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Violence Erupts Outside Trump New Mexico Rally; Taliban Has New Afghanistan Leader; Bill Cosby Will Stand Trial on Sexual Assault Charges; Preisdent Obama Heads to Japan for G7 Summit; Venezuelan Economic Crisis; Crime Wave in Rio Ahead of Olympic Games. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired May 25, 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: This breaking news, violence erupts outside a Donald Trump rally in New Mexico.

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Now, lots of protesters are throwing rocks at police. This is now turning into chaos.

ERROL BARNETT, CNN NEWSROOM SHOW HOST: Also coming up for you this hour, the Taliban appoint a new leader just days after a U.S. drone strike kills his predecessor.

CHURCH: And a judge ordered Bill Cosby to stand trial on sexual assault charges.

BARNETT: A very warm welcome to our viewers here in the United States and those of you tuned in all around the word. I'm Errol Barnett.

CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church. This is CNN Newsroom.

BARNETT: As we speak, several police officers are being treated for injuries. And this comes after protesters pelted them with rocks and bottles outside a Donald Trump rally in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

CHURCH: At least one person was arrested as the demonstrators jumped on cars and set small fires in the streets there. Officers in riot gear on horseback responded with pepper spray.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, God

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You'll be fine. You'll be fine. (muted) Closer to the ground!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you ready?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't wipe it, don't wipe it. Somebody we need water. Need water.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: Our Dan Simon was caught up in the middle of the mayhem and the pepper spray, in fact, he filed this report.

SIMON: It has been a chaotic situation in downtown Albuquerque, as anti-Trump protestors have taken to the streets. You can see police officers there in full riot gear, some police officers are on horseback they've been pushing this crowd down the street trying to get these folks to go home.

These all started a few hours earlier when you had some protestors break through some police barricades to try to get into the convention center where Donald Trump was giving his speech. Officers kept those people at bay, but from there, things really descended into chaos.

You had a number of people throwing both rocks and bottles at officers as police tried to bring the situation under control. The crowds a lot smaller at the moment but still a number of people out here as police deal with this situation here in downtown Albuquerque. And try to get this crowd to go home.

Dan Simon, CNN, Albuquerque, New Mexico.

BARNETT: And before all of that kicked off, there were actually more protests inside the Trump rally, as well. At least one person was arrested and security had to forcibly remove several demonstrators there.

CHURCH: Trump took the opportunity to go after the democratic frontrunner, Hillary Clinton.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I see this low life, she puts on an ad, did you know that Donald Trump was rooting against housing, because he wants housing to go down because he wanted to buy.

And they got some clip of me from me from many years ago where I'm saying, yes, if it goes down, I'm going to buy. I'm a businessman, that's what I'm supposed to do.

They say I'm setting records with men. Oh, that is so unexciting to me. I want to set records with women, not with men.

(CROWD CHEERING)

The system is rigged against Bernie Sanders. So, he can't win. But I'm hearing we're going to get close to 40 percent of his supporters.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Meanwhile, Trump is now very close to clinching the republican nomination after winning the Washington primary. He has about 76 percent of the vote.

BARNETT: Yes, CNN now estimates Trump has 1,229 delegates. That is just eight shy of the number needed to win the nomination.

CHURCH: As for the democrats, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are focusing on California, the state's primary is just two weeks away.

BARNETT: Clinton kicked off a swing across the western U.S. with three stops around Los Angeles. At one rally she called Donald Trump's campaign really, really concerning. And took aim at his controversial remarks on the housing market. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, (D) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We saw him doubling down on comments he made a couple of years ago. Because he said that a mortgage crisis would have been good for his business.

And I got to tell you, why on earth would we elect somebody president who actually rooted for the collapse of the mortgage market?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Well, meanwhile, Bernie Sanders is refusing to bow out of the race even though he is far behind Clinton in the delegate count.

BARNETT: Still, the months Sanders has been campaigning in California over the past few days telling his supporters that he is the best democrat to defeat republican Donald Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[03:05:04] BERNIE SANDERS, (D) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald Trump will not become president because in every national poll done in the last two months I defeat him.

(CROWD CHEERING)

And we defeat him. Not only we defeat him by in some cases double digits.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Well, joining us now, democratic strategist Dave Jacobson and republican consultant John Thomas. Thank you, gentlemen, for being with us.

JOHN THOMAS, REPUBLICAN CONSULTANT: Sure. Thanks for having us.

BARNETT: Thanks you for joining us from L.A. Now, of course the protests we saw in New Mexico, our kind of the top story here, but that combined with the fact that the female Hispanic republican governor said she was too busy to attend Donald Trump's rally.

Doesn't that expose some of the shortcomings Trump has, as the nominee, presumptive nominee with Hispanics, and with women, these crucial voting blocks. How worried should his campaign be at this stage, John?

THOMAS: Yes, it does, you're right, it does expose some weaknesses, he's got a lot of ground to make up, he's got some work to do. I think he has to focus on an advertising campaign to women, showing how he has empowered women through his Trump organization, not some of the divisive rhetoric that we've seen in the primary process.

He's already started to walk that back. I think he can do it. But look, tonight's protests, where protests are healthy, that's great. But when they turn violent that's a problem. And a lot of people we saw, they weren't protesters. They were thugs.

CHURCH: And Dave, I want to talk to you because Donald Trump of course, within -- he had that big win in Washington State that puts him just within reach of the 1,237 delegates he needs to clinch the nomination for his party.

Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, she is fighting on two fronts, against Trump and Bernie Sanders. And now of course we're seeing all of these attack ads and they are getting down and dirty pretty early on here.

We got this to six more months; no doubt it's going to get worse than this. How do voters generally respond to these really negative campaigns like this, particularly when candidates, Clinton and Trump particularly, just are not liked by a lot of people?

DAVE JACOBSON, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Rosemary, you're absolutely right. I mean, the reality is campaigns use negative tactics because they work. And this ultimately is going to become a general election which is going to be a race to the bottom.

And I think both campaigns are going to lobbying, you know, attacks every day moving forward up until the November election. Both of which are going to be driving up the negatives of their opponent in the hopes that their opponent will be proceed by the voters to be a more unfavorable candidate than themselves.

But look, I think the sort of explosive nature os what we saw tonight in New Mexico underscores the real challenge that Donald Trump has moving forward. This sort of divisive, chaotic, you know, almost volcanic explosive nature of his candidacy really highlights the challenge that he has.

And moving to a general election there where he has to really make a case to voters that he is going to be a uniter in chief and sort of bring together all Americans to move our country forward.

BARNETT: But Dave, the democrats have issues, too, you talk about each side needing to unite. How concerned should democrats be that you got some Bernie Sanders supporters who are saying they'll vote for Trump if Hillary Clinton is the nominee. Is there much validation in that? Does it matter? What are your thoughts?

JACOBSON: Well, look, there is a fraction of the Bernie Sanders supporters who are saying that now. But if you look eight years ago, 40 percent of Hillary Clinton supporters at one time were saying they would not support Barack Obama in a general election.

Obviously, those numbers dissipated and overwhelmingly Clinton supporters lined up behind Barack Obama once she enthusiastically endorsed him and became one of his chief surrogates on the campaign trail.

CHURCH: And John, talking about unity it's a difficult job on the republican side as well, isn't it? I mean, Trump is still trying to bring people on board. And he just doesn't seem to be able to appeal to the women vote right now.

THOMAS: Sure, well first of all, to Dave's point, Hillary Clinton is no Barack Obama. In 2008, it was easier for Barack Obama to unite his party, he was an inspirational figure. So, I think that actually applies.

But you're right, Donald Trump has to -- I don't think he is ever going to end up winning the majority of women but he has to stop hemorrhaging women, I mean, he's got a problem. Although we have notice that republicans are largely coalescing.

And in fact, ABC just in this evening said that Paul Ryan plans to officially endorse Donald Trump this week.

BARNETT: But how big of a difference do you think that will make, because you have senators like John McCain in Arizona, this is a state that has o consistently has gone for republicans. Now if you look at polling it could be a purple state, a toss-up between the democrats and republicans because of the Hispanic voting block there.

You know, do you think Donald Trump needs to do more to win over establishment figures?

[03:10:02] THOMAS: No, I think the establishment will end up coming in time. It's actually a delicate line for Donald Trump to watch -- to walk. Because he has to -- he is the change candidate.

He has to tap into the 66 percent of Americans in the latest Gallop poll that say American is on the wrong track. So, look, it's OK if he is a bully, he just can't be a school yard bully, he has to be your bully.

CHURCH: And Dave, you get the last word here. Because it is a big problem when you're looking at these candidates. They're not particularly popular. What is it that they have to do? What advice would you give them? Particularly Clinton, because she just can't seem to appeal to a lot of people out there, particularly white men.

JACOBSON: Right. Look, after the democratic primary process is over you're going to see the splintering within the Democratic Party sort of and you're going to see this coalescing around Clinton as nominee, particularly when Bernie Sanders sort of lines of lines up behind Hillary Clinton and becomes one of her chief surrogates on the campaign trail.

He's going to help her break through and appeal to all of his supporters, white working class voters, independent voters, young people who have enthusiastically been supporting his campaign.

You know, once the convention process sort of moves forward and you have that uniting process I think you're going to see her numbers tick up in some of these national polls.

BARNETT: And so, Dave, you're making the point that you don't think that any long-term damage has been done by Bernie Sanders, still being in his heels, still saying he'll campaign. You know, he has been all around California, still saying that he is better against Donald Trump. You don't think there will be long damage from that?

JACOBSON: Look, even back in March, Tad Devine was quoted with Politico, you know, hinting that Bernie Sanders would sort of the open to potentially being on Hillary Clinton's ticket.

And so it's clear that there is going to be some coalescing at some point. But there is no doubt that he has, you know, sort of fanned the flames in terms of the fracturing within the party.

But I do think he is going to unite, he is going to participate. In fact, the DNC has already started to try to pacify some of his supporters by allocating five of his supporters to the DNC platform committee which helps sort of draw the issues in the platform for a convention.

And so, you're already seeing that coalescing beginning behind the scenes. I think we're going to see more of it in the weeks ahead.

CHURCH: Dave Jacobson, John Thomas, six more months of this. It's going to be fun isn't it?

THOMAS: I can't wait.

JACOBSON: Thank you.

BARNETT: Thanks, guys.

CHURCH: Thank you. And for more on the republican and democratic presidential races, head over to cnn.com/politics.

BARNETT: There is some new information emerging about EgyptAir flight 804 final moments. The Egyptian state media report the plane transmitted 11 electronic messages from the time the plane it departed Paris.

CHURCH: The first showed the engines were working, the next message showed a rise in the temperature of the co-pilot's window, smoke was also present.

Ian Lee joins us now from Cairo with the very latest. Ian, of course the loved ones of those souls lost in this plane crash they want some answers here, and likely won't get them until those black boxes are found.

But what is being made of this new information? What does it tell us exactly?

IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, what this new information just confirms is what we've been hearing in the final moments of that flight about this window heating up, about smoke being detected in the lavatory as well as in the avionics.

But other than that, it doesn't give us much more insight into what we already know. There has been a focus on the investigation at the morgue here in Cairo as well, 15 bags of body parts have been brought to the morgue. Morgue officials telling us that a lot of them are quite small. But that's not necessarily an indication of an explosion.

They say when a plane falls from 37,000 feet that can also be a cause of that. They're saying that the main focus, though, right now is testing them. They've been in the water for quite some time. They are going to test them though, for any residue from an explosion.

Also, the real big -- one of the real primary tests is going to be on DNA. Trying to identify them and also get them back to their family members so that they can give the remains a proper burial.

CHURCH: They are grim details in this part of the investigation, of course. But what are Egyptian authorities telling us about the search and recovery mission and how long this may take to locate the fuselage and hopefully those black boxes to solve this mystery?

LEE: Egyptian officials haven't really given us the time line of when they hope to find the black boxes or the fuselage, for that matter.

[03:15:02] But it is a bit of a ticking clock. There is a battery inside those data recorders that sends out a ping to help -- to help searchers locate them. But that battery last for about 30 days. After that it's going to be far more difficult to locate those black boxes.

So right now we also know that they have been collecting pieces of the debris. There's been 18 groups as Egyptian officials have said. They hope to have some sort of initial report out within a month's time to talk about what they believe the leading theory is behind the crash.

But it's still very much early for them in this investigation to determine definitively what they believe has happened. They do need to get those black boxes and the fuselage.

CHURCH: Yes, indeed, a month away seems a very long time. It is 9.15 in the morning there in Cairo, Egypt. Our Ian Lee joining us with that live report. Many thanks.

BARNETT: Lots more to come for you this hour. New offensives against ISIS launched on two different strongholds, next. Concern for the civilians caught in the crossfire.

CHURCH: Plus, a dramatic new turn in the Bill Cosby scandal. He has been ordered to stand trial. We'll have details on that when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: I'm Don Riddell with your CNN World Sports headlines.

Real Madrid are hoping for an 11th European Cup title this weekend, but is Cristiano Ronaldo participation in doubt. He has been struggling with a thigh injury and on Tuesday he leans away from training for the third consecutive session, but he says he will be ready to play on Saturday.

The path to another French Open title is much clearer for Serena Williams, the two women who beat her in the last two majors, Roberta Vince and Angelique Kerber have have been eliminated.

As has arguably her biggest rival, Victoria Azarenko has been in god form lately, but in the couple of seasons she is never far from injury. And unfortunately for her a knee problem force her to abandon her round match against Karin Knapp.

She was making a decent match of it but she was forced to throw in the towel four games into the decisive set.

Barely a week seems to go by without further revelations of doping in Russian sports. Tuesday's news is the 14 of their athletes have failed retrospective tests from the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, although we don't yet officially know the identity of any of them.

The Russian Olympic Committee says they've been informed of the results by the IOC and the athletes competing in three different sports. The ROC is now working to provide the IOC with additional samples for the athletes in question.

That is a quick look at your sports headlines. I'm Don Riddell.

[03:20:08] BARNETT: Welcome back. We're learning about a major change in Taliban leadership. A spokesman says Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada is the group's new Afghan leader. He replaces Mullah Akhtar Mansour who was killed on Saturday during U.S. air strike in Pakistan.

CHURCH: In Afghanistan, 10 people were killed during a suicide attack in Khabul. The interior ministry says the bombing targeted a vehicle carrying court employees of a neighboring province. So far, no one is claiming responsibility for that attack which happened just a short time ago.

Two offensives are under way against ISIS strongholds. An alliance of Kurdish and Arab forces is moving to retake the militants de factor capital in Raqqah, Syria.

BARNETT: An activist group said a clash took place on the northern outskirts of the city on Tuesday, the U.S.-led coalition is providing assistance and advice in those battles.

CHURCH: The second offense is in Fallujah where the Iraqi military is fighting to reclaim the Sunni dominated city from ISIS. Fallujah was the first Iraqi city ISIS captured in January 2014.

BARNETT: The U.N. is pleading for safe passage for the thousands of Iraqis trapped there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LISE GRANDE, U.N. DEPUTY SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR IRAQ: Our best estimate is that there could be as many as 50,000 people who are still trapped inside the city. Our understanding is that the conditions are very dramatic.

We have reports from people who are on the ground from key informants who were saying that hundreds of people in the last three gates have been trying to get out of the city. They've been trying to flee along the corridors that are being established by the Iraqi security forces.

We're terribly worried about what's happening to them. We're worried that they are at risk from artillery, from airstrikes and from crossfire.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And we do want to get to that aspect of the story. But first, more details on both offensives.

Ben Wedeman joins us now. Ben what information do you have on the progress being made in both Raqqah or in Fallujah to seize back these cities from ISIS.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, to start with Raqqah, which of course is the de facto capital of the ISIS. That is not a battle on the offensive to retake Raqqah. It's really just to take some of the countryside to the north of the city; it's being led by the so-called Syrian democratic forces which are really dominated by the Syrian Kurdish YPG, or the people's protection units.

They have been armed, supported, in some cases, trained by the United States. And includes an Arab component. And we understand from the activist group in Raqqah, a group called Raqqah is being slaughtered silently, that there have been intense clashes to the north of the city as well as coalition airstrikes.

But they're also saying, this group Raqqah is being slaughtered silently, that because this is a Kurdish dominated force, and of course Raqqah is a predominantly Sunni-Arab city. That many of the residents are in a sense caught between the devil and the deep blue sea.

They don't particularly like ISIS. But they're very worried about the repercussions of a Kurdish-led offensive in an area that's predominantly Arab-Sunni.

And therefore, many of the residents of Raqqah, despite their problems, their qualms, and their objections to many aspects of ISIS' rule are in fact more worried about a Kurdish offensive, and therefore ISIS in the sense may benefit from their support in this case. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Yes, and Ben, I want to go back to the big concern of the thousands of civilians who were caught up, not able to get out of Fallujah because ISIS won't let them leave. What are you hearing about the situation confronting those people trying to escape. WELCOME: Well, as we heard from the United Nations, the situation is dire. They've...

[03:25:00] (TECHNICAL PROBLEM)

BARNETT: Welcome back to those of you watching here in the States and those of you tuned in around the globe. This is CNN Newsroom. I'm Errol Barnett.

CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church.

It is time to check the headlines for you this hour.

Police in Albuquerque, New Mexico have broken up a violent crowd outside a Donald Trump rally. Officers used pepper spray after protesters set several small fires and threw rocks and bottles. At least one person was arrested and several officers were injured.

BARNETT: There is a new leader for the Afghan Taliban, Mawlawi Haibatullah Akhundzada will take over the group following the death of Mullah Mansour, that's according to a spokesman. Mansour was killed on Saturday by a U.S. drone strike in Pakistan.

CHURCH: The Eurozone has reached what it caused a breakthrough deal to offer debt relief to Greece. Nineteen European finance ministers agreed to give Athens $10.3 billion in new funds starting with a $7 billion imbursement -- disbursement I should say, in June.

The International Monetary Fund will help fund the bailout.

BARNETT: All right, we mentioned this at the top of the hour, democrat Bernie Sanders is refusing to step aside in the race for the White House despite his big deficit in delegates.

The Vermont Senator has said the party's upcoming convention could get messy. He said that doesn't mean violent. He just expects some vigorous debate on the issues.

CHURCH: But frontrunner Hillary Clinton has already shifted her focus to the general election and Donald Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: We may have talked in the past about how we have a bully pulpit in the White House. But that doesn't mean we want a bully in the White House.

SANDERS: We defeat him by, in some cases, double digits.

(CROWD CHEERING)

And -- and by far greater numbers as does Secretary Clinton.

(CROWD CHEERING)

So, if the Democratic Party wants a candidate who is going to defeat Trump and defeat him bad, we are that campaign.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: Joining me now from Los Angeles is Seema Mehta. She is a political writer for the L.A. Times. Seema, thanks so much for joining us today.

Secretary Clinton is refusing to comment on Donald Trump's tabloid accusations. She has called him a bully while speaking there to a crowd there in L.A. just hours ago. And previously, she said Donald Trump was a loose cannon. What is the campaign strategy against him as far as you see it, because to me it seems as if it still in flux for her?

SEEMA MEHTA, L.A. TIMES POLITICAL WRITER: I think they're still trying to figure it out, because she is, you know, sort of still at the very end of this competitive democratic primary. And she's sort of pivoting to the general election.

Today, we saw Secretary Clinton go after Donald Trump about some comments he made in the mid-2000, about the housing crisis basically that if the housing crisis -- if the housing market went south he could make a lot of money on that.

And she used that to sort of paint him today as this heartless guy who is not looking for what is best for the country, but instead looking what is best for his pocketbook. And I think we're going to see more of that.

BARNETT: And the unique position she's in is that she is fighting on two fronts. Bernie Sanders...

MEHTA: Right.

BARNETT: ... is continuing to push for another debate.

MEHTA: Right.

BARNETT: He is making the case that he is stronger in the polls against Donald Trump than Clinton is. And he already won the right to appoint what, five of the 15 member democratic panel that will create the party platform at the convention. Do Clinton supporters the democrats think this is really helpful to him as he says it is?

MEHTA: I'm sure many of her supporters would like to see him go away, but he has shown no signs of going away. But what's really interesting is if you look at his messaging in the last couple of days he is not going after her as hard as he used to even a week ago.

In the past when he would bring up issues such as the Iraq war campaign finance, fracking, areas where they have, you know, have notable disagreements, he would use this as an opportunity to say here's what I believe. Secretary Clinton believes something else.

But now he is sort of glosses over that. He is still making sort of the case that, you know, in certain polls that he fares better against Donald Trump than Hillary Clinton does. But he is notably sort of taking his step back in terms of how he's approaching her.

BARNETT: And if you look at democratic enthusiasm in the State of California registration is up what, 43.7 percent of overall voters compared to 27.5 percent of overall voters.

That's according to the L.A. Times and it's what, up 218 percent when compared to 2012? So, is the Bernie camp accurate in saying that this debate has actually enthused the overall base?

MEHTA: It certainly -- I mean, it certainly has, you know, you go to his rallies you see thousands of people every day going to his rallies. people who are saying that they've never been involved in the political process before.

But the numbers are little bit confusing, because, a, in 2012, there is not a competitive race from the democratic side because President Obama is running for reelection. So, democrats were not as enthusiasts about turning out them.

Plus, we don't know what's motivating the people who are registering. Whether it's enthusiasm for Bernie Sanders. You also have other groups, like Latino groups who are really active in registering voters in opposition to Donald Trump.

So for many voters the question is, is it enthusiasm for Bernie Sanders, is it wanting to get out there and voting against Donald Trump.

[03:35:03] In terms of women, you know, the Hillary Clinton campaign has certainly been targeting the, you know, women voters of, you know, of saying that this is a historic moment for you to vote for a woman for president.

You know, are they registering for that? And that's something we wouldn't know until Election Day. But one bad sign for Bernie Sanders is that, California has an open primary. Sanders has tend to do well in open primaries.

But in California, if you're declined state voter or no political preference voter and you're a male voter you need to request a democratic ballot. And very few numbers of them have. And if that doesn't change that's a real problem for him.

BARNETT: Fascinating. Still fascinating to watch all of this unfold. Seema Mehta with the L.A. Times political writer. Thanks for your time today.

MEHTA: Thank you.

CHURCH: U.S. President Barack Obama is now on his way to Japan where he will attend the G7 summit.

BARNETT: He left Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam early after a town hall meeting with the young leaders. When asked how Vietnam can be preserve Mr. Obama urged the crowd to fight climate change.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA PRESIDENT: We have to think about beautiful areas that need to be preserved. But we also have to recognize that no matter how well we preserve one or two areas in each country, if the overall climate patterns change radically then we're all going to be in a really difficult situation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And CNN's Alexandria Field joins us now live from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Alexandra, we mentioned there and we heard there from the president he held that town hall meeting earlier with young members. What were some of the other headlines that came out of that meeting?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Rosemary, this trip has had so many headlines from the decision to drop the ban on arm sales, to Vietnam, to the president coming here to promote human rights. To him talking a lot about the evolution of the relationship between the U.S. and Vietnam.

But this morning he actually sort change the departure from that moment, there was a little bit more lighthearted where he really did entertained a lot of questions from the young people in Vietnam. And he actually got a lot of laughs, he's being quite funny with the crowd.

There was one moment I think stick out for a lot of people when a young rapper got up and asked the president a question, in response he asked her to question which was to rap for him. So, listen to what happened next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's been a crazy day. My name is sue boy, by the way.

OBAMA: Well, that was great.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FIELD: All right. She stole part of the show, but actually even before she started rapping the president offered to beat box for her and he gave her some of that. So that was certainly a crowd pleaser.

And then he did pivoted at another point when a young person asked him a little bit about his future and the future in the U.S., the president took a couple of minutes to reflect on the race for president going on back to the United States, and here is what he said about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: In terms of American politics, I tend to be positive and optimistic about American politics. I think sometimes other countries look at our election system and we think and people think wow, what a mess. But, usually we end up doing OK because the American people are good people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FIELD: All right, and he ended it on an optimistic note there. Certainly the U.S. presidential candidates have not been far from mind over the course of this trip, because as we know that President Obama has been out here to promote what he hopes the signature trade deal, the transpacific trade deal, the TPP. That is something that has stalled in D.C.

But Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump has said that they oppose it. So, the future of that uncertain. So, certainly people have been wondering about it as the president continues his move out here, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Yes, indeed. Alexandria Field joining us, it is about 2.39 in the afternoon there in Ho Chi Minh City. And now of course, the U.S. president heading to Japan. And we'll see what happens on that leg of the trip. Many thanks.

BARNETT: Major developments in the sex assault case against comedian Bill Cosby. He is now facing a trial. Details coming up.

[03:40:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BARNETT: Comedian and television star Bill Cosby will stand trial for felony assault charges in Pennsylvania. He was in court Tuesday when that ruling was made.

CHURCH: The 78-year-old is accused of drugging and sexually assaulting the temple university employee, facing three Andrea Constand, a former Temple University employee. He faced three counts of aggravated indecent sexual assault. Dozens of other women have accused him of sexual misconduct.

CNN's Jean Casarez has more.

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We can now definitely say that the criminal case against Bill Cosby is proceeding to trial. The preliminary hearing, a very important hearing determined by the magistrate judge that the prosecution had probable cause that Bill Cosby sexually assaulted Andrea Constand in 2004 when inviting her to his home.

He gave her blue pills, had her drink wine, and then sexually assaulted her. The defense very aggressive in the hearing. You can see that they are going to say that any sexual activity was consensual. That they had a romantic relationship. And that alcohol was not used that night. If she wanted to say no, she could have.

Bill Cosby is waiving his next formal arraignment. But both sides will now begin to exchange discovery and this case will proceed to trial right here in Pennsylvania. Back to you.

BARNETT: Venezuelans are already dealing with blackouts and an energy crisis as well as political uncertainty. Now there is no Coca-Cola. CHURCH: The soft drink giant has already stopped production of their

sugar-based products there because sugar producers have run out of raw material.

BARNETT: CNN's Rafael Romo explains how for Venezuelans this goes beyond being unable to enjoy a cold drink.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: Coca-Cola delivery trucks in Venezuela sit empty. The beverage company has stopped production of sugar-based beverages because sugar producers have run out of raw materials.

In a statement, a Coca-Cola spokeswoman said, "Local sugar suppliers have informed us that they expect to restore their inventories in the near term to resume normal distribution. Our local offices and distribution centers remain open and operational."

Sugar cane production in Venezuela has been falling due to price control and rising production costs as well as problems in obtaining fertilizer. Pepsi reported in October, a $1.4 billion charge for its business in Venezuela ciding the country's currency woes.

[03:45:02] Polar Enterprises suspended beer production in April and laid off 10,000 workers due to lack of barley. Workers protested saying the government's socialist policies have disrupted supply and demand.

"This is very stressful," this worker says. "As time goes on we're losing more and more resources and that makes us very worried."

The average Venezuelan faces problems that go well beyond being unable to enjoy a drink, soft or otherwise. For the last several weeks, the country has been facing blackouts up to four hours long.

Government employees are working only two says a week. And President Maduro shifted the country's time zone by 30 minutes because Venezuela is also facing an energy crisis. Shortages of basic products and personal hygiene items like soap are affecting many people as well.

Well, the problem is that even if you have the money it's so scarce that people have to go to supermarkets, stand in line for hours and hours and maybe if they're lucky, after four or five hours they can get maybe one, maybe two, but not much more than that.

President Maduro, who is facing a recall referendum says, this is all part of what he calls an economic war against his government and has threatened companies that suspend operations.

"Every plant that has halted operations will be given to the people," the president said, that bring his comments with obscenity. It's not an empty threat, starting with his late predecessor, Hugo Chavez. The socialist government has nationalized several industries replacing executives with loyalists which has driven many businesses to the ground.

Rafael Romo, CNN. BARNETT: And there is still more political upheaval in Brazil. A new

government official is stepping down less than two weeks after he was appointed.

CHURCH: The move is linked to a recorded conversation reported by a Brazilian newspaper where the interim planning minister is quoted allegedly conspiring to block a corruption probe.

BARNETT: And political instability is not the only problem plaguing Brazil at the moment.

CHURCH: Rio de Janeiro is struggling with a violent crime wave with the Olympics right around the corner.

Shasta Darlington has more.

SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Olympics are on the horizon. But the gold medalist Fernando Echavarri is worried about a lot more than water and wind currents. He tells me he and his team were eating breakfast when they were robbed at gunpoint by a gang of teenagers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FERNANDO ECHAVARRI, SPANISH OLYMPIC CLASS: And we just -- turned around to see what was happening and we saw the pistols.

DARLINGTON: He thinks thieves are targeting visiting athletes.

ECHAVARRI: You can get robbed in Rio any time you visit here. But before the Olympic Games all of these people know that this is going to be heir opportunities.

DARLINGTON: In fact, authorities say robberies and homicides are on the rise in Rio. One man has created a web site that shows the robberies he says he has filmed from his downtown window. This guy jumps to rob a bus passenger.

No one intervenes when this man is tackled for his gold chain. Many videos show young people swarming their targets. Complicating matters, Rio's police force has been hit with budget cuts. Overtime and benefits reduced. And officers are quitting.

But the state's security chief says he is demanding help for the games. To ensure the 85,000 strong security detail as promised. "There is a need for police officers," he says. "We're going to have to use police from outside the state. We're going to have to ask for help from the army for Olympic venues."

That will allow Rio's police to focus on securing the city, and impoverished fabellas. Many still controlled by criminal gangs. In the sprawling complex of Diwali Mall, more than a dozen fabellas cling to the hills connected by a gondola.

We go on patrol with the military police there who battled their way in back in 2010. He was explaining when they first came in to Halima (ph) it was more than 12 hours straight of shootouts before where they were actually able to take control from drug traffickers.

Six years later, police still keep their guard up. Community activists say this year alone 26 people have been killed or injured in shootouts here. Many hit by stray bullets. Pressure is building as the Olympics get closer. Police say it won't end when the games are over.

[03:50:02] Shasta Darlington, CNN, Rio de Janeiro.

BARNETT: All right, coming up after the break, we'll try to lighten the mood just a bit. Late night TV host, James Corden, he's known for car pool karaoke. But this time he shared the ride with another viral video star, and she looks pretty much like a popular Star Wars character. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: A rare sight was caught on camera by storm chasers across the central U.S. In fact, the U.S. State of Kansas, this is a dual vortex tornado, two tornadoes at once. You can see the legend at the top portions of your screen, we refer to this as dancing tornadoes because they often move around each other.

This is one of several tornadoes that have been spawned across the Central U.S. this week. And guess what? There is the chance of severe weather once again. And here's a look at what's building the severe weather. We have a fairly slow moving cold front across the plains, and we're also tapping into warm Gulf of Mexico moisture.

On top of that, we have the jet stream in the upper level of the atmosphere. So this is really just the right conditions for the possibility of severe weather.

The middle of the work week, 24 degrees for Denver, 17 for San Francisco, 18 for L.A. Chicago, 29, you have a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Some could have large hail and the potential of gusty winds.

New York City, we stay sunny. Atlanta, also blue skies overhead with temperatures in the low 30s. You can see the storm system rotating across the plains. Again, look out for severe weather, Iowa City traveling south into Oklahoma City.

In terms of rainfall accumulation, we have the potential of upwards of 100 millimeters of rain and similar slow moving thunderstorms across the region.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: British firehouse singer Adele is reportedly set to sign a $131 million contract with Sony. It would be the biggest record deal ever for a female artist and for a British musician, how about that?

BARNETT: And on top of that, Adele just won five awards on the U.S. Billboard Music Awards on Sunday. She is currently on tour in Europe. A very hot ticket if you can get them.

CHURCH: And on top of the world tour.

BARNETT: Incredible voice.

CHURCH: Well, Chewbacca mom is a viral video sensation.

BARNETT: Yes. She is really Candice pain, and she gained famed online by cracking herself up while wearing a Chew mask. Truly you've seen this. In another video, she gives CBS late Show host James Corden a ride to work and gets some advice from Star Wars director J.J. Abrams.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[03:55:07] J.J. ABRAMS, STAR WARS DIRECTOR: Can I give you one director's note?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

ABRAMS: Do you mind?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

ABRAMS: It's less like this. And it's more like this.

ABRAMS: Come on, James, you're missing out.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my goodness, you've got to do it!

JAMES CORDEN, LATE NIGHT SHOW HOST: All right, fine. All right. How is that?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Lots of set of teeth there. And this clearly gives new meaning to the phrase, infectious laughter. Chewbacca mom original video has been viewed more than 100 million times.

BARNETT: Good for her.

CHURCH: Incredible.

CHURCH: Thanks for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church.

BARNETT: And I'm Errol Barnett. Please do connect with us online anytime. It is great to hear from you all. Early Start is next for viewers here in the States.

CHURCH: And for the rest of you stay tuned for another edition of CNN Newsroom with Hannah Vaughan Jones live from London. Have a great day.

BARNETT: See you.

[04:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)