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Donald Trump Aiming to Win New York on April 19th; Prosecutors Say Brussels Terrorists Planned To Hit France Again; President Barack Obama's First Appearance on FOX News Channel in More Than Two Years; Day of Celebration at Century Old Temple in Kelam, India, Ends In Strategy; Bernie Sanders to Visit the Vatican; Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams Hasn't Endorsed Yet. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired April 10, 2016 - 15:00   ET

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


[15:00:00] HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So when somebody tell you something is free, ask for the fine print because what I have proposed can be achievable and create results almost immediately. And then the other thing we'll do is we're going to help you pay down and get rid of your student debt. How many people here have student debt? Forty million people in our country are burdened by student debt. What we're going to do is let you do what you can do --

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: All right. Hillary Clinton there reiterating her vision of America as she stumps for more support in Baltimore ahead of the New York primary just nine days away.

So Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump hitting the campaign trail with quite the fervor today following victories for their rival underdog. After a laying low for few days, we are awaiting Donald Trump at a rally in Rochester, New York. You are looking live pictures right now of the group that has assembled there.

Meantime, Bernie Sanders is holding a rally on Coney Island. There he is live this hour night now touting his victory win in Wyoming last night.

So a lot to talk about with Democrats today. But first let's go to the Trump rally.

As we mentioned, Donald Trump is getting ready to speak there at any moment there at that rally in Rochester, New York. There you go. Live pictures right now. He has yet to enter the room. But the Republican front-runner is hoping that his home state will give him back some of his momentum, this after suffering a back-to-back losses in Wisconsin and Colorado.

Let's go to CNN's Chris Frates who is at that Trump event for a report on what's to be expected. So which Donald Trump might we see today?

CHRIS FRATES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think we're going to hear a lot about lying Ted Cruz, Fred. That's no surprise. Cruz is a bit of a hot streak right now and Donald Trump is trying to win his home state of New York on April 19th. Lots of delegates at stake here, 95 delegates and a chance at winner take all. Donald Trump doing well here in the polls. In fact, the FOX News poll out today shows that he has 54 percent, Cruz with just 15 percent, trailing even John Kasich here in the empire state. Donald Trump hitting Ted Cruz with his own words. You are right. Remember that Ted Cruz criticized New York values. Donald Trump saying that Cruz was criticizing New Yorkers. Cruz saying, no, he was criticizing the liberal political class of New York. And when you look at why Donald Trump has focused his fire on Ted Cruz, it's easy to understand why he's lost the last four consecutive contests. Big wins in Wisconsin. And just yesterday, he won 34 delegates in Colorado. The Trump campaign crying foul saying that they are using gestapo tactics, saying that there is threatening delegates in order to get them on their side. The Cruz people say that's absolutely nonsense. It is just another Donald Trump temper tension. In fact, it's sour grapes. They say they have a better operation when it comes to delegates than Donald Trump does in fact. In Donald Trump beefing up his delegate operation here bringing in an expert as he tries to race toward the finish line. He needs about 500 more delegates to get to that magic number of 1237 and New York is going to be crucial to that. If he can win 95 of those delegates, that would be very, very big. Of course, Ted Cruz trying to stop him and we'll hear what he has to say here in Rochester, New York, as we await for Trump force one coming to the airline hangar here. We'll see if it gets these folks fired up, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Chris Frates, thank you so much.

The music getting people fired up there, that's for sure.

All right. Let's talk more about Donald Trump back on the campaign trail with our panel, Brian Morgenstern who is Republican strategist. Ellis Henican is the columnist.

So Brian, you first. You know, the whole delegate chase, Donald Trump feeling the agony of defeat lately. How does he recover? What's the message that he brings to this hangar at Rochester, New York, today?

BRIAN MORGENSTERN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, he is trying to recover by going to the parts of New York where he's probably going to clean up. And you know, we have seen some statewide polling but what a lot of people haven't been talking about is that New York is allocated by a congressional district. And while Trump has got his name on half of the buildings in Manhattan, where he is really popular is in the upstate area which is really sort of a rust belt state.

And so, he is going to make sure that he gets, you know, the majority in those districts so he can take home all three of the delegates in those districts as opposed to having allocated on a proportional basis.

Now, in the downstate area, he is going to have to go after Kasich because that seems to be where he is polling pretty well. And so, like I said, it's sort of two states within a state in terms of how do you approach the strategy. But right now he is concentrating on the upstate area and going after Cruz and making sure he can consolidate hos base in the upper regions.

[15:05:13] WHITFIELD: And so, we see Ellis, you know, he is, you know, getting folks warmed up for his message. Donald Trump there in the hangar in Rochester. But meantime, you know, Ellis, so is there a feeling that now the Trump campaign is concentrating on a ground game with a better understanding now of how important it is particularly in those proportional states?

ELLIS HENICAN, POLITICAL COLUMNIST: No doubt about it. Nothing teaches like defeat. But guys, you have got to be careful on this polling in New York. And New York, Fred, as you know, is a hugely diverse place. And one of the things that we don't have too many of is Republicans. One of the reasons we treasure, Brian so much. So be careful with that polling. It's very, very hard to predict how a small group will actually turn out.

WHITFIELD: And Brian, you know, Donald Trump's new convention manager was on "Meet the Press" early today talking about the hunt for delegates. Take a listen to what he had to say about tactics ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL MANAFORT, DONALD TRUMP'S CONVENTION MANAGER: I'm confident we have several ways through June 7th to go over 1237 and, you know, not counted in that at all any of these unbound delegates who are getting selected, many of whom I feel pretty good about.

CHUCK TODD, NBC HOST, MEET THE PRESS: What is fair game to win a delegate? Is threatening a fair game?

MANAFORT: It is not my style. It is not Donald Trump's style. But it's Ted Cruz's style and that's going to wear thin very fast.

TODD: You think he's threatening delegates?

MANAFORT: Well, he is threatening -- you go to these conventions and you see the gestapo tactics.

TODD: Gestapo tactics? That's a strong word.

MANAFORT: Well, look at - we are going to be filing several protests because reality is they are not playing by the rules, but frankly that's the side game. Because the only game I'm focusing on right now is getting delegates. And the games that have happened even this past weekend are not important to the long-term gain of how to get to 1237.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: So, Brian, you know, what's interesting, while we didn't see a whole lot of Donald Trump over the past couple of days, we saw a whole lot of Paul Manafort and that was very intentional because he has become kind of, you know, probably the best mouthpiece for Donald Trump, you know, in recent -- any day, week or even month.

MORGENSTERN: Yes. Well -- but he is picking up, you know, where Trump left off, which is to just go on attack and say that, you know, any defeat is a result of some kind of -- well, gestapo or rule breaking because that's what Trump has been saying. Anytime he loses delegates, it's not because he didn't have the organization on the ground. It's because somebody else is stealing them from him. And so while it's a different face on the message. It seems to be a pretty similar one. I will say here in New York, thank you, Ellis, for treasuring me. I also feel treasured by --

WHITFIELD: We all treasure you.

MORGENSTERN: That's very sweet. And as a New York Republican, I do feel treasure about the campaign for the first time in a while because this is the first time in, I don't know, decades that our primary matter. And so, we get all of the campaign commercials and the push polls and everything else. It is very exciting. We have the candidates coming here to meet the voters and actually take questions and stuff. So, it's a completely different environment for all of New York primary voters right now.

WHITFIELD: All right. So Brian and Ellis, let's hit the pause button for a hot second and hit the play button on Donald Trump right now and listen to him in Rochester.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Rochester has lost 32 percent of its transportation jobs, 30 percent of the building and ground maintenance jobs and 43 percent of its science jobs, 43 percent gone. All right. You do. You need somebody fast. I know that.

CROWD: Trump! Trump! Trump!

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: We're going to get it straight now, folks. It is not even going to be that hard, believe me. It's going to go quickly, a lot quicker than people think. People say, he can't do that. I can do it. You just watch. I will just show you. It's going to go fast. I mean, how much longer do we have, right? How much longer? It's going to go fast. TPP, listen to this. That's The Trade Pact, which is a disaster, it will be worse for you, for Rochester, for upstate New York, for the New England, for the entire country, it will be worse than NAFTA. It will be worse. Ted Cruz is totally in favor of it. Think of it.

(CHANTING)

[15:10:04] TRUMP: Lying ted. He is a beauty. I have met a lot tougher people than him over the years but I have never met anybody that could lie like him. Of course, a really good liar doesn't get caught lying, right? He gets caught. Remember with Ben Carson? Ben Carson has left the race, he said. Vote for me. He has left. This was during Election Day. And Ben Carson endorsed me, by the way, and he's a great guy. But TTP, which is a disaster. Both of my competitors now are totally endorsing TTP would give 3,000 foreign companies, think of this --.

WHITFIELD: All right, Donald Trump there dotting the map as, you know, talks to folks there in Rochester, New York. But perhaps, he got the biggest applause when he talked about, you know, the jobs that are lacking now in Rochester. And he says you know what? It's going to be good under his kind of leadership. It will happen fast and that's his promise.

But in the flipside of that, if you were to look at "the Boston Globe" today, you go to theBostonGlobe.com or perhaps even see the hard copy, they had a different kind of scenario of what it would be like if it were Donald J. Trump who are president one year from now. This was their kind of state front page, you know, saying deportations would begin, the markets would fail, all of that. It was a very negative picture, gentlemen.

So Ellis, you first on this kind of, you know, view of the future if it were Donald Trump and that being put out by, you know, mainstream newspaper like "the Boston Globe" from the editorial board there.

HENICAN: Well, it dove tails so beautifully doesn't it better with the words of Donald. We just heard that vintage Trump with the shallow slogans and insulting nicknames. Listen. I think it's a fair thing for newspapers to do to say hey, what would our world be like if this guy wins and then just go and flock half a dozen specifics and say, well, yes, we will be deporting all of these people and we will be doing all of this crazy stuff. I don't know. I mean, I wouldn't wag too many fingers over that.

WHITFIELD: And Brian?

MORGENSTERN: Yes. I mean, look, it's no shocker that "the Boston Globe" is not a big fan of Trump's. The thing is, like anything else, it will make his supporters dig in even harder and they will just say it's the liberal media attacking him. And it's not going to do anything to shake his supporters. I mean, and I think it will just reinforce the view of those who think that he would be a disaster. They will agree with him and then his solid whatever it is, 35 percent of the disaffected primary electorate who is chanting for him when he talks about bringing back jobs. You know, they will roll their eyes and ignore it. So it's good for those who are willing - who are open to it and doesn't do much good to those who are the stall war Trump fan.

WHITFIELD: And you know, gentlemen, every week is a big week in politics in the race for the White House right now. This week is unique, too, because CNN will be hosting this kind of town hall format with, you know, a lot going on. The Trump family on Tuesday night. We have got John Kasich family on Monday night. Still waiting to hear whether, you know, Ted Cruz is going to, you know, dip his toe into it. Bit what kind of expectations would you have, Brian, you know, on how the Kasich family or even the Trump family would want to convey itself on this stage?

MORGENSTERN: Well, I'll tell you, we haven't seen tons of family campaigning. The Kasichs have kind of stood by, the governor and his wife, introduced him and a few things. But this will be a chance to actually sort of -- voters will have a chance to ask them questions about, you know, their dad, their husband. They are going to try to give a personal side. They are going to make these guys seem like real people.

And you know, for Trump, with the large (INAUDIBLE), I mean, Kasich, you know, wears his heart on his sleeve. He is a guy out there giving free hugs. For Trump, this could be a lot more revealing where his kids and wife will actually be able to face questions from voters about what it's like behind the scene.

WHITFIELD: Well. And then guess what, this just in, now we understand Ted Cruz and family will also be --

HENICAN: Good.

WHITFIELD: -- right on stage with CNN with this kind of format of the Republican candidates and their families on stage to reveal themselves as a unit and, of course, this perhaps shows cases a candidate quite differently too, doesn't it Ellis?

HENICAN: Well, of course it does. And you know, think back on recent presidents. I mean, in most don't you like their wives more than you enjoyed the husbands? I mean, they have almost all come off pretty well. We are electing a full family, spouse, kids, dog as well, I guess. Yes. Shouldn't we get to know them before we vote for them?

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much. Brian and Ellis. That was a rhetorical question. I think most people will say, yes. We want to know these people.

All right. So something else that makes it a very big week. In four days, CNN hosts the Democratic presidential debate. Don't miss Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders facing off live from New York on Thursday night. Huge week ahead. This one is Thursday, 9:00 p.m. eastern time, right here on CNN.

And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:18:29] WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. We are following new developments out of Brussels this afternoon.

Prosecutors are now saying the terrors who planned the deadly attack in Belgium last month were actually plotting to hit France again. But as they saw how quickly the investigation into last year's attacks in Paris was moving, they switched gears and turned their target to Brussels instead. This comes as Belgian authorities captured Mohamed Abrini who has confessed to being the man in the hat at the Brussels airport.

CNN's senior producer Kelly Morgan is in Brussels today for us.

So what more do we know about this plan that was adjusted?

KELLY MORGAN, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: Well, Fred, according to the French broadcaster BFM, this information has come from a source close to the investigation. More specifically, from trolling through the computer that was owned by airport suicide bomber Ibrahim el-Bakraoui. That was the computer that was recovered by police, dumped in a bin outside of the Schaerbeek apartments which was used by the attackers to make their bombs.

Now, what they have found is (INAUDIBLE) and their two targets that are listed there. It is the (INAUDIBLE) business district in Paris and also a catholic association in Paris. There are also notes where the attacker talks about having to hurry and specifically says that we need to protect ourselves from the police. So they were aware that police were closing in.

Now, this will come as a surprise and as a shock to the French, no doubt, that they were the intended target of yet another attack. And we need to remember that just a week after the Brussels blast here, a plot was foiled in France, a plot that police say was indeed advanced stages of planning. So you would expect that the French would be on high alert again, Fred.

[15:20:23] WHITFIELD: All right. Kelly Morgan, thank you so much in Brussels.

All right. Coming up, President Barack Obama makes his mission to combat terror personal and admits the worst mistake of his presidency.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:24:17] WHITFIELD: All right. This morning, President Barack Obama made his first appearance on FOX News Channel in more than two years. He was asked if he's doing enough to fight terrorism that he is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There isn't a president who has taken more terrorists off the field than me over the last seven-and-a-half years. I'm the guy who calls the families or meets with them or hugs them or tries to comfort a mom or dad or a husband or a kid after a terrorist attack. So let's be very clear about how much I prioritize this. This is my number one job and we have been doing it effectively.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN politics senior digital correspondent Chris Moody joining me now from Washington.

So Chris, why is President Obama on the defensive about the way he is handling terrorism?

[15:25:07] CHRIS MOODY, CNN POLITICS SENIOR DIGITAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, foreign policy is one of the most important legacies a president can lead. It is a huge deal in White House legacy of course. But he's not just taking criticism from one side, it's from the left and the right. And one of the criticisms he spoke with FOX News today was not just his policy responses but his personal responses.

Aftermath of a terrorist attack or a large news incident involving foreign policy, he's gone golfing and he's gone and played baseball and he took questions about that in the interview. But his response was that terrorism should not affect the personal lives of Americans. They should go on and live their lives. But then he also defended his policy and said that he is someone who has gone directly after the perpetrators of attacks and will continue to do so.

WHITFIELD: And he was also asked about what he think his worst mistake of his presidency has been. What did he reveal?

MOODY: Pretty big news here. Listen. In 2011, the United States participated in an intervention in Libya and the government felt. But that's not what he was talking about. Take a listen to what he said. It was about the aftermath.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Worst mistake?

OBAMA: Probably failing to plan for day after what I think was the right thing to do in intervening in Libya.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MOODY: So you see, he does not regret going into Libya. It's the focus and attention that would have been required in the aftermath and he said that they, well, basically fell short.

WHITFIELD: And President Obama stuck to his position that the Senate should vote on whether to confirm his Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland. What more?

MOODY: Well, there's no coincidence that he was on FOX News. This is his first interview in two years. He needs to speak to conservatives and Republicans and FOX News has a larger viewership of those making the case that he wants to encourage the Republican-led senate to hold hearings on Garland. But he not only encouraged them and stood his ground there, he also -- he talked about how he would continue with garland no matter what through his presidency. Take a listen to his response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: I don't object to Republicans saying, look, Merrick Garland may be a fine man, he may be an excellent judge, but I just disagree with him philosophically on a whole range of issues so I'm going to vote against him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you would be OK if he got defeated as long as they go through the process?

OBAMA: I think that if they go through the process, they won't have the rational to defeat them. So my point is go through the process, go through the hearings. I think if you do that, the American people and the majority of senators will determine that in fact he's qualified to be on the court.

(END VIDEO CLIP) MOODY: So you see, there's a big debate in Washington over whether they the Senate should hold hearings. Republicans are saying they are not even going to entertain the idea and Democrats are saying, basically, well, that's crazy. You should at least consider the man and hold hearing and not wait until the next presidency to see how it might pan out.

WHITFIELD: All right. Chris Moody in Washington, thanks so much.

MOODY: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Coming up, they were celebrating with fireworks when things grew out of control. The latest on a deadly temple fire.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:31:31] WHITFIELD: Welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

So what was supposed to be a day of celebration for worshippers at the century old temple in Kelam, India, ended in strategy. At least 105 people are dead after sparks from a fireworks display ignited a stockpile of other fireworks. A witness says it caused a huge fireball and it was all over with within minutes. Now police are calling it a case of homicide against temple authorities and fireworks contractors.

Here's CNN Mallika Kapur.

MALLIKA KAPUR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A night of celebration at a Hindu temple in the southern Indian town of (INAUDIBLE) went horribly wrong ending in a serious tragedy that has claimed more than 100 lives.

Worshippers have gathered at a temple overnight to pray. And about 3:30 in the morning there was a massive explosion and within minutes, massive flames has ingest the temple structure. The reason, fireworks. Because remember, this was supposed to be a night of celebration. So when fireworks were lit, some of them landed on another set of fireworks that was stored in a shed nearby igniting them resulting in the explosion.

More than 100 people have lost their lives. Several hundred more have been injured and are fighting for their lives in hospitals close by. We are hearing from officials on the ground that some of the bodies they recovered have been charred so badly that they are beyond a state of recognition and that they will have to use DNA testing to identify these bodies.

People fighting for their lives in hospitals have burns and complications from asphyxia and broken bones because the impact caused several structures within the temple complex to fall down, creating a small mountains of rubble as well.

Prime Minister Narenda Modi reacted swiftly. He visited the scene of the tragedy today taking with him a team of doctors and nurses, which include burn specialists. People on the ground, though, very angry, demanding answers. They want to know how such a tragedy could take place and where would the security measures did anybody disobey rules. And we are finding out now that the temple authorities did not have permission for a fireworks display. Police in the area have confirmed to CNN that they have filed a case of culpable homicide against temple authorities and two fireworks contractors.

Mallika Kapur, CNN.

WHITFIELD: And now to this. All week, CNN's Arwa Damon has been telling remarkable stories from the frontlines of the war against ISIS. Here's a clip from her report on the frontline in the terror fight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Bursts of gunfire and artillery explosions. A constant reminder that the enemy Isis is relentlessly proving for vulnerabilities in the Iraqi army defenses.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The Iraqi army has been battling ISIS fighting to take back territory loss over the last couple of years. CNN also spoke exclusive with refugees from the war against ISIS and heard some of the horror stories of life under ISIS control.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAMON (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 concerns ISIS fighters may be among them.

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

(INAUDIBLE) and his family can hear the army's advance. Hope finally that they would be saved. But in the fears clashed (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 moment 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, (INAUDIBLE) 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 makes 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 tell 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 fear or pain. This woman says the house ISIS held her family and at the Iraq advanced was hit by a mortar. She was injured and her 15-year-old son killed. Her last image of him with blood coming out of his eyes, nose and mouth. It's all memories, she says, before it becomes too much and she walks away.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Now back in this country and the race for the White House.

Senator Bernie Sanders getting ready for a rally in New York there. He has been in Coney Island but this week he is also stepping away from the campaign trail to visit the Vatican. So how did he get this invite and what is he going to talking about there? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:41:43] WHITFIELD: All right. A big week ahead. Meantime, it's also been a big day for the candidates stumping. In fact, Democrat Bernie Sanders, well, he just wrapped up a campaign event in Coney Island last hour. Sanders has a pretty big week ahead. He's got the Democratic debate here on Thursday up against Hillary Clinton and then he's heading to Italy to attend the conference on economic and social issues at the Vatican, just days ahead of the New York primary.

I want to bring in CNN's senior Vatican analyst John Allen.

So good to see you, John. This is a really peculiar invitation that Bernie Sanders would receive, you know, a Jewish man, an American, and asked to attend this conference. How would he have gotten this invite and what really is it all about?

JOHN ALLEN, CNN SENIOR VATICAN ANALYST: Hey, Fredricka. Well, this is a conference that is being put together by the pontifical academy for social science, which is a kind of tank team for them in the Vatican, whose mission is to sort of engage political and social issues around the world. And they are putting together an event that is centered around a 1991 document that Pope now St. John Paul II put out on economic justice. And so they have invited political figures from around the world from

Latin America, from Europe, from Africa and so on that seemed to have something to say about economic justice. Senator Sanders was invited well before the Democratic primaries got hot and heavy. So let's be clear, Fredricka, this is not an endorsement of Senator Sanders in the Democratic race. This is instead, an effort on the part of the Vatican to get influential figures from around the world to get together and sort of talk things out.

WHITFIELD: Was the fact that he is a socialist also part of the reason why he was invited?

ALLEN: Well, I don't know that him being a socialist is the key issue here. I think what they were looking for was political leaders from various parts of the world who seemed to be interested in the rights of labor, who seemed to be interested in income and equality. You know, all of the things that catholic social teaching addresses when it comes to economic justice. I think that's really what's going on here.

We should also say, by the way, that when those of us in the press corps called up (INAUDIBLE) who runs the academy for social sciences and asked him, hey, is this some kind of backhanded endorsement of Bernie Sanders. His answer was, I would have invited Hillary Clinton, too, if I thought she would come. So, you know, this is not an effort by the Vatican to take sides in the American presidential election. It's instead, I think, an effort to kind of promote people thinking on social justice in the political arena.

WHITFIELD: But the timing is pretty extraordinary for Bernie Sanders, you know, who is in the midst of this primary race. And it's not unusual for this Pope himself intentionally or not into the political landscape of America. It's not that long ago where he made the comments about Christian versus non-Christian kind behavior and he was kind of making reference to Donald Trump. So is there any potential for Bernie Sanders to come face-to-face and meet with the Pope and have direct dialogue?

[15:45:00] ALLEN: First of all, Fredricka, I think you can take "kind of" out of your sentence about Donald Trump. He was asked directly a question about Donald Trump and he said (INAUDIBLE), he only wants to do that is not Christian. It's not clear whether Sanders is going to meet the Pope. Frankly, I think the odds are against it but this is Pope Francis, Fredricka, you just never no.

WHITFIELD: Right. And I said director indirectly. Somehow, you know, he finds his way into the arena of interesting discussions, the Pope does.

All right. John Allen, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

ALLEN: You bet.

WHITFIELD: All right. So Sanders and Clinton are touting their Brooklyn, New York roots, but not everyone in the city thinks that they are in touch. Coming up, the messages from city residents to both candidates.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:44:35] WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back.

We are just nine days before the New York primary and just four days before CNN's highly anticipated Democratic debate in Brooklyn. Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton are making their final pushes. And both are staking claim that New York is their home state.

CNN correspondent Sarah Ganim went to the heart of the battle, Brooklyn, to get opinions from people there on the democratic candidates.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[15:50:02] SARA GANIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Bernie with his undeniable Brooklyn accent.

SANDERS: But I am very proud that I was born here in New York City.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

GANIM: And Hillary, the former New York senator parking her campaign headquarters here.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am thrilled to have a chance to be here in Brooklyn.

GANIM: Battling it out over who has stronger New York ties.

SANDERS: Born in Illinois, that's not a crime.

CLINTON: I love New York.

GANIM: But a true Brooklynite.

Brooklyn borough president Eric Adams says neither of the candidates are in touch with real issues that some New Yorkers face.

ERIC ADAMS, PRESIDENT, BROOKLYN BOROUGH: A real New Yorker is willing to represent the full parts of New York. Communities like Brownsville, they have been left behind.

GANIM: A lifelong Democrat, Adams says he hasn't endorsed either candidate and won't be attending the debate on Thursday being held in his borough at the Brooklyn Navy yard.

ADAMS: Why are we focusing on places that is a success story? Why not go to the heart of areas that needs to be successful, Brownsville is that.

GANIM: Brownsville is one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in New York City. The crime rate is above 40 percent, more than a third of people live in poverty. It has the highest concentrated public housing in the city, a breeding ground for gang violence. It's here we met Adams, in front of an elementary school where a mother of 12 was shot and killed, caught in the crossfire of gang warfare.

ADAMS: She covered the body of her children, and she was shot and killed. And it's really representative of the Brownsville across America.

The debate should be in Brownsville.

GANIM: His message is resonating with the people here.

ADAMS: And not in the middle of downtown where everything is fine. It should be in communities that have been ignored and denied for so many years.

(APPLAUSE)

GANIM: Gene Barkly says he was once into drugs and a life on the street in Brownsville. Life is hard here, and he wants the candidates to see that.

If the candidates were to come to Brownsville.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

GANIM: What would you want them to hear from the people who live here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: See, if they can stop the shooting and the crimes, number one. If that was stopped, a whole lot of other things would stop.

GANIM: With the April 19th primary approaching, Clinton and Sanders have been crisscrossing the city all weekend vying for the state's 291 democratic delegates. Clinton stopping at Brooklyn landmarks like the famed junior's diner, a favorite on the campaign trail. Sanders holding a rally in front of his childhood home trying to close the gap.

You don't think they're trying hard enough here.

ADAMS: No, they're not. No, they're not. I know they're going to the boardwalk, they're walking through Harlem, they're sitting in black church. Those are traditional things. They cannot be afraid to come to Brownsville. Sit down in the public housing, have a town hall right here, have a debate right here. That's the right statement.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GANIM: So, Fred, on debate night instead of attending with other prominent Democrats in Brooklyn, Eric Adams says he is going to hold a watch party in his native of Brownsville with people who live in the housing projects, people that he believes need to have more attention paid to them leading up to this primary.

WHITFIELD: All right. Sarah Ganim, thank you so much, in New York. Appreciate it. All right. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are facing off in that

fight for New York. But Clinton has another hurdle to overcome. Her encounter with a New York subway turnstile.

And "Saturday Night Live" was all over it. We'll show you that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:57:30] WHITFIELD: So Hillary Clinton's showdown with that subway turnstile, well, it ended up being great fodder for a lot of people. Press coverage as well as comedy skit skits. And last night she made a surprise appearance at a charity event with New York mayor Bill de Blasio where she poked a little fun at herself. And of course "Saturday Night Live" they were quick to jump on her subway setback.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know what my favorite part about New York is? The subway. I love to ride it. And I am comfortable riding it. In fact, here's me using it earlier today. The New York City subway's the best way to get around. It's been a while. Is this a working metro card? Is this -- I'll just go in the old fashioned way. I'll take a cab. Cab is the best way to get around.

There are a lot of things I could ask for of international, national, state and city importance.

But will you just fix these metro card slots in the subways?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It took me like five swipes. The little terminal thing kept saying please swipe again. I mean, you got to fix that. You don't have to worry about horses anymore. Fix the turnstiles at the metro card.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will get right on it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Showing a little humor there. So Clinton also joked that mayor de Blasio is her second favorite guy named Bill.

All right. Indeed it's a big week of politics right here on CNN. Anderson Cooper will be hosting three town halls with the Republican candidates and their families. Monday night Ohio governor John Kasich will be joined by his wife Karen and daughters Reese and Emma. Then on Tuesday Donald Trump will be joined by his wife Melania and children Ivanka, Eric and Donald Jr. And then on Wednesday Texas senator Ted Cruz will be joined by his wife Heidi. The candidates and their families will talk with Anderson. And they'll be taking questions from the audience as well. It all starts tomorrow night 9:00 eastern time right here on CNN. Quite unprecedented.

And then Thursday there's more. CNN hosts the democratic presidential debate. Don't miss Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders facing off live from New York Thursday night 9:00 eastern right here on CNN.