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Hala Gorani Tonight
Trump`s Impact On U.S. Relations With Britain; Trump`s Behavior With Women Scrutinized; Clinton: Bill To Help Revitalize Economy; Contractor Apologizes Over Old Trafford Device; Russia`s Considers Fallout From Ukraine`s Eurovision Win; ISIS Destroying Syrian Cultural History; ISIS Terror in Maaloula; Profiling Human Trafficking Victim Norma Bastidas; Facebook CEO to Meet with Conservatives. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired May 16, 2016 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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[15:01:43] HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello. We have that and a lot more coming up this hour. I`m Hala Gorani. We are live at CNN
London, and this is THE WORLD RIGHT NOW.
Donald Trump has fired off another barrage of attacks in his campaign for the U.S. presidency. However, this time he`s aimed them
squarely across the Atlantic. Among his targets, the newly elected muslin mayor of London where we`re broadcasting from this evening.
Trump is challenging Sadiq Khan to an IQ test after Kham slammed the Republican candidate`s views on Islam as ignorant. Listen to how Trump
fired back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, when he won I wished him well. Now I don`t care about him. I mean, it doesn`t make any difference
to me about him. Let`s see how he does. Let`s see if he`s a good mayor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you offended by what he says?
TRUMP: Yes, I am because he doesn`t know me, never met me. He doesn`t know what I`m all about. I think very rude statements and frankly, tell
him I will remember those statements, very nasty statements.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, Sadiq Khan rejected the idea of taking an IQ test. He accused Trump of playing the politics of fear and said his remarks on Islam
play, quote, "straight into extremist hands and make both of our countries less safe."
Khan is not Trump`s only British target. Here`s what the Republican candidate had to say about the prime minister of this country, David
Cameron.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: It looks like we won`t have a very good relationship. Who knows? I hope to have a good relationship with him, but it sounds like he`s not
willing to address the problem either.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would you like David Cameron to withdraw the particular comments that you`re stupid and divisive and wrong.
TRUMP: Number one, I`m not stupid, I can tell that you right now. Just the opposite. Number two, in terms of divisive, I don`t think I`m a
divisive person. I`m a unifier, unlike our president now. I`m a unifier.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, despite his concerns about Cameron, Trump says he will not treat the U.K. differently if it votes to leave the European Union. Prime
Minister David Cameron may be changing his tune slightly.
He now says he would consider a phone call with the Republican candidate. That`s not exactly a declaration of love, but it`s something,
and saying that he`s committed to maintaining the special relationship.
We are now joined by Jeffrey Lord. He is a Trump supporter. We`re hoping to get in touch with Kwasi Kwarteng, he is a conservative British
MP, and he`s here to discuss what Donald Trump has been saying, calling his views objectionable in the past.
Jeffrey Lord, we only have you right now. Hopefully we`ll get in touch with Novak in just a moment. Let`s talk about some of the
statements.
Donald Trump is essentially issuing some sort of threat, saying, well, I`m not going to have a great relationship with the prime minister if
I`m elected.
Is this something a Republican presidential candidate should be saying at this stage? All right. Jeffrey Lord, can you hear me?
JEFFREY LORD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I can now, yes.
GORANI: All right, let`s talk a little bit about one of the things that Donald Trump told our colleagues at ITV about David Cameron saying, look,
you know, some of the things he said about me. I`m not stupid, you know. I might not have a great relationship with him if indeed I`m elected. Is
this the type of thing that you believe a presidential candidate should be saying at this stage?
LORD: Actually I think of it in reverse. I`m trying to figure out for the life of me why a British prime minister would jump into the middle of an
American presidential election no matter who the candidate is.
As I may have remarked on another occasion we had this discussion about British interference in American domestic affairs and I think it was
called the American revolution, which didn`t go well --
GORANI: Yes.
LORD: So -- for the other side here, so I would just respectfully suggest that`s not really a good place for a British prime minister to be.
GORANI: All right. But what about challenging the mayor of London to an IQ test? I mean, does that not sound -- I guess, I mean, for lack of a
better word --
LORD: I think he wished the mayor of London well and then the mayor of London took a shot at him.
GORANI: Yes, but then he challenged him to an IQ test. Is that for lack of a better word childish?
LORD: Again, I`m not sure why the mayor of London feels the need to jump into the middle of American presidential politics.
[15:05:00]GORANI: He did because Donald Trump said that he would in fact following his muslin ban proposal make an exception for the muslin mayor of
London and I believe the Muslim mayor of London said I don`t need any permission from Donald Trump.
LORD: This is an issue about immigration into America and getting the immigration system fixed. That`s all it is. It`s about a temporary ban.
GORANI: What does that have to do with Muslims? He was saying it was related to the security of the country?
LORD: San Bernardino, where Muslim immigrants came into this country and committed mass murder. The immigration system is not doing its job. All
he`s suggesting here is that we stop the system until we understand what`s going on, fix it and then start it up again.
GORANI: All right. But the -- well, San Bernardino, the main shooter was a U.S. citizen, was he not?
LORD: Well, his wife was not and she was very much part of the plot and very much participant in it and the American government didn`t even check
her social media when she came in which revealed that she wanted to come here to commit jihad. That`s --
GORANI: I guess, internationally people are unclear how that muslin ban would even work and are also puzzled that now Donald Trump is saying it was
only, quote, "a suggestion." So what is it, a policy proposal or just an idea off the cuff?
LORD: Any campaign statement by a non-government official is a suggestion. You know, until your hand goes up on the bible and you`re the actual
president of the United States --
GORANI: So we shouldn`t take what he says seriously. We should assume it`s a temporary suggestion that could in fact sort of not fold depending
on which way the wind is blowing.
LORD: No, no, no. He`s very clear on wanting to fix both the illegal immigration situation in America and the immigration system that we have
that`s clearly not working. You can`t have people come into America who are coming in here with a specific design to commit mass murder.
GORANI: All right.
LORD: I mean, no country should --
GORANI: All right, putting blanket ban on all Muslims some would view that as rather extreme. Kwasi Kwarteng is a conservative member of parliament
here in London and I think we have him now on the line.
Mr. Kwasi Kwarteng, I don`t know if you had an opportunity to hear some of what we were discussing with Jeffrey Lord, who supports Donald
Trump`s campaign, but talk to me about your reaction to what he said about Sadiq Khan.
That he initially congratulated him, but now he`s challenging him to an IQ test and doesn`t believe, you know, what he said is something that in
his opinion makes sense, that he`s been taking shots at him. What`s your reaction to this?
KWASI KWARTENG, CONSERVATIVE BRITISH MP: I think this is perhaps a misunderstanding. Sadiq Khan did make some strong remarks about Donald
Trump, and from what I`ve seen of Mr. Trump`s campaign he can hit back in his customary way. It`s very forceful. It grabs attentions.
He used the IQ test which I think he first of all asked Governor Perry of Texas to do, an IQ test, so I think there`s a lot of, you know, to
and fro, but I don`t think this is a serious argument. I think Sadiq Khan --
GORANI: You don`t think this threatens the special relationship if Donald Trump is elected president of the United States? Do you think it will
remain intact?
KWARTENG: Look, my experience with politicians is that they can be very flexible and I imagine that if Donald Trump is elected president, the
relationship between Britain and the United States will be able to continue it is a has done in the past. There are ambassadors.
We have our foreign office. You have your State Department. None of these things are going to go away, and I accept that Trump is a very
unconventional and unusual candidate, but I don`t think that the special relationship which has been built up over many decades will necessarily be
affected by his being elected president.
GORANI: And I would -- go ahead, Jeffrey.
LORD: I read parts of Mr. Kwarteng`s book on Margaret Thatcher and I think he knows exactly what he`s talking about here.
KWARTENG: That`s very kind of you.
GORANI: I`m glad you`re both agreeing on this. Let me ask you something, Jeffrey, because I think it`s really difficult to underestimate the kind of
really reaction of shock from many people around the world when a presidential candidate comes to a podium and says I, Donald J. Trump, call
for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.
People were petrified at that idea. That it conjured up moments of very dark moments in history. Is it your belief that Donald Trump is going
to backtrack from that?
LORD: You know, I think that`s hysteria. The statement was given in the wake of the San Bernardino shootings, and, again, I would say, I mean,
other countries that want to tolerate mass murder from people who are coming into their country in a broken immigration system, that`s their
business, but it`s not the view of the United States of America.
We need to fix this system and get it back to where it should be and everybody can come in who meets the legal qualifications. There`s nothing
wrong with a country fixing its immigration system.
GORANI: Kwasi Kwarteng, do you believe this just makes Donald Trump, quote, "unconventional" as you called him?
[15:10:08]KWARTENG: Yes, I mean, look, the muslin ban was particularly outrageous to people outside the United States. I think it was a novel
concept. Now, he has his own reasons. I mean, I`m an elected politician in Britain, and I respect the Democratic process in the United States.
He`s just won a nomination battle, a hard fought nomination battle, and, you know, his methods, he can justify to his own electors. I accept
it was a pretty outrageous thing for him to say, to bring about the Muslim ban. I think it`s also unenforceable, but that`s a matter for him and for
his Republican electors.
GORANI: All right, Kwasi Kwarteng, a conservative MP here in Britain, and Jeffrey Lord, a supporter of Donald Trump, thanks very much for both of you
for joining us.
LORD: Thank you, Hala.
GORANI: For that interesting conversation. We reached out to Sadiq Khan to be part of this conversation and his office declined to join us on this
particular topic saying essentially they said what they had to say about it.
As we know, Donald Trump is no stranger to controversy. We`ve been discussing that a lot including on the home front, and now his campaign is
depending off allegations that he has a history of inappropriate behavior with women.
Here`s CNN`s Phil Mattingly with that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: In politics and in life ignorance is not a virtue.
PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Donald Trump facing a not so subtle critique on Sunday from the man he`s campaigning to replace.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: It`s not cool to not know what you`re talking about. That`s not keeping it real or telling it like it is. That`s just not
knowing what you`re talking about.
MATTINGLY: The presumptive Republican nominee coming under fire amid new allegations of inappropriate behavior with women, dozens of women revealing
to the "New York Times" accounts of, quote, "unwelcome romantic advances, unending commentary on the female form and unsettling workplace conduct."
TRUMP: Nobody has more respect for women than do I.
MATTINGLY: A defensive Trump lashing out on Twitter, slamming the report as a lame hit piece, dishonest and a witch-hunt. Trump`s allies offering a
defense.
JEFF SESSIONS, U.S. SENATE REPUBLICAN: People have not expected purity on his part. What they are concerned about, they are deeply concerned about
is this somebody strong enough to take on Washington?
MATTINGLY: RNC Chairman Reince Priebus acknowledging it`s an issue he`ll have to confront, but won`t change the voters` decision.
REINCE PRIEBUS, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: These are things that he`s going to have to answer for. All these stories that come out and
they come out every couple weeks, but people just don`t care.
MATTINGLY: Trump also denying reports that he used to pose as his own publicist in the `80s and `90s under the names John Miller or John Barron.
"JOHN MILLER" (via telephone): Somebody that has a lot of options and frankly, he gets called by everybody. He gets called by everybody in the
book, in terms of women.
MATTINGLY: Despite previously admitting using both pseudonyms.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST, "THE LEAD": Is the campaign seriously claiming that that isn`t Mr. Trump?
PAUL MANAFORT, TRUMP CAMPAIGN CONVENTION MANAGER: I could barely understand it. I couldn`t tell who it is. Donald Trump says it`s not him.
I believe it`s not him.
MATTINGLY: Trump`s latest controversies amid continued efforts within the GOP to mount a third-party candidate to derail him. Nebraska Senator Ben
Sasse and Mark Cuban both declining the job.
PRIEBUS: They can try to hijack another party and get on the ballot, but, look, it`s a suicide mission for our country.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MATTINGLY: A third-party candidate aside, Donald Trump`s focus really for the last 24 hours has been all on that "New York Times" story. He is
attacking the story saying that it`s false, saying that it`s been shown to be fraudulent and got some backup to that point on Monday morning.
One of the central players in that story came out and said that the "New York Times" basically spun her words, took it in a narrative in a
direction that she didn`t plan on taking, saying, she supported Donald Trump and had nothing but good things to say about their relationship with
one another.
Now as you can expect, Donald Trump seizing on this saying that this more or less undercuts the entire story calling the story, quote, "a
fraud." There`s no surprise in the fact that Donald Trump`s numbers over the last couple of months have continue to grow worse with women amongst
the general electorate.
It`s an area where Hillary Clinton and her campaign plan to attack Trump campaign relentlessly in the weeks and months ahead. Donald Trump
recognizes that when it comes to women he needs to attack any narrative that shows that it could be a negative for him. If not, it will be
severely problematic in the general election. Back to you.
GORANI: All right. Thanks very much. On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton has forged a strong lead in the delegate count, but it`s still
having to contend with challenger Bernie Sanders. She`s unveiling an unexpected card in her political deck.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My husband who I`m going to put in charge of revitalizing the economy because, you know, he knows now
do it, and especially in places like coal country and inner cities and other parts of our country that have really been left out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[15:15:11]GORANI: Well, the U.S. economy boomed during Bill Clinton`s administration. Still Hillary Clinton has worked hard to forge her own
identity.
Now, as a politician and candidate, let`s get more on that surprise announcement hand how it`s likely to play out with voters, let`s bring in
CNN`s Joe Johns.
So was this a surprise? It`s an interesting strategy going back to sort of vintage Bill Clinton in the `90s when people felt like the economy
was doing a lot better. Will it serve her well?
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Hala, it wasn`t really that much of a surprise. I think Hillary Clinton has said that Bill
Clinton`s creativity would be useful especially when it comes to things as you saw in that sound bite the coal industry.
She didn`t mention the sound bite manufacturing, but she said that before. This plays very well in a state like Kentucky, which is a coal-
producing state. It is holding its primary election tomorrow so that`s important.
And on top of that Bill Clinton is very popular in Appalachian states like Kentucky so not the first time that Hillary Clinton has
suggested she would put her husband in charge of the economy if she becomes president.
Though, it is not clear what role she is envisioning for him. In fact, the campaign said today it would be getting ahead of itself to talk
about any formalize role for anyone in her administration should she be elected.
But that`s spokesman, Nick Marrow (ph), said the former president has a lot to offer. It would be foolish not to use him in some capacity.
And Hala, I think you hit the nail on the head. The reason why this is a marketable argument is because the economy did boom during the last
part of Bill Clinton`s administration.
Enormous job creation, some of that attributed to White House policies, but it also had to do with the growth of the internet. We can`t
forget that, and the internet stock bubble that really got going back in those days -- Hala.
GORANI: Right. Well, people remember that decade fondly, I guess, mainly, as you mentioned, because of the job creation. Let`s talk a little bit
about potential vice presidential picks for Hillary Clinton because she`s got a lot to think about. She needs to pick maybe someone younger because
she will be on the older side if she gets elected. She needs to think of swing states. What are some of the names out there?
JOHNS: Well, I think one of the names that we`ve heard before obviously is Julian Castro. This is a member of the current administration and is a
good possible choice if only because he is Latino. He`s a well-versed in many of the administration`s positions now and going forward might be able
to help her as well in -- in the November election.
I think Elizabeth Warren`s name has come up as well. That would be an interesting pick. She is a -- a voice in this country for reform and
also sort of a voice of the people.
Her relationship to government goes all the way back to the -- the TARP days when this administration was trying to figure out how it was
going to bail out Wall Street and bail out the banks, bail out even the insurance industry.
Elizabeth Warren, who is now a senator from Massachusetts was one of the individuals who was really pushing hard for reform in those areas so
those are a couple of names and I`m sure there are many others.
GORANI: She`s had her own -- she`s had her own Twitter spat with Donald Trump so right there amongst some Hillary Clinton supporters, that is --
that is earning her some points. Thanks very much, Joe Johns in Washington.
Still to come tonight, a suspicious package, a stadium evacuation and now a red-faced apology. We`ll have the latest from Manchester after
some chaotic scenes there yesterday.
And more on the fallout after a controversial win for Ukraine at the Eurovision song contest. We`ll have the reaction from Moscow. They are
saying this is all an orchestrated plan to demonize Russia. We`ll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:21:11]
GORANI: A new development to bring you on the fight against ISIS in North Africa. Libya could soon be getting more help, dozens of top diplomats
including the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry say they support some exemptions to the current U.N. arms embargo there.
The weapons would go to Libya`s new government. The country is also asking for help to train its troops and later in the program, we`ll have
more on what`s happening on the fight against the terrorist group inside of Syria.
But, now, back to the U.K., it has been called a fiasco. It`s been called outrageous and unacceptable. Just some of the ways Manchester`s
police commissioner described the situation at Manchester United`s Old Trafford Stadium on Sunday.
Just to walk you back a little bit and talk you through what happened. The suspicious device prompted the stadium to be evacuated and a
crucial game was cancelled. Here`s the thing. It turned out to be a training device, which was left at the stadium by mistake.
The managing director of the contractor involved has now apologized saying that the mistake is entirely his. The police commissioner has
called for an inquiry into what happened.
Let`s go to the stadium now and CNN`s Christina Macfarlane is there. So there was an apology from this security company, and the head of the
security company is saying my bad, I left that backpack in the wash room, correct?
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely correct, Hala. We`ve been waiting all day for someone to put their hand up and apologize for
this unprecedented blunder and in the past hour, the owner of that private firm who was contracted by Manchester United four days before the match
took place to conduct a training drill, he was the one that left that device in the stadium by accident.
He`s spoken out. He said he is massively embarrassed. His professional pride injured. He`s apologize and he said he`s glad that no
one got hurt, but that this is an error that will live with him for a very long time.
I think it`s safe to say that he may not be back in business anytime soon and the reason being this was an enormously costly blunder.
To Manchester United alone it`s said to have cost them something in the region of $4.3 million for the events that happened yesterday and for
the rescheduling of the match that`s going to take place tomorrow at 8 p.m.
And that`s not when you consider the additional cost of the city cost, the cost of calling out the police, the bomb disposal teams and the
sniffer dogs and the question as to who foots that bill for the moment still remains unanswered.
GORANI: Christina, the mayor of Manchester must be among those who are absolutely furious that this happened. You were able to speak to him.
What did he say?
MACFARLANE: That`s right, Hala. He was furious when I spoke to him this morning. He called it an unacceptable incompetence. He said that they
would be launching their own independent investigation into this and that this was a situation that everyone involved needed to learn for. Here`s
what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY LLOYD, GREATER MANCHESTER POLICE COMMISSIONER AND MAYOR: There is a gap in the security, and that gap has now got to be recognized. That gap
has now got to be filled to make sure that -- that in the event of somebody trying to place a device that that will be discovered.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: The irony of this situation, Hala, is that the Club Manchester United did release a statement a short while ago and in that they said that
the device was unable to be tracked down because it was a fake. It didn`t contain explosives and the sniffer dogs were not able to pick it up.
Now in a real situation they are saying that would have been detected far sooner than half an hour before the match so I guess the
silver lining in all of this is had this been a dangerous situation we may not have got to the stage that we saw yesterday.
And that the security teams here are on the ground actually responded very efficiently and professionally so that has been some comfort
to those at Manchester United today.
[15:25:01]GORANI: Right, and they evacuated the stadium quickly so at least that went according to plan. Christina Macfarlane in Manchester,
thanks very much.
Let`s stay in England and you`ll remember a few weeks ago, we told you about Leicester City`s fairy tale title triumph. Well, their
supporters have taken to the streets for an official celebration finally, thousands and thousands of them.
The victorious team made its way through the city on open top buses. Thousands of other fans made their way to a park where the celebrations
continued and if you`ll remember and for many of you who have followed this very closely, it is Leicester City`s first title in their 132-year history
so they have partied like it doesn`t happen more often than that.
Now to the fallout from the Eurovision song contest, Ukrainian singer, Jamala won with a song called "1944." Now it`s about the
deportation of an ethnic group from Crimea during the Second World War and it`s a story of her grandmother that have impact she said.
Now Moscow saw this song as anti-Russian and as a critique of Russia`s annexation of Crimea two years ago. It comes amid allegations of
Russian doping at its own Olympics in 2014 so the view from Moscow, here`s Matthew Chance with that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was meant to be a spectacular turning point, an international event which
Russia could redeem its battered reputation.
But this carefully choreographed Eurovision performance from one of Russia`s biggest top stars didn`t make the cut. Even worse it was beaten
to victory by Ukraine with an overtly politically song seen as critical of the kremlin. Disappointed Russians are calling foul.
(on camera): Do you think it was a political decision?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
CHANCE: Why? Why do you think that? Maybe his song wasn`t good enough?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I always think that Eurovision is a political contest but not -- not music.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): They think they didn`t judge the vocals. They simply closed their eyes to Russia`s performance which
definitely stood out. To get zero points from some European countries whose public liked it is something weird.
CHANCE: (Inaudible) they reflected and even encouraged on the Russian state television with the country`s top news anchor dubbed by the western
media as its propaganda-in-chief noting that Russia`s entry won the popular vote losing on the official count.
The results of Eurovision is purely political, Dmitry s Kisilov (ph) said, reflecting the current situation in the European Union. The
bureaucracy is heading one way, he adds, while the people are heading the other.
(on camera): In the past few years Russia has found itself increasingly at odds with Europe and the west over a ring of issues like
the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the subsequent war in Eastern Ukraine.
The suppression of gay rights here in Russia and, of course, the war in Syria in which Russia has intervened. The resulting strains are often
characterized here as anti-Russian propaganda and met with efforts to boost Russia`s vision abroad.
(voice-over): But Eurovision isn`t the first time Russian hopes in wowing the world in the international arena has turned sour. The expensive
Sochi Olympics in 2014 were meant to showcase Russia`s sporting prowess and allegations of mass doping have simply tarnished Russia`s image even more.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let me speak from my heart.
CHANCE: Forcing the country`s sports minister to plead for forgiveness and to allow Russia to compete at the upcoming Rio games. Russia is very sorry
and ashamed of athletes who were not caught by anti-doping systems was written in the "Sunday Times" newspaper.
Doping is a global problem, he continued, not just a Russian problem. But Russia`s problem is much more serious and negative image,
which even a pitch perfect techno ballad couldn`t overcome. Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Up next, we turn to Syria, some Christians there are coming under serious threat. We have a report from inside the country.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Look at our top stories, Donald Trump has challenged the mayor of London to an IQ test after Sadiq Kha
n slammed the Republican candidate`s ignorance of Islam. Khan rejected the idea of taking the test, and he accused Trump of playing the politics of
fear. The fight was initially sparked by Trump`s proposed ban on Muslims.
The Irish singer, Sinead O`Connor, has been found safe. That`s according to authorities in a Chicago suburb. A caller alerted police for the
singer`s disappearance, after she hadn`t returned from an early morning bike ride Sunday. O`Connor has long-struggled with issues of personal and
psychological issues.
The director of a security contractor has apologized after a training device was left in Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester. Now you will
remember it prompted thousands of football fans to be evacuated in a crucial league game, to be rescheduled.
And staying in England, Leicester City is celebrating its (INAUDIBLE) Premiere League Title. Thousands of fans took to the street. They made
their way through the city on an open-top bus, and this was the team`s first title in 132 years.
Tonight, fighting ISIS inside Syria on the eve of talks to try to shore up the country`s shaky ceasefire.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
On the ground, 27 ISIS fighter, have been killed north of Aleppo, according to Turkish media, who say Sunday`s battle between Turkish and Coalition
forces and so-called Islamic State, raged, not far, from Syria`s biggest city. From guns on the ground to diplomats around the table, it`s all
about the fragile truce, especially when you have Secretary of State John Kerry sits down Tuesday in Vienna, with his Russian counterpart and others.
Ahead of that, Kerry made his hopes clear when he joined King Salman in the Saudi capital Jeddah on Sunday. There they are, shaking hands. He says he
wants to strengthen the cessation of hostilities agreement between Syrian government forces and rebels.
But on the ground, as we`ve been reporting for many weeks, that has not been the case. Now if you`re Christian in Syria, fear is a constant
companion. Just because Jihadi groups have vowed to oust Christians from the country.
Churches have been burned in the historic Christian Center of Maaloula where Aramaic, the language of Jesus, is still spoken. Senior
International Correspondent, Fred Pleitgen, reports from Syria.
FRED PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Hala, you know Maaloula is one of the most ancient Christian towns here in Syria, which,
of course, is home to one of the oldest Christian communities in the world. And the Christians here, in Syria, believe that they are an integral part
of this region. Of course, specifically, of the Syrian nation, but at the same time, many are worried about their future here in this country.
Jesus loves you no matter how you feel, these children sing, at a religion class in Maaloula, Syria`s most famous Christian town, which was occupied
by Islamists militants for six months. Several townspeople are still missing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
Gabriella (ph), CHILD IN MAALOULA (through translator): I want things to be better like they were before - and for the kidnapped people to come
back, 7-year-old Gabriella says.
PLEITGEN: Similar words from 8-year-old, Bella Amun (ph).
BELLA AMUN (ph), CHILD IN MAALOULA (through translator): I want Maaloula to better and more beautiful than it used to be, she says.
PLEITGEN: Shocking. Their reaction when I ask how many of them have had to flee their homes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
Islamists rebels led by al-Qaeda wing in Syria, Jabhat Al Nusra, invaded Maaloula in late 2013. This video, by one of the groups` allegedly shows a
suicide blast that took out the checkpoint to the village. The rebels kidnapped 12 nuns from a convent. It took more than six months of intense
battles to oust them.
But scars remain. This is the St. Thekla convent enshrined, or what`s left of it. A warning to Syria`s Christian community.
While some buildings here in Maaloula have been restored, others remain exactly like this, completely destroyed and mostly burned out. And, of
course, many people who lived in this town ask themselves, whether Christianity still has a future here in Syria.
PLEITGEN: Syria is home to one of the oldest Christian communities in the world. Maaloula is the last place where the Aramaic that Jesus spoke, is
still in use. But groups like ISIS have vowed to oust the Christian from this land.
This member of Maaloula city council shows me just some of the priceless icons that were damaged or looted, especially the most ancient ones.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, RESIDENT OF MAALOULA: They stole it, and then they fire the other. The new one (ph), they fired it.
PLEITGEN: They burned it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They burned it.
PLEITGEN: As we left Maaloula, a Christian was playing on the loudspeaker system in the entire town, a sign of defiance from a Christian community
that hopes the children, learning about their long heritage in Syria, will have a future in the land of their ancestors.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: So, as you can see, Hala, a lot of pride and defiance there among the Christians in that town of Maaloula, but at the same time, of
course, they are also very concerned. You look at groups like ISIS, for instance, who have made very clear that, to them, the Christians here in
Syria essentially have three options.
They can either convert to Islam, they can leave Syria or they can be killed. And, of course, while the Christians here say that they want to
remain in Syria, at the same time, it is something that has many of them very, very worried, Hala.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Fred Pleitgen, thank you. ISIS has released pictures out of neighboring Iraq reportedly showing the destruction of ruin at the ancient
site of Nineveh, near Mosul. While Nineveh`s history reaches back thousands of years, CNN can`t confirm the authenticity of these photos or
exactly where they were taken, but indeed, it does appear as though some of these priceless and ancient buildings have been bulldozed.
Let`s stay in the region and head next to one of the holiest Christian sites in the world.
For decades, no-one could visit the place where Jesus was believed to be baptized because of landmines. Oren Liebermann reports.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN ANCHOR: The signs around us warn of danger in three languages. Here, only the road is safe. Beyond the barbed wire, nearly
5,000 explosive mines, covering one square kilometer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In this particular area, we`re not looking to find an (INAUDIBLE) landmine.
LIEBERMANN: And you can see an anti-tank mine right now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sure. There is the first line - is right here - like 30 meters from the place we were standing.
LIEBERMANN: This minefield in the West Bank, restricts access to one of Christianity`s holiest sites, recognized as the biblical site of the
baptism of Jesus. Pilgrims from all over the world bathe in the waters of this holy site on the Jordan River. And a modern tourist center opened in
2011, but seven Christian churches at this site, all different denominations, have been closed for a half a century.
One idea of how many landmines there are in certain spots here, see that dark ball right there? That`s an anti-personnel mine, and this entire
field is full of them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LIEBERMANN: During the six-day war in 1967, the Israeli and Jordanian armies laid mines here. Churches were booby-trapped, an unexploded
ordinance could still be anywhere. The churches have been off-limits ever since.
JAMES COWAN (ph) (through translator): And if we didn`t do it, these mines would stay here forever. I speak with James Cowan (ph) outside the
Romanian Orthodox Church. He is the CEO of Halo, the world`s largest humanitarian mine-clearing organization.
HALO has just gotten permission to clear the minefield with the approval of both the Israelis and Palestinians.
LIEBERMANN: Forty or fifty years later, these mines are still dangerous?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely. And they would still be dangerous 100 years from now if we didn`t clear them.
LIEBERMANN: In Syria and in Iraq, ISIS has leveled ancient holy sites, bulldozing history and destroying precious artifacts. Here, the goal is to
do the reverse, clearing the mind field will preserve these holy sites. Pilgrims and tourists can visit once again. And this area can heal from
the scars of battle.
Oren Liebermann, CNN, the Holy Land.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, 100 years ago today, out of the ruins of the Ottoman Empire, the borders of the modern day Middle East were drawn. Critics of what`s
known as the Sykes-Picot Agreement say it spawned a century of problems and tensions in the region. We tell you about those tensions every night on
this show. Now, ISIS militants want to change that map completely and erase those borders.
Atika Shubert reports.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In this video, ISIS militants appear to demolish a border post, on the Syria-Iraq border. Posted on tube, CNN
cannot independently verify its authenticity, but this is exactly what ISIS has threatened to do, dismantle the borders of the Middle East and redraw
the map they see as imposed by colonial powers. All to become one Islamic caliphate.
This is the original map drawn up by British and French diplomats in 1916 in the middle of WWI, and it literally divides up the spoils over
(INAUDIBLE). Part A, will be taken over by the French. That part is what we now known, today, as Syria. B, would be British territory. A large
chunk of that is Iraq.
Before you think that this is ancient history, consider that this map became the basis of the modern Middle East, and ISIS has specifically said,
that they want to destroy the political boundaries that came about as a result of this map.
Starting with the Syria-Iraq border. By controlling the roads in major towns, ISIS now controls an area as large as a country, stretching right
over that border. And judging by the maps that ISIS puts out as propaganda, it aims for much more.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, that was Atika Shubert reporting now on May 16, 1916. Now we know, with the benefit of hindsight, that it was pretty much two and a
half years or so before the end of WWI. But at the height of the world war, Mark Sykes, the British diplomat and Francois George Picot, were
appointed by their government to secretly carve up the lands of the Ottoman Empire, which it entered the war on the side of Germany.
The Ottomans were defeated in 1918, and the lines were changed according to the fortunes of the war. Because these lines were so crude and it looks,
as you can see, in some cases, as though they were drawn a ruler. Critics charge that the carve-up that followed is responsible for many of the
issues, the tensions and the turbulence that we`ve seen over the last 100 years, as some of these lines cut across tribal and ethnic lines with
little to no regard for the people who actually live there.
And also, this was a broken promise to a major Arab leader, at the time, to reattribute some of these lands back to Ottoman-Arab control.
Now don`t forget, you can get all the latest news, interviews and analyses from our Facebook page, facebook.com/HalaGoranicnn.
This is the WORLD RIGHT NOW. Still ahead, from trafficking victim to elite athlete. Meet the woman who turned her dark past into an incredible act of
endurance. You won`t want to miss her story. Plus, Facebook is accused of being biased against conservative issues. How it is responding to those
claims, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: She was a young woman who thought she was about to realize a dream. Instead, she became someone`s property. And even after Norma
Bastidas regain freedom, she struggled to deal with the trauma. Her coping strategy eventually became a record-breaking skill. Kyung Lah has
Bastidas` story.
KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The miles don`t matter to Norma Bastidas. They gather and pool like the rain she pushes through and the tears she
often sheds.
NORMA BASTIDAS, ENDURANCE ATHLETE, FORMER VICTIM OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING: I have been an endurance athlete and breaking records, but you know, there
was a part of me that not a lot of people knew, that I am a survivor of sexual violence and human trafficking.
LAH: Born to a desperately poor family in Mexico, Norma`s father died when she was 11. So when a friend told her about a modeling job in Japan, she
says she saw it as her "Big break," in a lifetime of dark clouds.
BASTIDAS: I remember my mother saying, "I`m afraid, but I can`t stop you because this is the only chance," you know. I really desperately wanted it
to be true.
LAH: It wasn`t. Bastidas said the agency delivered to a member`s club, who told her she must repay all the money it took to bring her to Japan as
an escort.
BASTIDAS: You cannot go to the police, and I cannot go home until I pay my debt.
LAH: And that left her, she says, vulnerable to all kinds of abuse.
BASTIDAS: I was drugged on my home from and to the club, dragged and beaten. Nobody wanted to help me because I had been a bar girl, so I had
no value.
LAH: After several years, Bastidas managed to pay off her debts and leave. She later married, moved to Canada and had two children. For years,
Bastida said she numbed the pain by drinking, but she realized if she was going to do more than just survive with her children, she would need to
thrive.
BASTIDAS: So I started running because I didn`t want them to hear me crying at night.
LAH: Six months later, to everyone`s astonishment, Bastidas qualified for one of the world`s most prestigious race events, the Boston Marathon.
BASTIDAS: I just became an incredible runner because of the incredible amount of stress that I had to manage.
LAH: Then she had her big idea. She would break the world record for the longest triathlon in history, and she would do it to send a message.
BASTIDAS: I designed the triathlon to follow human trafficking smuggling route.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They didn`t quite get it and then I was showing them all those clips.
LAH: Brad Riley of the I Empathize soon joined Norma`s team. He organized the permits and coordinated operations for the record-breaking attempt. He
also documented her journey in a film called, "Be Relentless."
BASTIDAS: I wanted to look like Angelina Jolie, but I think I look more like Mitt Romney on the wrestler. The salt water is eating my gums, too,
they`ve had - you know, (INAUDIBLE) out of my mouth. It was very painful. That was probably one of the most painful things I`ve ever done.
LAH: The journey took 64 days. All told, Bastidas racked up 3,762 miles, shattering the previous Guinness World Record. Along the way, there were
roadside accidents, malfunctioning GPS`s and constant inclement weather, but for Bastidas, this was a test that had little to do with punishing
waves or pounding the pavement.
BASTIDAS: As an athlete, I will celebrate it because I break world records. But as a survivor as human trafficking, I was shamed by living
large, by being as big as I can be, I`ve empowered every single victim. I run the last two miles with a survivors of human trafficking. The healing
comes from seeing them, from seeing every single one of those young girls being unbroken.
I just want them to be proud of me. I want to do them proud.
LAH: And for every step she takes, every mile she takes off, Norma Bastidas is proving that somebody once trapped in a nightmare, can now live
out her dreams.
Kyung Lah, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Police in the capitol of Bangladesh have made an arrest after last month`s horrific machete attack, the killing of two activists. One victim
was the editor of the country first LGBT magazine. The suspect is a member of al-Qaeda linked group that`s claimed another spate of similar attacks in
the past year.
CNN`s Alexandra Field has more.
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: After weeks of searching for suspects connected to the hacking death of two LGBT activists, Tanay Mojumdar and
Xulhaz Mannan. Police in Bangladesh say they`ve made one arrest.
Shariful Islam Shihab, a 37-year-old who, they say, is connected to what they describe as, "A homegrown Islamist militant group called, Ansarullah
Bangla. Terrorism experts in the region whom we`ve spoken to, say that, Ansarullah Bangla does have ties to al-Qaeda. In the aftermath of this
double hacking murder, the Bangladeshi chapter of al-Qaeda publicly claimed responsibility for the killings online.
Police say that five or six men were involved in the slaughter of Tanay Mojumdar and Xulhaz Mannan. They say that the group men posed as couriers
and then burst into an apartment building in Dhaka, Bangladesh`s capitol.
At the time of the killings, Xulhaz Mannan`s mother and a maid were inside the building. Police say that the weapons used included knives and
machetes, but they say that firearms were also let on the scene, and those were key pieces of evidence in this arrest.
Two guns were picked up, and authorities say that one of those guns was traced back to the suspect in the case, Shahib. Police can now hold Shihab
for up to three days for further interrogation. They hope that he could be the key to finding other suspects in this double murder, as well as, the
spate of machete murders that we`ve seen unfold across Bangladesh in the last year, and even as far back as 2013.
The victims in these cases have included secular bloggers, atheist`s bloggers, religious minorities, the LGBT activists and even academics.
Police are now hopeful that this arrest could lead to some further information.
In Hong Kong, Alexandra Field, CNN.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Coming up, Facebook`s founder is reacting to claims that his site is biased, and Donald Trump is sending one of his top men to help him out.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: A senior political advisor to American presidential hopeful, Donald Trump, will join other prominent conservatives at Facebook`s
headquarters this week. The meeting, convened by Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, is a reaction to recent allegations of anti-conservative bias
at the social media company.
CNN`s Money Brian Stelter, joins me now live from New York with more.
GORANI: What is the point of this meeting, exactly, Brian?
BRIAN STELTER, CNN MONEY CORRESPONDENT: To try to reduce concerns about the suggestion of anti-conservative bias at Facebook. And I think, also,
to try to get some prominent conservatives on Facebook`s side. You know, this controversy started a week ago, and Gizmodo published the story,
putting anonymous former employees, who said that the trending topic box sometimes suppressed conservative news stories.
Stories about the Republican politicians in the U.S. and stories that were of interest to conservative readers. Now Facebook`s investigating, says
it`s found no evidence this is true, but the company knows it has a perception problem here, probably a pretty big perception problem, so
that`s why it`s inviting Glen Beck, Dana Perino of FOX News, S.E. Cupp of CNN, and others including Barry Bennett who`s the senior advisor for the
Trump campaign.
GORANI: And is there any concrete proof that Facebook actually suppressed conservative news stories in its feeds?
STELTER: Well that`s the thing. That`s probably the most important thing of all. There isn`t any evidence beyond what these anonymous former
contractors have said to Gizmodo. In fact, there`s some contrary evidence, as well, other former staffers say, "No, it`s not true."
But it does feed into an ongoing narrative that S.E. Cupp and others would describe which is that, conservatives feel like social networking sites
have tried to stamp out or discourage or downplay some conservative news organizations, some conservative websites.
We heard from a variety of these sites that feel like they don`t get a fair shake from social media companies. Now, some others, some liberals and
others say they`re just playing the victim, but there is a real narrative here that Facebook wants to address, and the fact that it`s going all the
way to the top, to CEO Mark Zuckerberg, shows how serious the company is taking it.
GORANI: And, also, the other thing that`s important, too, is so many young people actually get their news not from news organizations, but from what
pops up on their Facebook feed.
STELTER: Yes, ultimately, you could call Facebook the most powerful name in news and not because they`re producing any news on their own, they`re
not, right, that`s what CNN and the BBC and the Associate Press and others do.
But because they distribute so much news from us and every other outlet, too so many hundreds of millions of people, Facebook has a tremendous
amount of power, (INAUDIBLE), a scary amount of power. They talked to academics and journalism professors. They would say we`ve never seen this
kind of concentration of power before and, as a result, there`s a lot of curiosity about how it works and, frankly, more transparency would be a
very good thing from Facebook.
GORANI: All right. Well, we`ll see what comes out of that meeting. Hopefully ...
STELTER: Yes, it will be interesting.
GORANI: We will be speaking to S.E. Cupp, as well, whose of course, one of our analysts on CNN. Thanks, Brian Stelter, for joining us from New York.
STELTER: Thank you.
GORANI: Today, by the way, is a huge day in music history. Two incredibly influential albums were released 50 years ago. One of which included this
song:
BEACH BOYS: Wouldn`t it be nice if we could wake up in the morning when the day is new, and after having spent the day ... "
GORANI: Well, it`s 100 years of (INAUDIBLE) and 50 years of the album, Pet Sounds, by the Beach Boys, considered one of the top pop songs ever.
Another recognizable tune, listen:
(INAUDIBLE)
GORANI: Rainy day women, number 12 and 35, Bob Dylan`s controversial song about getting stoned was released on Blonde on Blonde. Both albums forever
changed the music scene, two revolutionary albums, one anniversary, today`s anniversaries. There you have it.
This is the WORLD RIGHT NOW. Thanks for watching. I`m Hala Gorani. QUEST MEANS BUSINESS is next.
END
