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Republican Nomination in Hands of Rules Committee; Sex Scandal Rocks Alabama Governor; Terrorist to be Extradited to France; Alleged Ex-wife of ISIS Leader Speaks Out; As Trump Meets with RNC Firestorm Brews Over Abortion Comments. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired March 31, 2016 - 14:30   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[14:30:00] UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: A mailman never forgets an address. Why isn't this message getting to my brain?

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Probably because you're sitting on it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: "Cheers" to that.

CNN's "New Day's" Michaela Pereira is inside that famous Boston bar, having a blast, serving up drinks.

Very jealous, Michaela.

What's today's drink special?

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know -- oh, we got a drink special I'm going to tell you about. It was a bad idea to send me to a bar, can I just say, CNN, you might have wanted to rethink that.

We've been here since very early. There's a lot of people in this bar from all over the world.

(CHEERING)

PEREIRA: They're having a great time.

This is Lisa, the bartender. She's been working here for 21 years. Why did you -- why so long? You like it here?

UNIDENTIFIED BARTENDER: I love it. What better cubicle?

PEREIRA: It's a good cubicle.

People that come in here, they're fascinated with the show. Is it '80s nostalgia, what is it?

UNIDENTIFIED BARTENDER: Amazes me how many people come through the door. The show's been off the air for 23 years now. They loved that show.

PEREIRA: Some are young fans like this lady here, Tina. She knows more about '80s nostalgia and "Cheers."

How do you know the show?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've seen every episode.

PEREIRA: How old are you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 31.

PEREIRA: She's seen every episode.

I'm going to test your knowledge. This is, Pam, what is it called again? A Screaming Viking. That was a drink from one of the episodes, season 6, the premiere episode, when Kirstie Alley actually started.

Lisa is going to show me how to make one.

Actually, the recipe you guys did that was on the show, it was a recipe you've come up with, right?

UNIDENTIFIED BARTENDER: Yes, it is. It's a fun rum drink now.

PEREIRA: It's a fun run drink.

(LAUGHTER)

Do you feel like a fun rum drink, Pam?

BROWN: How can you not? Especially on a Thursday afternoon. Why not?

(LAUGHER)

UNIDENTIFIED BARTENDER: Right on.

PEREIRA: Here's the deal. I'm going to learn how to make one of these fun rum drinks. Next hour, you come back to me. I'm going to see if I can make anybody drink it.

BROWN: That sounds like a -- don't drink too many of those in the meantime, Michaela, because we are going to come back to you.

PEREIRA: I haven't had a single one.

(LAUGHTER)

BROWN: All right. Well, have fun. Very jealous like I said.

Thank you so much.

Don't forget, CNN's new original series "The Eighties," tonight at 9:00 p.m. eastern/Pacific.

Up next, as Donald Trump meets behind closed doors with the RNC, the race will come down to delegates and special rules that could be changed. What would happen at a brokered convention? We'll discuss.

Plus, the governor of Alabama says he will not step down after embarrassing recordings emerged of him making inappropriate remarks allegedly to one of his aides.

(BEGIN AUDIO FEED)

ROBERT BENTLEY, (R), ALABAMA GOVERNOR: -- and pull you real close. If we're going to do what we did the other day, we're going to have to start closing the door.

(END AUDIO FEED)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:37:24] BROWN: Right now, Donald Trump is meeting with the RNC as he faces backlash over his abortion remarks.

The entire outcome of the Republican nominated convention could be in the hands of 112 people, many of whom haven't been named yet. I'm talking about the convention rules committee. It's the group that will decide whether to ditch a temporary rule that could really smooth Republican front runner Donald Trump's path to the nomination. It's called the Eight-State Rule. Here's how it works. It requires any GOP candidate to win a majority of delegates in eight states in order to win the party's nomination. Mitt Romney's forces pushed through the temporary provision at the 2012 Republican convention to try to block Congressman Ron Paul. Right now, only Donald Trump exceeds the eight-state threshold. Cruz and Kasich would not make the cut.

So let's talk this over with Georgia attorney, Randy Evans, an expert on the GOP nominating process.

Kind of break it down for us. At first glance, this could be confusing for people, particularly for me as I try to understand this. First of all, when will the convention rules committee decide whether to keep its Eight-State Rule?

RANDY EVANS ATTORNEY: Well have a spring meeting coming up on April 21st. I'm sure it will come up as to whether or not to reduce the number from eight to five or three, which is what the number was originally. Eventually, the convention itself will have to adopt the rules. There will be a permanent committee that will have to meet the week before the convention starts. At the end of the day, it will be the convention itself that adopts the convention rules.

BROWN: Who is in this committee? Who decides the membership?

EVANS: Each state picks a man and woman to serve on the rules committee. So you end up with 112, which is 50 states plus six territories.

BROWN: OK. So this rule, do you think it would still exist when the 16 GOP convention happens in Cleveland or not?

EVANS: I really don't know. I mean, I think currently it looks as though Governor Kasich would have to win either two or four more states to even make it an issue. Senator Cruz, if he wins Wisconsin, will be much closer. And so much of it depends on what happens in the rest of the process. There are plenty of states left in order to meet the threshold. We're to going to fix a problem that doesn't exist. But if we get towards the convention, we'll have to take a look at it.

BROWN: If this rule is ditched, could that open a path to a latecomer surprise?

EVANS: No, we'd have to change a different rule for that.

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: All these rules.

(LAUGHTER)

EVANS: It's a lawyer parliamentarian dream here. We'll need some of that fun rum at the rules committee maybe probably to get it all right.

(LAUGHTER)

But there's another rule that basically says once the balloting starts, you keep voting until someone gets a majority. In order to prevent new entry, somebody could be nominated, we probably have to have change another rule to prevent nominations after the first ballot.

[14:40:20] BROWN: Quickly, what is the back story to this rule?

EVANS: The back story is Governor Romney didn't want Congressman Paul to be named -- his name to be placed in nomination and, as a result, his team increased through the rules committee the number of states to eight so that he was the only person eligible to be a nominee and eligible to receive votes. To give you a flavor, we just recently changed part of that rule because it used to be you couldn't even cast that vote, you could even record it. Now at least we started the process where votes for other candidates will at least be recorded. They just won't be tallied towards the 1,237, which, as you know, is the minimum to be nominated.

BROWN: Thank you, Randy Evans. Appreciate it.

EVANS: Thank you. Send me one of those fun rums.

BROWN: I will, if I get my hands on one.

(LAUGHTER)

Meantime, coming up on this Thursday, a salacious audio recording and the revelation of an alleged sex scandal has rocked the office of Alabama's governor. A top political aide to Governor Robert Bentley has just resigned. This comes a week after he publicly admitted to making sexually inappropriate remarks to her. Those words allegedly captured in this audio recording. (BEGIN AUDIO FEED)

BENTLEY: He couldn't tell who I was sending it to and didn't say, hey, baby, I love you so much and I like to spend the rest of my life with you'd kiss me. I love that. You know I do love that. I put my arms around you and I put my hands on your breasts and I put my hands -- and pull you real close. If we're going to do what we did the other day, we're going to have to start closing the door.

(END AUDIO FEED)

BROWN: After this was released, Governor Bentley denied he ever had an affair with Rebekah Mason, but his wife filed for divorce last year.

Joining me now, Alina Machado, CNN correspondent.

Alina, how did this all go down and what is the recourse the governor is facing?

ALINA MACHADO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Pamela, there is mounting pressure for the governor to resign. We've talked to at least one Alabama state lawmaker who intends to begin the impeachment process some time next week. The governor's office says he has no plans to resign.

It started last week when al.com published the sex recording, reportedly made by someone in the Bentley family to figure out if Bentley was involved in a relationship. Even though we don't know specifically who the governor is talking to, he does not dispute the authenticity of the tapes. He also does not deny it is his voice on the tapes having a sexual conversation. But he has come out and said those were inappropriate comments and he's already apologized to his family and others.

The 74-year-old denies ever having had a physical affair. The woman at the center of the sex scandal is now a former top aide named Rebekah Mason. And yesterday Mason resigned from her post and said she plans to focus on her family, who she says are the most important people in her life. The governor's office meanwhile released a statement about her resignation saying, quote, "I appreciate Rebekah Mason's service to my administration and the people of this state. I wish the best for her and her family."

It's also worth noting that last week the governor fired his former law enforcement chief, a man named Spencer Collier. Collier has been outspoken about the alleged affair. He has accused the governor of inappropriately using resources to cover up the alleged affair. Governor Bentley has denied doing anything illegal.

Again, it sounds like he plans to stay in office, despite this scandal -- Pamela?

BROWN: No doubt, the saga will continue.

Alina Machado, thank you very much. Up next right here in the NEWSROOM, we have some breaking news.

Authorities have agreed to extradite to France a key suspect tied to the Paris and Brussels attacks. Could this mean his cooperation is in the works?

Plus, hear from the ex-wife of perhaps the most-wanted terrorist in the world, the head of ISIS, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi. What she says he was like as a husband and a dad. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:46:39] BROWN: When a traumatic back condition robbed a young girl of a normal childhood, she refused to give in. In today's "Turning Point," Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes a look at how she transformed her pain into a will to win.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This look is said to intimidate Jeannette Lee's opponents. For this champion pool player known as the Black Widow, there is more than meets the eye.

JEANNETTE LEE, CHAMPION POOL PLAYER: A common misperception about why I look the way I do is to look intimidating but it's because my spine doesn't curve up.

GUPTA: Jeannette was diagnosed with scoliosis at 12 years old.

LEE: We went to this doctor two days later, I'm having surgery, and I woke up to absolute hell. I just remember being so -- in so much pain. After surgery, I grew over three inches.

GUPTA: Her traumatic experience, including having to wear a brace at school, shattered her confidence.

LEE: I really felt broken.

GUPTA: Until she discovered pool.

LEE: I really believe it healed me.

GUPTA: Despite intense back pain, she practiced as much as 30 hours at a time.

LEE: It was my escape. I turned pro when I was 21. I was number one in the world at 23.

GUPTA: She has undergone more than 10 neck and back operations. But she refuses to give in. She's a mother of six, a successful business woman, and a motivational speaker.

LEE: I live every day knowing that there's nothing I can do that I should take for granted, because it can be gone tomorrow.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting. (END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: We have some breaking news now. Donald Trump right now is meeting with the RNC. A surprise sit-down just 48 hours after Trump backed away from the RNC loyalty pledge. The front runner could speak any moment. Of course, we will take it live.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:50:46] BROWN: Welcome back. Right now, Donald Trump is meeting at the RNC, in a firestorm over comments he made about abortion and other topics. Also the fact he backed away from that pledge, the loyalty pledge, about 48 hours ago. And all that is part of the conversation today. And we hope that Donald Trump will speak to reporters after this meeting with the RNC.

We just got word from Belgium that this man, Salah Abdeslam -- you probably recognize him -- he will be extradited to France. Believed to be part of the deadly terror attacks in Paris that killed 130 people in November.

I want to bring in Bob Baer, CNN intelligence and security analyst and former CIA operative.

Bob, great to have you on.

So Salah's lawyer says he wants to cooperate with the French, this is on the heels of his lawyer previously saying he was cooperating and then we know the attacks happened in Brussels. What do you think about this? Do you take it seriously? Do you think it's a sign he's willing to spill on other alleged terror cells?

BOB BAER, CNN INTELLIGENCE & SECURITY ANALYST: Pamela, there's no indication that he's handed over any actionable intelligence so far. He didn't stop metro tack, the airport attack in Brussels. It would be typical for a lawyer to say my client's going to cooperate if he's treated well. This man was the center of the Paris attacks on 13th of November and the Brussels attacks. He knows a lot. But I still think he's a believer in the cause. And he's unlikely to talk. These people rarely do. It's very hard to flip them. I think the French are going to have a hard time with him.

BROWN: Haven't there been other cases, Bob, where terrorists have wanted to talk to authorities and boast about it because they're proud of their terrorist ties?

BAER: Well, these guys, so-called, they will flip and talk, but the ones committed to martyrdom are very unlikely. These people have very, very hard core of course and even in prison they refuse to talk. I just don't see so far he's made any move, as I said, to cooperate in this, just none.

BROWN: Well, and clearly he wasn't cooperating before. If he knew about the attacks in Brussels, which it's believed he did. A woman, by the way, speaking of ISIS and his loyalty to them, a woman

who is claiming to be the ex-wife of ISIS leader, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, is talking about her marriage to him. I want to play some of that and talk about it on the other end.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): He was great, the children's ideal father, the way he was with children, he was a teacher. You know how teachers are. He knew how to deal with children, better than how to deal with the mother. I marry a normal person, a university lecturer. It wasn't until after he changed his name I knew he was active.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Interesting insight from a woman claiming to be his ex-wife. We know he's the leader of most dangerous terror group in the world. What do you make of her speaking out? Is she putting herself at risk here?

BAER: Oh, she's putting herself at risk. I mean, it's a fascinating confession here. I mean, the fact that she's calling him a good father. But so many of these people that have gone over the edge politically are also charismatic. And they're well liked within the group and the rest of it. And they sell this absolutist violent idea to the followers. But in order to do that, they have to be very -- like I said, charismatic, personable. His talk in Mosul, i speak Arabic, it was riveting for someone who understands the language. I can see this description of him being accurate. Yes, she is putting her life in danger. She better go in hiding.

BROWN: Quickly, does this have any intelligence value to officials tracking al Baghdadi?

BAER: Yes, anybody around him, his network, anything she gives up is very important for piecing this all together, even if it's old. I mean, getting a database on this guy and going after him, you need this sort of thing, yes.

[14:54:55] BROWN: Bob Baer, thank you very much.

Well, it's safe to say that Donald Trump hasn't had a very good 24 hours, and his rivals are pouncing. What John Kasich says are the five reasons Trump should never be allowed into the Oval Office. This, as Trump holds a surprise meeting with the RNC. He just walked out. Details just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

BROWN: Hello, I'm Pamela Brown, in today for Brooke Baldwin.

We begin with breaking news. Just 24 hours after igniting a firestorm with his stunning comments about abortion, Donald Trump just met behind closed door with the Republican National Committee. This meeting comes just after Trump met with his foreign policy advisers at the site of his new hotel in Washington.

But it's his remarks about abortion that are drawing a lot of heat. He says women should be punished for having abortions if, one day, the procedure is outlawed in the United States. And then he later reversed his stance, ultimately taking three different positions in three hours after swift backlash --