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Indiana Primaries Preview; Leicester City Wins Premier League Title; NASA Discovers Three More Earth-like Planets: Secretary of State Kerry Notes Some Progress in Syria Talks; Brazilian Boxer's Tale; Belgium Terror Verdict Expected. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired May 03, 2016 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:00:00] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN NEWSROOM SHOW HOST: The Indiana primaries will get under way in just a matter of hours. And Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are now each hoping to knock out their opponents.
Plus, Leicester City wins its first Premier League title, its first title of any kind in 132 years.
And later, NASA has discovered three more planets with remarkable similarities for the one we call home.
Hello and welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. And this is CNN Newsroom.
In just a few hours from now, voters in Indiana will cast their primary ballots, and the results could be a turning point in the U.S. presidential race. It's all happening in a state in the Midwestern U.S. that's known for its farmland and for being a republican stronghold.
Fifty seven republican delegates are at stake and 92 for the democrats. Well, the latest CNN/ORC national poll isn't encouraging for Ted Cruz's hopes to stop Donald Trump. The republican front-runner leads Cruz by double-digits with 49 percent support.
Trump also generates the most enthusiasm among republican voters. Thirty nine percent say they would be enthusiastic if he won the nomination compared to Ted Cruz at 21 percent and John Kasich at 16 percent.
Indiana's Governor Mike Pence says he is backing Cruz in the primary. But he will support whoever the republican nominee is. The two campaigned together Monday. At one stop, some Trump supporters confronted Cruz.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TED CRUZ, (R) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald Trump is a New York liberal who will take away your second amendment rights. This man is lying to you, and he is taking advantage of you. And I would encourage you, sir, look, I appreciate your being out here speaking. If I were Donald Trump, I wouldn't have come over and talked to you. I
wouldn't have shown you that respect. In fact, you know what I would have done? I would have told the folks over there go over and punch those guys in the face. That's what Donald does at protests.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Trump meanwhile, is looking to put an end to the republican race with a decisive victory Tuesday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If we win Indiana, it's over. It's over.
(CROWD CHEERING)
They're finished. They're gone. They're gone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Although the crowd was appreciative inside a Trump rally in South Bend, there were protesters outside. Hundreds of people held signs denouncing Trump for spewing hatred.
Well, out of Sunday Cruz's running mate Carly Fiorina took a tumble off the stage. It happened while she was introducing Cruz at a rally. Cruz didn't seem to notice Fiorina fall as he took hands, or shook hands, I should say, with people. But Trump later seized on the moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Carly's perfectly nice. By the way, she fell off the stage the other day. Did anybody see that? And Cruz didn't do anything. I was a -- even I would have helped her, OK? She just went down. She went down a long way, right? And she went down right in front of him and he was talking and he kept talking. He didn't even look like -- that was a weird deal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And on the democratic side, the race is tightening in Indiana. Bernie Sanders is narrowly trailing Hillary Clinton in that state's primary, but vows he will not back down.
Suzanne Malveaux reports.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Barnstorming Indiana, Bernie Sanders is taking a page from Donald Trump's playbook, blasting the democratic primary process.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BERNIE SANDERS, (D) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When we talk about a rigged system, it's also important to understand how the democratic convention works.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Sanders sharply criticizing the influence of super delegates.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SANDERS: It's the way the system works is you have establishment candidates who win virtually all of the super delegates. It makes it hard for insurgent candidacies like ours to win.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Sanders faces a steep deficit in total delegates and is trailing Clinton by eight points in a new CNN/ORC national poll. He is looking to regain some momentum with a win in the Hoosier state Tuesday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SANDERS: We're going to fight for every last vote.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Indiana polls show a tight race with Clinton holding a four-point lead in a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News/ Marist survey.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[03:05:02] HILLARY CLINTON, (D) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm going to say, look, I'm going to tell you what I'm going to do so you can hold me accountable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Hillary Clinton campaigning today in Kentucky, which holds its primary later this month, talking up her plan to revitalize coal country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: Appalachia coal has taken a huge hit. You know, it's something that I am really worried about.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Clinton's remarks coming on the heels of these comments during a CNN town hall in March.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: I'm the only candidate which has a policy about how to bring economic opportunity using clean renewable energy as the key into coal country. Because we're going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business. (END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Today, Clinton said she'll put her husband in charge of the effort to bring back Appalachian communities.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: I've told my husband he's got to come out of retirement and be in charge of this because, you know, he has more ideas a minute than anybody I know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: With Clinton closing in on the democratic nomination, she is looking more and more at the general election and the republican front-runner Donald Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: We cannot let Barack Obama's legacy fall into Donald Trump's hands.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Another sign the democratic momentum has shifted, Clinton out fundraised Sanders, if just barely for the month of April, the first time this year her campaign has bested Sanders in any month. President Obama used Sanders' favorite fundraising talking point.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SANDERS: Our average contribution is $27.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: To inject some levity in the campaign during his speech at Saturday's White House correspondent's dinner.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA PRESIDENT: Bernie, you look like a million bucks. Or to put it in terms you'll understand, you look like 37,000 donations of $27 each.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: And poked fun at Clinton's struggle to appeal to younger voters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Hillary trying to appeal to young voters is a little bit like your relative who just signed up for Facebook. Dear America, did you get my poke? Is it appearing on your wall?
(END VIDEO CLIP) CHURCH: Joining me now from Washington is democratic strategist, Joe
Lestingi. Joe, thanks so much for being with us.
JOE LESTINGI, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Thanks for having me.
CHURCH: So, let's start with the Indiana primary. What are the chances that Sanders can perhaps pull off a surprise win like he did in Michigan?
LESTINGI: I think the chances are smaller and shrinking by the day. Bernie Sanders has put forward a really good campaign here. He's really challenged the narrative within the Democratic Party. He did have a surprise in Michigan. But all that momentum has seemed to stop in recent days and weeks where Hillary has come away with some big wins.
As we roll into these final states, the math just isn't there for him, unfortunately. I voted for Bernie. I thought Bernie was a great candidate. But it's just not in the cards this go-round for him.
So, I think what we're looking at in Iowa -- in Indiana, excuse me, in Indiana is a closer race than probably Hillary would like. But nonetheless, she will emerge victorious at the end.
CHURCH: All right. I do want to take a look at this. A new CNN/ORC poll among democrats shows that 23 percent, that's nearly a quarter of the party think that that their party is divided and will stay that way. So, will the party be able to unite after it has a nominee? Is that what it's going to take?
LESTINGI: Absolutely. I mean, this has been a contentious primary but it has been nothing like 2008 was. In 2008, at this point in time I believe Hillary was closer to Barack in actual delegate count, which made it even more contentious.
And at that point in time, if you recall, there was a big fight about where all these Hillary supporters were going go. She had won the more -- she had more votes than Barack did and actual vote counts for primaries. She had won more states. And in the end, we all came together.
And in this cycle, this year, nothing is going to unite the Democratic Party better than Donald Trump will. So, I think we're looking at some mending at the convention. People's voices will be heard. And as we roll into November, we'll have a united party going forward.
CHURCH: I do want to play you some video from outside Hillary Clinton's event in West Virginia. Let's just have a quick listen to that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(CROWD CHANTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP) CHURCH: Now if you can't make that out, those are protesters shouting "Hillary go home, we want Trump." Now we know that in the general election West Virginia is typically a more republican state. Can we expect to see a lot more of this if Clinton is the nominee?
LESTINGI: I think -- I think what we're going to see with this, with these kinds of protests, we're going see these in a lot of states that are very angry and that are getting hurt very badly economically.
So, you're going to see it in some southern states. West Virginia, which has been a state that the Clintons have campaigned in a lot during their tenure in politics, has gone the other way. Things there, I do a lot of work in that state. Things there are not going well. Coal has been a big problem.
And as we roll through this primary, I think Hillary is going to get on the fastest jet possible and get out of there and then probably never go back. It's just a state that loves Donald Trump.
[03:10:03] And getting over that hump in the primary is not necessary. When we get to the general election, she's got a whole bunch of other states to build that math to 270. West Virginia just isn't one of the ones she needs.
CHURCH: Right. And of course, you know, as we've been pretty much leading on to here, it's looking more and more likely that this will be a fight between Trump and Clinton. And most would agree she will wipe the floor with Trump on foreign policy. But what is the strategy for Clinton overcoming the mass appeal of Trump and how is she planning on winning over Bernie Sanders supporters?
LESTINGI: Well, I think you're going see this happen in two phases. The first phase with the Democratic Party is going to be to reassure them about what we stand for as a party, about our inclusiveness, about fighting for equal rights for women, about the right to choose, and about public education, science funding, things along those lines that haven't been discussed a lot during the primary sector, because Bernie has dominated the issues.
He has been talking about free college, free health care. All of these different things that the left has been very happy about. And now as we roll into the general election, Hillary is going to talk more about those, make the base happy with those positions, and understand that it's either her choices here on these issues or the opposite which is Donald Trump, which is going to be to eliminate all of this. Get rid of -- get rid of public education in this country and the department of education.
Set back progressive tax, set back health care, undo ObamaCare, and let's just go back to what he has been saying about women for the past, I don't know, 20 years. And say what that means for women's rights. I mean, these are things that she is going to talk about as we roll into the general election. And it's going to be hard for him to run away from his record.
CHURCH: Joe Lestingi, great to talk with you. LESTINGI: It was great to be here. Thank you for having me.
CHURCH: All right. From politics to sports, Leicester City has pulled off one of the greatest seasons in football history. In just a year, they went from worst to first. In the English Premier League and the title was theirs once second place Tottenham drew against Chelsea on Monday. The fans are ecstatic, of course, having waited 132 years for this. And here is what a few of them had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have trained and this is above it. It's just...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mental.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To come up all this way, I can't even put into it words.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is the most beautiful thing about us to see. You bring a lot of players from different nations, different parts of the U.K. together. They gel in a way that no one else expects it. This is what say it's about.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And our Christina Macfarlane has been following the folks in Leicester, and she joins us now from there. So, Christina, you have been with the fans the morning after the night before. What's the mood?
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN WORLD SPORTS ANCHOR: That's absolutely right, Rosemary, you can probably hear behind me the cars are coming alongside the road here outside the King Power stadium and have been tooting behind us all morning, because the party is continuing.
We were in the thick of it last night, and fans were telling us it was the greatest moment of their lives. A lot of them also telling me how much they won last night. Some fans winning 8,000 pounds. Some fans winning 10,000 pounds. Of course the bookies paid out record 36 million yesterday for the lucky fan to a man who has buy of those bets at the beginning of this season.
And I just want to draw your attention to some of the papers on the headlines this morning after this incredible sporting triumph. On the Guardian here we have the picture of Richard III, Leicester City king of England.
Of course, Richard III reburied here in Leicester a year ago, on the front page of the Sun. Blue done it. And on the back page of the Daily Mail, Vardy's party. And this is particularly apt, Rosemary. Because this has been a bit of video that's been going around on social media of Jamie Vardy and all the players celebrating at his house here in Leicester on the verdict of that final whistle last night. Have a watch.
(CROWD CHEERING) MACFARLANE: As you can see, euphoric scenes, there Rosemary. I wish we had been a fly on the wall inside his living room last night, but instead, we were out with the thousands of fans who poured out to the city center to celebrate. It's been an incredible 24 hours.
CHURCH: Yes, definitely, yes. What a celebration. And it just keeps continuing, doesn't it? So, Christina, how is this win likely to transform the club in terms of future prospects and finances?
MACFARLANE: It's interesting, Rosemary. You know, Leicester City have only become the sixth club in Premier League history to win the title. And next season, of course, they're going to be playing Champions League football in Europe.
Now, with a combined earnings of winning the Premier League, Champions League participation a match day revenue, they stand for Arsenal say to pick up a windfall of $222 million for their exploits this season.
[03:15:07] But I think the biggest legacy that we have seen in the past 24 hours is that Leicester City have brought the romance back to football. That's why they picked up so many fans, not just Leicester fans, but fans across the world, because they have proved that you don't need money, you don't need to buy the biggest teams to be successful. And that will be their lasting legacy, I'm sure.
CHURCH: Yes, incredible. And we will continue to watch this as the fans get more and more excited. Christina Macfarlane joining us there following the Leicester fans. I appreciate that.
Well, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says there has been some progress in talks to restore a ceasefire in Syria. Continued violence in the city of Aleppo has exacerbated the frailty of that truce and put a strain on the peace talks. Kerry called last week's attack on a hospital there unconscionable. The U.S. and Russia are working to extend the ceasefire to include Aleppo.
Our senior international correspondent Matthew Chance joins us now from Moscow where the U.N. special envoy for syria will meet with Russia's foreign minister in the coming hours. So, Matthew, what do we expect to come out of that meeting?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I was going to tell you there is going to be any concrete progress. There wasn't much progress announced in concrete terms from the meetings that John Kerry had, the U.S. Secretary of State with those Arab diplomats and with Arab figures and with Staffan de Mistura, the U.N. special envoy to Syria in Geneva yesterday.
But the U.S. special envoy is coming to Moscow. He is going to be meeting with Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister as you mentioned in about three or four hours from now that there is going to be a news conference later on in the afternoon as well where they're going to spell out hopefully what progress, if any has been made.
Of course, the big issue is what pressure Russia is going to be able to bring to bear on the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad to end its fighting in and around Aleppo. There has been this the past 10 days or so a huge upswing in violence in that city, despite the fact there has been a cessation of hostilities, more or less holding around various other parts of the country since it was implemented several weeks ago.
And the question though, is whether Russia is able to put pressure on the Syrian government at this point, and whether it is willing to as well. So, hopefully some of those questions are going to be answered later on this afternoon with that press conference with Staffan de Mistura and Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister here in Moscow.
CHURCH: So, when we look at this situation, what does Russia realistically want to see happen here?
CHANCE: I mean, Russia's objectives from the beginning have been pretty clear. It wants to support its main ally in the Arab world, Bashar al-Assad, prevent the Syrian government from falling. It sees the regime of Assad as protecting Russia's interests in Syria first and foremost. It's got military bases there. It's got economic interests.
But also, it sees Syria as a sort of foothold that it has in the wider Middle East. And it wants to preserve that and not let, you know, regime change take place there.
And so, that's the fundamental problem when it comes to the diplomacy, the peace talks between the various sides, the United States and Russia and the various Syrian factions as well, the various Arab countries that are involved in this conflict.
Both sides, all sides back different horses in the race, if you like. The Saudi foreign minister just yesterday in Geneva, after meetings with John Kerry said that he wanted to make sure that the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, was ousted from power whether by diplomacy or whether by force.
And that's something the Russian are diametrically opposed, to as I mentioned. And so, that's the basic fault line in this diplomacy. What will be the future of Bashar al-Assad? And that has not been decided as yet.
CHURCH: Ten eighteen in the morning there in Moscow. Our Matthew Chance joining us live with that report. Many thanks to you.
We'll take a very short break here. Still to come, a Brazilian boxer is fighting against all odds. We will look at his rise from the main streets of Rio to a shot at Olympic gold. Back in a moment.
[03:20:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KATE RILEY, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: I'm Kate Riley with your CNN World Sport headlines.
In one of the greatest sporting stories of all time, Leicester City have won the English Premier League, and they did it without kicking a ball. Spezza's 2-2 draw at Chelsea means that Leicester have an unassailable lead at the top of the table with two games to go.
At the start of the season, the folks were 5000 to 1 in the eyes of book makers to win the title. But under the management of Claudio Ranieri, he was coming after a disaster spell in charge in Greece. They were sensational from the first day of this season, thanks to the likes of Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez. They've only lost three games, and this Saturday's home game against Everton will be a huge party.
Until Chelsea's comeback, Spurs looked to be extending the season for another few days at least. The Londoners went 2-nil at Stanford Bridge catches the goal from Harry Kane and Sang Yung Ming. But a Chelsea come back. Thanks to Gary Cahill and a wonder strike from Eden Hazard meant the Spurs went out seven points behind Leicester with only six points left to play for.
As the Leicester players, well, they gathered at Jamie Vardy's house. They must have had quite a night. Leicester defender Christian Fuchs posting a video to show the moment his team became Premier League champions. Incredible stuff from this football of players.
And that's a look at all your sports headlines. I'm Kate Riley.
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CHURCH: The Olympic torch will soon arrive in Brazil, beginning its trek around the country before the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro. The torch will start its 95-day journey in the Brazilian capital, and then pass through more than 300 towns, cities, and villages. About 90 percent of the country's residents live along the torch's route.
Well, boxer Roberto Custodio is fighting to be one of the 10,000 athletes competing in the game. He grew up in one of Rios' most dangerous neighborhoods and never dreamed he may one day represent his country.
Shasta Darlington has more on Roberto's journey for Olympic gold.
SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Roberto Custodio can take a punch or two. After all, the Olympic boxing hopeful learned on the mean streets of Rio, where he survived the worst.
"I lost my father when I was 14 going on 15," he says. "He was killed by local drug traffickers."
DARLINGTON: But he fourth found an outlet for his rage, Luta pela Paz fight for peace. "It messed with my said," he said. "I wanted revenge and boxing helped me get through it." That's where he met his future wife, Alexandra, also a young boxer at the time.
Now living in a small apartment in the violent complex favela where they both grew up and raising their own daughter, Hillary. "I have to study, help at home and go to university," she says. For Custodio, boxing got him off the streets and won him a wall full of medals, but he is never far from where he started.
[03:25:02] We're up here on Roberto's roof. We can't go out on the street. This is a neighborhood controlled by drug gangs. They're out. They're armed. And they don't want to see a camera. With his inspirational story, Custodio became the poster boy for Luta sportswear back in 2011.
LUKE DOWDNEY, FIGHT FOR PEACE FOUNDER: A lot of statistics.
DARLINGTON: Luke Dowdney founded Fight for Peace to lure kids off Rio streets with boxing. But now they provide everything from help at school to job training.
DOWDNEY: Yet, there is a lot of stuff going on around, especially if you've got problems at home and so on. And if you get through like a good fighter, you don't give in, you don't quit, you keep training, and whether that means getting win for competition or whether that means staying in school or getting that diploma I think we're all inspired by that.
DARLINGTON: Of course, Roberto hopes to be one of the lucky few, competing for a spot at the 2016 Olympics at a recent qualifier right here in Rio de Janeiro, cheered on by family and friends.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the red corner...
DARLINGTON: He didn't win this match, but like a good fighter never giving up, ready for the next.
Shasta Darlington, CNN, Rio de Janeiro.
CHURCH: And we turn now to a political argument that escalated quickly and violently. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(CROWD SHOUTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Those are Turkish lawmakers fighting after a heated debate over changes to their Constitution. Members of the ruling and opposition parties jumping on tables, throwing punches. And this aired on live TV Monday. They're arguing over whether lawmakers should continue to be immune from prosecution. Another session also ended in violence last week.
Still to come here on CNN Newsroom, a second grim act of protest in just a week at an Australian-run refugee center. A young asylum seeker sets herself on fire.
[03:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: A warm welcome back to our viewer here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. It is time to check the main stories we've been following this hour.
U.S. voters will cast their ballots in just a few hours in Indiana's crucial primaries. Democrat Bernie Sanders and republican Ted Cruz are hoping to stop their party's front-runners.
But a new CNN have ORC poll shows most voters believe Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will face each other in the general election this November.
Leicester City has won the English Premier League, and the fans are thrilled. After decades of irrelevance, the Fox's secured the title when Tottenham drew against Chelsea. Their improbable run to the crown is being called sports' greatest ever underdog story.
A jury has ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $55 million to a woman who says the company's talcum powder caused her cancer. She and hundreds of other people say Johnson & Johnson did not adequately warn them about cancer risks.
And an amazing rescue in Kenya. The Red Cross says a young girl just one and a half years old has been found alive in the rubble of Friday's building collapse in Nairobi.
Rescuers say she was buried for 80 hours wrapped in a blanket inside a bucket. Incredibly, she appears to have no physical injuries. She is being treated for dehydration in hospital.
On a remote Pacific island, a terrible act of protest. A 21-year-old Somali woman set herself on fire at an Australian-run detention center. She is now in critical condition at a hospital in Australia. It's the second recent act of self-immolation by a refugee on Nauru island.
The Iranian who burned himself there last week died just two days later.
And CNN international correspondent Ivan Watson has been following this horrifying story. He joins us now from Hong Kong. So, Ivan, what does this desperate act tell us about conditions there at the detention center?
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the United Nations high commissioner for refugees says that it's time to basically end these controversial Australian offshore detention centers. It says in the wake of these two cases of self-immolation, one of which ended up in the death of the 23-year-old Iranian named Ahmed, who set himself on fire, that it is time for all of the some 2,000 residents of these two detention centers to be immediately moved to more humane conditions.
The UNHR went on the write, quote, "There is no doubt that the current policy of offshore processing and prolonged detention is immensely harmful despite efforts by the government of Papua New Guinea and Nauru, the arrangements in both countries have proved completely untenable."
And the cases here on the island nation of Nauru, you had this 21- year-old Somali refugee woman named Hodan Yasin, who, had just last week, been moved from Australia to the detention center in Nauru who set herself on fire on Monday. She was flown back to Australia for emergency medical treatment. Last
week, you had the 23-year-old Iranian who set himself on fire. As UNHCR officials were visiting the detention center, and though he was later, somewhat later flown to Australia for emergency medical care, he did not survive those horrific injuries. Rosemary?
CHURCH: And, Ivan, and the critical thing here is how the Australian government is responding to all of this.
WATSON: That's right. And the immigration minister has come out and while lamenting these terrible cases, he also has started to put the blame for these cases of self-immolation on the activists and the advocates who are very critical of this controversial offshore detention policy. Take a listen to an excerpt of his statement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETER DUTTON, AUSTRALIAN IMMIGRATION MINISTER: It is of grave concern that this person would resort to such an extreme act of self-harm. I previously express my frustration and anger frankly of advocates and others who are in contact with those in original processing centers, and who are encouraging some of those people to behave in a certain way, believing that that pressure exerted on the Australian government will see a change in a policy in relation to a border protection missions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[03:35:11] WATSON: It's important to note, Rosemary, that in addition to the UNHCR, the highest court in Papua New Guinea has also ruled that this offshore detention center on that Island of Mannes in Papua New Guinea is considered unconstitutional and is calling for its closure as well. Rosemary?
CHURCH: All right. Ivan Watson joining us live there from Hong Kong. Many thanks to that.
Well, a Brussels court is expected to deliver a verdict Tuesday on a group of terror suspects. Thirty one Belgian nationals allegedly left Brussels to join terror groups in Syria between 2012 and 2014.
Among them, Najim Laachraoui. He is believed to be one of the suicide bombers who stuck the Brussels airport in March. Prosecutors may ask that his case be transferred to the ongoing investigation into those attacks.
Now Erin McLaughlin is live in Brussels. She joins us now with more on that. Hi there, Erin. So, how is this likely to play out? What verdict is expected here?
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we are expecting a verdict and sentencing shortly here, Rosemary. But it's worth pointing out that Belgium has more foreign fighters per capita than any other country in Europe. And many say that is due in large part to the kind of alleged recruitment network being prosecuted here in Brussels today. Now as you mentioned, some 32 individuals have been indicted. Of those
32, 10 are alleged recruiters, and 22 are alleged foreign fighters, according to court documents. Many of these men are young, born in the late 80s to the early '90s. Many from poor neighborhoods in Brussels such as Molenbeek.
About seven of these individuals are being tried in absentia. There are international arrest warrants out for them. And some believed to be dead, including 25-year-old Najim Laachraoui. Laachraoui is believed to be one of the suicide bombers from the Brussels airport that attack, that tragic attack that happened on March 22nd.
He is believed to be part of this wider network of some 60 individuals that have been invited, call the Zirkani network, named after Khalid Zirkani, who is also being tried, although tried separately due to a prior conviction. Rosemary?
CHURCH: All right. Erin McLaughlin, thank you so much for that. We know you'll continue to follow that. The verdict and the sentence there's. I appreciate it.
Well, five years after U.S. Navy SEALS killed Osama Bin Laden, some people say it did nothing to make America safer.
CNN's Peter Bergen was given unprecedented access to the White House to talk about the mission. He asked the president what it accomplished.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETER BERGEN, CNN'S NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Has killing Bin Laden made us safer?
OBAMA: Yes. But it obviously does not solve the problem of terrorism generally. I think what we can definitively say as a consequence of not only killing Bin Laden, but also going after systematically the leadership infrastructure of Al Qaeda in the Fatah that although you can never say they pose no danger to us, their ability to mount large scale operations was greatly diminished.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And we have a new look inside the president's inner circle as he ordered the mission and prepared to tell the nation Bin Laden was dead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Come on, let's get a good picture.
(OFF-MIKE)
OBAMA: Good night, everyone. Have a good time at the parties, have a good weekend and a good year.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President. [03:40:02] OBAMA: The attack on the American people in our history. Damages of 9/11 are seared into our national memory. Nearly 3,000 citizens were taken from us and indicate a hole in our hearts. On that day, no matter where we came from, we're not to be afraid (Inaudible). We couldn't quickly learn that 9/11...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, excellent.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's great.
OBAMA: Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Extraordinary footage there. We'll take a break here. But still to come, scientists have discovered new planets that could hold the potential for life. More on this earth-like worlds next here on CNN Newsroom.
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CHURCH: Astronomers have discovered three new planets, once again raising speculation about the potential for life outside our solar system. The planets orbit an ultra-cool dwarf star about 40 light years away.
Scientists have determined that the sizes and temperatures are similar to those of Venus and Earth. Two of the planets orbit very close to their host star, meaning they're likely to be uninhabitable because of radiation. And the third outer planet is further away, but it's too soon to tell if it lies in the so-called habitable zone.
Our Pedram Javaheri is here.
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good stuff.
CHURCH: He's here, of course he loves this.
JAVAHERI: Yes.
CHURCH: This is a very cool stuff, isn't it? And so, it's possible but unlikely.
JAVAHERI: Absolutely. It's the age old question, right? Everyone wants to know. Do we have other planets? And you just speak to a lot of astronomers and scientists, and they tell you there's got to be life elsewhere besides it.
CHURCH: Yes.
JAVAHERI: And when you look at logic and you do the number and the math, it really lands itself for life being really vibrant everywhere across the universe.
CHURCH: Yes. [03:45:03] JAVAHERI: So, we'll break down exactly what these mean and what exactly comes down from all of this. Because it is fascinating to the question is there life out there.
You take a look. At the Kepler scientists, NASA scientist, in particular, have estimated that excel planets. Planets that are orbiting another sun other than ours, there is about 50 billion of them just in our Milky Way galaxy alone.
And about 1 percent of them are estimated to be inhabitable. That gives us 500 million excel planets in o ur galaxy alone that would be potentially inhabitable. Now when you go outside of our galaxy, you look at the universe in particular, now scientists are estimating about 100 billion of these planets that are potentially outside of our universe, outside of our galaxy within the universe.
Now if you look at the numbers here, that number right there, that's 50 quintillion, that's 18 zeros following that number. That's how many planets potentially could be habitable across the universe as a whole.
So, again, to kind of answer that question. That's why scientists think yes, more than likely there is life out there, and there is a lot of life out there. But out there is extremely large.
So, that again puts it in perspective just little bit. Now I want to show you what's happening in here. Because speaking of NASA, they released the fascinating study related to weather on Monday. It talks about lightning strike density across our planet.
Fascinating new study about the lightning capital of our world. Now we know the lightning capital in the United States, on the right corner of your screen, Lakeland, Florida. They get about 100 strikes, 100 thunderstorm days every single year. Fort Myers comes in with over 90 thunderstorm days every single year.
To the Western U.S., Portland, Oregon, Seattle, Washington just a handful. Almost a week or so of days per year do they see thunderstorm activity. Now previous to today, the studies has suggested that Central Africa was the lightning capital of the world. The most recent study takes us to northern Venezuela.
And the reason for all of this is fascinating because you go in for a closer look. There are the Andes Mountains, Lake Maracaibo is the lake across this region of northern Venezuela. The mountains, the Andes themselves, as the air comes down slope and sinks right above the very warm waters of this particular lake, you get a prime location, the only location on earth where you have 300 days every single year where thunderstorms are abound.
Remarkable finding. They have done a study here to show this. And again, it is pretty cool to see that there is hot spots around our planet that produce inclement weather, one of which is in are a very remote area across northern Venezuela, 300 days a year with thunderstorms.
CHURCH: Wow. Unbelievable.
JAVAHERI: Tough place to maybe to get some sleep there.
CHURCH: Totally. I want you to stay around.
JAVAHERI: Yes.
CHURCH: Because I want to get your reaction to this next story. A Starbucks customer is suing the coffee chain for $5 million, saying its cold drinks have too much ice. The lawsuit claims Starbucks is deceiving its customers by advertising the size of its cold drink cups rather than the amount of liquid customers actually receive.
A Starbucks rep responded to lawsuit saying customers understand and expect that ice is an essential component of any iced beverage.
JAVAHERI: Yes.
CHURCH: And it is ridiculous, isn't it? What is wrong with a customer saying could you please put less ice in my drink?
JAVAHERI: And you know they would, no problem, right?
CHURCH: Totally.
JAVAHERI: I'm just wondering how many million dollar lawsuits they can get from the half empty bags of chips I've eaten my whole life.
CHURCH: This is the problem. It's going to open up the floodgates.
JAVAHERI: Absolutely.
CHURCH: And everyone is going to stop, if the courts decide.
(CROSSTALK)
JAVAHERI: I have no -- that's a lot of coffee.
CHURCH: OK, we'll let this through.
JAVAHERI: Yes.
CHURCH: We'll see. It's a worry.
All right. Let's take a very quick break here. But still to come, U.S. President Barack Obama has to be one proud papa right now. His elder daughter has made a big decision about her future. We'll explain when we come back.
[03:50:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JAVAHERI: Hi, everyone. As always, thank you for watching CNN. This is Pedram Javaheri with you across the Americas right now, where we're watching one storm system along the eastern seaboard exit.
The picture, another one coming in directly over the Great Lakes region. That will bring us rain showers around portions of Chicago, if your travel plans take you there. Certainly worth noting with some delays potentially in store across that region.
But I think the most active weather in the United States going to be locked in around the Gulf Coast states. Tremendous heat in place. Plenty of southerly flow. Here is where the moisture content is through the roof.
The severe weather threat predominantly are going to be for damaging winds. Some hail. None of these storms are exhibiting any sort of significant rotation. So, tornadoes not a concern on your Tuesday across the area.
Notice in New York City around 14 degrees. The rain showers is going to be mainly in the morning hours across that region. While back to the west, pretty mild very uniform is you ask me for Vancouver out towards Los Angeles.
A one-degree difference in the temperature department. Not too bad whatsoever across that region. But some changes here. That's a storm system trying to come here in around the western U.S. That will bring in plenty of wet weather in the coming couple of days. Always good news here to see rain coming in as we're wrapping up of course the wet season across the western U.S.
So, some snow showers certainly going to be seen across the higher elevation there. Take you to the south around Belize City. Temps into the lower 30s. Managua into the mid-30s. San Juan seen a few showers come in. Twenty degrees is what we're looking at, and thunderstorms, plenty of them across to the south.
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CHURCH: So, this next story falls in the category of no small achievement. A Long Island New York teenager who got national attention for being accepted to all eight Ivy League colleges in the U.S. has decided which one she will attend in September.
Augusta Uwamanzu-Nna broke the suspense Monday, surround by college bound classmates. She unzipped her hoodie and revealed that she will go to Harvard.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AUGUSTA UWAMANZU-NNA, ACCEPTED IN EIGHT IVY SCHOOL: I came in with an open mind. So I didn't really base my decision off of what others have done. I based my decision off of what I saw myself doing at a college. And I saw myself doing great things at Harvard University.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Congratulations. And earlier this year, the young high achiever attended at the White House science fair where she met Harvard Law School alum, President Barack Obama.
And President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama both attended Harvard Law School. Now their elder daughter will follow in their footsteps somewhat. Malia Obama has been accepted to, and has decided to attend Harvard College.
She will begin in the fall of 2017 after taking a year off, a gap year as we call it. And that will make Malia Obama a member of the class of 2021.
So, let's talk more about Malia Obama and the children of presidents with historian Fergus Bordewich. He is also an author of the book "The First Congress." Thank you, sir, for talking with us.
FERGUS BORDEWICH, HISTORIAN & AUTHOR: Well, thank you, Rosemary. Thanks for having me on.
CHURCH: So, Malia Obama will eventually head to Harvard after enjoying a gap year. How has her time under the glare of the media spotlight compared to kids of other U.S. presidents? And how much privacy can she expect to experience going forward?
BORDEWICH: Well, in fact, I think the Obamas have been very successful at sheltering Malia and her sister from the unblinking glare of the media. They made it very clear, the Obamas early in his presidency that undue intrusion on the family wouldn't be tolerated. And on the whole, the media have respected that.
CHURCH: What is Malia likely to do, do you think in her gap year? Which is a different thing for Americans. In Australia and across Europe, a gap year is a common thing. I did it myself. But in America, it's not common.
So, what sort of pressures will there be to do something spectacular during the course of that year before she heads off to Harvard?
[03:55:01] BORDEWICH: Well, gap years are becoming increasingly common in the United States. And Harvard, in fact, in its admission letters encourages students to take a gap year. What will she do during that gap year? It's pretty much anyone's guess, I think.
I'm sure she will try to fly as much under the radar as possible. And I'm sure she will try to live a life as much like that of her peers as possible. The Obamas have not encouraged their children at all to crave the spotlight. And I don't think Malia will either.
CHURCH: And just very quickly, life at Harvard should be pretty cozy for her, shouldn't it? Because there is a lot of kids from leaders around the world. But what can she expect to experience there in terms of privacy specifically?
BORDEWICH: Well, ultimately, not much. But I think as soon as the Obamas leave the presidency, the media is craving to focus on the children will quickly pass. I think that's been true of virtually all other presidential children.
Probably when she arrives on campus, there will be a battery of TV cameras and print reporters waiting there for her. And trailing her to her dormitory room, if they can, watching her lift all her bags up to whatever floor she is living on. And I'm sure it will be a headache and embarrassment for a while. But it will pass.
Bear in mind that there will be another president in the White House by then. And we here in the United States will be preoccupied with that president, and her or his family. And the Obamas will quickly become history, I think.
CHURCH: Right. Well, thank you, sir, for talking with us. Fergus Bordewich, we do appreciate it. Thank you.
BORDEWICH: Well, thank you, Rosemary.
CHURCH: And many thanks to you for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. Have a great day.
[04:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
