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Republicans Stump in Nevada; Trump: I Expect to Clinch Nomination Before July; Rubio, Cruz Battle to Become Chief Trump Challenger; Sanders Courts South Carolina Voters; Michigan Shooting Rampage Kills 6 People; More than 120 Killed in Syria Attacks, Huge Cyclone Kills at Least 17 in Fiji; Deadly Protests Deplete Water Supply in New Delhi; London Mayor Backs U.K. Exit from the E.U.; U.S. Slaps New Sanctions on North Korea; Spoofs of the 2016 U.S. Presidential Race. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired February 22, 2016 - 00:00   ET

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

[00:00:00] JOHN VAUSE, CNN HOST: This is CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. Ahead this hour, can Donald be denied? After two blow-out primary wins in a row and riding high in the polls, does Donald Trump have a lock on the Republican nomination for president? The Uber driver accused of a killing rampage in Michigan allegedly picked up passengers in between shooting his victims. And some schools are closed and water is being rationed after protestors shut down one of main water supplies to New Delhi. Hello. Really great to have you with us. I'm John Vause. NEWSROOM LA starts right now.

Republican presidential hopefuls are back on the campaign trail ahead of Tuesday's caucuses in the state of Nevada. Here's Sen. Marco Rubio.

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He's been rallying supporters, he's been talking up his success in early races, always finishing in the top three, but Rubio is really battling for second place with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Two Cuban- American senators virtually tied for second place in Saturday's South Carolina primary.

Donald Trump plans to campaign in Nevada on Monday, but he was in Atlanta on Sunday predicting his winning streak will just keep going.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We had such an amazing victory yesterday. Incredible. Incredible. Incredible. That was something. And the week before -- I'll tell you what. We're just going one after another. Are we going to win Georgia? Yes.

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VAUSE: Trump told CNN he is sure to clinch the Republican nomination by July. He also predicted Hillary Clinton will get the Democratic nod.

OK, for more on this Dave Jacobson, a Democrat strategist, and our Republican friend, John Thomas is here with us, yet again. We're going to get you guys staff I.D.'s pretty soon.

JOHN THOMAS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: I go with that.

VAUSE: Well, one thing we thought that was really interesting today, and if you have a look where the Republican candidates were, we had Donald Trump who is campaigning in Atlanta, Georgia. Georgia votes not this week, but March 1st. And the other two guys, Rubio and Cruz, were campaigning in Nevada. And in some ways, if you just look at the map it really just shows how Donald Trump has been one step ahead of everybody else.

THOMAS: Yes, you make a good point. Trump is a very savvy campaigner. He does better in primaries than he does caucuses, but he's probably going to win Nevada and he knows it. He has a bigger margin for error there so he's already looking forward to Super Tuesday. That's when he has to make big blowout so it's smart of him to be looking ahead. But, he'll come back to Nevada.

VAUSE: Oh, yes. He's on his way back now. He's holding four campaign events over the next couple of days.

THOMAS: Yes.

VAUSE: But, obviously, this guy's turning into quite a savvy politician despite what he says.

DAVE JACOBSON, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: He, sort of, cemented his front runner status the other day in South Carolina, right? I think the real question is, is there going to be some sort of consolidation effort behind Marco Rubio with the establishment? If they're going to do it they've really got to move a lightning speed. Otherwise, Trump looks like he's going to be unstoppable.

THOMAS: I don't see that happening. Why would Ted Cruz, who had what, $40 million or $50 million raised. He's got plenty of money to go the distance. John Kasich might as well stay until Ohio because it's a winner take all.

VAUSE: Right.

THOMAS: I just don't see this field narrowing unless something cataclysmic happens.

VAUSE: And this is a problem because once we get past Super Tuesday and we hit March 15th, that all the states on the Republican side are winner take all.

THOMAS: That's right. Right.

VAUSE: And if you don't get that field down, that's a huge advantage to Trump, isn't it?

THOMAS: It's a huge advantage. You're right. And so what might happen is either Trump runs the table or it still remains a little bit fractured and goes to a brokered convention. I think either one -- look, the broker convention probably doesn't bode well for Trump, but he could break off and run independent and break his pledge.

VAUSE: You think he'll do that?

JACOBSON: I don't know. I think the real question is whether or not Ted Cruz stays in if he doesn't win his home state of Texas. I think the argument for him to sort of fortify this southern firewall that he had in South Carolina failed, right?

VAUSE: Which he didn't carry evangelicals there, and you know that's his backyard.

JACOBSON: Right. Here's the problem. Right. And moreover, he was making the argument just days ago that this is essentially a two- person race.

VAUSE: Well, he was right. Marco Rubio is --

JACOBSON: Clearly he came in third, right? So that's not sort of a narrative that's going to help propel him forward in the next few states.

THOMAS: Well, Ted has been a victim of Donald Trump's attacks for weeks on end, and quite frankly, the Cruz campaign has made a few big mistakes and people are starting to trust their creditability that they'll do or say anything to win, and that's not good.

VAUSE: OK, you can tell me if this is accurate, but I see that there's three types of people right now in the GOP -- in the Republican Party. There are those that believe that something is going to happen to Donald Trump and that he will, effectively, implode at some point. Others who believe that something must be done to stop Donald Trump. And then there are those who believe they just simply now at this point have to embrace Donald Trump. From your point of view, where does the majority lie?

THOMAS: The majority believe that Donald Trump has reached his ceiling if the Republican field -- the establishment link can coalesce. That's what the majority of people think. We're not ready to accept Donald Trump yet, although quite frankly we think about it more and more and what the reality of that would be like.

[00:05:16]

I mean, not even the Pope can take this guy down, right? So, no, he's a strong candidate and so we'll watch. It's a question of Texas with Cruz. Marco's now making strictly a general election argument in all of his -- he's saying he's best to defeat Hillary. He's not saying he's the most principle conservative. And Donald Trump is saying he's the biggest change candidate.

VAUSE: OK. The logic now though, obviously, that Rubio is, in fact, making is that he's the guy to take out Donald Trump. How much is he being helped by Jeb Bush not being in the campaign because we had Jeb Bush's super PAC really going after Rubio? They're obviously now out of the game. Does this give Rubio a bit of an advantage? JACOBSON: Well, look. Clearly he was trying to appeal to the Jeb Bush donors yesterday when he gave his speech, obviously saying tremendous things about Gov. Jeb Bush. So, he clearly wants that endorsement. I just don't know if he's going to get it in enough time really make a difference. I mean, those guys are really battling it out. They had sharp attacks going back and forth, so it's a real question of whether or not the Bushes will coalesce behind Rubio, particularly if there's still establishment candidates in the race like John Kasich.

THOMAS: And Ted Cruz has a lot of money to beat up Marco Rubio.

JACOBSON: Yes.

THOMAS: I think the question for Marco Rubio here is on the one real moment where he was taken to task at the debate by Chris Christie, he failed in that moment. Donald Trump has yet to unload on Marco Rubio. When he does, can Marco Rubio stand up to those attacks?

VAUSE: He sort of has a little, but really nothing compared to Jeb Bush and Ted Cruz.

THOMAS: Right.

VAUSE: Of course, there's the Democrats as well. They're now turning their attention to South Carolina. Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton will face off there. A primary this coming Saturday. And fresh off his weekend loss to Clinton in Nevada, Sanders has been making his case at a rally on Sunday.

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SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: South Carolina has the opportunity to make American history and I hope you will.

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VAUSE: Now, Hillary Clinton is crediting her win in Nevada to months of organizing by her campaign staff. She also told CNN that she has some work to do to commit independent voters that she is trustworthy. A bit of a problem on the issue of trust. Another problem, too, and this happened a little earlier on Sunday in South Carolina. Bernie Sanders made this surprise visit to a predominantly African-American church in South Carolina.

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I think we have the video here, and if you look at it he tried to work the room, he tried to -- you know, he was delivering some kind of stump speech. People were eating and ignoring him, and no one was feeling the Bern. And Ireally think that this is a sign of what is to come in South Carolina because if he couldn't do Nevada, it doesn't get any easier in South Carolina. Dave? JACOBSON: Look, they're not buying what he's selling.

VAUSE: Yes.

JACOBSON: I mean, Hillary Clinton beat him by like 16 points with African-Americans in Nevada the other day, so clearly his message is not resonating with that constituency. His economic populous message isn't breaking through. Hillary Clinton's appealing to them. And I think this message that South Carolina can sort of send a message and change the country, this is the same kind of expectations that he built up in Nevada and that's why it was such a devastating blow for his campaign when he lost that. When you saw the dead heat polling.

VAUSE: Go ahead.

THOMAS: This is Hillary Clinton's nomination to lose at this point. Nevada was an opportunity for Sanders to show that he could hold minorities. He didn't. He did a little better with Latinos than people thought he would, but he can't hold on to that African-American block. But here's the thing. Sanders still has a ton of money. In fact, he's outraising Hillary quarter for quarter.

VAUSE: She has more money on hand, though, right now.

THOMAS: She does. She does, but she has it -- you can refill the trough with small donors --

VAUSE: Yes, $27.

THOMAS: -- pretty quickly. You can. And so, the thing is if Hillary Clinton makes a mistake, which they've been known to do, Sanders will have the powder to exploit that. But, it is -- favorite Hillary at this point.

VAUSE: And you talk about Latino voters. You have The New York Times and Nate Silver, the other thing -- pollster -- saying that Sanders did not carry Latino voters in Nevada despite what the entrance and exit polls may have suggested. He didn't really carry any of the major groups in the African-Americans, the working class, and now it looks like he didn't carry Latino voters. So, Dave, this is not the stuff of a political revolution.

JACOBSON: Not at all. I mean, look, and turnout is extraordinarily low. I think it was something like 120,000 people turned out on the Democratic side in 2008, and you had about 80,000 Democrats turn out yesterday. So, this is not the turnout that he is talking about when he calls for a political revolution. Moreover, yesterday was sort of Hillary's real fire -- the first of two consecutive firewall states. And the win yesterday sort of catapulted her campaign with the momentum that she needs to maintain that big buffer that she's got in South Carolina. Two back-to-back wins is really going to position her well for Super Tuesday where there's about 900 delegates up for grabs.

THOMAS: Let's face it. Sander's appeal is mostly to white liberals. That's really what it is.

VAUSE: So we did get something right.

THOMAS: But, looking again, just like Ted Cruz. I think if Sander's last stand is in Texas -- if he can beat Hillary in Texas maybe there's a path there. But, again, he didn't show it with Latinos in Nevada so I don't know about Texas.

VAUSE: I want you to talk about super delegates because some Sander's supporters -- well, all of Sander's supporters say hey look, this is another example of the fixes in the Democratic National Committee, you know. They're behind Hillary all the way and these super delegates, you know, he won Iowa and New Hampshire -- or, tied in Iowa rather, and New Hampshire -- and she's got 500 delegates to his 60 or something? So how does this work and why is it fair?

[00:10:32]

JACOBSON: Right. Well, I think the reality is I think you need something somewhere around 2,400 delegates to lock up the nomination, right? And she's got such a substantially -- super delegates are uncommitted delegates. They're not delegates that are translated when you win a state. They're members of Congress, they're DNC members, they're governors, they're big heavyweights in the Democratic Party.

They are the establishment, right, so it makes sense. And you know what? You're seeing on the Democratic side that yesterday was sort of a vindication for the establishment. They won yesterday, and Hillary Clinton's win in South Carolina, I think, in a couple of days is sort of going to cement the fact that the establishment's probably going to win in the Democratic contest. Very different on the Republican side.

THOMAS: Most of the senior Democrats thatI know in the House and the Senate are scared to death of Bernie Sanders. Not only do they think he won't win, but if he did win they're scared of what that means in the mid-term for them.

VAUSE: That's right, and those are the down races as well.

THOMAS: So they don't want him to win.

VAUSE: But does it add to this possession (ph) that the fix is in for Hillary?

THOMAS: Yes. I mean, leave it the Clintons to rig the system, right? But, that's right. I mean, we start in Iowa with coin flips or Nevada with --

VAUSE: Cutting cards.

THOMAS: Cutting cards. You can't make this stuff up.

VAUSE: OK, you get the last word.

THOMAS: I think the fact is Hillary Clinton -- it's not about Bernie Sanders anymore. Hillary Clinton has serious fundamental problems as a candidate. You hit it. Trust is the issue.

VAUSE: Right.

THOMAS: If she can't get around that she may lose in November.

VAUSE: Super delegates don't help. John, thank you. We'll talk to you again next time. Appreciate it.

OK, ahead of the next Sunday's Democratic primary in South Carolina, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders will come face-to-face with voters this Tuesday night right here on CNN. Chris Cuomo hosts a Democratic town hall live from Columbia, South Carolina. You can see it Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. in Hong Kong. And the five remaining Republican hopefuls will face off Thursday in a debate in Houston. CNN's Wolf Blitzer will be your moderator. You can see it here Friday at 9:30 a.m. Hong Kong time. That's your politics news.

We'll move on now, and the suspected gunman in a shooting rampage in the U.S. state of Michigan was an Uber driver, and according to one source he continued picking up passengers between shootings. Mourners have gathered in Kalamazoo in the past few hours to grieve for the six victims. Police describe the seemingly random attacks as the stuff of nightmares.

Nick Valencia has more.

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NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is sickening when you consider the details. Investigators saying that this suspect, a 45-year-old male from Kalamazoo, casually carried out this shooting spree. He was working as an Uber driver and in between each shooting was still picking up fares.

That suspect was eventually taken into custody at around 12:30 in the morning. Investigators seized a semi-automatic handgun from his person, and in a search of his residence were able to discover even more weapons. They're working on figuring out if any of those weapons were connected or used in the commission of these crimes.

What's really unsettling to investigators here is the suspect here. They described him, for all intents and purposes, as an average Joe. Someone with no criminal history, no criminal record, and certainly no indication that he would have the capability of carrying out something like this.

Six people left dead, another two critically wounded. Among them a mother of three who was the first to be shot. The second person still recovering in the hospital. A 14-year-old girl who was so gravely injured that investigators initially announced her dead. She has had surgery -- is still in grave condition. Investigators worried about her outcome. As far as that suspect is concerned, he is expected to make his first court appearance sometime on Monday and will face murder charges. Nick Valencia, CNN, Kalamazoo, Michigan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Jason Dalton's neighbors described him as quiet, even nice. He had no previous criminal record and passed a background check for Uber. One of the passengers who rode with Dalton just before the shootings described escaping the car.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got maybe a mile from my house and he got a telephone call. After that telephone call he started driving really erratically. We were kind of driving through medians, driving through the lawn, speeding along. And then finally, once he came to a stop I jumped out of the car and ran away.

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VAUSE: Investigators have been talking to Dalton, but so far they're yet to find a motive.

Well, it was an encouraging diplomatic sign for Syria, but it comes on an especially violent day. Syria's state-run news agency reports at least 122 people were killed and dozens wounded in a series of bombings. ISIS is claiming responsibility.

Jomana Karadsheh has the latest developments.

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Dozens killed and wounded in several bomb attacks in Syria on Sunday. In the city of Homs, two car bombs packed with explosives detonated in a Zahra (ph) neighborhood in the center of Homs. This is a busy commercial and residential area. According to officials the car bombs detonated near a busy bus terminal. Now, this is not the first time that we've seen an attack like this in this same area.

[00:15:48] This is the fourth such attack in three months. All attacks, including Sunday's, have been claimed by ISIS. This area is a predominantly Alawites one. That is the sect -- the minority sect of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. In the capital Damascus, triple bombings targeting Sayyida Zeinab, a predominantly Shia are in the southern part of Damascus. This is home to a holy Shia shrine and it has been targeted several times in the past.

Now, ISIS claiming responsibility also for the attack, saying it was carried out by two suicide bombers and a car bomb also. Now, they say that the target of this attack was Shia militiamen. It is also -- this area is known to have a large presence of Shia militiamen loyal to the Assad regime, many of them coming from countries like Iraq.

The violence coming on the same day as we heard from U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, speaking at a press conference here in the Jordanian capital. Sec. Kerry saying U.S. and Russian officials who have been working on the details of that cessation of hostilities agreement that was supposed to go into effect on Friday. Now he says they have reached a tentative agreement, saying that now we are closer than we have been to seeing that temporary truce on the ground. Here is what Sec. Kerry had to say.

JOHN KERRY, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We have reached a provisional agreement in principle on the terms of the cessation of hostilities that could begin in the coming days. It is not yet done, and I anticipate that our presidents, President Obama and President Putin, may well speak somewhere in the next days or so in order to try to complete this task.

KARADSHEH: But the kind of violence we saw unfold in Syria on Sunday is unlikely to cease anytime soon. The violence that is claimed by groups like ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra, the al-Qaeda affiliate in the country -- the two extremists organizations that are not part of any negotiation or any cessation of hostilities agreement. Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Oman.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Fiji's prime minister says a deadly storm has left many in his country stunned and confused. I'll have the latest on the aftermath of tropical cyclone Winston. That's ahead on NEWSROOM LA. Also, protests in Northern India leave the capital city with a water crisis. Details coming up.

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VAUSE: In Fiji, a record-breaking storm has now come and gone, but it's left behind destruction and heartache. CARE Australia says tropical cyclone Winston has killed at least 17 people in the South Pacific island. Fiji's prime minister says there's widespread damage and flooding, and power remains out across many of the outlying islands. A state of emergency is in effect for 30 days as the cleanup continues.

Let's go to Pedram Javaheri, who has more on this from the international weather center. So, Pedram, this is what -- one of the most powerful storms ever in the southern hemisphere?

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely, the most powerful storm in the southern hemisphere. And, John, incredibly just nine kilometers shy of supertyphoon Haiyan as far as being the second strongest storm to ever make landfall. Haiyan being number one from several years. But the damage just remarkable when you take a look at the trees down, the homes completely flattened, and of course, when you see barks removed from trees you know the storm is significant.

And the National Weather Service in the United States and the National Hurricane Center categorized this and puts this wind speed upwards of a category five. We know the winds were sustained at 297 kilometers per hour, but look at the verbiage on this. They say a high percentage of those frame homes will be destroyed, with a total failure of wall collapse likely, but they say power outages with these sort of winds would last several weeks or several months.

And, of course, when you broaden out the perspective on this, the area would be uninhabitable when you typically have these wind speeds for potentially weeks if not months. And, of course, we know a large area was impacted. I want to lay the ground here when it comes to this particular storm system. How it impacted this region. And, of course, you take a look. There's several islands it impacted and island Archipelago of Fiji, about 330 islands, 110 of which of are permanently inhabited. Not most certainly they are.

Viti Levu, 1,300-meter high mountain. So the mountains could weaken the storm system. Unfortunately, as you bring the storm in, you see the incredible nature of this storm system, among the strongest ever observed, of course, in the world, and the strongest in the southern hemisphere. See this island right here? This island is Coral Island. About 5,000 people live here and the storm's direct impact on this island literally would be uninhabitable for a very long time because of the sheer nature of this storm system.

And then you work your way and you see the town of Rakiraki, which is -- about 30,000 people live in this town. Also taking a direct hit. And other towns farther downstream. About 80,000 live here. It's the second largest town in the entire island. So, you look at this, you think fatalities only coming in at 17, it really is remarkable. The storm system is far from over. It is still sitting as a category three equivalent. Fortunately, it works its way farther to the south over the next couple of days. We think it will weaken. It will enter cooler waters and begin to fall apart.

And again, the winds will begin to die down. The concern with this is eventually out toward the eastern side of this, John, look at this. There is the storm system over open waters. It could still produce rainfall over 150 or so millimeters in some of the hardest hit areas. So, of course, recovery and we know that with 80 percent potentially of the population of the entire islands, John, still without power, without communication, the last thing you want to see is torrential rain falling. The storm still has that before it departs the region. So, we're watching all this carefully.

VAUSE: They've got a lot of misery still to come before it gets better. Pedram, thank you. Millions in India's capital are facing water rationing after deadly protests in a neighboring state cut off one of Delhi's main water supplies.

We get details now from Sumnima Udas reporting in from New Delhi.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUMNIMA UDAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This city of 25 million people is bracing for what officials call an unprecedented water crisis because protestors in the neighboring states of Fariana have damaged a key water supply canal.

[00:25:80] So in areas this like taps are already running dry. Nothing's been coming out for the past two days. So how are you managing? You have a dairy here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are taking --

UDAS: He says he's been lugging buckets and jugs of water from home to run his business. It's OK for now but it's soon going to get very difficult and expensive. No water means most people are having to buy these water jugs. Normally they cost about 30 rupees. That's 50 cents. But there's a bit of a black market going on because of this water crisis, so this jug right now costs 100 rupees. That's a dollar and a half.

The heart of the violent protests, Fariana, is not far from here. The agitators belong to the state's dominant cause, called Jats. They've been looting, setting public property on fire. They're demanding a place for reservations in India's education and government jobs quota system. It's an affirmative action plan India put in place decades ago to uplift those belonging to disadvantaged lower class.

The system has also been touted as one of India's success stories, but resentment is growing as jobs become more scarce. At least 10 people have died due to the violence. Paramilitary troops have been deployed with shoot-on-site orders. Hundreds of trains have been cancelled -- highways blocked. But in the capital, it's the scarcity of the (no audio) that's hurting people most.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There is no water for cooking. There is no water for washing those dishes. It's like all untidy. The kitchen is unhygienic now. When you go to the washroom you have to think twice. Are you going to use your flush? Because if your flush is not working properly the basic sanitation is not in place so you can't go back there again. How do you take baths?

UDAS: It's worth noting that many people in Delhi do use groundwater and often rely on water tankers because there's never really been a 24/7 water supply from the state to most households. But still, people here say they're preparing for the worse. Sumnima Udas, CNN, New Delhi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: When we come back, a political blow to Prime Minister David Cameron of London. The mayor says he backing the campaign to lead the European union. We'll tell the reasons why after a short break.

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VAUSE (voice-over): Welcome back, everybody. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. I'm John Vause; the headlines this hour.

(HEADLINES)

VAUSE: One of Britain's most prominent conservatives has come out against a deal to stay in the European Union. London mayor Boris Johnson says he will campaign for the U.K. to leave the E.U. It marks a significant break with the leader of Johnson's own party, Prime Minister David Cameron.

But as Erin McLaughlin reports, the decision wasn't an easy one for Johnson.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Boris Johnson's arguments very sympathetic to how many people here in the United Kingdom feel that membership in the E.U. is eroding Britain's sovereignty in key areas, such as human rights, border control and employment.

He also had some very strong words for the European political project as a whole, saying, quote, "it's in real danger of getting out of control."

It is a position that he said that he's held for some time and that he's written papers on it. So perhaps Sunday's announcement comes as no surprise though he said he did struggle to make the decision. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BORIS JOHNSON, MAYOR OF LONDON: After a great deal of heartache, I don't think there's anything else I could do. I will be advocating vote leave or whatever the deal is called -- I understand there are many of them. I think that is (INAUDIBLE) basically because I want a better deal for the people of this country, to save them money and to take back control.

MCLAUGHLIN (voice-over): Boris Johnson is an extremely popular conservative figure and he seemed to have sway on this issue; according to a recent Ipsos MORI poll, a third of the people responded, saying that they could be influenced by Boris Johnson's stance on this topic.

The most influential person, however, British prime minister David Cameron, who, on Sunday morning on "The Andrew Marr Show" on the BBC, made an impassioned speech for the United Kingdom to remain in the E.U. Take a listen.

DAVID CAMERON, PRIME MINISTER, GREAT BRITAIN: Boris and if others really care about being able to get things done in our world, then the E.U. is one of the ways in which we get them done.

Having that seat at the table in the E.U., just as being a member of NATO, is a vital way that we project our values and our power and our influence in the world.

MCLAUGHLIN: Campaigning starts Monday. The referendum date is set for June 23rd and there is a lot at stake, not only for the United Kingdom but the European Union as a whole; the U.K. is, after all, the second largest economy in the E.U. -- Erin McLaughlin, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: The United States secretly agreed to peace talks with North Korea just before the country tested a nuclear bomb. That's according to a new report by "The Wall Street Journal."

The U.S. State Department responded Sunday saying North Korea requested the talks and the U.S. pulled out when Pyongyang refused to include any discussion of denuclearization.

For more let's bring in Paula Hancocks. She joins us now live this hour from Seoul.

Paula, can you clarify some of the reporting here?

The "Wall Street Journal" seems to suggest the U.S. seemed to initiate these peace talks; it was the North Koreans who kind of snubbed them. The State Department sort of saying it was the other way around.

So where do things stand right now?

[00:35:00]

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, the latest we have from the State Department is that it was, in fact, North Korea that approached them and they proposed these talks to sign this peace treaty.

And then the U.S. said that they did carefully consider the proposal. But when they said that denuclearization had to be a key part of this discussion, North Korea refused and that was the end of the discussions as far as the State Department is concerned, slightly different reporting from "The Wall Street Journal." They quote numerous sources, unnamed sources.

But it is something that Pyongyang has been trying to push for over recent months and years, certainly since the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, took control. These calls for a peace treaty have increased.

And back in 1953 at the end of the Korean War there was just an armistice that was signed between the U.S., which was representing the United Nations countries, the Chinese and North Korean militaries.

And this is what North Korea wants. They want this peace treaty to be signed. We've heard from North Korea last month, saying that if a peace treaty was signed, if joint military drills between South Korea and the U.S. were cancelled, then they would stop their nuclear tests.

But U.S. officials have, in the past, said that they don't believe that this is a legitimate request by North Korea if they are not going to deal with the denuclearize issue, then they cannot simply talk about the peace treaty. The two go hand in hand -- John.

VAUSE: And Paula, given all of the nasty talk coming from North Korea and state media in the last couple of days as well as that artillery fire not far from the South Korean border, it seems the North Koreans are in no mood at least right now, for peace talks with anybody.

HANCOCKS: No. We seem to be a long way away from even the possibility of it. Remember, there's been a nuclear test. There's been a satellite launch, as you say, that has been -- that the artillery, there were military drills over the weekend. Or at least the photos of military drills in North Korea came out over the weekend.

Kim Jong-un was there, he was guiding these military drills. And just in a couple of weeks' time, March 7th, according to the defense minister here, we are going to see these massive South Korean-U.S. military drills.

The defense minister says at least part of that will be the biggest ever. These, without fail, annoy Pyongyang every single year. They see them as a dress rehearsal to an invasion. The U.S. and South Korea say that they are defensive in nature. But I think we are very long way away from seeing when discussions or negotiations could be carried out between Washington and Pyongyang, certainly with these military drills about to start -- John.

VAUSE: Paula, thank you, Paula Hancocks, live this hour in Seoul, South Korea.

Well, Pope Francis is again calling for an end to the death penalty. He's asking Catholic leaders to suspend the practice to mark the Holy Year of Mercy. Pope Francis as well as his predecessors have repeatedly spoken out against the death penalty. This time he used the Bible to bolster his case, saying the commandment, "Thou shalt not kill," applies to both the guilty as well as the innocent.

A short break here. When we come back, the 2016 U.S. presidential race is offering plenty of fodder for comedians and now there are some pretty good new ones coming out, some good new spoofs targeting Mr. Trump.

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VAUSE: And now for the moment when Donald Trump meets "Game of Thrones."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have no border. We have no control. People are flooding across. We need to build a wall and it has to be built quickly. The greatest builder is me. And I will build the greatest wall you have ever seen.

And in that wall, we're going to have a beautiful, big, fat door where people can come into the country but they have to come in legally.

I don't think they like me very much.

VAUSE (voice-over): Just part of "Winter is Trumping," a brilliantly edited match-up of Donald Trump's speeches, with his head obviously superimposed upon one of the characters from "Game of Thrones."

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VAUSE: You can find that out there on the Internet.

But wait, there is more. "The Simpsons" have released a short online clip with their own unique take on this very unique presidential election.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

"HOMER SIMPSON": Marge, think good thoughts. Think good thoughts. I know things look bad now but just try to visualize another America, one where Republicans, Democrats and Donald Trump all get along.

SEN. TED CRUZ (R), TEXAS: I'm enjoying watching Hillary Clinton.

DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I like Ted Cruz. He's been very nice to me.

As an act of love.

CRUZ: This is an issue where Bernie and I are in complete agreement.

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VAUSE: Ah, yes, but this, being "The Simpsons," here comes the kicker with a biting element of truth.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Don't drop me.

CRUZ: Just trust me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was perfect. The rest of you morons were flat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Flat?

We're flat broke, like your casinos.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Flat like the Canadian prairie you were born on.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), FLA., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And let's dispel once and for all with this fiction that he doesn't know what he's doing. He knows exactly what he's doing, exactly what he's doing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oops.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Want to see something my mother suggested.

TRUMP: Go ahead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: And you think -- it only going to go on from here. OK.

You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. I'm John Vause, I'll be back at the top of the hour for a look at the day's top stories.

But first, "WORLD SPORT" starts after the break.

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