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Step-by-Step Record Belgium Police have on Attacker; Republican Candidates Battle over New York Values; Cruz Faces Uphill Battle in Northeast; Living under ISIS Rule in Iraq; Secular Blogger Murdered in Bangladesh; Official: Brussels Could Have Relied on Tools Offered by U.S.; Janet Yellen Talks Economy; Democratic Candidates Debate Qualifications as President; Bill Clinton Heckled by Black Lives Matters; "American Idol" Says Good-Bye after 15 Years. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired April 08, 2016 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[02:00:29] GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR: 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 start this hour in Belgium. Police there are releasing new surveillance images showing the one suspect who survived after the bombing at the Brussels airport.
We go to Jim Sciutto on the year step-by-step record police have on the attacker.
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JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the horrific aftermath of the Brussels attacks, one of the terrorists calmly turned and walked away, the beginning of a long, meandering two-hour escape of the carnage. Today, they released surveillance photos of the suspect, his every move, and asking the public for help finding him before he can strike again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The concerns the third person present at the Brussels at the airport during the attacks at the Brussels airport, the so-called man with the hat as well as the vest he was wearing at the time. We especially appeal to people who might have taken a photograph of the suspect or think they can provide extra information on this issue.
SCIUTTO: At 7:58, the suspect leaves the airport terminal, walks past a Sheraton Hotel, seen here. Turns right, existing through an Avis parking lot, where he briefly breaks into a jaunt. Always on foot, the suspect takes this long route towards the city center, where nearly an hour later, at 8:50 a.m., he is seen again walking, sleeves rolled up and without his light-colored jacket. He walks along this route for another 50 minutes.
And 9:42, surveillance cameras catch him here as he walks in the Brussels neighborhood of Schaerbeek, the neighborhood where authorities believe the attackers built their bombs. He continues to go through that neighborhood where at 9:49, he is seen on camera again, this time, seemingly talking on a cell phone.
As the desperate search continues, startling new information that one of the suicide bombers who struck the Brussels airport previously had worked as a part-time cleaner at Belgium parliament, work that put him in close proximity of senior leaders.
(on camera): About two hours after the attacks, police lost track of the suspect. They're releasing this video to the public because his trail has gone cold and they want to try to catch him before he can strike again.
Jim Sciutto, CNN, Washington.
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HOWELL: America's choice, 2016. And in the race for the White House, the rhetoric among Democrats turns negative. Bernie Sanders stands by his claim that Hillary Clinton is not qualified to be president. Listen.
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SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, (I), VERMONT & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The American people might wonder about your qualifications, Madame Secretary, when you voted for the war in Iraq, the most disastrous foreign policy blunder in the history of modern America.
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HOWELL: Clinton campaigned in New York on Thursday. She shook hands and met voters on the subway. And as for Sanders comments, Clinton kept things positive.
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HILLARY CLINTON, (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: Look, I don't know why he is saying that. But I will take Bernie Sanders over Donald Trump or Ted Cruz anytime.
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HOWELL: The Republican candidates, less civil, battling over so- called New York values now. Donald Trump says he is proud of his city and his state. Ted Cruz is standing by his criticism.
And CNN's Jim Acosta has more on all that.
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JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): No California delegate dreaming for Donald Trump. After scrapping a planned trip to the west coast, the GOP front-runner is in a New York state of mind. DONALD TRUMP, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & CEO, TRUMP ORGANIZATION:
You remember during the debate, when he started lecturing me on New York values, like we're no good.
ACOSTA: The real estate tycoon is slamming Cruz for once hitting Trump's New York values.
SEN. TED CRUZ, (R), TEXAS & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Most people know what New York values are.
ACOSTA: A comment Trump says forgets what happened after the 9/11 attacks.
[02:05:09] TRUMP: We all lived through it. We know people that died. And I got this guy standing over there looking at me, talking about New York values, with scorn in his face, with hatred -- with hatred of New York.
ACOSTA: Trump is aiming for a blowout in the New York primary. Instead of stumping in California, a top Trump adviser tells CNN, the campaign is focused on capturing all 95 delegates in New York. That would shrink the number of delegates needed to clinch the nomination to a more manageable number. And Trump has named Paul Manafort as his convention manager to work alongside Corey Lewandowski.
CRUZ: You guys are doing a great job.
ACOSTA: Helping New York children make mazza in Brooklyn, he says he wants to highlight the state's liberal Democrats.
CRUZ: Our friends in the media, is comfort with the liberal media, who has supported Andrew Cuomo, Hillary Clinton and Chuck Schumer for decades. And they want to see a general election between two New York liberals.
ACOSTA: That can be a tough sell, with the "New York Daily News" to "Take the F.U. Train" --
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ANNOUNCER: New Yorkers aren't stupid, Ted. After we were hit, we rallied and we rebuilt.
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ACOSTA: And a new pro John Kasich super PAC ad is piling on.
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ANNOUNCER: Now, you come and say you love New York.
Forget, about it, Ted.
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JOHN KASICH, (R), OHIO GOVERNOR & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We love New York values.
ACOSTA: Taking a big bite in the big apple, Kasich stopped at a Bronx deli.
KASICH: Mamma Mia.
ACOSTA: And said he is poised to start eating away at Trump's delegate lead.
KASICH: We're getting to the place where we feel we have the best chance to accumulate delegates.
ACOSTA: The delegate battle is heating up in California, where a Stop Trump movement is gearing up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here in California, where Republicans are shrinking due to demographics, and we're trying to turn that around and expand, Trump is an unmitigated disaster for us.
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HOWELL: That was Jim Acosta reporting for us.
As for Ted Cruz and that heat that he is facing in New York, he is polling at a distant third place right now. And he will face an uphill battle in the northeast.
Cruz sat down with CNN's chief political correspondent, Dana Bash.
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DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The "New York Daily News" gave you a warm welcome. They gave you helpful hints to take the "F." and the "U." train.
CRUZ: Very helpful.
BASH: Very helpful. When you saw this, what did you make of it?
CRUZ: I laughed out loud. I have never been popular with left-wing journalists or tabloids. That's not my target audience. I'll tell you the energy and the support we're seeing. We did a wonderful gathering her. I went to Brooklyn and baked some mazza. And the energy and enthusiasm we had today was tremendous. That's not my target. We did a wonderful gathering here. I came to Brooklyn and made some mazza. Just spoke with the Russian Jewish community and the Orthodox community and the Jewish community. And the energy and enthusiasm we had today was tremendous.
BASH: Since the origin of this -- I'm glad you're having fun with this because it is a New York tabloid -- that you, several months ago, disparaged New York values. And I was upstate with you today, in upstate, they got what you were saying --
CRUZ: Sure. Sure. BASH: -- that you're talking about liberals in New York City, that conservatives in New York State New York are different. But you understand how the sound byte is played and how your opponents are using it. Any regrets in that terminology that you asked for New York voters to vote for you.
CRUZ: Not remotely. Everyone inside and outside of New York know what I meant by that. It is the liberal values of Democratic politicians who have been hammering the people of New York for decades. They've suffered under these liberal values. It's been politicians like Governor Andrew Cuomo, like Hillary Clinton, like Bill de Blasio. Andrew Cuomo told New Yorkers, "If you're pro-life, if you believe in traditional marriage, if you believe in the second amendment, there's no place for you."
It was striking yesterday, and I was meeting with Senator Diaz. He said, "My own governor said there's no place for me as a pastor and someone who believes in life. That's a liberal intolerance that I think the people of New York are tired of."
[02:09:40] BASH: Coming here to New York, given the fact that you're debating in the New York Republican primary, is this how you're planning to campaign, find pockets of support? In the Jewish community or in Upstate New York?
CRUZ: We're building a big tent and unifying Republicans. Nationwide, there's 65 percent to 70 percent of Republicans that Donald Trump is not the best candidate to go up against Hillary Clinton. He loses and loses badly to Hillary. What we're seeing happening all over the country is those 65 to 70 percent of Republicans are uniting behind this campaign. We saw it powerfully in Wisconsin a couple of days ago.
BASH: You did very well in Wisconsin. And you should be commended for that victory.
CRUZ: Thank you.
BASH: But do you concede at this point, your only realistic way to get the nomination is at the convention? Not the only a mathematical way but a realistic way.
CRUZ: Not remotely. We have a clear path forward to get to 1237 delegates. It's difficult. We have to win. And we have to win consistently. In the last three weeks, we have won in four states in a row. We won a landslide in Utah.
BASH: But now --
CRUZ: Nearly 70 percent of the vote. We got all of the delegates.
BASH: But now you're in New York, in third place, behind John Kasich. You have Maryland coming up, third place in the polls. You need 88 percent of the remaining delegates to win.
CRUZ: Let's see what the voters say. I think the people of New York, particularly Upstate New York, have a lot in common with the people of Wisconsin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOWELL: Dana Bash speaking with Ted Cruz.
It's 2:11 on the U.S. east coast. Still ahead this hour, a CNN exclusive. You'll hear from ISIS survivors in Iraq. They share their horrific memories, and some used as human shields.
Plus, outrage in Bangladesh. The government responds, saying it is doing all it can to find the attackers that murdered a young writer in the streets.
This is NEWSROOM.
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[02:15:27] HOWELL: Welcome back to NEWSROOM. More than 300 workers are being held hostage by ISIS, after the group overtook a factory. It happened to the northeast of Damascus at this cement plant. The company says the militants are holding the workers nearby. All this is playing out in the town of al Dhmeir (ph). Syrian forces have been battle forces around that town. Reports say dozens of people have been killed there.
Across the border, and in northern Iraq, that country's force liberated many from the control of ISIS. We're hearing about the horrifying stories, their memories, their physical and emotional scars, and how some were used at human shields.
Senior international correspondent, Arwa Damon, brings us this CNN exclusive.
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ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The initial phase of the operation to push towards Mosul has come to a halt until the Iraqi army says it receives reinforcements. But they have managed to wrest control back from ISIS in a handful of villages. When we spoke to civilians that lived there, their stories were horrific.
(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're 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 concerns ISIS is in the village.
"Isis put my family into each home in the middle of the village," Abu Sarat recalled. Like many here, he does not want his identity revealed. He still has
loved ones at the mercy of ISIS and has already witnessed and lost too much.
Abu and his family could hear the army's advance and hoped finally that they would be saved. But in the fierce clashes, Abu's younger brother was hit as he pulled his niece away from the window.
"He shouted, I am shot, get me," Abu Sarat 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 our 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.
Abu 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.
DAMON (on camera): The accounts of ISIS using the civilian population as human shields is one of utmost concern to the Iraqis and to the United States. As they advance on Mosul, the country's second-largest city, there's 1.5 to 2 million people whose lives will be at risk.
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HOWELL: The horrors of living under ISIS control. Arwa Damon reporting for us. And not far from the front lines, engineers waging another battle.
Their goal is to save what is called the most dangerous dam in the world. Next, Arwa Damon takes us near that structure near Mosul. She went to find out how the fighting around that dam is still standing.
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[02:20:12] DAMON (voice-over): Workers are drilling boar holes. This will go down around 150 meters.
(on camera): Drilling that particular distance takes about a week. And then, machines go up and down along the length of the dam, breaking up and then re-pouring cement to try to ensure the stability of the dam's foundation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: We take you to the front lines of the fight against ISIS in Iraq. International viewers can watch at 4:00 p.m. in London, 11:00 p.m. in Hong Kong, only here on CNN.
Now, to Bangladesh, where activists are outrage where yet another secular blogger was murdered in the street there. A gang armed with machetes hacked him to death. And police are looking for who is responsible over his murder.
Our senior correspondent, Ivan Watson, joins us in Hong Kong.
Ivan, it's good to have you this hour.
This is the sixth writer to be murdered for criticizing Islam in 14 months.
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. It's a growing number, a worrying trend. And the U.S. State Department is joining the growing chorus of voices condemning this murder, a series of murders that amounts to what appears to be a campaign of assassinations targeting anybody who dares publish or write anything challenging Islam, in particular, fundamentalism Islam in Bangladesh.
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WATSON (voice-over): Police in Bangladesh tell CNN a group of attackers ambushed this man on way home from evening university classes. They hacked him with machetes and then shot him. Witnesses heard the attackers shout "Allah Akbar" as they fled.
Authorities say the attack was planned ahead of time. He appears to be the latest in a series of assassinations targeting secular writers.
Bangladesh a religious country with a Hindu religious majority, but some writer who describe themselves as free thinkers have challenged religion's role in society, criticizing extremism and militancy.
The country's constitution promises to uphold the principle of secularism. But authorities say some murdered critics crossed the line with their writing.
A top police officer told CNN in February, bloggers need to speak up if they want protection.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we do not get information from anyone, with -- if he does not report to the police, we could -- it is difficult for police to provide any.
WATSON: A friend says the writer went into hiding last year for several months, fearing for his life. But he wrote, "It's better to die than by living with my head down."
He was the sixth writer to be murdered in 14 months.
One's widow barely survived the machete attack that killed her husband.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I had four machete stabs on my head.
WATSON (on camera): Why do you think these people attacked you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have gotten to a point where criticizing Islam is becoming a very big crime or a sin in Bangladesh.
(SHOUTING)
WATSON (voice-over): Students took to the streets for their murdered classmate.
UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT (through translation): We are protesting because one of our students at the university was killed. We want investigation and justice for the killing.
WATSON: Tributes for the victim poured in on social media. One called him a "courageous freethinker." Another asked for an end to this brutality.
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WATSON: George, the government avows they will bring the killers to justice and has pointed out there has been some arrests made on the course of the murders over 14 months. In the same breath, the home minister that CNN spoke with on Thursday went on to criticize some of the bloggers who say their lives are at risk. And he said that, quote, "So-called bloggers do not have any rights to use the languages that attack religion. No one has the right to attack religious leaders, be in Prophet Mohammad, Guru Natak (ph) or Jesus." And that is where some press freedoms and freedoms of expression groups have began to criticize the Bangladeshi government. Why is it, on one hand, you're going to protect freedom of expression, but on the other hand, you're criticizing some of the writings of some of the people who have been brutally murdered, in some cases, in broad daylight in the capitol of Bangladesh. They're arguing it is sending a mixed message that some of them deserve what they are getting. That's at the crux of the debate, as the brutal murders continue -- George? [02:25:46] HOWELL: The home minister making the comments that you
just pointed out. In the report, police officers saying, if you're here, we need to know to protect you. That's a mixed message.
Ivan Watson live for us. Ivan, thank you for your reporting there.
It is 8:25 in Paris. Ahead on NEWSROOM, a top official says Europe could have done more to prevent terror attacks.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's concerning that our partners don't use all of our data. We provide them with tools and support. And I would find it concerning that they don't use these tools.
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HOWELL: In a CNN exclusive, you will hear what this official says Europe could do to improve.
Live in the United States and around the world this hour, you're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
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[02:29:45] HOWELL: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM. It is good to have you with us. I'm George Howell.
The headlines we're following this hour --
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[02:30:00] GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR: On to Europe, now, where nations there are being criticized for failing to do enough to prevent the terror attacks in Paris and Brussels. A top U.S. official says Europe could have relied more on the resources offered by the United States.
Pamela Brown has more on this CNN exclusive.
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PAMELA BROWN, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): New surveillance video emerging of one of the suspected Brussels still on the run. As the head of the U.S. terror watch list, Christopher Piehota, tells CNN exclusively most European countries are not taking full advantage of U.S. tools that help screen for terrorists.
CHRISTOPHER PIEHOTA, DIRECTOR, TERROR SCREENING CENTER: It's concerning that our partners don't use all of our data. We provide them with tools. We provide them with support. I would find it concerning that they don't use these tools to help screen for their own aviation security, maritime security, border screening, visas, things like that for travel. We find it concerning.
BROWN: Making things more difficult, European countries maintain their own individual terrorist watch lists, which each have different privacy standards, preventing them from sharing some suspect names with the U.S.
(on camera): In Europe, there's cases where, perhaps, information wasn't shared with someone because of privacy laws. How does that impact the terror watch lists?
PIEHOTA: It impacts the terror watch lists in a way that our sharing may not be as broad or inclusive as it could be.
BROWN (voice-over): He fears ISIS terrorists, like the missing Brussels suspect, could slip into the U.S.
PIEHOTA: There's many we know about. And there's some we do not know about. We take information and do what we can do minimize threats to our communities. But we can't know everything all the time.
BROWN: He says to get on the watch list there must be reasonable suspicion that someone has ties to terrorism. No one can be added based on their religion, as Republican front-runner, Donald Trump, has proposed.
(on camera): Is that possible? Can you do that?
PIEHOTA: That's a policy I could not comment on.
BROWN: Could you ban someone because of their ethnicity or religion?
PIEHOTA: No watch listing activity is conducted based on race, religion or any other protected right. There has to be a certain level of derogatory information, particularized to that individual, that would warrant their watch listing. Being of a certain national origin or religious affiliation is not grounds for watch listing.
BROWN: Director Piehota says U.S. citizens make up half a percent of the watch list population. And he says it's being re-evaluated with around 1,500 changes to the watch list on average every day.
Pamela Brown, CNN, Washington.
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HOWELL: The leak of secret documents is keeping world leaders on the hot seat. In Britain, the prime minister, forced to defend his family's financial affairs on Thursday, while admitting he did profit from an offshore trust set up by his late father. But David Cameron insists he has nothing to hide.
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DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We owned 5,000 units that we sold in January 2010. That was worth something like 30,000 pounds.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was there a profit on it?
CAMERON: I paid income tax on the dividends but there was a profit on it but it was less than the capital gains tax allowance so I didn't pay capital gains tax. But it was subject to all of the U.K. taxes in all the normal ways.
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HOWELL: The massive leak, the Panama Papers, has caused a change at the top of Iceland's government. The new prime minister was sworn in this week. His predecessor resigned after the leak revealed his ties to an offshore company.
The chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve, Janet Yellen, is talking to CNN about the strength of U.S. economy and dismissing concerns that a bubble is ready to burst. And her comments came during a panel discussion with CNN's Fareed Zakaria and three former chairs. And here is part of that conversation.
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FAREED ZAKARIA, CNN HOST, FAREED ZAKARIA, GPS: Are we in an economic bubble? Is the economy as perilous as some people on the political campaign trail are suggesting?
[02:35:12] JANET YELLIN, CHAIR, FEDERAL RESERVE: So, I would say the U.S. economy has made tremendous progress in recovering from the damage of the financial crisis. Slowly but surely, the labor market is healing, well over a year. We created about 225,000 jobs a month. The unemployment rate stands at 5 percent. So, we're coming close to our assigned Congressional goal of maximum employment. Inflation, which my leagues here, Ball (ph) and Allen (ph), spent much of their time, chair, bringing inflation from unacceptable high level. For a number of years, inflation has been running under our 2 percent goal. And we're focused on moving it up to 2 percent. We think it's transitory influences, oil prices and the strong dollar that are responsible for pulling inflation below the 2 percent level, we think is most desirable. I think we're making progress there, as well. This is an economy on a solid course. We tried to look at evidence of a potential instability that might be brewing and some of the hallmarks of the overvalued pry sis, high leverage, rising leverage, and rapid credit growth, we don't see those imbalances. And interest rates are low and that's something that can encourage, reach for yield behavior. I certainly wouldn't describe this as a bubble economy. We have relatively week global growth. But the U.S. economy has been doing well in domestic strength has been propelling us forward, despite fact that we are suffering drag from the local economy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOWELL: It is an insightful interview. You can watch the discussion on "Fareed Zakaria, GPS" this weekend on CNN.
The Democratic presidential race, it takes a confrontational turn as Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders debate about who is more qualified to be commander-in-chief.
And Bill Clinton gets an earful from Black Lives Matter protesters in Philadelphia. We'll show you how Bill Clinton responds after the break.
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[02:41:32] HOWELL: Hillary Clinton and her Democratic challenger, Bernie Sanders, are looking for a big win in New York's upcoming primary. They are unleashing more attacks against each other, over who is better qualified to lead the country.
CNN's Jeff Zeleny has this report.
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HILLARY CLINTON, (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: I will take Bernie Sanders over Donald Trump or Ted Cruz every time.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hillary Clinton taking the high road today, for a moment, as the Democratic race devolves into a war of words.
CLINTON: Let's keep on eye on what's at stake in this election.
ZELENY: At stake, the New York primary, which Bernie Sanders is fighting hard to win, firing off the biggest attacks in the campaign over who is qualified to be president.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, (I), VERMONT & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The American people might wonder about your qualifications, Madame Secretary, when you voted for the war in Iraq.
ZELENY: In Philadelphia, Sanders unleashed a laundry list of grievances.
SANDERS: Are you qualified to be president of the United States when you're raising millions of dollars from Wall Street, an entity, whose greed, recklessness and behavior destroyed our economy.
ZELENY: Sanders says Clinton started it by demeaning his qualifications. She says he did.
It's a rough-and-tumble New York primary, raising questions about unifying the Democratic Party.
CLINTON: I ran a very contested campaign against then-Senator Obama. And it went all the way to the end. We worked really hard. He got more delegates. And so, I endorsed him.
ZELENY: This map on the wall at Clinton campaign headquarters in Brooklyn is a daily reminder of a lead in delegates. Sanders has vowed to take the fight to the convention.
A move that doesn't sit well with campaign manager, Robby Mook. ROBBY MOOK, BERNIE SANDERS CAMPAIGN MANAGER: I think people will
unify behind our nominee.
ZELENY (voice-over): It is different She has been a Democrat her entire life. What incentive does he have to unify this party?
MOOK: That's up to Senator Sanders. He has to make a decision about the roll he wants to play.
ZELENY: Would it be a mistake for the party to keep mitt grating this into July in Philadelphia?
MOOK: I think to the point that a candidate has the majority of delegates and it will be time to come together. But we're not there yet.
ZELENY: Not there yet.
And a long way to go. 12 days remaining before the New York primary. How this race plays out, between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, if they keep escalating the war, it will be more difficult to unify the party. That's what some Democrats are worried about.
Jeff Zeleny, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOWELL: A feisty exchange between Bill Clinton and protesters from the Black Lives Matter group.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SHOUTING)
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I want to deal with them all. Come on.
(SHOUTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: They heckled the former president over his 1994 crime bill, a crackdown on gangs that put more nonviolent offenders in prison, many of whom were African-American.
They also took issue with Hillary Clinton's stance on crime in the 1990s. Bill Clinton responded when one person said "Hillary is a murderer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: I heard it. Can I answer?
(SHOUTING)
CLINTON: No, here's the thing. I like protesters. But the ones that won't let you answer are afraid of the truth. That's simple.
(CHEERING)
CLINTON: They're afraid. Very, very afraid.
(CHEERING)
CLINTON: I talk to a lot African-American groups. They thought black lives mattered. They said take this bill because our kids are being shot in the street by gangs. Because of the bill, we had a 25-year low in crime, a 33-year low in the murder rate. And listen to this. Because of that and the background check law, we had a 46-year low in the deaths of people by gun violence. And who do you think those lives were that mattered?
(CHEERING)
CLINTON: Whose lives were saved that mattered?
(CHEERING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[02:45:40] HOWELL: The former U.S. president taking the heat on the campaign trail.
Switching to weather. We're talking about a deadly heat wave in India that continues to really cause problems for people. But they're waiting for the cooling rains of the monsoon -- Derek?
DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: That's not arriving. That doesn't occur until May or early June. Until lately, this heat wave has turned deadly. 30 people have perished from heat-related illnesses since Sunday alone. This is the warmest time of the year, which is coinciding with a drought. Look at the footage. You see how dire the situation is across India. This is just outside of Mumbai region. The government trucking in water for the individuals who live in the hardest-hit areas. They're coming up with a mobile app for the phones, that notifies the residents of this region. Wind temperatures are forecast to get above 42 degrees. And this, unfortunately, sets an ominous reminder of just last year, if we get to my graphics, the fifth-deadliest heat wave that occurred in India, where 125 fatalities occurred. That was just behind 1998, when over 2,500 fatalities occurred. This is a hot part of the world. Thursday alone, temperatures spiked 40 degrees across the central parts of India. Thanks to the tilt of the earth this time of year, we get strong radiation from the sun. This heats up the land. The mountain range to the north really blocks any of the cooler air trying to set until from the north. And people are so desperate for the monsoon rains to come in. We have to wait four to eight weeks before those rains actually settle in. How does our body react to extreme temperatures? We know, we sweat. It doesn't always work that way in some of the hotter and humid areas of the world. The sweat which is an evaporative process, and cooling levels, when we have high humidity, that doesn't occur. The cooling of the body and the core temperature doesn't allow itself to cool down. And heat stress becomes an extreme problem, when a person's core temperature warms above 40 degrees. That's the danger zone, George, that can cause heat stress and heat stroke. And in this instance, we've seen over 30 fatalities -- George?
HOWELL: Thanks, Derek.
VAN DAM: All right.
HOWELL: "American Idol" says good-bye after 15 years. A look at why that show was so groundbreaking.
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[02:53:00] HOWELL: It's an important topic. We're going to hear about this discussion of body image with Shaun Robinson (ph) next hour. He's a former entertainment report who has written a book on the subject.
For fans of art, design, fashion and luxury, exciting news on CNN. This Saturday, "CNN Style" is headed for your TV screen. The monthly show gets access to the biggest names in the world of art, fashion and more. This Saturday, 1:30 p.m. in London, 2:30 central European time on CNN.
We're getting a glimpse of the first spin-off in the "Star Wars" film franchise. Disney released the trailer on Thursday. Take a look.
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UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: This is a rebellion, isn't it? I rebel.
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HOWELL: These are scenes from "The Rogue 1." It is set just before the plot of the 1977 "Star Wars" film, and follows a group of rebels trying to steal plans for the death star. The movie hits theaters worldwide in mid-December. "American Idol" is saying good-bye. It named its 15th and final
winner tonight. But most of the finale focused on the memories of that show and some familiar faces.
Brian Stelter explains how "Idol" changed TV forever.
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BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT & CNN HOST, RELIABLE SOURCES: The singing on stops on "American Idol" at least for now. For me, sitting up in the rafters of the Dolby Theater, it felt like a festive funeral. The people in attendance, knowing this was the last hoorah of the show that reshaped television in the United States. And this was a star-studded sendoff. A videotaped appearance of President Obama started the show. He talked about how the show transformed TV and made millions of young people more interested in voting. Of course, he was talking about voting for celebrities, voting for singers. But he urged people to take that energy and put it in the political process.
[02:55:11] Many of the contestants, many of the winners and losers were in attendance, filling the Dolby Theater. There were dozens on stage. People like Carrie Underwood, Fantasia. Some were catapulted to fame because of "American Idol."
As for the results Thursday night, Trent Harmon becoming the new winner. I have a feeling both of them have strong futures ahead of them in Hollywood and perhaps in Nashville. These are two big stars that were developed as a result of this 15th and, for now, final season of "American Idol."
The series creator, Simon Fuller, says he is working on ideas for a reboot, a reimaging of "Idol." We'll in what shape and what form, it might come back in a few years.
For now, silence in the theater was deafening. Half an hour later, the cleanup was happening. The confetti was being swept up. And for now, "American Idol" is over.
Back to you.
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HOWELL: Brian Stelter, thank you. The end of "American Idol."
Thank you for watching this hour. I'm George Howell, at the CNN Center in Atlanta.
I'll be back after the break with another hour of news from around the world. Stay with us.
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