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Calcutta Bridge Collapsed; Protest to Support Brazil's Embattled President; Donald Trump's Bad Week?; World Leaders Meet for Nuclear Security Summit in Washington; Could ISIS Get Their Hands on a Nuclear Bomb?; Israeli Tech Firm in Spotlight; Female Soccer Players Demand Equal Pay for Equal Play; Tesla Bringing All-Electric Cars to Masses; Innovative Female Architect Dies. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired April 01, 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, a desperate search for survivors after a highway overpass smashes to the ground in India.
Plus Donald Trump's terrible week. Will a slew of recent controversies do anything to slow his march to the Republican nomination?
And huge lines. One of the most highly anticipated new cars in recent memory. The luxury automaker has built a car more people can actually afford.
Hello, and thank you for joining us. I am Isha Sesay. NEWSROOM L.A. starts right now.
Our top story this hour, hundreds of rescuers in India are digging through the rubble searching for people buried under a highway overpass that collapsed in Calcutta. At least 22 people died, 75 others were injured. It's not clear yet why the overpass which was under construction collapsed on Thursday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of people are still buried in it. This is one of the busiest markets of this area. So basically we are trying to remove the debris and try to, you know, recover the bodies, because I don't think many people are alive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: Well, CNN's Ravi Agrawal is in Calcutta with more.
Ravi, where do things stand right now with the search and rescue operation? We see you there at the scene.
RAVI AGRAWAL, CNN INTERNATIONAL'S NEW DELHI BUREAU CHIEF: Isha, I'm standing right at the site of the collapse of the bridge in Calcutta. We've finally made it to the exact point of collapse. And behind me you can see rescue workers well underway. They've been working for well over 15 hours now. And the scale and scope of the devastation here is really unbelievable to behold. You can also smell what is clearly the stench of blood and perhaps even dead bodies. But right over there above me, you can see the point at which the overpass or the flyover, as Indians call it, actually collapsed and you can also see that it is so close to so many of the buildings, the old colonial Calcutta buildings that line this part of the city. And people staring out and wondering what happened.
Well, this bridge, at least 100-meter section of it, is what has collapsed. And if we pan over the camera a little bit to that side over there to my right, you'll see yellow tractors coming right through it, but you'll see the road and the part of the bridge that just gave way. About 20 hours ago now here in Calcutta, Isha. The death toll has risen a little bit. Authorities here are telling me that they're not sure if they're going to find any people who may still be surviving in the rubble here.
But really it is a very desperate and dire attempt right now, complete chaos. It's quite a surprise that they've let the media in as close as they have. And when I say media, there are tons of trucks and dozens of reporters here all covering what is really a major tragedy for the city of Calcutta.
SESAY: And Ravi, I'm going to try this question, we may have a technical problem but I hope you can hear me. At this stage, people want to know what happened, what caused this overpass to collapse. What are we hearing? What are authorities saying?
AGRAWAL: Well, authorities so far have kind of been divvying responsibility for what actually happened. The group that built or was building this bridge is a group called IVRC. And they say that this was an act of god. They say that everything that they've been doing is in line with what they should have been doing. So they're absolving themselves of responsibility so far.
I'm just going to step away as they're moving a giant rod away. But the authorities, when it comes to the government here, yesterday a couple of hours after this bridge collapsed, the chief minister of Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, came to the scene and she was quick to declare aid, she was quick to try and corral support. She got the National Disaster Relief Forces to come in. You can see many of them in the yellow and orange hats here working away.
And I also say that this is a time of politics in Bengal because next week we have state assembly elections here in this state.
[01:05:08] And so already there's a bit of a blame game going on between the government in power, which is the Trinamool Congress and Mamata Banerjee, and the opposition parties. So -- but the need of the hour clearly is to try and see if there still are any survivors here 20 hours into this calamity, Isha.
SESAY: Yes, Ravi Agrawal there at the site of that overpass collapse in Calcutta. The pictures are something to behold. Ravi, we appreciate the on-the-spot reporting. Thank you so much for
bringing us the very latest.
Just incredible.
Now Brazil's president Dilma Rousseff is getting plenty of encouragement from her supporters as she faces growing calls for her impeachment. People rallied in 17 states and the Brazilian capital in defense of Rousseff on Thursday.
Shasta Darlington reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Tens of thousands of Brazilians have taken to the streets across the country in support of President Dilma Rousseff's government. Here in Brazil, they've converged on the lawn in front of Congress to show their solidarity, but also to protest against efforts to impeach her going on inside the Congress. Efforts that could bring down the entire government.
Now former president Luis Ignacio Lula da Silva was also dealt an important victory by the Supreme Court. They ruled that an ongoing corruption investigation that had begun to close in on the former president would remain in the Supreme Court and not be handed back to the lower court judge, who has really been at the forefront of this case.
And this is important because a couple of weeks back, President Rousseff decided to appoint her mentor as the chief of staff, a move that many critics said was really just a get-out-of-jail-free card shielding him from that investigation because under Brazilian law, senior members of government can only be tried in the Supreme Court, a long, drawn-out process that would shield him in the short term.
Now with this new ruling, the investigation does at least for now stay with the Supreme Court. But we have yet to hear whether or not he'll even be allowed to take up that chief of staff position.
Shasta Darlington, CNN, Brasilia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: Donald Trump is working to keep his U.S. presidential campaign on track, despite a week of controversies and polling setbacks. He met with the head of the Republican National Committee and other party leaders on Thursday. A Republican source says they talked about convention rules and delegate counts, along with the state of the race. Afterward, Trump tweeted, "Just had a very nice meeting with Reince Priebus and the GOP. Looking forward to bringing the party together and it will happen."
Well, that could be a little bit difficult with so much discord among Republicans right now, especially in light of Trump's most recent comments on abortion.
Correspondent Kyung Lah has more on Donald Trump's bad week.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A firestorm raining down on Donald Trump after this abortion comment.
CHRIS MATTHEWS, MSNBC HOST, "HARDBALL": Do you believe in punishment for abortion, yes or no, as a principle?
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The answer is that there has to be some form of punishment.
MATTHEWS: For the woman?
TRUMP: Yes, there has to be some form.
LAH: Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton immediately rolling out this Web ad attacking Trump.
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It was outrageous and dangerous.
LAH: A sentiment echoed from the other side of the aisle by Republican Ted Cruz now leading in the latest poll in the upcoming Wisconsin primary.
SEN. TED CRUZ (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That comment was wrong, and it really -- it's the latest demonstration of how little Donald has thought about any of the serious issues facing this country.
LAH: Trump dealing less with issues as of late, more with distractions. Police charged Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski with simple battery after video captured Lewandowski polling journalist Michelle Fields as he tried to interview Trump. Trump standing by his man while attacking the journalist.
TRUMP: She didn't almost fall to the ground. She got in the way. And by the way, she was grabbing me.
LAH: Trump had already waded into a toxic war of wives after an anti- Trump Super PAC sent out a partially nude picture of Melania Trump when she was a model, Trump re-tweeted this unflattering picture of Heidi Cruz, a clear comparison of the appearances of the Republican candidates' wives.
Across the political spectrum, attacks and criticism for targeting Heidi Cruz to which Trump responded --
TRUMP: I didn't start it. I didn't start it.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Sir, with all due respect, that's the argument of a 5-year-old.
TRUMP: I didn't start it.
LAH: The repeated pile-up against Trump may explain why Ted Cruz felt at ease on "Jimmy Kimmel" joking about running over the GOP frontrunner.
[01:10:06] CRUZ: If I were in my car, and getting ready to reverse and saw Donald in the back-up camera.
(LAUGHTER)
CRUZ: I'm not confident which pedal I'd push.
LAH: Kyung Lah, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: Well, I'm joined now once again by the wise men, they're back. Dave Jacobson and John Thomas. Dave is a Democratic strategist and consultant with Shalman Communications. John is a Republican consultant and founder of Thomas Partner Strategies.
Always good to have you with me. Especially on this week of all weeks.
Dave, I'm going to go to you. Just to get your thoughts on how this week spiraled out of control for Donald Trump, and his seemingly inability to get it back on track.
DAVID JACOBSON, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I think it underscores the explosive nature of Trump and how he's tripping apart the Republican Party at its seams. And it's great for Democrats. At a time when Republicans should be aiming their ammo at Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders, they're aiming their ammo at their frontrunner, Donald Trump.
I mean, so it puts us in a great position where there is sort of no dialogue, where Republicans are attacking us. And I think, frankly, it's going to be really beneficial to us when it comes to the general election because we're going to be able to look back at these comments, regardless -- or whether or not he walks back from them. You know, that clip with Donald Trump and Chris Matthews has played probably millions of times all across the world, and that's going to be used in television ads attacking, whether it's Donald Trump or whoever the GOP nominee eventually becomes.
SESAY: So irreparable damage, John?
JOHN THOMAS, REPUBLICAN CONSULTANT: I think we can recover from it. It's a long road to November. And there's plenty of time, I think, to recover, but it needs to start now, Isha. We can't keep digging ourselves deeper and deeper.
Look, the problem with Corey Lewandowski, the fact that Donald Trump is doubling down on supporting him is a mistake.
(CROSSTALK)
THOMAS: The campaign manager is there to manage the circus, not be the circus. And that's what we're seeing now. And it was an opportunity for Trump to stand up for women, and instead he reinforced what women hate about him most. Right? And so it's bad news for Donald Trump. We're really in this case -- we're at a boiling point. This might be the tipping point. It looks like Ted Cruz will probably take Wisconsin. Donald Trump will probably take New York. And it may come to California. But there's such a split in the party.
If we don't get our act together, Isha, we have major problems in the general election. We have to coalesce. Donald Trump says he's a uniter, but we really have yet to see that.
SESAY: Well, we saw that in that tweet, which is quite interesting after the meeting with Reince Priebus and party leaders. We put out this tweet, you know, "I'm going to bring people together," basically trying to frame it as, I'm a uniter. People think he's delusional.
THOMAS: He needs to show, not tell. Right? He's telling us he's a uniter, he needs to show us that he's a uniter.
SESAY: So let me ask you this, let's put up the polls for Wisconsin, because I really want to get your sense of what's happening there. Donald Trump is basically frozen at 30 percent. Ted Cruz has surged ahead, and he's now 10 points ahead there at 40 percent. Let's not forget John Kasich who's still at 21 percent. And people are asking, is this the week where the Teflon starts to come off? Is that what we're seeing in Wisconsin with this freeze? Has he hit his ceiling? What do you say?
THOMAS: I don't necessarily know that he's hit his ceiling. Wisconsin is an interesting race because it should be a place he does well, but you're seeing a large portion of undecideds, and we've seen that for weeks, almost 20 percent of undecideds, and they keep swinging. We see them swing a few times, depending what the news cycle is of the day. So Donald Trump's terrible week has really benefited Ted Cruz and as we start to go into the weekend, it's harder and harder to turn around that news cycle.
Wisconsin -- Ted Cruz is going to say Wisconsin is the tipping point in this race. Donald Trump is going to say wait until New York. We'll see how it goes.
SESAY: Dave, what do you think?
JACOBSON: I think it's a make-or-break moment for Ted Cruz. He has to win Wisconsin because it creates a firewall narrative that Donald Trump is stoppable. And I think it's going to propel him with momentum moving forward. Perhaps not in New York. Donald Trump is up by a tremendous lead, but in states like Pennsylvania who are also sort of rustbelt states that's got a similar electorate, I think it's going to boost Ted Cruz's campaign with gigantic momentum that's going to help him eat into Trump's lead in some of those kinds of states. Similarly to Indiana, perhaps in Kentucky, as well. All of which is going to help prevent Donald Trump from getting to that 1237 number and create an essential contested convention.
THOMAS: Yes, we can't -- you can't underestimate the power of momentum going into this.
JACOBSON: Right. THOMAS: Wisconsin shows the anti-Trump people who are coalescing,
sometimes reluctantly, behind Ted Cruz.
JACOBSON: Right.
THOMAS: That there is a shot potentially to stop Trump, and they may double down on their efforts and then the narrative kind of gets --
SESAY: Yes .
THOMAS: Legs of its own. So Wisconsin, Dave is right, is critical for the Cruz campaign. It looks like it's trending in the right direction. And Donald Trump, I'm sure his campaign is sitting around saying, how do we dominate the news cycle, how do we shift this momentum back in our direction? It's a tall order.
SESAY: It's a tall order. People saying, though, that, you know, obviously there are many more races to go, but some people pointing to California, voting on June 7th with a number of -- a large number, over 100 delegates up for grabs, I think something like 170.
JACOBSON: Yes.
[01:15:04] SESAY: Saying that is the key. And that's what's going to wrap this race up. Could it take that long to wrap this up?
THOMAS: Well, it very well could because you could see kind of a split, you know, Wisconsin goes to Cruz, New York goes to Trump. Maybe it's a splitting of the states in between. And the massive delegates. If Trump is able to sweep California, even though it's not a winner-take-all, it is proportional, if he can sweep California, and right now he's up by eight points, if he can grow that lead, that could be his final way of showing Ted Cruz, I'm going in, maybe not with the total number of delegates I needed for the convention, but I am the presumptive nominee.
And if Ted Cruz can somehow shift that narrative saying, I either beat you in California or I was highly competitive. This thing is going to the convention and all bets are off.
SESAY: And it's a dogfight basically.
JACOBSON: Indeed it is. Look, you're right. I think it's largely a function of how Ted Cruz does in Wisconsin. If he's able to sort of uphold that firewall, he's going to be able to make a case moving forward that he can appeal to a wide ranging sort of electorate and he's got to prevent Trump from being competitive in some of these other states particularly California. And I think, you know, if Trump dominates in Wisconsin, that whole argument is going to go away, and Trump is essentially going to be able to lock this up and become the nominee.
THOMAS: Yes. This isn't going according to Trump's game plan.
JACOBSON: Right. THOMAS: I think Trump, a couple of weeks ago we started seeing him
shift to a general election mode. He was holding instead of large rallies.
JACOBSON: Right.
THOMAS: He was having more presidential press conferences.
JACOBSON: Right.
THOMAS: He wanted to shift his attack to Hillary and make this between Hillary and Trump. And it's not becoming that way.
SESAY: And as you talk about things not going one's way, I want to talk about the Democratic side of things and Hillary Clinton.
THOMAS: Sure.
SESAY: She had an exchange with an activist, I believe this activist, while she was walking the rope line on Thursday. I want you to take a listen to the exchange because many people are questioning the moment. And ask you what's going on here.
JACOBSON: Right.
SESAY: Let's run the tape.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you for tackling climate change. Will you act on your word and reject fossil fuel money in the future in your campaign?
CLINTON: I do not. I have money from people who work for fossil fuel companies. I am so sick -- I am so sick of the Sanders campaign lying about that. I'm sick of it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: She used the L word. She came out and she said she's sick of the lying. The implication being that the Sanders' campaign is running a dirty campaign, despite what the candidate himself says. What do you make of the moment and how significant is it, Dave?
JACOBSON: I don't know how significant it is, but I think it reflects her frustration. This is a candidate who going into the 2016 primary thought there was going to be a coronation. She was going to lock this up after New Hampshire and here she is campaigning and potentially going to lose in Wyoming and Wisconsin next week. And so I think it's largely reflective of the fact that she wants this thing to be wrapped up. She wants to pivot to the general election. She's frustrated that she's still competing for votes against Bernie Sanders.
And this is an attack that's very similar to the Wall Street attack.
SESAY: Yes.
JACOBSON: You know, Wall Street banks are not giving her checks. Big fossil fuel companies are not giving her checks. It's people who work for those companies that are cutting her checks.
(CROSSTALK)
SESAY: Is that a credible argument?
THOMAS: No. What's the difference? If you're the average voter, what is the difference? If you're the CEO of a giant oil company or the CEO of Wall Street, what is the difference? I think Hillary's genuinely frustrated, that is true. She's frustrated that she can't navigate by just, you know, having her cake and eat it, too, saying well, it depends on your definition of is and Sanders people, and a lot of Democratic base, they're just not having it.
JACOBSON: Well, I mean, look, that's true. I mean, there's something to that. I mean, Bernie Sanders has a message that's really resonating, this sort of anti-billionaire class, anti-Wall Street, anti-establishment. And that's why he's raising such significant funds online. He outraised Hillary Clinton by $13.5 million in February. I think he's raised a similar -- almost $40 million this time around in March. At least I got an e-mail a couple of hours ago from his campaign that said that.
And I think really he's running a people powered, people driven campaign that's fueled by this narrative that the big, sort of donor class is part of the establishment and that's what is wrong with politics and that's what's really resonating with folks.
THOMAS: Let's talk about -- Hillary says, I don't take money from oil companies but you do take money from the people who work for oil companies.
JACOBSON: Right.
THOMAS: But who paid these people salaries?
SESAY: She would argue that those are people making independent assessments. Giving her money --
THOMAS: Yes. When they're not hosting the fundraisers at, you know, Exxon's headquarters.
SESAY: All right. All right. You hit a bright spot.
(CROSSTALK)
JACOBSON: Bernie Sanders' talking points.
SESAY: You know, (INAUDIBLE) with the GOP.
(LAUGHTER)
SESAY: Dave, John, always a pleasure. Thank you. JACOBSON: Likewise, thank you.
SESAY: We have many more evenings ahead. Thank you.
All right. Going to take a quick break now. World leaders are meeting at a Nuclear Security Summit in Washington. Ahead, we'll hear from experts on how close ISIS militants really are from reaching their nuclear ambition.
Plus, the world of architecture loses one of its great visionaries. The life and creations of Zaha Hadid. Coming up.
[01:19:53]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(SPORTS)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SESAY: Welcome back, everyone.
At a Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, leaders from Japan, South Korea and the U.S. are pledging to stand together against North Korea's nuclear threat. U.S. President Barack Obama also met Chinese President Xi Jinping. China is a key economic ally to North Korea. And Beijing has been criticized before for not doing enough to enforce Western sanctions against Pyongyang.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Of great importance to both of us is North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons, which threatens the security and stability of the region. And President Xi and I are committed to the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and full implementation of U.N. sanctions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: Our Paula Hancocks joins us now live from Seoul with more.
Paula, before we get to the meeting between President Obama and his Chinese counterpart, just want to ask you about the meeting that President Obama had with the leaders of Japan and South Korea. Of course, this meeting coming just days after Donald Trump's comments about -- you know, the two nations possibly acquiring nuclear weapons if he was to become president. You know, the optics here extremely important at a time like this. Just as important as the talks themselves.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Isha, we did hear from Japanese and U.S. officials saying that Donald Trump's comments didn't come up in that meeting, just to put that into perspective.
[01:25:06] But they did talk about how they could counter the threat from North Korea. Obviously, this was expected to be the main topic of conversation. Obama saying that they all agreed that they needed to restore a sense of stability and peace to the region. And then also, President Park Guen-hye of South Korea president mentioned after the meeting that she said it is important to make North Korea understand that it cannot survive without giving up its nuclear program. Also specifying that it was very important that the U.N. sanctions passed just recently against North Korea were fully implemented -- Isha.
SESAY: Paula, the meeting between President Obama and Mr. Xi, we know of course North Korea, of course top of the agenda for those talks, as well. Those questions still remain as to whether Beijing is actually enforcing Western sanctions. Did Mr. Xi say anything new on that front? Did he give further assurances about China's position?
HANCOCKS: Well, after the -- during the meeting, at the beginning of the meeting, they both said that it was important to have these kind of agreements between the two countries. He said more to the state- run media Xinhua, at least they reported on what he said, that he had said that all parties need to fully and strictly carry out these U.N. resolutions.
Now of course, that's crucial because China is the one that can make the most difference when it comes to the sanctions. The fact that all cargo going in and out of North Korea is supposed to now be inspected. Well, China is where most of that cargo travels through. They are the ones that have that massive border with North Korea and they are the ones that really have the ability to try and stop smuggling over that border and try and implement these sanctions. And so certainly I think other countries around the world have publicly said that they look to China to fully implement it and certainly according Xinhua state run news agency, China says that they will in fact do that -- Isha.
SESAY: Paula Hancocks joining us there from Seoul, South Korea. Paula, thank you.
Well, later Friday world leaders at the nuclear summit will have a special session on ISIS. Following the Brussels attacks there's now a stronger fear that ISIS militants might get their hands on radioactive material.
Here's our Alexandra Field.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the path of devastation, death, left behind by Brussels bombers and brothers Ibrahim and Khalid Bakraoui. They attacked the airport and the metro. But had they considered even more? Did the Bakraoui brothers have nuclear ambitions? Did they intend to build a dirty bomb?
(On camera): Those are the kinds of questions that investigators are asking after recovering video from a safe house connected to the terrorist cell that carried out the attacks in Paris and Brussels. A senior Belgian counterterrorism official tells us the video shows 10 hours worth of surveillance on the home of a nuclear researcher. At times you can see him and his family going into and out of the house. Analysts suggest that the video might point to some kind of plot to kidnap the official in order to gain access to radioactive material.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's absolutely noticeable. It was a kind of fantasy I think in their brain, in their head.
FIELD: The fact that this video was even made, how alarming is that to you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is alarming from -- it's mainly alarming for the person which supported by the terrorist. Not so far for the nuclear industry.
FIELD: Could a terrorist realistically carry out an attack by kidnapping one employee?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I don't -- I mean, you can kidnap a person, but that doesn't mean that -- it's not that simple that you can just hold a gun to a person's head and force your way into a nuclear facility. There's multiple barriers. Identity techs, physical barriers that prevent someone from getting in, in that kind of way. So I don't think that's very realistic.
FIELD (voice-over): In 2014, someone inside the nuclear power reactor in Dole, Belgium sabotaged a nonnuclear part of that plant. Also that year, a terrorist opened fire on a Jewish museum in Brussels. After those incidents, security around Belgium's nuclear facility was stepped up, according to Belgium's Federal Agency for Nuclear Control. Following the Paris attacks, armed guards were assigned to protect the facilities, in line with practices at other nuclear power plants in Europe.
And in the days after the Brussels bombings, four employees had access to various facilities taken away. Part of a policy of constant monitoring. But some of the measures recognized in a recent report from Harvard's Kennedy School, saying Belgium has made some of the most substantial nuclear security improvements in the world. The country has been criticized for failing to strengthen nuclear security sooner.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No one is suggesting that Belgium's nuclear security is compromised or that there is a set of new threats that Belgium can't cope with.
[01:30:00] Really, though, the question is whether nuclear security in Belgium is as good as it can possibly be.
FIELD: Investigators might never know whether the Bakraoui brothers intended to build a dirty bomb or what methods of destruction they may have considered, only the damage left behind.
In Brussels, Alexandra Field, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE) SESAY,: Next on NEWSROOM L.A., an Israeli tech firm is highlight after reports say it helped the FBI hack into an iPhone of suspected terrorists.
Plus, they outperform their male counterparts but make less money. Now these World Cup champions are saying enough is enough. The legal action they're taking coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SESAY: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM, live from Los Angeles. I'm Isha Sesay.
The headlines this hour --
(HEADLINES)
[01:35:08] SESAY: The legal fight between Apple and the FBI over access to information on the killer's Smartphone has put an Israeli tech firm in the spotlight. The security firm isn't confirming anything.
Oren Liebermann reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Four months after the San Bernardino terrorist attack, the iPhone 5-C, remained a critical but inaccessible piece of evidence. An ugly legal battle between Apple and the FBI suddenly ended when the FBI found a different way to get into the phone.
An Israeli newspaper saying industry sources said the company that did the work was called Celebrite.
(on camera): Celebrite offices are here behind me in this high-tech park just outside of Tel Aviv. Neither the FBI nor Celebrite will comment on the company's involvement. But Celebrite specializes in mobile device data extraction and decryption -- phone hacking. That's exactly what the FBI needed in this case.
(voice-over): We reached out Celebrite and the FBI repeatedly. Celebrite didn't return our calls and the FBI wouldn't comment about the company. The FBI has only said they used a, quote, "outside company." But the FBI signed a $200,000 contract with Celebrite the same day the FBI announced they gained access to the phone. Shares of the company soared.
At a tech conference in 2014, the forensics technical director, Yuval Ben Moshe, told CNN about the work.
YUVAL BEN MOSHE, FORENSICS TECHNICAL DIRECTOR, CELEBRITE: We allow law enforcement a very deep and detailed access to a lot of information that is on the mobile device, and then it allows them to dig up who did what, when, which is the essence of any investigation when you look at it. LIEBERMANN: Celebrite's technology isn't just a hack on an iPhone.
Critics say it's a hack on privacy.
Ben Moshe says his company has been challenged in court.
BEN MOSHE: We've got to make sure that whatever you bring into court can stand there and can stand any cross-examination. There are very, very strict rules and guidelines with most of the countries, and we meet those. We meet those to the best of our knowledge.
LIEBERMANN: To learn more about mobile device security, we meet Michael Shaulov, a mobile technology expert at Checkpoint, an Israeli cyber security firm.
(on camera): What are the weak points of an IPhone or any other mobile device that you can access the phone through?
MICHAEL SHAULOV, MOBILE TECHNOLOGY EXPERT, CHECKPOINT: When you connect the cable to the phone, you can abuse all kinds of protocols and the iPhone can communicate with the lap phones, and then using -- by hijacking or manipulating those protocols, you can actually unload the phone.
LIEBERMANN: If I give you my iPhone, how long will it take you to hack it?
SHAULOV: It will probably take me faster to hack your phone when it's in your hands rather than you give me the phone. It's much easier to conduct a social engineering attack, something that you will install something on your phone rather than me trying to guess or break your pass code.
LIEBERMANN (voice-over): This is the flip side of the startup nation, innovation used to build security, now used to exploit vulnerabilities.
Is Celebrite the company behind the U.S. government's iPhone hack? They will not say. But notably, the company that signed the FBI contract and was enthusiastically touting its technology not long ago has now gone silent.
Oren Liebermann, CNN, Tel Aviv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: Now, some of the most elite female soccer players in the U.S. are demanding equal pay for equal play. Five members of the national team announced Thursday they have filed a federal complaint against the U.S. Soccer Federation on behalf of the entire squad. Their lawyer says the women are paid up to 62 percent less than the men's team, despite their superior performance.
Some of the players appeared on NBC's "Today" show to discuss the issue.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED U.S. WOMEN'S SOCCER PLAYER: The timing is right. I think that we've proven our worth over the years, just coming off of a World Cup win and the pay disparity between the men and women is just too large and we want to continue to fight. The generation of players before us fought. And now it's our job to keep on fighting.
UNIDENTIFIED U.S. WOMEN'S SOCCER PLAYER: We continue to be told we can be grateful just to have the opportunity to play professional soccer and to get paid for doing it. And in this day and age, you know, it's about equality, it's about equal rights, and equal pay and we're pushing for that. We believe now the time is right because we believe it's our responsibility for women's sports and particularly for women's soccer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[01:39:40] SESAY: Some context for you. So the U.S. women's team is the most successful football team in the world, winning three World Cups and four Olympic gold medals. Meanwhile, the American men's national team has only made it past the World Cup quarterfinals once, that was back in 1930. The women's final last year was the most- watched U.S. soccer game in history. And in 2015, the United States Soccer Federation financial report said the women's team generated $20 million more than the men's team. But we have to point out that was a World Cup year for the women, not the men.
All right. A quick break. If you always wanted a Tesla electric car but can't afford the luxury price, prepare to meet the Model Three, a Tesla for the masses, just ahead.
Also, hold on to your hat. Virtual reality meets a world-class roller coaster for a wild scream-inducing ride.
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SESAY: Hello, everyone. Automaker Tesla is bringing its all-electric cars to the masses. The company unveiled its new Model Three Thursday night. The car is expected to sell for around $35,000. That's about half as much as its models, which goes for $70,000 to $140,000. Wow.
Well, Tesla fans had been lining up at dealerships across the U.S. to place their orders for the new model. Customers can put down a $1,000 deposit right now, but the company doesn't expect to deliver until next year.
Ed Kim is the vice president of industry analysis at AutoPacific.
I'm so excited to get to you.
ED KIM, VICE PRESIDENT OF INDUSTRY ANALYSIS, AUTOPACIFIC: Thank you.
SESAY: We just saw a little bit of the car there. I know you've been paying attention to the whole unveiling. First of all, talk to me about it. How good is it, how cute is it, if you will?
KIM: Well, the car, I think the consensus is that the car looks fantastic. The Model S, which is their largest sedan that's been on sale for quite some time now, it's been recognized as a great looking car, the Model Three seems to take that design into a smaller and more, you know, more approachable vehicle for main stream buyers at a more main stream price point.
[01:45:17] SESAY: So it looks good. But I'm still trying to figure out what the appeal of this apart from the appearance at $35,000. Help me understand that.
KIM: Well, there's several things. First of all, at $35,000, that's a pretty typical price point for an electric car nowadays. Nissan Leafs, BMW I-3S, these all compete. This car is a Tesla. And it's $35,000 starting price. It offers a 215 mile range. Elan Musk says even the cheapest versions will go from zero to 60 in under six seconds. So a real performance car with an impressive range that beats most market competitors at the price point. So that's really what the appeal is. There's also the sort of cult of Tesla that is now -- that has built up around the company, and even around Elan Musk. Now that is becoming more accessible a more main stream price point. People now shopping for a main stream price car can also now join in this cult of Tesla, as well.
SESAY: But at that price, $35,000, some people are asking whether this will beat Tesla's other models.
KIM: The Model Three, this new Model Three is Tesla's make-or-break car. This is the car Tesla needs to sell in huge volumes to be viable for the long-term. Tesla is really pinning all of their -- not all, but so much of their hopes on the success of its car. So even if it does cannibalize some from their higher priced models, the Model S car, this is the one that really has to sell in volume. I think even if there is some cannibalization, they're probably OK with that.
SESAY: I need to point out to viewers at home that Victor here in the studio, our cameraman, he went out and put the $1,000 down for this car.
The question is, when you get it in two years, will it look different from what you saw tonight?
Ed Kim, a pleasure.
KIM: Thank you very much.
SESAY: Thank you.
All right, away from the Tesla mania now.
And one of the world's most innovative architects has passed away. Zaha Hadid is known for her unconventional designs, which can be seen all over the world.
Hala Gorani has a look at the incredible mark she made on modern architecture.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Zaha Hadid's work can be seen in cities around the world, from Manhattan to Miami, Morocco and Moscow. She was known for her curvy, dramatic, and contemporary designs.
Among her most famous buildings, the London Aquatic Center built for the 2012 Olympic Games, the Maxi Museum in Rome, this colossal cultural center, and Cincinnati's Contemporary Arts Center, the design that jump-started her career and the first museum in the U.S. designed by a female architect.
Born in Baghdad, she knew since she was a child that she was destined to build great things.
ZAHA HADID, ARCHITECT: I always wanted to be an architect since I was maybe, I don't know, 7, 8, 9, I can't remember now. I think I saw a show in Baghdad which intrigued me.
GORANI: She grew up in Iraq, studied math in Beirut, and left for London in the early 1970s to pursue her dream. She graduated from London's School of Architecture and established her own firm in 1979. She went on to design boundary pushing structures all over the world. And not just buildings. She came up with furniture, even shoes.
Her critics described her as the Lady Gaga of architecture. And she won numerous awards worldwide for her work.
Most notably, in 2004, she became the first woman to be awarded architecture's highest honor.
HADID: It's the "wow" factor. It's a fantastic day for me. It's a great deal for me.
GORANI: Hadid also said, as a non-British woman in London, she felt like an outsider at times. But added this sometimes worked in her favor, helping her break ground in a male-dominated field.
HADID: I'm an architect. I'm not just a woman architect.
GORANI: Zaha Hadid, a dame commander of the British Empire, and one of "Time" magazine's most influence people. Her legacy lives on in many skylines around the world.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:53:50] SESAY: If you like roller coasters, you are going to love what I'm about to show you. At the Six Flags theme park, just north of here in Los Angeles, they're blending a classic roller coaster with high-definition virtual reality to give you the ride of your life.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY (voice-over): It looks and runs like a roller coaster.
(SHOUTING)
SESAY: But on board the new Revolution, things aren't what they seem. For the first time, the folks at Six Flags are transforming their traditional roller coaster experience into a virtual world encounter.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is full of virtual reality. You can turn your head in any direction and this matches the G-forces of the roller coaster to the experience you're seeing.
SESAY: Riders wear headsets that immerse them in high-definition images, but only if they dare.
(SHOUTING)
SESAY (on camera): There's a grown man yelling there. And I just couldn't resist.
What's the best part?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The loop.
SESAY: The loop?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The loop, because you don't think it's coming and all of a sudden. Oh, my god.
SESAY (voice-over): It's my turn now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Put this over your head.
SESAY: The animation is switched on.
(on camera): Oh, wow. I am in some kind of cityscape. Oh, I'm in the cockpit.
In our virtual world --
(on camera): Here we go.
[01:55:15] (voice-over): -- we're fighter pilots fending off alien intruders.
(on camera): Oh, god. Ahhhh! Oh, my god!
I don't know that I'm made for this.
I think I may be crying.
(LAUGHTER)
Those are my screams you heard. Being up there in the sky and encountering the aliens just feels very real. The graphics are amazing. I'll never be the same again.
But this takes roller coaster riding to a whole new level. We're going to do it again.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: It was quite the ride.
You're watching CNN NEWSROOM, live from Los Angeles. I'm Isha Sesay.
The news continues with Natalie Allen and George Howell right after this.
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[02:00:12] GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Donald Trump's rivals ramp up their attacks after --
