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Newly Released Proof of Life of Nigeria's Kidnapped Schoolgirls; Russian Fighter Jets Too Close for Comfort; Kobe Bryant Goes out in Style; Health Officials Confirm Zika Virus Causes Birth Defects; GOP Responding to Donald Trump; What is Kim Jong-Un Planning Next? Aired 3-4a ET
Aired April 14, 2016 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:00:00] ERROL BARNETT, CNN NEWSROOM SHOW HOST: Proof of life. Newly released video of Nigeria's kidnapped schoolgirls gives families a glimmer of hope.
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN NEWSROOM SHOW HOST: Some Russian fighter jets get too close for comfort for U.S. naval forces in the Baltic Sea.
Plus this.-
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bryant on the move. With the jumper. He got it!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BARNETT: Kobe Bryant goes out in style. Scoring 60 points in the final game of a legendary NBA career.
A very warm welcome to those of you watching all around the world. We appreciate it. I'm Errol Barnett.
CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church. Thanks for joining us. As we roll into our second hour of CNN Newsroom.
Our top story. An important development on the missing Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram. CNN has obtained video that suggests some of the girls may still be alive.
BARNETT: It has been two years since these girls were abducted. It led to international pleas and ceremonies such as this one to bring back our girls.
CHURCH: The students were snatched from inside their dormitory in the town of Chibok. CNN's Nima Elbagir, producer Stephanie Busari, and photojournalist Sebastian Nopes bring us this exclusive report.
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Lined up against a yellow wall. Fifteen girls, only their faces showing. An off-camera voice asks each girl, what's your name? "Is that the name your parents recognize?" "Where were you taken from," the voice asks. "Chibok school." And the date they say is the 25th of December 2015.
This video was obtained by CNN from a person close to the negotiations to get these girls released. For the parents it's finally a glimmer of hope these girls are still alive.
Two years ago, we met Mary Ishaya, Rifqatu Ayouba and Yala Galang on our visit to Chibok after the abduction of their daughters and more than 200 other girls. We asked them if they recognize any of the girls in the video. They lean closer. Another girl is identified. Helwa. One by one they name all 15 girls.
But one mother, Yala, realizes her daughter isn't there.
The off camera voice asking the questions is familiar to CNN as that of Boko Haram spokesman Abu Zinnira. A source close to negotiations between Boko Haram and the Nigerian government says the video was provided by the terror group as an asked-for show of good faith.
Nigeria's information minister told CNN they have received the video but are still reviewing it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAI MOHAMMED, NIGERIA'S INFORMATION MINISTER: If you study the video you find that the questions were asked in a rather very controlled environment. Then we were a bit concerned too that after two years in captivity the girls in the video were under no stress whatsoever, there has been little or no transformation to their physical appearance.
ELBAGIR: Is your government negotiating with Boko Haram for the release of these girls?
MOHAMMED: There are ongoing talks. We cannot ignore all of us, we cannot ignore leads. But of course many of these investigations are -- you know, cannot be disclosed openly because it could also endanger, you know, the negotiations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ELBAGIR: We took the video to a classmate of the Chibok girls. She'd been at home with family the day the other days were kidnapped. For her safety we're not showing her face and not using her name. She told us there's no doubt these are some of her kidnapped classmates.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (TRANSLATED): these two were prefects. Watching the video I'm reminded of how we used to play together, how we used to do chores, do our homework.
ELBAGIR: She says seeing her friends again will likely give her nightmares.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (TRANSLATED): Sometimes still if I hear news about them I have bad dreams and I wake up crying.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ELBAGIR: The video ends with a girl addressing the camera with a message to the Nigerian government. "We are all well," she says pointedly, perhaps suggesting girls not seen in this video.
[03:05:07] She then delivers what sounds like a scripted plea, urging the Nigerian government to fulfill unspecified promises.
For the mothers of these girls rapidly becoming women far from home, the video is overwhelming. They say they just want someone to bring their daughters home.
Nima Elbagir, CNN, Maidugiri, Nigeria.
BARNETT: And as Nima just said in her report, those missing girls in the video were identified by their own relatives.
CHURCH: Yes. ANd you can see their names and photos on your screen right now. For more information on the missing Chibok schoolgirls just go to cnn.com.
BARNETT: Now with this anniversary of the kidnappings and the proof of life video the hashtag bring back our girls is once again trending on social media.
CHURCH: Yes. One Twitter user wrote this -- "two years already. I can't imagine what the parents of the Chibok girls are going through today. May God comfort them."
BARNETT: And another expressed frustration, quote, "no sign of where they've been taken or what could have happened to them for almost two years even as the world screamed bring back our girls."
CHURCH: And some demanded action. This man tweeted, "the initiative to bring back our girls is now at a critical junction. Nigerian security services, make it happen."
BARNETT: Now, on that point, we heard earlier from a Nigerian senator from the north of the country where Boko Haram is based. He's been involved in repeated efforts to negotiate with the group.
CHURCH: Yes. He says the proof of life video could give families some hope.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHEHU SANI, NIGERIAN SENATOR: This video is credible, and it affirms the very fact that the girls are alive and there is hope that they will get back home someday.
It also sends a clear message that those who are thinking there was no abduction, that there was actually an abduction that happened two years ago. Negotiation at this stage has been frozen. The military campaign is emphasized by the government. (END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And CNN is going to stick with this story, asking the tough questions about what happened to the girls and efforts to rescue them.
So, join us for full coverage on Thursday, the two-year anniversary of their abduction, here and on cnn.com. And there are also a number of special features on our web site.
BARNETT: You can also interact with our team directly. You can ask Nima and her producer Stephanie about the story during their live Facebook chat. Just head to facebook.com/cnn on Friday at 7 p.m. in the U.K. and in Nigeria. That's 2 a.m. in Hong Kong. And ask them anything that's on your mind.
CHURCH: Another story we're watching very closely, U.S. health officials have now confirmed that the Zika virus causes birth defects including microcephaly.
For months, doctors debated the connection between the mosquito-borne virus and babies born with brain damage and abnormally small heads.
BARNETT: The Centers for Disease Control says the link is now clear. Last week, the World Health Organization came to a similar conclusion. The CDC says Zika is circulating in more than 40 countries and territories. You see them highlighted there.
CHURCH: U.S. defense officials are calling maneuvers by some Russian fighter jets unsafe and unprofessional.
BARNETT: As you saw there, this video shows the jets flying close to a U.S. Destroyer this week in the Baltic Sea. The U.S. says the unarmed aircraft made several aggressive maneuvers near the ship. One jet came within 22 meters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: This incident, you won't be surprised to hear, is entirely inconsistent with the professional norms of militaries operating in proximity to each other in international waters in international airspace.
Any peace-time military activity must be consistent with international law and norms and conducted with due regard for the rights of other nations and the safety of other aircraft and other vessels.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And it is worth noting, the Destroyer had a Polish helicopter on board for routine training. A U.S. official says there's speculation the Russians were sending a message to Poland.
Well, for months now, the U.S. has been ramping up efforts to wipe out ISIS, and now U.S. President Barack Obama says the coalition fighting the terror group is seeing results.
BARNETT: That's right. In a rare visit to CIA headquarters, Mr. Obama said ISIS militants are losing control in Syria and in Iraq.
Here's our Jim Sciutto.
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Iraqi security forces fight house to house to retake the city of Heap, northwest of Ramadi, from ISIS control.
[03:10:02] As thousands of residents flee the violence, Iraqi forces expect to rid the city of the terror group within days. One victory against ISIS among many the U.S.-led coalition is now claiming.
The CIA, President Obama said that more and more ISIS fighters are realizing their cause is lost.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA PRESIDENT: Today, on the ground in Syria and in Iraq, ISIL is on the defensive. Our 66-member coalition including Arab partners is on the offensive. We have momentum and we intend to keep that momentum.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: ISIS says the U.S. military has lost more than 40 percent of its territory in Iraq and Syria. And millions of dollars in money have blown up by coalition air strikes.
Pentagon also claims more than 26,000 fighters including several senior leaders have been killed. U.S. officials say that ISIS's fighting force is now at its smallest since monitoring began in 2014.
Still the terror group remains active. In Syria, Tuesday, ISIS fighters claimed control of a Palestinian refugee camp. And there are growing fears that as ISIS is pushed back in its strongholds in Iraq and Syria, the group will launch even more terror attacks abroad following their recent strikes in Brussels and Paris.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE: We must work to prevent the spread of violent extremism in the first place, to stop the recruitment, the radicalization, and the mobilization of people, especially young people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Attempting to rally its supporters, ISIS's propaganda magazine praising the cell responsible for the Brussels and Paris attacks. Mohamed Belkaid, the alleged European ring leader is showcased in combat gear holding a bloody knife.
The magazine says Najim Laachraoui who blew himself up at the Brussels airport, built the bombs for both attempts and gives credit to the el- Bakraoui brothers for gathering the weapons and explosives, claims consistent with what investigators have told CNN.
Jim Sciutto, CNN, Washington.
BARNETT: President Obama also says a partial cease-fire in Syria is holding despite fears that it could collapse. This comes as U.N. peace talks to end the Syrian civil war resumed in Geneva.
Mr. Obama and the Syrian opposition are calling for a political transition away from Syrian President Bashar al Assad.
CHURCH: Despite that call, the Syrian regime held parliamentary elections Wednesday in areas under government control, which is about one third of the country. France, Britain, and the Syrian opposition called the vote a sham and a farce.
BARNETT: Macedonian police have once again clashed with migrants stranded in Greece. Take a look.
CHURCH: The Macedonian foreign ministry says 23 security officers were injured in scuffles Wednesday. Police later used tear gas to keep the migrants from crossing the fence between the two countries.
BARNETT: Now this comes days after another clash with migrants at the same border. Hundreds were injured on Sunday when police fired tear gas and rubber bullets. They say a group had tried to storm the border.
Pushing back. The Republican Party is responding to accusations from Donald Trump the presidential nominating process is unfair.
CHURCH: Plus, the U.S. is keeping a close watch on North Korea. What some think Kim Jong-un is planning next.
BARNETT: And U.S. pro basketball bids farewell to one of the best to ever play the game. What fans and celebrities are saying about Kobe Bryant.
[03:15:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WORLD SPORTS)
CHURCH: The Republican National Committee is pushing back against Donald Trump's complaints about the nominating process. The front- runner has said the party's rules are stacked against him.
BARNETT: Trump also says those rules, which vary from state to state, by the way, have been exploited unfairly by his rival Ted Cruz. Trump says he suspects the party doesn't want him to win the nomination and accused it of conspiring against him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REINCE PRIEBUS, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: I honestly don't take it all that personally but do I have to respond, though, when a campaign says that the RNC is, you know, rigging the rules. It's just not the case. The rules have been set. They're in place. They're not going to change
in these states. And the same, you know, for the next State in New York they're all out there. Everyone knows what the rules are.
So, I have to respond, though, if the party of which I'm the chairman of is getting attacked, especially when it's not true.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And Ted Cruz appeared at a CNN town hall with his family Wednesday night.
BARNETT: And he says there's a simple reason why Trump is complaining about the delegate process now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. TED CRUZ, (R-TX) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The rules are simple. The way you get elected is that you win a majority of the delegates in elections.
What Donald is unhappy about is in the last three weeks there have been a total of 11 elections in four states and we've beaten Donald in all 11 elections.
He's unhappy about that because he's losing at the polls. And so, I guess he thinks what he should do is complain and attack the voters. I think the way you win is make your case to the voters and you earn their votes.
ANDERSON COOPER, AC60 SHOW HOST: If Trump emerges with more votes in the popular vote, but at the convention in the second round you get the delegates, you get the nomination, will the will of the people be subverted? Because that's what Trump is saying.
CRUZ: And it's a ludicrous argument. There's one way and there's only one way you that you earn the republican nomination. That is you earn the votes of a majority of the delegates elected by the people.
Going back to 1860, that has been consistently for more than a century how the Republican Party, how we've picked our nominee. And if Donald can't get a majority, and the reason he's throwing such a fit is the odds are looking more and more likely that he can't get a majority, then we're going to go to Cleveland. And in Cleveland I believe, if it's a contested convention I'll have a ton of delegates, he'll have a ton of delegates.
[03:20:01] And in that situation we're going to be in the much stronger position, I believe, to earn a majority of the delegates and to continue uniting the party.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BARNETT: All right. So, there you have it. But what should we make of all this? Jonathan Swan is the national political reporter for The Hill, joins us now from Washington. So, what is Ted Cruz hoping and planning for in Cleveland at the
republican convention? Essentially coalescing the stop Trump bloc? Is that his best hope?
JONATHAN SWAN, THE HILL NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER: Cruz's strategy is to stop Donald Trump from getting 1,237 delegates, which is the majority that he needs to secure the nomination. And what Ted Cruz is hoping to do is to keep Donald Trump below that number and then at the convention.
Because Ted Cruz has an amazing nationwide, what we call a ground game, basically Ted Cruz with right now very prescient foresight basically developed a ground operation across the country.
So, he's got people in all these states talking to these party activists who are the folks who become ultimately the delegates. So, what Cruz has been doing and Donald Trump has sort of recently woken up to the fact is that Cruz has been winning these actual human beings.
You forget they're human beings. We just hear about delegates. But they're actual breathing people who can decide after the first ballot, when they're bound for the popular vote, after the first ballot they can decide do I support Donald Trump, do I support Ted Cruz, and on that game Ted Cruz is doing much, much, much better.
So, you know, it would be fair to say I think Ted Cruz is correct in that clip you just played if the convention goes beyond the first ballot he's got a much better chance than Donald Trump to win.
BARNETT: And overall, I mean, Cruz has proved himself to be quite a cunning politician. He is polling third in New York right now behind Trump and Kasich. And he also took a swipe at Donald Trump and his surrogates during the CNN town hall, essentially criticizing Trump's tactics, saying they stoke violence, they are underhanded. But Cruz himself is known for some slimy politics, right?
SWAN: Well, he's got a campaign manager whose name is Jeff Rowe who is famous for playing very, very hardball. And there was an incident in the Iowa caucuses where there was a report that Ben Carson was not dropping out but taking some time off the trail to go to Florida and Ted Cruz's campaign rushed the message out to the caucus rooms that Ben Carson was dropping out and a vote for Ben Carson is a wasted vote so you must vote for Ted Cruz.
And so, you know, there have been these things that have gone done during the campaign. But what Ted Cruz is very good at is the mechanics of politics. He is running a highly professional campaign, and frankly, Donald Trump has run his campaign -- you know, he may as well have been in his pajamas.
He's been doing it on Twitter. He's been phoning in to the TV shows, and he hasn't bothered to invest in the kind of operation that you would normally see from a presidential front-runner.
BARNETT: And we'll continue to watch this closely. I know you will as well. Jonathan Swan, the national political reporter for The Hill joining us from D.C. Thanks, Jon.
SWAN: Thank you.
BARNETT: Hey, if you missed the town hall with Ted Cruz, his wife and his adorable daughters, we'll be replaying that in just a few hours. Noon in London.
CHURCH: Many say, the kids stole the show there, right?
BARNETT: They did.
CHURCH: Meanwhile, Donald Trump and Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly sat down together, and Kelly says they had a chance to clear the air. She says they met for about an hour Wednesday at Trump Tower in New York.
BARNETT: Oh, to be a fly on the wall, right? There's been some bad blood between the two with Trump calling Kelly unfair, overrated and crazy. The meeting was at her request and we're told it had been in the works for a while.
CHURCH: We'll see what happens there.
Well, 18 people are dead after a crane collapsed during a heavy storm in China's Guangdong province. Officials say it landed on a building which housed workers at a construction site.
BARNETT: Thirty three others were injured Wednesday. An initial report found the crane was blown over by strong winds, but that investigation is ongoing.
CHURCH: And for more on the conditions during the collapse and world weather, we want to turn to our meteorologist Pedram Javaheri. It is a tragic story that happened there in China. Let's talk about those weather condition that's maybe contributed here.
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Absolutely. It's a story that happens all too often as well when you think about the numbers of crane collapses worldwide, roughly about 20 worldwide. Almost all of them had a fatality associated with it and a high percentage of them associated with wind storms.
And precisely what happened across Southern China on Tuesday night. In fact, pretty large expansive region there of Southern China where we had winds gusting over 100 kilometers per hour.
[03:24:59] And in parts of the world the U.S. in particular, once you get above 32 kilometers per hour there are restrictions on how you can operate cranes. Certainly potentially not the case across parts of China where we had winds gusting over 100 kilometers per hour in a few observation sites very close to the accident site.
Rainfall of course, has been persistent over this region as well. But when you think about cranes or any sort of wind speed with height, even with winds at the ground level, for example, sitting around, say, 100 kilometers per hour, once you get up higher, about, say, a 30- story level, 20 percent higher wind speeds, you get to 120 kilometers per hour, 30 percent greater wind speeds once you get up to even higher elevations because of less friction aloft.
But when it comes to cranes in particular, it's not just the elevation that's associated with it a lot of the accidents. When you think about a crane, for example, and you take the crane, you know we have of course large loads associated with it, whether it be panels, crates, any sort of large objects that have large surface areas, these surface areas of course, can really destabilize the crane itself.
So, when winds are that high, especially in that I elevations, you're going to have very much an unstable situation for cranes. That's why the weather pattern was not conducive in recent days.
But notice this. A quarter of a meter of rainfall over a much large area of southern China over the next couple of days still in the forecast. And the seven-day forecast for Hong Kong looks much like this. Plenty of thunderstorms as you go toward, say, Saturday and Sunday, eventually bring in some calmer conditions.
But climatologically speaking, we're beginning to enter what is the wet season across southern China and Hong Kong. In fact, from April into May, a major spike in the rainfall but you expect at least month by month going into the next couple of months. So, something worth noting for that region of China.
Into the Middle East how about some unusual and heavy rainfall in recent days, parts of eastern Iraq and western Iran getting amount of tremendous rainfall. This particular region coming out of Saudi Arabia and Riyadh also picking up significant flooding in this area.
And notice the models do a pretty good job putting a very heavy amount of rainfall in western Iran over the next couple of days. In fact, I looked into some of these observations. Khorramabad, which is in western Iran had 33 millimeters, about an inch of rainfall on Tuesday. That was the single wettest day in 538 days.
You'd have to go back to October of 2014 since that part of Iran picked up that much rainfall in a single day. So, certainly a lot of flooding going on across parts of the Middle East as we speak as well, guys.
BARNETT: All right. Serious stuff. But we had the maps this time.
CHURCH: Yes.
JAVAHERI: We did.
CHURCH: Thanks so much, Pedram.
(CROSSTALK)
BARNETT: Thanks, Pedram. I appreciate it.
North Korea is preparing to mark the birth of its founder, Kim Il- sung. Just ahead, what the U.S. and others fear the country's military may have in store. CHURCH: Plus, a man who broke his neck and became paralyzed is now
moving his hand again. We will look at the breakthrough technology that made it all possible.
[03:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: And a warm welcome back to our viewers all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.
BARNETT: And I'm Errol Barnett. It's your last half hour of the week for the both of us. Let's make it count. Here are our top stories.
CNN has obtained a video that suggests some of the missing Chibok girls may still be alive. They were kidnapped in Nigeria two years ago by the militant group, Boko Haram.
It's believed the video was recorded in December as part of negotiations between the government and the terrorists.
CHURCH: U.S. defense officials call the Russian fighter jet maneuvers you see right here unsafe and unprofessional. The unarmed jets flew by a U.S. Destroyer this week in the Baltic Sea, one within 22 meters.
The ship had a Polish helicopter on board for routine training. A U.S. official says the Russians may have been sending a message to Poland.
BARNETT: China says 357 Chinese officials have either been demoted or fired for their roles in illegal sales of improperly stored vaccines. The scandal broke last month after dozens of people were arrested in Shangdong province for allegedly selling the vaccines over a period of several years.
CHURCH: North Korea is preparing to celebrate the birth of its founder Kim Il-sung on Friday.
BARNETT: The U.S. is increasingly concerned he could have a military surprise in store.
CNN's Brian Todd has details.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: CNN has learned America's intelligence and military leaders are watching Kim Jong-un with growing unease, fearing the young North Korean leader with questionable stability and a penchant for violence may have now perfected building a nuclear weapon and maybe preparing to test it.
CNN has learned Kim's regime could be preparing to launch a mobile ballistic missile, something it has never done.
One long-range missile which officials believe the North Koreans could fire, could hit American territory on Guam or the Aleutian Islands. But there's another more frightening possibility.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK FISHER, INTERNATIONAL ASSESSMENT AND STRATEGY CENTER SENIOR FELLOW: A scary scenario is that North Korea may launch its KN-14 ICBM. We've just learned that they've tested the ICBM engine. It may have new fuels that give it far greater energy and range. And with that range the KN-14 can possibly reach Washington, D.C.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TODD: The North Koreans would first have to flight-test that missile, which they likely haven't done yet. But the concern now is that the regime is accelerating its nuclear weapons and missile capability under a leader who's becoming more war-like each week.
A U.S. Intelligence official telling CNN, Kim is challenging his international rivals with provocative and threatening behavior. Could he be ratcheting up his weapons program because he's under threat from inside?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PATRICK M. CRONIN, CENTER FOR A NEW AMERICAN SECURITY SENIOR DIRECTOR: Kim Jong-un has to be under enormous internal pressure from political elites and military elites. He has to demonstrate that he is a credible strong unifying leader.
He's trying to do this by having unprecedented weapons. He's killing people. He's eliminating opponents. And that incurs a price.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TODD: A top senator on the intelligence committee asked by Wolf if Kim is rational said unequivocally, no.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JAMES RISCH, (R) WISCONSIN: The kinds of things that he's doing, you'd wonder whether they have a death wish.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TODD: Most analysts won't go as far as saying Kim is crazy, but they worry that in his zeal to fight off his enemies and project his power he'll miscalculate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CRONIN: He is potentially reckless. He is divorced from reality. Both of those attributes could contribute to war. So, we don't have to make a judgment psychologically as to whether he's crazy or sane. He's dangerous.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TODD: And now there's real concern that another provocative move by Kim could be imminent. Friday is the birthday of Kim's grandfather, Kim Il-sung, the founder of North Korea, whom the young Kim is said to be obsessed with emulating. Analysts believe many of the provocative moves Kim has made recently
are designed to show North Koreans that he is of equal or greater stature than his grandfather.
[03:35:07] Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
BARNETT: Candidates in the U.S. democratic presidential race are battling for New York ahead of next Tuesday's primary there.
CHURCH: Bernie Sanders drew tens of thousands to Manhattan for a star-studded rally in Washington Square Park.
BARNETT: Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton held her own rally in the Bronx, and this comes as both candidates picked up key endorsements.
CNN's Joe Johns has the details.
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPPONDENT: Hillary Clinton meeting with protesters outside a Verizon store after Bernie Sanders visited a picket line where thousands of Verizon workers were striking over contract disputes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, (I-VT) DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is just another major American corporation trying to destroy the lives of working Americans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: Both competing to pull in last-minute endorsements to boost their support in New York.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SANDERS: I am honored. I am grateful to have the support of this fantastic union. Thank you so much.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: Sanders earning an endorsement from the New York Transit Union as well as an endorsement for the first time from one of its colleagues in the Senate, Senator Jeff Merkley. Merkley telling CNN's Manu Raju.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JEFF MERKLEY, (D) OREGON: It's Bernie I'm endorsing because he has been in the battlefield fighting clearly on these issues in a way that I think is the boldest most powerful voice.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: But Hillary Clinton is firing back with support of her own. Winning the endorsement of the New York Daily News editorial board, which released a scathing interview with Bernie Sanders only last week that made him look seemingly unprepared.
The Daily News writing that Clinton's proposals are shaped for the world in which we live and called Sanders utterly unprepared and a fantasist that passionate war with reality.
She also won the endorsement of two major immigration groups announcing her plan to create an office of immigrant affairs, then once again hitting the republican front-runner.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: As I have said frequently about Donald Trump, baste. Enough with the prejudice and the bluster and the bigotry.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: Another key-voting bloc for Clinton, African-Americans. In a recent poll she's leading Sanders by 37 points among likely black voters and now trying to side step the New York landmines of race in politics.
Clinton in a speech before Reverend Al Sharpton's national action network talking crime, playing it safe with wording she's used before.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: Reforming our criminal justice system and ending the era of mass incarceration.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: After The New York Times called on her to more fully explain her position on the controversial 1994 Crime bill, her husband, President Bill Clinton, signed while in office. And Clinton also renewing her commitment as an apply to the African-American community.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: Throughout this campaign and then as president I'm going to keep fighting to break down all the barriers holding back every American. My door will always be open to you. You will always have a friend and a partner in the White House.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And you can watch Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders go head to head at the CNN democratic presidential debate. Watch it live Thursday night at 9 p.m. in New York. That's 2 a.m. in London.
BARNETT: All right. This next story is just incredible. A paralyzed man in the U.S. has regained control of his right hand. This is all thanks to breakthrough technology. Extraordinary. For six years Ian Burkhart has been paralyzed from the
chest down. Two years ago, doctors at Ohio State University implanted a chip in his brain which sends signals to a sleeve on his arm.
BARNETT: And now, Burkhart can move his hand on command once again, allowing him to do everyday tasks like swipe a credit card and brush his teeth.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IAN BURKHART, PARALYZED FROM CHEST DOWN: Now it's just something that's so fluid it's kind of like it was before I had my injury where I just think about what I want to do. And now I can do it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Doctors say the chip is not a cure for paralysis but it can help give quadriplegics new mobility for the first time. Very exciting to think where this can go, how many people can help.
BARNETT: Absolutely. Yes.
CHURCH: Well, a history-making night at the NBA as one team sets a new record for wins and a legendary champion goes out with a bang.
BARNETT: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have touched down in Bhutan. A live report on their trip is coming up on the other end of this break. Stay with us.
[03:40:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BARNETT: All right. We've got two huge stories in the world of pro basketball to bring you. First the final NBA game for future hall of famer Kobe Bryant.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For the final time number 24 on the floor, 6'8", five-time world champion Kobe Bryant.
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CHURCH: There he is. Bryant was on fire, scoring 60 points as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Utah Jazz. Bryant is retiring after 20 seasons in the NBA, 18 of them as an all-star. He led the Lakers to five championships and finishes as the league's number three all-time leading scorer.
BARNETT: And our Paul Vercammen was there at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. He's staying up late for us, which we appreciate. And Paul, it's a pretty remarkable farewell performance for a guy who spent, what, two decades on the court and bounced back from an Achilles injury.
PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: oh, absolutely, Errol and Rosemary. That's why there's so much admiration for Kobe. When you talk to his teammates and the fans here today, they all talked about the Achilles injury and the shoulder injury and more injuries mounting and every time somehow he gritted his teeth and he came back.
What did they want tonight? They exhorted him. There was adrenaline just shot through this place. They wanted Kobe to score. And the points began to mount. Twenty, then 30.
I asked him. I said, Kobe, what was going on between you and your teammates? What were they saying? And he kind of laughed and here's what he had to say about that.
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KOBE BRYANT, LOS ANGELES LAKERS MEMBER: My teammates were just continuing to encourage me and continuing to say, "dude, shoot, shoot, shoot." I was like -- it's like reverse. You know, it's a weird year. You know what I mean? Like you go from being the villain to now being some type of a hero and then from everybody saying pass the ball to shoot the ball. It's like really strange.
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VERCAMMEN: He had a good laugh about that and then a joyous celebration after. Many of Kobe's former teammates going on the course with him as he bid a fond farewell to all of his fans. And finally in the end he basically looked at the crowd and he said "mamba," his nickname, "out."
[03:45:08] It was a tremendous moment. People almost just couldn't believe that he scored 60 points in his final, final game here. Just an incredible moment inside there, Errol and Rosemary.
BARNETT: Yes.
CHURCH: It is. And a magnificent way to bow out. So, Paul, let's look at his legacy after 20 years in his great career and also what he might be doing in the years ahead now.
VERCAMMEN: Well, first off, as you pointed out in the intro, he is the third leading scorer in NBA history. And everyone will remember the championships. This league is based on that. I mean, when you talk to these players, they all want to talk about what did you win, when did you win, who were you playing against.
And remember, in this era Kobe has someone else who won five championships, Tim Duncan. They often pushed each other. And they maybe in a way cut into each other's championship total. And then down the road, Kobe has often said that he enjoys storytelling.
It sounds as if he's going to get into possibly some sort of film production. He also vowed that starting tomorrow he's going to continue to work out because he heard the stories about former athletes who don't work out, let themselves go, never get into the gym and the next thing you know they put on quite a few pounds or so, Rosemary and Errol. BARNETT: I hope he's not implying Shaquille O'Neal is what he's
trying to avoid there. I don't know. I was in L.A. Look, it was all about Kobe. It was all about the Lakers. But what will the team be now without him?
VERCAMMEN: Well, now comes rebuilding. And there's some flexibility to rebuild because don't forget, Kobe commanded a very high salary. So, the Lakers can go about this rebuilding process in two ways.
They have a corps now of four, fairly good young players in Clarkson and Randle and Russell and Nance. And they can go on the free agent market and pull somebody in. And they also have an extremely high draft pick this year with two rather good players coming out, Ingram of Duke.
And they also have the LSU player whose name escapes me really quick. You've got to forgive me. But anyway, both of them could be a solution to their problems. Will they be in the playoffs again next year? Probably too early to say.
Simmons is the LSU player. But we'll have to just check and see. They've got some money to spend. So, that's going to be quite interesting, Errol and Rosemary.
BARNETT: Yes. Paul Vercammen, it's approaching 1 a.m. there. So, you're completely excused.
CHURCH: Great night of reporting there, right?
BARNETT: That's right. Go out and celebrate. We appreciate you joining us. And also in Oakland the Golden State Warriors hold the record for the most wins in a regular season. They beat the Memphis Grizzlies just a few hours ago for victory number 73.
CHURCH: The 1995-96 Chicago Bulls held the previous record of 72. No other team in NBA history has ever won more than 70 regular season games. How about that?
BARNETT: Now U.S. President Barack Obama's a huge basketball fan, especially of his hometown Chicago Bulls.
CHURCH: Yes. He tweeted "congrats to the Warriors. A great group of guys on and off the court. If somebody had to break the Bulls' record, I'm glad it's them."
BARNETT: All right. Good stuff there. Now to a shocking upset in the European Champions League. Reigning title holder Barcelona crashed out at the quarterfinal stage with Atletico Madrid winning 2-0.
CHURCH: And Juan Griezmann scored twice for Atletico while Lionel Messi is in his longest drought, actually, since 2010. He's now gone scoreless for 452 minutes. Who's counting? Barcelona was trying to become the first team in history to hold on to its Champions League crown.
BARNETT: You should do sports anchoring. You're so good at that. CHURCH: It's so me.
BARNETT: All right. Coming up, two glorious young royal couples meeting for the first time.
CHURCH: Yes. You'll see why there's so much buzz about Prince William and Catherine's visit to a tiny kingdom in the Himalayas.
[03:50:00] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: A very complex and slow-moving storm system will evolve across the Central United States, bringing the potential for severe weather across the plains and hefty snowfall throughout the Rocky Mountains.
Here's a look at our upper-level energy, and it's starting to form what is called an omega block. This is significant because it slows down the weather patterns across the United States when this type of setup takes place with the jet streams.
You can see the temperatures warm to the east with our severe weather threat drawing in moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and our heavy snow wrapping in on the cold side of this low pressure system.
Here it is evolving across the Pacific Northwest, picking up its energy and moisture along with it, and we'll start to look out for the potential of strong damaging winds from Nebraska into the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandle.
That's really for the late Friday and into Saturday time frame. But in the meantime, we warm up for places like Denver and Dallas, temperatures in the middle and upper 20s, 16 for Chicago.
The big apple matching that same daytime high with plenty of blue skies overhead. Look at the heat developing across Nicaragua at 37 with sunshine overhead. Plenty of thunderstorms into Colombia and parts of Venezuela. We also have a cold front moving into the extreme southern sections of South America.
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CHURCH: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are in the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan after a whirlwind visit to India.
BARNETT: That's right. They were greeted by members of the royal family. You see that here. And will be hosted by another young royal couple, Bhutan's king and queen. On their visit, the British royals are expected to trek up a mountain to see an ancient Buddhist monastery.
CHURCH: And much of the excitement surrounds these two royal couples meeting for the first time.
Sumnima Udas joins us from New Delhi with more on the visit. And Sumnima, these two couples have actually been compared a lot. There are some similarities, aren't there? SUMNIMA UDAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Rosemary. A lot of
similarities. In fact, especially between the duchess and the queen of Bhutan because of course they're both young, they're charming. They also both got married around -- in 2011. Also they were commoners when they got married to the royal family. And of course they're also style icons in both their regions.
So, a lot of comparisons being made. The duke and duchess are currently on their way to the capital. This is a two to three-hour drive. During that drive they really get a sense of why Bhutan has often been called Shangri-La. It's one of the most beautiful, most isolated countries in the world.
They only introduced television in 1999 and the internet as well. So, and of course it's been off limits to visitors for a long time. Recently, they started allowing visitors in. But the visa there is very expensive, about $250 a day.
So, a lot of people don't have access to this part of the world. And of course the one thing Bhutan is most well-known for right now is their happiness index. They call it GNH, or gross national happiness. That's how they figure out how well the country is doing. Not economic indicators. Not social development indicators but how happy the population is.
So, that's what the duke and duchess are there, to understand more about this happiness index and also, of course to meet with the king and queen there. Rosemary?
[03:55:01] BARNETT: And Sumnima, Errol here. What about just the trip overall? You've been watching it closely all week, and a lot of the media coverage as well. The aim of course is to bring a more positive view of the British royals. Was it a success?
UDAS: I think for the most part. I mean, in India, I wouldn't say that they were able to completely win people over here. And we've been talking about it for quite some time the past few days about how given the colonial past here, the more than 200 years of rule, of the British rule in India. There's a lot of history there.
And when you talk to people here that's what they keep saying, there's still a lot of resentment. But in general they were received very well for the most part. Of course with the duke and duchess playing cricket with a cricketing icon.
There were a lot of photo ops. Taking photographs with baby elephants and rhinos. In general, people have been getting to know more about them and talking a lot more about them. Errol?
BARNETT: Sumnima Udas live for us in New Delhi. But just a few technical glitches there but it was good to get that all in. Sumnima, thanks.
CHURCH: Absolutely. All right. We turn now to a tale of escape, a daring act by an octopus who apparently just wanted to be free. Meet inky. The National Aquarium of New Zealand says he must have seen his opportunity to make a getaway and took it.
BARNETT: Go inky. With no witnesses inky squeezed out from a gap at the top of his tank, then made his way down across the floor. Then he apparently shimmied, we guess, down a tiny drain and is presumed to be happily roaming the sea floor.
CHURCH: A lot of speculation and assumptions. We'll see.
BARNETT: Yes.
CHURCH: Yes. We'll see.
BARNETT: All right. Thanks for joining us, everyone. I'm Errol Barnett.
CHURCH: I'm Rosemary Church. Remember you can connect with us on Twitter. And there's more CNN Newsroom after this short break.
BARNETT: We'll see you back here Monday. Just so lovely.
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