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Shiite Cleric Calls for Uprising and Protesters Remain in Parliament; Leicester City FC Pursues Premier League Title; Cutting Lines From the Comedian-in-Chief. Aired 2-2:30a ET

Aired May 01, 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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ANDREW STEVENS, CNN HOST: More trouble for the Iraqi government as a Shiite cleric calls for an uprising, and hundreds of protesters still in the parliament in Baghdad.

Leicester City Football Club could be just be hours away from the English Premier League title. We'll chart the remarkable rise of the underdog foxes.

And for the last time in his presidency Barack Obama gets to say what he really thinks, but all in the name of comedy. We've got the most cutting lines from the White House correspondents.

Hello I'm Andrew Stevens in Hong Kong, and this is CNN NEWSROOM.

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Thanks for joining us. We're watching the fallout from a day of unrest in Baghdad. The Iraqi capital is under state of emergency and no one can enter after protester breached the city's green zone on Saturday. Iraqi forces say they have regained control of the usually well-secured area, its home to western embassies and the Iraqi parliament building.

The protest were the culmination of months of demonstrations over corruption, many of the protest were supporters of a powerful Shiite cleric. Ian Lee has details from Cairo.

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IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Chaotic scenes played out inside the Iraqi parliament building in Baghdad, hundreds of protesters storm heavily fortified green zone, pushing kind of multiple security. Once inside the cowards run away, referring to the parliamentarians. These supporters of influential Shiite Cleric Muqtada al-Sadr are angry over the deadlock in the parliament. They say the government is current and want reform.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is attempting to reshuffle his cabinet with non-sectarian, the demand of the protesters so he's facing opposition from parliament members, the Prime Minister was set to reveal the names of his new cabinet Saturday. But, there weren't enough parliamentarians to form a quorum, and that's what's enraged protesters, leading to the storming of the building.

The U.N. said it's gravely concerned by the development and calls for the restoration of security and a dialogue to implement the reforms. U.S. officials spear the ongoing political crisis or negatively impact the fight against ISIS, despite there being no reports of violence, the storming of the green zone is a major security breach. It isn't just home to the government but also many embassy. State of emergency has been declared in Baghdad, all roads leading into the capital have been closed.

Ian Lee, CNN, Cairo.

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STEVENS: In Germany, police arrested at least 500 people after protesting against the far-right party turned violent. Over a thousand protesters demonstrated outside a conference in the Alternative for Germany or AfD party. Protesters burned tires and tried to block party members from attending the Stuttgart event. AfD is known for its anti-migrant and anti-Islam agenda.

Rallies are planned around the world this Sunday in celebration of International Worker's Day or May Day. You're looking here of images of a mass May Day rally in Seoul, South Korea. About 30,000 people were expected to turn out to urge for better working conditions.

Brussels Airport is said to partly reopen, its departure hold 40 days after 12 people were killed there in the Brussels terror attacks. Following an open ceremony, passengers on three flights will be able to check in at the departure hall on Sunday afternoon, checking to the other flights will be handled on temporary structures.

The death toll in Friday's building collapse in Nairobi, Kenya has risen to 12 people, now rescuer are frantically going through the rubble of the seven-story building to find dozens still missing. Official say the structure has been condemned but the order was ignored and its president is calling for the building's owner to be arrested.

Meanwhile plums of smoke filled the skies of Nairobi National Park as Kenya takes a stand against poaching. More than $170 million worth of ivory and horn illegally poached from the wild have been consumed by flames. This is the first place of its kind but it is certainly the largest. Robyn Kriel has more.

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ROBYN KRIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The fire is crackling loudly, and you can feel the warmth of it from far away, and the smoke is quickly filling the air. In some parts of the world, this would be considered ludicrous. In fact there's been a lot of controversy surrounding this burn. 105 tons of ivory, 1.35 tons of rhino horn literally going up in smoke, that's an estimated black market value of $172 million. Now, no more.

Kenya's message to the world, this ivory is worthless. It has no value unless on a live animal.

[02:05:03] It's the first in Kenya's history. Kenya first began burning ivory in 1989 and initially saw good results. Experts attribute this recent scourge in poaching to Asia's voraciously growing appetite for Ivory, particularly in China.

This is the biggest ivory burn in history. It's left 12 piles of contraband, like these, blackened with smoke, in a fire due to last for more than a week. The Kenyans hope this will change perceptions forever.

Robyn Kriel, CNN, Nairobi National Park, Kenya.

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STEVENS: The beloved elephants of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus are bidding farewell, ending 145-year tradition. The last 11 female elephants, with once being balled the greatest show on earth will take their final bow on Sunday in Providence Rhode Island. They'll then retire to their permanent home, Ringling Center for Elephant Conservation in Florida.

Leicester City Football Club has been the story of the English Premier League, after the starting the year at the bottom of the standing, they can clinch the title with a win against Manchester United on Sunday. That would be the Hollywood ending the team is looking for. But even if they do lose that match, they'll have two more games left to take the trophy. It would take a huge collapse for Leicester to not win at this point and pundits are already talking about their place in the sport's history books. And the question everyone is asking is if this could be football's greatest under dog story ever.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At the start of the season who would have taught it? Leicester known for Christ went high watering 5,000 to 1 win the English Premier League. To put this into perspective, at 500 to 1 we have Lady Gaga to be U.S. president in 2020 and 5,000 to 1 we had Elvis Presley to proved to be alive.

But is this football's greatest under dog story? Nottingham, known for Robin Hood, had a Forest team that only used 17 players in their entire title winning season.

La Coruna, known for being founded by Hercules, had a Deportivo team that spectacularly broke the Real Madrid in F.C. Barcelona.

Montpellier, known for its wines, blew away their money bag rivals with a stunning charge on a shoe string budget.

Denmark, known for bacon, haven't even qualified for the 1992 Euros, they were sunning themselves on the beach, but exterior political forces changed all that. The Danes were back in fold and never looked back.

Greece, known for the acropolis and never previously won a tournament game in their history turned defense, on defense, on defense in their Euro 2014 triumph.

But what makes Leicester the greatest triumph of all is many tipped for relation at the start of the season. So much so they weren't oven worth a bet.

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STEVENS: And in a few short hours from we'll know if they've actually won that premiership this Sunday.

Now Washington rolled out the read carpet on Saturday for the White House Correspondents, which is also known as nerd prom. And this is the last time Barack Obama attended the event as U.S. president. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump decided to skip the dinner, in his absence Mr. Obama and Comedian Larry Wilmore made plenty of jokes at Trump's expense, and they didn't spear others either.

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BARACK OBAMA, U.S. PRESIDENT: Good evening everybody. It is an honor to be here at my last, and perhaps the last White House correspondents' dinner.

The end of the Republic has never looked better.

LARRY WILMORE, COMEDIAN: Nice be here though at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, or as you know they're going to call it next year, Donald Trump presents a luxurious evening paid for by Mexico.

OBAMA: We've got the bright new face of the Democratic Party here tonight, Mr. Bernie Sanders. Bernie, you look like a million bucks. Or, to put in terms you'll understand, you look like 37,000 donations of $27 each.

WILMORE: And I can't understand why everyone treats Donald Trump with kid gloves. And then I realized they're the only gloves that'll fit his stupid, little baby hands.

OBAMA: Bernie's slogan has helped his campaign catch fire among young people. "Feel the Bern." Hillary's slogan has not had the same effect.

WILMORE: There's a joke going around the Internet that Ted Cruz is actually the Zodiac Killer. Right? I'm not making that up. Come on, that's absurd, some people actually liked the Zodiac Killer.

OBAMA: Meanwhile, some candidates aren't polling high enough to qualify for their own joke tonight.

WILMORE: Ted Cruz got zero delegates in New York, which is actually five more than I thought he would get for the Zodiac Killer. OBAMA: With that I just have two more words to say: Obama out.

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[02:10:07] STEVENS: And he got a standing ovation.

Now, meanwhile the U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump owns a variety of luxurious properties as we know but during a recent trip to Indiana, the multibillionaire stayed at a Holiday Inn Express, not exactly the Trump Tower and critics are using the chain's ad campaign to mock Trump.

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JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He may have no experience in elected office but did stay at a Holiday Inn Express.

DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm at a Holiday Inn, can you believe? I'm at a Holiday Inn and I do it.

MOOS: And by checking into this Holiday Inn Express in Evansville, Indiana, the Donald joined the non-surgeon.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's his beat?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 120 over 80.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're not Dr. Stewart.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, but I did stay at Holiday Inn Express last night.

MOOS: And the non-nuclear scientist averting a meltdown.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Close the whole channels, activate the hydrogen ...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well actually I'm with tour group, but I did stay at Holiday Inn Express last night.

MOOS: The non-politician checked into a room that goes for about $140 a night, not exactly Trump Tower.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This $100 million class level pent house is inspired by Versay (ph).

MOOS: Versay (ph) this ain't, you can bet a famous germaphobe like Trump instantly yanked off the bed spread before stretching out to call Melania, there's more gold plating in Trump's airplane laboratory.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And that's the bathroom with the shower and 24 carat gold plating.

MOOS: Than in this entire hotel. This is his second stay at the chains since the campaign started. And where better for the Donald to express his opinion of the Holliday Inn Express than in a tweet.

"New and clean, not bad," he wrote.

What were bad were the tweets from detractors, "Are you qualified to be president? No, but I did stay at a Holliday Inn Express last night." The Donald did what we all do after checking in.

TRUMP: I'm watching television at my Holliday Inn Express ...

MOOS: Instead of commercials featuring a non-pilot.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're not the pilot?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I've never done this before, but I did stay at a Holliday Inn Express last night.

MOOS: Now, Holliday Inn Express can advertise using a non-commander- in-chief.

TRUMP: At my Holliday Inn Express.

MOOS: CNN, New York.

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STEVENS: And that's it for this shorter version of CNN NEWSROOM. Thanks for watching, I'm Andrew Stevens.

Marketplace Africa is up next. You're watching CNN.

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