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President Obama Gives Speech At University of Chicago; Brutality Of ISIS On Full Display In Iraq. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired April 07, 2016 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00] RANA FOROOHAR, CNN GLOBAL ECONOMIC ANALYST: The editorial board interview, the idea of how you actually - you are talking about breaking up big bank, but how do you do it. Well, I don't know.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Lacking specifics. Although, he gave some later.

FOROOHAR: He gave some later --

BALDWIN: But --

FOROOHAR: I'm very sympathetic to this message of growing inequality and, you know, a recovery that feels weak, absolutely, but you have to know what you're talking about, particularly I think when you are going up against Hillary Clinton, who is, you know, a stickler for details and knows them all.

BALDWIN: What does he needs to say. I mean, I'm so weird just talking in commercial break about the big Brooklyn debate a week from today. Brooklyn, a couple of stops away from Wall Street, so I have to imagine that will be looming large as Wolf is questioning them. What does Bernie Sanders need to do? I mean, this could be a moment for him that can turn it the wrong way. What does he need to do to write the will?

FOROOHAR: I think he needs to say, OK, look. Yes, there is a lot that's broken in our economic ecosystem particularly in our financial markets. I mean, I would agree with that. But he has got to say, here is how we are going to bring business under the tent. Here is how we are going to do the right things. Here is some constructive ideas for how the public sector is going to work with the private sector. I think he can't alienate business wholesale because --.

BALDWIN: No overarching ideas and promises?

FOROOHAR: Yes. You know, business is where jobs come from. So you cannot - particularly, you cannot isolate the poster boy for how to do American business well. I don't think that's a winning campaign platform.

BALDWIN: Rana Foroohar, thank you so much. See you if not in Brooklyn before then.

FOROOHAR: In Brooklyn. BALDWIN: There you go. Do not miss a Hillary Clinton and Bernie

Sanders facing off in the Democratic presidential debate, Brooklyn New York next Thursday night 9:00 eastern right here on CNN.

Straight ahead, President Obama returning to his old stomping grounds in Chicago. Live pictures there. We are watching and waiting for him to give his speech at his old law school and of course make his case for his choice in the next justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. We will take there live.

Also ahead, the horrors of ISIS reaching a new level in Iraq. Families now saying the terror group used them as human shields. We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:36:14] BALDWIN: President Obama, going back to school, kind of, today, really to make his case for U.S. Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland. Moments from now, the president is due to speak at the University of Chicago law school where he taught constitutional law for 12 years. His nominee, judge Garland, born in Chicago, grew up in a nearby suburb. And today, Garland is in Washington meeting with Ohio Democratic senator Sherrod Brown.

The fight over Garland's nomination promises to be intense. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has about to ignore any nominee that the president puts forth. McConnell believes quote "rather, the next president should fill the vacancy left by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia.

So joining me now, senior political reporter Manu Raju.

Manu, we have got be a bit of a preview of the president's pitch for Judge Garland. What is he expected to say today in Chicago?

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: Well, Brooke, he is really going to try to make a constitutional case on why the Senate should move forward, in his opinion, on this nominee. Really, may try to say this is unprecedented for the Senate not to give any confirmation hearings. This is something that's not been done in the modern era, to deny confirmation hearings. Also try to argue that by keeping this seat vacant it would be doing irreparable harm to the Supreme Court.

Now, this is all part of the larger democratic pressure campaign into hope that Republican senators will cave. Now, a bit of news, we have learned that one Republican senator on the Judiciary Committee, Lindsey Graham, has agreed to a meeting with Merrick Garland after initially saying that he would not meet with Merrick Garland.

Now, Graham also very significantly, does not support moving forward at all. He said he is just having a courtesy meeting. He does not think there should be confirmation hearings. And there should not be any vote. And if you can't win over Lindsey Graham who can you win over? He is the guy who voted for Sonya Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. And that's the real challenge to the president and Democrats. They are trying to put this pressure campaign, intensify this pressure of campaign, but they're not winning any Republican converts to actually want to move forward and have votes on this nominee, real challenge, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Manu, as we wait for the president, why do this at University of Chicago law school? Beyond obvious, that this is where the president attended?

RAJU: You know, really, because he wants to make it a constitutional argument. The point is that, the White House is really trying to argue that, you know, what the Senate Republicans are doing is beyond the bounds of the constitution, beyond the advice and consent clause. Senate should give a vote up or down. If he's going to vote down, vote down this nominee, this nominee. But at least give it its due diligence. Do your due diligence.

And you know, of course, because as you mention, this is his own roots. Brings it back to his own roots. Shows that, you know, why he is making the case here. Because he believes that the Senate needs to act. But that's the challenge for them also, Brooke, is the White House and the Democrats need to keep this issue alive because if the Republicans want to just kill this altogether, they want to move on. Democrat are trying to figure out new ways to keep this issue in the news. One way to do that, go back to the University of Chicago.

BALDWIN: All right, Manu, thank you so much. You already broke the reporting there about Lindsey Graham. Thank you for that. We'll check in and wait to see the president there. Speaking at the university law school.

Thank you, sir.

Meantime next, the horrors of ISIS reaching a new level in Iraq. Families now saying the terror group use them as human shields.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:43:46] BALDWIN: ISIS' brutality is on full display in Iraq. Families unable to flee. The terror groups in cities advance. Now say they're being used as human shields. People have been forced into homes, have been held captive.

CNN senior international correspondent Arwa Damon reports from Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The latest arrivals at this refugee camp are not those who fled ISIS. They are those who say ISIS used them as human shields and didn't let them leave. They are from a handful of villages. The Iraqi army recently recaptured from ISIS. The men are kept at the camp's mosque, a security precaution amid concern. ISIS fighters maybe among them.

ISIS put five families into each home in the middle of the village, (INAUDIBLE) recalls. Like many here, he does not want his identity revealed. He still has loved ones at the mercy of ISIS and had already witnessed and lost too much. (INAUDIBLE) and his family could hear the army's advance, hoped

finally that they would be saved. But in the fierce clashes, (INAUDIBLE) younger brother was hit as he pulled his niece away from the window.

He shouted, I am shot, get me, (INAUDIBLE) says. The memory of that movement so painful, he can no longer control his emotions. He said I don't want to die, but he bled out in (INAUDIBLE) arms.

With us, Abu is able to leave the mosque grounds, and we head to see the rest of his family. He says they did not flee when ISIS first arrived nearly two years ago because his elderly mother could not run away. A mother who has buried her son. What is left, she now questions. At least God spared the rest.

Their stories of life under ISIS make your skin crawl. (INAUDIBLE) worked at a hospital in Mosul. I was forced to keep working. He said, if you don't, I will leave your head on the hospital gate, he tells us.

Once, he was stopped in the street and forced to witness a public mass execution. In another instance, on the way to the market, he says, we saw people hanging from the electricity pole. We asked why. They said they were trying to leave. If you try to escape, this will be your fate.

The women also hide their faces. But little can hide the lingering fear, the overwhelming psychological trauma or the pain. This woman says the house ISIS held her family in as the Iraqi army advanced was hit by a mortar. She was injured. Her 15-year-old son killed. Her last image of him, with blood coming out of his eyes, nose, mouth. It's all memories, she says, before it becomes too much, and she walks away.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[15:46:50] BALDWIN: Brand-new video shows the suspected third bomber in the deadly Brussels airport attack, the man in the dark hat. We will show you the video here. You can watch very carefully as he's walking along. He has got a light colored jacket, wearing a hat. Here he is. So he was leaving the airport. And as police are all swarming the area, he manages to walk away here. In a second, you will see him pick up and start just lightly jogging. He walked west into Brussels neighborhood over the course of two hours, according to police, the suspect tossed his rain coat somewhere along the way.

Now, we will take you to the University of Chicago law school. This is where the president once taught constitutional law, speaking there. Let's dip in.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And it was really fun and I missed it. And I thought, well, why don't I come back and say hi to everybody. And so, there are a couple of people I want to acknowledge. Because they helped to facilitate this.

First of all, I want to thank Dean Miles for closing down the school I guess for the day. Thank you.

Special acknowledgements for Jeff Stone and Doug (INAUDIBLE), who were great friends when I was teaching here and were partly responsible for having me actually take on some responsibility straight out of law school to mold the minds of students who were just barely younger than me. I know that because some of them I saw and they all have gray hair now, which is a little troubling.

We've got a terrific congressional delegation who is here and I just want to acknowledge them. First of all, your outstanding senior senator from the great state of Illinois Dick Durbin is here. And we have got Congressman Bobby Rush, Congressman Danny Davis, Congressman Bill Foster, and Congressman Mike Quickly. We also have Lisa Madigan, the attorney general of Illinois. And my former seat mate in Springfield when we were both in the state Senate together and is doing a terrific job. And I want to thank David who I was joking before we came out is one of the country's foremost constitutional experts and a nice guy.

(APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: And you guys are lucky to have him. In fact, when I was teaching here, I think that I stole his con law class for a while and he graciously gave it up because despite the privilege of grading 60 or 70 blue books, he apparently thought it was important for me to have that privilege as well.

So, the last thing I'll say by way of introduction, I had a chance to talk to some young people over in the overflow room, mostly students. And I just said to them that having now been in politics for quite some time, seeing what lawyers are capable of doing every single day, working on a whole range of issues that are of huge importance to our democracy and to our society. I hope that all the students here are excited about the incredible changes and good that you are going to be able to do when you get out of here. I know that sometimes the news feeds cynicism, and democracy at this moment seems particularly frustrating.

But each and every day I see lawyers not that much older than you who are helping young people get an education, are making sure that consumers are protected, are helping to keep America safe, are ensuring that our health care system works for everybody, are helping to preserve the planet and fight against climate change. It is remarkable what you can do with your talents, and it doesn't always get a lot of publicity, but you can make a really meaningful difference.

So one of the reasons that I back is to recruit you to stay engaged, get involved, make a difference. It doesn't mean you have to run for office, it doesn't mean you even have to work for a government. There are a lot of ways of serving. But I do hope that one of the things that you will take away from our discussion today and your extraordinary education here at the University of Chicago is the incredible high that you can get from serving this country. So with that, what do you want to talk about, David?

[15:52:04] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, let me start back when you were here at a teacher. You taught constitutional law and you were thinking about the Supreme Court and thinking about the justices and what made someone a great justice or successful justice.

BALDWIN: All right. President Obama there sitting place where he taught for 12 years, constitutional law, University of Chicago law school. He went to Harvard law, was in Chicago for a number of years. Almost like an adopted hometown for him there. We also know that he does plan to pitch his pick for the U.S. Supreme Court, a man who was born in Chicago, Judge Merrick Garland.

We also learned, thank you Manu Raju for reporting this, that Merrick Garland is on the hill today, a lot of Republican senators said no way will we meet with you but Lindsey Graham, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham will be meeting with him today on the hill.

Tonight on the CNN original series, "the Eighties," we turn to the man often referred to as the architect of the '80s, President Ronald Reagan. As the nation is bracing this year's race for the White House, we revisit the highs and lows of the Reagan administration and explore where Reaganomics went wrong.

I'm joined now by Steven Hayward. He is the author of several books on President Reagan including the "Age of Reagan, the conservative counterrevolution."

Sir, welcome to you.

STEVEN HAYWARD, AUTHOR, THE AGE OF REAGAN, THE CONSERVATIVE COUNTERREVOLUTION: Hi, Brooke.

BALDWIN: So, you know, we're watching a number of clips earlier and you had referred to Reaganomics as chemotherapy for the economy. What did you mean by that?

HAYWARD: Well, that referred to one part of it. I mean, there were four parts to Reaganomics and the rough medicine part was monetary restraint. Remember, when Reagan took office, you had very high inflation, over 10 percent. And getting inflation out of the economy was very painful. It meant high interest rates. It meant a very sharp and steep recession in 1982 and 1983. But we came roaring out of that. I think that, you know, like chemotherapy often works for cancer, we roared out of that recession with real growth in 1983 and 1984, around seven percent, eight percent. I mean, numbers we haven't come close to in the last six years in this rather slow economy we're experiencing presently. So I think that was taking tough medicine. And Reagan knew it would be tough medicine and that's why his campaign slogan in the mid-terms in 1982 was stay the course, we need to see this through.

BALDWIN: What we had heard from him two years prior was, you know, he was the original, correct me if I'm wrong, he was the make America great again. And when you say that right now, who do you think about? You know where I'm going with this. Donald Trump. HAYWARD: Yes. Certainly, I do, right.

BALDWIN: But it was originally Ronald Reagan. And I'm curious in my final bit with you, what do you make of, you know, the candidates, especially back at our debate at the Reagan library, but sort of name checking Ronald Reagan, comparing themselves, what do you think about that?

HAYWARD: Well, I'm actually a little frustrated with that.

BALDWIN: Are you?

HAYWARD: Remember, Reagan was not popular with the part of the establishment in 1980. And now all the people who say they are Reagan Republicans I think actually don't study him closely enough. It's not enough just to say you're a Reagan Republican. You ought to go back and really do your homework on how much he did his homework. And Mr. Trump does his homework probably least of any of the candidates.

[15:55:08] BALDWIN: Steven Hayward, author of the age of Reagan, the conservative counterrevolution, thank you so much on Reagan. Can't wait to watch the special tonight. Thank you, Reagan revolution continues tonight 9:00 eastern on the CNN original series "the Eighties." We're back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:59:51] JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: We are in New York for the New York primary. How many write-in votes are we going to see for the Times Square Elmos?

"THE LEAD" starts right now.

Subway series, Hillary Clinton swipes her Metrocard and swipes back at Bernie Sanders as all of a sudden the Democratic race gets almost as testy as what's going on the other side.