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EU and Turkey Agree to Broad Outline for a Migrant Crisis Agreement; Family Members of MH370 Passengers Say Search Must Continue; Maria Sharapova Failed Drug Test; Sponsors Abandon Sharapova; US Hits Somalia Training Camp; Rubio Looking for Win in Florida Primary; Tunisia Expecting Terror Attacks. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired March 08, 2016 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN NEWSROOM SHOW HOST: It's been called a breakthrough. The E.U. and Turkey agree to the broad outlines of a deal on Europe's migrant crisis.
ERROL BARNETT, CNN NEWSROOM SHOW HOST: Relatives of loved ones aboard flight MH370 say the search for answers must continue.
CHURCH: And failed drug test fallout. Nike suspends its multi million contract with Maria Sharapova after she admits taking a banned substance.
Hello and welcome to our viewers all across the globe. I'm Rosemary Church.
BARNETT: And I'm Errol Barnett. Thanks for joining us. As we roll into our second hour of CNN Newsroom.
European and Turkish leaders are joining forces to try and ease the biggest crisis in Europe since World War II.
CHURCH: This is the human face of the crisis. More than 130,000 refugees pouring into Greece. This year alone most is making a dangerous sea voyage from Turkey. And thousands now ending out stranded in the Greek Islands.
BARNETT: Now as more European nations along the migration route have clamp down on border controls, E.U. leaders and Turkey are trying to ease the refugee influx. They've agreed on the broad outlines of a plan which they hope will curb illegal human smuggling that resulted in hundreds of desperate refugees drowning at sea.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEAN-CLAUDE JUNCKER, EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT: There will no longer incentive for Syrians to pay criminals to smuggle them across the Aegean. Doing so will not only lands you back in Turkey, but to be put you on the bottom of the list for resettlement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Under the proposed deal, Turkey will take back migrants who have gone into Greece, with no legitimate claim to asylum. In return, the E.U. will deliver a promise three billion Euros, about $3.3 billion to Turkey this month. And will decide on additional funding for a refugee facility for Syrians.
BARNETT: And for every Syrian refugee returned from Greece to Turkey, a Syrian refugee in Turkey will be resettled in Europe on essentially a one for one basis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AHMET DAVUTOGLU, TURKISH PRIME MINISTER: Turkey is demanding more money. Now Turkey is not demanding any money from anyone. Turkey is spending from national budget for the refugees. I want to make it clear. We are demanding fair burden sharing for the Syrian refugees.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BARNETT: CNN's senior international correspondent, Arwa Damon is at the Greek border with Macedonia. That's where thousands of refugees have been stranded in increasingly miserable conditions.
And, Arwa, yesterday, you are telling me refugees and migrants there, they are aware of the E.U. Turkey talks, but they really just want the border opened. What do they think of this outline and the six principles?
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're all a bit confused by it at this stage because the actual mechanisms of how it's going to be implemented and what it means for every single person who, for example, is here right now. At this stage, that is unclear. Even the U.N. representative that we were talking to, don't really know how it's going to all actually be implemented.
And that, of course, is assuming that all European nations do, in fact, accept this broad agreement. That will not going to be voted on and debated for around another 10 days. And while European leaders and Turkey are calling this a breakthrough and had their big meeting overnight, these people spent the entire night under the rain.
The fast majority of these tents ended up drenched on the inside. You can see people now trying to dig a way day the mud. They've also pulled out a lot of their belongings to try to put them outside to dry them off a little bit. The children are getting incredibly sick at this stage.
Around 40 percent of the population here is children, according to the U.N. and the population just here is some 13,000 people. So, while this broad outlined plan might, yes, ease the burden on European nations, the question is what is it going to do to those who are waiting for it to be implemented. Those who are still stuck in this state of limbo.
And no one really knows that at this stage. There's a lot uncertainty about where they're going to be going. Do they stay here? Will they be relocated to other camps with better living conditions within Greece? What is it going to mean in particular for those who are already here? So, there are still a lot of questions as to how this is actually
going to play out. How quickly these applications for asylum, for those who do have legitimate claims are going to be processed.
[03:05:06] But the key issue here is that we see Europe putting these barricades up. We see these agreements being come to. But it's not really easing the immediate burden on those refugees who are the ones who are at most in need at this stage.
BARNETT: Arwa, considering all these talks, as you say, it's 10 days until this will be formalized if that. And in the meantime, everyone around you will continue to suffer. Has this changed migrants' and refugees' view of Europe at all? Are they still hopeful for a life there? Or do they resent this cold welcome?
DAMON: You know, a lot of them are aware. Very well aware of the fact that Europe is not as welcoming as it was in the early fall, when it was basically, a wave through effectively open border policy. But yes, they do hold on to that hope that eventually they are going to make it to this, what they think will be a dream, a hope that they are going to somehow have a better life.
They are very frustrated and angry to a certain degree because they do feel as if the circumstances that forced them to flee -- and I'm especially talking about the Syrians at this stage, were circumstances that were out of their control. The war that was exploding around them.
A war that they did not want to risk their own lives, not to mention their children's lives, too, was out of their control. And so, they took this horrendous risk to try to get this far. And now once again, they're finding their lives in the hands of others. In the hands of these European and various other different leaders.
And they don't have any control of their future at this stage. And that is especially difficult for the parents who, you know, as a parent one wants to protect their children. One doesn't want to see them having to live like this. Spending an entire night saying, "mommy, daddy, I'm freezing cold," and you actually can't keep your child warm.
Waking up in the morning and not being able to adequately comfort them or provide for them. In terms of things that are being provided here, for example. This was a transit facility. It was built and meant to house maximum 1,500 people. And the aid organizations here are struggling.
The medical facilities do not have the capacity to treat all of the children, not to mention the adults here, who are, as I was saying, constantly getting sick because of the weather, because of the sheer volume of humanity that exists here.
Food that is being distributed. It's about a two-hour wait for two meals a day. And these meals are consisting of sandwiches. You do have some smaller independent aid organizations kind Samaritans who are doing things like distributing tea, distributing soup. But the need here is so great. And once again, we have this situation,
where it seems as if Europe and aid organizations are to a certain degree unprepared for the circumstances that are being created by Europe trying to protect itself from this influx.
BARNETT: Yes. It certainly is eye-opening to see those migrants and refugees around you cleaning up the camp. It's wet. It's cold there, as Europe at the moment, just has a six-point outline still yet to be formalized.
Our Arwa Damon live for us at the Greek/Macedonia border at this morning. Thank you.
CHURCH: And we will have more on the migrant crisis later this hour, including a look at thousands who were living at an abandoned airport in Athens, Greece.
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is a pretty extraordinary scene. The families sleeping out here on these abandoned buildings.
CHURCH: More on what Greece's prime minister calls the warehouse of souls. That's still to come.
Malaysia Airlines flight 370 was supposed to arrive in Beijing on March 8th, 2014. But it never did.
BARNETT: Two years later, relatives of the 239 passengers and crew face a Tuesday deadline to take legal action against the airline. And investigators say they still believe this missing plane will be found.
CHURCH: CNN's Saima Mohsin joins us live from the Malaysian capital with the latest. And, Saima, it is of course impossible for any of us to understand the depth of grief these family members are experiencing right now, two years after this plane disappeared. What are some of those relatives telling you?
SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is absolutely unfathomable, Rosemary. We spoke to one mother of a young woman and her husband who were onboard of MH370 who told us that she still believe they're going to come home. That's all she wants. She wants to be reunited with her family. And actually she's written to Malaysia Airlines, demanding that.
[03:10:01] And today, Rosemary, we heard from the prime minister on this second-year anniversary saying that he is hopeful the plane will be found. In the current search zone in the Indian Ocean. And they held a minute silence in parliament today.
And then this afternoon, they released this second interim statement. We got it actually a few hours before it was released officially. And this is it. It's here. A couple of things that stare at me immediately, is that the final report -- let's remind everyone, this is still an interim report because they haven't found the plane.
The final report will be released, if and when, they find the plane or if and when, the search is terminated. And finally, the other new addition compared with last year is that, they now have wreckage and impact information from that flapperon that was found last year to review.
That, to date, is the only piece of evidence belonging to MH370 that is being found in what is now the greatest aviation mystery of our time. And the only piece of evidence these families have to hold on to.
I'm joined now by one of those family members, Grace Nathan, whose mother was onboard flight MH370. Grace, thank you so much for speaking to CNN. I know it must be an incredibly tough day for you. First can you tell me a bit about your mother? And also about how you're going to remember her today.
GRACE NATHAN, DAUGHTER OF MISSING MH370 PASSENGER: Well, my mother was such a wonderful person. Everybody who ever knew her, anyone who ever knew her only had nice things to say about her. She is such a pleasant warm, always smiling person.
And today, like we've decided that as a family, that we're just going to spend some alone time together. My sister's abroad but my dad has come back from China. So, we will Skype each other later in the afternoon today.
MOHSIN: And you Skype last night as well around the same time.
NATHAN: Yes. I Skype last night with my sister close to midnight Malaysian Time. So, this was the same time my mom would have boarded MH370 two years ago. And my sister and I as we spoke, we recognized the time that the aircraft went missing. The time the aircraft disappeared from radar, the time that the plane would have turned around.
And it was just absolutely heartbreaking, thinking we had no idea what my mother was feeling. Were they asleep, were they scared, like, what happened to them? Did they realize the plane had turned around? What do they -- what do they thinking? What were they feeling for the remaining hours they were on the plane? It was just unfathomable to live.
MOHSIN: Now you've been trying to deal with this by speaking to us to keep the awareness alive. And the prime minister today has said that, once the search in this particular area is over in the summer, they will sit down again and review what to do if they don't find the plane. You've launched a petition to search on.
NATHAN: Yes. In this petition which we launch, we hope that people globally will become aware of it and we want as many people as possible to sign it. The petition is available online. And we will continue to collect the signatures. And hopefully in the months to come, we will collect enough to make a statement and to say, look, there are many people around the world who, with us, believes that the plane needs to be found. And the search needs to go on.
MOHSIN: All right. Thank you so much for speaking with us, although I know it's incredibly hard day.
And that is the message that most of the family members over the last few days have been saying to me. They really want the search to continue, until the plan and the loved ones are found. Rosemary? Errol?
CHURCH: Yes. Just impossible to understand. And so many people grieving on this day. And continue to grieve. Saima Mohsin, reporting there live from Kuala Lumpur. Many thanks to you.
BARNETT: Tennis superstar Maria Sharapova is already feeling the consequences after admitting she failed a drug test.
CHURCH: A Nike spokesperson says and I'm quoting here, "We are saddened and surprised by the news about Maria Sharapova. We have decided to suspend our relationship with Maria while the investigation continues. We will continue to monitor the situation." End of quote there.
Alex Thomas reports on how we got here.
ALEX THOMAS, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: The rumor before the press conference was that Maria Sharapova might announce her retirement. Instead she shocked us all with news that nonetheless, could end her illustrious career.
She equip that she wouldn't declare she wasn't quitting in a downtown L.A. hotel with an ugly carpet. But the joke fell flat when she admitted testing positive for a banned substance, at the years' first grand slam tournament the Australian Open.
Meldonium was only added to the world anti-doping agency list that started 2016. Sharapova claimed she's been taking it for a decade to treat diabetes and the magnesium deficiency. And didn't notice the drug had become prohibited because she knew it by different name. However she refused to blame anyone but herself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[03:14:57] MARIA SHARAPOVA, PROFESSIONAL TENNIS PLAYER: I made a huge mistake. And I let my fans down. I let the sport down that I've been playing since the age of four, that I love so deeply. I know that with this, I face consequences. And I don't want to end my career this way. And I really hope that I will be given another chance to play this game.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
THOMAS: The sport's governing body, the International Tennis Federation announced that Sharapova is not contesting her positive test and will be provisionally suspended this weekend, while her case is dealt with.
Now, everyone is guessing what her ban might be, with estimates ranging for months to several years. Whatever the punishment is, it may well dent the marketability of someone that Forbes rated as the highest-paid female athlete of all-time in any sport, as recently as last year.
Alex Thomas, CNN.
CHURCH: And we will talk to an anti-doping expert a little later in the program.
BARNETT: Now, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio is looking for a win in the Florida primary next week. But there are reports that some people in his own camp think it's time he drop out of the presidential race. That story coming up.
CHURCH: Plus, the U.S. military says it has foiled a terror plot, hitting a training camp in Somalia. We will give the details and a live report from the region ahead here on CNN Newsroom. Back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KATE RILEY, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: I'm Kate Riley with your CNN World Sport headlines.
The five-time major tennis winner, Maria Sharapova's major announcement was to stunned the sporting world by admitting to failing a drug test during the Australian Open earlier this year.
As somebody looking Sharapova in a press conference in Los Angeles on Monday said, she'd been taking the drug meldonium since 2006, and didn't realize that it became a banned substance by the world anti- doping agency at the start of the year.
Shortly after Sharapova's announcement, the International Tennis Federation announced that she will be provisionally suspended starting March 12th. The length of the suspension was not specified.
Just one month ago, Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning was lifting his second Super Bowl trophy. And on Monday, the 18-year veteran of the NFL announced his decision to go out on top. Manning confirmed he will retire in his press conference. The two-time Super Bowl champion was humorous, emotional, and reverent in his good-bye to the game that he loves.
And the world anti-doping agency has said it is dismayed by the latest allegation of violating of doping rules in Russia. On Sunday, the German broadcaster aired a documentary alleging an official from the Russian anti-doping agency gave their Athletes advanced warning of testing. And that a banned coach continued to operate.
And that's a look at all your sports headlines. I'm Kate Riley.
[03:20:01] CHURCH: In the U.S. presidential race, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are on track to win Michigan's contest Tuesday. That is according to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll.
BARNETT: Now in the republican field, Donald Trump has nearly 41 percent support. You see there, that is nearly double of his closest rival Ted Cruz. And Marco Rubio tops Kasich by four points. CHURCH: And on the democratic side, Hillary Clinton has a 17-point
lead over Bernie Sanders. This is as former New York Mayor, Michael Bloomberg announces he will not enter the presidential race.
Well, voting also started in primaries in caucuses in three more states in a few hours.
BARNETT: That's right. Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, they're hoping for a one-on-one fight after the contests. Pressuring Marco Rubio even to drop out.
Jason Carroll reports.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Who is going to win North Carolina?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Donald Trump's confidence on full display today, campaigning in North Carolina, whose primary is still more than a week away. The GOP frontrunner running strong in tomorrow's big Super Tuesday prize, Michigan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I've been to Michigan a lot. And I think we're going to do well there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: A new Monmouth University poll released today shows Trump at 36 percent in the wolverine state followed by Cruz at 23 percent. After big weekend wins, Trump and Cruz say the GOP primary fight is now turning into a two-man race.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Marco Rubio had a very, very bad night. And personally, I'd call for him to drop out of the race. I think it's time now that he drop out of the race. I would love to take on Ted one on one. That would be so much fun.
TED CRUZ, (R) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We started with 17 candidates. As the field narrows more and more and more, we're getting closer to a two-man race. I believe this race will end up with a two- man race between me and Donald Trump.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: Cruz picking up some momentum, after scoring wins this weekend in Kansas and Maine, helping close Trump's advantage in the delegate count. And today, he's making the case to republican voters that they should line up behind him as the Trump alternative.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CRUZ: In this race it is clear, a vote for any other candidate, a vote for Marco Rubio or a vote for John Kasich is a vote for Donald Trump because there's only one candidate who has repeatedly beaten Donald Trump. There's only one candidate who can and will beat Donald Trump.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: Trump, meanwhile, edging out Cruz in Kentucky and Louisiana.
(CROWD CHANTING)
Rubio earned his second victory of the primary season on Sunday in Puerto Rico coming on the heels of disappointing results in Saturday's contest. And tonight, Rubio responding to Trump and Cruz's calls that he should exit the race.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCO RUBIO, (R) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Of course Donald Trump is calling on people to drop out. But, you know, I think Donald suffered some real damage over the last week. People are starting to learn that Donald Trump the character and Donald Trump the person are not the same thing. And what you get as president is not the character you see on television. It's the person.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: Rubio's efforts to derail the frontrunner are getting a boost from super PACS opposed to Trump. The latest highlighting Trump's sometimes coarse language on the campaign trail.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: He gets the nomination, they're going to sue his (muted). She said he's a (muted). I don't give a (muted). We'll get the (muted) out of them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: The Rubio camp saying they're not expecting any wins in any of Tuesday's states, not Michigan or Mississippi or Idaho or Hawaii. All their attention focused on Florida, a state they must win. A state they say they will win.
Jason Carroll, CNN, Tampa, Florida.
BARNETT: Bob Cusack joins us from D.C. to discuss the day's big political headlines. He is the editor-in-chief of The Hill.
Bob, thanks for joining us today. So, we have this development coming out of the Rubio camp, that there have been this intense discussions, this internal debate as to if he should drop out of this race before Floridians head to the polls because he is currently polling what, 8 percentage points behind Donald Trump. What do you make of this talk? The campaign has pushed back hard.
BOB CUSACK, THE HILL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Yes.
BARNETT: But it doesn't look good.
CUSACK: No, it doesn't look good. And his track record has not been good. He has only won two contests. So, he got so much riding on Florida, his home state. The good news for Rubio is that, he was down 20 points. And now, he's down, as you mentioned, eight points.
So, he is making up ground on the frontrunner Donald Trump. But at the same time, if he loses Florida, then that would be extremely embarrassing. He probably would have to get out. And maybe his political future could be jeopardize because some people say he might run for governor of Florida in a couple of years. And this, that could certainly hurt his chances.
BARNETT: Do you think that's where this debate is coming from? Really they're really at what does Rubio -- what potential does he -- what political future does he have if he loses in Florida?
[03:25:01] Because the campaign appeared on CNN today. And essentially told our Wolf Blitzer to stop spreading lies. Where do you think this is coming from?
CUSACK: Well, there's certainly some debate about what Rubio should do. And he's getting a lot of pressure from the candidates to get out. But at the same time, I don't think there's any chance he's going to get out. He's all-in for Florida. They predicted victory. It's going to look bad if he finishes second or finishes third especially.
But he's probably going to be in the top two. But remember, this is a winner-take-all delegate race. So, you have to win to get any delegates. So, it will be feast or famine for Rubio. And, you know, even if he does win, he still got a long way to go to win the nomination.
BARNETT: Now Ted Cruz -- Senator ted Cruz is making it appear as if it's a two-man race, between himself and the frontrunner, Donald Trump. What will happen here in the next few weeks?
Trump is on track to have the lead in the delegate count. But you had the former nominee, this past weekend, Mitt Romney, telling the candidates to each collect as many delegates as they can, to block Donald Trump from having the majority. Are we heading toward a brokered convention here? Is there any way to avoid that?
CUSACK: There is a way to avoid it, and that's probably if Donald Trump wins Florida or if he wins Ohio. If John Kasich wins his home State of Ohio and Rubio wins Florida, well, then the chances of a brokered convention go up significantly.
Right now, the best person who has a shot to win the nomination is Donald Trump. The next person is Ted Cruz. And Washington republicans don't like either one of them. So, it's a big quandary for those so- called establishment republicans.
BARNETT: And certainly is the year of the outsiders. Meantime, though, for the democrats, Bernie Sanders really is poised to lose the nomination, unless he can pull out some kind of a magic trick here in the next few days. What do you think is his political future in the short-term?
CUSACK: Well, I think his political future is very good. A very lot of people didn't know who Bernie Sanders was before this race. But actually winning the nomination, he's going to have to turn the momentum around significantly.
And the big factor is getting minority voters to come to his side. Especially African-American voters. That's not happening. That's the strength of Hillary Clinton's candidacy. And that's why she has a big lead in the delegate count. And she is the overwhelming frontrunner to win the nomination.
BARNETT: Yes. And that support among African-Americans is yet to chip away at. Perhaps why he was so aggressive in that last debate in Michigan with the former Secretary of State. Bob Cusack, editor-in- chief of The Hill, joining us from D.C., thanks for your time.
CUSACK: Thank you.
BARNETT: And you are going to hear much more of this music because CNN has a full week of extensive political coverage ahead that begins the Tuesday's full state contest. Hawaii, Idaho, Mississippi, and Michigan, for republicans 150 delegates at stake. Again, that is tThroughout the day and into the night, right here on CNN.
CHURCH: Many migrants are having to make do with strange living circumstances, while they wait to learn their fates. In Athens, the setting is almost surreal.
SHUBERT: Every hour planes used to leave here, for Paris, for London. And now, all of those refugees want to get to those exact destinations. But they can't.
BARNETT: And later, tennis superstar Maria Sharapova admits she tested positive for a recently banned substance. What the drug is for and why she says she used it, after this.
[03:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BARNETT: A warm welcome back to those of you watching from all around the world. It's your last half hour of CNN Newsroom with us. I'm Errol Barnett.
CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church.
Time to check the main stories we've been following this hour.
Two years after Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 went missing, families of the 239 people onboard face a Tuesday deadline to either settle for compensation or sue Malaysia Airlines. The international team investigating the plane's disappearance says they are still reviewing key information.
BARNETT: Sports retail Nike says it's suspending its relationship with tennis superstar Maria Sharapova. She admitted failing a drug test in January for a drug she'd been using for 10 years, that was recently banned.
And she's been temporarily suspended from the sport by the International Tennis Federation. Even though, the Russian Tennis Federation president says he expects Sharapova to play in the summer Olympics in Rio.
CHURCH: After marathon talks in Brussels, Turkish and European Union leaders say they have reached agreement on the broad principles of a plan to ease Europe's refugee crisis. Among the terms, migrants arriving in Greece without a legitimate claim to asylum will be sent back to Turkey. And for every Syrian migrant sent back, the E.U. would accept an established Syrian refugee from Turkey.
BARNETT: Now many migrants who have made it to Greece didn't find the homes they were hoping for. And that includes the thousands of migrants who are sent to an abandoned airport in Athens.
CHURCH: They were so many people used to travel freely. They must simply wait to learn their fate.
Our Atika Shubert reports.
SHUBERT: Jet planes left to rush on a runway in Athens. A former airport, this vast space was converted into an Olympic park more than a decade ago. Now, it is home to thousands of refugees, stranded in Athens.
Laundry lines the entrance to the terminal. Most here are from Afghanistan but also Pakistan, Iran and Morocco. Barred from crossing the border because they are considered to be from a safe country.
While they wait in limbo, this is where the Greek government has placed them until they can find more permanent shelter.
Now I want you to take a look at this. It's almost as though they've preserved it as a kind of a museum or a time capsule. And if you can see up here, they still have some of the signs up. Paris now boarding. London on time.
There's something very surreal about having them camped out at an abandoned airport.
Every hour, planes used to leave here for Paris, for London and now all of those refugees want to get to those exact destinations, but they can't.
[03:35:05] So, there's nothing for them to do but to wait. At the former stadium where Olympians once competed for gold, Afghan kids now play with a deflated ball. Residents invited us in to see how an estimated 3,000 people are living here. This is a pretty extraordinary scene. There are families sleeping out
here in these abandoned buildings. Children, mothers. Inside a sea of gray U.N. blankets supplemented with thin padded sleeping mats. There are no beds. Only the occasional cot.
It took one month for Mustafa Saidi (ph) to get here from Kabul with his wife and two daughters, smuggled in by car and by boat. Like so many here, he has only one destination in mind.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Germany.
SHUBERT: Why Germany?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Germany has accepted refugees so we decided to go there.
SHUBERT: But the borders are closed now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, yes. We are praying to our God.
SHUBERT: This is the warehouse of souls, the prime minister of Greece warned his country would become not a refuge but a purgatory. A fading hopes and broken dreams.
Atika Shubert, CNN, at the Hellenika Airport in Athens, Greece.
BARNETT: Meantime, in Tunisia, residents of Ben Gardane are being asked to stay indoors after an attack on a military barracks near the border with Libya. Tunisia's interior ministry says security forces killed 36 terrorists and arrested several others.
CHURCH: At least 17 people including civilians, national guardsmen and police officers died in the attack. Authorities blame ISIS.
BARNETT: Now the U.S. military says it has killed 150 suspected Al- Shabaab militants in an aerial attack in Somalia.
As you see CNN's Robyn Kriel joins us now live from neighboring Kenya with details on this story. And, Robyn, this is unusual for a number of reasons. First it's such a large scale strike was conducted. And second, well, the Pentagon officially confirmed a drone operation. What do we know about it?
ROBYN KRIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, a 150-plus fighters as the Pentagon has confirmed is a very large strike, as you said, Errol. According to a U.S. source, that it was because the Al-Shabaab fighters were reportedly in a military formation and about to launch some kind of imminent attack that the Pentagon said would have directly affected U.S. troops and African union forces.
African union forces are currently on the ground battling Al-Shabaab alongside the Somali national army. Somalis government has welcomed to saying they welcome the annihilation, that's their word, of Al- Shabaab, in the country. Also this large formation is strange for Al-Shabaab. They're no
strangers to drone strikes, they're no strangers the number of their leaders, including last September when Ahmed Godane, their number one was killed by a drone strike in 2013.
They're no strangers to drone strikes. So, why would they've been having this very large camp of 150 people, probably fairly easy to spot on something like a radar. We're told that with recent gained that Al-Shabaab with their attacks, they are becoming more and more emboldened.
In Somalia, you remember, that they killed a number of Kenyan forces, they've killed of Burundian forces. All of these different troop- contributing countries as well as a number of civilian attacks on the ground in Mogadishu.
So, we're told that they're becoming emboldened, and that's why they became quite an easy target for the U.S. air power.
BARNETT: And, Robyn, with the increased presence of ISIS or ISIS aligned fighters there on the African continent, the U.S. seems prepared to do more to counter that. In what way is Kenya or other allies helping in that fight?
KRIEL: Well, Al-Shabaab is an Al Qaeda affiliate, as well as the number of the other high-profile attacks. Attacks on western targets, in the Sahara region as you saw recently, Errol, in Mali, Burkina Faso. Those also things, those also been more Al Qaeda-aligned than ISIS-aligned.
In Nigeria, you see Boko Haram that is recently pledge allegiance to ISIS. But as you say the U.S. has become more involved but they were more involved even before ISIS became such a factor on the continent that it is becoming more and more of a factor every day.
But with the Islamic states, activities on the continent and as well Al Qaeda's seemingly increased activities, especially here in East Africa, where, as I said you see an attack by Al-Shabaab, almost every week, targeting both military and civilian targets, even targeting outside of Somalia here at Kenya at times.
[03:40:02] You have seen more of increase, more of an interest from the United States, as well as other nations, the European Union, the United Kingdom, all of them have an interest in curbing this sort of extremism.
BARNETT: Yes, you're right. There are many terrorist groups there that are trying to counter. The Obama administration is expected to release a report on the coming weeks on overall deaths from drone strikes. So, we will also be looking out for that. Robyn Kriel, live for us in Nairobi this morning, 11.40 there. Thank you.
CHURCH: Well, the stunning acknowledgment from Maria Sharapova. How other tennis stars are reacting to her admission that she failed a drug test and has now been suspended from the sport. BARNETT: Plus, get this advanced marijuana research in Israel is
leading to a revolution in a medical cannabis. More on the so-called kosher cannabis, next.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHARAPOVA: I received a letter from the ITF that I had failed a drug test at the Australian Open. I did fail the test. And I take full responsibility for it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Tennis star Maria Sharapova admitting to the world Monday that she failed a drug test. She's been banned from playing professional tennis for now. And the shocking news has already cost her.
BARNETT: That's right. Nike is suspending its relationship with her. Sharapova has an eight-year $70 million deal with the company. It's a big loss for the athlete.
In 2014, Sharapova made $23 million in endorsements. And according to Forbes, she's the highest-paid female athlete in the world. In addition to partnerships with Porsche and Evian, Sharapova also has her own candy line, sugarpova.
CHURCH: And we just learned Russia is standing by her. The president of the country's tennis federation announcing that he believes she will still be able to play at the summer Olympics in Rio, despite the failed drug test, ranked seventh in the world.
Sharapova is a five-time Grand Slam winner and an Olympic silver medalist. Well, in her statement Monday, Sharapova said she had been taking a drug called meldonium, prescribed by her doctor for the last decade. Meldonium was added to the ban substance list just January 1st.
BARNETT: Sharapova says she didn't know. And that she took these drugs for health issues. Health related to her heart and diabetes. I spoke to the host of CNN's Open Court Pat Cash earlier. Here's what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAT CASH, OPEN COURT SHOW HOST: It's hard to believe, in many ways, that an athlete, who is that fit, that healthy, and in incredible shape, has these so-called underlying issues. Perhaps she does. Heart problems and diabetes. She's been using a drug, they've been now realizes performance-enhancing.
[03:44:58] So, it really throws them a few questions to say, OK. Well, you know, is she really? Does she really have a history of diabetes or does she -- has she been using a substance? And has been helping her -- has it been helping her gain her through her matches and recovering from matches.
She's been basically, she's admitted that she's been using a substance that is performance-enhancing that it's been on the list. But it is performance enhancing drugs she's been using it for the last 10 years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BARNETT: This has everyone talking on social media. That includes tennis legend Martina Navratilova. She sent this from her twitter account, quote, "Hold your horses, everyone about Maria. I don't have other facts. I hope it's an honest mistake. Stuff was legal as far as I know until 2015." She also responded to followers saying, quote, "rules are rules."
CHURCH: And an expert on those rules, joins us now from Canberra. Richard Ings is the pharmacy of the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority. Thank you so much for talking with us.
So, how big, what impact will it likely have on the tennis world and why did we not hear from Sharapova supporting?
RICHARD INGS, FORMER AUSTRALIAN SPORTS ANTI-DOPING AUTHORITY CEO: Well, this is the biggest anti-doping issue to confront this world of tennis in its history. This really been no ply of the statue or the income earning potential over Maria Sharapova who was ever tested positive. And she came it very quickly to accept responsibility and acknowledge exactly what she had done.
CHURCH: So, what does this drug meldonium do exactly and how much of an advantage with Sharapova have gained by using it.
INGS: Well, it's a prescription medication. It's available from Asian and European locations predominantly but it's use to basically boost the recovery and boost the energy of individuals who are suffering of some quite significant medical conditions. And it has been noted to be abused by athletes. It was monitored last year. It was put on the banned list from the 1st of January this year.
CHURCH: So, how plausible is Sharapova's explanation to you, do you buy it?
INGS: Look, I mean, she gave a very credible press conference. It's difficult not to have a degree of sympathy for her situation but by the same token, she is an elite professional athlete. She is a vastly experience athlete with more than a decade on the circuit.
It was her responsibility to check the list before playing at the Australian Open and she competed in the Grand Slam quarter final against Serena Williams with a prohibited substance in her body.
CHURCH: Now is it in her interest to prove to everyone that she does have this heart condition and diabetes? Will that help her cause?
INGS: Yes, I look the challenge for Maria Sharapova now that she's admitted that she's admitted an anti-doping rule violation. So, the only issue remaining is what is her degree of fault and what sort of a sanction should she receive.
So, if she has true mitigation if she has underlying medical conditions and doctor's prescriptions requiring this type of pharmaceutical that will certainly count in her favor in determining what sanction will be applied at the end of the day.
CHURCH: Yes. And I wanted to ask you that because of course, the tennis federation has suspended Sharapova, as we've reported, Nike has suspended its relationship with her. So, what other consequences might there be and how long should she be banned from tennis?
INGS: Well, look, the maximum ban in this sort of situation is four seasons away from professional tennis. But that tends to only be applied in situations where it was deliberately and knowingly taken with the purpose of enhancing performance.
So, Maria Sharapova has a little bit of work to do before an anti- doping tribunal to really convince them that she has a degree of mutation seeing if she can knock it down from four years to two years, and the minimum would be around one year ban.
CHURCH: It will be at top of her head for sure. Richard Ings, thank you so much for joining us there from Canberra. I appreciate it.
BARNETT: American sports reporter, Erin Andrews has been awarded $55 million in a peeping tom lawsuit. Andrews have sued the man who secretly recorded her naked and the management of the hotel where it happened back in 2008.
CHURCH: Andrews' attorneys say hotel staff told the man which room she was staying in and that he asked to be put in the room next to hers. In the end, the jury found both defendants at fault.
BARNETT: Still to come on CNN Newsroom, we'll take to you Israel where researchers are cultivating al kinds of medical cannabis to develop treatment for diseases and grow a business.
CHURCH: And the rock band AC/DC has made a career out of being just playing loud, but now their tour is hold because one member could be going deaf.
[03:50:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: This is your CNN Weather Watch. I'm meteorologist Karen Maginnis.
Quite the colorful image we're looking at with rain and snow and very high winds associated with the next storm system about to move onshore across California. We did see some pretty significant rainfall totals and snowfall totals have really been amazing all across the Sierra into the Cascades into Siskiyous.
Now we'll focus on the severe weather that's expected right across the south central United States, right around that Ark-La-Tex region. Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas, some areas could see about 250 millimeters of rainfall or about 10 inches of rain. Where you see this orange shaded area that's where we could see the
potential for an outbreak of severe weather, could see an isolated tornado, damaging winds, large hail. We had vehicles, large vehicles that were overturned in 100 kilometer per hour winds in the past 24 hours.
So, locally, yes, that's spinning up a lot of moisture coming up from the south and that is going to be in place for the next several days. Take a look at this, this is going all the way through Wednesday, that 6 to 10 inches between Shreveport and Houston, Texas, so watch out for the flood potential there.
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CHURCH: Iconic rockers AC/DC are postponing some shows because doctors say the lead singer, Brian Johnson could go deaf.
BARNETT: That's right. They've warned him to stop touring immediately or risk completely losing his hearing. The band says the 10 upcoming shows in the U.S. will be rescheduled for later this year.
CHURCH: All right. We're now to a possible game changer in the medical marijuana industry. Researchers in Israel are growing new strands of cannabis.
BARNETT: Now their goal to develop plants that will one day treat specific diseases.
CNN's Oren Liebermann joins us now from Jerusalem with more on the so- called kosher cannabis. And, Oren, that's a term I've never heard before. Tell us more about it.
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the idea here is that there are liberal laws regarding medical cannabis. The recreational use of marijuana remains illegal. But because of those liberal laws, the research and development of different strains of cannabis and the potential uses of those different strains is very advanced.
We're on the streets of Tel Aviv watching a guy smoke marijuana. Not the illegal kind, but medical marijuana. Call it kosher cannabis. Its growing usage in the country's liberal and medical cannabis laws have made Israel one of the world leaders in medical cannabis research and development.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cannabis until now was not breed in the most scientific or most modern methods.
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LIEBERMANN: In a secret secure location of northern Israel we visit Tikum Olam, one of the country's largest medical cannabis growers. They show us what they call their mother house, the genetic warehouse of cannabis where they splice to gather different plants to create new strains of cannabis. They're pushing the plant to its extremes. Some strains have some of
the highest levels of THC ever grown, the chemical that makes you high. Others have none at all. They're high in CBD, the chemical that's been shown to have medical benefits.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I believe that we are stretching the beginning of the world affairs and knowledge about cannabis plants.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIEBERMANN: Each new cannabis harvest is lab tested to measure the exact levels of chemicals. The goal to one day create marijuana plants tailored for specific treatments and maybe even specific people.
[03:55:00] SUZANNE SISLEY, U.S. CANNABIS RESEARCHER: Israel is right on the cusp of being able to grab hold of this entire industry and become the real Mecca for marijuana research.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIEBERMANN: In Israel the politician encouraging this revolution of medical cannibal is ultra-orthodox the minister of health.
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YAAKOV LITZMAN, ISRAEL MINISTER OF HEALTH: I have looked to being able to help the people -- sick people which need this cannabis. I think I did the right thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIEBERMANN: Exporting cannabis is still illegal, so Tikun Olam has started joint ventures with farms in America to grow strains cannabis developed in Israel. The medical cannabis market is expected to hit more than $20 billion in America alone by 2020. According to newly released numbers from industry researchers New Frontier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LIEBERMANN: We're standing here in front of a number of the oils and different types of cannabis you sell. How big can this be as an export business?
AHARON LUTZKY, TIKUN OLAM CEO: It could be a business of hundreds of millions of dollars.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIEBERMANN: Medical cannabis still has its critics and doctors say global regulations make cannabis research difficult. Cannabis advocates insist the signs will back up the usage and turn this once illicit drug into a blooming market.
There is no universal acceptance of how effective medical cannabis is, not here in Israel, not in States, and not around the world. The advocates hope the research will back that up. As that research comes down the pipeline they say it is coming. Rosemary and Errol?
CHURCH: All right. Oren Liebermann, thank you so much. I appreciate it.
BARNETT: Thanks, Oren.
CHURCH: And thanks for watching CNN. I'm Rosemary Church.
BARNETT: And I'm Errol Barnett. The news continues after the break, see you next time.
[04:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
