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Trump Moves to Get Back on Track; Trump True Believers; What the Panama Papers Reveal; Papers Allege Chinese Involvement in Offshore Accounts; Security Officials Chasing ISIS Operatives on Run; Brazil Hit by Overlapping Crises Ahead of Olympics; "Simpson's" Character Comes Out as Gay. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired April 05, 2016 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:14] ISHA SESAY, CNN ANCHOR: This is CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Ahead this hour, Tuesday could be a game- changer in the race for the White House. We really mean it this time. What makes the stakes so high in Wisconsin.
SESAY: Demonstrators demand action after several world leaders are accused of hiding billions of dollars in offshore accounts.
VAUSE: And a buzzer beater at the final four. New college basketball champion is crowned. The last second shot. It was a thriller.
SESAY: It sure was.
Hello, and welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Isha Sesay.
VAUSE: Great to have you with us. I'm John Vause. NEWSROOM L.A. starts now.
To hear Ted Cruz tell it, Wisconsin could be the turning point of the Republican race for the U.S. presidency. He holds a 10-point lead over Donald Trump in the latest polls there with voters set the cast their ballots Tuesday in the state's primaries. Trump, Cruz, John Kasich all campaigning for last-minute votes.
SESAY: Polls show Democrat Bernie Sanders with a slim lead over Hillary Clinton in Wisconsin. They have agreed to a CNN debate in Brooklyn on April 14th just five days ahead of the New York primary.
VAUSE: For Donald Trump, Wisconsin will be his first test after a series of missteps and a rare admitted mistake during the last week of March.
SESAY: CNN's senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Donald Trump knows the stakes all too well. After a bruising week, a big "W" in Wisconsin could change everything.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I've been given the last rites how many times? Like 10? Every week it's the end of Trump. Then they walk in, sir, I don't know what happened, but your poll numbers just went through the roof.
ACOSTA: While he's scrambling to catch Ted Cruz, who is leading in Wisconsin, the GOP frontrunner is attacking John Kasich, accusing the Ohio governor of being nothing other than a spoiler.
TRUMP: He's lost like 29 or 30 or 31 times. Whatever the hell it is. Every single state and every single island. He ought to get the hell out. And let me tell you. He hurts me much more than he hurts Cruz.
ACOSTA: Already looking ahead to New York, Kasich's message for Trump, don't hold your breath.
GOV. JOHN KASICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald Trump said that I need to get out of the race because I'm getting his voters. Well, I -- wait, no, no. I've got news for him. I'm going to get a heck of a lot of his voters.
ACOSTA: Trump is also busy mopping up his recent messes, telling "The New York Times" he made a mistake re-tweeting an unflattering picture of Cruz's wife. But he's still dominating the headlines, with the "New York" magazine saying Trump is sweaty and spent after wearing a bulletproof vest at his rallies. And he raised eyebrows when he predicted over the weekend the country is headed toward a massive recession, a comment he tried to clean up today.
TRUMP: What I said is we're going to go into a massive recession, but I also say, if I'm president, that's not going to happen because I'm going to straighten things out.
ACOSTA: Add to that Trump's furious attempts to clarify his position on abortion after saying last week women who undergo the procedure should be punished if it's made illegal.
TRUMP: Right now the laws are set. And that's the way the laws are.
ACOSTA: The real estate tycoon's team is lashing out at its critics. One internal Trump campaign memo titled, "Digging Through the Bull," says "America is sick of them. Their idiotic attacks just remind voters why they hate the Washington establishment. Donald Trump, one, Washington establishment/media, zero."
As for Cruz, he's confident that Trump's stumbles are keeping him in the hunt, especially if the race goes to a contested convention where he wants to hold Kasich to GOP rules requiring candidates to rack up eight wins to qualify for the nomination.
SEN. TED CRUZ (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There are only two candidates who will have met that threshold. The choice will be between me and Donald Trump.
ACOSTA: Cruz is trying to capitalize on Trump's weakness among women, blaming him for a "National Enquirer" story that claimed the Texas senator was being unfaithful to his wife.
CRUZ: It's completely made-up nonsense. It's simply not true. I have always been faithful to my wife. I love my wife.
ACOSTA: Jim Acosta, CNN, Superior, Wisconsin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: So much happening on the campaign trail. Let's bring in Dave Jacobson. He's a Democratic strategist and a campaign consultant with Shalman Communications. We also have with us John Thomas. He is a Republican consultant and the founder and president of Thomas Partner Strategies.
Gentlemen, welcome.
VAUSE: Thank you for being with us in the Brady Bunch boxes here. This is great. OK. It was a little bit different.
(CROSSTALK)
JOHN THOMAS, REPUBLICAN CONSULTANT: Thanks for having us.
VAUSE: Off of the campaign trail after the first he brought out his wife, Melania, she has spoken to these sort of rallies before but she hasn't really done a stump speech for him so far but she did one tonight. Let's listen to some of what Melania Trump has to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MELANIA TRUMP, WIFE OF DONALD TRUMP: It is wonderful to be here today with you and with my husband.
[01:05:03] I'm very proud of him. He's hard worker. He's kind. He has a great heart. He's tough. He's smart.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: OK. So Donald Trump is a hard worker, he has a big heart and he's really, really kind. It's coming from his wife. Does this actually mean anything for women voters out there and, John, I'll throw it over to you as a Republican in the room.
THOMAS: You know, it's clear from this move today that Donald Trump understands he has a real gender -- gender problem and so look, he's trouting out his wife, his ex-wife, his daughter, any women who support him, but I think the fact is, this is just icing on a big problem for him and if he doesn't do something for fundamental to change women's impressions of him, and I would recommend that you have to fire the campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, because you have to say that whether or not Corey battered Michelle Fields, anyone who lays a finger on Michelle or a woman has no place in my world.
SESAY: And, Dave, to bring you in as we look at the polls there in Wisconsin right now with Ted Cruz, at least according to the Marquette Law School poll, leading by 10 points. What are we looking ahead? What is happening? Is this a problem particular to Wisconsin, the fact that Donald Trump is trailing, or is this part of a bigger issue that he's hit a ceiling in general?
DAVID JACOBSON, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Look, I think it underscores the real gender gap and the problem with women that Donald Trump has. He's clearly running scared in Wisconsin. He's pulling out all the stops, he's bringing his wife out, he brought Sarah Palin to campaign and to barn storm the state over the weekend for him.
He understands fundamentally that he has to win the state. If he does, the narrative that he's got momentum and the electricity to sort of propel his campaign forward and lock up the 1237 delegates that he needs to secure the nomination, you know, I think he understands that he has to win Wisconsin to continue that narrative.
It's going to be a tremendous body blow to his campaign if he loses in Wisconsin and Ted Cruz prevails and I think it's going to deliver an enormous victory to the anti-Trump movement and particularly the establishment.
VAUSE: I guess that's the question for you, John, if he doesn't win in Wisconsin because a lot of the math has Donald Trump right now at 1239 delegates and that includes winning Wisconsin because it was done, you know, a week or so ago. If he doesn't win Wisconsin, where else can Donald Trump make up those lost delegates? Where else can he make those gains in the map, if you like?
THOMAS: Sure, well, if you look at New York, I believe the rules on the Republican side is that you have to win 50 percent or more then the state becomes winner-take-all. So it's critical that he keep his lead in New York and eclipse Ted Cruz with 50-plus percent of the vote. Then you go to California. California is proportional, not a winner-take-all. It's proportional by congressional district. Three delegates per district.
So not only does Donald Trump have to win California, he has to win huge to make up for a lack of wins in Wisconsin.
(LAUGHTER)
SESAY: That word is forever changed.
VAUSE: And with that in mind.
SESAY: With that in mind, gentlemen, let's turn to the Democratic side of things. We heard from Bernie Sanders a short time ago. He's feeling pretty confident of a large victory. Take a listen to what he's saying.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have won six out of the last seven caucuses and primaries.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
SANDERS: And not only have we won them, we have won every one by landslide victories.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Yes, John -- sorry, Dave, rather, on the Democratic side, does this actually mean anything? You know, he may have won six out of the last eight or whatever, but you know, they're small states, they don't compare to anything -- to the larger states that Hillary Clinton has won and she has, as she says, more votes so far in this campaign than anybody on either side.
JACOBSON: Look, I think it's validation that his message is resonating, his sort of people powered, citizen-driven, anti- establishment campaign has electricity and momentum. He actually needed to do just as well in the west as Hillary Clinton had done in the south but you're absolutely right, John. It's really going to come down to delegate math. I think he's got a deficit of delegates by somewhere around short of 700 delegates.
And so he needs to essentially win two-thirds of the delegates in all the states moving forward in order to tie Hillary Clinton. That's not surpass her. At this point, though, I feel like a broken record. This is yet another state that is essentially a do-or-die state for Bernie Sanders. He has to win Wisconsin and he's got to win decisively. That will propel his campaign potentially to Wyoming, a caucus state, this Saturday that I think he'll prevail and give him the momentum and the media narrative that he needs to cut into Hillary Clinton's sizable lead in a state like New York which has -- got an enormous set of delegates, over two -- I think close to 250 delegates that are up for grabs.
[01:10:07] Right now she's 12 points ahead of him and I think if he's sort of had these back-to-back wins in Wisconsin and Wyoming, it will give him the trust of energy and the enthusiasm that he needs to continue moving forward and making an electability case.
SESAY: Well, sticking with delegate rich New York, John, to bring you in here, we know that CNN is going to be doing a debate with the two candidates, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, April 14th. They get to share the stage ahead of New Yorkers voting. When you look at the situation between them now, who's got the most to lose from that debate? I mean, what's your sense of things?
THOMAS: Hillary Clinton. Look, she's the frontrunner. You don't attack down when you're the frontrunner. She didn't want to have a debate. They went back and forth, the Sanders and the Clinton campaign, went back and forth on debate terms 14 times. And finally when Clinton said fine, we can have a debate, she tried to do it in the early morning, and Sanders said oh, no, I'm only doing a debate when everyone is watching.
So, look, this is Sanders' big opportunity to take a whack at the frontrunner. Hillary has got a do no harm in this debate. She does -- she wants things to keep going the way they are because at this point math is on her side and she's the inevitable winner. But I think the bigger statement, John and Isha, is that the Democratic base is not happy with who Hillary Clinton is as a candidate. They like Bernie Sanders, they like his message, and they like that he's not beholden to special interests.
VAUSE: And, Dave, how important is this New York primary for Hillary Clinton, not essentially locking out the nomination but in demonstrating how she can be at a general election? This is her backyard. If Donald Trump hypothetically did very well in New York and she didn't do particularly well in New York, what message would that send?
JACOBSON: Look, any frontrunner going into a debate sort of has to have a mentality of do no harm to my campaign, right? And I think she's accomplished that at most of these debates. In fact she's come out looking like a tough experienced leader and I think these debates have actually been an opportunity for her to sort of come off essentially a little bit more authentic and human rather than having canned speeches or flashing rallies.
This is an opportunity where she's answering questions, they're not warmed over talking points. So I think, you know, the debates have actually been helpful to her campaign. Simultaneous to that, you know, Bernie Sanders has failed to really deliver the body blows that I think are going to make a meaningful impact in this race. He neglected to attack her on the e-mail scandal and it took him months to sort of attack her on the Wall Street paid speeches, on the fossil fuel industry contributions, and so I think this next debate, I think, folks are going to be tuning in to see if Bernie Sanders is really going to sort of take off the gloves and have at it against Hillary Clinton.
I think he needs to do something along those lines in order to shake up the race. Otherwise, you're right, I mean, according to the math -- or John is right, pardon me -- you know, it's going to be very difficult for him to sort of climb the steep hill to catch up to her on the delegate front.
VAUSE: OK.
SESAY: Interesting days ahead.
VAUSE: Dave, John, thank you for being with us.
SESAY: Thank you.
JACOBSON: Thanks for having us.
SESAY: Thank you, guys.
VAUSE: Appreciate it.
SESAY: All right. Well, no voters have been more loyal this campaign season than Donald Trump supporters.
VAUSE: Absolutely. CNN's Gary Tuchman went to Milwaukee to meet the people who say they're behind Donald Trump no matter what.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Five hours in the snow is to see their man. These are the Trump true believers.
(On camera): Whatever he does is OK with you?
JUDY ALCALAY, TRUMP SUPPORTER: It's OK with me. I will stand by him because I believe in him and I know what he'll do is right.
TUCHMAN: So if he put hot coals to this rally, would you walk over the hot coals for him?
ALCALAY: Absolutely. You put them out right now I will.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): And more and more of these true believers are adopting an "us against the Republican establishment" viewpoint.
(On camera): Do you think the Republican Party is trying to steal the nomination from Donald Trump?
CROWD: Absolutely.
TUCHMAN: You all agree with that?
CROWD: Yes.
TUCHMAN: Do you think there's a conspiracy to take this away from Donald Trump?
RYAN NICHOLAS, TRUMP SUPPORTER: Absolutely. Absolutely. I voted Republican my whole life. I'll follow Trump. Whether he goes independent, third party, I'm voting for him either way.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Donald J. Trump.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): Across the states in Lacrosse a different Trump rally, but the same sentiments.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think they're trying to pull a fast one.
TUCHMAN (on camera): The Republican Party?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely.
ERIC NIES, TRUMP SUPPORTER: I think the Republican Party is not only going to, they're not going to try to, they're going to steal it from him.
TUCHMAN: If Trump doesn't get the nomination, would you support the Republican nominee?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wouldn't.
TUCHMAN: So what would you do?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would stay home.
TUCHMAN: Presidential candidates often get the benefit of the doubt from their most loyal supporters, but in rally after rally, it's increasingly evident that nobody cultivates loyalty more successfully than Donald Trump.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just love Trump and I don't want anybody else but the Trump. He's my man.
[01:15:03] TUCHMAN (voice-over): And like the candidate himself, many of them agree that if Donald Trump is mistreated by the Republican Party this election, they'll return the favor.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If they steal it from him, I think he's going to get the 1237 and if they try any shenanigans to take it I will leave the Republican Party forever.
TUCHMAN: Another one of the Trump true believers.
Gary Tuchman, CNN, Milwaukee.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Any normal election a Republican running for the U.S. president would not just need the backing of FOX News and its conservative viewers but said candidate would actually try to woe and caught the network. Not Donald Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Well, FOX is playing games, yes. FOX is going to make a fortune. I told FOX they should give money to the Wounded Warriors. I'm not a fan of Megyn Kelly. I think she's a third rate reporter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: That was back in January when Trump pulled out of a FOX News debate, part of his on again, off again feud with the network's star anchor Megyn Kelly. The CEO of FOX News is this man, Roger Ailes, who has publicly defended Kelly against Donald Trump but he's also tried to placate Trump on a number of occasions as well. And a -- a new report in "New York" magazine alleges that Trump has super duper, ultra top secret information, information potentially hugely damaging about FOX News and Roger Ailes.
CNN's senior media and politics reporter Dylan Myers is with us now from the NEWSROOM with more on what this dirt could be. The super duper alleged dirt and how Donald Trump may have got said alleged dirt.
Let's start with the backstory here, Dylan. Reportedly how is it that Trump is sitting on this Trump card, if you like, about FOX News?
DYLAN BYERS, CNN SENIOR MEDIA AND POLITICAL REPORTER: Right. So this goes back to 2014, of course, before Donald Trump was planning on running for president or at least before he told anyone he's planning on running for president. What happened is that Roger Ailes was in a contentious severance negotiation with one of his former lieutenants, his head PR person at FOX News. That person was threatening to unleash all sorts of unsavory details about Roger Ailes during these negotiations and so Ailes called in Donald Trump to play mediator if you will between the two parties because Trump knew not only Ailes, but also the lawyer for the sort of aggrieved party.
Trump came in and as he confirmed in this report, he didn't play -- he did indeed play a lead role in those negotiations, how much he learned during those negotiations about Roger Ailes, that's what we still don't know.
VAUSE: OK. So that gets to the second question, any indication of what this information could be?
BYERS: Well, yes and no. I mean, you have to imagine that if this came out during the process of the litigation that maybe Trump learned whatever it was that his former lieutenant thought he had over Ailes. The problem is, is that the reporting on this is somewhat thinly sourced. So on one hand, we know that Trump was in that room privy to whatever information these men had. On the other hand, there is not a great deal there to tell us exactly what Trump might know.
And indeed if you look at all of the times that Roger Ailes has gone up against Trump, the times that he's defended Megyn Kelly, defended the network, we even have multiple statements being issued by FOX News no doubt coming from Roger Ailes himself suggesting that Donald Trump isn't fit to be president of the United States, that he would cower to America's enemies like Putin and the Ayatollah.
So, you know, you have to ask yourself, if Trump were holding something over Roger Ailes and he wasn't going to use it then, you know, you have to question how much dirt he really has.
VAUSE: Dylan, as always, great to speak with you. Thank you.
BYERS: Thank you.
SESAY: Very intriguing.
VAUSE: Yes, I'd love to know what it is. If --
SESAY: If there is something. Yes. Exactly.
All right. Well, the NCAA men's basketball final lived up to its March Madness billing. Villanova beat the University of North Carolina in an instant classic draining a three-pointer as time expired.
VAUSE: Just seconds before the Tar Heels almost sent the game to overtime with a clutch three-pointer of their own but the Wildcats had the last word at the buzzer. It's their first title in 31 years.
SESAY: And the crowd went wild.
VAUSE: Still going wild.
SESAY: They are.
VAUSE: In Philly right now, tearing up the town.
SESAY: They're parting up a storm. Party on in Philly. All right. Time for a quick break. Millions of leaked documents
threatened to expose offshore accounts belonging in some of the world's most influential leaders. The fallout and the fury over the so-called "Panama Papers" up next.
VAUSE: Also, chasing ISIS. Western officials tracking dozens of terror suspects hoping to fend off another attack in Europe.
[01:19:55]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(SPORTS)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SESAY: There are some red faces and white hot rage after a massive leak of documents from a Panamanian law firm.
VAUSE: The so-called "Panama Papers" reveal an alleged secret network of offshore shell companies set up for a number of world leaders. Among those names is the prime minister of Iceland. Crowds packed the streets in Reykjavik demanding he step down.
As Brian Todd reports, it's just a tip of what could become a massive global scandal.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is the first and most startling reaction to new allegations of billions in secret money.
SIGURDUR INGI JOHANNSSON, ICELAND PRIME MINISTER: Like you're accusing me of something.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I'm just asking you questions.
TODD: Money held in secretive bank accounts kept offshore by world leaders. The prime minister of Iceland walking out of an interview. He's one of several world leaders responding with anger and denials of wrongdoing to allegations they hid billions of dollars in clandestine offshore companies and accounts.
The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and more than 100 news organizations spent a year looking through some 11 million documents leaked from a powerful Panamanian law firm which allegedly helped set up the shell companies.
GERARD RYE, INTERNATIONAL CONSORTIUM OF INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISTS: The range of people in the entire data is -- ranges from everyone from mafia figures to fraudsters to prime ministers and presidents.
[01:25:07] TODD: The reports say several friends of Russian President Vladimir Putin operated a secret network which moved at least $2 billion through banks and offshore companies. To be clear, the reports say Putin's name is not on any of the accounts. And the Kremlin has dismissed the allegations as, quote, "a series of fibs designed to attack Putin."
WILL POMERANZ, THE WOODROW WILSON CENTER: Vladimir Putin, if he needs resources, has access to those resources and he has various ways of directly and indirectly suggesting to his friends to give him those resources.
TODD: One example, Sergei Roldugin, a concert cellist who has been a friend of Putin's since they were children. The reports say Roldugin made hundreds of millions of dollars in profits through those offshore companies.
POMERANZ: I think it shows that Mr. Roldugin might be a better investor than he is a cellist.
TODD: Sergei Roldugin told the "Guardian" he was connected to those businesses a long time ago, quote, "before Perestroika," when Russia became more open to the West in the late 1980s.
The accusations stretched beyond Russia's borders. Saudi Arabia's King Salman allegedly used a company in the British Virgin Islands to take out $34 million in mortgages for his London homes. There's nothing to suggest anything the king did was illegal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He may be looking to these offshore accounts as just a safer place to hold their money.
TODD: But the perception inside his kingdom, analysts say, may hurt him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I can imagine that the people on the ground in these countries are likely seething as the optics are rather horrible.
TODD (on camera): CNN tried to get response from the Saudi government to the reports. In Riyadh and here in Washington they haven't responded. The Panamanian law firm denies any wrongdoing. It's possible that at least some of the alleged corrupt allegations could have used the financial system which would be illegal under American anti-corruption and money laundering laws.
The Justice Department tells CNN it's aware of the reports, it can't comment specifically about them, but it is looking into them.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: Well, CNN's Will Ripley is in Beijing with more on the Panama paper's global impact.
Will, relatives of current and former Chinese leaders are said to have links with offshore firms according to these papers. Has there been any reaction from Chinese officials?
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There has been no official reaction yet, Isha, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is holding a press conference in about 90 minutes and we will be there to try to ask questions about China's official response. But if the sensors and the censorship are any indication, here is what you're going to see a lot of. This is when you try to type the term Panama or Panama papers into WeChat or Weibo, two very popular social media sites, you just get an error message.
On Baidu, which is China's version of Google, there are only a handful of results to be searched in Chinese and one of them is this editorial buried on page 15 of the "Global Times" where they make no mention of the Chinese officials named by the ICIJ investigation into the Panama papers, but what they do say is that this is essentially a conspiracy on the part of international media. They question whether these international reporters are trying to undermine Chinese leaders and non-Western leaders specifically Vladimir Putin because they never actually mention that any Chinese officials were implicated.
I want to show you a live picture right now of CNN's signal in China which is being blacked out by the sensors as we speak. This just goes to show how sensitive it is oftentimes when we report about topics that China doesn't want its citizens to hear about. They cut off the signal at CNN and they block search terms.
Now in the past there have been other investigations that have implicated Chinese officials. In 2012 the "New York Times" and Bloomberg did some pretty explosive revelations about Chinese president Xi Jinping and the former premiere, Wen Jiabao's family's money that they were receiving. Both those news organizations were punished. They were blocked from getting reporting visas in the country for several years.
And in 2014 the ICIJ also put out a report where they found about 22,000 examples of Chinese offshore shell companies including 12 of China's richest and most elite citizens, many of them with political ties. After that report, the Chinese government, because they were faced with hard evidence, the response was actually pretty muted. It basically just called into question whether what was being said is accurate.
This is interesting, though, Isha, because China has been very publicly cracking down on corporation. The President Xi Jinping himself trying to lead the charge to weed out all of this waste. People hiding their money offshore and yet it continues to seem that the highest, most elite members in China remain untouchable even as China's corruption probe does target lower level government officials.
SESAY: Well, there is that news conference in about 90 minutes you said. You'll be monitoring it. We look forward to hearing what is said there.
Will Ripley reporting there from Beijing. Appreciate it. Thank you.
VAUSE: Yes, those Ministry of Foreign Affairs briefings are always interesting.
SESAY: Yes.
VAUSE: They never say much. But we were watching this time. Could be different.
SESAY: Could be. We'll see.
VAUSE: But it won't be.
OK. Next here on CNN, the security net is thrown wide across Europe where officials are chasing down dozens of terror suspects who are still on land.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:30:00] VAUSE: Next here on CNN, the security net is thrown wide across Europe where officials are chasing down dozens of terror suspects still on land.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Coming up to 10:34 on the West coast. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM, live from L.A. I'm John Vause.
SESAY: I'm Isha Sesay.
The headlines this hour --
(HEADLINES)
VAUSE: European officials are on high alert, looking for nearly two dozen radical Islamists with links to ISIS and some connected to the attacks in Brussels and Paris.
SESAY: As CNN Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, reports, just how many are on the run is unclear and they could be anywhere.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(SHOUTING)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The terror attacks in Brussels and Paris --
(SHOUTING)
STARR: -- have European and U.S. security officials chasing dozens of ISIS operatives and terror suspects --
(GUNFIRE)
STARR: -- identified as part of a wilder terror web stretching from Europe to the Middle East, including at least eight suspects they believe are linked to the ISIS attacks in Paris and Brussels. About 18 additional jihadists not directly linked to specific attacks but tried in European courts on the run. Their whereabouts unknown.
(SHOUTING)
STARR: The manhunt underscoring the reach of ISIS from the base in Syria to the fire and direct attacks in the West -- (SHOUTING)
[01:35:36] STARR: -- with operatives trained in bombing and weapons tactics.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We need to do even more to prevent the flow of foreign terrorist fighters. After the Paris attacks, the United States deployed surge teams to Europe bolster the efforts and we will deploy additional teams in the near future.
STARR: Those teams working in border and aviation security.
GEN. CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: ISIS is able to place people wherever and whenever they want to. They can create cells when and where and operationally capable of hiding under the radar.
STARR: President Obama will begin reviewing options for increased efforts in both Syria and Iraq as the U.S. looks to accelerate its campaign against ISIS.
(EXPLOSION)
STARR: The U.S. recently bombing a suspected ISIS chemical weapons laboratory at Mosul University. Targeted air strikes increasingly going after top ISIS leadership. U.S. Special Operations looking for a senior operative involved in planning external attacks. He is believed to be in and around Raqqa.
One military option additional, U.S. Special Forces inside Syria to help local fighters take more ground back, including Raqqa.
PETER COOK, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: The big focus would be in Syria as you look towards Raqqa is doing what we can to make them more effective and to be able to provide even more pressure on ISIL as those forces isolate.
STARR (on camera): There is a new U.S. military training program for moderate Syrian rebels. The last program failed in a spectacular fashion. This time, of course, they hope it works.
Barbara Starr, CNN the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: CNN's intelligence and security analyst, and former CIA operative, Bob Bear, joins us from Newport Beach in California.
Bob, the officials saying at least eight militants directed to the attack last month in Brussels are still on the run. Does that number seem plausible to you? Would you suspect that could be higher?
BOB BAER, CNN INTELLIGENCE & SECURITY ANALYST: I think it's a lot higher. There is probably a lot of these cell members were unwitting of the attacks that provided some sort of support whether building bombs or passports, fake passports or keeping safe houses. That they don't even know about. They are just getting to the bottom of this. The attack happened in November of last year and still haven't even named all the suspects in it. Probably more than eight. There's eight they can identify. Once you get those eight, it will keep expanding the investigation.
VAUSE: We have reports now that ISIS has been working on building this terror network across Europe and been doing it for a number of years now and essentially, the intelligence has completely misjudged what is ISIS up to. How do you rectify a mistake years in the making?
BAER: Well, it's a denied area. You can't get sources there and for so long we depended on telephone intercepts and stayed off the telephone and got encrypted communications and the rest of it and there is also something else we're missing. I've been corresponding sources in the Middle East and a lot of guys are simply picking up and leaving and moving to camps in Lebanon, Palestinian camps. But the real threat is Libya. All sorts of people are going there. We could take Raqqa and they'd still be close to Europe. It's not far by boat to the island in Italy. So by no means will this threat be over if we destroy ISIS in Syria.
VAUSE: Some people think if the attacks on Syria keep taking more ground and territory away from ISIS and that means there will be further attacks in Europe. But if we look at the individual cells and how they work in Europe, have we gone from a situation of lone-wolf attacks to kind of small wolf packs, if you like, more people involved but operating independently?
BAER: They're working independently and giving strategy orders in Raqqa to attack any vulnerable targets. But once they get to Europe, they operate independently and don't need to communicate back to Syria. They are also compartmented, one group won't know about the other group necessarily. There may be somebody coordinating. And there are other groups out there we have no idea about unconnected to the Paris and Brussels attacks. I think that's what will surprise us.
[01:40:22] VAUSE: More surprises on the way.
Bob, thank you.
Bob Baer, former CIA operative, joining us there.
Thanks, Bob.
SESAY: Very frightening, indeed.
VAUSE: Bob is so direct. Always disconcerting.
SESAY: It really is.
Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM, L.A., Brazil in a state of disarray, from the stumbling economy, to political scandals to the Zika Virus. Brazil struggles to cope as the Rio Summer Olympics gets closer.
VAUSE: Also, "The Simpson's" has long hinted that one of its Springfield residents is gay. Now the truth has come out. We'll talk to the show writer about his person inspiration for the special episode.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SESAY: Brazil is considered a country on the rise but faces a number of crises from its economy to politics and to its public health.
VAUSE: All that with Rio welcomes fans to the Summer Olympics just four months from now. Many there are worried the games could suffer, maybe they already are, from all the turmoil across Brazil.
SESAY: For more on this, let's turn to David Wallechinsky, the president of International Society of Olympic Historians.
David, welcome.
DAVID WALLECHINSKY, PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF OLYMPIC HISTORIANS: Thank you.
SESAY: As we list all the issues Brazil is contending with, put it in context. Have you known the games by so many problems across the country?
WALLECHINSKY: Yes. First of all, I've covered 16 Olympics, always there are problems. You hear there's problems in the best games, like Sydney 2000. This is wrong, this is wrong, the minute the games started. Having said that, sometimes you have problems. The two that have been the biggest problems were Athens in 2004 where they didn't get it done in time, and sorry to say, Atlanta 1996 where the transportation didn't work, the computer system didn't work.
[01:45:20] VAUSE: I'll bring in the fact these - are problems that Atlanta and Athens that every Olympic game has to some degree even in China is concern with security, that kind of stuff. But, you know, we're talking about a political crisis at the top, the Zika Virus, talking about pollution, crime, drugs, you know, the whole -- everything seems to be coming together for a perfect storm before the Rio games. I think that's the thing we haven't seen before, of this magnitude.
WALLECHINSKY: Yeah, I think the Zika Virus is a whole another level. And you have to keep in mind they have never cancelled the Olympics for disease, although, when they had the youth Olympic games in China a couple years ago, it was in the middle of the Ebola crisis, and the International Olympic Committee, the IOC, said, look, if we allow the athletes from those countries to compete except in water sports and combat sports, and they kept three athletes from competing. That's the closest we've ever come to a cancellation of any sort in the Olympic movement.
SESAY: Given the situation on the ground now, the unrest, the lack of real support among the general public, it would appear, ticket sales, as a historian, what's the IOC's barometer for success because looking at it now.
(LAUGHTER)
VAUSE: A low bar.
WALLECHINSKY: I would say success from the IOC point of view will be getting through --
(LAUGHTER)
That would be the main way. We'll get through this.
VAUSE: Very quickly, on the bright side, though, all the venues are pretty much done.
WALLECHINSKY: Except for cycling.
VAUSE: And come in under budget, right?
WALLECHINSKY: Yes. They had to cut the budget by $500 million, no big deal. The big thing Brazilians have for them is Brazilians. They love sports and life.
(CROSSTALK)
SESAY: The Olympics.
WALLECHINSKY: They will be fine once it starts and everybody is there, there will be a lot of partying.
VAUSE: David, great to see you.
SESAY: We'll see. We'll get you back.
WALLECHINSKY: OK.
SESAY: David Wallechinsky, thank you.
WALLECHINSKY: Thank you.
SESAY: Thank you.
VAUSE: Short break here. When we come back, a beloved Simpson's character has come out as gay. Not a big surprise to many fans. But there's some personal inspiration behind this episode and we'll talk to the writer. That's up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
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[01:51:22] VAUSE: After almost 30 years, Waylon Smithers has finally come out as gay on "The Simpson's."
SESAY: On Sunday night's episode, Smithers admitted true feelings for Mr. Burns and realizes his love will never be reciprocated.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) (SINGING)
CARTOON CHARACTER: Mr. Burns coming down. I thought we weren't going to make it and I thought I'd never get to say something I've always wanted to. The truth is, sir, I'm in love with --
CARTOON CHARACTER: The sound of your own voice, yes. Well, no dog would I listening to an ending tune. Don't take this the wrong way, but you mean nothing to me. Someone I give less thought to than the popcorn in my tooth. Can you remove it?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(LAUGHTER)
SESAY: Burns.
VAUSE: Excellent.
Joining us now to talk about this is the writer himself, Rob LaZebnik.
Thank you so much for joining us.
ROB LAZEBNIK, "THE SIMPSON'S WRITER: My pleasure.
SESAY: Congratulations on the episode.
Almost 30 years for Smithers to come out. Why did it take so long?
LAZEBNIK: We had so much fun with the nod and the wink and people kind of knew and some people didn't know and Mr. Burns didn't know. So that kept going but I think we reached a place in the show where we just decided it was time and the show does kind of track our times and so I think it was -- it felt right.
VAUSE: One of the criticisms -- I thought it was great. My family loved it. And one of the criticisms --
(CROSSTALK)
LAZEBNIK: That's all I need to hear. You're done.
(LAUGHTER)
VAUSE: Thank you very much.
One of the criticisms is Mr. Smithers never comes out and says I am gay. In fact, the closest he kind of gets to any admission was this scene in Havana. Let's take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARTON CHARACTER: I've done it. I'm happy. I'm in a new world and completely forgotten about -- ah.
CARTON CHARACTER: What, the buzzard of death? It reminds you of him. CARTON CHARACTER: I'm sorry, sir.
CARTON CHARACTER: You address me like I am him? Everything reminds you of him. I paint that mural of him being driven out of Cuba in 1959. Reminds you of him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: OK. Why didn't you think there was a need for some kind of big announcement to put this on the record? Some say that's what the show is like.
LAZEBNIK: I think it's the story we wanted to tell was the story in that the surprise was that he's no longer, he's potentially no longer ping for this 1,000-year-old man. The surprise isn't that he's gay. I love that we did it in this way that the Springfielders just embrace it. They've known it all along and they love him, and in many ways, he's the most confident character on the show and the reason Springfield city hasn't been destroyed in numerous meltdowns but he -- so when they discover that he might be ready to move on to find a new man, they jump in ready to help. And the line out break is Lenny says it time to find Mr. Smithers a woman, a woman that can find him a man.
(LAUGHTER)
SESAY: Wonderful.
Rob, let me ask you about the back story here, you know, it's very, very touching and, you know, says a lot about the episode. This has a lot to do with your son. Tell us about that.
LAZEBNIK: Right. I have four kids. One of them is 21, Johnny in college and he's gay and I'm a Midwesterner from Missouri. He's gay. I don't really wear my emotions typically on my sleeve so I sort of thought a year or so ago, what better way to say I love you to my son than write a cartoon about it to embrace the subject.
[01:55:19] VAUSE: What did he think?
LAZEBNIK: I think he was delighted. We live tweeted it and he was again in my Midwestern caution before hand, make sure you say this or don't say this or that, and he's like I got it. He was great. Better than I was.
SESAY: Did you run the episode by him? Did he have any involvement in it?
LAZEBNIK: We, he did. At the show we have a big story retreat where we pitch the episode we really want to tell that season to our bosses, to my show runner, Al Jean (ph), and James Al Brooks (ph), our bosses. So before that I pitched the show to Johnny and he was very helpful and gave me very specific advice and I -- I would ask dumb questions like where should they -- if Smithers goes out with another guy, where should they go on a date? He was like a restaurant.
(LAUGHTER) Oh, yeah. But even more specifically, there was one moment in the show where Homer is using an app that's basically Grinder to find potential dates for Smithers, and none of us in the room knew how Grinder works. So I texted Johnny and said how does Grinder work. He said that's the most hilarious thing a father ever said to his son.
(LAUGHTER)
So welcome to the world of modern parenting.
SESAY: Indeed.
VAUSE: Fantastic episode.
(CROSSTALK)
SESAY: Thank you.
LAZEBNIK: Appreciate it.
SESAY: Thank you.
You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. I'm Isha Sesay.
VAUSE: I'm John Vause.
The news continues next with Rosemary Church after a quick break.
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