Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Republicans Debate with Calmer, Gentler Tone; Japan Marks Five Years Since Fukushima Nuclear Disaster; South Korea Claims North Korea Fired Two Short-Range Missiles; Canadian P.M. Justin Trudeau Visits White House; Nancy Reagan In Repose at Reagan Library; Suspected ISIS Recruitment Documents Cache Found; Movie Takes Drones Warfare Controversy Head On. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired March 11, 2016 - 01:00   ET

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

[01:00:05] ISHA SESAY, CNN ANCHOR: This is CNN NEWSROOM L.A. I'm Isha Sesay.

We begin in Miami, Florida, where the Republican candidates for U.S. president squared off in a calmer and gentler debate. This was the last one before Tuesday's critical primaries in Ohio and Florida and didn't feature the personal live -- personal insults and name calling of the last debate.

In his opening remarks Donald Trump called on the Republican Party to accept what's happening, meaning accept him as the frontrunner. Meanwhile, Trump said formal rival Ben Carson will endorse him on Friday morning. Carson ended his White House bid last week after failing to win a single race.

In the spin room following the debate, the four Republican candidates acknowledged the calmer, gentler tone on the stage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I thought it was a very elegant debate. I thought it was very substantive, and I thought it was a really -- I think your folks did a great job. I thought it was very fair and we needed this kind of a debate. We needed this kind of a tone. And I'm glad it took place tonight.

SEN. TED CRUZ (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I thought we had a great debate tonight. And I was glad to see that there wasn't the personal insults, the attacks that have been at some of the previous debates. You know, I think voters are at a point where they are making serious decisions and they want to see real contrast between the candidates, contrasts in terms of policy contrast, in terms of vision. Contrast in terms of solutions. And I think tonight gave those contrasts.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think the voters deserved that kind of debate. We haven't had a substantive debate like that in quite a while. And it's important to really dig deep on these issues, and there were contrasts tonight on that stage, but they were policy contrasts. And I thought that that was a real service to the voters and the viewers that are watching this. GOV. JOHN KASICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think It was very

good to have a long policy discussion, and something that I've been trying to do the entire campaign and maybe we nudged them over that way. You know, I wanted -- you know, it just worked out I think in a more positive way than the back and forth and the negatives. That doesn't serve us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Well, joining me now, Chris Moody, senior correspondent for CNNPolitics.com. He's live outside the debate hall.

Chris, good to have you with us. The most striking thing about this debate, obviously, everyone is talking about it, the tone. Relatively few personal insults and the candidates focusing on the issues. How do you explain that?

CHRIS MOODY, CNN POLITICS SENIOR DIGITAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, so much of it has to do with the types of questions asked. At the last FOX News debate, the candidates, and I'm not even joking here, debated about who had the bigger hand size. But the questions that CNN's Jake Tapper asked was about foreign policy, about our relationship with Cuba, about if they would send troops overseas. Things that really need to be debated.

And as Marco Rubio mentioned in his remarks that you just heard a couple of moments ago, they really were able to show contrast where each candidate would take the country if elected.

Even though they're in the same party, they do disagree on a number of issues, not just their hand size, but about things that really do matter to people, and viewers were able to see that tonight.

SESAY: Yes. They certainly were. Let's talk about Florida Senator Marco Rubio, obviously this debate was there in Miami. His campaign is faltering, some say he's basically -- this is his last stand. He's trailing Trump so badly there in his home state. How did he do tonight?

MOODY: This is an incredibly important week, the most important for Marco Rubio. Next Tuesday, his home state will vote. If he loses here, he will most likely be out of the race. This is his last chance. So he had to really shine tonight.

I spoke with his spokesman after the debate tonight, and they said that this was his best opportunity to show contrast with Donald Trump, through substantive policy debate.

Look, there was a lot of questions where Marco Rubio was able to show that he did his homework tonight, that he knows these issues and he was standing next to Donald Trump, who clearly did not have as nearly as much of a grasp on a lot of things, especially on foreign policy, where he would just say we need to lead, we need to make America great again, whereas Marco Rubio really had some substantive responses. And I think that is what his campaign wanted to show and they think that they really succeeded. Now whether or not that means he will win Florida is another thing

entirely. The polls are closing in, they are getting tighter but he still is trailing Donald Trump.

SESAY: Yes. And lastly, Chris, got to ask you about the big news that broke just before the debate got under way, news that Donald Trump himself confirmed that Ben Carson will endorse him on Friday. Talk to me about the general reaction to this development, and what it means for the race.

MOODY: American politics can be very strange sometimes. Tomorrow, Ben Carson will be endorsing a candidate, Donald Trump, who compared him just a few months ago to a pedophile. It is a very strange thing, this season of the debates where people drop out and then endorse someone that has insulted them just shortly before. But look, Ben Carson has a lot of supporters who passionately backed him. Even though he didn't win, he did have a lot of people behind him.

[01:05:08] And this is pretty great news for Donald Trump. Ideally for Trump, a lot of Carson supporters will go to him. It could give him the cushion he needs to win some of the tighter races going forward.

SESAY: It's still all be very, very interesting. We'll see how it plays out tomorrow.

Chris Moody, joining us there from Miami, appreciate it. Thank you, Chris.

And here in L.A. with me now, Dave Jacobson, a Democratic strategist and campaign consultant with Shallman Communications, and John Thomas, a Republican consultant, also the founder and president of Thomas Partners Strategies. The two wise men, ying and yang. You know, we have many names for you. But they're all fond.

JOHN THOMAS, REPUBLICAN CONSULTANT: OK. That's good.

SESAY: Good to have you with us once again. Listen, everyone talking about the tone of the debate and how it was gentler and softer. We're going to play some sound from the debate, but just very quickly right off the bat, your thoughts on the tone.

THOMAS: I think Donald Trump did exactly what he needed to do, which was a shift to a general election strategy and showing the party that he can be a uniter, that he can attract people beyond just throwing insults. He did what he needed to do.

Ted Cruz did what he needed to do, which was let Trump continue to probably beat Marco Rubio on Florida and make this a two-person contest and Marco Rubio shifted strategies back to a calmer more in control Rubio. Quite frankly because what he was doing earlier with insults wasn't working.

SESAY: Yes. And David, it was more like a Democratic debate.

DAVID JACOBSON, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Right. Precisely. I mean, it was a complete 180 from what we've seen before. You know, and this campaign is full of surprises. Every single debate has proved us -- has sort of proved to be something different. And so this was a big pivot from what we've seen traditionally throughout the primary.

SESAY: Right.

JACOBSON: On the Republican side.

SESAY: Ted Cruz went after Donald Trump for his comments to CNN where he said Islam hates America, saying basically that, you know, we need a real solution, not just rhetoric. I want you to take a listen to some of what was said in that exchange.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN DEBATE MODERATOR: Last night you told CNN, quote, "Islam hates us." Did you mean all 1.6 billion Muslims?

TRUMP: I mean a lot of them. I mean a lot of them.

(APPLAUSE)

TAPPER: Do you want to clarify the comment at all?

TRUMP: Well, you know, I've been watching the debate today and they're talking about radical Islamic terrorism or radical Islam. But I will you, there is something going on that maybe you don't know about, and maybe a lot of other people don't know about but there's tremendous hatred, and I will stick with exactly what I said to Anderson Cooper.

CRUZ: People are scared and for seven years we've faced terrorist attacks and President Obama lectures Americans on Islamaphobia. That is maddening. But the answer is not simply to yell China bad, Muslims bad. You've got to understand the nature of the threats we're facing and how you deal with them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: John, what did you make of Trump doubling down?

THOMAS: To me -- well, I think the Cruz response to me is what a Marco Rubio would say several weeks ago, which is this nuanced thing. You know, Ted Cruz a couple of weeks ago would have said let's carpet bomb them, right? This is a Ted Cruz understanding if Marco Rubio drops out of this race, his supporters are going to go somewhere. And so perhaps he can bring a this is a more complicated strategy, he can attract Rubio supporters.

I think to Trump's point, that was a Trump being as moderate as he could be. Normal Trump would double down on the comments earlier. He just didn't -- he just held strong and the problem he's got, Isha, is his brand is, he will apologize for nothing. He thinks America has been apologizing too long. So Trump really has backed himself into a corner on this.

JACOBSON: Well, I think also he's sort of preying on the fears and the anxiety.

THOMAS: Sure.

JACOBSON: That GOP voters have. And I think the problem -- the challenges you saw a major pivot tonight to sort of the middle, you know, trying to be the more tempered candidate. The problem is, he's got enormous unfavorables broadly speaking in terms of a general election. He's the only major GOP contender who loses to either Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders.

(CROSSTALK)

THOMAS: Depending on the poll.

SESAY: Yes.

JACOBSON: NBC has put out a poll that shows a 64 percent unfavorable, 24 percent favorable rating for Donald Trump.

THOMAS: That's true. That is true.

SESAY: And these kinds of comments, Dave, surely the Democrats will be seizing on if Trump becomes --

JACOBSON: Of course.

THOMAS: Yes.

SESAY: You know, as a point of contrast.

THOMAS: And it's been said so now the ads just write themselves. There's no question, in a general election, Donald Trump has got his work cut out for him. But we've seen candidates pivot before, and tonight we're seeing Trump pivot. And we'll see if the electorate believes him.

JACOBSON: Well, I think this is going to be another wedge issue that the Democrats capitalize on and it just underscores the fact that Donald is really the divider and conqueror in chief. I mean, this is a guy who --

SESAY: But he wants to be uniter in chief, it would seem.

JACOBSON: Right.

SESAY: In recent days.

THOMAS: He's trying.

JACOBSON: Right. Right. Well, we'll see if he pivots back to the middle for the general if he makes it there.

SESAY: Well. There are a lot of people who are pivoting to be fair to Donald Trump.

THOMAS: That's true. SESAY: Listen, the candidates were also asked about America's policy

on Cuba. Rubio doesn't want a relationship with Cuba yet, while Trump said, you know, Cuba should be open to the U.S. but with more negotiation. Take a listen to this clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[01:10:02] TRUMP: What I want is I want a much better deal to be made because right now Cuba is making, as usual with our country, we don't make good deals. We don't have our right people negotiating. We have people that don't have a clue.

RUBIO: Here's a good deal. Cuba has free elections, Cuba stops people in jail for speaking out. Cuba has freedom of the press. Cuba kicks out the Russians from Lourdes and kicks out the Chinese listening station in Bejucal. Cuba stops helping North Korea invade U.N. sanctions. Cuba takes all of those fugitives of American justice, including that cop killer from New Jersey and send them back to the United States and to jail where he belongs. And you know what? Then we can have a relationship with Cuba.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

RUBIO: That's a good deal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: So John, strong comments there by Marco Rubio, got his biggest applause of the night. But what's it worth? I mean, what is this issue worth in this race?

THOMAS: I think -- I think to Florida, that's an important distinction Marco Rubio drove. But I think Donald Trump's response is more of a general election response, less of a Florida response. So Marco Rubio did score some points. I think Donald Trump is basically saying he's assuming he's going to squeak out Florida and Rubio is going to be gone and Trump is looking 100 percent at what to do in a general election and all of his answers are geared toward that.

SESAY: But, Dave, initially on the campaign trail, Donald Trump has said, it's fine, you know, dealing with Cuba. Now he's like, yes, but I want a better deal. Some would say he's parsing, some would say, he's just being Trump.

JACOBSON: Right. I think it's further evidence the fact that he's a policy lightweight, that he probably doesn't know all the deep sort of policy issues around this issue. And I think Marco Rubio was throwing red meat to Republicans who are going to be voting next Tuesday. He needed to sort of lightning to strike tonight and I think he tried to capitalize on this issue to give a jolt of electricity into his campaign because right now you've got polls showing him down anywhere from eight points to over 20 points. And so he sort of needed some issue to build some support.

And look, the other day, we saw Bernie Sanders was 21 points behind Hillary Clinton in Michigan. And he pulled through. So I guess anything can happen at this point in this race, right?

(LAUGHTER)

SESAY: All right. And I want to talk about an imploding on the campaign trail at a Donald Trump rally. In North Carolina -- I just want to set the scene for our viewers who may not have been following it. In North Carolina officials say a man who attended this Trump -- this Donald Trump rally and assaulted a protester is now facing charges. And you see the video there. This than was walking out of this rally, being escorted, he's being led out by police when he's sucker punched effectively by a gentleman there.

Showing you another view of what happened. And the alleged attacker is identified as a 78-year-old -- that man is a 78-year-old man. His name is John McGraw, and he's due in court next month.

During CNN's Republican debate, Trump was asked about this incident. He says he doesn't condone this type of behavior at his campaign events. Let's listen to what exactly Mr. Trump had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We have some protesters who are bad dudes. They have done bad things. They are swinging, they are really dangerous. And they get in there and they start hitting people. And we had a couple of big, strong, powerful guys doing damage to people. Not only the loudness, the loudness I don't mind. But doing serious damage.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: You know, this is one of the biggest problems people have with Trump, that in the face of things that are so obviously distasteful and unacceptable, he still tries to skirt the issue. In this case, he says he doesn't condone the violence. But then goes on to offer what almost seems to be a justification for some of these episodes we've seen.

THOMAS: Right.

SESAY: Saying these protesters do what they do, and they're a menace. What did you make of that?

THOMAS: I mean, it was despicable, Isha. It's unacceptable. And yes, he denounced it but he should have gone even further than that. He didn't. I think he's wrong. But in fairness, we've seen at political events before on both sides of the aisle, even with groups like Code Pink, that these protesters -- we just saw a short clip, but these protesters go in, trying to get media attention, saying and doing outrageous things in the hopes that controversy will happen while they're there. That was a sucker punch, but we don't know what those protesters did before to enrage the audience. Not that it's OK.

SESAY: Because he was just walking out at that point. He's being led out --

THOMAS: But -- you know, we don't know what he said five minutes before that might have been equally as despicable. We don't know. Doesn't make it right, but I think what this is teaching us today is that protesters are going to know that they can go to Donald Trump rallies and pick fights, say things and get media coverage. And I hope we don't see more of this, but I'm afraid we will.

SESAY: Dave, what does this say to you?

JACOBSON: Well, what I also found deeply disturbing was after this individual got sucker punched, the sheriffs or police officers, whoever was escorting him out, essentially tackled him.

SESAY: They wrestled him to the ground.

JACOBSON: Yes. And so, you know, that raises questions about, you know, what actually is going on, what law enforcement is actually doing to sort of prevent these things from happening.

SESAY: I have to ask you about, you know, again, the message that's being sent here because, you know, this did happen at a Trump rally, some saying this just points to Trump dividing the country.

(CROSSTALK)

[01:15:06] JACOBSON: Right. Well, and we've got data to prove that. I mean, if you look at his fave-unfave, and I mean, this goes back to him sort of exacerbating people's fears. He's preying on their fears and their anxieties and these are the kind of folks who are turning out for Donald Trump rallies and these are frankly the new voters who don't normally participate who are weighing in on these primaries.

THOMAS: Well, in fairness to Donald Trump, I mean, at these rallies, you'll see 20,000, 30,000 people and there are a lot more protesters at his than a typical Hillary Clinton event or a Marco Rubio event. They all get protesters but not to the degree that Trump has. It doesn't excuse it. And clearly, Trump is going to have to stop this behavior because it's unacceptable and unbecoming of a presidential candidate.

SESAY: And they're equivocating.

(CROSSTALK)

SESAY: John Thomas, Dave Jacobson, always good to have you.

THOMAS: Thank you.

SESAY: And thank you.

JACOBSON: Thanks for having us.

SESAY: Thank you.

All right. Well, we invite you to check out our Web site, CNN.com/politics for more stories, commentary, video and photo galleries. It's all there and it's all related to this year's U.S. presidential election. Now Japan is marking five years since an earthquake and tsunami killed

some 20,000 people and triggered a catastrophic nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Emperor Akihito led a memorial just a few moments ago to remember victims of the disaster.

Japan is still trying to clean up the massive amount of radioactive waste, but that could take up to 40 more years. A court in Japan ordered a nuclear reactor to shut down Wednesday after neighbors complained that emergency evacuation plans were insufficient. It's the first time a court has ruled to stop operations at a plant that had been successfully restarted.

Well, for more from Japan let's bring in our own Will Ripley, he joins us now live from Tokyo.

Will, it may have been five years ago that the earthquake and tsunami struck but as we all know this tragedy is still very much fresh in the minds of people of Japan. Tell us about today's commemorations.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Isha, almost exactly 30 minutes ago, 2:46 p.m. local time, 12:46 a.m. Eastern Time, that marked five years since the great east Japan earthquake. There was a one-minute haunting moment of silence, although those who experienced the quake will tell you that the shaking lasted much longer than that. The most intense shaking almost three minutes and the ground kept moving for a full six minutes. This was the most powerful quake, 9.0 magnitude, ever to hit Japan.

And then these communities along the east Japan coast that were just recovering after being so violently rattled and a number of buildings were damaged or destroyed then the tsunami waves moved in. The tsunami inundated a huge area. You're talking about 561 square kilometers, about 217 square miles. A lot of these coastal towns were flattened.

And I visited these areas several times. And everywhere you step, people died. The number of people who died in the earthquake and the tsunami, just new numbers out from the government the last month, 22,000 people. That also accounts for people who died, you know, in temporary housing and, you know, elderly people who died as health complications as a result of all of this.

So there's of course the terrible human toll of the natural disaster. And then the manmade disaster that followed of course has gotten the majority of the world's attention over these last five years. That, of course, the reactors that melted down at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The backup power supply got flooded and when nuclear plants lose power completely the overheating causes a meltdown that spewed radiation. 80 percent of it went into the ocean, contaminating the food supply. Fish, which is a staple of the Japanese diet.

Twenty percent of the contamination on land, some of it really can never be fully mitigated or cleaned up, even though crews have scraped hundreds of thousands of huge bags of contaminated radioactive soil which now sit in these mountains in Fukushima prefecture and elsewhere. And they just don't know exactly what they're going to do with it. There are more and more tanks piling up of contaminated radioactive water. It's being pumped to keep these reactors cool.

And there's still contamination scientists say that's slowly moving underground. They don't know the full extent of it, but they do know that it will take decades, perhaps hundreds of years before this contamination and the impact of this finally subsides, which means for generations to come, people will be affected. And there are families that are still divided right now that can't go back to their homes.

Families in rural Japan that used to live together but now live separately because of this tragedy. So a very somber day here and so much work ahead to move forward and recover from this, Isha.

SESAY: Yes. And, Will, as you were laying out, the toll of this disaster, we have live pictures of some of the commemorative proceedings under way there in Japan, just to clarify for our viewers what they're looking at, that picture to the right of their screens, these are live pictures coming to us from Tokyo.

But, Will, as you talk about the length of time it will take to get things somewhat normal to right this disaster, the effects of this disaster, some are still asking why it's taking such a long time, these recovery efforts.

[01:20:15] RIPLEY: Well, certainly residents are asking that. Residents who haven't been able to return back to their homes. Cleaning up just from the tsunami itself, the waves really caused the most damage. As we know with any natural disaster, water is the most destructive force. More destructive than the earthquake that hit. And some of these communities were leveled. And then on top of that, you had communities that you couldn't enter for several years because they were still deemed radioactive and dangerous.

And so Japan didn't just give up on these areas. They've been this there. They've been trying to scrape up the top soil. And now crews have leveled some of these buildings in hopes that eventually people will want to return. But it's mostly the senior citizens who are left who actually would want to go back. A lot of the younger residents with children, either they don't feel comfortable living back there or if they've simply moved to other areas and started their lives. But it's going to take a very long time, Isha, before even these places are ready for people to move in again, if they want to.

SESAY: Yes. Will Ripley joining us there from Tokyo, Japan. Will, appreciate it. Thank you.

A very, very sad day for the nation.

Time for a quick break. Next here on CNN NEWSROOM, more threats and reports of a missile launch from North Korea. We'll take a look at the fallout. Do stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(SPORTS)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:25:23] SESAY: Here in Los Angeles, a massive fire broke out at a commercial building Thursday night. Take a look at the enormous flames shooting from the single story building. The fire department says more than 100 firefighters are on the scene. No injuries have been reported. The cause of the fire isn't known yet.

Now South Korea's military says it's monitoring North Korean movements after Pyongyang fired two short-range ballistic missiles early Thursday. These images from North Korean state media showed Kim Jong- Un reportedly watching the launch being carried out. South Korea says the missiles were fired into the sea off the Korean Peninsula. This latest move comes as heightened tensions on the peninsula continue to worsen.

Let's get more details from the region. We're joined by CNN's Paula Hancocks who's in Seoul.

Paula, we're now hearing that the North Korean leader is calling for further nuclear tests. What more can you tell us about that?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Isha, this is from state-run media this Friday morning. And it quotes Kim Jong-Un as saying that more nuclear tests are needed, saying in order to verify the power of the newly developed nuclear warhead, it needs to continue with its nuclear tests, referring to North Korea.

Now remember, just on Wednesday there were photos published of Kim Jong-Un standing next to what he said was a miniaturized nuclear warhead. Now it's not clear whether or not it was. Certainly analysts and intelligence agencies are poring over those photos to find out if it was. But what he's saying this Friday is effectively what he's been saying all along, and it doesn't matter about the U.N. sanctions, it doesn't matter about the military drills, we are going to continue in the direction we have been. We will perfect our nuclear capability. And it just shows that defiance in the face of international condemnation -- Isha.

SESAY: Yes. The question has to be, if the North is serious more tests, how soon could those happen?

HANCOCKS: It's a good question. We're not sure at this point. Obviously some preparations have to be done before there is a nuclear test. There have been four in the past. They've been in slightly different areas but the same region. Of course it has to be a fairway underground. So often we have indications beforehand from satellite images that there is an opening, that there trucks moving in and out. There were personnel in the area. We haven't heard that that is the case at this point. But let's remember the previous nuclear test on January 6th took everyone by surprise. Intelligence agencies didn't know about it. Governments weren't warned about it. So in theory, the next one could take us by surprise, as well, if it does go ahead -- Isha. SESAY: And, Paula, just briefly, what's been the reaction there in

the region? What are we hearing from Seoul and Beijing in response to this?

HANCOCKS: Well, Beijing, as it always does is urging restraint on all sides. Of course, remember, the U.S./South Korean military drills are going on at this point and China doesn't like those just as much as North Korea doesn't like those. And so in the region obviously everyone is wanting things to calm down. Watching the situation very closely. There's more surveillance on North Korea from the South Korean Defense Ministry, to see if there's any sign of movement, any sign of any imminent attack or provocation as the South Koreans call it.

At this point, we understand that nothing appears to be out of the ordinary. Nothing has changed on the other side of the border -- Isha.

SESAY: Paula Hancocks, joining us there from Seoul, South Korea. Thanks as always, Paula.

In the name of renewed relationship, Canada's prime minister makes the first state visit to the U.S. in nearly two decades. Details on the talks between Justin Trudeau and President Barack Obama.

Plus, Nancy Reagan's loved ones prepare for a final goodbye before the beloved first lady is laid to rest next to her husband.

Do stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:32:40] SESAY: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM, live from Los Angeles. I'm Isha Sesay.

The headlines this hour --

(HEADLINES)

SESAY: Now, the Canadian prime minister is visiting his nation's southern neighbor, the first official visit to the U.S. in 19 years. President Barack Obama and the fist lady welcomed Justin Trudeau and his wife, Sophie, to the White House for a state dinner. The neighbors are working towards strong ties that include a joint effort to fight ISIS and moving towards improving immigration procedures on the U.S./Canadian border.

Joining me now is Andrew Cohen, a political columnist for the "Ottawa Citizen."

Andrew, welcome to the program.

You made the point in the piece you wrote on CNN.com that Canada's new prime minister arrived in the U.S. "cloaked in the rapture of an international celebrity." Even President Obama appears to be taken with him. Help our international viewers understand the allure of Justin Trudeau.

ANDREW COHEN, POLITICAL COLUMNIST, OTTAWA CITIZEN: Let's just say his predecessor, Stephen Harper, was not much of an international celebrity. He was gnarled. He was reticent. Justin Trudeau is none of those things. He is handsome. He is youthful. He speaks the language of hope and warmth. And in the United States, there's having a certain resonance.

[01:35:21] SESAY: Optics and celebrity aside, let's talk about the substantive stuff. What are your thoughts on what emerged from the talks between the two leaders, pledges to join efforts to fight climate change, and was it more or less what you expected?

COHEN: A little bit more. They agreed, much of it is very technical, but they agree to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas sector 45 percent below what they were in 2012. They talked about border security. The border has been a source of tension between Canada and the United States. It is the world's longest un-militarized border. Ever since 9/11, the Americans emphasized security, while the Canadians have tried to preserve trade and prosperity. So they agree to make the border a little more efficient. They talked about, as I say, the Arctic, and what can be done there to perhaps ensure that climate change has less effect there. But these things are never fully about substance. They're really about establishing our new relationship. Although Barack Obama will not be president past next January, Justin Trudeau has wanted to renew the relationship, which he thought stalled under his predecessor.

SESAY: It is worth highlighting the point you yourself made in that same piece on CNN.com, that effectively even though there's been this positive shift in relations between the U.S. and Canada, now that Stephen Harper is gone, but you made the point that Trudeau, his politics and Canada itself are dramatically different from the United States right now. So do further tensions lie ahead?

COHEN: Today really is about -- I think renewing a relationship, and understanding that on most things, for example, even the mission against is, Canada has changed what it's doing. It's withdrawn its bombers but it's going to train forces on the ground. So we're not leaving it. So this government is looking to do things differently. It's admitted 25,000 refugees from Syria, which is quite a contrast to the United States. So it's doing things that distinguishes Canada from the United States, but it doesn't mean the relationship is harmed.

SESAY: Andrew Cohen, great pleasure speaking to you. Thank you for the insight.

COHEN: Thank you very much.

SESAY: A beloved former first lady, Nancy Reagan, will be buried next to her husband Friday. Thousands have streamed through the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library to pay their final respects. Reagan died at the age of 94.

Sara Sidner is in California with the details of her funeral. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA SIDNER CNN CORRESPONDENT: Former First Lady Nancy Reagan's body is lying in repose. Hundreds of people have been coming to say their final goodbyes to a woman they remember as a loving life and staunch supporter of her husband and the head of the "Just Say No" to drugs campaign.

They've been coming in droves to say goodbye, but there have been dignitaries coming, the majority expected on Friday for the final day of the funeral. It will include Hillary Clinton, Anjelica Huston, Mr. T., Tina Sinatra, the last child of Frank Sinatra. We're seeing lots of folks coming here who just want to say goodbye to a remarkable woman. She's lying in repose inside the presidential library to be Ronald Reagan. And she wanted to make sure, because she was part of the planning -- up to six or nine months ago, she was planning her funeral, making sure every detail in place. So all you see, she had a hand planning, which may seem odd, but that is something lots of first ladies and presidents have done, especially because it is here at the presidential library. She wanted to make sure, in the end she, was just inches away from the husband she loved so much, former President Ronald Reagan.

Sara Sidner, CNN, Simi Valley, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SESAY: Time for a break now. A cache of suspected ISIS recruitment documents have been found. Were the forms of potential militant fighters?

And an ISIS leader might have survived a U.S. air strike. Why the U.S. might have failed to kill this top target.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:43:01] SESAY: Hello, everyone. We are learning more about a U.S. air strike that targeted a top ISIS leader in Syria. Three U.S. officials now tell CNN that Omar the Chechen may have survived. A Defense Department official initially says he was likely killed. Activists meanwhile say he was critically injured. The Pentagon describes him as the ISIS minister of war. The U.S. has offered a $5 million reward for information that could lead to his capture.

Name, date of birth, previous jihadist experience, and whether recruits want to be suicide bombers or front line fighters, those are some of the 23 questions found in suspected ISIS admission forms. The documents were published by a Syrian opposition website. Separately, in Germany, it says they have a cache of ISIS documents that they believe are genuine and will use them in law enforcement efforts. It's unclear weather Germany and the Syrian opposition have the same documents.

Aaron Cohen joins us now. He's a former member of the Israeli Counterterrorism Special Forces.

Good to have you with us once again.

You believe these documents are a treasure trove. What do they tell us about the organization that is ISIS?

AARON COHEN, SECURITY EXPERT & FORMER MEMBER, ISRAELI COUNTERTERRORISM SPECIAL FORCES: Well, this is the first real piece of document or official documents that we've seen ever in regards to ISIS. So what it does is it allows these intelligence -- or our intelligence organizations to create almost a reverse osmosis, to be able to extend our intelligence tentacles into the actual recruiting process, which means where are these people coming from? What are their specific intentions, and being able to hone in on or geolocating where these actual recruits are being recruited from. Because if they have the names of these people, which it sounds like they do, it means they can start backtracking and really get a lock on where the recruiting is happening.

SESAY: They can do all of that from these 23 questions?

AARON COHEN: They can do a lot from the 23 questions. This is the single biggest piece of intelligence that we've seen. So you would be surprised how deep they can go in terms of creating this mosaic, to start what we call source tracing the roots of where this recruiting is starting. The bottom line is, if they can cut into this flesh of this manpower that's fuelling the suicide bombers and fighters, interesting enough, there's fighters on the application, but without any manpower, ISIS doesn't have any ability to drive trucks, they can't pick up weapons. So it's a really big bite into ISIS.

[01:45:41] SESAY: And it changes the understanding of the organization how much?

(CROSSTALK)

AARON COHEN: I think it's really significant. I think it's almost like a 50 percent to 60 percent dent, if I had to guess a percentage of how significant it is. If you can tap into the recruiting and you can actually cut or deter the recruiting, even just the fact that these documents have been released acts as a deterrent, because now is has to restructure how information is flowing. So putting that information out there that they got these 22,000 pieces of information or excuse me the documenting regarding the recruiting process and the names of these fighters and recruiters, this creates a psychological effect against ISIS. Remember, whoever is more scared, it losing. So if we're putting them on the run, we're now being the aggressors. That's important with counterterrorism.

SESAY: I wanted to talk to you about this air strike. The word we're getting is that Omar the Chechen may not have been killed as was previously thought. You say you're not surprised by this. Why?

AARON COHEN: There's been a lot of leaning on the technical aspect when it comes to strategic strikes. We've been leaning more towards there, because we don't want to risk the reality of having to put ground troops in there. President Obama made it clear he wants to get out of there and he doesn't want troops on the ground in Iraq or Syria. The upside, the predators and air strikes that are unmanned, you have a lower casualty count for our forces. The downside is you don't have eyeballs to physically verify anything, and you have to go from aerial images and satellite photos. So the follow-up is a lot tougher. We prefer to obviously have the M-16 to the F-16 when it comes to dissolving the ability to say, yes, we got him or not. The problem is, it's hard to really know if you made the kill. I know that's a tough word, but that's the reality of counterterrorism. So at the end of the day, Special Operations has swelled tremendously and the reason why is because we want to be able to not only confirm that we got them, but there's something about having them see the whites of operator's eyes, which is not nice to talk about, but it creates more of a psychological effect if they know you're on the ground and you're hunting them, for lack of a better term, as opposed to being distance from the air.

SESAY: Aaron Cohen, always great to get your insight. Thank you.

AARON COHEN: Thank you for having me.

SESAY: Now, all this week, CNN is taking you on a harrowing journey deep into the heart of a country scarred by five years of war, isolated by devastation. You'll get a look "Inside Syria, Behind Rebel Lines" and meet the people who call what's left of the embattled country home.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CARISSA WARD, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We had to travel under cover to see a war few outsiders have witnessed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): The Russian planes target anything that works in the interest of the people. The people never see any good. They live a destroyed life.

WARD (on camera): There are snipers all around here, but this is the only road now to get into Aleppo.

(voice-over): Aleppo was once Syria's largest city, now an apocalyptic landscape. Any civilian infrastructure is a potential target, including hospitals.

(on camera): Is it possible that they did not know that this was a hospital?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): Everyone knows this is a hospital.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: All part of our exclusive special coverage "Inside Syria, Behind Rebel Lines" only on CNN.

Next on CNN NEWSROOM, more than just your average military thriller. A new film tackles the thorny issue of drone warfare. I speak with Helen Mirrin, the star of "Eye in the Sky."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:53:21] SESAY: Hello, everyone. A new film about drone warfare hits theaters this weekend. Recently I caught up with the star of "Eye in the Sky's" Helen Mirrin and Director Gavin Hood.

Here is a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HELEN MIRRIN, ACTRESS: You have your orders, lieutenant. Your job is to be their eye in the sky.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Yes, ma'am.

SESAY: These advanced flying cameras, or drones, provide vital intelligence to government and militaries. But their use as weapons of war has increasingly come under fire. The new film "Eye in the Sky" is tackling the controversy head on.

GAVIN HOOD, DIRECTOR: We really wanted to try and approach the subject with respect, and for the complexity and for the strong feelings that people in different quarters have. And see if we could create a film that could demystify some of the issues of drone warfare.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: It's the strangest thing.

SESAY: Helen Mirrin portrays a military intelligence officer, leading a secret drone mission to capture terrorists in Nairobi, Kenya.

MIRRIN: Warfare has always developed, always. You think the difference between the First World War and the Second World War, let alone from the early 19th century wars conducted on horseback with sabers. So the technology will always push forward.

SESAY: That technology has been used by the U.S. for years in the real world, with the U.S. military conducting drone strikes, many in Pakistan.

That policy has fueled anti-American sentiments, and raised questions about safety, security, and privacy.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: If we target this corner room here, where the explosives are, we would expect 100 percent mortality rate in that room and 80 percent in the rest of the house.

SESAY: The filmmakers say they hope this movie unmasks the moral and ethical risks associated with the use of drone warfare and the life- or-death decisions that go into ordering a remote strike.

HOOD: I certainly haven't seen a film that tackles this question from points of view that may not be our own. SESAY: Whether drones are the best military strategy may not be

resolved. But will the film change the debate?

MIRRIN: Hopefully, it will initiate discussion and argument. I hope it doesn't initiate divorce.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SESAY: Indeed. And thanks to an unmanned drone, here is a really cool view of humpback whales. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration used this eye in the sky to capture this mum and baby swimming and diving. See how her tail appears to catch the wind like a sail, waving side to side? That is hardly ever seen or documented. Scientists aren't sure why this happens but they think it may have something to do with nursing, resting, or keeping cool. Beautiful pictures.

I'm Isha Sesay.

The news continues with Natalie Allen and George Howell right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)