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Fragile Truce in Syria; Clinton, Sanders Make Final Pitch in South Carolina; Trump, Rubio Mock Each Other in Speeches; Honoring Boris Nemtsov; Iran Voting Extended; Trump Vows To Fight Fraud Allegations; Zimbabwe President Celebrates Lavishly in Drought- Stricken Country; Odds for Oscar Night. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired February 27, 2016 - 05:00   ET

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

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GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): A shaky cease-fire in Syria amid reports of renewed fighting in some areas. A live report from the region ahead and we examine the prospects for peace.

Plus, an uphill battle for Bernie Sanders with Hillary Clinton expected to win comfortably in the South Carolina primary this Saturday. while the Republican campaign gets even uglier as leading candidates trade insults.

And 92 years and counting, a birthday bash for President Robert Mugabe. But it is not much of a celebration for thousands in Zimbabwe, who are feeling the pinch of the country's struggling economy.

From CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta, welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world, I'm George Howell. NEWSROOM starts right now.

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HOWELL: And a very good day to you.

Some 12 hours after a cease-fire took effect in Syria, sporadic violence and clashes now being reported across that country. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the incidents are between regime and rebel forces in Latakia. There are also firefights in Aleppo and Homs.

World officials did expect there to be some continued violence in the region. The agreed-upon cease-fire includes the Syrian government, Russia and the opposition forces. Military operations against terrorist groups will continue.

CNN is covering the story from all angles. Our international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson, is live in Riyadh, where the high negotiating committee that supports the opposition rebels is watching this very closely. And senior international correspondent Arwa Damon is live in Istanbul, Turkey, following developments across the region.

Arwa, I would like to start with you.

Even though the cease-fire has taken effect, these types of skirmishes are to be expected, yes?

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They are, to a certain degree, although none of them at this stage appear to have been that long in duration.

There have also been various reports of artillery being traded between various groups in the suburbs of Damascus.

And some of those clashes you are referring to just there, George, for example, the one that took place in Aleppo, those were between regime forces and ISIS.

Now remember, ISIS and the Al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front not part of this cessation of hostilities deal.

Perhaps the most significant in all of this, though, especially the most significant for the Syrian population, is that since that cessation of hostilities went into effect, there have been no reports of airstrikes by the Russian air force or by the Syrian air force.

And remember, too, that it is these airstrikes that, despite allegations to the contrary by the Russians and the Syrians, have continued to pound civilian targets leading up to the cessation of hostilities.

So that, at the very least, providing a little bit of breathing room for a population that has already suffered too much.

Now these clashes that have been taking place so far, nothing in comparison to what we have been seeing in days past. It remains to be seen whether or not this level of violence, this, comparatively speaking, lower level of violence will hold or not, given that ISIS and the Nusra Front are not part of this agreement but also perhaps also given that the Nusra Front leader did come out and called this and warned other rebel forces that the cessation of hostilities was basically a ploy by the West to force them to concede territory to the regime, to force them to surrender to the Syrian regime and its allied forces.

Additionally, you have some other significant rebel groups as well that are casting a lot of skepticism on this entire process, really doubting what their true intentions behind it really are.

So, at this stage, it's a bit premature to definitively say that this is holding and is taking place. But again, it is fairly significant that, at least for the time being, there are no reported airstrikes.

HOWELL: A reduction, no reported airstrikes, more important to say. But as you point out, skepticism and a great deal of uncertainty. Arwa Damon, live in Istanbul, thank you for your reporting.

Now let's turn to international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson, who joins us in Riyadh.

And, Nic, I'm curious to know if you've heard any, as sort of response from the high negotiating committee, obviously keeping a close eye to determine whether Russia and Syria are holding up to their end of the bargain.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, we can be sure that they are watching it very closely and reading the nuances of it and understanding and perhaps having a better understanding than most of --

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ROBERTSON: -- which rebel groups have agreed with them; 97, they say, have agreed to the cease-fire, which haven't and those that haven't, who they are associated with, if they are associating themselves on some parts of the battlefield with Al Qaeda, Al-Nusra Front.

So they will have a very nuanced view of it. What we have seen in the past and is typical, I think, of what's emerging from them today is quiet. They have made their position very clear. They have said that they are willing to observe the cease-fire but they don't want Russia and the Syrian government to use it as a pretext to take more territory on the ground, that they want this to be a very transparent process. They want independent monitoring of the cease-fire and for any violations to be detailed accurately as to who was responsible, where, what time, et cetera, so that the cease-fire and those who break it can be held to account for that.

That's something they have been very clear about but it seems for the time being they really want to wait and see how the situation develops before they make further comment.

We have heard from the Russian defense ministry this morning, the defense minister saying that Russia has halted all its airstrikes. That's what the defense minister is saying in Russia.

Not only that, he says that Russia is meeting all the conditions to make sure that this cease-fire holds. And of course, this is what the high negotiating committee here in Riyadh is going to be watching for. Their decision of whether or not this is holding and whether or not they should get into the peace talks, which have now been called by the U.N. for the 7th of March, just over a week from now in Geneva, will be very much dependent on how Russia and the Syrian government reacts to these small amounts of fighting that are going on right now.

HOWELL: Nic Robertson, live in Riyadh, Nic, stand by if you could. I also want to go back to Arwa Damon to ask one other question.

Arwa, obviously these clashes are happening. The goal, though, to create peace and allow these humanitarian aid efforts to get to the people who need it most.

Can you talk to us about what's happening there, even though these clashes are still taking place?

DAMON: Well, that's going to be the next really significant step in all of this at this stage because there are a number of areas across the country that are under siege, either by regime forces or by some of the rebel forces themselves, where people have literally been starving and trying to get assistance to those areas is absolutely crucial.

Aid organizations have been trying to stockpile their supplies in certain areas in Syria, especially in the city of Aleppo, where it was believed, up until the cessation of hostilities, that a full-on assault, a besiegement of the entire city by the regime and its allies, was imminent.

And so you had a number of aid organizations trying to stockpile supplies in these various critical areas to try to mitigate as much as they can the consequences of the potential fighting.

But then also perhaps more importantly is going to be this next possible phase of lifting the siege on other areas, allowing these humanitarian convoys to go in, allowing the wounded to come out and try to ease that level of -- the burden on the population because, again, this is a population that has suffered too much for the last five years, whether it's because of the airstrikes, the deaths, living in constant fear but then also the especially cruel aspect of this war and that has been denying people basic things like humanitarian assistance, like food, electricity, water, medical attention.

So it is going to be fundamentally critical in all of this to look at how this humanitarian effort does unfold and whether or not it is able to unfold.

HOWELL: Arwa, I just wanted to ask you about that, I know you've covered that extensively from the mass migration into Europe, to people just fleeing to get to safety, away from the fighting there on the Syria-Turkey border. So thank you for the insight there.

Arwa Damon and Nic Robertson for us, thank you both for your reporting.

The losses suffered by Syria's people in the past five years of war are horrendous and almost unimaginable. Many have lost loved ones; they have lost livelihoods and their heritage. Our Hala Gorani digs into CNN's archives and amateur video to take us inside Syria's largest city, Aleppo, to see just how much has changed there.

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HALA GORANI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Caught in the crossfire of Syria's civil war, Aleppo is being destroyed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Allahu akbar.

GORANI (voice-over): It's not until you look back at what this ancient city used to be that you realize what is being lost here.

Before the war this is what the city center looked like, narrow alleys and covered souks, UNESCO World Heritage sites.

[05:10:00]

GORANI (voice-over): We've been coming to Aleppo since long before the civil war started. And in just the past few weeks we got access to see what is left of the old city. The ancient souk, once such a central part of Aleppo life when we came here before, where craftsmen worked their goods and stalls bustled, today looks like this: empty, much of it reduced to rubble.

People would often sit atop the citadel for a drink in the afternoon sun. And today, though the structure's iconic ramparts are in most parts still standing, makeshift military posts now look out across the city.

To the south of the citadel these satellite pictures show how the urban landscape has been virtually flattened. The swimming pool you see here belonged to the luxury Carlton hotel. The hotel then became a makeshift base for government forces. It was leveled in 2014 after rebels dug a tunnel underneath it and packed it with explosives.

Satellite pictures also show the damage done to Aleppo's Umayyad Mosque, its 11th century minaret demolished. It was a 1,000-year-old tower, an imposing feature visible from across the city. But in the end it was taken down by shelling in 2013.

Aleppo has always been known for its ottoman architecture, its large mansions and courtyards. Hanan Wazir (ph), a 7th century inn, now lies abandoned, a nearby mosque in ruins.

As hopes for the latest Syrian cease-fire are eroded, so, too, are the remains of hundreds of years, even millennia of history in Aleppo -- Hala Gorani, CNN, London.

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HOWELL: This is CNN NEWSROOM. And still ahead this hour, a big day ahead in the U.S. state of South Carolina, where voters will head to the polls in less than two hours for the state's Democratic primary. More on that ahead.

Plus, mourners remember Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov one year after his death. Stay with us.

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HOWELL: All right. It is another big day in the race of U.S. politics as the race for the White House gains steam. We are just a couple hours away now from the polls opening in the state of South Carolina for the Democratic primary. Hillary Clinton leads polls by a wide margin but Bernie Sanders says he is not giving up.

And it's just another day on the campaign trail for Republicans as the race now turns ugly.

Front-runner Donald Trump revealed quite a bombshell, an endorsement on Friday, just a day after a heated clash with Marco Rubio during Thursday's debate. New Jersey governor Chris Christie and former candidate, he is now backing the billionaire for president.

Meanwhile, among Democrats, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton have been working to secure more votes from African American voters.

On Friday in Atlanta here, Clinton said that she is troubled by what is happening. She singled out the case of two African American teenagers in Florida who were killed in separate shootings.

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HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Trayvon Martin's mother -- her son went out to buy a package of Skittles, staying with his dad where his father lived in this condo complex, minding his own business, talking on the phone to a girl and a guy who felt empowered because he had a gun stopped him and then killed him.

Jordan Davis, a young teenager out with his friends driving around as young men do, playing music a little loud but minding their own business. He stopped, the young man went into buy something, a car pulled up and yelled at them to turn down the music.

The young man ignored him and said something in response. So he pulled out a gun and started shooting and he murdered Jordan Davis. There is something so profoundly troubling about what is happening.

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HOWELL: Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders spent some of his campaign time in South Carolina highlighting his differences with Hillary Clinton.

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SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I), VT., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I do not have a super PAC. I do not raise millions of dollars from Wall Street or powerful special interests.

But there was a bill called the so-called welfare reform bill. And the thesis, the idea behind that is that poor people were ripping off the welfare systems. I vigorously opposed that legislation. Secretary Clinton supported that legislation. That's an important difference between us.

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HOWELL: It is a fight for the Southern state of South Carolina, as these candidates look towards Super Tuesday. Jeff Zeleny has this report for us. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you.

I need your vote tomorrow.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SR. WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On the eve of the first Southern primary for Democrats, Hillary Clinton is on the hunt for a big win, from a groom and his 10 groomsmen...

CLINTON: I like having men at my feet.

ZELENY (voice-over): -- to a pastry chef.

It's a confident close for Clinton in South Carolina.

The Clinton primary fight with Bernie Sanders is about to go national with Super Tuesday just around the corner. The outlines of the fight are forming. In Minnesota, Sanders made clear he intends to press Clinton to release transcripts of her paid Wall Street speeches.

SANDERS: She's a very good (INAUDIBLE). I've heard that. But $225,000 for a speech to Goldman Sachs, you've got to be really good.

ZELENY (voice-over): "The New York Times" editorial page, which endorsed Clinton, said she should disclose those transcripts.

SANDERS: I believe what you say behind closed doors is a little different than what you're saying to the American people.

ZELENY (voice-over): The Sanders criticism sounded strikingly similar to the message of a new television ad a conservative group is airing against Clinton.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Before you promise your vote to Hillary, don't you deserve to know what she promised them?

ZELENY: While Clinton said she would release her speeches if Republicans do the same, she said she should be judged on her record.

CLINTON: I've been on the record on a lot of these issues for a really long time. I think you should be judged on what you have done.

ZELENY (voice-over): The Clinton campaign hopes Saturday's primary here is a turning point in the race, a chance to start gradually pivoting toward the general election.

CLINTON: This election has such high stakes. I think you know that. I believe with all my heart it's one of the most important elections we've had in a really long time.

ZELENY: The South Carolina primary is seen as a turning point for the Clinton campaign.

For Bernie Sanders, he hopes it's simply a bridge to Super Tuesday next week -- Jeff Zeleny, CNN Orangeburg, South Carolina.

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HOWELL: So the last Republican debate on Thursday night, it was quite the showdown between candidates --

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HOWELL: -- Marco Rubio and Donald Trump. It got nasty at times, unlike any we have seen this political race since we get closer now to Super Tuesday.

Some are saying that Marco Rubio gave the most effective take-down of the billionaire so far. But the insults and mud-slinging, they didn't stop after the debate. Trump and Rubio continued their war of words on Friday on the campaign trail. Listen.

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DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He is not presidential material, that I can tell you. He doesn't have the demeanor. He is a nervous Nelly. I watch him, you know, backstage. He's a mess. The guy's a total mess.

And, you know, I joked recently about can you imagine Putin sitting there waiting for a meeting and Rubio walks in and he's totally drenched?

I don't know what it is but I have never seen a human being sweat like this man sweats. So, I don't think he's a presidential -- I don't think he's of presidential caliber. I don't think he has the demeanor. I don't think he's going to do very well.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), FLA., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Last night in the debate during one of the breaks, two of the breaks, he went backstage. He was having a meltdown.

First, he had this little makeup thing, applying like makeup around his mustache, because he had one of those sweat mustaches.

Then he asked for a full-length mirror. I don't know why, because the podium goes up to here, but he wanted a full-length mirror, maybe to make sure his pants weren't wet. I don't know.

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HOWELL: All right. So the Republican establishment had largely steered clear of attacking Donald Trump before Thursday night's debate. That has changed.

Earlier, my colleague, Natalie Allen, spoke with CNN political analyst Josh Rogan, who says the gloves are finally coming off.

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JOSH ROGAN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: There is a bigger change going on in the Republican race.

For months and months everyone has been asking all the establishment candidates, when are they going to attack Trump?

When is the big GOP donor money going to be pointed at Trump?

Up until now they've been pointed at each other. The theory was that Rubio was going to go after Kasich and try to get Kasich to leave the race.

Now there's no doubt about it. The Rubio and the establishment power centers are training all of their fire on Trump. They see it as a last ditch-effort to derail the Trump candidacy and nobody knows if it's going to work. But they're giving it their go. And that's the big development coming out of the debate.

NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR: Right. You certainly sensed that, that it's coming from more than the Rubio and Cruz camps. And they are digging up more of Trump's past.

And I also want to ask you about that and the fact that, as far as Trump goes and the tax, his taxes issue, he insists Hillary Clinton's e-mails be released. He insisted Barack Obama release his birth certificate. Yet, he is hedging when it comes to releasing his taxes.

ROGAN: Right. So I think the call on Trump to release his tax returns, which he's now belatedly rejected as one part of kind of a four-pronged strategy to go after Trump with what his opponents have collected as a mountain of opposition research.

In addition to calling on him to release his tax returns and implying that there's some malfeasance there, we can't really be sure, they are going after his tenure as the head of Trump University, a controversial educational program that is now the subject of several civil lawsuits.

They are also going after his employment of illegal immigrants in the building of some of his projects, including Trump Tower, although that was a long time ago.

And lastly, they are going after his lack of foreign policy and other policy experience.

One of the funniest moments in the debate was when Marco Rubio accused Trump of repeating himself with his very generalized statements on policy, which is sort of Marco Rubio being self-deprecating and turning the criticism that has been turned on him, that he repeats himself, back on Trump, the front-runner.

ALLEN: Rubio seems like he's having a good time for the first time in this race, too.

ROGAN: And you can't underestimate how much a difference that makes. I talked to some Rubio advisors today and they said they see a change in the candidate. He's enjoying himself, he's laughing, he's having fun with it. That's -- that has an effect and it has an effect on his supporters.

Inside Rubio World, the concern was that the candidate wasn't up to snuff, that he couldn't rise to the occasion and take on Trump.

And now that the Rubio campaign has decided to go ahead and take on Trump, Senator Rubio seems to be fitting well into that strategy and that means that they're going to stick with it and they're going to stick with it every day until either they lose or they win.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: So here is some context for you, for those of you who may not be familiar with the election process in the United States.

Super Tuesday could be a make-or-break day for candidates on both sides of the political divide. It falls on March 1st this year, which primaries and caucuses in 12 states will play out from Alaska to Virginia.

Candidates will win more delegates on Super Tuesday than any other day of the campaign calendar year. A whopping 865 delegates are up for grabs among Democrats and almost 600 delegates are on the line for Republicans. That's nearly half the total needed to clench the nomination.

[05:25:00]

HOWELL: A very big day.

This is CNN NEWSROOM. Still ahead, a live report from Moscow, where mourners are paying their respects to Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov on the anniversary of his death.

Plus, Donald Trump has a hard time defending himself against Rubio's attacks on his failed university venture as the Republican candidate faces lawsuits over it.

Live from Atlanta and broadcasting around the world this hour, you're watching CNN worldwide.

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HOWELL (voice-over): A very warm welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM. Good to have you with us. I'm George Howell. The headlines we're following this hour.

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HOWELL: Now on to Russia and, in Moscow, people are paying their respects to slain opposition leader Boris Nemtsov. They have been laying flowers at the site where he was killed. Nemtsov was shot at the Kremlin a year ago while he was walking with his girlfriend. Police charged a group of Chechen men with his death.

Let's go live to Phil Black there in Moscow, who is following the events.

Phil, if you could just set the scene for us.

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, sure, George. So here we are in Central Moscow. There's a growing crowd here, thousands of people easily, possibly tens of thousands of people, who have turned out to honor that slain opposition leader, Boris Nemtsov.

These opposition rallies are normally boisterous affairs with these huge crowds chanting, "Russia without Putin."

The mood here at the moment, though, is very different. It is very somber because these people are here to remember a man who was not the most influential or certainly maybe not necessarily the most popular member of the opposition movement but someone who had a very high- profile, who had a very figure in Russian public life for decades really, as a mainstream politician in the '90s then and increasingly, from the turn of the century, acting, standing against the policies of the government and President Putin because he believed them to be undemocratic and increasingly authoritarian.

And he was dogged. He was persistent even over the last couple of years, as Russia was swept up very much in a sense of nationalism following the annexation of Crimea, the war in Ukraine.

Nemtsov himself was named publicly by many people as an enemy of the state, as being unpatriotic, as being part of a fifth column here, undermining Russia. This was a man who knew that many people in Russia did not like him. But he continued persistently to criticize policies and go after issues that are very sensitive here -- namely, the president himself.

He was shot on a bridge near the Kremlin a year ago. And so these people here, they are here today, really, to remember him. Not just that, but to also mark what they believe his death means for Russian political life, Russian political discussion, where they believe there is now even less place in society for dissent and where they now believe that to be an open member of the opposition is to court physical harm -- George.

HOWELL: I remember covering just a year ago Nemtsov's death and the questions and the skepticism, the uncertainty surrounding what happened.

Are people questioning or are they satisfied with the results of the investigation into his death, Phil?

BLACK: Yes, five people were arrested pretty quickly after the event itself, five men from the Russian republic of Chechnya. One, possibly two others, are still on the run from authorities here. But Nemtsov's friends, his associates and member of the opposition, his supporters, they all believe that these are not ultimately the people who ordered and arranged the killing. They believe that person is yet to be identified publicly. So, from

their point of view, they believe that the investigation into his death is very much incomplete -- George.

HOWELL: Phil Black, live for us in Moscow, Phil, thank you so much for your reporting.

This just into CNN: 11 people were killed and dozens injured in a suicide attack in Eastern Afghanistan. An official tells CNN it happened near the governor's compound. We will bring you more information on this developing story as it becomes available.

Now we move on to Iran, where early results from a crucial election are expected to start coming in in the coming hours. Voting was extended repeatedly on Friday because so many people showed up.

Iranians were electing their parliament and the assembly of experts, which selects the influential supreme leader.

Iran has the world's second largest gas reserve and many investors see the country as a huge emerging market.

The elections could determine whether Iran continues to open up to the West. Our senior national correspondent Fred Pleitgen explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Many stood in line for hours, waiting to get into the polling stations, looking to cast their ballot in what both supporters of Iran's moderates and conservatives say is a key election.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As soon as the sanctions are lifted, everything is going to be changed. Of course, we cannot expect the whole country to change this overnight but I believe that we're going to have a very good future.

"I like the conservatives," this man says. "They have proven themselves when they were in power and we really like what they do."

Many of the polling stations are --

[00:35:00]

PLEITGEN (voice-over): -- inside mosques, where voters fill out forms to register and then cast their ballots. In many ways this election is seen as a referendum on President Hassan Rouhani's course of opening Iran up to the West and on the recent nuclear agreement.

One of Rouhani's vice presidents tells me a strong turnout for the Rouhani camp would help them continue their course.

MASOUMAH EBTEKAR, IRANIAN VICE PRESIDENT: It's very important because the parliament has both oversight and legislation authority. So they play an important role in providing the necessary laws that we need to implement in the executive branch. PLEITGEN (voice-over): But conservative forces around Iran's powerful clergy accuse the moderates of opening the door for what they believe is dangerous Western and especially U.S. influence in the Islamic Republic.

Iran's supreme leader warned of alleged American infiltration into Iranian affairs when he cast his own ballot.

PLEITGEN: Despite all the controversy and the fierce rhetoric between the political factions, Iran's Supreme Leader has defined these elections as decisive ones and has called on all Iranians to come out and cast their votes.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): And authorities say turnout is high, as many people in this country see the vote they cast this Friday as one that could do a lot to shape the future of their nation -- Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Tehran.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

Marco Rubio has pulled out the daggers against Donald Trump and one of his failed investments. Coming up, the fraud cases now haunting the Republican front-runner's campaign.

Plus, Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe celebrates his birthday in decadent fashion while his country struggles with severe drought. More on that story as the news continues.

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HOWELL: More now on the race for the White House and stepped-up attacks from Marco Rubio on Donald Trump, who likes to tout his wins.

But not all of Trump's business deals have proven to be wins or fruitful. During Thursday's debate, Marco Rubio attacked the businessman over his failed Trump University venture. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: You wouldn't know anything about it because you're a lousy businessman.

RUBIO: Well I don't know anything about bankrupting four companies. You bankrupted four companies. I don't know anything about it.

(APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: You know why? You know why?

RUBIO: I don't know anything about starting a university --

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: One at a time.

RUBIO: -- that was a fake university.

BLITZER: One at a time.

TRUMP: That's called -- let me just tell you.

RUBIO: There are people that borrow $36,000 to go to Trump University -

BLITZER: Hold on, one at a time, Mr. Trump.

RUBIO: -- and they're suing him now, $36,000 to go to university -

TRUMP: By the way -- by the way --

RUBIO: That's a fake school.

TRUMP: And by the way --

RUBIO: You know what they got? They got to take a picture with a cardboard cutout of Donald Trump. That's what they got for their $36,000.

BLITZER: All right, I want to move on.

TRUMP: By the way I won most of the lawsuits; and they actually did a very good job, but I won most of the lawsuit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: In fact, Trump is involved in three different lawsuits alleging the now-defunct university was a scam. Senior investigative correspondent Drew Griffin has this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SR. INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This was the promise of Trump University when it launched direct from the university chairman's own mouth.

TRUMP: At Trump University we teach success, that's what it is all about, success. It's going to happen to you.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): It operated from 2005 through 2010 and enrolled 10,000 students in real estate courses that ranged from free seminars, up to $35,000 for advanced training and mentoring. Trump University took in an estimated $40 million from people who believed they too could someday become successful.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Put proven Donald Trump secrets to work for you. GRIFFIN (voice-over): But it turns out not everything Donald Trump promises comes true and not all of his businesses lead to success. Trump University is closed.

GRIFFIN (on camera): And it ended. Why did it end?

ALAN GARTEN, DONALD TRUMP'S ATTORNEY: The economy crashed. The real estate market crashed and demand fell off a little bit.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): Alan Garten is Donald Trump's attorney. He is defending the school from three separate lawsuits. Two class action lawsuits filed in California and one filed by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.

It is one of the California cases Donald Trump has been named as a witness. Pretrial motions in May. Trial date set for August, but all three cases are similar. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman filed his in 2013. Then went on CNN to explain it.

ERIC SCHNEIDERMAN, NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL: It was a classic bait- and-switch scheme. It was a scam starting with the fact that it was not a university. They promised they would teach people with handpicked experts by Donald Trump. The teachers were neither has not picked nor experts.

GARTEN: He was very involved. From the early stages he was meeting regularly, every week, every two weeks with the people who would run the day-to-day operations of the course.

GRIFFIN (on camera): So the allegation that he had nothing to do with this, that he didn't pick a single expert as the New York attorney general has claimed, you say is completely false.

GARTEN: It is completely untrue, 100 percent untrue.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): The New York attorney general declined to be interviewed for this report, but provided CNN with six of the 150 affidavits he says he's collected from unsatisfied Trump University students, who mostly complained their education at the school was worthless.

Those suing claim they were promised the tools and strategies and mentoring it would take to make them success in real estate. In reality, they claim they learn not much at all.

One student wrote, "I've not been able to get in touch with anyone after I signed up for the Trump gold elite program." Another student who paid $25,000 to have special access to high level mentors, claims he hasn't been able to get in touch with his nonexistent power team.

GARTEN: There's at least 10,000 people who paid so you can go pick three or four affidavits or 30 affidavits. It is a miniscule amount. I have in my bag and I'm happy to read to you all the people who loved the course.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): He did provide CNN with 14 affidavits from satisfied student. Garten says Trump will continue to fight all three lawsuits until he eventually wins. Even if legal fees wipe out any profit he may have made.

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HOWELL: That was investigative correspondent Drew Griffin reporting for us.

Now a series of storms is on the way to the Western United States and a powerful storm is lashing Europe. Meteorologist Karen Maginnis is at the World Weather Center with more on it -- Karen.

KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It reminds us that winter is not over yet as these back-to-back storm systems just kind of make their way from British Columbia all the way down into Washington State, Oregon and portions of California.

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HOWELL: Wow, tense. Karen Maginnis, thank you.

You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. Zimbabwe's president turns 92 years old. We'll explain the public backlash that he's taking, though, for throwing himself such a lavish birthday party. Stay with us.

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HOWELL: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm George Howell.

The president of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, is celebrating his 92nd birthday and he's throwing an opulent party to do it in part of the country that has been struggling bad with drought. And adding to public outrage is Mugabe's lavish spending, despite the country's struggling economy.

Mugabe's birthday parties have been the target of criticism from opposition leaders in the past years but the drought that is ripping that country has intensified this year's cries for discretion. CNNMoney Africa correspondent Eleni Giokos is there live outside the celebrations.

Eleni, it's good to have you with us.

So the question that I have for you is, given this great disparity between such a party for the president and the conditions that people are dealing with, especially with the drought, what is the public opinion of this president?

ELENI GIOKOS, CNNMONEY CORRESPONDENT: Well, I mean, the public opinion, as you can see here, 15,000 people have gathered for this celebration. They have come across Zimbabwe. We are talking about a drought; ironically, it's raining today and it's rain that has come way too late because (INAUDIBLE) 3 million people into hunger

Apart from that, unemployment is seen as a staggering 85 percent. However, when you speak to experts and when you speak to the government officials, they say, yes, 85 percent is what they are saying officially but there's such a (INAUDIBLE) not included in the (INAUDIBLE). So we can't talk about an unemployment (INAUDIBLE).

Over and above that, you've got also a lot of people on the street saying that they want a political change. Remember, President Mugabe has been in power for (INAUDIBLE). Over and above that, he's the oldest president in the world.

HOWELL: Eleni, the other question that I have for you is, the government, do they see it as a problem?

GIOKOS: Well, I mean, the government is, of course, (INAUDIBLE) it's the ruling party. It has been in power for many years apart from a small change, a few years ago, when you saw a power sharing agreement with the opposition party, the MDC (ph).

Now you have got the party showing a little bit of differentiation between two fractions, so to speak. And it's about the (INAUDIBLE) and people are saying what Robert Mugabe is 92 years old and at some point (INAUDIBLE) retire, at some point he's going to leave.

So you have the government saying that we are very happy with the status quo but also they are looking at the plan going forward. There's a lot of speak on the ground that Grace Mugabe, his wife, could take over from him when he does pass.

(INAUDIBLE). As we're seeing (INAUDIBLE) and even in the newspapers here, they are talking about cessation reform. So at this stage, we are (INAUDIBLE) what does Zimbabwe look like post-Mugabe. (INAUDIBLE) on that front.

So that is pretty much the landscape at this stage. But also one has to remember that Zimbabwe, for the past few days (INAUDIBLE) is talking about (INAUDIBLE). And at the same time, you also heard the diamond mining companies now have to close down because they haven't been getting mining licenses. So a lot of conflicting information that you see here on the ground in Zimbabwe.

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HOWELL: Eleni Giokos, live for us there in Zimbabwe, Eleni, thank you for your reporting.

Now on to Hollywood and the biggest night of the year just a day away. And there's plenty of speculation about --

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HOWELL: -- who will take home the top awards in the movie industry. Our Frank Pallotta gives -- shows us the many story lines at this year's Oscars.

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FRANK PALLOTTA, CNNMONEY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The 88th Annual Academy Awards are upon us. And like every year, this year's Oscars should be a must-watch event. Chris Rock is returning to host and the comedian should have plenty to talk about when it comes to the #OscarsSoWhite controversy with all 20 of the acting nominees being white -- again.

But that isn't the only big storyline on Hollywood's biggest night. Sylvester Stallone is going for his second Oscar as Rocky Balboa. Oscar newcomers like Brie Larson are actually favorited to win.

And it's a three-film race for Best Picture between "The Revenant," "Spotlight" and "The Big Short." There is no bigger storyline at this year's Academy Awards than if Leo will finally at last win his elusive Oscar. Leo has been nominated four times for acting and has lost every single time.

This year the actor is such an overwhelming favorite that betting sites actually have him going off at 1:100. You would have to bet $100 to win just $1 on Leonardo DiCaprio.

And since his character was mauled by a bear, slept inside of a dead horse and ate raw bison liver, the Academy's probably like, yes, let's give it to Leo this year.

But if Leo does come home empty-handed, he's in good company with other actors who have never won an Oscar, like Harrison Ford, Samuel L. Jackson and Peter O'Toole, who actually went 0 for 8 even though he starred in one of the most critically acclaimed films of all time, "Lawrence of Arabia."

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HOWELL: We'll have to wait and see.

And we thank you for watching this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm George Howell at the CNN Center in Atlanta.

For viewers in the United States, "NEW DAY" is next. And for other viewers, "AMANPOUR" starts in a moment.