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Brussels Takes Big Step Forward With First Flights After Terror Attacks Set to Take Off; Next Primary in Presidential Race Right Around the Corner; Donald Trump Apologizes; Greece Facing Demonstrations Over EU's New Refugee Deal with Turkey; New Clue in Mystery of Missing Malaysia Airline Flight MH37; Lion Attack Outside of Kenya's Capital Raising Concerns. Aired 3-3:30a ET

Aired April 03, 2016 - 03:00   ET

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

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[03:00:11] GEORGE HOWELL, NEWSROOM, ANCHOR: Brussels takes a big step forward after the terror attacks last month, with the first flights set to take off from the city's stricken airport.

But on the streets of the Belgian capital, scores of arrest shows that life is hardly back to normal there.

Plus the next primary contest in the U.S. presidential race. It is just around the corner. While Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are taking off the gloves, Donald Trump is being unusually repentant.

Live from CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta. Welcome to our viewers around the world. I'm George Howell. CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

Good day to you. We begin this hour in Brussels. Tight new security measures are in place at that city's main airport as it prepares to reopen. These are live images of the Brussels Airport, a place that was hit with such brief and pain.

Now, a city trying to get back to normal. This airport is set to reopen the first passengers are set to check in soon, for the first time since the deadly terror attacks there some 12 days ago. And flights will resume to a relatively small number of passengers on Sunday.

But there will be just three outgoing flights on Sunday, to Italy, to Greece and Portugal. Passengers are being advised to arrive early. And this time, they will be screened before they can even enter that airport building.

As the airport is set to reopen there, tensions remain high on the streets of Belgium. Protesters took to the streets of Brussels on Saturday despite a ban of public demonstrations there and at least 140 people were arrested.

CNN's Alexandra Field is in Brussels with the latest for us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Police were in full force across the city of Brussels. Officials tell us they made 140 arrests of people who are refusing to follow orders not to demonstrate and not to protest this weekend. That order was given by city officials earlier in the week after a right-wing anti-immigrant group announced plans to stage a demonstration in Molenbeek, a community that is heavily immigrant.

That demonstration was ultimately canceled. However, a crowd had gathered in Molenbeek perhaps to counter that planned march. Instead that group started its own march towards the center of Brussels. They were pushed back by police officers, heavily armed in riot gear and even using crowd control vehicles. Those were the only arrest of the day.

However, we also saw (inaudible) in the Plais de Bruxelles, that's the square in the middle of Brussel where people have been gathering. Since the bombings at the metro and the airport to memorializing and commemorate the victims often leaving flowers and well wishes.

But a big crowd did counter there today. That's what prompted police to come in. They asked members of the crowd to disperse those who didn't were taken into custody. We're told that all the people who are arrested connected to these demonstrations and marches face administrative charges for failing to follow the orders not demonstrate. That means they'll get a couple hours of detention and also potentially fine.

In Brussels, Alexandra Field, CNN.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Greece is facing demonstrations over the E.U.'s new refugee deal with Turkey that goes into effect on Monday. Dozens of migrants in Greece stopped traffic to protest the closing of borders to Western Europe. They blocked this highway here into the Greek Macedonian border.

One refugee from Syria said no one was paying attention to their suffering. And on Friday, hundreds of migrants marched against the E.U. deal. It calls for migrants to travel to Greece to be sent back and in exchange the E.U will take in a Syrian refugee.

Thousands of migrants and refugees continue to trek across the Mediterranean each week. The international organization for migrations says more than 169,000 people have made this very dangerous journey so far this year, with most arriving to Greece. The Greek Coast Guard says more than half of the arrivals are coming in from Syria.

The E.U. deal is causing a raising of panic among migrants facing deportation. Here is journalist Elinda Labropoulou with more on that.

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ELINDA LABROPOULOU, CNN JOURNALIST: They thought this would give them the right, the ability to start a better life. And now, they're hearing this may be taken away from them. So they're trying to leave the camps on the Island of Kos, very close to Lesbos. And another main entry point into the European Union.

There have been clashes between mainly migrants and refugees. So those maybe fortunate enough to stay, and those no longer qualifying as able to even to claim asylum in Europe.

[03:05:00] So, migrants there broke the fence. They left one of the camps. They went to the Port of Calais. They've been sleeping there, tonight is the second night of they're sleeping there. They've been holding banners all morning, saying Turkey, no. Germany, yes. They're calling for freedom.

So they're trying to do all they can to make sure they get on boats, leave the islands and go to the mainland, go to Athens. And from there, they're hoping that by making their way to the northern border that they'll be able to enter Europe.

Now you have to understand that there's a lot of misinformation and a lot of misconceptions that are going around these camps. Some people still think that the borders are open. (Inaudible) to the borders remain shut. So they're left with very little choice.

And the more they realizes, the more realize that those who do not qualify for asylum may be turned back. That anger and that panic simply rises. The Greek authorities themselves, they're saying that they're not actually prepared. They're saying that they're immensely understaffed. They have asked for a loft help from the E.U.

So the personnel that they've promised has not arrived yet. And on Monday, the retunes begin. So -- and just to show you how difficult it will be to persuade these people to go back from what hearing for everyone person that's going to be resettled, they have to be escorted by one E.U. officer.

So, as we understand, you know, there's so much fear these people will try to do all they can in order to be able to stay.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: So many people who risk their lives. A difficult situation there. Journalist Elinda Labropoulou reporting for us there and we will speak with her live from Athens the next hour.

On to Syria, now where government forces have uncovered a mass grave in Palmyra. It's nearly a week after a recapture the ancient city from ISIS. Syrian media reported at least 40 bodies were discovered there. Many of them were women and children. Some showed signs of beheading, some showed signs of torture.

The victim are believed to be among hundreds killed by ISIS after that group seized Palmyra back in May.

A recent terror attack in Pakistan is highlighting the danger of being a Christian there. A suicide bombing at a park in Lahore killed more than 70 people on Easter Sunday. Hundreds more were wounded. A Taliban splinter group claimed responsibility for the attack. The group saying it was targeting Christians.

It was the latest in a string of attacks that has seen churches bombed, home burned, and families left living in fear.

CNN's Saima Mohsin takes you inside the small community to see how it's coping. It is an exclusive report, Monday, you'll find only here on CNN.

Armenian and Azerbaijan forces are blaming each other after deadly clashes that played out over the weekend. State media report at least 18 Armenian and 12 Azerbaijan troops are dead and dozens more wounded after fighting between the two groups that took place on Saturday.

And Azerbaijan report they suggest their helicopter was shut down while carrier out air strikes on the Armenian military. Meanwhile, six Armenian tanks and 15 artillery units were destroyed.

Long-centering tensions boiled over in the Lagotto Caribac (ph) region along disputed region occupied by Armenian forces but surrounded and claim by Azerbaijan.

A new clue now in the mystery of the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370. A piece of debris in the Island nation of Mauritius may help explain what happened to that plane. Hotel workers found this piece of wreckage on the beach on Thursday. You'll remember that 239 people were onboard that flight when it disappeared back in 2014.

Our aviation correspondent Richard Quest has this report for us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD QUEST, CNN AVIATON CORRESPONDENT: From the pictures that we've seen, this one seems pretty clear-cut. It is obviously a part of an internal panel. It's believed to be from the business class section. And the pattern of the wall is very distinctive. It's got a type of flower pattern. And if you compare this piece to pieces that have been known about already, and look at what's on the planes, you see it is actually very similar but it's identical.

So, this would suggest that the piece did come from MH370. And it would tell investigators that the plane did, indeed, break up, either in the air, or when it hit the water, and didn't manage to land or do a gentle ditching in the ocean.

How much more it will tell investigators, of course, is somewhat suspect. It is unlikely to tell them exactly where the plane went down. And it's not going to give secrets away about what happened onboard the aircraft. But the more pieces of debris they find, the greater the picture they will get of how the aircraft came out of the sky.

[03:10:09] By looking at compression, fractures, rips and tears, they will be able to determine the forces the plane went through. How is it went into the water. It's been a long way from that. But this is one more piece of a very complicated puzzle.

Richard Quest, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Switching to weather. If your travels just happen to bring you here to the United States, you might be surprised to find it's cold in many different places. Our meteorologist Karen Maginnis is live at the International Weather Center. Explain what's happening Karen.

KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN METEOROLOGIST CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's just one of those things that does happen during April. We can sometimes see a severe weather outbreak like we saw across the Deep South over the last several days. But they only get these little pieces of energy, a clipper system in this case it kind breaks off some of the old air. It dodges towards the south.

And right now in New York some of the winds are fairly gusty about 50 kilometers per hour. But don't be surprised if it times open the next 24 hours. You see the wind gust up around 100 kilometers per hour. But look at the (inaudible) snowfall, from the Great Lakes and to the Eastern Great Lakes. Buffalo, four to six inches. Even Boston, we are looking generally between one and three, but there could be some heavier amount.

Now, what is being said about this is going to be short duration, high impact. What that means is you're going to see very high winds, you could see some low visibility due to blowing snow and the wind is going to be blowing at about 100 kilometers per hour. Those are some of the gusts. They maybe steady at about 70 kilometers per hour.

So, it is going to be just blistery cold. New York City also Washington D.C., Syracuse, Philadelphia, Boston, Buffalo, you're all looking at flashback to winter conditions.

Here's a water vapor imagery and that clipper system sweeps across the Northeast and New England and it's way on the back side of that. We'll see that cold air. But as it (inaudible) up towards Northeast it's going to generate enough cold air has enough moisture to produce some snowfall.

Let's go ahead before we talk about what's happening in the pacific. Let's take a look at what happened in China. One of the central provinces flick roads, too fast, and 56 cars and trucks were involved in this deadly crash that sent about 29 people to the hospital, as I mentioned two reportedly dead. There you can see. Poor visibility and flick roads and not enough time to stop.

And then a quick look at o(inaudible) and Fiji as we take a look at what will probably be a low chance for tropical development but nonetheless we'll continue to watch that over the next couple of days, George.

HOWELL: Karen, that video on that high (ph) just terrifying.

MAGINNIS: It is scary.

HOWELL: Thank you so much. And we'll stay in touch with you. A lion attack just outside of Kenya's capital is raising concerns about African's wild animals that are living near big cities.

Lions have wandered off Nairobi's National Park three times this past month alone. Ian Lee reports the animals are terrifying citizens and alarming wildlife officials.

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IAN LEE, CNN JOURNALIST: A group of young men surrounding a escaped lion from Nairobi National Park, taking pictures and throwing rocks. The famous female lion knows as Mohawk lashes out injuring one person.

Wildlife rangers arrive on scene, but without tranquilizers, they shoot and kill the big cat. The action was taken as a last resort out of concern for public safety say officials.

Kenyans were outraged, many criticizing the wildlife service and using the hashtag #justiceformohawk.

This is the fourth time a lion has escaped Nairobi National Park in about a month.

The 117-square kilometer park butts up to the city of over three million, home to an array of animals, including zebras, giraffes, and antelope.

Despite the escapes, you're hard pressed to find a lion in the park. Only 35 lions live here, according to wildlife officials. But when the escape, they can be dangerous.

MICHAEL ODORI, LION ATTACK VICTIM: I said, "Oh God, why this bad death to me?"

LEE: A lion attacked Michael Odori while he was on his way to work.

ODORI: I saw it. Sticking out his teeth, coming to maul my face.

LEE: The feline fled but not before crushing his shoulder, the claws ripping his flesh. Activists fear, encounters like this could grow more common.

As the city of Nairobi continues to expand and develop around the park it's encroaching on the habitat of not only the lions but the lion's prey. Conservationists say that this will increase the likelihood of lions leaving the park and encountering humans.

[03:15:13] The city has expanded tenfold since the 1940s. The land surrounding the park is privately owned and prime real estate.

A recent road cutting through the park has also reduced the habitat. Some lions leave the park searching for food, mainly livestock, putting them into direct conflict with humans. And then there are the migratory routes. PAUL GATHITU, KENYA WILDLIFE SERVICE: Wildlife use to migrate into those particular areas and that particular area now is very settled. So it means when they come out, they now get closer to people.

LEE: If a plan isn't developed, officials might be forced to fence off the park turning the Nairobi National Park into the National Zoo.

Ian Lee, CNN, Nairobi.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Still to come here on CNN NEWSROOM, who will win in Wisconsin? It would be big for Donald Trump. But after rough week on the campaign trail it has him eating some words. We'll explain.

Plus, when to debate? Where to debate? The U.S. Democratic presidential candidate they just can't decide and they are blaming each other for confusion. Stay with us.

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HOWELL: America's choice 2016 the race for the White House and Republican candidate Donald Trump's struck a rare moment on Saturday, expressing apology. In an interview with "The New York Times," he admitted he made a mistake when he retweeted an unflattering photo of his rival's wife Heidi Cruz. The frontrunner has been traveling all over the City of Wisconsin. And that is where our Sara Sidner caught up with the campaign.

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SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Presidential candidate Donald Trump, coming through Wisconsin and trying to be here until the primary hitting this state hard. Showing no signs of worry or tenseness after a rough political week. He talks to the crowd here making them laughing. Hey, this is a really important state which everyone knows 42 delegates up for grabs here. He says, please, do me a favor, go out and vote. But then he jokes saying, well, if you don't go out and vote for me that's good too because I'll just go home and relax a little. The crowd loving that.

He also had Sarah Palin who showed up here to help stump for him. Wisconsin has not been as strong the supporter for Donald Trump that some of the other places that he have been. But we did see hundreds of people in line who did not get into the event because it was absolutely packed.

We also talked to some women because this week, he talks and got into a lot of hot water for flip-flopping on certain issues like abortion. And we talked to women about that issue. And what they thought Donald Trump himself.

JENNY SQUIRE, TRUMP SUPPORTER: If others lot a people that flip- flopping that I think he just real. He does never tele prompt (ph). He just answers question. Do we not all change our opinion sometimes? [03:20:09] SIDNER: So hear that there are some folks that just be like he's speaking up the caliphate (ph) like that about him. They like is not on the teleprompter. They like he hasn't been thinking through every single thing that he said that he kind of just speaks out. And that they're fine with him changing his mind. I saying everybody else does it, as well.

Also we talked to quite a few undecided voters who are coming here so that they see him in person and watch the process and see what his like in person to try and decide whether or not they are going to vote for him or someone else.

There are a lot of folks here that have been coming out from all over the place. But he is going to some small places. Rothschild for example is only about 5,000 people in this small, what they call village. So he's hitting a lot of different places here. Not just big cities. And there are quite a few people are coming out to hear from him.

Sara Sinder, CNN, West Wisconsin.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Flip-flop or not, the Trump supporters are standing by him. And he is still comfortably ahead in the delegate count. But the possibility of a contested convention is still very real in the Republican race. Our Tom Foreman delves in to what that would mean for the candidate's chances at the White House.

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TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There is a reason they called a floor fight, if no candidate can get the magic number of delegates necessary to clinch the nomination before the convention begins.

Now let's look at the delegate count right now. Donald Trump is the closest. But if he doesn't get that number before the convention starts or let's say you actually get to the convention and you have a floor full of people out here who have Trump signs but on the first vote, he does not get enough to get the nominations squirreled away. Well then, we have a problem because a floor fight is underway at that point. Why? Because after the first vote many of the delegates become unbound that means they can vote for whomever they wish not necessarily the person shows some other people back in the states.

So people who are holding Trump signs may suddenly be holding Cruz signs or maybe Kasich signs or maybe sign for somebody else altogether. Every state has its own rules. The conventional have its own rules when starts and it won't only be clear which rules override other rules. And you can bet all three of those campaign will be doing all they can to twist arms out here to bend the rules and to push the referees to try to get an advantage.

And it could get very bitter and very nasty. But there's a reason the party does not want that to happen. Overwhelming race. Look at this from the Pew Research Center. These are the numbers in the Republican Party if the nominee is chosen on the first ballot, 64 percent of the time that nominee will go on to win the White House. Second ballot or later, only 50 percent of the time. And these numbers by the way are even worst for the Democratic Party. There is a real cost to be paid by a party to goes into this convention undecided.

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HOWELL: Good insight from Tom Foreman. Now the democrats they are focusing on two very important primaries that are coming up in the State of Wisconsin and New York. And the attacks between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are heating up. Chris Frates reports the two candidates are now debating about a debate.

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CHRIS FRATES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, campaigning hard in Wisconsin in the Northern City of Eau-Claire today. But before either candidate even hit the ground here in Wisconsin, they were throwing mud at each other. The Clinton campaign accusing that Bernie Sanders campaign of rejecting three different dates in debate in New York in April saying this, "The Sanders campaign needs to stop using the New York primary as a playground for political gains and negative attacks against Hillary Clinton."

Now, the spokesman for the Sanders' campaign, Michael Briggs firing back hard with his own statement today saying, "Unfortunately, the dates and venues she has proposed didn't make a lot of sense. The idea that they want to debate in New York on a night of NCAA finals with Syracuse in the tournament no less is ludicrous. We have proposed other dates which they have rejected. We hope we can reach agreement in the near future."

Now it's important to remember how this all starter after Bernie Sanders had a big weekend sweeping wins in Washington, Alaska and Hawaii. He challenged Hillary Clinton to a debate in her adopted home state of New York for about a week. Hillary Clinton was rather noncommittal. Then yesterday, her campaign say that they're tying to workout the dates with the Sanders campaign and then today the Clinton campaign going after the Sanders campaigns saying that they're playing games with the dates. The Sanders campaign of course denying.

And the reason why this New York primary is so important, many people expect that Bernie Sanders would be able to win here in Wisconsin but to be able to close the gap in delegates that he has. He is lagging Clinton by about 240 delegates. He needs to upset her in New York.

[03:25:02] There's a huge cash of delegates available in the Empire State about 250. That's second only to California. If Bernie Sanders can pull a win there and upset Hillary Clinton her adopted home state. He comes very to close to helping close that gap against Hillary Clinton.

So Sanders and Clinton, hashing out when they're going to have this debate is very important. When and where could have a big impact on that April 19th primary. So we're going to continue to watch that here in Wisconsin. Chris Frates, CNN, Eau-Claire, Wisconsin.

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HOWELL: Chris, thank you. And remember to join us here on CNN all day Tuesday, for complete coverage of that critical Wisconsin primary only here on CNN.

The U.S. presidential race is constantly giving new material to the late night comedy show "Saturday Night Live," here in the U.S. And this weekend, they took aim at Donald Trump's comments about women and abortion. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN JOST, AMERICAN ACTOR: Women's History Month really ended on a high note. During an MSNBC Town Hall on Wednesday, Trump said women should be punished for getting abortion. Then an hour later, he said, doctor should be punished. Then an hour after that he said we should just let the state decide. Then the next he said, you know what? Let's just leave the laws alone. Before finally saying yesterday when I'm president, I'm going to change those laws. So at this point, Donald Trump has to be pro-choice because he made most of the choices.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Also Donald Trump, how do you not already have a stock answer for an abortion question? You own MSNBC would you get and ask you. The number one show is, so what do you think about abortion? And the answer is never should be never, women should be punished. I don't care what the question is. You don't say that on T.V. even if you're on Wheel of Fortune and the board says, women should be unished. Don't say it. How do you fall for that set up? Chris Matthews basically ask a sexist says what? And your answer was, "I'm a sexist and women should be punished."

JOST: And then yesterday after everyone ganged up on Donald Trump, he announced that he might run as an independent and leave the Republican Party. So he somehow ended up with yet another option for family planning, just pull out.

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HOWELL: Seemingly busy times for "Saturday Night Live" and the hits just keep coming. And we thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm George Howell at the CNN Center in Atlanta. "Erin Burnet "OutFront" is next.

But first, I have your world headlines right after the break. Thank you for watching CNN, the world's news leader.

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[03:30:07] HOWELL: From CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta. I'm George Howell. This is CNN News Now. Three passengers flights are set to depart from the Brussels main airport on Sunday...