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Canadian Hostage Killed by Terror Group; USAID LGBT Employee Killed in Bangladesh; Trump Criticizes Cruz/Kasich Alliance; Tuesday's Primaries Could Put Trump Closer to Nomination; U.S. Message to Russia from Romania; Investigation into Missing Mexican Students Ends; Clinton Focuses on Trump, Sanders Not Out Yet; Brazil's V.P. Fires Back on Charges of Coup D'etat; Syrian Refugee Will Carry Olympic Torch; Saudi Arabia Looking to Reduce Kingdom's Oil Dependence. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired April 26, 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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[02:00:42] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. And thanks for being with us. I'm Rosemary Church.

ERROL BARNETT, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Errol Barnett. We appreciate you joining our two-hour block of CNN NEWSROOM.

A Philippine terror group with ties to ISIS has killed a Canadian hostage. John Ridsdel was one of four people kidnapped by a terror group last September.

CHURCH: The Canadian prime minister condemned the killing and said he intends to get justice.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUSTIN TRUDEAU, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: This was an act of cold- blooded murder and responsibility rests squarely with the terrorist group who took him hostage.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN Asia-Pacific editor, Andrew Stevens, joins us live from Hong Kong.

So, Andrew, of course, the details simply horrifying. How is the Philippine government reacting to the killing of John Ridsdel, and how does it plan to bring the perpetrators to justice?

ANDREW STEVENS, CNN ASIA-PACIFIC EDITOR: Well, so far we've heard from the Department of foreign affairs, who send their deepest sympathies to the family for what they described as a cruel and inhuman act, Rosemary. And they also reiterated they will continue their fight against all forms of terrorism as they say. Now, the Philippines government, Philippine military has been engaged against Abu Sayyaf and other separatist organizations going back decades in the Philippines, particularly in the restive south. It's not usual to see a beheading with this. And a lot of analysts you speak to about Abu Sayyaf in particular say they are a group which is more of a criminal group than an ideologically based separatist group. They are doing what they do for profit rather than anything else.

And certainly as you say, these are horrific -- this is a horrific development, Rosemary. Mr. Ridsdel and three others were taken hostage on September the 21st last year from a resort, a luxury resort in -- it's called Samal Island, which is very close to Mindanao in the south of the Philippines. He was there for a few days. He was actually on his own traveling in the region. They were taken -- there were several demands for ransom made. Deadlines came and went. And then last month, a video was sent by Abu Sayyaf showing Mr. Ridsdel and the two other Western hostages, another Canadian man and a Norwegian man. The three looked emaciated. They pleaded for their lives. Abu Sayyaf hostage takers then said that if the deadline wasn't met within a month they would start killing the hostages. And this is what we have seen five hours after the deadline passed today. We got news of the death of Ridsdel -- Rosemary?

CHURCH: And, Andrew, what does this mean for the other hostages?

STEVENS: Well, it's difficult to say at this time. If in fact -- and as I said, many analysts think that this is a profit-based organization. Its motive is to make money using criminal activities rather than sort of pushing for separatism in the south of the Philippines. The hostage takers will be interested in getting ransom rather than making a stand and killing the other hostages. It's difficult to say. The governments have said repeatedly, both the Philippines and Canadian government that they won't take part in negotiations over ransom. So that had been left to the families. And if you look at the ransom that the hostage takers were asking, it started at a billion pesos per person. That's about 21 million U.S. dollars. It came down to about $6.5 million, which was still way beyond the financial reach of the families. But the governments did not intervene, did not help them out. At least that's the reports we're hearing. So what it means for the other hostages, certainly very difficult to say at this stage, Rosemary, but obviously, Abu Sayyaf has now carried through their threat which does make -- lifts the tensions for everyone.

CHURCH: Yeah, this is certainly a shocking outcome.

Andrew Stevens joining us there from Hong Kong. Many thanks to you.

[02:05:00] BARNETT: And we turn now to another grim story we are following for you. Concern is growing in the Bangladeshi capital, Dakar, right now after the latest barbaric hacking attack. One of the two men killed Monday was the editor of Bangladesh's first and only lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender magazine. He also worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development at the time of his death.

Our senior international correspondent, Ivan Watson, joins us now to discuss this case and really the larger issue in the country.

Ivan, why might these men have been targeted, and by whom?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Xulhaz Mannan and his friend, they are the third time that there has been a machete murder in Bangladesh just this month. And in this case we're not clear what the exact motive is because 35-year-old Xulhaz Mannan, these attackers, according to police, basically broke into his apartment. It was effectively a home invasion under the guise of somebody dressed up as a delivery person and then five or six people came in and murdered the two men with machetes, fitting a method that has been used again and again and increasingly against other kind of liberal and activist voices in Bangladesh.

In the case of Xulhaz Mannan, we're not sure what the exact motive was. He had been a long-time employee at the U.S. embassy, working with USAID. The White House has come out, the White House condemning the attack and saying that Mr. Mannan, "set an example of dignity, courage, and selflessness and his legacy will live on in the causes he championed." But he was also an openly gay man and a gay rights activist, the editor at the only LGBT magazine in the whole country.

Now, let's take a look at an excerpt from a blog post that he contributed to, an Indian LBGT magazine in which he wrote about the challenges of being a gay man in Bangladesh. Quote, "Is it really wise and safe to come out here? Will the families and friends ever try to understand the feelings of a gay person? As of my own experience as a self-identified gay man, I strongly believe not all is lost. There's still scope for optimism."

Among that optimism, Errol, Mr. Mannan also wrote that he'd seen a backlash to efforts to hold gay pride events and a backlash to an announcement of the launching of this LGBT rights magazine but he also pointed out that this was purely a virtual backlash, hatred, and threats spewed on social media, but not in the real world. And perhaps, tragically, he was very wrong about this after his murder on Monday evening in the capital, Dhaka -- Errol?

BARNETT: And, Ivan, the government itself has been criticized for what some would describe as victim blaming in many of these cases. Just explain how that might be playing a role here.

WATSON: You know, in addition to this latest murder, there has been a string of really savage killings, also with machetes, of at least six atheist bloggers and secularist publishers and writers, which has driven dozens of these atheists to flee the country. And I've been in contact with them.

Now, what is striking about the Bangladeshi government is it always vows to bring the killers to justice but then in the same breath goes on to accuse the atheist bloggers of being irresponsible in their criticism of religion in Bangladesh, which is supposed to be a secular democracy but is also clearly a majority Muslim country. And some of the bloggers who fled the country have actually faced criminal charges for blasphemy. And that is one of the reasons why some of the people who fled the country say they cannot rely on the government to protect them because the same government has been prosecuting them for allegedly insulting religion. And that has led to a lot of controversy in Bangladesh during this upsurge in really targeted, carefully planned killings -- Errol?

BARNETT: I know that you've spoken with some government officials about this. I just want to let our viewers know we've over the past few hours continued to get reaction from the government on this and those specific points, and we've yet to hear a response. But we will continue to do so.

Ivan Watson following all of this for us from Hong Kong. Thanks.

Now we turn to the race for the White House, or as it's increasingly becoming, the battle for the White House, or probably street fight with rocks for the White House. Voters in five northeastern states head to the polls in the coming hours.

CHURCH: Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island are each holding primaries Tuesday. 172 delegates are at stake on the Republican side. Donald Trump is looking to get most of them to add to his large lead over rivals, Ted Cruz and John Kasich. Trump's calling both men pathetic, weak, and desperate for teaming up to try to stop him from getting their party's nomination.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[02:10:16] DONALD TRUMP, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & CEO, TRUMP ORGANIZATION: You had Lyin' Ted announced that he can't win by himself. He cannot do it. You know, he's a choker. He cannot do it. So he said let me form a partnership which I call -- what do we call it? Go ahead. Go ahead. What do we call it? Let me form -- it's called collusion, folks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: Now, under this new alliance, or what they tried to do anyway, was to have Cruz focus on winning Indiana next month while Kasich will target Oregon and New Mexico. Trump, as you heard there, insists they are colluding. But Kasich told CNN everything's aboveboard. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KASICH, (R), OHIO GOVERNOR & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I mean, we don't want to go places and spend money in places that we can't win. And so the idea that, you know, that I'm going to target those places where I can do the best and he's going to target those places where he can do the best, that's terrific. I don't see anything wrong. And I don't see anything earth-shaking about that. So that's sort of the end of it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And for a further look at the twists and turns of the race for the Republican nomination we turn now to Republican consultant, Bruce Haynes, who joins us from our Washington bureau.

Thank you, sir, for talking with us.

BRUCE HAYNES, REPUBLICAN CONSULTANT: Thanks, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So let's start with the mathematics here. How likely is it that this Cruz-Kasich alliance will work and stop Trump from getting his required 1,237 delegates for the Republican nomination, or is this alliance already showing signs of failing?

HAYNES: Well, I think it was one of these things where it started as the enemy of your enemy is your friend but it ended up more appropriately like before the Pennsylvania primary they came off a bit like the Keystone Cops. They didn't roll the sound very well. It was one of these things that oftentimes you try to pull off in politics but maybe you shouldn't talk about so much. And now the candidates almost seem disagreeable about exactly what it is, the deal that they've agreed to. And it's confusing now what they want voters in the critical state of Indiana to do because that's really what this is about. It's not about the five states that are going to have the election tomorrow night. It's really about the critical state of Indiana coming up. Donald Trump's going to do very well in what we're calling the ACELA primary tomorrow night.

CHURCH: Now, of course, it is worth mentioning that even though Trump has accused Cruz and Kasich of collusion here they're not breaking any rules, are they? But the optics don't look good. How will the voters respond to what appears to be playing right into Trump's narrative that the system is rigged against him and the GOP establishment is colluding to try to shut him out.

HAYNES: Well, you're supposed to run for president, right? You're supposed to run for the finish line, not try to tackle the guy on the way to the finish line. And that's what this feels like. And it feels unusual. This is, Rosemary -- you hit on it, I think. Donald Trump, he is part of a movement against the process here, if you will. He is saying -- you know, he's been against what looked like a rigged economy, and he's been against what looked like a culture going awry. And now he's against another thing where the establishment and the elites seem to be rigging something, and this time it's the process of running for president. And you're right. While technically Ted Cruz and John Kasich are doing nothing wrong, he certainly is able to cast this as see, look at what they're doing, they are trying to deny you your right to support me and allow me to get the delegates that I need to become the nominee.

CHURCH: Now, Cruz has already said that only one of two people will win this nomination, him or Trump. So what's Kasich getting out of this deal? What's his end game, do you think?

HAYNES: Well, it's interesting. In a way John Kasich could be sitting in the catbird's seat here. Maybe he's cut a deal with Ted Cruz to say I'll get out of the way in Indiana so you can win in Indiana, stop Trump. Maybe I can be on your ticket. On the other hand, John Kasich is going to take a lot of delegates to the convention in Cleveland. Maybe he has the ability at that point to go to Trump and say I have enough delegates to put you over the top on the first ballot. Maybe I should be on your ticket. So maybe John Kasich is sort of crazy like a fox, as we like to say in the south, and he's got a plan to get on the ticket one way or the other. We'll have to wait and see.

CHURCH: Bruce Haynes, a pleasure to speak with you. Thanks so much.

HAYNES: Thanks, Rosemary.

BARNETT: Now, some election years, it's all about the economy. But this year, it seems to be all about the delegates.

As John King reports, Tuesday's primaries could put Donald Trump much closer to the magic number he needs to clinch the nomination.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[02:15:00] JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Donald Trump is counting on a big Super Tuesday night that moves his cause forward in the quest to get to 1237. Our CNN delegate count has Mr. Trump just shy of 850. Ted Cruz, the distant second.

Here's what's at stake in this primary Friday night. Five states in the northeast, the mid-Atlantic region, the so-called ACELA primary, 172 Republican delegates at stake. Critical because Donald Trump is favored to win them all. And if Donald Trump wins them all on Tuesday night and wins them all with a healthy margin, he could add 100, maybe even more. Watch that final number. To his delegate count, get past 950, meaning get past 75 percent of the way to the finish line. Maybe even stretch it out a little more if he wins them all big. This is a relatively conservative estimate.

If Donald Trump ends Tuesday night like this, does that mean he can in the rest of the contest get to the magic number? Doesn't guarantee it but keeps him in play to get to 1,237, which is why governor Kasich and Senator Cruz have this new alliance. Let's take a look at what they're talking about. Senator Cruz says I'm going to take Indiana. Governor Kasich says I won't campaign here anymore, Senator. You take on Donald Trump in Indiana May 3rd, 57 delegates. In return Senator Cruz says I won't campaign in Oregon, I won't campaign in New Mexico. That's later in May.

On the final day in June, add them all up, 109 delegates as part of this Cruz-Kasich alliance. Will it work? Well, let's take a look. If it plays out the way those two Republicans hope it plays out and Cruz wins Indiana, Kasich wins New Mexico, Kasich wins Oregon. Look where Trump is here, the one state to factor in. Even if that plays out the way they want it to, even if Trump wins big, 70 percent of the delegates in California on the final day, he would be short of 1,237. He'd be pretty close conceivably but still short. That's what they hope happens.

But what if it doesn't work? Right now the polls show Donald Trump ahead in Indiana. What if he wins there? Donald Trump's mocking this deal. He says he's going to go to New Mexico and beat governor Kasich. What if that plays out there and he wins. They split the delegates but Trump wins. Let's say Trump runs the board and goes up to Oregon as well and wins there and governor Kasich comes in second. If it played out like that, huge Trump momentum to the end, under this scenario he's at 1,236. If he has a big Tuesday night he could get a few more. He could conceivably pass 237 or if he could win Indiana, maybe loses the other two, still be in the 1215, 1220 range, which allows him to negotiate his way to the finish line between the final primaries and the Cleveland convention.

So if you're going to stop Trump, it's critical you beat him in Indiana and some of these states out to the West. It's a deal worth trying, but Mr. Trump says it's desperate. Tuesday night, first, then we'll see how that one plays out.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: It's going to be interesting.

Well, a first-time landing in Romania with a signal to Russia. Ahead, what's behind this NATO training exercise?

BARNETT: Also, the faces of dozens of students still missing in Mexico two years on. Now the panel charged with finding out what happened is ending its probe. We'll explain after the break.

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(SPORTS REPORT)

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[02:21:48] BARNETT: The U.S. is sending a message to Russia with a show of force using its most sophisticated aircraft.

CHURCH: Two F-22 Raptor fighter jets landed at a strategic base in Romania Monday.

Clarissa Ward was on board the refueling plane that traveled with the jets and has this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These Air Force pilots are preparing for a unique mission. They will be accompanying two U.S. fighter jets to Romania, a NATO ally on the Black Sea. It will be the first time America's fearsome F-22 Raptor has landed there, an opportunity for the U.S. to show it is bolstering NATO defenses on Russia's doorstep.

Flying one of the two is squadron commander, Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Lehoski. He explained what makes the F-22 special.

LT. COL. DANIEL LEHOSKI, SQUADRON COMMANDER: A combination of stealth, super cruise, increased situational awareness that the aircraft allows us, which all that adds up to a unique asymmetric advantage on the battlefield.

WARD (on camera): So basically, you're saying this is the best fighter jet in the world.

LEHOSKI: The aircraft is truly incredible and is indeed the best fighter aircraft in the world.

WARD (voice-over): The technology is so advanced that Congress has banned their sale overseas. En route to Romania the jets must regularly be refueled. A delicate balancing act we got to see close up. A nozzle called a boom is lowered from the tanker. The jet then moves into place directly below it, and the gas starts pumping.

(on camera): Officially, this is a training exercise to move U.S. fighter jets from a fixed base to a forward operating base. But it's the symbolism that is important here. This is intended as a show of force to an increasingly assertive Russia.

(voice-over): Earlier this month, Russian jets repeatedly buzzed a U.S. Navy destroyer in the Baltic Sea in maneuvers the U.S. called provocative and aggressive.

Since the annexation of Crimea in 2014, Russia has steadily built up its military footprint on the Black Sea, unnerving many NATO allies in the region, as Romanian Air Force chief of staff, Lauriant Anastazov (ph) told us.

LAURIANT ANASTAZOV (ph), ROMANIAN AIR FORCE CHIEF OF STAFF: Increasing air activity, increasing training. This is a thing we are seeing every single day. So we need to get ready for what's going to happen, how to get ready for what's going to be next day.

WARD: Like many here, he hopes the U.S. will continue its commitment to its NATO allies, whatever tomorrow may bring.

Clarissa Ward, CNN, Constanta, Romania.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: A panel charged with sorting out the mysterious disappearance of dozens of students in Mexico almost two years ago has ended its investigation, though not by choice.

BARNETT: As CNN's Rafael Romo reports, its members say their work is far from done, with few answers to give to the families of the missing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(SHOUTING)

[02:25:00] RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN-AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: They say they're leaving Mexico with their job unfinished. It's an independent panel of experts commissioned by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Their mission was to find out what happened to a group of 43 students of a rural teachers college who went missing in September of 2014.

But the Mexican government has put an end to the panel's investigation.

"The Inter-American Commission deeply regrets the Mexican government's decision of not supporting, of not extending our mandate in spite of the fact that our objectives remain unfinished," the president of the commission said.

The panel accused the Mexican government of undermining the probe by, among other things, not letting them re-interview suspects, blocking access to information, and ignoring investigative angles the experts have suggested.

In spite of the fact that there's been two independent investigations into the case in addition to the government's probe, the main question is still unanswered: What happened to the 43 students? Mexico's attorney general originally said the students traveling in buses they had commandeered were stopped, shot at and abducted by corrupt police officers. The students, officials said, were handed over to drug gangs, who executed them and burned their bodies to ashes in a landfill.

But the panel found last September a fire to burn 43 human bodies to ashes at this landfill was scientific impossible.

"A Mexican government official dismissed the panel's accusations, saying the case represents the most comprehensive criminal investigation in the history of law enforcement that Mexico, a case with great collaboration and transparency."

Forensic experts have been able to identify the remains of only one student, Alexander Mora de Nuncio, who was 19 at the time of his death. He was identified using a bone fragment found inside a trash bag in a river near the landfill.

Williano Navarrete (ph), father of one of the missing, told us last September he still hopes to bring his son, Jose Angel, back alive.

"Believe me," he says, "I will bring him back. He will come back one day."

But his wish seems to be getting harder to become a reality as time goes on and the investigation seems to leave more questions than answers.

Rafael Romo, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: Still to come this hour on CNN NEWSROOM, Hillary Clinton is shifting focus to November. Next, a closer look at how Bernie Sanders factors into the race moving forward.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:30:49] CHURCH: And a warm welcome back to all. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Rosemary Church.

BARNETT: And I'm Errol Barnett.

We're half an hour into our two-hour block. Here are the top stories we're following right now.

(HEADLINES)

CHURCH: Turning to the Democrats in the U.S. presidential race now, and Hillary Clinton is shifting her focus to Donald Trump and the general election in November.

BARNETT: That's right. But Bernie Sanders is not surrendering the nomination just yet.

Brianna Keilar has the day's wrap-up.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On the eve of primaries in five states Hillary Clinton is taking aim at Donald Trump.

HILLARY CLINTON, (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: Donald Trump says wages are too high in America and he doesn't support raising the minimum wage, and I have said come out of those towers named for yourself and actually talk and listen to people.

(CHEERING)

KEILAR: Clinton ratcheting up her attacks on the GOP front-runner at a campaign stop in Delaware.

CLINTON: Don't just fly that big jet in and land it --

(LAUGHTER)

-- and go make a big speech and insult everybody you can think of.

(LAUGHTER)

And then go back, get on that big jet and go back to, you know, your country club house in Florida or your penthouse in New York.

KEILAR: She's trying to position herself as the unifying alternative to Trump.

(SINGING)

Releasing an ad called "Love and Kindness."

CLINTON: America is stronger when we are all supporting one another.

KEILAR: But as Clinton looks to the general election, practically ignoring Bernie Sanders in her stump speech, Sanders is fully engaged in his primary battle.

(CHEERING)

KEILAR: Hitting Clinton in Connecticut today. SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, (I), VERMONT & DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE:

Let me take a moment to talk about some of the differences between Secretary Clinton and myself.

(BOOING)

SANDERS: For a start, I am very proud to come before you and tell you I do not have a super PAC.

(CHEERING)

KEILAR: Trailing considerably in the pledged delegate count, Sanders pushed back on critics who say he can't catch up to Clinton on CNN's "State of the Union."

SANDERS: 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 the -- until California and the D.C. primary.

KEILAR: As Clinton faces criticism from Sanders, she's getting consideration from an unlikely place. Conservative mega donor and billionaire, Charles Koch. He said Sunday it's possible Clinton could be better than the GOP nominee.

CHARLES KOCH, BILLIONAIRE BUSINESSMAN: We would have to believe her actions would be quite different than her rhetoric, let me put it that way. On some of the Republican candidates, before we could support them, we'd have to believe their actions would be quite different than the rhetoric we've heard so far.

KEILAR: But Clinton was quick to respond, tweeting, "Not interested in endorsements from people who deny climate science and try to make it harder for people to vote."

Brianna Keilar, CNN, Philadelphia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: To look ahead at Tuesday's primary, we're joined now by Democratic strategist, Chris Kofinis, who joins us from our Washington bureau.

Chris, great to have you with me.

Secretary Clinton, if you listen to her stump speeches, has her sights firmly set on Trump and is still getting attacked, though, by Senator Sanders on her super PAC funding. Is she right to avoid Sanders at this point and focus on the Republican front-runner?

[02:35:07] CHRIS KOFINIS, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I mean, realistically, if you look at where the pledged delegate count and then you factor in the super delegates, it is all but almost a certainty that Secretary Clinton's going to be the nominee. I mean, obviously you have to wait until the end of the process, but there really isn't any feasible realistic way for Senator Sanders to make up the difference. He's just too far behind with not enough races left because even if he ends up winning every single state from here on out, because the Democratic primary system is proportional, he really can't gain a significant number of delegates. So that I think is his major chAllenge, the reality of math.

BARNETT: So, then, because he's behind in delegates he doesn't seem to be able to cross the threshold for the nomination. What should Senator Sanders be doing? Why is he still in this? And how then should he gracefully bow out?

KOFINIS: Well, realistically I don't think he's going to bow out until at least California, which is on June 7th. I think Senator Sanders got into this race to make a very strong point about the kind of America he wants to create. He clearly has caught fire and he's amassed millions of supporters who feel incredibly passionate about him. And I think it would be a fundamental mistake for anyone to suggest, especially the Clinton campaign, that he should somehow bow out. He's going to go I think all the way to the convention. He's going to have a very strong voice there. And I think he has clearly tried to move the Democratic Party in a more progressive direction, maybe even more progressive than secretary Clinton would want. But that is I think the advantage of having run a race as significant, as exciting as he has. It gives you certain degrees of leverage. He may not be the nominee, but it doesn't mean he can't have an impact on the party and on Secretary Clinton's candidacy.

BARNETT: Does she have a lock on the election overall against, let's say, Donald Trump? Because current polling puts her only a few percentage points ahead of Donald Trump.

KOFINIS: Well, you never say never in politics. As much as you see some polls where Donald Trump's been behind by double digits, there's one that came out just this week that showed him just down a few points. She's going to have a very difficult race ahead. The reality is Donald Trump is unlike any candidate any Democrat in the past has ever seen. He's unwilling to, you know, let anything not be said. He's willing to cross every line. And when you have someone that is that aggressive and that pointed in their criticism it makes it very difficult to compete because it's not going to be about issues. It will not be about policy debates. It's going to be much more of a personal attack against personal attack. And that I think is the challenge. In a really nasty brutal election when both sides are hitting each other what does it do to the electorate? And that I think is the question that no one really knows the answer to. Does it demobilize people on the left? Does it mobilize people on the right? Does it alienate Independents? It's just not clear.

So as much as I think that Donald Trump is going to lose, I think he's a much more difficult opponent than some Democrats fully realize, at least right now.

BARNETT: The election is more than six months away. It's an eternity in politics. Maybe Cruz and Kasich are successful in blocking Trump and he becomes Hillary's V.P. and our heads all explode.

(LAUGHTER)

Who knows what will happen next?

Chris Kofinis, Democratic strategist, thanks for your insight from Washington.

KOFINIS: Thank you.

CHURCH: And remember to stay with us throughout the day Tuesday. We will have extensive coverage of the presidential primaries happening in five states.

BARNETT: Now to some other stories we're following.

(HEADLINES)

BARNETT: Brazil's vice president is firing back against accusations of a coup in his country. Hear what he has to say about it, coming up.

[02:39:51] CHURCH: Plus, an unexpected stop on the way from Athens to Rio. Who will carry the 2016 Olympic torch through this refugee camp?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BARNETT: Brazil's vice president denies efforts to impeach President Dilma Rousseff amount to a coup. Ms. Rousseff faces charges she broke budget laws before her 2014 election.

CHURCH: Last year, the country's lower house overwhelmingly approved a motion for her impeachment.

CNN's Shasta Darlington spoke to the man set to take her place in an exclusive interview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Dilma Rousseff has called the whole impeachment preceding a coup d'etat with no legal basis. How do you respond?

MICHEL TEMER, BRAZILIAN VICE PRESIDENT (through translation): I respect President Dilma Rousseff's opinions but I think her point of view on this is wrong. First of all, because the impeachment process is legal in the constitution. The view abroad now is that Brazil is this little republic where there could be a coup. That's why I say there isn't a coup in this country, there isn't any attempt to violate the constitution.

DARLINGTON: The president has also accused you personally, Mr. Vice President, of being a conspirator in this coup. Does this surprise you? How does it make you feel?

TEMER (through translation): 62 percent of the Brazilians are in favor of the impeachment happening. So what conspiracy am I leading? Do I have the power to convince 367 members of Congress, more than half of Brazil's population? I think the president is wrong on this point as well.

DARLINGTON: Well, a majority of Brazilians support the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff. A majority also support your impeachment, the impeachment of the vice president. They prefer elections. In this context how are you going to govern? How are you going to bring the country together?

TEMER (through translation): I want to regain the trust of the Brazilian people and all the sectors of society if this happens. Secondly, I am aware that if I do become the president I, too, could be processed for any political wrongdoing. What is in place now is a campaign to disqualify the vice president which, even though this is not in the constitution, there has been a proposal to impeach the vice president. This does not exist in our constitution.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[02:45:46] CHURCH: And Christiane Amanpour will have an exclusive interview with Dilma Rousseff. Look out for that on Thursday.

Brazil, of course, is the final destination for the Olympic torch which is on the move after getting its send-off in Greece Monday.

BARNETT: It journeys around the country before being handed over Wednesday to the organizers of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

CHURCH: On Tuesday, the torch will visit the Parthenon and travel through a refugee camp in Athens.

BARNETT: Syrian refugee, Ibrahim al Hussein, who lost part of his leg in a 2012 bombing, will carry the flame.

CNN's Atika Shubert visited the camp.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Welcome to Elianos Refugee Camp in Athens. About 1,600 people live here, and this is where the Olympic torch will stop on its way to Rio.

Now, Elianos was the first official refugee camp set up last summer when the number of arrivals to Greece reached a peak of as many as 10,000 a day. Since then dozens of camps have mushroomed across the country. Quite often, the numbers have overwhelmed the facilities.

Two of the camps are actually in former Olympic sites. Take a look at what we saw a few weeks ago when we were actually able to access the former field hockey stadium.

This is a pretty extraordinary scene. Families sleeping out here in these abandoned buildings, children, mothers.

(voice-over): There are now 50,000 asylum seekers stranded in Greece, hoping to be given a place somewhere in Europe. Greece's prime minister has said the country has become a "warehouse of souls." (on camera): For the first time in history, the Olympics will have a

team of refugee athletes, about five to 12 competing under the Olympic flag. And to focus the world's attention on the refugee crisis here in Greece, the International Olympic Committee has selected a Syrian refugee currently in Greece as one of the Olympic torch runners.

So how do people in the camp feel about this? What do you think?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just heard it from you. I don't know. It's really nice, you know. I would love to see and I would love to share that.

SHUBERT: Do you think by having the Olympic flame come here it will give hope?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) Hope but -- if it happen maybe help.

SHUBERT: Maybe a little.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.

SHUBERT (voice-over): A gesture of Olympic solidarity as thousands wait for an answer.

Atika Shubert, CNN, at Elianos Camp in Athens, Greece.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: 30 years later, the consequences of the world's worst nuclear disaster still resonate. Still to come, the massive project aimed at keeping Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear site under wraps.

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(WEATHER REPORT)

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[02:52:30] CHURCH: Tuesday marks the 30th anniversary of what's considered the worst nuclear accident in history, the exPLOsion and radiation leak at Chernobyl in Ukraine. Residents of a city 50 kilometers from the site gathered to remember the victims. People lit candles, laid flowers, and prayed.

BARNETT: The Chernobyl exPLOsion sent a radioactive cloud over large parts of Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia. More than two dozen people died in the immediate aftermath. Countless more died later from exposure to radiation.

CHURCH: And European banking officials have approved an additional $51 million to safely decommission the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

BARNETT: Here's a look at one of the ambitious projects under way right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: All right. A huge effort under way there.

A quick tech headline for you. Apple is set to announce its worst quarter in 13 years. The tech company is expected to sell -- or I should say its profits fell last quarter and its sales are down by double digits.

CHURCH: CEO Tim Cook predicted in January that iPhone sales would fall for the first time in history. Wall Street analysts are forecasting declining sales for the next two quarters as well.

BARNETT: We all know that for decades Saudi Arabia's economy has revolved around oil, but that could all be changing soon?

CHURCH: The country's deputy crown prince announced an ambitious reform plan that would reduce the kingdom's reliance on crude in just four years.

[02:55:07] BARNETT: Saudi Arabia looks to boost non-oil revenues to six times their current level by the year 2030, sell part of the national oil company Aramco on the stock market, and create a $1.9 trillion public fund to invest at home and abroad.

CHURCH: Mohammed Bin Salman says Saudis have an addiction to oil.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN, SAUDI DEPUTY CROWN PRINCE: The oil today became like constitution, the holy book and the oil. We have an addiction to oil in Saudi Arabia. Everybody has it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: The plan would make Saudi Arabia one of the 15 biggest economies in the world. That is, of course, if this all works out.

CHURCH: Yeah, indeed.

Another story we're following, pedestrians will have free rein on Paris's iconic Champs Elysees avenue once a month. That is according to a new plan. The mayor announced a measure to ban cars from the famous boulevard one Sunday a month starting in May.

BARNETT: It's just one of several environmental measures planned for this year. Thousands of people strolled down the nearly two-kilometer avenue when it was closed to cars last September.

CHURCH: They say diamonds are a girl's best friends. That is true, regardless of the color, by the way.

BARNETT: Right. Christie's is presenting the largest blue diamond ever to go to auction. The rectangular gem could fetch as much as $45 million.

CHURCH: Very nice.

And remember, you can always follow us on social media anytime.

BARNETT: That's right.

We'll have more CNN NEWSROOM for you after this very short break. Please do stay with us.

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