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Clinton, Sanders Make Last Minute Appeals for Votes; Heartbroken Fans Gather at Prince's Home; Obama to Send More Special Ops to Syria; ISIS Calls on Saudi Supporters to Kill their Relatives; Obama Pushes Controversial Trade Deal in Germany; Battle Underway for Remaining Delegate. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired April 24, 2016 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:01] NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They really kind of buried the lead in that press conference. After about 30 minutes coming out, they wrapped up the press conference and then the attorney general responding to reporters' questions, asking if any drugs were found at the crime scenes, he confirmed that at three separate locations where the Rhoden family was killed, three of those four locations, that marijuana grow operations were found in the vicinity there on the crime scene, I should say, specifically.

He wouldn't talk about the sophistication, I should say, of these marijuana grow operations, whether they were for personal use or whether or not they were for something more nefarious, but it speaks to the speculation here among the community that this could have potentially been drug-related just by the simple ruthless nature of these attacks.

Pamela, we've been talking about this for the course of the last couple days, the family shot execution style, and one of them next to a 4-month-old baby, that's really shaken this community. I've spoken to friends, family of the victims and people are really worried. They're scared here. There's still no motive officially from investigators. There's also no suspect or suspects that are being named and investigators did tell us at this press conference, more than 50 people have been interviewed. They collected 18 pieces of crucial evidence that is being tested for DNA.

We've also heard a little bit more, saying that seven of the eight autopsies have been complete. They expect the eighth autopsy to be completed by tomorrow. But really, this community still very much shaken by the nature of these attacks -- Pamela.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: And, Nick, we spoke last time and you mentioned that some of the people you spoke to who knew the family, including the pastor, suspect that the family was being stalked, or they were under surveillance. Why did they believe that? Did any of these family members indicate that they were worried for their lives, that they feeling threatened by someone?

VALENCIA: That's a great question and something we don't have clarity on. We've asked people specifically who are close to the Rhoden family if they were involved in drugs or why they would believe that somebody would be stalking them or surveying them. But even the pastor and the best friends of Dana Rhoden, they really didn't offer any specifics of why they felt like that, just to say that this family had been singled out by somebody.

Again, no motive, no suspects, the investigators were very tightlipped. They weren't offering very many details at that press conference we just had. This has been an emotional time, emotional the last three days for not just the friends and family and the victims, but also for these investigators who are part of this community. There are dozens of agents from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation that are helping out local authorities.

The attorney general is here. You heard him at this press conference. They also said that there is a drug problem in this area, that methamphetamine and heroin is a big issue, but they wouldn't take that leap or make that step for specific connection between the drug underworld and the Rhoden family.

Of course, we've been talking about this the last couple of days. A lot of people have their working theories about what happened -- Pamela.

BROWN: Nick Valencia, thank you for bringing us the latest there in Ohio.

And turning now to the presidential race, and this week's looming deadline. Come Tuesday, voters in five states head to the polls and on the Democratic side, 384 delegates were up for grabs, and Hillary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders are well aware of the stakes. Both are crisscrossing the Northeast today, making their cases to undecided voters. But their strategies are very different.

Clinton's pivot towards the general election and go after Republicans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You have to ask yourself, what really is at stake in this election? One of the things that is at stake are our rights, because the Republicans want to undermine and set back our rights, so I let you know where I stand.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Sanders on the other hand is aiming straight for his Democratic rival.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Now, Secretary Clinton tells us that she is concerned about climate change. Madam Secretary, if you are concerned about climate change, listen to what the international communities are saying, join me and impose a tax on carbon.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BROWN: And joining me now to discuss exactly how much is riding on Tuesday's elections, an entire panel of CNN political commentators.

We have Washington correspondent for "The New Yorker", Ryan Lizza, former executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus, Angela Rye, and Morehouse College professor, Marc Lamont Hill.

Great panel. Thank you so much to the three of you for coming on.

Ryan, I'm going to begin with you, because Sanders has gotten heat for his, quote, unquote, attacks on Clinton, and some say it's hurting the Democratic party but he is behind at this point. Does his strategy need to be different than Clinton's?

RYAN LIZZA, THE NEW YORKER: Well, the more unlikely it is that he will be the nominee, I think the less incentive he has to attack her personally. And he might be moving a little bit more of a message candidate and move to a strategy of trying to influence the party platform at the Philadelphia convention in July, and try to frankly, extract something from Hillary Clinton, whether it's some influence over her vice presidential choice or some commitments about policy, staffing decisions, if she is the president.

[18:05:24] I think the closer -- once he realizes that he actually is not going to win, I think that's what his campaign will be more about, it will be more about how does he emphasize the issues that he cares deeply about, and that they have a difference and how does he pressure a Hillary Clinton White House and campaign.

BROWN: And it's -- he will not concede at this point that he doesn't think he is going to win. He says the road ahead is not easy. Here's what he said when he was asked this weekend about why he thinks he is losing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

INTERVIEWER: Of the 25 states with the highest levels of income inequality held primaries, 16 of the 17 states have been won by Hillary Clinton, not by you. Why?

SANDERS: Well, because poor people don't vote. I mean, that's just the fact. That's a sad reality of American society.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: If you look at the CNN exit polls, as my colleague Jake Tapper did, the voters that make $50,000 a year or less a year support Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders. I think it's 55-44. So, how can the Sanders camp square that?

MARC LAMONT HILL, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: That actually does make sense and it does square. I mean, the people who are voting are voting for Hillary, and people often do vote against economic interest. That's the whole other conversation. You could go to a Trump rally and see plenty of that. I think the bigger question is of the people most economically vulnerable, for example, the people who got the worst part of the welfare reform bills of the 1990s and the economic reforms of the '90s, those will ten not to vote as much. Those people are pushed out of voting blocs in many ways, and poor black and brown folk also often don't vote. Those blacks would be more likely to vote for Bernie Sanders based on economic interest, and they are not showing up to the polls. Of the people who show, yes, they're going to Hillary Clinton, but the people who aren't showing up to the polls, Bernie Sanders is saying, you know, those people are my natural constituency.

But there's still a flawed logic here. Bernie Sanders is saying, people who don't vote are in the mix and if they were in the mix, they'd be voting for me. There's absolutely no evidence to prove that, there's no evidence to disprove.

But because people often vote against their interest, you could argue that might be voting Republican or they might be voting for Hillary Clinton. It would be a bad choice, I believe, but there's no evidence of this.

Ultimately, Bernie Sanders is winning, not to sound like Yogi Berra, but he's not winning because he didn't get enough votes. And at some point, he has to come to the terms with the facts that he just doesn't have enough momentum right now to win this thing, and he has to decide whether he's going to be a message candidate and control the platform in June here or July here in Philadelphia, or whether or not he is going to bail completely or whether he's going to try to play within the system.

I think it's tougher for him because he is not a dye in a wool Democrat. So, once he's not the presidential nominee, what else does he do?

BROWN: Angela, on that point, as we've been saying, he is not dropping out. He's saying, I'm going to stay in this race. It's going to be tough. He pointed to California which has yet to vote. Clinton and Sanders are virtually tied there. And it offers more delegates than all five states voting on Tuesday.

In your view, is California enough to bring Sanders the nomination and give him that boost that he so needs right now?

ANGELA RYE, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, no it's not, but I also want to rely back to something that Ryan mentioned earlier. He talked about him needing to shift to be a messaging candidate or message- based candidate, and what's interesting to me in this race is Bernie Sanders started off as a messaging candidate, and at some point, he shifted to really believe that the math would be in his favor, that at some point, the momentum would lead to the math which means people turning out to vote in support of him.

He continues, of course, in this last clip, folks not voting, that he referenced 2014 numbers. The 2014 year, as we know, is a midterm and most Americans eligible to vote period didn't vote. So, it's not just poor people not voting, it's the fact that people overwhelmingly do not turn out for midterm elections.

This time we are seeing there's a gap that exists with folks that make over $70,000 a year, and, of course, they turn out because it's in their economic interests to do so and folks that make under 20, they have all types of other restrictions. Some are now voter ID and voter suppression measures. We don't know the impact of that just yet. But we also know that those folks are the ones that have a hard time getting off work, that have a hard time getting their transportation that they need to get to the polls, and, frankly, they may feel like they have other larger concerns.

So, whether Bernie Sanders is in their interests or not we won't know that until this election season, at least the primary season is over.

BROWN: And I want to get to you in just a second, Ryan, but, Marc, I just want to get your thoughts on what Rosario Dawson said, basically talking about Monica Lewinsky, saying, "I'm with her when it comes to bullying", that that's what's going on here from the Clinton camp. Jake Tapper, my colleague, asked Bernie Sanders about that and he did not come out and condemn Rosario Dawson for invoking Monica Lewinsky.

What's your take on that?

[18:10:00] HILL: Well, first, to be clear, Monica Lewinsky launched anti-bullying campaign in the fall, this September. To say I agree with Monica Lewinsky, I don't think it was a jab per se, I don't think it's a deep connection to the Lewinsky affair of the '90s. However --

BROWN: You have to know what is --

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: Come on, mark.

RYE: That's real convenient.

BROWN: Go ahead.

HILL: I'm not suggesting she had no idea what she was doing. Rosario Dawson is very smart, and to bring Lewinsky up brings up a whole bunch of other stuff in voter's minds, even if it wasn't her direct intention. It was a bad choice, it was an irresponsible choice. And I would say it's a little tasteless --

BROWN: So, should Bernie have condemned it the and come out more strongly and say, you know what, we shouldn't be talking about Monica Lewinsky no matter --

HILL: Absolutely, he should have. I think what he is trying to do is stay on message and not get distracted by this stuff. He doesn't want to spend the next two days talking about Monica Lewinsky, which only strengthens Hillary Clinton's position. I think he's trying to avoid it.

But absolutely, it was the wrong choice. I want to be clear about what the context was. BROWN: Right.

OK, Ryan, very quickly to you because I said I would go to you. Who are possible picks for Hillary Clinton's VP, if she is the nominee, because the "New York Times" is reporting that they're going to through the list of possibilities? Who are you hearing about possible Clinton running mates?

LIZZA: Well, you know, the bench for Democratic running mates is pretty weak and the reason is they got wiped out in the 2010 and 2014 elections and so, their Senate bench is small and their gubernatorial bench is small, those are the places where the VP usually comes from.

I think her decision is, if she is running against Trump, does she want a boring generic Democrat who is not going to cause a lot of news and will be a competent person to take over if something happens to her.

(CROSSTALK)

LIZZA: Right? Exactly. And that may be what you want if you are running against Trump and you want to show competence and a steady hand and goes against the uncertainty Trump would bring.

The other alternative is does she need to appeal to the Sanders wing of the party and does she need someone much more firmly on the left and then you get into the possibilities of someone like Elizabeth Warren, or Sherrod Brown, he's a senator from Ohio who is very liberal and more in line with Sanders and Warren.

So I think if it's Trump, their strategy in the fall election is no going to be don't rock the boat, just go with a safe, generic pick.

BROWN: All right. Thanks for that, Ryan Lizza, Angela Rye, Marc Lamont Hill, pleasure as always to have you on. Appreciate it.

LIZZA: Thanks, Pam.

RYE: Thank you.

BROWN: And as we all know, Tuesday is the big day, five states are holding primaries. CNN will have complete coverage all day starting with "NEW DAY" starting at 6:00 a.m. Eastern.

And coming up, the front man of the Grammy Award winning band Slipknot speaks about Prince and what it was like to cover one of his most famous songs "Purple Rain."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:16:22] BROWN: And turning now to the still stunned music world in reaction to last week's untimely passing of Prince. Fans stirred in the rain today again at Prince's home near Minneapolis to show their sadness and share tributes to the artist whose death is still a mystery.

CNN's Ryan Young is live at Paisley Park.

Ryan, it's not just the fans showing their love for Prince this week. Social media is full of fellow musicians telling the world about the loss of this major talent.

RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's really been unreal. And, of course, we were live yesterday when we discovered that the memorial service was going on here and he had cremated. And since then, so many more people are showing up.

We thought today maybe the rain would keep the people away, and we wanted to show you just how long the line is. To give people at home a perspective about this, we are talking about hundreds if not thousands of people coming here over the last few days and it has been steady, because everybody has been telling us, they wanted to come out here and experience not only the fact of being here at Paisley Park but to be able to say thank you to Prince.

We talked to people who have come here as far away as Japan, who wanted to stop and talk about the love and the artists and so many say he has touched their lives. In fact, we're talking to this one woman told us what he meant to her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LYNN WARTCHOW, PRINCE FAN: I am from Minneapolis, and Prince is a hero, and, you know, he was -- I think he showed us all, you can be an individual amongst millions, you can be -- as long as you work hard and you're a good person and you can be as funky as you to be and the world would accept you. So, we come out here to say thank you, to give our respects.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: And you really do hear that emotion. In fact, we were kind of dodging people and we want, to show you how wide this is.

We talk to one person who said they are hoping this turns into a museum and that way everybody will get a chance to go on the inside, and many are curious about what the inside of paisley park looks like, and parties and other affairs, and now, a lot of people want to make sure it's a permanent place in the city so people can remember Prince.

BROWN: And are there any plans for a large public memorial service? You talked about the one inside Paisley Park, but what about one for the public?

YOUNG: That's a great question, and we have been told there may be a musical tribute, and, of course, you pressed for those questions yesterday, but no one is willing to answer that yet, but we have been told, something will be in store, but not really reveal that just yet.

We know a lot of other people are starting to do those for themselves, maybe soon we'll have more information about that -- Pamela.

BROWN: All right. Ryan Young, I'm sure you will bring us the latest there from Paisley Park. Thank you so much for that.

And hours after Prince passed away, another singer was slated to perform at the very same Minneapolis club where Prince got his start. I'm talking about the legendary First Avenue Club where Prince filmed his hit movie "Purple Rain". Slipknot front man Corey Taylor opened his solo show with an emotional acoustic cover of the Prince classic. Take a listen.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

BROWN: And joining me now, Grammy Award winning Slipknot and Stone Sour front man, Corey Taylor.

[18:20:00] Corey, thank you so much for coming on. Incredible to see that rendition of you playing purple rain there. Right before you started to play, you seemed torn about whether or not do "Purple Rain." Was it a spur of a moment decision? Did you plan it ahead of time? Was that like for you?

COREY TAYLOR, FRONT, SLIPKNOT AND STONE SOUR: It was -- it was pretty heavy. I mean, that whole day was heavy. Waking up to that news, and then kind of putting yourself in a position to think about, you know, it's like, oh, I am playing First Avenue in Minneapolis on the day that we lost Prince, you got just so many kind of thoughts and emotions that e go through your head, especially as a fan.

And, you know, my show starts completely different than that and I was like, you know, out of respect it has to start this way, you know? Honestly, I've sang "Purple Rain" 100 times in my car and but I never sat down and learned the music and I sat down and learned the music that day and literally played it once before I walked out onstage.

The whole plan was to just not say a word, just start the song and let the audience know that I was with them, you know, and it seemed to set the tone.

BROWN: I imagine. I imagine you were nervous as well saying this is my tribute to Prince in the very same club he rose to fame in the wake of his death playing with that audience. What was the emotion like in there? Bring us inside.

TAYLOR: I mean, it was very palpable. You could feel it. It was -- especially knowing that the audience wanted that to happen, and then when it did happen, there was such an outpouring of it. I mean, I was nervous right up until the first chorus, honestly, and when the audience really took it over -- I mean, after that, it was out of my hands, thankfully, you know.

And it was -- it was just -- it was us showing our appreciation, showing our love for him, and just trying to come together and know that he wouldn't -- you know, he would have wanted us to celebrate music instead of kind of be stuck underneath it.

BROWN: And you also did a cover of another Prince classic, "Little Red Corvette." Let's listen to that.

OK, well, we're hoping to get that for you, but you were growing up and was "Little Red Corvette" one of your favorite Prince songs?

TAYLOR: Oh, yes, "1999" was one of my favorites and I can remember the moment I set the cassette in my hands. And, you know, the cool thing about being a Prince, especially, you know, growing up in the Midwest was he was from the Midwest, you know? So, for me --

BROWN: He stayed true to his roots there.

TAYLOR: Absolutely. Absolutely. And you kind of look at that, and you go, you know, if he can make it out of Minneapolis with talent and work, it's like why can't I make it out of Des Moines with talent and with work, you know?

BROWN: Uh-huh.

TAYLOR: So he was a lot of different things to me, especially, you know, just knowing that he kind of had that same passion for music that I had, and we were both kind of in the same area.

BROWN: So we have that rendition you did of "Little Red Corvette", and let's play that and then I will talk to you after.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

BROWN: So, last hour, I spoke to Gene Simmons, and he said he was also a big Prince fan and he considered him a music icon. And your view, obviously, you are of a different generation, but how did Prince shape the music industry and what kind of legacy is he leaving behind?

TAYLOR: Oh, how didn't he, to be honest. I mean, he was one of those artists, very rare artists, that came up, kind of used the system to make the kind of music he wanted to do, even when the system kind of pushed back, you know. I mean, he was subversive to the point of he would go all the way for his art, and he did for people like me, as far as that kind of breaking ground on how labels treat us, and how you have to have a relationship that works both ways with the label, you know, which is -- which is pretty big, you know?

[18:25:09] I mean, the way he shaped the system now, it's kind of a 50/50 thing as far as, you know, how artists labels work together to put music out for the fans instead of, you know, the feeling like you are -- you are killing yourself for your art and not really feeling the impact.

So, for me, you know, watching him go through the things that he had gone through inspired me to stick at it and stay with it and do as much as I could, you know, with the music that I had.

BROWN: All right. Well, we'll leave it there. Just an incredible legacy. Thank you for coming on to share your thoughts and that experience performing "Purple Rain" in the wake of Prince's death.

Corey Taylor, we do appreciate it.

TAYLOR: Thank you. BROWN: And straight ahead on this Sunday, we have breaking news out

of Washington. President Obama plans to send additional Special Operations Forces to Syria. A live report after this break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Breaking news in the war against ISIS. President Obama is expected to send war special operation forces to Syria very soon.

Joining on the phone now, Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr.

[18:30:00] Barbara, you called this weeks ago in your reporting. Tell us what you know.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Good evening, Pam. This is a major step forward in the military commitment to the war on ISIS. President Obama early tomorrow morning in Germany is expected to announce an additional 250 special operations forces will be sent to Syria in the coming weeks. U.S. officials telling CNN that announcement is coming tomorrow.

So what are these troops going to do? They are not going to be trainers. They are not going to be in combat. But what they are supposed to be doing is bringing more Arab fighters into the mix of the groups that the U.S. is supporting in northern Syria, advising and assisting them -- that's the words we're getting them. And advising and assisting them so they can begin to move on Raqqa. Raqqa, of course, a major city in Syria. ISIS' self-declared capital. It's where the U.S. believe ISIS's top operatives off and on are hiding out.

And they want to get the Arab fighters to join in with the Kurds, to make that move on Raqqa. But make no mistake, it is going to be tough going. This is some of the nastiest territory that there is -- nobody believes that ISIS is just going to flee from Raqqa, and they have a hold on it that's pretty ironclad right now and it's a major priority for them.

But this will bring the number of Special Forces in Syria up to 350 are already there doing this advice and assist, another 250 in a very nasty piece of territory, a very significant, very potentially dangerous commitment by U.S. Special Forces -- Pam.

BROWN: All right. Barbara Starr, thank you so much for bringing us your latest reporting. President Obama expected to announce 250 more Special Operation Forces will head to Syria.

Thanks so much, Barbara.

A quick break. We'll be right back. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:35:06] BROWN: Well, ISIS terrorists are asking their devoted followers to do something especially gruesome and barbaric. The terror group want Saudi supporters to execute their own family members if those family members work for Saudi Security Forces.

I want to warn you some images in this report are disturbing, you may want to take children out of the room.

This comes just days after President Obama met with Saudi leaders and pushed for a stepped-up battle against ISIS. Saudi Arabia is facing a deadly ISIS campaign which aims to overthrow the Saudi monarchy.

CNN's Nic Robertson has this chilling report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): In the Saudi desert, something sinister. In this video posted by ISIS, a man is pulled from a vehicle by the people he trusts the most -- his family.

They tell him, be quiet, stand still, as they pledge allegiance to ISIS, then they shoot him.

His name, Badr Hamidi al-Rashidi (PH), a Saudi SWAT squad officer. His family tells us he was killed by his cousins.

(On camera): We've talked to his brothers. They're distraught, struggling to understand how in Saudi Arabia where family ties trump all else. ISIS is managing to break the bonds that bind this kingdom together, divide and conquer, separate the police from the people.

BRIG. GEN. MANSOUR AL-TURKI, SAUDI INTERIOR MINISTRY SPOKESMAN: ISIS message actually is to take the police away from their way so they could approach innocent people and start committing terrorist crimes targeting civilians.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): ISIS is hyping attacks like this one on a police inspector this month, demanding the overthrow of the royal family. The attackers chase and shoot the officer. But recently the attacks have taken a frightening turn. ISIS calling for fratricide.

AL-TURKI: So they shift and started calling for their supporters, you know, to attack their relatives if they are working for the police.

ROBERTSON: This young Saudi did as ISIS demanded. According to the Saudi Interior Ministry, shot his policeman uncle seven times point blank before driving to a maximum security jail and blowing himself up.

ISIS is intent on ripping apart the fabric of this close-knit trusting society. The police rely on the public to turn the terrorists in. 2500 ISIS arrests in recent years.

AL-TURKI: Well, without the public's support I could say this is very hard and very difficult, but we rely a lot on the public support.

ROBERTSON: As the battle brews, heart-wrenching moments like this are becoming more common. A recently graduated police cadet begs his cousin to let him live. The Saudis say he is the third to die at the hands of a relative in recent months.

Nic Robertson, Saudi Arabia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: A very disturbing report there from our Nic Robertson. As you see there, ISIS is calling on its Saudi supporters to execute their own family members. We just saw that report. Let's talk about it with former CIA operative Bob Baer, a CNN intelligence analyst.

Bob, you see that, and you think, if ISIS manages to eliminate significant numbers of Saudi police, do you expect larger ISIS attacks on Saudi civilians? Is this just the beginning?

ROBERT BAER, CNN INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY ANALYST: Pamela, I think it's just the beginning. I think the main target for the Islamic State is the royal family. The Islamic State has gone on record that it wants to take back Mecca and Medina and in order to do that it has to get rid of the royal family.

This was unthinkable two or three years ago but with the war in Yemen, with the chaos in Syria and Iraq, as well, and there's really a groundswell of support for radical Islam in Saudi Arabia, which the Saudis have tamped down over these years but how much longer can this go on and especially with all the economic problems of the kingdom.

BROWN: Right. And Wahhabism was born in Saudi Arabia. And you just think that if ISIS is able to convince people to kill their own family members, it just shows you the kind of influence this terror groups wields, right?

BAER: Absolutely. Remember Saudi Arabia is a tribal society and the clans are very close and there's a lot of loyalty inside the families. When you see families turning against each other, I have never seen this since the founding of Saudi Arabia in the '30s. This is just something I've never seen and there's just no incidence of it.

BROWN: We know that President Obama had a very important, high- profile trip to Saudi Arabia last week.

[18:40:06] A prominent member of Saudi royal family tells CNN, a, quote, "recalibration of the U.S.-Saudi relationship is needed," how does Saudi Arabia want to define its relationship with the U.S. and what more does the U.S. need to do?

BAER: Well, the Saudis are saying, listen, since 1945 we've had this strategic alliance. You keep our enemies at bay whether it was the Soviet Union or now Iran, and we'll pump oil for you and give you cheap credit. We will put our money in your banks.

It may look like they're saying they've been betrayed. I mean, the Iranians are moving everywhere from Iraq to Syria to Lebanon, and even they accuse them of moving quickly with the Houthis in Yemen. So the Saudis look like they are being surrounded and this administration is doing nothing.

BROWN: Why is it so important for us to maintain a strong relationship with Saudi Arabia?

BAER: You just have to look at the oil, and I realize it's more than oil but 55 percent of the world's oil reserves are under the Persian Gulf. That's Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, and if that were to go under some sort of civil strife it would cause chaos in the long run for a very long time in the world's economy.

BROWN: But in terms of the fight against terrorism, the U.S. needs Saudi Arabia's help. Is there concern that in the wake of this latest threat that perhaps Saudi Arabia might want to scale back?

BAER: Well, Pamela, we do need them. This is a sectarian war between Shia and Sunni. It's just not pure terrorism. And we need a Sunni constituency which is Saudi Arabia. It does control the holy city of Mecca. It's very influential in that part of the world, and if we lose them, you know, this is unchartered waters. I think we're in a very, very dangerous period, and you know, if the Saudi royal family were to collapse, I'm not saying it is, there would be economic chaos in this country.

BROWN: Quickly I want to get your reaction to this latest reporting from Barbara Starr that President Obama plans to send an additional 250 U.S. Special Operation troops to Syria. Why now?

BAER: Well, Syria is still a quagmire. The Russians have not slowed down. There are Iranian regular troops in Syria fighting. There's fighting all today, you know, around Aleppo, Homs, and Hama, and all these other places, and we have to get a grip on this. I mean, this civil war clearly has -- it moves into Paris and Brussels, you know, the Islamic State does need to fail. And if we can help at that, we have to.

And, you know, this is against the president's, you know -- he didn't want this, but right now he is being forced to send in troops because there is no Syrian government that we can back, and there's no really a government in Baghdad so American troops are sort of what we have.

BROWN: And according to Barbara Starr, these troops will be in an advise and assist role there in Syria.

Bob Baer, thank you so much for coming on and sharing your insight with us.

And by the way, we want to tell you about a brand new series of reports cooking off on "NEW DAY" tomorrow on CNN. Right on the heels of a heartbreaking reporting on the girls kidnapped by the terror group Boko Haram. Our Nima Elbagir follows the story of how the Nigerian government is slowly gaining ground in its fight against Boko Haram.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Two years ago when we visited Chibok after the mass abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls, parents described to us how they followed the trail of their daughters to the front gate, to the entry point of the Sambisa Forest and were unable to move any further.

This is the Sambisa. The Nigerian government has been able to start clawing back territory here from Boko Haram. But the Sambisa fortress, the territory right in the center, that is still where they're moving towards.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: And don't miss this exclusive report tomorrow starting at 6:00 a.m. Eastern on "NEW DAY" only on CNN.

Well, President Obama is overseas this weekend deepening what it was calling very real, genuine friendship with Chancellor Angela Merkel. But it takes more than friendship to keep the strong alliance together. There are challenges and an update from the president's trip. That's next, stay with us.

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[18:47:57] BROWN: Well, President Obama wants Europeans to get on board with a controversial new trade deal. During the press conference in Hannover, Germany, Mr. Obama urged Europeans to support the pact saying it would be good for the economy. And the president also praised German Chancellor Angela Merkel's stance on the migrant issue.

CNN's Michelle Kosinski has an update on Mr. Obama's trip.

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Pamela. President Obama was invited here by German chancellor, Angela Merkel, for whom he had effusive praise, calling her a trusted partner, the world leader that he's known and been able to work with the longest. She wanted him to come and be a part of this enormous industrial technology and innovation fair that goes on in Hannover, Germany, bringing thousands of companies.

But this was also the perfect opportunity for them to try to promote this transatlantic trade and investment partnership that's kind of on shaky ground right now, facing some serious opposition in Austria, in Germany. I mean, today we saw some 30,000 people protesting in the streets of Hannover. Those opposed feel that these things are often conducted in secret during the negotiations. They often serve corporate interests. And where are the peoples' voices inputting this together.

President Obama, though, feels that this would be great for jobs and economy. A lot of other tough topics on the agenda, though. Of course, Syria was going to be one of them, and during the press conference, the possibility of a safe zone or a no-fly zone in Syria came up. That's an idea that's been espoused by some other world leaders, by some within the United States. Even some presidential candidates, including Hillary Clinton.

But the White House has long opposed this, and the president gave one of the most detailed descriptions that we've heard on why he doesn't think this would work. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The issue surrounding a safe zone in Syrian territory is not a matter of an ideological objection on my part. It's not a matter of me not wishing I could help and protect a whole bunch of people. It's a very practical issue about how do you do it and who is going to put a bunch of ground troops inside of Syria and how do you let people in and who do you let in and who do you let out? And how is it monitored?

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[18:50:11] KOSINSKI: Well, the refugee crisis also came up during this press conference. If you think about Germany, having taken in a million refugees just in the course of about a year, imagine if that were the United States where there's been so much opposition to refugee programs. So this was an opportunity for the president again to praise Merkel for her policies on this, saying that what she's been doing is on the right side of history -- Pamela.

BROWN: Michelle Kosinski, thank you so much for that. Quick break. We'll be right back.

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BROWN: Well, Anthony Bourdain is taking on his next chapter with all- new episodes of "PARTS UNKNOWN." Bourdain sat down with Anderson Cooper for a sneak peek of his episode in the Philippines.

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ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: So where have you been traveling? You went to the Philippines. You've been there before. Why did you want to go back?

ANTHONY BOURDAIN, CNN HOST, "PARTS UNKNOWN": Philippines are very proud people. There are a lot of Filipinos in this country. They apparently like my shows.

COOPER: You had planned to go to a lot of islands, but you got stuck with a typhoon.

BOURDAIN: This, I think, most Filipinos will understand and be sympathetic to if they're well used to or all too painfully familiar with typhoons and flooding. We essentially got flooded into Manila so it's really a Manila show.

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[18:55:10] BROWN: And you won't want to miss "ANTHONY BOURDAIN, PARTS UNKNOWN" tonight at 9:00 p.m. Eastern only on CNN.

And another programming note, with five states holding primaries on Tuesday, CNN will have complete coverage all day starting with "NEW DAY" at 6:00 a.m. Eastern.

And just ahead, why Donald Trump says it's so easy to be presidential as he looks to pat his delegate lead over Ted Cruz.

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BROWN: 7:00 Eastern. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Pamela Brown in for Poppy Harlow. Thanks so much for being with us on this Sunday.

Well, the battle for GOP delegates is in full swing. Ted Cruz campaigning hard to keep Donald Trump from getting the number necessary to clinch the Republican nomination. In fact Cruz held a rally today in Indiana even though Indiana is not one of the five states holding a primary on Tuesday. He's hoping to lock up enough votes there to keep Trump from victory.

And for his part, Donald Trump just wrapped up a campaign event in Hagerstown, Maryland, where polling shows him with the lead going into Tuesday's voting.

Let's bring in CNN's Jason Carroll. You were at that rally, Jason, and Trump is now saying he can change? What's that all about?

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, he said -- he cautioned the audience, he said careful about changing. It seems like what he's been doing has been working out just fine for him.