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Cruz, Kasich Working Together to Stop Trump; Sanders Reiterates Message, Not Running Doomed Campaign; Obama Sending More Troops to Syria; World Leaders Condemn North Korea after Missile Launch; New Details in Murder of 8 Family Members in Ohio; Violence Follows Syrian Refugees Fleeing to Turkey; Efforts to Bring Home School Girls Abducted by Boko Haram; African Music Star Papa Wemba Dies at 66. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired April 25, 2016 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[02:00:56] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: And a very warm welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.
ERROL BARNETT, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Errol Barnett. Thank you for joining us as we kick off your week. We're here for the next two hours on CNN NEWSROOM.
Now, we begin this hour with the race for the White house and what really is an extraordinary move in the Republican campaign. Get this -- Ted Cruz and John Kasich say they are now working together against party front runner, Donald Trump. The candidates each released statements saying they'll divide their efforts in the upcoming contests. They hope to keep Trump from getting the delegates he needs to win the Republican nomination.
CHURCH: Cruz says he will focus on Indiana, while Kasich devotes his efforts to Oregon and New Mexico.
And Cruz does not seem to think he has anything to lose by teaming up with his Republican rival. He told voters Sunday there are only two candidates who have a chance of winning the nomination.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. TED CRUZ, (R), TEXAS & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The primary has done the job it's supposed to do. It has narrowed the field. As we stand here today, there are two people and only two people that have any plausible path whatsoever to winning the Republican nomination, me and Donald Trump. As I said, plausible path.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BARNETT: Now, as you might imagine, Donald Trump quickly sent out some tweets reacting to this Kasich and Cruz joining forces essentially. Take a look. "Wow. Just announced that Lying Ted and Kasich," -- he's yet to give him a nickname -- "are going to collude in order to keep me from getting the nomination. Desperation." Later he sent out -- or I should say the campaign release aid statement saying in part, quote, "They are mathematically dead and this act only shows as puppets of donors and special interests how truly weak they and their campaigns are."
CHURCH: And it is that brash kind of language that Democrat Hillary Clinton is going after in her latest campaign ad against Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: At the right time I will be so presidential, you will be so bored.
(They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists.
I'll use the word anchor baby.
This is a country where we speak English, not Spanish.
You're going to have a deportation force.
I will get rid of gun-free zones on schools.
My first day, it gets signed.
I want surveillance of certain mosques. OK?
A total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.
HILLARY CLINTON, (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: One of my personal heroines, Maya Angelou, said, when someone shows you who they are, believe them.
(CHEERING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: But the attacks don't stop there. Clinton warned voters in Connecticut that Donald Trump or any other Republican will compromise the rights of Americans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: You know, every time Donald Trump says one of the things he says, a lot of people are surprised or shocked. But after a while, with so many of those comments, those insults, the kind of demagoguery that we are seeing from him, you have to ask yourself, what really is at stake in this election? And one of the things that is at stake are our rights because the Republicans want to undermine and set back our rights.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP) BARNETT: And there's one other interesting development. One of the most powerful voices in conservative U.S. politics has made a surprising statement about U.S. Democratic presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton.
CHURCH: Billionaire donor, Charles Koch, is usually a champion of Republican candidates, but now he's voicing reluctant praise for Clinton.
CNN's Fredricka Whitfield has the details.
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[02:05:02] FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This morning, Hillary Clinton almost received an influential endorsement that she now is making clear she doesn't want. Billionaire businessman, Charles Koch, one of the two Koch brothers, told ABC News that Clinton may be a better choice for president than any Republican running.
UNIDENTIFIED ABC NEWS CORRESPONDENT: So is it possible another Clinton could be better than another Republican?
CHARLES KOCH, BILLIONAIRE BUSINESSMAN: It's possible. It's possible.
UNIDENTIFIED ABC NEWS CORRESPONDENT: You couldn't see yourself supporting Hillary Clinton, could you?
KOCH: Well, her -- we would have to believe her actions would be quite different than her rhetoric. Let me put it that way.
WHITFIELD: Wow. And then in response Clinton just tweeted this, quote, "Not interested in endorsements from people who deny climate science and try to make it harder for people to vote." And she included a link to Koch's ABC interview.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Well, meanwhile, Clinton's rival, Bernie Sanders, is reiterating his central message and disputing claims that he's running a doomed campaign. He spoke to CNN's Jake Tapper.
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SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, (I), VERMONT & DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: How often do we talk about on television that the 20 wealthiest people in this country now own more wealth than the bottom 150 million people? That in fact we are seeing public school systems in this country in serious, serious trouble. We are seeing kids graduating college deeply in debt. All of the candidates need to focus on those issues. And vice presidential candidates need to do the same. That's what I'm trying to do in this campaign. That's why we have come from 3 percent in the polls to almost tying or in some cases being ahead of Secretary Clinton in national polls.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR, STATE OF THE UNION: David Plouffe, Barack Obama's 2008 campaign manager, who we should say is now supporting Hillary Clinton, Plouffe had some strong words for you on Twitter. He wrote, "Sanders has run a stunningly strong campaign fueled by passionate supporters but raising money, stating that you have path to nomination, is fraud."
What's your response to Plouffe?
SANDERS: Well, my response is that David Plouffe is working for Hillary Clinton. The idea that we should not vigorously contest this election when the largest state in the United States of America, California, has not yet voted, nine other states will not have voted after Tuesday. Of course, we're going to give the people in every state in this country the right to determine who they want to see president of the United States, what kind of agenda they want.
Jake, when we began this campaign, we were way, way behind. And I think it is fair to say we have the momentum, we have the energy that we are bringing millions of people into the political process. What is good for America, what is good for the Democratic Party is to see a whole lot of people debating the real issues impacting our country. That's how you have a large voter turnout. And when you have a large voter turnout, Democrats and progressives win and Republicans will lose.
TAPPER: Do you have a path to the nomination, though, sir? What states can you win so overwhelmingly that you can overtake her ultimately in the pledged delegate count?
SANDERS: Well, I'm not going to tell you that it's easy, but I think we do. What polls seem to be showing, that many of the states yet to come, including California, our largest state, we have a real shot to win. And I think also there are a lot of delegates out there who are looking at the general match-up and what they're seeing in polls is that Bernie Sanders is running a lot stronger against Donald Trump than is Hillary Clinton because we can appeal to a lot of Independents and people, not just Democrats. So I think we do have a path to victory. I think we have come a very, very long way in the last year. And we're going to fight for every last vote until California and the D.C. Primary.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BARNETT: Keep in mind, Sanders' comments come after an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" where he said he was trailing Clinton for the nomination because, quote, "Poor people don't vote."
CHURCH: All right. We will, of course, continue to follow that story.
Another big story we're looking at, though, the U.S. beefing up the effort to reclaim ISIS-held territory in Syria.
BARNETT: In just a few hours, President Barack Obama is expected to announce plans to send 250 Special Operations forces to advise and assist local fighters. They'll join 50 other troops who've been doing the same thing for the past several months. CHURCH: Our Atika Shubert joins us from Germany with more details.
Atika, let's talk about the significance of these 250 additional Special Ops forces heading to Syria and what they will likely be doing once they get there.
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is significant. And it really is to try and consolidate the gains made against ISIS, specifically territory in Syria, in northern Iraq that has been regained recently, and as a result of that it appears the president is inclined to bring in these extra Special Operations forces. 250 extra, that's a great deal more than the 50 already there. But the most important thing is they're there to advise and assist other troops there to sort of keep the territory that's been gained back. And I think that's the crucial part there. These aren't troops that are going to be involved in combat operations, though they will be armed for their own defense. It really is in a sort of advisory role.
So a significant announcement that we are expecting today. Hopefully, we'll get more details in the president's speech later on.
[02:10:31] CHURCH: Most definitely. And then, of course, President Obama will be meeting with European leaders today. He's calling them good friends. What can we expect to come out of those discussions?
SHUBERT: Very broad-ranging discussions so far with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, everything from the crisis in Syria to issues of the global economy, the trade agreement there trying to push through and of course the refugee crisis that has engulfed Europe. These are all likely topics that he will be discussing with other leaders today.
And it's interesting to note in the original schedule, actually, he wasn't speaking with other leaders, but now we have the heads of Germany -- Germany, France, Britain and Italy all coming down to meet him here. He's tacked on some extra time to meet with them, again, with these very broad-ranging issues. But clearly Syria will be one of the top on the agenda. And of course, the Syria crisis, because it has fueled so many refugees coming to Europe, it's natural that, of course, they'll be talking about the refugee crisis and how to deal with the numbers coming in.
CHURCH: A lot to be discussed there.
Atika Shubert joining us there live from Germany. We will talk again next hour. Thanks so much.
BARNETT: Now to some other stories we're tracking for you. Australia and New Zealand are celebrating Anzack Day. They are commemorating the 101st anniversary of the Gallipoli landing in World War I.
CHURCH: Soldiers laid wreaths in at part of now modern-day Turkey to commemorate the lives lost. The ceremony was adorned just like the landings. Thousands of Australians and New Zealanders died there in a major military campaign that stretched on for months. BARNETT: Leaders around the world are condemning North Korea's
submarine missile launch today. Barack Obama called the test another provocation from Pyongyang.
CHURCH: The U.S. president added that he's keeping close tabs on their progress, and that their military gains knowledge with every test, whether it fails or succeeds.
BARNETT: And that statement follows some strong words from the French foreign ministry. They're calling on the E.U. to start their own sanctions against North Korea.
Our Paula Hancocks is tracking all of this for us and joins us now live from Seoul.
So, Paula, whether this sub launch was a success or not, the view seems to be that the North still learns something valuable from it. But what could the consequences be?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Errol. Every time they test something, whether it's a missile, whether it's nuclear, it doesn't matter what the outcome is, they will have learned something from the process, which the U.S. president acknowledged. But obviously, the thoughts from those in the region now is, how can they prevent North Korea from continuing to ignore international sanctions and ignore international condemnation? The condemnation has accentuated itself. Since that missile launch, we know the U.N. Security Council has condemned it, has reminded North Korea that they're in violation of a number of U.N. resolutions. And yet, it still doesn't seem to be having an impact. We know the South Korean military is on high alert since that missile took place. And certainly, we know that Washington is a bit more worried than they were before. One U.S. official telling us that the capability that North Korea has with this submarine launch used to be a joke, now it is serious. So really it does appear as though the concern has increased significantly that North Korea may have been able to hone their skills when it comes to this capability -- Errol?
BARNETT: And as you say, Paula, Pyongyang just doesn't appear deterred at all by deepening sanctions earlier this year in response to other missile tests. So what can we expect from South Korean officials today when some are expected to address the public?
HANCOCKS: Well, we have had some press conferences throughout the day and it's really been reiterating what we've heard over the weekend, the fact that they were strongly condemning it. They had -- the South Koreans had said on Sunday that in the past they have told North Korea if they continue with these so-called provocations they would be back to the United Nations and ask for these sanctions to be strengthened. But what we are also hearing from officials here and in Japan and in the United States, there was a trilateral meeting just last week was that they wanted to give these sanctions a chance to work. It's only been a month, month and a half since they passed, and they expect it will be at least six months before they can tell whether they are really starting to pinch the North Korean regime, which they are intended to. And of course, specifying how important it was that China implements them fully considering China is North Korea's main trading ally. So I think there's an acceptance among the international community that it's too soon to expect these sanctions to be convincing Pyongyang to be changing its mind.
[02:15:24] BARNETT: And typically, we've seen whenever the north has its back against the wall, they lash out in some fashion. So we could see more behavior like this in the future.
Paula Hancocks live for us in Seoul. A quarter past 3:00 in the afternoon there. Paula, thanks.
CHURCH: We'll take a quick break here. But still ahead, new details have emerged in the grisly murders of eight U.S. family members. We will tell what you authorities found at the victims' homes.
BARNETT: And Nigerian forces are fighting to take back territory from Boko Haram. We are on the front line as they search for hundreds of missing schoolgirls abducted by the terror group. Stay with us.
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[02:20:01] BARNETT: A quick reminder now of our top story. U.S. Republican presidential rivals, Ted Cruz and John Kasich, have struck a deal on the states they plan to target all in an effort to stop Donald Trump from securing their party's nomination.
CHURCH: Yeah. And for more, let's go to Scott Lucas. He is a professor of international politics at the University of Birmingham. And he joins us now via Skype.
Thank you so much, sir, for talking with us.
Now, this Cruz-Kasich deal seems to be playing right into the Trump narrative that the GOP establishment is colluding against him, not playing fair. What impact will this likely have on the outcome and certainly on the convention in July?
SCOTT LUCAS, PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM: Well, that remains to be seen. But first, despite your very good point that it may play into Trump's hands, this is really the only alternative for Cruz and Kasich, because they were divided the vote amongst themselves, which almost gave Trump an open path through very key primaries, say, California on June the 7th, and before that in Indiana. So the way to stop him and take it to a brokered convention really has to be that you have one candidate such as Ted Cruz prevailing in Indiana and then an agreement on who should really challenge him in California.
Now, what will happen? I think that really depends on voters in the middle. Those people who really like Trump, they're going to vote for him. Those who don't like him, they'll vote for Cruz or Kasich. But what about those who aren't that happy with Trump but they don't want a brokered convention, they think that the deal is stacked? Will enough of them move into Trump's category because they take his argument about the process and buy it that it gets him over the majority needed where you won't have a convention fight?
CHURCH: Now, of course, we know Ted Cruz himself has said there's only two possible winners here, Donald Trump or Ted Cruz. So what's in it for Kasich getting involved in a deal like this? Surely, the mud will stick with him.
LUCAS: Well, Ted Cruz would say that there's only two choices. The problem for Cruz is that a lot of the Republican establishment don't like him either. They think his base is too narrow, that he can't win in an election in November. And so Kasich's idea is, well, look, I'll play for the brokered convention and then when the convention says neither Trump nor Cruz, I come through the middle and become the compromise candidate. I don't think there's much chance of that working. I do think if you have a compromise candidate, it will be something we're not discussing at this point. But that's the only hope that Kasich has right now.
CHURCH: And Ted Cruz seems to have the delegates stitched up for a second ballot, doesn't he?
LUCAS: Oh, he has the delegates that might take it to a second ballot. But keep your eyes on the following primaries. Watch Pennsylvania next Tuesday. If Trump gets a big victory, although most of Pennsylvania's delegates are uncommitted, they aren't tied to a candidate, it gives him momentum. If he wins in Maryland next week, and he then wins in Indiana the week after, it is possible that with a big win in California he passes the 1,237 mark and we don't have to take it to a convention fight.
CHURCH: It doesn't look like the math is behind him for that. It was already going to be a difficult task, wasn't it, more than 58 percent or so to get the 1,237? And now with this sort of deal between Ted Cruz and John Kasich, that's going to be really quite a challenge.
LUCAS: Rosemary, you know, we've said so many times this will happen, this won't happen in the Republican race, and we've all been surprised. I think -- I go back to your opening comment, if enough voters don't like the Cruz-Kasich deal and they swing behind Trump and he wins 50 percent, 60 percent, 65 percent of the vote in these forthcoming states, he still could -- I don't think it's -- I think it's a minority chance, but he could still possibly upset us all and clinch the nomination.
CHURCH: Just very quickly, should Donald Trump have seen this coming?
LUCAS: Oh, Donald Trump did see this coming. That's why over the past week you've had the Trump camp put out two messages. The softer message is, look, the person with the most votes, the most delegates, he should be the nominee. The harder message is, the process is rigged, it's unfair, it's stacked against us. I don't completely buy that argument. But you know what? It might just have enough pull that he actually benefits from this Cruz-Kasich stitch-up, even though I think it was the necessary move. CHURCH: We'll all be watching closely.
Scott Lucas, thank you very much for joining us. Appreciate it.
LUCAS: Thank you.
BARNETT: New details have emerged in the murders of eight U.S. family members. An Ohio official says three marijuana grow operations were found across four homes where the relatives were found shot. The victims were discovered Friday, and ranged in age from 16 to 44. One of them was a mother sleeping next to her days-old baby.
CNN's Nick Valencia has more on the killings, which one official called a preplanned execution.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[02:25:05] CALLER (voice-over): Yes. I need a deputy at 40 --
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is difficult to hear --
CALLER: I think my brother-in-law's dead.
VALENCIA: -- the sound of agony as a relative discovers members of her family have been murdered in cold blood.
911 OPERATOR (voice-over): Ma'am, you've got to tell me what's going on.
CALLER: There's blood all over the house.
911 OPERATOR: OK.
CALLER: My brother-in-law is in the bedroom and it looks like they have beat the hell out of him.
VALENCIA: The ruthless killings, apparently calculated attacks in four separate homes. Police tell CNN they believe the suspect or suspects were familiar with the victims. The seven adults and one 16- year-old apparent targets.
But why? Police have not released a motive or named a suspect.
For this tiny town of about 2,000 people in southern Ohio, the senseless nature of the slayings is simply too much to understand.
PHIL FULTON, PASTOR: It's just unbelievable really this has taken place.
VALENCIA: Phil Fulton was pastor to some of the victims.
(on camera): I think maybe the most disturbing detail in all of this was the fact that one of the victims was killed next to her four-day- old baby. FULTON: I cannot believe how anyone could kill a mother with her
four-day-old baby in her arms. It's -- that's out of my realm of thinking that anyone could do that. How heartless.
VALENCIA (voice-over): With no official leads, late Saturday, an Ohio businessman offered $25,000 of his own money to help catch the killer or killers. Jeff Ruby has no connection to the family but says that he wanted to get the word out to find the person or people responsible for this.
911 OPERATOR: OK. Just stay out of the house. Don't let anybody go in there, OK?
CALLER: Yes.
911 OPERATOR: All right. We've got deputies on the way. OK?
CALLER: Thank you.
911 OPERATOR: You're welcome.
(CRYING)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BARNETT: Horrible.
Our Nick Valencia reporting there.
And there are rumors surrounding this story, but authorities wouldn't say publicly whether they thought these killings were drug-related.
CHURCH: All right. Let's take a quick break here. But still to come this hour, CNN's Nima Elbagir joins the Nigerian military on patrol as they try to infiltrate Boko Haram while searching for the kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls. Her exclusive report just ahead.
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[02:30:42] BARNETT: All right. Well, half an hour in. A big welcome back to our viewers here in the states and those of you watching from all around the world. I'm Errol Barnett.
CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM.
We want to update you now on the stories we've been following this hour.
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CHURCH: With bombs once again falling on Syria's largest city, Aleppo, there is growing concern about the people still trapped there.
BARNETT: Thousands of Syrians have fled their homes looking for safety in a town just across the border in Turkey.
Our Nick Paton Walsh reports the violence is following them.
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(SHOUTING)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This was day 55 of Syria's cessation of hostilities. For those who live in Aleppo --
PATON WALSH: -- no military targets here, activists said.
An inferno. Many of the 12 dead burned alive.
"Zahir is dead," he says.
(SHOUTING)
PATON WALSH: It was much the same on day 56. Another building in Aleppo hit. U.S. officials troubled the Russian heavy weapons are amassing near the city and that whatever the cease-fire was is crumbling.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I am deeply concerned about the cessation of hostilities fraying and whether it's sustainable.
PATON WALSH: But Syria's world is slowly crossing the border to one town in southern Turkey. Killis, hit by rockets almost daily in the past weeks, five from Syria. Probably by ISIS, who were never part of the cease-fire.
This woman sat here when the rockets tore through her roof.
A Syrian family scrabbling out a life on the floor below. This used to be their shelter, their respite.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): The Syrians fled. They're taking refuge here. But bombs are also raining on their head. The government keeps saying shelter in your homes. But didn't it fall on our home, on our roof? So where are we supposed to go?
PATON WALSH (on camera): It is staggering that during this supposed cessation of hostilities across the border there in Syria that the war is spreading even to a peaceful Turkish town like this, a haven for refugees that now finds itself pretty much every other day hit by rocket fire.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
PATON WALSH (voice-over): Fresh rockets have just whizzed over this, the funeral of local plumber, Abdullah Kachan (ph), killed Friday also by a rocket. Rage is against the government. "Where are they?"
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): Bombs are falling on everyone's homes. Where are you, President Erdogan? Where are you? A bomb fell on our house. Is this what you promised? (SHOUTING)
PATON WALSH: Another rocket strike here. Five Syrian children injured. A shattered place where they once slept. The dust, the rubble are what they fled. But now it has followed them here.
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Killis.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[02:35:09] BARNETT: Now we want to get you the latest news on the ongoing efforts to bring back Nigeria's missing schoolgirls. It's been two years since they were abducted from their school in Chibok by Boko Haram.
CHURCH: Our senior correspondent, Nima Elbagir, went on patrol with Nigerian forces in nearby Maiduguri, following them deep into a forest the terror group calls home. Here is her exclusive report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Monday market in Maiduguri.
(on camera): Two men sowing absolute panic, both suspected terrorists, quickly they say subdued. Normality returned. But it gives you a sense of the tension here. As Boko Haram have lost their territorial footprint, or much of it, they're growing increasingly reliant on unleashing waves of suicide bombers into the heart of Maiduguri and beyond.
(voice-over): In a city on edge no one is above suspicion.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
ELBAGIR: Maiduguri is at the heart of the Nigerian army's campaign to retake Boko Haram territory. Under Operation Lafiodola (ph), "Peace by any means," spread out across the country's vast northeast, the road to the Sambisa Forest, or what's been cleared so far. Relentless heat bears down on our heavily armored convoy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From all the boys, the all boys very vigilant. Over.
ELBAGIR: Soft sand, ideal hiding holes for IEDs. The scout in the lead car directing our convoy on and off the track.
(on camera): 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 gates, 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 Forest, the territory right in the center, that is still what they're moving towards. (voice-over): And this is where some of the Chibok girls are believed
to still be held.
(on camera): Say, you're out on a patrol like this, what are your scouts looking for? Are they looking for tracks? Are they looking for -- do they specifically know that this area will have had heat signals or using thermal imaging? What techniques are you using to get you closer?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The possibility of the necessary (INAUDIBLE) but we rely a lot on the Americans that have provided the ISR planes, give some information as to a cluster of groups of persons. We try to search out for footprints. And sometimes we see children, their footprints on the ground.
ELBAGIR (voice-over): As if on cue a surveillance plane flies overhead, one of the eyes in the sky.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here, here.
ELBAGIR: Back in Maiduguri, the operation's commander, Major General Leo Aerboard (ph), tells us he's proud of his men but they are in need of more international support.
(on camera): Why do you think it's taking so long to find the girls?
MAJ. GEN. LEO AERBOARD (ph), OPERATION COMMANDER: The quest of Chibok girls remains a sore point in our history. We're seeing that from the intelligence the remaining areas that we're walking to, moving to, we want to see if we're able to rescue the Chibok girls.
ELBAGIR (voice-over): Aerboard (ph) is tasked with both following the girls' two-year-old trail and waging war against Boko Haram's brutal insurgency in the face of heightening frustration.
AERBOARD (ph): It is a huge challenge, and the mandate is enormous. But currently, we see them very far.
ELBAGIR (on camera): But the threat remains?
AERBOARD (ph): The threat remains. Of course, just like in all other areas.
ELBAGIR (voice-over): The commander allowed us to join his men moving east toward the Boko Haram front lines to see for ourselves.
Boko Haram do, indeed, appear to have been pushed back. But their presence lingers. Everywhere you look, scenes of devastation.
(on camera): All the way through our journey cross-country we've seen village after abandoned village, devastated, destroyed. What Boko Haram couldn't loot, they attempted to burn to the ground. And people are still too afraid to come back to their homes.
But the hope is that the longer the Nigerian military maintain their hold on the territory up here, the more people's confidence will grow, the more willing they'll be to return and reclaim their lives and their homes.
Nima Elbagir, CNN, northeast Nigeria.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:43:41] BARNETT: A bizarre and deadly storm in Myanmar. According to the country's state-run newspaper, this storm battered parts of the country with hail, killing six people on Friday. Some witnesses reported hailstones the size of coconuts. Hundreds of homes were destroyed. And it's not over yet. Thunderstorms and heavy rain are expected over the coming hours.
CHURCH: And it's worth pointing out that hail is just one example of the extreme weather being seen in that region.
Our Pedram Javaheri is with us now to explain what is going on.
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: In this region of the world, guys, too, I often talk about a little-known fact that one of the deadliest single storms ever was Cyclone Argus (ph), which impacted this region in 2008 and took 140,000 lives. So it kind of speaks to the unprepared nature of this region, of course, but very little as far as weather communication is done in this region of the world. You have these storms come through with very little people knowing that they're going to happen. It leads to mass fatalities and injuries. And that's precisely what happened here. Upwards of 300 domesticated animals also lost their lives from these coconut-size hailstones.
BARNETT: That is huge.
JAVAHERI: Huge it is. Absolutely. It kind of speaks to the cultural differences. In the United States, we talk about baseball size where folks can relate to it here, it's coconut size. But again, it really tells you the severity of these storms.
[02:44:58] We'll show you how this has all broken down. Rosemary was touching on the variety of weather that happens across this region. We had massive, massive thunderstorms take place. At any given moment on our planet there are some 2,000 thunderstorms taking place that are producing 100 lightning strikes every single second on our planet. In fact, here's the global distribution of lightning strikes. I want to show you the U.S. hot spot. The state of Florida has the highest density of lightning strikes on our planet, about 50 or so strikes per square kilometer. Now, you broaden out the perspective you take a look and something stands out here. About 70 percent of all lightning strikes happen across the tropics of our planet. In fact, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, they get upwards of two million strikes every single year. That's the global hot spot. Notice as you work your way closer to India, closer to portions much southeast Asia, you get the higher density, pick up for lightning strikes. Not only that, we had these large hailstones that took with them at least six lives across this region. We know 450 buildings had their roofs punctured from these storms on Saturday into Sunday. Of course, some of the religious places here and structures also damaged as trees came down from these massive storms. Something we're watching carefully as storms continue to really blossom across the Mandalay portion of Myanmar.
But not too far away, we have parts of nine states that are dealing with severe heat warnings. We touched on this last week. We now word of almost 90 fatalities associated with heat across the Indian subcontinent. Look at some of these observations, 49 degrees Celsius. You do the math on that. That's 120 Fahrenheit. Hottest temperature on our planet. That occurred there across India this past Sunday. You look at the observation. Normally, they should be closer to 100 Fahrenheit. Coming in at 120. In fact, if you're watching this in California, staying up late with u --, we appreciate you doing so -- I want to give you a little comparison. There's the 120 Fahrenheit that occurred, global hot spot in India. 47 Celsius, or 116 Fahrenheit, is what Death Valley would see on its hottest days on average. That would be in July. Again, it shows you the severity of it. Of course, in India, there's extreme humidity involved as well with this. Factor in the humidity the heat indices push up close to 50-plus degrees. Now you're talking 125, 130 Fahrenheit, what it feels like across that region. Certainly, something worth noting with these storms across that area in recent days.
But also some storms across the Midwestern United States. The Storm Prediction Center in the last few minutes has increased the risk of severe weather for Tuesday. It could be one of the largest weather outbreaks in 2016. About 20 million people dealing with this. On a scale of one to five, it is a four for intensity. This severity of storms across places like Kansas City, Wichita and Oklahoma City moving in this week. The tornado threat so far, we've actually been in a tornado drought in the United States. The month of April we see about 150 tornadoes. We have about 30 or so, so far this April. The concern is, as we go toward the next couple days, is this number going to be caught up quickly. And there's a lot of people at risk coming later this week in the U.S. with these storms.
BARNETT: Could those storms be more powerful is always the concern, too.
JAVAHERI: Every single year, they seem to be. Especially we know 2016 off to the hottest start and the heat energy of course is how these storms thrive.
BARNETT: Thanks, Pedram.
JAVAHERI: Thanks, guys.
CHURCH: Thank you. Appreciate it.
BARNETT: I don't want to report this story, but like so many other things I say, we have to. Disaster may have struck the reigning NBA champs. Golden State Warriors star, Steph Curry, returned from an ankle injury Sunday to play in game four against the Rockets. And, ouch, he sprained his knee in the first half. He is scheduled for an MRI on Monday.
CHURCH: Even without him the Warriors won handily and lead the series 3-1. But this could be trouble in an otherwise magical season for Curry. The star was plagued by injuries in his first few years in the league.
BARNETT: Hope he gets back into tiptop shape.
Now, musicians have been remembering Prince the best way they know how, by playing his music.
CHURCH: And we will show you one icon paying tribute to another.
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[02:53:00] African music star, Papa Wemba, has died. The 66-year-old singer collapsed on stage during a music festival in Ivory Coast Saturday. The Congolese icon was known for merging his heritage with Western pop. His style earned him the nickname King Rumba of Rock.
CHURCH: This was a shock to many on the continent.
I was lucky enough to interview Papa Wemba back in 2012 when we discussed his four-decades-plus as an artist and the status of music in the Congo. And he said artistic expression was alive and well in his homeland despite having such limited means. Take a look.
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PAPA WEMBA, AFRICAN MUSIC STAR (through translation): We do things mostly with the heart because we tell ourselves that we love it. Even if there's no one who comes to by it. We don't tell ourselves that we must become millionaires out of it. But we love it. Me, it's now 42 years that I've been singing because I love it.
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BARNETT (voice-over): Papa Wemba's cultural influence also extends to stylish clothes. He popularized a high-fashion movement here back in the 1970s as a form of protest. At the time, the government of Joseph Mbutu implemented strict dress codes which prohibited Western suits. But Papa Wemba preferred more freedom of expression. Even today, these so-called Sapers, or well-dressed men, parade around the city showing off expensive threads.
(on camera): Speaking of people in this country coming together, you are still contributing to the cultural fiber here. Tell me about the group known as les Saper and what that means to you. PAPA WEMBA: (through translation): Les Saper is a very free movement
that is not linked to a well-defined function. It's very free. You must see how people dress up on Sunday when they go to church. It's not only les Saper. You must see how our parents used to dress up they used to go glorify the lord. They were always well dressed, very smart.
BARNETT: And what's your connection with it?
PAPA WEMBA (through translation): I like it because I'm the one who broke it in. And today, everywhere I go, I'm pointed at. I love dressing up. Yesterday, I spent a lot of money to dress up. There are clothes I buy at prices I can't even tell you about on camera.
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[02:55:15] BARNETT: He will live on through his music. He lives on through style and fashion.
And he was so warm and welcoming to us, Rosemary, that it is a massive loss for the continent. But he does continue to exist in many other ways.
CHURCH: Great that you had a chance to talk to him, too.
Well, musicians have made no secret of their respect for Prince since his death on Thursday. Many have been paying tribute to him by lending their voices to some of his classic songs.
BARNETT: Bruce Springsteen, for example, opened his show in Brooklyn Sunday with a cover of his own. Take a listen.
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CHURCH: Lovely song, isn't it?
BARNETT: Very powerful.
CHURCH: And amazing when you hear another artist playing it.
BARNETT: And what's interesting is Prince wrote that song after watching other artists perform these big concert ballads, and he wanted his own. He wrote "Purple Rain."
CHURCH: There it is.
BARNETT: Awesome stuff.
CHURCH: Thank you so much for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Rosemary Church.
And do remember, you can always follow us on social media at any time. Our Twitter handles are there on the screen.
BARNETT: That's right. And I'm Errol Barnett.
We'll have more CNN NEWSROOM for you after a quick break. Please do stay with us.
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