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Soon: Trump Holds Rally in Phoenix; Abdeslam Charged with Participation of "Terrorist Murder"; NTSB Team to Join Investigation of Crash in Russia; Obama Says He's "Dismayed" By Republican Race; CNN Goes Inside Rebel Held Syria; Russia Pulling Its Forces Out Of Syria; Some Jewish Leaders Plan to Boycott Trump. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired March 19, 2016 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:04] FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. Thanks so much for joining me. I'm Fredericka Whitfield.

We begin with the 2016 presidential race. The race is shifting to the West. In three days, Republican and Democratic voters hit the polls in Arizona and Utah, while Republicans will caucus in Idaho.

In just a couple of hours, Republican frontrunner Donald Trump will hold a rally near Phoenix and, of course, Trump has made immigration a key issue, and in fact a real lightning rod issue. And it's a big issue in Arizona. The controversial Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was known for his tough policies on illegal immigration, is hosting Trump and has endorsed him for president.

Just last night, Trump was in Salt Lake City and stirred up more controversy there, Trump slamming one of the establishment Republicans who has come out strongest against him, Mitt Romney. Trump brought up Romney's Mormon faith in a state with a heavy Mormon population.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We never want to take on the pope, right? You know, we don't want to take him on.

So, anyway, the evangelicals have been so amazing. Everybody is so amazing. And do I love the Mormons, OK? Do I love the Mormons?

I have many friends that live in Salt Lake. I have a lot of friends. I have a lot of friends.

By the way, Mitt Romney is not one of them. Did he choke? Did this guy choke? He's a choke artist. I can't believe -- are you sure he's a Mormon? Are we sure?

He choked. He choked. It was so sad. He should have been beaten Obama.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. CNN politics reporter Jeremy Diamond is following the Trump campaign again. Donald Trump will be in Fountain Hills, Arizona. Jeremy now joining us from there. So, how in your view, Jeremy, is Trump going to make the transition

from his stumping in Utah to now Arizona?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: Well, Fredericka, he already has got an advantage here in Arizona, he's leading here. He's got a couple of home state endorsements as well. You know, Arizona, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, this is home town right here in Fountain Hills, he's endorsed him. Former Arizona Governor Jan Brewer has also endorsed him.

It's really Donald Trump's hard line stance on immigration that's really playing with voters in Arizona. You know, he's repeatedly hit on that issue as well as talking about trade. It's one of the key planks of his presidential campaign. So, certainly, Trump hoping to take a big win here. He has two events here today.

Meanwhile, you have Ted Cruz and Ohio Governor John Kasich, they are campaigning in Utah, hoping they can make their mark in that state on Tuesday.

WHITFIELD: And then, Jeremy, it looks like a whole lot of people behind you. Are these people standing in line or is this the gathering location for the rally? What's happening?

DIAMOND: There are already hundreds of people certainly lined up here waiting to get inside to Donald Trump's event here. We also are anticipating some protests. A couple of veterans groups and an immigration rights group have said they plan on protesting Trump's event here. Of course, that would be nothing out of the ordinary for a Trump event. But we'll certainly be looking out for that.

WHITFIELD: All right. Jeremy Diamond, thank you so much. We'll check back with you in Fountain Hills, Arizona.

All right. Let's bring in two Republicans, CNN political commentator and former Capitol Hill communications director, Tara Setmayer, and national political commentator for USA Radio Networks and Donald Trump surrogate, Scottie Nell Hughes.

Good to see both of you, ladies.

Let's start with Trump's comment about Romney right there in Romney's country in Utah.

Scottie, is Donald Trump's I guess questioning of allegiance towards faith a smart strategy?

SCOTTIE NELL HUGHES, DONALD TRUMP SURROGATE: Listen, I don't have to agree with everything Trump says and in this case I don't. I think Mitt Romney is not only a Mormon but a very good Mormon, as he's testified over and over again.

As a woman of faith, myself, it says biblically that I shouldn't judge other people.

So, I'm going to leave that Mr. Trump and God, and Mitt Romney and God. Whether it's a strategy or not, Mr. Trump said it, and it's between him and God whether or not he sticks by it.

WHITFIELD: So, Tara, it seems like Donald Trump is willing to take great risks but at the same time, just when people cringe or think, oh, my gosh, I can't believe he went there, it kind of drums up the supporter, cements the kind of support he's getting. What in your view is happening here, whether it be in the field of conservatism, the Republican Party, or is this a reflection of the sentiment of America?

TARA SETMAYER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think it's a combination of all of those things. But what happens, unfortunately, is that Donald Trump knew how to tap into the anger of the American people and make them think that he's their voice. You know, he's going to make the people pay, whoever -- the aggrieved folks in America and why they're angry, Donald Trump has convinced them, his supporters, that he's going to be the one that makes the other group pay for whatever.

[11:05:05] But, unfortunately, in that we have all of these other aspects of the Donald Trump candidacy that makes him wholly unqualified to be the president of the United States. The mere fact that we're having a conversation where we have the Republican frontrunner questioning the faith of someone else who was a leader of the party in his home state is just another example of how Donald Trump is running a low-brow campaign. He's like a child. He can't help but go out there and insult people, he can't help but feed into some of the ugliness of what's going on in this country, instead of being a positive figure.

And I think that is valid for many of us, conservatives like me, who look at Donald Trump and think, what would he do in the presidency? There has been nothing in his character, nothing in his past behavior that tells me he would be capable of being a decent president, honoring that office. And that is concerning, besides his policies which are all over the place, we really don't know what they are, and they're not very conservative, the ones we do now.

Besides all of that, just character and decency make him wholly unqualified. Look what he does every day. What are we doing?

WHITFIELD: And, Scottie, how is it? You know, listening to all that Tara said, and I know you don't see eye to eye particularly on conservatism and particularly on Donald Trump because you are a surrogate, a supporter of his. But how do you respond to all that Tara just set out? You're both representing a party that Donald Trump has attached himself to, but now there are fissures within the Republican Party about whether he is a true conservative, whether he really does represent the party, or if he's out for his own individual aspirations?

HUGHES: Well, I think Tara made a good point that he has tapped into the anger. What is that anger at? It's at the status quo of government. And he's questioning it.

And sure, some of the questions he brought up last night might not seem on point, but he's questioning and he's questioning everybody and he's challenging the status quo that has gotten the Republican Party and some of the most lowest levels of trust and respect since the beginning. Now, Tara and I do differ because I think Tara goes along with the idea of the conservative ideals of Lindsey Graham and Jeb Bush, that side.

Well, I'm more like the Barry Goldwater. I'm actually in the grassroots. I'm actually out there putting on signs, getting in with the people, making phone calls, and not just sitting in the beltway and listening to what the people are saying around the rotunda. I'm actually hearing what Main Street is saying.

And so, that is why Donald Trump's message is resonating so well --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: So, Scottie, what do you say to people who say, OK, leadership means, yes, questioning, but leadership also means bringing home some solutions?

HUGHES: I think that's what people look to Mr. Trump for.

SETMAYER: But he doesn't offer any.

HUGHES: He does offer a lot of solutions.

WHITFIELD: Maybe you can better articulate or express, what are some of those solutions?

HUGHES: You look at national security. He went down to the border and said, we have a problem down here, let's build a wall.

SETMAYER: Ted Cruz is from Texas. It's already in the law. It just needs to be reinforced.

WHITFIELD: Still unclear how that wall is going to be erected.

HUGHES: It's brick by brick. You make the trade practices fair. Right now, because of this legislature and this Congress, we have trade practices where it's apples to oranges, it's more incentives for businesses to move outside the U.S., get cheaper labor and make cheaper products down in Mexico and ship them back up to the U.S.

WHITFIELD: Is it that simple?

HUGHES: Mr. Trump wants to balance it out.

SETMAYER: No, it's not that simple. She's not going to impugn my conservative credentials. I was on the ground way before her. I've been doing this for 20 years.

HUGHES: No, you're not.

SETMAYER: OK, don't say I'm on the same side as Lindsey Graham and those folks like that. I fought against illegal immigration on the trenches for years when I was on Capitol Hill and I've been all over the country doing that.

HUGHES: On Capitol Hill. I'm in the grassroots, Tara. Big difference.

SETMAYER: I've been all over the country with activists on illegal immigration. I helped get two border patrol agents out of prison who were doing their jobs. So, don't ever question my conservative values and what I've done, that's number one, because I could point to a resume that proves that. That's number one.

HUGHES: You point to a D.C. resume. That doesn't work in my book, sorry.

SETMAYER: You can try to insult me all you want.

WHITFIELD: This isn't really about your individual credentials about the credentials of all of those running for president.

SETMAYER: That's true. But --

WHITFIELD: This Monday, we're going to have all five, Democrat, Republican candidates who are going to be on stage, with CNN hosting this format.

What are we going to hear from any and all of these candidates, particularly when you talk about Donald Trump, he says he's tired of doing debates, he is tired of the same questions, tired of giving the same answers. So I wonder, Tara, you first, then, Scottie, then we're going to wrap it up.

What are the expectations leading into a format like this, all five of the candidates in this primary race, and whether we are going to hear anything different, if there will be a concerted effort to impress upon voters, something different from what we've seen from these candidates?

[11:10:09] SETMAYER: Well, I expect the same nonsense out of Donald Trump. He has no substance to his policies, he doesn't acknowledge, at least when Scottie said that trade deals and the wall, Congress did this and that, Donald Trump has not acknowledged the constitutional restraints of what he's promising. He's strong arming people into trying to fall into line with him.

You know, at least Ted Cruz understands and John Kasich, they understand how the system works and how to make policy and laws within the balances of power here. We live in a republic, not a pure democracy. There are checks and balances for a reason.

WHITFIELD: All right. Real quick, Scottie.

SETMAYER: John Adams warns us against this kind of populism and there's an economics and balances for a reason.

WHITFIELD: All right. Real quick.

HUGHES: Real simple, I think we're going to hear, Anderson Cooper did a phenomenal town hall, it's not a debate. So, I think you're going to actually -- that's where Donald Trump shines the best because he gets to talk to the people and not worried about exchanging jibes with the other candidates.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll it leave right there. Ladies, thank you so much. Scottie, Tara, always good to see you.

Of course, it is a big night, Monday, right here on CNN, the Democratic and Republican candidates all making on the same night. The final five candidates, this Monday, 8:00 p.m. Eastern, only on CNN.

And we will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)h

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back.

Europe's most wanted man, Paris terror suspect Salah Abdeslam, has just been charged with participating in, quote, "terrorist murder". The charges came during a court appearance just moments ago in Belgium.

[11:10:02] Abdeslam's attorney says he will fight extradition to France. The suspect's arrest in a daring police raid in Belgium is being called an important blow against the terrorist organization Daesh or ISIS in Europe, the words by the French interior minister there.

Abdeslam was released from the hospital today after suffering a leg wound and he will undergo a second round of questioning by police today.

CNN's senior international correspondent Nima Elbagir joins us live from Molenbeek, Belgium, a suburb of Brussels, where the raid and arrest took place -- Nima.

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We are right in front of the house where Salah Abdeslam was found. It is a street corner away from his childhood home.

And it is extraordinary that this was the scene of the first raids in the aftermath of the terrorist attack in Paris. This is where it all finally came to an end for Salah Abdeslam's race from the authorities. But his lawyer is making clear that even though French authorities are hoping they will get their hands on him very, very soon, that that won't be happening without a fight.

Take a listen to this, Fredricka.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SVEN MARY, ATTORNEY FOR TERROR SUSPECT: He's collaborating with the Belgian justice system. In one hour, we'll be back in terms of the European arrest warrant, we'll consider his extradition. And we will refuse extradition to France. He might go back to the prison in Brugge, but not for the moment. There will be a second round of questioning, but it will be in the framework of the European arrest warrant. He was in Paris, OK? (END VIDEO CLIP)

ELBAGIR: Well, both the French and Belgians are stressing, Fredricka, is that even as they celebrate this arrest, this isn't over yet. There are still key actors in the conspiracy that led to the Paris attack, that they're still searching for. The threat level here remains at its second highest -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Nima Elbagir, thank you so much.

Let's talk more about the significance of this arrest with our terrorism expert. Peter Bergen is a CNN national security analyst and author of "The United States of Jihad: Investigating America's Homegrown Terrorists."

Peter, good to see you.

All right. French authorities are calling this an important blow. Is that conditional, though, to what kind of information they're able to get from him?

PETER BERGEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Let's assume for a minute, Fredricka, that they get no information from him. Don't forget, he has what's referred to as pocket stuff that he had on his person, I'm sure he had phones, computers, that the three people that were arrested who were providing him shelter, there was another person who was arrested.

I mean, even if he says nothing, there's plenty of information that comes from a raid on the house he was living in, from the other people who were there. And also, it's a not a given that he won't say something. After all, we've seen supposedly committed true believers, you know, if they have a skilled interrogator, they will give up quite a lot of information. I think back to the underwear bomber who tried to blow up Northwest flight 253 over Detroit on Christmas Day, 2009, a solid true believer, very affiliated with al Qaeda. And yet, you know, over the course of several weeks he gave up all the important details in the plot.

WHITFIELD: And there are so many questions about Abdeslam, of course, even more so now that he has been arrested, but particularly about whether, you know, he failed to carry out the attack as the others did, given that there was a vest that was located that had not been detonated, whether he had a moment of fear or cowardice, second thoughts, or if something else happened.

Why would details about all of those questions really matter as it pertains to trying to get at the heart of ISIS?

BERGEN: Well, I think, you know, we know already that ISIS released a videotape with the main perpetrators of the Paris attack on the video. So, clearly, these people were trained by is, we know that. To get into the details of who exactly, financed the plot, how the money was directed, you know, all those kind of nitty-gritty details. He could shed quite a lot of light on that.

And also by the way, Fredricka --

WHITFIELD: Go ahead.

BERGEN: You know, you know, I mean, what were the other plots in the pipeline? I mean, that's really the key right now.

WHITFIELD: Why would he reveal that? Why would he still have some -- it would be presumed he still had some allegiance to ISIS, why would he reveal that, knowing it could cost him his life even while in custody?

BERGEN: Well, I mean, you know, people make deals. He's been wounded, the jig is up.

It wouldn't be the first time that people within these organizations actually -- there's all sorts of reasons people tell.

[11:20:06] There might be bravado. There might be a desire to cut a deal. It's certainly not a given that he won't say something of great interest to investigators.

WHITFIELD: All right. Peter Bergen, thank you so much, good to see you.

BERGEN: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Next, debris is covering a Russian airport after a plane crashed while trying to land. Coming up, what investigators have found in that debris and what may have caused that crash.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: In just a few hours, NTSB investigators will be heading to the scene of a terrifying plane crash in Russia. According to Russian state media, this video shows the moment the plane went down this morning, killing all 62 people on board. CNN cannot independently confirm the authenticity of the video.

The FlyDubai Boeing 737 jet circled the airport for more than two hours because of bad weather before crashing at the Rostov-on-Don airport.

Well, Russian media reports workers at the scene have found both flight data recorders and one of the flight's voice recorders.

Joining me right now from Moscow, CNN's Matthew Chance.

So, Matthew, what are you learning about the investigation into this crash?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's taken an important step forward with the finding of those two black box flight recorders, the date that recorder and the cockpit recorder.

[11:25:04] When those have been properly analyze, we're going toll have some kind of clarity as to why this very modern jet, Boeing 737- 800, operated by a company with a good safety record, FlyDubai, it hadn't had a fatal crash before, would plunge out of the sky in this way and end up shattered into so many thousands of pieces.

You can see the images from the airport in Rostov-on-Don, that city in southwestern Russia where the crash happened. It's astonishing, there's nothing recognizable on the tarmac that you could see that's a piece of an aircraft. It's fragmented into thousands and thousands of pieces, really astonishing.

The finger of suspicion or the eye of suspicion is focusing on the weather, very severe weather situation when the first attempt to land was made. That attempt was aborted. Incredibly, the plane circled for two hours above the airport before making that second and fatal attempt with the loss of 62 lives, everybody on board.

WHITFIELD: So, Matthew, when do they expect to get any information from these data recorders?

CHANCE: Well, I'm not expecting it to be too quick. I mean, these things take time, obviously. And there will be a very detailed analysis of the cockpit recordings and of the flight data before any firm conclusion is reached. But I think, you know, we're already pretty clear that this wasn't terrorism, that this could have been technical failure, it could have been pilot error. It was most likely to do with the weather.

WHITFIELD: All right. Matthew Chance, thank you so much.

All right. Meantime, at least four people are dead and 36 wounded in a suicide bombing this morning in Istanbul, according to Turkey's health minister. The attack was at a popular tourist attraction. Twelve of those who were injured are foreign citizens, including several people injured were from Ireland.

Since the attack, local officers have cordoned off the area. This attack comes just days after a deadly car bombing in Ankara. No group has claimed responsibility for this attack in Istanbul.

All right. Still ahead, President Obama is wading deeper into the 2016 race, making direct jabs as Donald Trump and warning people not to vote for him. What does Obama have to gain or lose? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right, good morning again. Thanks so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

One day after securing major support from Mitt Romney, Ted Cruz is hitting the campaign trail in Utah today. He's expected to address voters at the top of the hour.

Yesterday, he visited the Arizona-Mexico border. Romney, one of Utah's most prominent Mormon politicians hasn't used the word "endorsement," but he did say he would be casting his ballot for Cruz in Utah's caucuses on Tuesday. Romney's support could give Cruz a boost with Mormons in that state. We'll let you know when Cruz takes to the stage at the top of the hour.

Meantime, Mitt Romney isn't the only one throwing his weight into the race. President Barack Obama is not shying away when it comes to weighing in on Donald Trump's bid for the Republican presidential nomination.

His reason for campaigning against the frontrunner is not an effort to protect the GOP but to protect what he is leaving behind. Here is Jeff Zeleny.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He's not on the ballot, but his legacy is on the line.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Hello, Austin!

ZELENY: President Obama is gearing up for a campaign of his own against Donald Trump. Feeling little sympathy for the plight of the GOP.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: This is the guy, remember, who was sure that I was born in Kenya, who just wouldn't let it go. And all this same Republican establishment, they weren't saying nothing. As long as it was directed at me, they were fine with it.

ZELENY: The president is still officially on the sidelines of the Democratic primary fight even though his preference for Hillary Clinton is one of the worst kept secrets in Washington. But he's all in to stop Trump.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: I continue to believe Mr. Trump will not be president.

ZELENY: His tone is shifting from dismissive.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: I think they recognize that being president is a serious job. It's not hosting a talk show or a reality show.

ZELENY: To dead serious.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: And so I know that I'm not the only one in this room who may be more than a little dismayed about what's happening on the campaign trail lately. We have heard vulgar and divisive rhetoric aimed at women and minorities, at Americans who don't look like us or pray like us or vote like we do.

ZELENY: In five years, Trump has gone from presidential punch line.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Say what you will about Mr. Trump, he certainly would bring some change to the White House. Let's see what we've got up there. ZELENY: And now within reach of the presidency, which Obama is increasingly working against.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: During primaries people vent and they express themselves and it seems like entertainment. But as you get closer, reality has a way of intruding.

ZELENY: The president is gradually expressing himself.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: I think I will have a Democratic successor and I will campaign very hard to make that happen.

ZELENY: The question is whether voters are looking for change, just as they were eight years ago when he swept into office.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, that was Jeff Zeleny reporting.

All right, deep inside Syria, air strikes have been taking their toll. CNN went to a rebel-held town to see firsthand the destruction to schools and even hospitals as the bomb drain down. That exclusive look, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:37:27]

WHITFIELD: Human rights groups say at least 39 civilians were killed in air strikes in Raqqa, Syria today. The Assad regime backed by Russia has been bombing ISIS-controlled areas within Syria.

CNN has gone undercover in Syria into the provincial capital of Idlib. When the rebels took control of the city, they saw an opportunity, but relentless bombardment from the Russian air force and the regime of Bashar al-Assad has hit civilian buildings.

CNN's Clarissa Ward has been bringing us this exclusive coverage and we do want to warn our viewers that some of the footage is very graphic -- Clarissa.

CLARISSA WARD, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Fred, one of the most alarming things we've heard about in this ugly civil war inside Syria is the number of hospitals, courthouses, even schools that have been targeted. We went to see some of them for ourselves. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WARD (voice-over): It is an all too common sight in rebel-held parts of Syria. The moments after an air strike. 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.

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

(voice-over): Any civilian infrastructure is a potential target, including hospitals. Last month, four were hit in a single day. On one was supported by Doctors Without Borders. This is what remains of it now. At least 25 people were killed.

Dr. Maz Al-Souad was the general manager. He told us that Russian and regime forces target hospitals cynically and deliberately.

DR. MAZ AL-SOUAD, GENERAL MANAGER OF HOSPITAL (through translator): They want to kill the maximum number of people. Also they want to forbid the area from having medical service. If there is no doctor, no nurse, no hospital, then there is no health care for the people and the people will flee.

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

[11:40:01]AL-SOUAD (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 is a hospital, it means you were hitting totally indiscriminately.

WARD (voice-over): Against the backdrop of this vicious war, Islamist factions have gained the upper hand here among them al Qaeda affiliate, al-Nusra. The landscape is peppered with signs shunning western democracy and urging all men to join the Jihad.

One encourages women to cover up completely. Dr. Furas al-Jundi works at the only hospital still standing in (inaudible). He is no militant but sees this conflict in black and white.

DR. FURAS AL-JUNDI, HOSPITAL DOCTOR (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 are focused on civilian areas.

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

AL-JUNDI (through translator): If I did that, I would abandon my conscience. This is our country. We can't dessert 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)

WARD: We reached out to the Russian Ministry of Defense to get some comment on the targeting of hospitals. They said that they have never targeted civilian institutions. But we looked at a report from 2015 put out by Doctors Without Borders.

They told us that in those rebel-held areas, Fred, 82 medical facilities were hit in 2015. And if you look at the breakdown, there is an enormous spike in the month of October. That being the month after the Russian military intervention began -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Clarissa Ward, thank you so much. Let's talk more about what's happening now in Syria. Michael Weiss is a CNN contributor and co-author of a book on ISIS, and Lt. Colonel Rick Francona is a CNN military analyst and former military attache in Syria. All right, good to see both of you.

Those images are extraordinary, as is Clarissa's reporting. So I wonder, Colonel, if I could begin with you. What would be the reason why Russia would be targeting, reportedly, or at least hitting installations like hospitals and schools in this battle?

LT. COLONEL RICK FRANCONA, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Clarissa makes a good point. It would be very difficult not to know these are hospitals. They're marked on virtually every map that Russians have access too.

Why are the Russians bombing them? Because they believe that those hospitals are being used for more than just medical care, and that's probably true.

ISIS, Al Nusra, even the rebels know that the west is not going to strike hospitals. But the Russians don't follow those same rules. If the Russians believe those hospitals, schools, mosques, whatever, are being used by the rebels, they will go ahead and bomb them.

Also the Russians aren't using much precision-guided munitions. If they're dropping bombs inside a city, they're going to cause a lot of collateral damage.

WHITFIELD: Michael, how significant is this now that Russia says they're pulling out?

MICHAEL WEISS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: They're not pulling out. That was a bit of a Putinist head fake. There are reports that they've actually sent in new advance attack helicopters. It's true they've withdrawn some attack jets and the bombers from their major airfield.

But look, they were very clear, if you read Vladimir Putin's presidential statement about this carefully and parse it through the kremlin-ological language, they've made it clear that they can continue to bomb as they desire.

In fact today they're still dropping bombs, we've seen evidence of them waging sorties in strategic locations. Again, not hitting ISIS necessarily, although they are backing up the Syrian Army advance in and around Pal Myra.

But the majority of sorties that Russia has conducted since six months ago when they began this intervention, depending on who you ask, the overwhelming majority, 80 to 90 percent, have been against non-ISIS targets.

And you know, you had Clarissa there in Aleppo talking to civilians on the ground, eyewitnesses, all of whom attest there is no ISIS here.

[11:45:00]Another Syrian journalist who I interviewed and was recently interviewed by another news organization said that the Russians are bombing not just civilians about anti-ISIS Free Syrian Army rebels that have been at war with the army of terror for the better part of two, three years.

And the way that he put it is that Russia has essentially acted as ISIS's air force. It's true, ISIS gained some villages and territories around Aleppo that they had not been able to gain for the last two years because they were essentially coming in under the cover of Russian jets.

This goes to Putin's essential objective, which is first and foremost prop up the Bashar Al Assad regime, make it indispensable and to make his overthrow impossible.

Number two and perhaps most importantly, make a stark choice for the west. Here you have this brutal war criminal dictator who has used chemical weapons, but here you have Jihadis, who want to massacre people on the streets of Paris.

Take your pick, President Obama. And guess what? U.S. policy has made its mind up. It's very clear now that Assad's ouster is no longer a precondition for negotiations. So we've moved closer meaning United States to the Moscow, Tehran, Damascus position on this conflict. That is to some extent mission accomplished for Putin.

WHITFIELD: So I wonder, Colonel Francona, do you agree with all or even some of what Michael just said.

FRANCONA: Yes, I think that's a real good assessment. I think anybody that has followed this for any length of time knows exactly what Putin was doing and he was very clear about it. He came in there under the pretense of striking ISIS and as he said, 80 to 90 percent.

And those are not our numbers, those are Centcom numbers, 80 to 90 percent of the sorties flown by the Russians are against anti-regime rebel targets.

And we have stood back and allowed that to happen. If you look at the U.S. position as we go into the talks in Geneva, we basically have mimicked as Michael says the Russian line.

We have caved on almost every requirement that we had. So I think that we are giving up the rebels. Now, what is Putin giving up? He's not giving anything up. His goal was to keep Bashar Al-Assad in power.

If he can't, he wants a future in Syria that will be of his liking, and his liking means continued access to air base and that great fort just 40 miles down the road. WHITFIELD: Gentlemen, also this week Secretary of State John Kerry came out and said ISIS had committed genocide in Syria and Iraq adding the U.S. would do everything it could to hold the militant group accountable. How can the U.S. do that, Michael?

WEISS: Well, I think, look, it's absolutely the case that they've committed genocide. The United Nations more or less laid out the legal, you know, implications of this several months ago, particularly against the Yazidi population at Sinjar.

ISIS considers the Yazidis to be devil worshippers. To be honest we've been lucky. ISIS -- the number group that they want to commit genocide against is all Shia Muslims from Iraq to Syria to Iran. They've not been able to do that.

Look, let's be realistic here. Are we going to see terrorists being tried for war crimes? No. They'll be killed or captured or interrogated. To say ISIS is guilty of genocide, we're already at war with them looking to extinguish them.

I don't really see how this is going to make any material difference at the international or indeed the nation level.

WHITFIELD: All right, Michael Weiss, Colonel Rick Francona, thanks to both of you. Appreciate it.

WEISS: Sure.

WHITFIELD: All right, on to politics, again, Donald Trump set to give a highly controversial speech on Monday. But could he end up talking to an empty room? The reason top Jewish leaders are boycotting the frontrunner and asking others to do the same.

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[11:52:27]

WHITFIELD: All right. Live pictures right now, Utah where we're awaiting an appearance from Ted Cruz who is stumping ahead of the caucuses there at any moment. He's expected to take the stage and of course when he does, we'll take you there.

Meantime on Friday, Mitt Romney announced that he would be casting a ballot for the senator in Utah's caucuses. Cruz is hoping that Romney's vote will lead to many more in that state, and a big defeat over Donald Trump.

Meanwhile Donald Trump, well, he's facing other head winds. Rabbis and some other top Jewish leaders say they will boycott a planned speech that he is scheduled to give at a major pro-Israel conference on Monday. The Jewish leaders say the candidate encourages hatred and incites violence at his rallies. CNN's Manu Raju reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER (voice-over): Donald Trump facing his biggest test on Israel yet.

RABBI DAVID PASKIN, LEADER, COME TOGETHER AGAINST HATE: We have a right to silence him.

RAJU: As he prepares to deliver a major speech at the powerful pro- Israel lobby, APAC, on Monday, the criticism of Trump is only intensifying. One big issue, his posture on Israel-Palestinian peace talks. Trump says it's best to be neutral.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If I go in I'll say I'm pro-Israel and I've told that to anybody that would listen, but I would like to at least have the other side think I'm somewhat neutral as to them so that maybe we could get a deal done. Maybe we can get a deal. I think it's probably the toughest negotiation of all time, but maybe we can get a deal done.

RAJU: That has only given fodder to his rivals namely Texas Senator Ted Cruz.

SENATOR TED CRUZ (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: On Israel, Donald has said he wants to be neutral between Israel and the Palestinians. As president, I will not be neutral.

You know, we need a president who understands the national security interest of this country.

RAJU: In his speech Monday, Trump plans to make the case that he's the most pro-Israel candidate seeking the GOP nomination.

TRUMP (via telephone): I'm making a very major speech in front of a very important group of people.

RAJU: But some don't want to hear it. Some rabbis are organizing a coalition called "Come Together Against Hate" with at least 300 people expected to protest outside of APAC's meeting in Washington. Their target, Trump and what they belief is hateful rhetoric espoused by the bombastic businessman.

PASKIN: We have a right to not be a party to the ugliness and the hatred that he's been spewing and that he's made a corner stone of his campaign.

RAJU: Trump allies are pushing back. In a tweet, Senior Adviser Michael Cohen said the criticism that Trump is a racist is unfair. Shame on the protesting rabbis, he tweeted.

TRUMP: This is the Tree of Life, which is a very big award.

[11:55:06]RAJU: Trump often points to the Tree of Life Award he received in 1983 from the Jewish National Funds Real Estate Committee. In 2004, he marched in a salute to Israel parade in New York City and he likes to point out that his daughter's husband is Jewish.

TRUMP: I have tremendous love for Israel. I happen to have a son-in- law and a daughter that are Jewish, OK, and two grandchildren that are Jewish. (END VIDEOTAPE)

RAJU: Now, Trump also boasted he's been quote, "a massive contributor to pro-Israel causes. In 2014, Trump donated $100,000 to an Israeli emergency first responder organization according to a Jewish newspaper, but we really don't know the full extent of his giving. One reason why, he has yet to release his tax returns.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much to Manu Raju for that. So this Monday, only on CNN, the Democratic and Republican candidates all making their case to the voters on the same night right here on this network. "The Final Five Candidates" this Monday at 8:00 p.m. Eastern only on CNN. And we will be right back.

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WHITFIELD: Happening right now in the NEWSROOM, France calls it an important blow against ISIS, Europe's most wanted fugitive is now officially charged. How the Paris attack suspect could provide a treasure trove of secrets.

Then a crash landing at an airport in Russia, all 62 passengers on board are dead. What the black boxes could tell us? And a new south --