the world.

[03:25:02] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We gained friend in we can experience like cooking together. But at the same time, get inspired by the guest.

RIPLEY: That cultural exchange is part of the Airbnb sales pitch. The $25 billion rental site boasts 60 million guests, 2 million listings in 34,000 cities.

But here in Japan, Airbnb faces challenges. Short-term rentals often violate local law. Most people don't speak English and on this island nation, many are unfamiliar with foreigners never mind hosting them in their homes.

Some communities are banning vacation rentals altogether. Tokyo's (inaudible) has upscale amenities, prime views and a strict residents' only policy.

So essentially what you're saying is you don't want this place to turn to a hotel?

Exactly says the residents' representative Baski Hoshikawa (ph). A hotel is where the public stays. We want to keep this place exclusive.

Airbnb is catching on in Japan. At least 21,000 listings since 2010. The number of guests up 500 percent from 2014 to 2015.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Konichiwa.

RIPLEY: The biggest draws a good location, clean, comfy bed and wifi.

So this is the guest room?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

RIPLEY: Yuma and Nihoko Mashida (ph) said they say the most common complaint about foreigners in Japan, noise. But quiet, courteous guests have actually made friends with their neighbors.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That kind of guest changed Japanese minds.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah that's right.

RIPLEY: Mashida even started a business managing dozens of listings and selling local art to tourists. With 8 million visitors expected for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and a record number of foreign tourists this year a small but growing number of Japanese are listing their homes, around some tables, hosts and guests profiting from the experience.

Will Ripley, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: A finally quick programming note about the ongoing U.S. presidential race. CNN has reporters and analysts covering both contests from every angle.

This weekend we'll be live from the South Carolina primary. Republican voters go to the polls in the coming day and from the Nevada caucuses.

Also happening Saturday where analysts say the race between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton is too close to call.

So keep it here on CNN throughout the day for a live programming.

Thanks for watching. I'm Natalie Allen. "Political Mann" is coming up in a moment. And I'll be right back with your top stories.

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[03:30:13] ALLEN: This is CNN News Now.