Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Deadly Bombing Targeted Pakistani Christians; Belgian Muslims Fear Public Backlash; Syria Forces Recapture Palmyra From ISIS; Trump Muted on Foreign Policy Details; Sanders Predicts Super Delegates Will Switch; Pope to Lead Mass on Easter Monday; UNICEF Bringing Attention to Syrian Refugees; Power Struggle Brewing in South China Sea; Critics Take Down "Batman Versus Superman". Aired 1-2a ET

Aired March 28, 2016 - 01:00   ET

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


[01:00:10] ISHA SESAY, CNN ANCHOR: This is CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. Ahead this hour, dozens of women and children are dead in an Easter Sunday attack targeting Christians in Pakistan.

Nazi salute, an anti-immigrant chant disrupt what was supposed to be a peaceful memorial for victims of the Brussels attacks.

And Donald Trump tries to explain why his foreign policy plan comes up short on many specifics.

Hello, and thank you for joining us. I'm Isha Sesay. NEWSROOM L.A. starts right now.

On Christianity's holiest day, an offshoot of the Pakistani Taliban targeted Christians in a suicide attack. And a spokesman for the militant group vowed more violence will follow. The explosion in a park in Lahore killed at least 67 people on Easter Sunday. More than 300 others were wounded in a horrific scene near a playground.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (Through Translator): We went to a canteen to have something to eat when there was suddenly a big blast. Everyone panicked, running in all directions. Many of them were blocked at the gate of the park. Dead bodies could be found everywhere.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Well, Ravi Agrawal joins us now with the very latest.

Ravi, what more are we learning from the authorities about what happened?

RAVI AGRAWAL, CNN INDIA BUREAU CHIEF: Isha, what we're learning is that this is an attack that was conducted by a terrorist group. The group is a group that is a splinter group of the Pakistani Taliban. It's called Jamat-ul-Ahrar. And they are saying that this was an attack in sort of, you know, one of the strongholds of Pakistan's government, in the city of Lahore, which is where Pakistan's prime minister Nawaz Sharif is from. It is also where his brother, Shehbaz Sharif, is the chief minister of

the state of Punjab, which Lahore is a part of. And this is an area of Pakistan which sees attacks less frequently than other parts of Pakistan. So it's a real symbol from this group that they can attack, you know, a part of Pakistan like Lahore. So it's a message to the government. It is also a message that they are out to attack Christians as the group spokesperson explicitly told CNN.

Now I want to make clear, though, that this was a blast that took place in a park right by where the blast took place, there were swings, and it was a playground. So a majority of the people who have been killed and injured may be children and women. That's what we're hearing from witnesses. And the bomb blast could be heard from kilometers away. So this was a really sort of big explosion right in the heart of Lahore.

SESAY: Yes. Terrible scenes there that we're showing our viewers.

Ravi, how will the government respond to this? What are they saying?

AGRAWAL: Well, the prime minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, he held a meeting with his top ministers on Sunday, exploring options, looking into how they can go after this particular group, Jamat-ul-Ahrar. Pakistan's army general has also said that he is exploring options, looking into what they can do. But I should remind you. I mean there actually is some sympathy in Pakistan for groups that are out to attack Christians. And that is best exemplified by the fact that on Sunday itself, the same day as this attack took place, in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, there were protests.

Those protests were aimed at telling the Pakistani government that these people wanted to -- they wanted the execution of a Christian woman called Asia Bibi for allegedly blaspheming against the Prophet Mohammed. So there is a wider climate in Pakistan that many Christians say that they're quite fearful of. So that what we're dealing with. And obviously Pakistan's government says it's going to do everything it can to stop these kinds of attacks.

SESAY: Ravi Agrawal joining us there with the very latest after that attack in Lahore. Ravi, appreciate it. Thank you so much.

Let's turn now to CNN intelligence and security analyst Bob Baer who joins us now for some perspective.

Bob, good to have you with us. This Pakistani Taliban splinter group that's claiming responsibility, what more can you tell us about them and really how plausible is it that they could have pulled something like this off?

ROBERT BAER, CNN INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY ANALYST: Well, Isha, it's plausible because one of these vests they could easily make them either in Lahore or even the tribal areas and simply, you know, somebody take a bus down. It's very easy to do. That park was -- didn't have much security, wasn't well defended, very crowded. High casualty rate. I would imagine as a military explosive was used, that this indeed was a suicide bomber. You know, almost any group in Pakistan could carry this off.

[01:05:04] And you know, it's probably the Takfiri group, and probably the Pakistani Taliban, this breakaway group. Very radical. They attacked the school in 2014, the military school, killed more than 100 people. And you know, there's something else I'd like to say is Tashfeen Malik, the San Bernardino shooter, the woman there, had gone to school in the Punjab and was from the Punjab. She was from Multan. There's a good chance -- and they haven't determined this -- that she was trained, militarily trained in the Punjab.

SESAY: Bob, this attack happened in Lahore, the capital of Punjab, which is the home of the ruling party. Talk to me about the significance of striking this particular area.

BAER: Well, it's a strike right at the heart of power in Nawaz Sharif and his brother control the Punjab completely. As we've been talking about, they've been worried about the Taliban for a long time. They have training camps there. They operate in the open nearly, and the government has been very reluctant to go after them simply because there are so many of them in the Punjab. There are so many radicalized groups, it would be a nightmare trying to root them out.

SESAY: An interesting point was made by our own Ravi Agrawal just a couple of moments ago. He said that there are some that are sympathetic with these groups that attack Christians there in Pakistan. You know the climate in Pakistan pretty well. Give us your perspective.

BAER: Well, my daughter is a Christian from Pakistan, adopted daughter. And it's -- this community is embattled. It clearly is. I mean there is maybe 1 percent, 2 percent of the population. They're vulnerable. They're of course not armed. They have no political power. Then let's not forget these same Takfiri groups that are also going after the Shia as well. A lot of bombings over the years.

So they think these communities where they're Christian or Shia, you know, degrade the religion. This is very -- you know, it's a Wahabi sect there. The Deobandis. You know, it's a tough situation. And the government doesn't even know where to start to root this out. I imagine they're going to arrest some people, but getting to the bottom of the Pakistani Taliban and the fact that it's split up in so many factions is going to be very difficult.

SESAY: So that being said, the difficulty given the number, can they thwart future attacks?

BAER: No, you can't stop these attacks, Isha. They're just impossible. Too many arms there. Too many explosives. Too many people willing to martyr themselves. You know, and especially with the war going on in Afghanistan, that tends to spill back over into Pakistan, and there's Kashmir as well which spills back over into Pakistan. I mean, Pakistan climbed up on the back of the tiger, and now it's paying the price.

SESAY: Bob Baer, always so good to have you on the program. Thank you so much for that analysis. Very much appreciated. BAER: Thank you.

SESAY: Well, it seems like all of Europe is on edge after the horrific attacks in Brussels. Dutch police have arrested a man in Rotterdam on suspicion of plotting a terror attack in France. He's expected to be extradited there soon.

And a total of 13 raids were carried out in and around Brussels on Sunday. Four people are still detained. Authorities haven't said if they've produced any helpful leads in Tuesday's terror attacks.

Now what was supposed to be a quiet vigil to remember victims of the attacks quickly got out of control Sunday when hundreds of protesters stormed the memorial at Place de la Bourse shouting anti-immigrant slogans. Some were even seen making Nazi salutes. Police had to use water cannons to disperse the crowds.

Well, the protests are indicative of a major rift in the way Belgians are responding to terror. We saw similar divisions in Paris after the aftermath of those attacks with an anti-Muslim sentiment coming to the fore. Muslims in Brussels are seeing much of the same as our own Saima Mohsin reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Samoon Ahmed Khan had a lucky escape. He missed both the attacks at the airport and metro by minutes. He's in Brussels on a business trip and has barely left his hotel since the bombings. But not just because he's afraid of terrorist attacks.

SAMOON AHMED KHAN, FINANCIAL INVESTIGATOR: I stay in the hotel for two days. I even did not go out because I was scared what will be the people's reaction because of my beard or because I'm Muslim. I'm from Pakistan. Second I was scared because the control of forces, the police. They're doing their job. I'm not saying they're doing it for the people's safety. But I don't want to be in that trauma situation where they will be keeping me for four to five hours.

[01:10:03] MOHSIN: His wife and family were concerned about racial attacks in a backlash against Muslims. His company advised him not to travel.

KHAN: And I was scared because of the bag. If I go from one train station to another with my suitcase and with my appearance.

MOHSIN: Samoon's fears are not unfounded. On Sunday, right-wing protesters charged through the memorial in Place de la Bourse, stamping on flowers, raising Nazi salutes.

Just a day before, members of Brussels' Muslim community came out to show solidarity with their fellow citizens, laying bouquets of flowers for the victims. Muslim mothers brought their children to light candles.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (Through Translator): For me, it's immoral and shameful. Not all Muslims are terrorists. We are against terrorists. We are nice Muslims.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (Through Translator): We are human beings. Our relationship with God is separate. We're not allowed to judge others. We should put our spiritual side aside and work together, build together.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (Through Translator): There are two types of Muslims. There are those who are not good and those who are good. We are not all the same.

MOHSIN: This little girl wrote a message saying, "I'm against terrorism. Why all this war?" Declarations and questions too big for a small child.

For some in this community, it's unbearable that Muslims could carry out such a heinous attack.

SONIA CHAABANE, BELGIAN MUSLIM (Through Translator): It hurts. These are innocent human beings that are dead. It shouldn't happen. They shouldn't kill innocent people. They haven't done anything. It's not our religion that kills. It's got nothing to do with it. Islam is a peaceful religion.

MOHSIN: Among the flags of countries that too have suffered from terror attacks, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkey, France, a banner above them all reads, "Not in the name of Islam."

Saima Mohsin, CNN, Brussels.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SESAY: Well, Russian President Vladimir Putin is congratulating Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on recapturing the ancient city of Palmyra from ISIS. Mr. Putin says Russian air support was key to the Syrian army's success, and that Moscow would continue supporting Damascus in fighting terrorists. ISIS destroyed some of Palmyra's historic ruins and antiquities after seizing the city last May. The U.N. cultural agency UNESCO called the destruction a war crime. It says it plans to evaluate the extent of the damage soon.

Well, for more on Syria's victory in Palmyra, we turn now to CNN military analyst, retired Lieutenant Colonel Rick Francona. He joins us live via Skype from La Quinta in California..

It is always good to have you with us.

Colonel Francona, break down the strategic importance of recapturing Palmyra.

LT. COL. RICK FRANCONA, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, Palmyra, the victory there is significant on two fronts. One is the symbolic issue because now we've seen ISIS defeated in at least five battles, three in Iraq, that's Tikrit, Baiji and Ramadi, and now they've lost Khobani and just recently the fall of Palmyra. I mean, this sends a real signal to the rest of the world that ISIS is not indefeatable. They can be taken down. Operationally it's significant because Palmyra sits on a nexus of many

of the roads. The logistics hub of Syria right goes right through Palmyra. The Syrians are going to need Palmyra if they're going to attack on Raqqa. They've been able to push ISIS back up against the Euphrates Valley, and that's good. They also are now able to move further to the east, to the city of Deir ez-Zor where there is a besieged Syrian army garrison who's been kept alive by months by just air drops.

So this is a real victory for the Syrian army. And it looks like it might be a turning point in the battle against ISIS in Syria.

SESAY: OK. It could be a turning point against ISIS in Syria, what many around the world will be asking, does this mean that the Syrian army is equal to the task of beating them and retaking Raqqa, the ISIS stronghold that everyone says needs to be taken?

FRANCONA: Yes. That's going to be a real problem because Raqqa, of course, you know they've had it for a long time. They've been able to build defenses there. And that will be their last stand. That's their capital. But the Syrian army is up to the task as long as they have Russian support. Russian air power, as Mr. Putin said, was key to this victory. When you control the airspace, you have a great advantage. ISIS has no air force. They've got no air defenses. So the Russian Air Force, the Syrian Air Force together were able to go in there and really turn the tide of battle, much like the Russian Air Force turned the tide of the entire battle in Syria.

Remember just a few months ago before the Russians intervened the Syrian army was on its heels, they were pulling back, falling further south toward Damascus. With the Russian air intervention, they were able to stop the Syrian retreat and give the Syrian army a chance, a breathing space to regroup and go further north. Then the Syrian army is now the key force in most of the country and it has pretty much secured Bashar al-Assad's future in Syria for the near term.

[01:15:10] SESAY: Yes. Indeed. The point being made by many watchers, though, is that as ISIS is squeezed in Syria and in Iraq, that ultimately what that means is they will lash out and step up attacks against the West. That has to be the concern here.

FRANCONA: Yes, I think you're exactly right, and I think we're seeing that. As ISIS metastasizes outside of its bases in Syria and Iraq, you know, they're moving to Southeast Asia, South Asia. They're moving into Africa, Libya, and starting to mount operations in Europe. They know that their time in Syria and Iraq might be limited. And you can see what's happening in Iraq as well. American air power really isolating Mosul as we get prepared for the Iraqi army to move north.

So if you have the Syria army moving toward Raqqa, the Iraqi army going toward Mosul, these are two centers of gravity for ISIS. You can almost say that the plan is coming together, one can hope.

SESAY: One can certainly hope. Colonel Francona, always a pleasure. Thank you.

FRANCONA: Good to be with you, Isha.

SESAY: Time for a quick break. Donald Trump has no problem weighing in on pretty much anything, but when it comes to war and peace, he admits to being light on details. But now he is saying why.

Plus, they're not your typical bedtime stories. A new animated series calls attention to Syria's youngest refugees.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(SPORTS)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:20:29] SESAY: Hello, everyone. Republican U.S. presidential frontrunner Donald Trump is not known for staying quiet. But his critics have pointed out that he's been rather mum with specifics about foreign policy. Over the weekend, Trump explained his approach, if you could call it that, and he told "The New York Times," quote, "A politician would say, oh, I would never go to war. I don't want to say what I'd do because we need unpredictability. I wouldn't want them to know what my real thinking is."

OK. I'm joined now by Dave Jacobson, a Democratic strategist and campaign consultant at Shalman Communications. Also here, John Thomas, a Republican consultant and president of Thomas Partners Strategies. And as a Republican, yes, you get to go first.

(LAUGHTER)

SESAY: No, really, this interview with "The New York Times," I found it bewildering. Did you?

JOHN THOMAS, REPUBLICAN CONSULTANT: I mean, look, as a Republican who likes, you know, strong defense, I think we do need to look out for the rest of the world and fight terrorism. The remarks were concerning.

But look, this is classic Trump. You know, this is -- this is the art of the deal verbatim. Never show your opponent your hand. Try to extract more leverage -- as much leverage as you can. In fact, he also takes extreme positions so that he can walk them back and get a better deal.

Look, the problem is that may work on "The Apprentice," but being president of the United States, you have to project confidence and stability and then you work with others.

SESAY: And one would hope that he hasn't confused "Apprentice" with leading the most powerful country on earth.

Dave, to bring you in there, you know, to John's point that, you know, he's just trying not to show his hand, but what he has shown, surely it's got to be concerning to traditional U.S. allies like Saudi Arabia, Japan, and South Korea when you read this piece. DAVID JACOBSON, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Right. I mean, look, it's

further evidence of the fact that Donald Trump is all over the map. This is a guy willing to do or say anything just to get elected. He's feeding red meat to his base, right, angry sort of a white electorate primarily. And I think it sets up a perfect contrast with the Democrats on the other hand. You know, the day before the terrorist attack in Brussels, Donald Trump said, you know what, we need to retreat a little bit from NATO.

The day after the attack, you know, Hillary Clinton has a comprehensive sort of in-depth foreign policy speech with two former secretaries of state in Stanford talking about, you know, her plans for leading America forward. And I think you see that in contrast with Donald Trump, where he's all over the place. You know, one day he's an isolationist, the next day he's embracing Ted Cruz's totalitarianism. I mean, it really sort of underscores the fact that you never know what you're going to get with this guy.

THOMAS: I think Donald Trump is being consistent in what -- in how he's been the whole time, which is we're not winning. We're being taken advantage of. We need to flex our muscle as America economically more than anything. And by the way, we're not just going to pay for everything. Mexico is going to split the cost or -- you know, so it is consistent, although it may sound crazy at times. At least he's being consistent.

SESAY: Yes.

(LAUGHTER)

SESAY: You know, I want to talk about being consistent. There's another lawsuit on the horizon. Donald Trump --

THOMAS: Very consistent.

SESAY: Very consistent. Threatening a lawsuit against Ted Cruz over Louisiana and the way delegates are being apportioned. This is a tweet he put out earlier on because, you know, most major announcements are to be made by Twitter. And he said, as you see there, "Just to show you how unfair Republican primary politics can be, I won the state of Louisiana and get less delegates than Cruz. Lawsuit coming."

John, sum this up briefly. And does he have a leg to stand on?

THOMAS: He doesn't, although it sounds like it's a bad deal from the surface. Look, he did win the state, but the fact is, there were 10 delegates up for grabs. Five of them were Marco Rubio --delegates. So they're up. Marco is out. Right? So Ted Cruz -- they went to Ted and five were undeclared or undecided delegates. And Ted Cruz had better operation to get those delegates.

So I equate this no different than -- it's just the rules are the rules of the system whether you like it or not. Change the rules but don't sue after the fact.

JACOBSON: If I could jump in, Isha.

SESAY: Of course.

JACOBSON: So one thing that I think people really aren't talking about on the GOP side is that these Marco Rubio -- I think it's like 160 some odd delegates, eight delegates for Ben Carson. These folks are essentially uncommitted.

SESAY: Yes. Jeb Bush.

THOMAS: For Jeb Bush.

JACOBSON: Right. Exactly. You can equate them to super delegates at a certain level for the Democratic side.

SESAY: Yes.

JACOBSON: That's a large chunk of delegates and that could really be the difference between Donald Trump sort of clinching the 1237 that he needs or not.

SESAY: And it going to Ted Cruz or John Kasich. You know, the red meat, the lawsuits, the today I'm with NATO, the tomorrow I'm not unpredictability. You know, this is being watched by people around the world.

THOMAS: Right.

[01:25:02] SESAY: And some are frightened, bewildered. Take a listen to what John Kerry had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: Everywhere I go, every leader I meet, they ask about what is happening in America. They cannot believe it. I think it is fair to say that they're shocked. They don't know where it's taking the United States of America. It upsets people's sense of equilibrium about our steadiness, about our reliability. And to some degree, I must say to you, some of the questions the way they are posed to me, it's clear to me that what's happening is an embarrassment to our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: And everyone says obviously he's talking about -- not obviously, but everyone assumes he's talking about Republicans.

John, I know your reflex is to just, you know, poo-poo what John Kerry has got to say and what he's saying there. But doesn't he have a point that it is concerning and that it does make America look bad?

THOMAS: Sure, he has a point, but look, he also is a partisan figure. And I think his administration -- a lot of the administration doesn't think that his administration has done a great job fighting terrorism in abroad. So I don't think he's -- he lives in a glass house in this instance. But look, they do make a good point. Donald Trump needs to get his act together as we transition to the general election.

SESAY: But it's not just Donald Trump that's raising concern around the world. Ted Cruz, and securing and patrolling Muslim communities. That too is concerning to people around the world.

THOMAS: Well, but also Bernie Sanders has said we shouldn't have really any foreign entanglements of -- you know, he said let the world sort it out. I think he's also for the isolation. So I don't think -- it's a two-way street here. Hillary Clinton is trying to take the high road and be that leader and so far she's appeared to be. But if Donald Trump is the nominee, I think we see that he's going to triangulate. He's going to become, as he says, a uniter.

Right now he's just trying to get through a partisan primary where right now a lot of his base thinks that we're getting a raw deal from the rest of the world.

SESAY: Dave, I'm going to let you weigh in there. As he took the name of your people in vain, saying, you know, Bernie Sanders himself is -- you know, could be seen as a source of alarm around the world. What do you say?

JACOBSON: I haven't heard any foreign leaders say that. But I will tell you look, it is unprecedented for a sitting secretary of state, who is sort of supposed to be apolitical to sort of, you know, tip the scales and lean a little bit on the Republican side.

And I think, look, John Kerry, Secretary Kerry, is on the front lines. He's seeing our allies face to face on a regular basis. And so clearly they're telling him that they're scared, and I think -- you know, a Donald Trump candidacy is a major danger, and I think it poses real security risks and I think it really underscores the fact that people see him as a sort of unstable leader. And they don't know what kind of America they're going to get with him. And I think people are looking for a steady hand, and they're not going to get that with Donald Trump.

SESAY: Let's turn our attention to the Democratic race. And big races on the weekend that Bernie Sanders won all three of them.

JACOBSON: Right.

SESAY: It's definitely put a spring in his step and some momentum, he says, in the race. Take a listen to what he had to say to Jake Tapper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: A lot of super delegates have pledged for Secretary Clinton, but I think when they begin to look at the reality, and that is that we, in poll after poll, are beating Donald Trump by much larger margins than is Secretary Clinton. In your own CNN last poll, we were 20 points ahead of him. In the last national poll, we actually beat Secretary Clinton by a point. We thought it's 50 points behind. I think the momentum is with us. A lot of these super delegates may rethink their position with Secretary Clinton. A lot of them have not yet declared.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Dave, do you see that? Super delegates rethinking their position?

JACOBSON: Look, I mean he should be making that argument, especially as it pertains to states where he's, you know, won big, perhaps in Washington state. These folks are uncommitted until the convention. So they could go back and forth. I don't see a lot of the committed super delegates who have pledged their support to Hillary flipping, not at least until he eats more into her delegate lead.

There's no doubt he's got the wind at his back. He's got some momentum. He had to do as good in the west as she did in the south, and he's performed well in the last six sort of western states. The challenge he has is he's about 270 delegates behind her in state- appointed delegates and over 400 delegates behind her in super delegates. So that's a very steep hill for him to climb. If he wants to get anywhere close to her, he's got to win about two-thirds of the delegates moving forward in every state.

And I think, look, he's done very well in some of these caucus states. The problem for him is there's only two left, Wyoming and North Dakota. So the question is, can he sort of compete with her in these big delegate-rich states like Pennsylvania, New York, and California? And that's yet to be seen.

SESAY: John, do you see a path for him?

THOMAS: Well, he does do well in states where there's not a closed race, where independents can cross over and vote in the Democratic primaries. California is a good example of that. But let's be honest. There isn't a path. He's -- in my opinion, he's just using this as an opportunity to keep his base charged up, to keep those small donations coming, and keep his political capital as dry as he can to perhaps extract something out of Hillary Clinton at the end.

[01:30:04] SESAY: And to influence Hillary Clinton.

(CROSSTALK)

THOMAS: Yes, and I think that's what this is all about. It's influencing an agenda. It's not about winning an election.

SESAY: The two wise men do it again, bring some clarity to a very murky race.

(LAUGHTER)

THOMAS: Thanks for having us.

SESAY: Dave, John, thank you.

All right. Well, CNN is hosting a Republican town hall this week featuring presidential candidates, Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and John Kasich. You can watch it Wednesday at 1:00 a.m. in London, 8:00 a.m. in Hong Kong. It is right here on CNN.

Time for a quick break now. UNICEF has launched a new campaign. Animated tales recount the harrowing experiences of Syria's youngest refugees. The details are next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SESAY: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. I'm Isha Sesay.

The headlines this hour --

(HEADLINES)

[01:35:09] SESAY: Now in just a few hours, Pope Francis will lead mass in St. Peter's Square for Easter Monday. It's a day observed by Roman Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox Church. Before a huge crowd on Sunday, the pope led his annual Easter mass celebrating the resurrection of Jesus.

CNN's Vatican correspondent, Delia Gallagher, has more on the pope's message.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: A beautiful and peaceful Easter celebration here in Rome amid security concerns and heightened police presence at the Vatican. Pope Francis remembered the victims of terrorism, calling terrorism a blind and brutal violence. He also remembered those involved in armed conflicts throughout the world and expressed the hope that peace might prevail in places like Syria, Iraq, Libya and the Middle East. The pope also remembered the plight of refugees, migrants, and those persecuted for their faith. And he called on people to go out with renewed courage, he said, and blaze trails of reconciliation with their brothers and sisters.

Delia Gallagher, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SESAY: UNICEF's new animated series, "Unfairy Tales" is calling attention to young Syrian refugees. In the first story, "A Journey from Syria," a 7-year-old makes a terrifying trip across the Mediterranean Sea in search of a better life.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Joining me now is senior UNICEF adviser, John Budd.

John, thank you so much for joining us.

Let me start by asking, why use animations to tell the quite harrowing stories of migrant and refugee children?

JOHN BUDD, SENOR ADVISOR, UNICEF: I think it's a new way of trying to reach a different audience. But also it looked at the voyages, the incredible journeys of these children through a different light. The whole idea was that the company that came to us with this idea said let's do it in the form of a fairy tale. And I think, you know, that resonated in terms of what these children had been through.

SESAY: As you talk about what these children have been through, just walk us through some of the stories you're telling, some of the specific points of these "Unfairy Tales" as you call them.

BUDD: The "Unfairy Tales" start off with a child called Melok (ph), who's 7 years of age. She basically has to flee from Syria. She gets in a boat, and she is crossing from Turkey over into the Greek islands. And basically the story she told us in an interview was then translated into this extraordinary visual tale by the animation companies. And it showed, I think, it demonstrated the emotional aspects of this journey that sometimes you can't capture when you're just doing an interview. It is very clear that she came very close to death. It is very clear that she faced enormous horrors.

The other story is the story of Aven (ph), is the story of how this child had to actually escape from the bombing that was taking place in Syria, bombing that killed family. So it was very, very difficult in the first instance to get out of Syria with all of these terrible things happening to her. Then we move as she's making her way to Europe, and it looks extremely like something you'd see as a child in a forest, where you're absolutely terrified and the journey doesn't seem like it will ever end. Finally, the mother says, you know, we have to lie down and go to sleep.

And of course, what we find is these journeys that these children are taking, it's not the end of the journey for them when they reach a destination. There you find they have to start an entirely new journey.

SESAY: You know what's extraordinary, as we put up the animations and share them with our viewers is the fact that what these children go through is heart breaking, it's heart-wrenching, it's incredibly difficult. Yet, their plight, their suffering, is often lost in the shuffle as the issue of migrants and refugees becomes increasingly politicized.

BUDD: Yes. I think that's one of the reasons why UNICEF decided that it should try and tell the stories of these children. Because what we found through research is that if people in the destination countries, if they hear about how these children actually got here, if they hear about what they've been through, they're more open to accepting them. So that's one of the reasons we started this campaign, which is called Active Humanity. We're basically asking people just to show small acts of humanity and kindness towards refugee and migrant children and to remind ourselves, that they're not refugees or migrant children. They are children. It doesn't matter where they came from. It doesn't matter what's happened to them. They are children, and they need our support. [01:40:26] SESAY: This campaign aside, talk to me a little bit about

the field work your organization is doing, what you're doing to help these children in these various places.

BUDD: Yes. UNICEF's primary work with refugees and migrants in the least developed countries. So, for example, for the Syrian crisis, most of our work is done in Turkey and Lebanon and Jordan where there's two million refugee children currently in refugee camps, so all of our work is being focused principally in these areas. But the same can be said for refugee children in Afghanistan. Or if you're in south Sudan, for example, you've got nearly two million children there affected as well. So we're working with the U.N. Agencies to support them.

In terms of what's happening with the Europeans, we set up an entire chain of what we call blue hubs, all the way from Greece right through up into Austria, in order to support refugee families as they made their journey to where they wanted to go. This was to provide, you know, protection for the children, to do reunification. That's the sort of work we've been doing.

SESAY: John, it's very important work that you are doing, you and the other agencies. This campaign is a much needed one to remind people that, you know, refugee, migrants, at the end of the day, they are just children.

BUDD: Yes.

SESAY: John Budd, thank you so much.

BUDD: Thank you.

SESAY: A quick break. China claims almost all of the South China Sea, but Taiwan, Vietnam and the Philippines also are staking claim. CNN goes to one of the contested islands and explores Taiwan's role, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:45:16] SESAY: Hello, everyone. A would-be suicide bomber in Cameroon is claiming to be one of the kidnapped Nigerian school girls. She was stopped by locals Friday. One escaped. Boko Haram militants kidnapped more than 200 girls back in May 2014. The Nigerian government will send a delegation to find out if the women are from that group. The delegation will include community members and parents of the missing girls.

Now, a power struggle is brewing in the South China Sea. Several governments have long claimed different parts of that body of water. And now, a group of islands, rocks really, are at the center of the disputed claims.

CNN's Ivan Watson was invited to one of the contested islands, which is guarded by Taiwan, but also claimed by China.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The contested waters of South China Sea, seen from a Taiwanese military plane. This is what greets you when you land at Taiping, an island controlled by Taiwan.

(on camera): Taiping is a tiny island. It basically runs the length of this runway. The Taiwanese government first laid claim to this place more than half a century ago, but this is the very first time the government says that journalists have been invited to see it firsthand. It's at a time when tensions are ratcheting up here in the South China Sea.

(voice-over): At least six different countries have competing claims for this body of water but China claims almost all of it. And to cement China's claim, Beijing has been building a series of man made islands atop reeves and atolls in the hotly disputed Spratly Archipelago. It's making the neighbors nervous.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are opposed to militarization, military expansionism in the area.

WATSON: Enter the U.S. Navy. We caught up with the aircraft carrier "John C. Stennis" shortly after it sailed through the South China Sea, performing an unmistakable show of U.S. force.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just being there in the South China Sea shows we believe we have the right to operate in international waters all ships, not just military vessels, but civilian vessels.

WATSON: Washington calls these visits "freedom of navigation operations." They clearly irritate the Chinese.

(BEGIN AUDIO FEED)

UNIDENTIFIED CHINESE MILITARY PERSONNEL: This is the Chinese Navy. This is the Chinese Navy. Please go away quickly.

(END AUDIO FEED)

WATSON: Last year, CNN accompanied a U.S. Navy spy plane that flew over China's manmade islands.

(BEGIN AUDIO FEED)

UNIDENTIFIED CHINESE MILITARY PERSONNEL: You go!

(END AUDIO FEED)

WATSON: Beijing expressed outrage, issuing formal protests and calling these operations a very serious provocation.

So where do smaller claimants like Taiwan fit in? On Taiping, officials showed off the island's chickens and goats as well as supplies of fresh water.

If Taiwan proves Taiping can sustain human life, then the Taiwanese can make the case for a potentially lucrative 200 nautical mile economic exclusion zone around the island.

(on camera): Amid the contest for control of the South China Sea, Taiwan is trying to demonstrate that it, too, is a player and should not be overlooked. Meanwhile, other small countries like Vietnam and the Philippines are reaching out to the U.S. for help at counterbalancing China as it continues to flex its naval muscle in this contested body of water.

(voice-over): A place that feels like a tropical paradise is instead becoming part of a much bigger regional power struggle.

Ivan Watson, CNN, Taiping Island, in the South China Sea.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[01:49:16] SESAY: Coming up, "Batman Versus Superman" is the newest superhero mega hit at the box office, but the reviews -- oh, dear, the reviews are anything but super. Why critics are slamming the tale of two comic book legends. We will explain, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: God versus man. Day versus night.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Well, the latest superhero movie is flying high at the office. "Batman Versus Superman, Dawn of Justice" nabbed the biggest March opening weekend ever, earning more than $170 million in North America. Now, despite scoring big with audiences, the fact of the matter is this movie has received a brutal takedown by critics.

For more on the film's lackluster reviews, we're joined by a senior U.S. critic for Screen International, Tim Grierson.

Tim, always good to have you with us.

The reviews are far from glowing, but the audience is flocking to this. You have seen it.

TIM GRIERSON, SENIOR U.S. CRITIC FOR SCREEN INTERNATIONAL: I have seen it. And it's not good. It's not good.

(LAUGHTER)

But that's not a surprise that critics don't like the movie and the movie still does well its opening weekend. It made $170 million this weekend. Most times with opening weekends, that's not about critics' reviews. That's about people who are excited about a movie and will see it regardless, especially when you have a movie that has Batman and Superman in it. Enough people will be aware of that movie and, because of the marketing, they'll go check it out. Where critics' reviews matter is in the second weekend, all the people who are kind of hard-core fans, who would see it regardless, they're going to see it this opening weekend. Those people who are on the fence read the reviews and think maybe this isn't very good, so they don't bother to see it.

SESAY: Obviously, you are a critic.

GRIERSON: I'm perhaps biased.

SESAY: There are those saying do they have any weight anymore.

GRIERSON: I think with big blockbusters, they don't matter as much as with smaller, independent films. But at the same time, I do think that word of mouth and critic reviews do matter in terms of the overall legs of a movie. Like I said, hard-core fans, they're going to see it regardless. But say you're a hard-core fan and you really wanted to see if that first weekend, and you ended up not really liking the movie, maybe you wouldn't see it a second time, and maybe you wouldn't bring a fan who was kind of on the fence because they read a review and said, I hear it's two and a half hours long, it's not very good, I think I'm going to skip it.

SESAY: The reviews and the impact they're having on the general public, I mean that was put to the stars of the movie, Ben Affleck, who, of course, plays Batman, and Henry Cavill, who plays Superman. They asked them about the reviews. I want you to take a look at Ben's reaction, which has gone viral.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Since reviews of the film have come out, and I don't know if you've had a chance to look at them, and I'd like your response to those.

BEN AFFLECK, ACTOR: No. What did they say?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it's been getting a mixed response.

AFFLECK: I just wanted to see what you would say.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First of all, I really liked it. I wonder how that makes you guys feel and whether it will even affect the film as such.

AFFLECK: The interesting thing is that we get the critics who have their personal opinions and the thing about personal opinions is they always come from a place, and there's a preconceived where you have to get past a place before you start writing your article or review and that affects.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: What on earth is going on there? That moment, people are calling it sad Ben.

GRIERSON: It is sad. I'd love to know what he was thinking. It's always difficult because I remember when "Lone Ranger" came out and people were asking Johnny Depp about it. He said something somewhat similar where we're not making this movie for critics. I think that's always kind of interesting because you want to make it for people -- you want it to be a good movie. I think this idea they don't make it for critics, I understand in some ways what they're saying. And I think this is perhaps --

(CROSSTALK)

[01:55:29] SESAY: You want to be liked.

GRIERSON: I think what happens is I think people think that critics are too hard or too picky on things. I have to say someone like myself who sees about 250 movies a year, I always go in wanting to like the movies I'm seeing. But poor Ben Affleck in that. It's sort of a thing that goes viral and will end up hurting a movie because that becomes the story of the movie. How sad Ben Affleck looks in that clip frankly.

SESAY: It's like it's so bed, even Ben Affleck is sad.

GRIERSON: The dawning of realization is happening for Mr. Affleck at that moment.

SESAY: It has been set to music and it is online to Simon & Garfunkel. And it's truly funny.

And, Tim Grierson, it's such a pleasure. Thank you for coming in and thank you for sitting through two and a half hours so you could come in and tell us about it.

GRIERSON: My pleasure.

SESAY: Thanks.

All right. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM, from Los Angeles. I'm Isha Sesay.

The news continues with Rosemary Church at CNN Center and Michael Holmes in Brussels right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)