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White House Denying "New York Times" Report that President Obama Told Donors They Should Unite Behind Hillary Clinton; Exclusive Reporting from Inside Syria. 3:30-4p ET

Aired March 17, 2016 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00] BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: What about just the debate behavior on the Republican side, getting down to pant wetting, hand size, you name it. Just watching from afar with your perspective, having been sort of been out the limelight for a couple years, thoughts?

CHRISTINE O'DONNELL (R), FORMER DELAWARE CANDIDATE FOR SENATE: It is great for ratings. I will tell you, as an observer, those are the more fun debates to watch. But it has destroyed our credibility as a party. I don't know how we are going to come back from this. I say that the Republican Party is wigging out, but with an "H," like the whig party when they fought each other so much they went into extinction and made room for the Republican Party.

What the Republicans right now are doing are wigging themselves out and paving the road for a third party to emerge, whether it's this election cycle or another one.

BALDWIN: That makes me a potential for a broker convention, potential for other names getting floated in if no one sort of hits that magic number. Are there any other names that you would, you know, Paul Ryan has said thanks but no thanks.

O'DONNELL: Right, right.

BALDWIN: There are a couple of names that have been thrown out. Can you name one you would like to see floated?

O'DONNELL: I don't know because I do agree with a lot of the sentiment that if you jump in now, it is -- it is disruptive. It is unfair --

BALDWIN: Even if it's a career politician, someone who knows?

O'DONNELL: Especially if it's a career politician. I think in a broker convention, it should either be one of the three guys who are left. And I don't -- I hope it's not Kasich, but Kasich or Cruz is so much better than Trump, I believe. But when it comes to a brokered convention, one of the things that you hear people talking about right now is even the mere discussion of a brokered convention right now is undoing the will of the Republican voters. That's not true.

Donald Trump, first of all, isn't even what, he isn't even at halfway yet, or he's close to it. He got his lead when there were 17 candidates in the field. And he got his lead when there were open primaries. When there were Democrats voting for who the Republican nominee is going to be. So discussion of a brokered convention right now is completely appropriate and completely fair game. The thing that I fear --

BALDWIN: It wasn't just open primaries that he's won.

O'DONNELL: No, absolutely, but he got his lead. He's tight. He's not so far ahead. The majority of the delegates are against him. So if it were a narrower field, he might not have the lead that he has. So it's not undoing the will of Republican voters, and that's the misconception that's being put out there. Come, you know, come July if he's got 1,207 or something like that, then sure, then that's the majority.

BALDWIN: Do you, final question, do you miss it do you want back in?

O'DONNELL: I don't want to be a candidate again. Or at least if I ever were to run again, I'm doing things my way.

BALDWIN: So is that a yes to politics?

O'DONNELL: Well, I love politics. Even when my parents were ill, I would watch it -- I don't want to say a hobby, you know, but I love it. It's in my blood. It's in my family. But I never want to have to listen -- I never want to have to toe the line again.

BALDWIN: Christine O'Donnell, she is back. It is a pleasure to meet you and have you on, thank you so much.

O'DONNELL: Thank you, my pleasure.

BALDWIN: Coming up next, CNN's exclusive reporting from inside of Syria. Today, you will see clear evidence that civilian center like hospitals, courthouses and schools have been targeted by airstrikes. We will talk to a doctor committed to fighting ISIS.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I am prepared to die rather than to leave.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:37:56] BALDWIN: U.S. secretary of state John Kerry making official what many have believed for a long time, the actions of ISIS, the terror group also known as Daesh, constitute genocide in Iraq and in Syria.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KERRY, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Daesh is genocidal by self- proclamation, by ideology and by actions in what it says, what it believes, and what it does. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: That's the reality that our own CNN photo journalist, correspondents, producers, have been seeing firsthand, CNN's gripping coverage, undercover in Syria, takes us to the provincial capital of Idlib today. Where the rebels took control, they saw opportunity, but relentless bombardment from the Russian air force. And the regime of Bashar al-Assad has hits schools, courthouses, even hospitals. I have to warn you, though, before you see these some of the footage you will see is entirely graphic but we think it's important to share this exclusive reporting from our own Clarissa Ward.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is an all too common sight in rebel-held parts of Syria. The moments after an airstrike. Dazed survivors stagger from the rubble. Those still trapped call out for help. The target this time, the courthouse in Idlib city. Activists say the bombs were Russian.

When rebels took the provincial capital of Idlib, they saw it as a crucial opportunity to demonstrate that they could build their own state. And they believe that's exactly why the Russians bombed this courthouse, to undermine that effort.

Any civilian infrastructure is a potential target, including hospitals. Last month, four were hit in a single day. One in the city of Maretoman (ph) was supported by doctors without borders. This is what remains of it now. At least 25 people were killed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WARD: Dr. Masen el-Sued was the general manager. He told us that Russian and regime forces target hospitals cynically and deliberately.

[15:40:08] UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): They want to kill the maximum number of people. Also, they want to forbid the area from having medical service. If there's no doctor, no nurse, no hospital, then there is no health care for the people, and people will flee.

WARD: Is it possible that they did not know that this was a hospital?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Everyone knows this is a hospital. There was even a sign that said this is a hospital. But if they didn't know, this is an even bigger disaster. Because if you were bombing a building like this without knowing it's a hospital, it means you are hitting totally indiscriminately.

WARD: Against the backdrop of this vicious war is Islamist factions who have gained the upper hand here. Among them, Al Qaeda affiliate Jabat al-Nusra. The landscape is peppered with signing shunning western democracy and urging all men to join the jihad. One encourages women to cover up completely.

Dr. Gindi (ph) works at the only hospital still standing in Maretoman. He's no militant but sees this conflict in black and white. UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The whole of the Syrian

people is against ISIS and against extremism. But we see that the Russians are bombing far from ISIS, and they're focused on civilian areas.

WARD: I asked him why he doesn't leave Syria.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): If I did that, I would abandon my conscience. This is our country. We can't desert it. If we left, then we have sold our morals. Who would treat the people? I can very easily leave, but we will remain steadfast. I am prepared to die rather than to leave. And I will carry on no matter what.

WARD: Carry on in the faint hope that for the next generation of Syrians, it will be better.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: And Clarissa Ward, our senior international correspondent with yet another gripping piece. I mean, to hear you ask him, you know, after the hospital was hit is it possible that perhaps they didn't know. And then he said, well, it's impossible because there was a sign or even if not, that was an indiscriminate hit. I mean, what is the regime saying? What is Russia saying?

WARD: Well, Russia - no. No, they are not. We reached out specifically to the Russian ministry of defense. They told us they have never targeted civilians, they have never killed any civilians. The regime of Bashar al-Assad also for years now has been denying any targeting of hospitals. But we did manage to get our hands on a report that was put out last year by doctors without borders that details how many hospitals were hit in rebel-held areas. And just in 2015, 82 medical facilities were hit, 82. Twelve of them were completely destroyed. And if you look at the breakdown month by month, there is a huge spike in the month of October. That of course is the month after Russia began its military intervention in Syria.

So I'll leave it to our viewers to decide for themselves. But certainly, we can categorically say that civilian infrastructure and civilians are paying a huge price for this war.

BALDWIN: Just the picture of the baby at the end of your piece and who knows what he or she will face and their generation moving forward and whatever Syria will look like, but this notion of peace, right, the peace talks in Geneva, I mean, the doctor you spoke with, is peace on the horizon for him?

WARD: Well, I think we should say that this story that we shot happened -- it took place before the cessation of hostilities began and there has definitely been a dramatic decrease in the amount of bombardment since the cessation of hostilities. And certainly people on the ground welcome the idea that Russia is now talking about withdrawing its military, although they are still skeptical about what realistically that would look like. And I do believe that there's a certain these peace talks in Geneva. But there is still a fundamental disconnect between people like doctor (INAUDIBLE) who are living and fighting and dying on the ground, and the people who are in Geneva brokering these deals. And the main issue that they don't see eye to eye on is the issue of whether president Bashar al-Assad must go. For people on the ground, that is non-negotiable. For people in Geneva, it's a slightly more complex issue because obviously its diplomatic wrangling and you have to be able to make some compromises. But for people on the ground, it's a deal breaker, Brooke.

[15:45:02] BALDWIN: Clarissa Ward, thank you very much.

WARD: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Next, the president trying to give the Democrats a jump start on Donald Trump. Find out what he is reportedly telling donors behind closed doors.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Richard Horn is quite the Renaissance man. Musician, woodworker, magician.

RICHARD HORN, PROFESSOR, THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY: I can turn them into $100 bills.

GUPTA: A neuroscientist by trade. He is also a professor emeritus of physiology at Thomas Jefferson University.

HORN: I am a passionate man in many ways.

GUPTA: When Richard was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2010, he thought to give up doing what he loves.

HORN: It was devastating because I saw all the beauty of magic and music being taken away from me.

GUPTA: Parkinson's disease is a progressive motor system disorder that can cause a gradual loss of movement. Symptoms can be pretty mild at first, sometimes just a hand tremor, but eventually balance and coordination can also start to deteriorate. Treatments can slow the progression, but as things stand now, there is no cure.

Richard refuses to let the disease stop him. The 70-year-old still plays piano several times a week.

HORN: It improves my coordination pretty dramatically.

Everybody gets four cards.

GUPTA: And performs magic. He says his shows have actually gotten better.

HORN: I change my focus to people. Poetry and artistry are the things that drive magic, not fast hands.

GUPTA: He's also encouraging others not to give up, just like him.

HORN: For the moment, I'm motivated to keep going. It will get harder but it's not necessarily going to stop me.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Sanjay, thank you.

Meantime, the White House is denying a "New York Times" report that President Obama told donors behind closed doors that they should unite behind Hillary Clinton. Of course, he has been very careful with his words, not endorsing anyone officially yet. But the hottest question of the day, can Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton if these two are ultimately the nominees?

Joining me now, Miss Donna Brazile, CNN political commentator and Democratic strategist Scott Greer, associate editor at the "Daily Caller."

So, great to have you both on. Let's get straight to that question. I mean, six months from now, Donna, how could Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton?

DONNA BRAZILE, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, first of all, I am not going to give Donald Trump any recommendations or suggestions, as you well know. I believe at the end of the day, despite the fact that this would be the third term of a Democratic president, that Hillary Clinton is well positioned. If she secures the Democratic nomination to defeat Donald Trump and any of the other Republicans who might come out ahead at the brokered convention.

It's not just the math or the electoral college that I still believe strongly favors the Democratic Party, it's the fact that I believe that Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders will be able to put together the broadest possible coalition of Americans who want to continue to make progress along the lines of job creation, keeping the country safe and secure, dealing with climate change and others. So I think at the end of the day the Democrats will have a very, very strong advantage in the electoral college to continue to make gains to secure the presidency.

BALDWIN: OK. So you can't even, won't even go there. I still had to ask.

BRAZILE: No.

BALDWIN: Listen, it's a question we need to be asking. Scott, same question to you. How does he defeat her?

SCOTT GREER, ASSOCIATE EDITOR, THE DAILY CALLER: Well, Hillary Clinton is an incredibly weak candidate going into 2016. I mean, if you compare with 2008 when she lost to Barack Obama. She was a much stronger candidate. She has a federal investigation over her head. She has her record as secretary of state, which she likes to tout as an achievement, but the only crowning achievements as secretary of state is the failed state of Libya and the further destabilization of the Middle East.

So it's not -- it's not quite sure what she wants to run on her record and she's flip-flopped on every issue. She's flip-flopped on immigration, trade, even on criminal justice. So she is an incredibly weak candidate. She is not really inspiring the crowds that Bernie Sanders or Donald Trump are. And there are certain demographics that Donald Trump can win over to the GOP.

BALDWIN: Go ahead, Donna.

BRAZILE: I have to laugh because Hillary Clinton is the top vote getter right now. Donald Trump brags about everything in terms of the size of his crowds and the size of his polls but she is the top vote getter in a contested Democratic primary that's not over. So she has enormous strengths, including her credentials as secretary of state, her terrific tenure as a senator from New York State. I'm going to wait until this is over with, the primary ballot, because Bernie Sanders is still in the race.

BALDWIN: OK. Scott, let's talk about your piece entitled "rallying to Ted Cruz to lose the election." So, you write that Cruz could be the only Republican candidate who could beat Trump. He has really become the reluctant choice of many Republicans, although it sounds to me now as you've probably seen Dana Bash's interview with Senator Lindsey Graham that that may be changing, that the tide could be turning. Why choose Cruz over Trump?

GREER: Well, Republican leaders want to choose Cruz over Trump because Cruz doesn't present the time of Armageddon situation Trump has. He is not going to destroy the party. A lot of conservatives greatly prefer Cruz over him because they believe Trump is going to entirely annihilate the conservative movement if he's elected or gets the nominated and is elected president. And they think he's more willing surprisingly even though with his record in the Senate, he's more willing to work with the Republican Party leaders.

BALDWIN: Bit he was the face of the government shutdown. I mean, we were all in D.C. covering that some years ago.

GREER: I know. And that's a pretty good play.

BALDWIN: How is he working with Republicans?

GREER: Well, their new thing is that he is the -- in comparison with Donald Trump, people don't know what Donald Trump is going to do as president. With Ted Cruz, they think, well, we know what he's going to do. He has this record in the Senate. Yes, he went against Republican leadership and they would have preferred Marco Rubio or John Kasich in this race, but now they're left with Ted Cruz and - they think he's just a safe choice. They don't like him, but they don't think he is going to present this nightmarish situation that would happen with Donald Trump.

[15:55:20] BALDWIN: OK. I keep going back to Dana Bash when she was talking to Senator Graham.

BRAZILE: Lesser of two evils.

BALDWIN: Pigs are flying, pigs are flying. Scott Greer, thank you so much. Donna Brazile, always a pleasure. Back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:59:24] BALDWIN: Minutes from now, Kansas tips off for the first round of March madness. Later on our sister network studio. It is pretty against Arkansas, Little Rock and Miami versus Buffalo. Some of Miami's players have been preparing by practicing dance themselves.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's plenty of time to just think about yourself and kind of like zone out and just relax your mind kind of.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dance is more of a fun class and also we stretch every morning and stuff like that, which is beneficial towards basketball.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[16:00:01] BALDWIN: Big dance. All of us anchor types have filled out our brackets. I obviously have my alma mater, UNC Chapel Hill. That is going all the way.

I'm Brooke Baldwin. "The LEAD" starts now.