Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Brussels Terror Investigation; GOP Spars Over NATO; Dems Look to Wisconsin, New York Contests; Farmers Challenge GOP Candidates on Immigration. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired March 30, 2016 - 09:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:33:38] CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me.

New pictures show the mangled remains inside the Brussels airport lobby. Look at this. Now, these pictures taken less than 24 hours after the terrorists struck. As you know, they hit the airport, the metro. And now we have starting new information about other possible targets these terrorists may have been planning to hit.

Alexandra Field in Brussels with the latest, new information.

Good morning.

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Carol, good morning.

Investigators have recovered computers, they've recovered cell phones and now they're looking at what kind of information that could hold about any additional plots that this cell could have been planning on carrying out. What we're learning about one of the computers is that it had pictures of the prime minister's office, plans for that building and for other government buildings. Very alarming to investigators who are on this case right now. Certainly does seem to suggest that this cell was looking at additional targets throughout the city of Brussels.

We know that Belgian authorities have been looking at these laptops and also at the cell phones and we now know that the FBI is also assisting. Some of that material has actually been shipped to the United States, where investigators are taking another look at the data, specifically trying to access some of the information that Belgian authorities were not able to reach on those hard drives.

Beyond that, Carol, you saw those pictures from inside the airport. This is the first time that we're seeing some of these images of really the horrific devastation that unfolded there a week ago. We're learning from the airport that it could be several months before they're back up and fully running. This is an airport that serviced some 60,000 people a day. They are trying to figure out a way to get it back open, at least on a temporary basis, in a limited way for some passengers, but certainly it's going to take a lot of additional security measures for people to feel safe there again, Carol. [09:35:26] COSTELLO: Understood. Alexandra Field reporting live from

Brussels. Thank you.

The Pentagon firing back this morning at Donald Trump, saying NATO is, quote, "as relevant as ever," following the GOP frontrunner's comments that NATO is outdated. Trump doubling down on his stance during a CNN town hall in Wisconsin, prompting a sharp critique from his rival, Governor John Kasich.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I understand this stuff. I mean I really do understand this stuff. NATO is obsolete. Now, that doesn't mean it can't be rejiggered and it can't be fixed and made good, or it's possible --

ANDERSON COOPER, MODERATOR: And for you that's largely a financial component that when you talk about rejiggering?

TRUMP: We're paying too much. You have countries in NATO, I think it's 28 countries --

COOPER: OK.

TRUMP: You have countries in NATO that are getting a free ride and it's unfair.

GOV. JOHN KASICH (R-OH), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We need to change NATO from not just a military organization, but an intelligence gathering and also a policing organization that works across boundaries.

COOPER: Donald Trump says NATO is obsolete. Is it?

KASICH: Well, of course it's not. That's -- that's absurd, and obsolete, OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: All right, so let's talk about that with Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, and Colonel Cedric Leighton, a CNN military analyst.

Welcome to both of you.

Colonel Leighton, I'll start with you, is NATO obsolete?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: No, Carol. Good morning. It isn't. NATO is actually increasing its relevance today and, in fact, the Pentagon is planning to move in about 250 tanks for the first time since the end of the Cold War. They're moving in those tanks, or at least planning to do so, and they're also looking at about a brigade size worth of troops coming in. So that's about anywhere from 3,500 to 6,000 extra troops on Russia's border.

COSTELLO: But, colonel, is it true that the United States pays into NATO much more so than other countries?

LEIGHTON: That absolutely is true. And what has happened is NATO has a goal, a budgetary goal of 2 percent of GDP that member nations are supposed to achieve. Very few nations achieve that. Estonia is one of them. And, of course, Estonia is one of the smaller members of NATO. But the United States definitely holds the lion's share of the purse strings when it comes to NATO.

COSTELLO: Larry, do you think that Donald Trump's talk about NATO resonates, because I would bet -- and I mean no disrespect -- that most people don't know exactly what NATO does.

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, UNIV. OF VIRGINIA CENTER FOR POLITICS: Unfortunately, Carol, you're absolutely right. They may not even recognize the term anymore. So probably it plays with his constituency. He's appealing to nationalistic sentiments. Essentially he used the phrase last night and also elsewhere that America can't afford to be the world's policemen. Well, we've heard that since Vietnam. Actually we've heard it since Korea. It plays well with many Americans who think the country is getting ripped off, that other nations are relying too heavily on us. You know, the problem is, we are the world's policemen and the world can't do without us.

COSTELLO: All right. Let's move on to the next topic, which would be nuclear proliferation. Donald Trump says that's at the top of his concern list, nuclear proliferation, yet he said that he wanted a nuclear armed Asia. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: You said you're worried about the proliferation of nuclear weapons the most.

TRUMP: Right.

COOPER: You also said, though, that you might support Japan and South Korea developing nuclear weapons of their own. Isn't that completely contradictory?

TRUMP: No, not at all. Look, you have -- North Korea has nuclear weapons and he doesn't have a carrier yet but he's got nuclear weapons.

COOPER: It's been a U.S. policy, though, for decades to prevent Japan from getting nuclear weapons. South Korea as well.

TRUMP: Well, that might be the policy, but -- can I be honest with you, maybe it's going to have to be time to change because so many people -- you have Pakistan has it, you have China has it. you have so many other countries now that having --

COOPER: So some proliferation is OK?

TRUMP: No, no, not some -- I hate proliferation. I hate nuclear more than any --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So, colonel, do you understand what he was trying to say?

LEIGHTON: I think what Donald Trump is trying to get at, Carol, is that he wants burden sharing basically and he's also using the nuclear arms structure as a way in which to spread the wealth, or spread the burden in this case, of the nuclear umbrella. Now, the historic part of this is that the Japanese has a no-war constitution. And in that constitution, and in subsequent policy, they actually are prohibited from acquiring nuclear weapons. And that's part of the U.S.'s guarantee to other nations in Asia that there will be no Japanese aggression like we saw in World War II. Same thing holds true for South Korea. We don't want them to have nuclear weapons either because we deem that to be too dangerous.

[09:40:08] Now, times have changed. Donald Trump is absolutely right about that. But the issue here is, do we want to proliferate on a side that we like or do we want there to be a regime of nuclear control that may be effective or more effective than we've had in the past.

COSTELLO: Well, Larry, it seems to fit into Donald Trump's narrative, right? So we don't want to be the policemen of the world, the United States, right? So just arm our allies and they can like take care of it themselves.

SABATO: Yes, I have no doubt that it appeals to millions of his backers. I think it's fair to say, though, that Donald Trump is not an expert in nuclear non-proliferation. And, in fact, what he's advocating actually revokes the views and the policies of presidents going back to Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy. That's not to say that policy should never change, but this is a very serious matter. The ultimate serious matter.

COSTELLO: Yes. It's -- thank you both for your insight. I appreciate it. Larry Sabato, Colonel Cedric Leighton.

Up next in the NEWSROOM, Bernie Sanders in a New York state of mind. Can he topple Clinton in a state where she once was a sitting senator?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:45:27] COSTELLO: Democrats turn their attention to New York as Bernie Sanders cranks up the pressure on Hillary Clinton to debate him in New York. Clinton's not dismissing the idea, but at least this morning she's turning her attention to GOP frontrunner Donald Trump. Her new ad this morning in New York doesn't blame Trump but jabs at his fiery rhetoric and the violence that has erupted at some of his rallies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So when some say we can solve America's problems by building walls, banning people based on their religion, and turning against each other, well, this is New York. And we know better.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: CNN's Jeff Zeleny is here in New York with more. Hi Jeff.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Carol. I'm at the Apollo Theater in Harlem where Hillary Clinton is going to take the stage later this morning, beginning to plant her flag here in New York City. You may wonder why, because the New York primary is not for about three weeks or so. The Wisconsin primary is the next one up next week. The Clinton campaign already looking beyond that a little bit because they know that Bernie Sanders has a lot of strength there.

But that interesting Trump ad this morning that you just played. We're going to hear Secretary Clinton repeat that message here this morning about Donald Trump. And if you're wondering why she's going after Donald Trump now, well, it's actually to galvanize strength among Democrats. She's trying to show Democratic voters here and elsewhere that she's the strongest candidate to take on Donald Trump.

But the Sanders campaign believes that she's getting ahead of herself. And Bernie Sanders, yesterday in Wisconsin speaking to CNN's Erin Burnett, made the case for why he's the stronger candidate.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There are huge issues facing this country. Our middle class disappearing. Grotesque levels of income and wealth inequality. A campaign finance system that is corrupt and a broken criminal justice system. And in New York State, there are additional problems. So I would hope that we would have a good debate. My understanding is she would like to do it in Brooklyn. I was born in Brooklyn. Let's do it!

BURNETT: Game on for Brooklyn.

SANDERS: Game on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY: So we'll see if there is game on for Brooklyn or not. The Sanders campaign has been calling for a debate. The Clinton campaign says they're open to it. But Carol, the reality is that it's going to be very hard for them to not debate. There's already an online petition, the Sanders campaign is urging people to sign and encourage Clinton to do it. So of course she's done well in the debates, so there's no reason to think that she wouldn't in this one as well. But, Carol, for the next week or so, eyes on Wisconsin and then full eyes here on the New York City. The first competitive primary in the state of New York since 1988, Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Jeff Zeleny. Thanks so much.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, these candidates are going after the same job. But last night another job was in focus -- Wisconsin's dairy industry. Who has the best plan to keep those farms up and running? (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:52:46] COSTELLO: Immigration policy hit home in Wisconsin last night as two dairy farmers pressed the candidates for answers on how they could keep their farms running amid campaign threats to deport undocumented immigrants.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our No. 1 economic driver, which is the dairy industry and the cheese industry right behind it, is being challenged right now by having a labor force that is dependent on an immigration policy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Most farms in the dairy industry cannot find American-born workers to milk the cows and take care of them. The only ones willing to do this hard work are Latino immigrants.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: All right. So how did the candidates answer? Christine Romans is here with more on that.

I talked to an apple farmer in upstate New York. He worries about the same thing. Like, he can't get American workers to pick apples.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSIENSS CORRESPONDNET: Grain farmers, you talk to fishermen, you talk to -- across the country, this is an issue, which is why so many people in the farming industry would like to see immigration reform, some kind of a policy that allows them a consistent and predictable flow of legal labor here.

Here's what the candidates said. Ted Cruz talked about raising wages. He pointed to Arizona and said the tough, tough immigration laws in Arizona cut costs for taxpayers because of prisons and schools and healthcare, and allowed them to raise wages. Raise wages and then more Americans -- these millions of Americans, frankly, who are out of the labor market --

COSTELLO: He wants the farmers to pay more to hire Americans?

ROMANS: He wants to -- he wants to fix the immigration system, make tougher laws, and then wages can start to rise and you'll attract more -- among other things you'll attract more labor.

What Donald Trump said, Donald Trump, he didn't really focus on the big deportation we've heard him before. He talked about growing business in general and he pivoted quickly to trade. He wants to fix trade. He wants America to be better at trade so that our businesses are growing and our workers can be paid more. And so that's where they went to on this.

You know, immigration is hard for these Republican candidates because you know what's really fueling so much of the energy in the campaign right now, when you talk -- you look at some of these new voters who are coming in, they want to get tough immigration. They want to see these candidates get tough on immigration. And they want to see -- they don't want to see American workers not have jobs, and all of these immigrants have jobs.

[09:55:02] That's -- bottom line, look at so many of the exit polls as well.

So they talked about factory jobs, too. The core at all of this, Carol, I think is this self-esteem problem that we're seeing in the American workforce right now. Manufacturing jobs since 1980, they have gone down pretty significantly, right? This is also fueling -- they were asked yesterday, last night, about manufacturng jobs. And, you know, basically what Ted Cruz would like to do, Ted Cruz would like to see -- he would like to see education, retraining, vocational training. Donald Trump, he would like to see trade deals renegotiated and bring those old jobs back.

COSTELLO: All right. Christine Romans, thanks so much.

The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)