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British P.M. Expected to Make Statement about Deal to Keep Britain in EU; Fiji Getting Hit Hard with Tropical Cyclone Winston; Turkey Wants U.S. to Stop Supporting Kurdish Fighters Inside Syria; Saturday is a Big Day for GOP Presidential Race in South Carolina; Democrats Hold Caucuses in Nevada; Final Results are in for Uganda's Elections; Literary World Mourns Loss of Author Harper Lee; Attention Shifting to Seat Justice Scalia Left Behind After Passing. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired February 20, 2016 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN NEWSROOM ANCHOR: He's got a deal in hand. British Prime Minister David Cameron takes the next step to keep his country in the E.U., and we expect to hear from him in about an hour from now.

Plus, the Pacific island nation of Fiji gets hit by a monster storm possibly. The worst it has ever seen. We will have the very latest on Winston.

And, another election day on the long road to the White House as Republicans vote in a primary in the State of South Carolina, while Democrats hold caucuses in Nevada.

From CNN, world headquarters in Atlanta. Welcome to our viewers around the world. I'm George Howell, CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

A very good day to you, we begin this hour waiting to hear from British Prime Minister David Cameron who is expected to make a statement in the next hour about the deal that was reached with European leaders to keep Britain in the European Union. Following his statement, Mr. Cameron will present the deal to his cabinet and if they approve it, and that is a big if, it would then go to the British people in a referendum vote.

Mr. Cameron said earlier, the agreement would give the U.K. "special status" in the E.U. and that it should be approved. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

The 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 Euro. I believe that this is enough for me to recommend that the United

Kingdom remained in the European Union, having the best of both worlds.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Mr. Cameron is very positive about that deal selling it, but he faces division within his own conservative party and within his cabinet over whether or not the U.K. should stay in the European Union. Let's go live to London.

CNN Senior International Correspondent Nima Elbagir is outside number 10.

This hour, good to have you with us.

So, we just heard Mr. Cameron describing it, but could you tell our viewers what are some of the major points that are agreed to in this deal?

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, he promised fundamental reform in the way that the European Union does business extortion. What he's brought home after a marathon negotiation session is that curbs on the benefits that European migrants can claim here, a seven-year limit on that. He's also brought home an opt out for Britain from one of the core, really, principles at the heart of the European Union project, which is this ever-closer union in the long history of testy relations between the British public and his vision of a European superstate.

That really has been one of the key issues that the Britain as an island didn't want to find itself joined in to Europe that was bringing down the barriers between sovereign states.

And Prime Minister Cameron has now said that in his deal, that will not happen. He's also given Britain the option of pulling the emergency brake on any kind of financial deals, and financial policy that they believe will not be in their interest.

It is not possible for one country, i.e. Britain, to call a meeting of the European leadership and in that way, bring in the national mechanisms, the sovereign state mechanism.

So he is staking his political future on this. Of course, first, he has to convince cabinet in having a rescinded the responsibility on cabinet members to vote with him. It's now down to each individual cabinet member to be convinced. We've already heard from the Justice Minister Michael Gove that he will be passed of that Euro skeptic trend that he will not be standing with his close friend, we should tell you, George. He is very much a close friend and ally of the Prime Minister. But in this, he says, they won't be standing together.

George.

HOWELL: Mr. Cameron describing this as special status in the E.U. So, you know, I'm curious, the feeling of perception on the streets there. What is the perception about these agreements, these deals that will reach there?

ELBAGIR: Well, the issues with the Prime Minister is going to be that out of the two major parties here in the U.K., the conservatives who have always really mind that Euro skeptic trend that has -- that runs deep within the popular perception of the British electorate of Europe. It also comes at a time where the conservatives have always been very much a party that's not particularly keen on migration.

[04:05:01] It's dealing with the fact that the British people see a European Union that has really struggled under that wave of migration and has struggled to police its borders, European Union that's dealt with attacks and aggression inside the European mainland, George.

HOWELL: And if cabinet agrees, it could see a referendum vote by June. We will obviously be waiting to hear from Mr. Cameron soon.

Nima Elbagir live for us outside number 10, thank you so much for your reporting and we'll stay in touch. And again, stay with us here on CNN for more on this deal to keep Britain in the E.U.

Again, we are expecting to hear from David Cameron in just about an hour's time before he meets with British cabinet. We will bring that to you live here on CNN at 10:00 a.m. in London.

Now, to the island of Fiji which, this hour, is getting hit with a tropical cyclone Winston and it is packing a punch. The storm has become the most powerful to ever hit the island, nation equivalent to a category five hurricane. The storm made landfall about two hours ago just after 7:00 p.m. local time.

Winston is presently on track to rip across the country's many islands for the next 11 hours or so following this storm. Our Meteorologist Derek Van Dam is with us, and Derek, what's the latest?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know, it's going to be a very long night for the people of -- and the residents of Fiji. That storm has been meliorating (ph) across the Central Pacific for days, but it literally took a turn for the worse, George. Not only intensifying but making an about-face in direction and headed right across Fiji. That's where it is currently located at the moment.

Take a look at this graphic. There's some important information that I'm going to point out, but first of all, see it full screen, this is a NOAA satellite image. It's an interpretation of the actual storm taking place at the moment.

And, this is the island of Fiji or rather the island nation of Fiji. And, you can see how the eyewall has become more disorganized within the past two hours. And that is because, as George has stated, it made landfall.

So the center of the storm no longer has its moisture source being the Central Pacific Ocean waters which, by the way, are extremely warm, thanks to the ongoing strong El Nino that we are incurring. But this is important because we would find our strongest winds around the center of that storm. So this is proof to me that it made landfall over the Extreme North Eastern section of this island. This is, by the way, the largest island in Fiji and it also houses the capital Suva, which is about 80 kilometers to the south of the eyewall.

Take a look at my graphics, and you'll be able to see the latest. This is the current winds across the island nation. And, if you look at the graph on the top or the legend at the top portion of your screen, you could see that dark shading of red that's equivalent to about 150 kilometer per hour sustained winds. It is easily -- it is easy to say that we had stronger gust than that within the storm, easily over 200 to 250 kilometers per hour.

In fact, some of the satellite estimates were showing wind gust and excessive 300 kilometers per hour. Time will tell. We'll get official readings, of course, as time goes on.

Here's the latest from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, you can actually see that the winds have dropped about 10 kilometers per hour since the latest update. And this is crucial because it's showing me that it is, again, made landfall interacting with the land and starting to weaken slightly.

But nonetheless, this is a formidable storm that not only is going to pack a punch with winds, but also the potential for flooding as rain in excess of 300 to 400 millimeters in the very mountainous regions means, George, that landslides and flooding will be a major concern for this island nation.

HOWELL: So for the people there just, you know, sticking through it ...

VAN DAM: It's across to hunker down or continue to hunker down, but it's going to be worse before it gets better.

HOWELL: Derek, thank you so much and we'll stay in touch as the storm continues on its present track.

Turkey wants the United States to stop supporting Kurdish fighters inside Syria. And partially, blames the Kurdish Militia in Syria, the YPG for this week's deadly bombing in Ankara. U.S. President Barack Obama called Turkey's president on Friday to offer condolences for that attack.

Before the call, the Turkish president said he would bring up the claim that the YPG has used weapons provided by the United States against civilians. The State Department Spokesman addressed that claim in Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK TONER, U.S STATE DEPARTMENT DEPUTY SPOKESMAN: We have not provided any weapons to -- of any kind to the YPG and we've also seen no evidence to substantiate the claim that the YPG is somehow smuggling any U.S. origin weapons to the PKK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: There is no doubt that the grip of ISIS in Syria and Iraq has forced millions of people to flee for their -- flee their homes and flee for their lives, really. Our Christiane Amanpour takes us to a refugee camp in France, where even in the middle of squalor, refugees still dream of a better life in the U.K. and elsewhere.

[04:10:09] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: For the men, the women and the children who dream of a better life in Europe, this is it.

This is where their journey has stalled. Thousands of people are stuck between two of the continents' richest nations, France and Britain.

The Grande-Synthe refugee camp is in Dunkirk, not far from the better- known jungle camp in Calais.

(FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

AMANPOUR: Seven-year-old Mani is playing in the mud near his family's tent. His father, Abbas, invites CNN in for tea, to meet everyone else. His wife, Suad, is five months pregnant. His daughter, Meli, is four and this is Manah, she's two.

The family have lived in this camp for nine months and, like so many here, they fled Iraq. They left after Abbas' parents were killed in a bomb attack at the market in Kirkuk and now they dream of starting a new life.

Mani talks about going to school in Britain. He's even been practicing his English.

MANI, IRAQI REFUGEE: One, two, three, four, five.

AMANPOUR: The family doesn't know how or when they'll make it.

These are the conditions they endure, 24 showers for 3,000 people and just 44 toilets. Some people here can afford to stay in hotels but, because they don't have their passports, they can't. Instead, they rely on the kindness of strangers, volunteers compelled by conscience to help, to bring tents, food, blankets, clothes and boots.

On this morning, French doctors and workers from Medecins sans Frontieres provide medical help, as they do four times a week. The cases they treat indicate the harshest of conditions they endure.

ANGELIQUE MULLER, COORDINATOR, MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES: Mainly it's a link to the weather. So we have some upper and lower respiratory tract infection, mainly for the children as well. So we have, as well, some scabies and it is quite difficult to completely eradicate, because of the living conditions.

AMANPOUR: The refugees here claim 15 to 20 people succeed at illegally crossing the border into Britain every night. And if you've got the money, you can pay smugglers $10,000 to take you that short distance, they say.

But for those who have neither the strength nor the money, there's no option but to wait and to hope and to try to tell the world that they deserve better, as one man puts it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: You've probably heard this is a story that we obviously have been following for some time. Many -- more than 2,500 migrants live in that camp and the U.N. is highly concerned about the terrible living conditions especially for the unaccompanied minors there.

The evangelical vote in this U.S. presidential election, very important, coming up, we hear from voters in South Carolina how they're leaning and what they want in a commander-in-chief. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:17:12] HOWELL: Time to cover the race for the White House as we welcome our viewers here in the United States to the show. And now as you know, Saturday is a very big day on the campaign trail, Republican voters head to the polls in the State of South Carolina for that state's primary. Donald Trump is in the lead there. But the latest poll number show his margin against Ted Cruz is narrowing.

Meanwhile, Democrats hold their caucuses in Nevada on Saturday. The polls there indicate the race between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders is just too close to call.

Here's a look at some of the poll numbers on the Republican side of things. The CNN poll of polls shows 34 percent of South Carolina voters who were surveyed support Donald Trump, Ted Cruz at 20 percent. This margin was wider a few days ago. Marco Rubio at third, followed by Jeb Bush, Ben Carson then 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 Mr. Carson and Mr. Bush.

Evangelical Christians could be the key to the victory in South Carolina. In 2012, 65 percent of Republican primary voters there described themselves as born again or evangelicals.

CNN's Randi Kaye spoke with some of them to find out which way they're leaning now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How many of you are still undecided? Four out of the six, OK.

With the Evangelical votes still up for grabs in South Carolina, this group of Evangelical Christians is split, though most favor Marco Rubio. This Spartanburg resident likes Ben Carson, too.

EMILY SCHAFER, EVANGELICAL VOTER: I feel like he has a spirit about him that makes me feel like a spiritual kinship, he's got humility and kindness and grace.

KAYE: These voters want a president who is pro-life, but say for them, pro-life is more than just politics, it's a set of values they treasure.

MEGHAN SMITH, EVANGELICAL VOTER, FAVORS RUBIO AND KASICH: How are we pro-life in education, how are we pro-life when were talking about refugees or undocumented immigrants, how are we pro-life when we talk about the environment in our duty to be steward of it. So to me, that extends not just beyond this one little check box of political topics.

KAYE: Trump was pro-choice once, does that bother you?

JOSEPH HOWELL, YOUTH MINISTRY LEADER, JOURNEY CHURCH: I've been told very close to not being on this earth. I was adopted when I was three. I grew up in a group home. And so, like being pro-choice for me is a huge aversion and I think there's just other alternatives.

KAYE: The group is also passionate about immigration reform, favoring a path to citizenship. Meghan Smith from Spartanburg says Trump has made this campaign about anger and fear, which don't coincide with her Christian beliefs.

[04:20:06] SMITH: As Christians, we're not called to act on our fear or our anger, we're called to act on our love. The bible tells us that love cast out all fear so we need to look for candidates who are going to, I think, encourage us to do better and be better and love others.

KAYE: For these voters, it's not about electing the president to restore Christian America.

ALEX FORREST, EVANGELICAL VOTER, FAVORS RUBIO: I don't think we're looking for a pastor in chief. I don't think we're looking for somebody to restore a certain set of spiritual values in a president. I think we just want somebody who will respect our faith and allows to practice it freely.

KAYE: And for this group, that someone isn't Ted Cruz or Donald Trump.

Is anybody here supporting Donald Trump? Raise your hand. None of you. Are there any Ted Cruz fans? Nobody.

They think Cruz is running a dirty campaign and say despite his evangelical roots, he's against the teachings of Jesus on poverty, war, and how to treat strangers.

WILL MCCORKLE, EVANGELICAL VOTER: His form policy is very militant. He's not inviting Christian values because this extreme nationalism and xenophobia are against the teachings of Jesus.

KAYE: Some here have the same problem with Trump and question more than his policies.

When he holds his bible up and says it's his favorite book, I mean, do any of you buy that about Donald Trump?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He knows he has to do that to win the public nomination.

SCHAFER: What I know I don't want in the White House is somebody who appears to be a misogynist, somebody who's a serial monogamist. He said he would date his own daughter if she weren't his daughter. He owns casino. He strip clubs in those casinos, like, there's just so much about his lifestyle and the choices that he has made over the years, that just as a woman, particularly, and then also as a person of faith, make me feel very uncomfortable to say the least.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: That was CNN's Randi Kaye reporting for us there in South Carolina.

The group that she talked to also said that they see a generational divide among evangelicals and they want a candidate who is against abortion and also as compassion.

Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are in a near dead heat, ahead of Nevada's Democratic caucuses. The latest CNN ORC poll shows that Ms. Clinton now has a narrow lead over Bernie Sanders among likely caucus goers in the Silver State, 48 percent to 47 percent.

Clinton is leading nationally, though, but Sanders has narrowed the gap to six percentage points. Clinton is up 48 to the Vermont senator's 42 percent.

The two didn't waste anytime on Friday. Sanders and Clinton both launched last minute efforts to win over Nevada voters and Clinton scored a big endorsement ahead of South Carolina's primary.

Senior Political Correspondent Brianna Keilar reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BERNIE SANDERS, U.S. DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDICATE: Show the world that democracy is alive and wealth here in Nevada.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Today, Bernie Sanders is making a final pitch to Nevada voters before Saturday's caucuses.

SANDERS: The issue is not just who wins the Democratic nomination. The issue is whether Nevada will play a leading role in moving this country toward a political revolution which transforms this country. KEILAR: As Hillary Clinton tries to tighten her grip on South

Carolina, eight days before the first-in-the-south primary, scoring a big Palmetto State endorsement from Jim Clyburn, a former civil rights activist and the highest ranking African-American in Congress.

JAMES CLYBURN, U.S. HOUSE DEMOCRAT: My heart has always been with Hillary Clinton.

KEILAR: Clinton is also running a new biographical television ad featuring the iconic voice of actor Morgan Freeman.

MORGAN FREEMAN, ACTOR: Her life's work has been about breaking barriers and so would her presidency.

KEILAR: One day before Nevada Democrats caucus, Clinton is still in search of potential supporters, courting all-important union support in the Silver State.

HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am no Johnny- or Jaine-come-lately to this.

I did not just discover that unions were under pressure from the Republicans and the right.

KEILAR: Suggesting that Sanders is unrealistic in his promises.

CLINTON: I'm not just making speeches. I'm not just promising free this and free that and free everything.

KEILAR: Clinton and Sanders both facing for scrutiny at a Nevada town hall last night. Clinton on whether she would release transcripts of speeches she's given to financial institutions.

CLINTON: I am happy to release anything I have when everybody else does the same because every other candidate in this race has given speeches to private groups, including Senator Sanders.

KEILAR: Sanders was pressed to respond to comments he made in 2011, raising the possibility of a progressive primary challenge to President Obama's reelection.

[04:25:07] SANDERS: Overall, I think the President has done an outstanding job. And the idea that there can be a primary where different ideas get floated and debated, I don't think that that is terrible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders' brother Larry, taking aim at a former president, Bill Clinton, saying he was dreadful for poor people. But he actually said that his brother, Bernie, respects Hillary Clinton. He said they're not friends but they did work near each other.

Brianna Keilar, CNN, Las Vegas. HOWELL: And CNN has reporters covering both contests from every

angle. We are live from South Carolina where Republican voters will go to the polls this coming day, and from the Democratic Nevada caucuses also happening on Saturday. Stay with CNN for the very latest on it.

And later, Uganda's presidential election will soon be named, the latest on the results coming up in a live report here on NEWSROOM. Plus, people in Fiji, they're boarding up as tropical cyclone Winston pummeled the nation. We'll have a look at what islanders may be in for as NEWSROOM continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOWELL: A warm welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM, I'm George Howell.

The headlines we're following, tropical cyclone Winston is making landfall in Fiji this hour and people who live there can only hope that they had done enough to get ready. It is the most powerful storm to make a direct hit on Fiji's main islands ever. The Fiji Times says the government has declared a state of emergency for the next 30 days.

[04:30:03] There is a curfew in effect right now.

In about a half hour from now, British Prime Minister David Cameron is expected to make a statement on the deal reached with European leaders to keep his country in the European Union. Right after that, he will present the agreement to his cabinet and he says, he will then announce a date for a public referendum on the E.U. deal if have been approved.

In the United States, the presidential race Democrats in Nevada will be holding their caucuses on Saturday. Poll say the competition between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders is too close to call.

Meanwhile, South Carolina Republicans go to the polls in a few hours. New survey showed Donald Trump leads the state but Ted Cruz is gaining.

U.S. President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, paid their respect this Friday to Antonin Scalia, as the body of the late justice lay in repose at the U.S. Supreme Court.

Scalia died last weekend, he was 79 years old. His funeral will be held in Washington in the coming hours.

Now back to Fiji, the story we're covering about this tropical cyclone Winston that is rampaging across the country's main islands. The storm made landfall just after 7:00 p.m. local time. Fiji's Prime Minister is calling for citizens to be alert and stick together.

Earlier, my colleague, Natalie Allen, spoke with Fiji's Red Cross Operations Manager with more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ESEROMA LEDUA, FIJI'S RED CROSS OPERATIONS MANAGER: We are currently working with the government in getting to the areas still affected now, because I believe the whole Fiji will be affected during this tropical cyclone Winston due to its current path. But in terms of the population that are evacuated to Red Cross centers that are open and are managed by the district offices units. 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.

NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR: And thank you very much for that information. I want to also ask you how many people might be impacted by the storm.

LEDUA: Right now, the (inaudible) operation centers have the figures that was given to them this afternoon, which I'm not, you know, positioned to give definite figure in terms of the people that are evacuated in the evacuated centers that are open now in Fiji.

ALLEN: We know that the last time Fiji was hit by a major storm, it was 2012 and there were no deaths. So, Fiji is well prepared and it's used to preparing for these cyclones, is that correct?

LEDUA: Yes. Currently, well, from the updates that you've seen from the government this evening, still there's no report of casualties or injuries on the families and the population that evacuated to the evacuation center. And also advisors were coming out through media stations through the radio and also TV for people to evacuate while they still can.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: That's my colleague, Natalie Allen, there focusing on this cyclone and we'll continue to follow that story as well.

The final results are in in Uganda's elections that are expected in just a few more hours, but the hotly contested leadership vote has been marked by protests and accusations of vote rigging. The main opposition leader was detained for the third time this week as police clash his supporters on Friday.

Early numbers show the country's current lead, President Yoweri Museveni, may be on track to win his fifth term in office for the very latest.

Let's bring in CNN's Robyn Kriel following developments from Nairobi, Kenya. Robyn, what's the latest from Uganda's electoral commission that's announcing the results in Kampala? Are there any results coming through? ROBYN KRIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the next results are slowly

trickling through, George. What we can tell you is that, of the -- roughly 15 million people who voted out a couple of hours ago, the electoral commission had counted around 8 million of votes.

[04:35:00] And, according to CNN's journalists on the ground in Kampala, it is likely that in the next couple of hours, they will announce that they've counted 50 percent.

At the moment, Yoweri Museveni, the incumbent president of 30 years in Uganda is leading with 60 percent. The leading opposition party, Kizza Besigye, who you mentioned had been arrested a number of times this week and is currently under what seems to be house arrest to what the police are calling preventive arrest at his home is ...

HOWELL: I believe we just lost Robyn Kriel there. But again, we understand that the votes are coming in and it looks as if Yoweri Museveni may be back on track to win his fifth term in office. Keep in mind, he's been in office for many decades.

And we are seeing this election happen at a time where there are protests and accusations of vote rigging. But again, this election that is happening in Uganda, we will, of course, continue to follow that story and we thank Robyn Kriel for her reporting.

In Iowa, we saw coin tosses, so what will happen if there's a tie in the Nevada caucuses? Party members will solve it Las Vegas style we understand. That story is next.

Plus, Donald Trump, he wants to wall up the U.S. border with Mexico. We take a look at how that could happen and what it could cost, and what it would take. How long it would take?

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOWELL: In Nevada, we have just hours to go until the Democratic caucuses begin. Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton are neck and neck in the Silver State. Clinton is just ahead one point, one point ahead of the Vermont senator, 48 percent to 47 percent. Both candidates spent a final day holding rallies to appeal to voters the last minute there.

Presidential caucus is when party members meet to pick a candidate, but what if there is a tie?

[04:40:02] Well, in Nevada, the candidates' fate comes down to cards. Kyung Lah tells us about the tie-breaker from Sin City.

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, the polls say that they are in a dead heat for the Nevada Democratic caucus.

So, what happens in a precinct if there's actually a tie? Forget the coin flip, Nevada is a gaming country. So if there's a tie in a precinct, then the precinct captain opens up

a filled deck of cards, (inaudible) them up. Find the jokers, toss those.

Now, the fake Democratic Party says, "You then shuffle seven times."

Spread out the cards, then you have a representative from each candidate, Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton. You each draw a card.

The high card wins, ace is high, followed by king, queen, jack, all the way down to duke. Now, let's say you pulled two kings. What you turn to, you turn to the suit, ace is high, followed by hearts, diamonds down to clubs, that's how you determine the winner.

OK, so, let's take a peak.

HOWELL: (Inaudible) story tell us, Kyung Lah breaking it down is only Kyung Lah can do.

Donald Trump rarely appears on the campaign trail without saying that he wants to build a wall between the United States and Mexico. Building a barrier like this one that you see to keep people from crossing illegally into the United States is a cornerstone of Mr. Trump's candidacy.

He wants to stretch for the entire border, but the question, is that even possible. Our Jason Carroll went to McAllen, Texas for a reality check.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What would it take to build a wall on the border between the United States and Mexico? We're talking about an area 1,954 miles stretching across California, Arizona and New Mexico and right here in Texas just about 100 yards away from Mexico.

We spoke to civil engineers, architects and academics, they all say the wall can be built, it can be done. The question is, how?

The first thing one has to do is before you go up, you have to go down and build a foundation. This will help provide support for the wall in order to prevent people from tunneling underneath it, it should be at least five feet deep.

The second thing one must consider is, what do you use to build a wall? What materials do you go after? What about cinder block?

The upside is, it's strong, it's secure, it's readily available. The downside is, it's labor intensive to have to stack every single brick in order to build the wall. So, our experts say, that option doesn't work.

There is another option, using poured concrete on site, that's what they did when they built the Huber Dam. The downside to that is, when you pour concrete in warmer climates like along many of these border states, experts say what you could end up with is a weaker wall because the concrete might not dry correctly, meaning, a wall that could end up crumbling.

So what could be the answer here? The experts that we spoke to say the way to go is precasted cement wall panels. Those panels will be lined side by side, sort of like what you might see on a highway. Each panel would be about 20 feet high, again, five feet below ground, about 10 feet wide and eight inches thick.

Again, that wall will be stretching some 2,000 miles and our expert says it would require 339 million cubic feet of concrete. And that's just for the panels. You're also going to need reinforced steel at least 5 billion pounds.

So what about the estimated cost? Because it hasn't been done before, let's use those highway panels as an example. They cost about $40 a square of foot. That would end up costing about $10.5 billion. Sounds like a lot of money, is a lot of money, but again, remember Donald Trump says the U.S. government wouldn't end up putting the bill on this one. It would be Mexico.

And what about the timing on all of this? How long would it take to build? According to our expert, if you're ambitious, you could get it done within a presidential term, four years.

Jason Carroll, CNN, McAllen, Texas.

HOWELL: You are watching CNN NEWSROOM. Still to come, she wrote one of the greatest American novels, Harper Lee, died at the age of 89 years old.

More on her fascinating life, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:46:03] DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT SHOW: I am Don Riddell with your CNN World Sport headlines. We'll start with the good news, the Manchester United defense (ph), the knee injury that David De Gea suffered in the warm-up for Thursday's Europa League in Denmark, it doesn't seem as bad as first appeared.

The bad news, a way to begin, United's humiliating defeat against Midtjylland was one of their worse ever European nights, and the result confirms Louis van Gaal as United's worst manager in 35 years. They've now lost nine and they lost 27 games.

The Formula One racing driver, Sebastian Vettel, is a four-time World Champion. And he say's he can't wait to get the news season started next month. Not so much because he loves racing, more so because he loves the new Ferrari model which is unveiled on Friday. This is the SF16-H, tighter, narrower car which Ferrari hopes will close the gap on Mercedes.

Now, the American skier, Lindsey Vonn, isn't usually one for excuses, but she was absolutely live it up (ph) after one of her skis came off during Friday's downhill in Italy. Vonn was a favorite ahead of the race since she knew a win would keep her ahead in the overall rankings, but when she was making a sharp turn at about 50 miles per hour, the ski detached and that was that. Vonn says she doesn't know how it happened.

The good news, she wasn't hurt, certainly no repeated knee injuries which have played there in recent times at the crush's coaster win. And now her Swiss rival, Laura Gut, is leading in the overall standing.

And that is a quick look at your sport headlines. I'm Don Riddell.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOWELL: An update now on the legal battle over Apple's refusal to help the FBI unlock a terrorist's iPhone. The U.S. Attorney's Office filed a motion on Friday to force Apple to help in the San Bernardino mass shooting investigation.

The company has until next week to respond, and the hearing on the dispute is set for March 22nd. Apple has said that the order is an overreach, and that breaking into even a criminal's iPhone could set a dangerous precedent in terms of privacy.

The taxi service Uber is hoping to make inroads in China, where it's currently losing $1 billion a year. Uber plans to expand substantially, it has a goal of operating in 100 Chinese cities by the end of 2016.

The Italian literary giant has died on Friday. Umberto Eco was 84 years old, his noble, the Name of the Rose, was the 14th Century murder story that was filled with theological references. It sold 10 million copies and was turned into a movie into a movie, starring Sean Connery.

Eco also wrote Foucault's Pendulum. He was a philosopher who taught at major universities and specialized in the study of symbolism.

The literary world is also mourning the loss of a revered American author, Harper Lee.

[04:50:00] Her Pulitzer Prize winning novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, was published in 1960 and it became one of the most celebrated works of all time. She died on Friday in her hometown of Monroeville, Alabama. Harper Lee was 89 years old.

Despite her fame, Lee did not bask in the limelight, but rather lived a quiet life in the Southern U.S.

CNN's Anderson Cooper has more on the life and the career of Harper Lee.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ATTICUS FINCH, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD CHARACTER: You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: A life lesson delivered by the fictional Alabama lawyer, Atticus Finch in the 1962 film, To Kill a Mockingbird.

FINCH: She kissed a black man.

COOPER: The movie looked the racial injustice of the 1930s through the eyes of Finch's daughter, Scout. These characters were first brought to life by famed author Harper Lee in a novel that became a classic for all generations.

Nelle Harper Lee was born April 28th, 1926 in the small town of Monroeville, Alabama. Lee's father was a lawyer and served as inspiration for her books of a wise hero.

Following in her father's footsteps, Lee studied law at the University of Alabama and became editor of the school's humorous and literary magazine. But by age 23, she'd abandoned law and moved to New York to become a writer. There, Lee reunited with her childhood friend and fellow writer, Truman Capote, assisting him in the research that led to his breakthrough novel, In Cold Blood.

Their unique friendship played out in the big screen in the award winning movie, Capote.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're the only one I know with the qualifications to be both a research assistant and a personal bodyguard.

COOPER: Lee's first novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, was published in 1960 and received the Pulitzer Prize. In 2007, President George W. Bush presented Lee with the Medal of Freedom.

GEORGE W. BUSH, FMR. U.S. PRESIDENT: All of us are filled with admiration for a great American and a lovely lady named Harper Lee.

COOPER: But for most of her life, she stayed out of the spotlight. In one of the few interviews Lee ever granted, she offered a glimpsed into her thoughts saying, "I want to do the best I can with the talent God gave me. All I want to be is the Jane Austen of South Alabama."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE. One of the most widely anticipated books ...

COOPER: In 2015, the literary world was stunned by the announcement that a second Harper Lee manuscript titled, Go Set a Watchman, would be published, completed in 1957. Watchman was actually written before To Kill a Mockingbird and featured Scout and Atticus some 20 years later.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is really the publishing event of the decade.

COOPER: That excitement lit up in small town where Harper Lee grew up and lived in her twilight years.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To have another book, we are charmed.

COOPER: But many fans were disappointed in the portrayal of the characters they knew and loved.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A couple of the tweets really echo in a devastation of fans out there. "The idea of Atticus Finch being racist is like Spielberg doing a sequel in which ET punches Eliot in the face and steals his lunch money."

COOPER: Watchman still became a best seller, the fastest selling book in HarperCollins' publishing history.

Through all the fanfare, Harper Lee remained quite, rarely seen or heard from, but forever remembered from inspiring the world through her written words.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died last weekend at the age of 79. After the initial shock of his passing, attention is now shifting to the seat that he leaves behind.

Our Jeffrey Toobin explains the process to choose his replacement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Federal judges, including Supreme Court justices serve for life. That's why presidents regard these judicial appointments as such an important way to extend their own legacies.

The constitution does not set out a resume that a Supreme Court Justice has to have. There's no requirement in the constitution that a Supreme Court Justice even be a lawyer, but traditionally, presidents have nominated in technically qualified sitting judges.

Both presidents and senators like to say that the confirmation process is all about qualifications, but it's really also about politics.

Virtually, every important issue in American politics and even American life winds up in front of the Supreme Court. And, they have the last word, both the President and the senators trying to figure out how the nominee stands on the hot-button issues that the Supreme Court deals with, and that's why the senators will vote yes or no.

There is no law that says a president can't nominate someone to the Supreme Court in his last year in office. The Senate, on the other hand, can run out the clock when they don't want a president to fill that seat.

[04:55:04] The Supreme Court is designed to operate with nine justices.

What makes Justice Scalia's death so unusual in the Supreme Court history is that most justices announce that they plan to retire and then a president nominates their successor.

So there is no vacancy at any point in the Supreme Court. With eight justices, there are possibilities for tie votes which can create a significant amount of confusion in the law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: That was Jeff Toobin reporting there for us. We thank you for joining us. I'm George Howell at the CNN Center,

Atlanta.

I'll be back after the break with another hour of news around the world.

You're watching CNN, the world's news leader.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOWELL: He's won a battle but he hasn't won the war yet. David Cameron agrees to a deal that he hopes will keep breaking in the E.U., but his cabinet and the public might have other ideas. We expect to hear from him this hour.

Plus, a powerful cyclone strikes Fiji with wind gusts equivalent to those of a monster hurricane. More on the storm that is hitting the island nation. And, no Republican has ever taken New Hampshire and South Carolina and not won his party's presidential nomination. So the focus is on the man you see right there as he aims to ensure that history repeats itself.

From CNN, world headquarters in Atlanta. Well, to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm George Howell.

[05:00:00] NEWSROOM starts right now.