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Lead Up To Tuesday's New York Primary; Saudi Arabia Threatens U.S. Economic Retaliation; Trump on Crooked Hillary; Sanders in Prospect Park. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired April 17, 2016 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:00] BRYNN GINGRAS, CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Sanders supporters a lot of credit, because it is extremely hot out here for this spring day. But that's actually probably fueled the crowds. Many of them started lining up at 9:30 this morning for his 4:00 speech.

So yes, these are die hard supporters who are ready to vote. So far, we've heard about -- we heard from, rather, some celebrities, including Justin Long, an Indie rock band called Grizzly Bear. And they're all really saying -- pushing that vote for Tuesday. Get out and give Bernie Sanders your vote. Fred?

FREDERICA WHITFIELD: All right, Brynn Gingras, thank you so much.

CNN's Chris Frates covering the massive Trump rally in Poughkeepsie. We heard it earlier as well. He was really kind of getting that crowd going. They were chanting even. What else is happening?

CHRIS FRATES, CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Hey, Fred, well, we're just finishing up here. Donald Trump firing up his fellow New Yorkers ahead of his big primary on Tuesday.

And it's not been an awesome weekend for Donald Trump. He lost another contest to Ted Cruz on Saturday, losing Wyoming to him. Cruz taking all 14 of those delegates in the state convention. Very similar to what he was able to do just a week or so ago in Colorado.

And Donald Trump continuing to call that process rigged. He says nobody got to vote. It was a primary. It was a caucus. It was a state convention. And that's a point he made here just a few minutes ago, Fred.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So you have a system that's rigged. We have a system that's crooked. We have a system that's got a lot of problems. And we have a system that doesn't allow the people to vote in many cases, and if they do vote, their vote isn't really representative of what it should be.

We have this delegate system, which is a sham. So in Colorado, the people are going crazy out there, because they never got a chance to vote.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FRATES: Now the Republican National Committee firing back saying that candidates have known the rules, that it could be a state convention, a caucus or a primary, for months now, so there should be no surprises. In fact, this is the same process that they used to nominate Abraham Lincoln way back in 1860. So the parties say everybody should know the rules by this point.

In fact, Ted Cruz even taking the opportunity to take a little bit of a poke at Donald Trump on Twitter just this afternoon, Fred. If we could put that tweet up, I'll read it to you. He said, quote, "Donald, over 1.3 million people just voted in Utah, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Colorado and Wyoming. You lost all five in a row by huge margins. #nowhining."

So Ted Cruz having a little bit of a victory lap there. And he better enjoy it, because if you believe the polls, Fred, he is not doing well here in New York. Donald Trump winning by double digits here. A recent "Wall Street Journal" poll showing him up by 54 percent of the vote. Ted Cruz just at 16 percent.

And if Donald Trump can win more than 50 percent of the votes statewide and in each of the districts, he has a shot at taking all 95 of those delegates in a winner take all. That would go a long way to getting him that 1,237 he needs to wrap up the nomination.

Of course, Ted Cruz and John Kasich trying to make sure that doesn't happen so they go to a contest convention in Cleveland. And we'll see. It's a big, big day for Donald Trump here in New York on Tuesday, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, still a very exciting season and certainly promise to what could be a very exciting convention for both side of the parties. OK, thanks so much, Chris Frates. Appreciate that.

All right, one pivotal issue in this presidential race, keeping America safe. It's been in the spotlight even more lately as Saudi Arabia warns it will be sell off billions in American assets if U.S. Congress passes a bipartisan bill allowing 9/11 victims to sue foreign governments.

Representative Peter King co-sponsored that bill, and we discussed the implications earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REP. PETER KING (R), NY: Yes, I'm actual a co-sponsor of that bill in the House. Some of the people involved, like Terry Strauter (ph), her husband was in my district. He was killed. I know the in-laws, father-in-law, mother-in-law, very well.

And I believe that law should go forward. This is bipartisan. We have people like Senator Schumer, Senator Cornyn and myself, I believe we should.

And, you know, there could be a legitimate question. But for the Saudis, if those reports are true that they are threatening economic retaliation against the United States, listen, Saudi Arabia would not be existing if it were not for the United States. We have done so much to fortify them.

And I'm not one of the people who wants to be anti-Saudi. I think there are legitimate issues that can be raised in this lawsuit and should be raised. But for them to be threatening back, it's really -- they're going to -- they're not going to scare people off. They're going to just make enemies that they don't need in the United States Congress, you know, if they keep up that attitude.

WHITFIELD: Your thoughts on the U.S. sending nine detainees from Guantanamo Bay to Saudi Arabia to help lower the population at Gitmo so that the president can indeed try to close it before leaving office?

KING: Yes, well, I don't believe Gitmo should be closed. I think that the president is in too much of a hurry. It was the first thing he wanted to do. He saw it was difficult. We saw the resistance from Congress. And my concern is that prisoners being released or detainees being released, that they can be getting the benefit of the doubt that because the President wants to clear out Guantanamo, that that's why they're being released.

And, you know, right now, what you're left with is really is the hardest of the hard core. And also when they go to the countries overseas, often we find that they get released or they escape somehow. So I just don't know why the President -- well, I do know why, I just agree with the compulsion that he has to close Guantanamo.

I think it's gotten a -- with all the criticisms of Guantanamo, I've been down there. I think it's one of the most humane centers you can find considering who we're dealing with. They have soccer courts. They get language classes, art classes. Everyone gets a copy of the Koran.

They have one medical personnel for every three detainees. This is not the way it's been portrayed by people like President Obama, who I think have really hurt the American image by the way they portray it.

WHITFIELD: And you're a member of the House homeland security committee and called for aggressive surveillance of Muslim neighborhoods in New York. Do you still believe that?

KING: Yes, I do. I believe it more than ever. And I don't see anything wrong with that.

For instance, I'm Irish American. I remember when the FBI and the police were after the Westies, an Irish American gang. They were saturating Irish American neighborhoods on the westside of Manhattan, Westside Irish bars. That's when they were looking for them.

And back in the 1980s when the FBI and task forces were going after the mafia, they went to the Italian American communities. Now, 99 percent of Italian Americans and Irish Americans were law-abiding people, but that's where the threat was coming from, from those neighborhoods.

And right now, the Islamist threat is going to come from Muslim neighborhoods. And over the years, and I stand by this, there has not been enough cooperation coming from the Muslim community.

And so I think it's important to do exactly what was done with the mafia and with the Westies, using those two examples, and get informers, get under covers, go into the neighborhoods and try to find out information. And yes, this is constitutional, it's illegal, and I believe it's essential.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, Congressman Peter King there.

Still ahead, we're following breaking news out of Ecuador. Rescuers racing against time to find survivors after a devastating earthquake. We'll bring you an update next.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: We're following breaking news out of Ecuador where crews are scrambling to reach survivors after a massive earthquake killed at least 238 people.

The first pictures of rescues coming into CNN showing emergency workers pulling out a young girl from the rubble of a collapsed building right there. It reportedly took them hours just to locate her underneath the fallen concrete.

There are no reports of any Americans there killed.

Joining me now is CNN senior Latin American affairs editor Rafael Romo. So it's one thing to have the big quake, it's another that there are aftershocks.

RAFAEL ROMO, SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR, CNN: That's been a big, big problem, and Ecuadorian authorities say there have been nearly, listen to this, 200 aftershocks after Saturday night's earthquake. More than 1,500 people were injured, and at this hour, rescue teams are desperately looking for survivors.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROMO: A magnitude 7.8 earthquake tore through coastal Ecuador Saturday night, leaving in its wake, unsurmountable loss of property, infrastructure and life.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everything is completely destroyed. The majority of the buildings have fallen, and there are a lot dead.

ROMO: Hundreds have been confirmed dead, making the quake the deadliest to hit the small South American nation since 1987. It's struck off Ecuador's coast, just south of Muestra in Esmeraldas Province. A state of emergency is in effect for six provinces spanning the

majority of the country's coastline. Hotels have been leveled. Bridges collapsed. And countries around the world are offering help.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our friend countries, Venezuela, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Spain and the E.U., have all offered to send rescue workers with specialized tools and food rations needed for this type of situation.

ROMO: So far, thousands of police and military personnel have been deployed to effected areas. Portable hospitals have been mobilized in the hard-hit cities of Pedernales and Porta Vinho.

And rescue teams and helicopters continue to search for survivors. The extent of damage is only just being realized, but one thing is clear, Ecuador faces a long, difficult road to recovery from this disaster.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMO: And this is Ecuador's deadliest earthquake since March of 1987, I should say. And Fred, back then, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake killed about a thousand people.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. Very tragic. All right, thanks so much. Keep us posted.

ROMO: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Appreciate it.

All right, now to Japan where more than 40 people there have been killed in two devastating earthquakes. There's widespread damage to roads and bridges. And it's believed that survivors could still be trapped in the rubble of collapsed buildings. More than 100,000 people are living in shelters, because their homes are gone or because they are simply too afraid to return home.

For more information about how you can help rescue and relief efforts in both Ecuador and Japan, go to CNN.com/impact.

And we're also following some other breaking news overseas. In London, police are investigating whether a British Airways plane was hit by a drone as it was landing at Heathrow Airport. British Airways telling CNN quote, "Detectives are investigating after an object hit the front of the passenger plane as it approached Heathrow's Terminal 5 at around 12:30 p.m."

CNN's senior international correspondent, Frederik Pleitgen is in London with more on this. Fred?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it was a fairly small plane, but nevertheless a commercial airliner, Fredricka. It was an A-320 Airbus, carrying some 132 people as well as 5 crew members on board.

Apparently, what happened was it was coming into land at Heathrow at half past midday, the pilot said that he believes that the plane was struck by an object. Now, he says it was struck by an object on the front of the plane, that he believes it was a drone.

Now, what happened was after the pilot then landed, he contacted the airport. He contacted BA, and he also, of course, contacted the police as well, to say that he believes that there was a drone flying in the vicinity of his aircraft and that that drone, in fact, did strike the aircraft.

Now, as you've already noted, the British police is investigating. They say at this point in time, they've not arrested anybody yet, but they do say that the investigation is still ongoing to find out whether or not first of all, it was a drone, and second of all, of course, who might have been flying the drone.

Now, what happened afterwards was that the plane was investigated. It was looked at but was deemed safe to fly and apparently has been flying since then.

WHITFIELD: And how big a problem is this, drones flying near the airports there?

PLEITGEN: Well, you know, it is an ongoing problem, of course, not just here in Britain but in Europe and, of course, in places in the U.S. as well, is that there are people who apparently fly drones near major commercial airports.

Now, we have to keep in mind that Heathrow is the busiest airport in all of Europe. And there have been incidents like this in the past where pilots have complained of drones flying near their aircraft. They say that there's been some 23 incidents in the past six months alone of commercial or of recreational drones flying near aircraft, including one where a triple-7, which is a very big plane of course, was taking off and had a drone flying only about 70 feet next to the aircraft.

So they want a study to see exactly what would happen if a drone struck an aircraft, and not only if it struck the front of the aircraft but, for instance, also if it struck, for instance, the engine of an aircraft, whether or not that could potentially lead to catastrophic engine failure and, of course, a huge risk to the aircraft and to the passengers.

It is something that's been identified as a risk by British Pilots' Union and by authorities as well and certainly something they're going to be taking even more seriously if indeed it turns out that today's incident did involve a recreational drone, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, very frightening situation. All right, thank you so much, Fred Pleitgen in London.

And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, first there was "Low Energy Jeb," then "Lyin' Ted," and now Donald Trump is trying out a new nickname for Hillary Clinton, "Crooked Hillary."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TRUMP: And then of course, we have Crooked Hillary. Crooked Hillary, folks. She's been crooked from the beginning, and to think that she has a shot at being our president. Crooked Hillary Clinton. We can't let it happen.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: On ABC's "This Week," Clinton said she could care less about Trump's name calling.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't respond to Donald Trump and his string of insults about me. I can take care of myself. I look forward to running against him if he turns out to be the Republican nominee, if I am the Democratic nominee.

What I'm concerned about is how he goes after everybody else. He goes after women. He goes after Muslims. He goes after immigrants. He goes after people with disabilities.

He is hurting our unity at home. He is undermining the values that we stand for in New York and across America, and he's hurting us around the world.

He can say whatever he wants to say about me. I really could care less.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, let's bring our political panel, Ellis Henican, political columnist, and Brian Morgenstern, a Republican strategist.

All right, good to see you guys again. All right, so Ellis, you first. I mean, clearly Donald Trump, he does this because it becomes a great distraction if you're Hillary Clinton or if you're Ted Cruz.

How do you make sure this doesn't throw you off track? Is Hillary Clinton's, you know, approach the only way to do it by just simply saying, you know, it's not going to bother me, and then move on?

ELLIS HENICAN, POLITICAL COLUMNIST: Sticks and stones may break my bones.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: It is so play yard stuff, isn't it?

HENICAN: If Donald is going to run a second grade campaign, I guess we have to remember some of our old poems from childhood. Here's the insight I have to share with you. It tells us how far we have come or how far the Republican party has come from the George W. Bush administration. Remember all the cute nicknames W. had for people? There was Stretch,

and another guy was Beagle. And now they're just out and out mean, nasty, junkyard insults. And I was reminded of that because of the Bush reunion his weekend. All of the W. people gathered in Texas. And you know what? They seem like such nice people in comparison, don't they?

WHITFIELD: So Brian, is this really just a taste of more to come, especially if we're talking about, you know, Donald Trump, if he were to get the nomination, if it were Hillary Clinton getting the nomination? Is this a prelude to the kind of campaigning that would be to come?

ELLIS HENICAN, POLITICAL COLUMNIST: Well, it may be. It certainly is consistent with the way Trump has handled himself throughout the primary process. And for all the, you know, juvenile insults that we may complain about and in having a presidential rhetoric in the gutter, man, has it been effective.

And for Hillary, in terms of crisis management, trying to beat this brand back, the Crooked Hillary brand, it's going to be awfully difficult because of her 30 years in the public eye. And with Whitewater and then the Clinton Foundation, and the e-mail scandal, you know, voters already view her as untrustworthy. This is piling on that, and it's just encapsulating that sort of impression that voters have in this term.

And so Trump has -- this labelled may be very effective and tough for the Clinton campaign to rid itself of.

WHITFIELD: All right. So right now, you know, all focus is on New York right now. Two days away from the primary. Bernie Sanders is in Prospect Park right now. He's in Brooklyn. He's talking. Let's listen to what he has to say.

BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: -- a very, very important decision. And that decision was, should we do like every other campaign, Democrat and Republican, and establish a super PAC?

We said no. We do not represent the interest of Wall Street or the billionaire class or corporate America. We don't want their money. We're going to do it a different way.

And what we said was so revolutionary and simple. What we said to the American people, to the middle class and working families, if you want a candidate who will stand with you, please stand with us.

And in the last year, we have received seven million individual campaign contributions. That is more campaign contributions than any candidate in the history of the United States of America.

Anybody here know what the average contribution is?

CROWD: Twenty-seven dollars.

SANDERS: That's right, $27. And that is what the political revolution is about. And that is that we're going to win this thing without being dependent on Wall Street or the big money interests.

Secretary Clinton has chosen to raise her money a different way. She has not just one but a number of super PACs. Last reporting period, her super PAC lifted 25 million --

WHITFIELD: All right, it's all about the money here. Bernie Sanders there in Prospect Park in Brooklyn, just two days away from the New York primary.

It was earlier today in Poughkeepsie, New York, you heard Donald Trump touting that he's been spending his own money. He answers to no one and says he's actually spent less than all of the other candidates.

And then just within the past 48 will hours, Hillary Clinton has been raising millions at a George Clooney kind of dual night fund-raising event for the Democrats. George Clooney, in fact, on the air today explaining that most of that money will go to U.S. Congressional races.

All right, so back with me now, Brian and Ellis. It's all about the Benjamins all the time here.

So, you know, Brian, you know, who wins this battle when, you know, you're talking about money? And everyone has a very different argument about the use of money. But then, aren't all of these candidates in agreement that it takes a lot of money in order to run for the office of the -- you know, the highest office of the land?

MORGENSTERN: Oh, it sure as heck does. And for a socialist, Bernie is returning a pretty capitalist campaign, selling his ideas at $27 at a pop and raising, what was it, $40 million he raised in a month? He is defeating Hillary not just in terms of the total dollars raised but by leaps and bounds in terms of the number of donors who are investing in his campaign.

WHITFIELD: Then why doesn't that translate when it comes down to the ballot box? I mean, what's going on with that? It doesn't seem like those two are in step with one another?

MORGENSTERN: Yes, it's interesting, because you -- because voter intensity is one of the metrics by which you can predict how turnout is going to go, and you can build models based on, you know, where polls may stand. But how the -- you may have a different outcome on election day based on who's actually going to show up.

And so that's been one of the vexing things in this -- in this cycle is that the energy seems to be behind Bernie and yet Hillary is still turning out more voters. That probably speaks to the -- to the experienced organization that she has and the turnout machine in terms of the nuts and bolts may be better than Bernie, although his supporters are more passionate.

So Ellis, does that also say something about the supporters/registered voters? Is there a disparity of Bernie Sanders may have a whole lot of support, but it is not the registered voters? Or I mean, how do you make sense of this? HENICAN: Well, it's mathematics in a way. I mean, passion's great.

And Brian's right about all those matrixes, if I'm saying that word correctly. But you know what? No matter how hard you punch inside the voting booth, it only registers as one.

And so if you can turn out more people through whatever mechanisms, organization, money, whatever it is, you know what, that's how you win elections. And Bernie might -- has clearly won the passion bowl here, but it doesn't look like that's going to get him the nomination.

WHITFIELD: All right, Brian, Ellis, thanks so much, gentlemen. Good to see you.

MORGENSTERN: Good to see you.

HENICAN: You too, Fred.

WHITFIELD: And stay with CNN all day Tuesday for our special coverage of the New York primary. And we will be right back.

[16:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Hello, again. Thanks so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. New York's primary race is just two days away and the stakes are especially high for the democrats. With Hillary Clinton holding a significant delegate lead in New York, Bernie Sanders has been playing offense, doubling down on his attacks against her wealthy donors and the influence they likely have on her policies.

His supporters seem to be paying attention. After Clinton attended a lavish fund-raiser in California hosted by George Clooney and Amal Clooney, Bernie Sanders supporters took to the streets in their outrage throwing $1 bills at Clinton's convoy as she drove past. And you can hear the audio there, we're in the money. This morning George Clooney himself said the amount of money he helped raise for Clinton is obscene.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE CLOONEY, MOVIE ACTOR: They're right to protest. They are absolutely right. It is an obscene amount of money. The Sanders campaign when they talk about it is absolutely right. It is ridiculous that we shoukd have this kind of money in politics. I agree.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Joining me now is Basil Smikle, he is the executive director for the New York State Democratic Party, good to see you.

BASIL SMIKLE, NEW YORK STATE DEMOCRATIC PARTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, so Clooney said he is ultimately doing this to support the party as whole elect other democrats particularly members of, you know, U.S. -- two U.S. congress rather and that this amount of money is needed in order to run. Is that logic enough for you?

SMIKLE: Well, based on the system that we have, we may not like it. We've tried over time to sort of create more restrictions and create more accountability and transparency which I think has been done. But the truth of the matter is, and I see it as head of the party here in New York, that it is so incredibly important to support our entire ticket. I try to tell folks all the time, presidential campaigns are very sexy, but state campaigns, local campaigns, that's where the rubber meets the road in terms of public policy and that kind of fund- raising actually helped to support all of our candidates throughout the state.

WHITFIELD: Are you leaning one way or the other right now?

SMIKLE: Well, I can't take a position for full disclosure. I worked for Secretary Clinton in our first senate campaign and in her senate office, but right now, I am neutral until our party's primary on Tuesday.

WHITFIELD: OK, this is how Bernie Sanders sees the whole money game. This is what he said on "State of the Union" this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BERNIE SANDERS, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: But this is the issue of American politics today. Do we have a government that represents all of us or just the one percent? And you're not going to have a government that represents all of us so long as you have candidates like Secretary Clinton being dependent on big money interests.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[16:35:00] WHITFIELD: All right, well you actually already underscored that, you know, big money or at least money is always going to be a part of the process, but is it a problem when as he puts it, you know, the one percent, the wealthier, you know, end of the electorate seems to have a greater influence on the potential outcome of races?

SMIKLE: Well, I've also experienced a number of aunts and grandmothers writing checks, in small checks to candidates as well. And look, I understand it to some extent. I certainly believe that there are ways that we can extricate the amount of money that's in political campaigns out of the process.

But if you add to the point I was making earlier, things like the campaign finance laws similar to what we have here in New York City, which actually help insurgence be more competitive with incumbents, then I think there are ways to even the playing field. Which it seems as what Senator Sanders is talking about opportunities or ways to even the playing field so that everybody has a shot at running for office and being elected for office.

WHITFIELD: I don't know if you were up late last night to watch perhaps "Saturday Night Live" but just in case you didn't see it, here is a quick clip of Larry David playing Bernie Sanders and talking about a very serious issue that Bernie Sanders has been talking about, the breaking up of big banks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So listen, you've been pretty vague in the past but how exactly are you going to break up the big banks?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You mean the big bank break-up?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah. Big bank break-up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You bring them up!

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How? How?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Once I'm elected president, I'll have a nice schnitz (ph) in the White House, then I'll go to the big banks, I'll sit them down and yada yada yada and they'll be broken up.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What? No, no. You can't yada yada at a debate. Also, you yada yada over the best part.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I mentioned the schnitz (ph).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So, they're making fun of the vagaries that has been some criticism -- a lot of criticism about Bernie Sanders campaign that people haven't heard specificity. So, if that is indeed the case for a lot of voters, how might that translate once they get to the polling stations?

SMIKLE: Well, I actually think it matters a lot because -- and I've talked to voters who -- and I was at the debate on Thursday. I talked to a lot of voters who were actually there and undecided at that point. And talking to them about what matters to them, you know, we've seen a lot of gridlock in Washington, D.C. and what they want is someone that can actually cut through that.

They want someone with ideas and some really good policy sense. That's not to diminish what Bernie Sanders is saying. It's not to diminish at all what some of the senators points, but I do think that aside from, you know, what is a tremendous emotional touch point for a lot of people, which is the, you know, the financial crisis and its impact on jobs and on families all across America.

I do think that there is a sense that voters want someone who can actually get something done, understands how the process works, understands the constraints of government and can see through that to implement some real change.

WHITFIELD: So you're saying that substance will far outweigh like ability, popularity, you know, once it comes down to it? SMIKLE: I don't think they are mutually exclusive but I do think the

substance is going to matter a lot.

WHITFIELD: All right Basil Smikle, thank you so much. Good to see you. Appreciate it. We'll be right back.

[16:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The man who is considered the international eyes and ears for North Korea's dictator, Kim Jong-un is calling out Donald Trump, telling CNN that Trump's suggesting to withdraw U.S. military from parts of asia and allow South Korea and Japan to develop their own nuclear weapons is absurd and illogical. CNN's -Will Ripley joins me now from Pyongyang inside North Korea. So Will, tell me more about this very remarkable interview.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fred. Well, it certainly shows that certain elite members of the North Korean government are watching very closely what is happening in the United States and this is not just rhetoric for this country. Any word that comes from a high profile figure in the United States is taken very seriously at a time when there is speculation North Korea could be preparing yet another nuclear test ahead of a major political gathering here in Pyongyang next month where the supreme leader, Kim Jong-un, could gain even more power. So the officials who I spoke to said his suggestion that Japan and South Korea arm themselves with nuclear weapons, he says it could be very dangerous.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY: Few North Korean officials understand American politics like Ri Jong-Ryul, the long time diplomat and former ambassador is deputy director general at the Institute of International Studies. His Pyongyang think tank monitors global events and reports back to North Korean leadership.

RI JONG RYUL, INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES DEPUTY DIRECTOR GENERAL (TRANSLATED): We're not really interested in the U.S. election, he says. We don't care who becomes the next U.S. president. Whether Republicans or Democrats take power, it has nothing to do with us. U.S. politicians have always had a hostile policy against Korea.

RIPLEY: Ri is one of the handful of North Koreans who can access the internet. State media doesn't cover details of the U.S. presidential campaign. The average person wouldn't even recognize any of the candidates. In recent months, each has spoken out against North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Good to be with you.

RIPLEY: Republican front-runner Donald Trump shocked American allies in Asia when he suggested Japan and South Korea could arm themselves with nuclear weapons. TRUMP: So, North Korea has nukes. Japan has a problem with that. I

mean, they have a big problem with that. Maybe they would in fact be better off if they defend themselves from North Korea.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With nukes?

TRUMP: Maybe we would be better off -- including with nukes, yes.

RIPLEY: What is North Korea's response?

RYUL (TRANSLATED): Donald Trump's remarks are totally absurd and illogical, he says. The U.S. tells us to give up our nuclear program. He's preparing a nuclear attack against us and on the other hand would tell its allies to have nuclear weapons. Isn't this a double standard?

RIPLEY: Pyongyang has not officially responded to trump's remarks. Last week, North Korean propaganda attempted political satire adopting the voice of Abraham Lincoln scolding president Obama for U.S. nuclear policy. Even in a country known for bellicose rhetoric, Ri believes Trump's ideology is dangerous.

[16:45:00] RYUL (TRANSLATED): Trump's remarks give us a deeper look at America's hostile policy against my country, he says. Simply put, America's hostile acts against us are making the situation on the Korean Peninsula worse.

RIPLEY: He warns a policy like Trump's would only escalate North Korea's nuclear arms race.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY: Last year officials here in Pyongyang reached out to Washington suggesting peace talks but Washington rejected that request when Pyongyang refused to take its growing nuclear program off the table. They said even if a deal was reached, they will continue to possess nuclear weapons. Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right. Good stuff, thank you so much Will Ripley for bringing us that report. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Refugees who have escaped their war-torn home countries come to the United States in hopes of building a better life. But once they arrive, a new battle begins. Refugee children often struggle academically and socially to fit in, and that's something Luma Mufleh, this week's CNN hero understands well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[16:50:00] LUMA MUFLEH, FUGEES FAMILY, INC FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR: There are so many things stacked against them. For you to be successful, you're competing against all these other people that are already like ten steps ahead of you. So how are you going to catch up? How are you going to stand out? And how are you going to contribute successfully? We're getting people from all over the world from all different place to come together and do something great.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Yes. It begins on a soccer field to see where it goes from there. You can watch Luma's full story at CNNheroes.com. And while you're there, nominate someone you think should be a 2016 CNN Hero. Meantime a major immigration case before the U.S. Supreme court is in the spotlight this week. The justices will hear oral arguments on a challenge to President Barack Obama's use of executive power to bypass what he considers to be congressional inaction on immigration.

The ruling will affect millions of people. CNN's Supreme Court reporter Ariane de Vogue joining me now from Washington. So Ariane, what exactly are the issues the court is going to be considering?

ARIANE DE VOGUE, CNN SUPREME COURT REPORTER: Well, you remember it's over a year ago since President Obama unveiled what he thought would be a centerpiece of his second term, and that's immigration reform. He put forward these executive actions that were meant to shield millions of undocumented immigrants from deportation and offer them a chance at work.

But everything came to a screeching halt when Texas and 25 other states sued and a federal district court judge in Texas ruled in their favor, halted these programs from going forward nationwide. What the administration argues is that it has broad discretion in this area. It can prioritize who to deport, but the states come back and say you can prioritize but what you can't do is give these people legal presence, lawful presence in the United States -- that only Congress can do.

And interestingly tomorrow at oral arguments, the House of Representatives was given 15 minutes to argue and they'll argue in favor of the states and say look, Obama went to Congress for immigration reform and he was frustrated by his inability to persuade them. But he can't come now and try to do what Congress' does, which is enforce the law. That's their argument here.

WHITFIELD: And so, how will the recent death of conservative justice Antonin Scalia impact all of this?

DE VOGUE: Well, when the court is split 4-4, what it does is automatically uphold the lower court's opinion. And here, the lower court has issued this preliminary injunction. So, if the court is split 4-4, these programs will remain blocked. But there is an interesting issue in this case. A threshold arguments being made by the administration that says, look, these states in the first place don't have the legal right to be in court.

If the Supreme Court sides with the administration on this standing issue, then the lower court opinion will be dismissed and the programs will be allowed to go into effect and essentially the Supreme Court would have made a ruling on standing but never really gotten to the underlying immigration issues.

WHITFIELD: All right. Ariane De Vogue in Washington. Thank you so much. All right, coming up, President Obama is schooling an NBA MVP on shooting hoops. We'll tell you why, next.

[16:55:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, with all the presidential candidates descending on New York this weekend, "SNL" wasted no time taking advantage of it. Julia Louis-Dreyfus hosted last night and of course had some questions for Larry David, I mean, Bernie Sanders.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS, TV ACTRESS: So listen, you've been pretty vague in the past, but how exactly are you going to break up the big banks?

LARRY DAVID, SNL COMEDIAN: You mean the big bank break-up?

DREYFUS: Yeah, a big bank break-up.

DAVID: You break em up!

DREYFUS: How? How?

DAVID: Once I'm elected president, I'll have a nice schnitz in the White House gym. Then I'll go to the big banks, I'll sit them down and yada yada yada and they'll broken up.

(LAUGHTER)

(APPLAUSE)

DREYFUS: What? No, no. You can't yada yada at a debate. Also, you yada yada over the best part.

DAVID: No, I mentioned the schnitz.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And not to be done by Elaine, "SNL's" Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are duking it out over their debate on minimum wage. And I really mean, literally, duking it out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Secretary Clinton we'll start with you. You recently stood by Governor Cuomo as he signed a $15 minimum wage into laws. So, do you no longer think it should be $12?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, Wolf, I have said from the beginning that it should be a combination of 12 and or 15.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No you didn't. You only said 12.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, and 15. I said 12 and or 15.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, that's not true. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes it is.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no, it is not.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, it is.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no, no, no.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes it is. You feel that burn?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, having lots of fun there. All right, meantime, also having a lot of fun, Golden State Warriors stars Steph Curry, the reigning NBA MVP, joining forces with a new teammate recently, the President of the United States. Curry and president Obama are in a new PSA encouraging mentorship. And as any true mentor, President Obama shows Curry how to properly play Connect 4 and he also gave Curry a few pointers on shooting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN CURRY, NBA PLAYER: Maybe I should shoot lefty.

BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: You got to have your elbow in a little bit, all right. Release. Make sure it's on your fingertips.

CURRY: Maybe I should shoot lefty.

OBAMA: You can try that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The PSA is part of Obama's My Brother's Keeper Initiative, which helps to increase opportunities for young people in this country. All right, thanks so much for being with me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. We have so much more straight ahead in the newsroom and it all starts right now.

[17:00:00] PAMELA BROWN, CNN NEWSROOM HOST: And here is the "CNN Newsroom," I'm Pamela Brown in for Poppy Harlow on this Sunday, great to have you along with us. And it is Sunday afternoon but none of the people trying to be president of the United States is working in weekend mode. Nope, it's busy, busy for the three Republican and two Democratic candidates, all of whom are reaching for the biggest political prize in weeks. Two words, New York. Primary day is Tuesday when New York voters on both sides will make it known who they want in the White House.

These two, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, they're the clear leaders in both of their parties but that's not just the New York polls talking. Either is necessarily a shoe-in. Both Clinton and Trump claim New York is their home and Trump is working crowds in New York City and parts of the north today. He started this Sunday with a speech on Staten Island and a short time ago, appeared at a rally.