Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Trump and Pope Francis on Immigration; Syrian Cease Fire Delayed; EU Summit; Uganda Election; ISIS Employing Children; Oklahoma Wildfires. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired February 19, 2016 - 03:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[03:00:00] NATALIE ALLEN, CNN NEWSROOM SHOW HOST: A holy war of words. Donald Trump and Pope Francis face off over the republican candidate's stance on immigration.

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN NEWSROOM SHOW HOST: A ceasefire delayed in Syria. But the fighting is unable to fight anytime soon.

ALLEN: And will they stay? Or will they go? A European Union summit could hold a key to Britain's future within the block.

And welcome to our viewers around the world. I'm Natalie Allen. We're live in Atlanta.

HOWELL: And I'm George Howell, from CNN headquarters. Newsroom starts right now.

Good day to you. We begin this hour with the race for the White House. The republican candidates running for president are all looking ahead to Saturday's primary in the U.S. State of South Carolina.

ALLEN: Jeb Bush, John Kasich, and Donald Trump answered directly to the voters Thursday night in a CNN town hall. The disagreement between Trump and the pope got a lot of attention.

HOWELL: Sure did. The pope suggested to reporters that Mr. Trump is not Christian because he wants a wall between the U.S. and Mexico.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE FRANCIS, ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH POPE (TRANSLATED): A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may the located and not building bridges is not Christian. This is not in the gospel. As far as what he said about whether I would advise a vote or not to vote, I am not going to get involved in that. I say only that this man is not Christian if he has said things like that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: Bush and Kasich tried to stay out of the spat. So, they will leave in that between Trump and the pope.

HOWELL: They tried.

ALLEN: They tried. Well, Trump seemed eager to end it, saying the pope is a wonderful guy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I've got a lot of respect for the pope. I think he's got a lot of personality. He is very different; he is very different kind of a guy. And I think he's doing a good job. He's a lot of energy. But I would say that, I think he was very much misinterpreted. And I also think he was given false information.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Presidential politics so interesting there. Donald Trump walking it back a bit. But earlier in the day, Trump had much stronger words, calling the pope's comments disgraceful. Trump says no leader has the right to question another man's faith.

ALLEN: Joining us now from Charlottesville, Virginia, is Larry Sabato, the director for the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. He is also the author of the "Kennedy Half-Century." Larry, nice to see you again. Thank you for being with us.

LARRY SABATO, VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR POLITICS DIRECTOR: Thank you, Natalie.

ALLEN: All right. So, here we go. We had Mr. Kasich, Mr. Bush, and Mr. Trump, going forward with South Carolina voters. Who did you think made the most points, perhaps?

SABATO: The star, as always, was Donald Trump. He's mesmerizing. You can't take your eyes off of him, whether you like him or dislike him. And he actually made the most news, by far, of the evening.

ALLEN: With what? The pope situation? Or another situation?

SABATO: Well, you identified one. There are two areas where I think he made some news. The first, he backed off his criticism of the pope. I think he thought better of it. Even Donald Trump doesn't want to tangle with a man who has a popularity rating of approaching 90 percent in the United States. And Pope Francis does.

You can argue about whether Pope Francis should have intervened in all American politics. But Trump showed political sense. And he rarely box off taking a shot at anybody. So, I thought that was significant.

The other, he qualified for the first time what he said in the prior debate about President George W. Bush, lying to go into Iraq. If you noticed, he more or less took that back. Or he at least equivocated as to whether or not Bush lied. He simply said the Iraq war was a major mistake. And actually, many republicans agree with that point of view.

ALLEN: He stepped back in that because after the debate there in South Carolina, many question going after one of the Bushes, a quite popular figure there in South Carolina. And it was a voter, an undecided voter, who asked him about that at the town hall. SABATO: Yes. This voter was very persistent and very shrewd and

simply wouldn't let Trump off of the hook. And neither would Anderson Cooper. So, he eventually backed off a little bit in suggesting that maybe it wasn't a lie, it was just bad judgment.

[03:05:08] So, you can get Trump to take a step or two backwards if you ask the right questions and the right way. But it's rare.

ALLEN: Absolutely. Let's talk about the other two candidates. First of all, interesting that John Kasich said I'm not that great of a guy, OK? I'm doing the best I can. And somebody tweeted, he sounds like the anti-Trump.

SABATO: Yes. Well, he really is. He is also very, very relaxed because in part, because I think he realizes that South Carolina is not his state. And he's not going to do particularly well. He has almost adopted a Bill Clinton persona, adapted to conservative republicanism. He feels everybody's pain. He hugs people. This is not typical for republican candidates for president.

ALLEN: A touchy-feely, a touchy-feely republican presidential candidate. Then we heard Jeb Bush come out and talk about the best generation was not the touchy-feely kind of emote-type of male. He talked about that during his time on stage.

SABATO: Yes. And he did by describing his father, but he was actually describing himself. The other fascinating thing is, this is a candidate who began his campaign by dropping his surname. He was Jeb, with an exclamation point. He didn't want to talk about the Bush part because he knew that the dynasty problem was a major one for his candidacy.

Now, his mother was there. His son was there. And his wife was there. And he talked a great deal about his brother, the president, and his father, the president. So, it's all in for the Bushes for Jeb. Though I think they're going to be disappointed with the vote totals on Saturday evening.

ALLEN: What about the tweet that went out? The picture that he went out of a gun and saying America on it? How do you think he handled that one?

SABATO: Well, you know, in South Carolina, it's relatively easy to defend something like that, particularly in a republican primary. To the country as a whole, I think it was sour and it has been, it's an odd thing for Bush to do. And it really in a sense symbolizes his campaign. He has never been able to find his groove.

ALLEN: You landed on that that. Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. Thanks as always for joining us.

SABATO: Thank you, Natalie.

HOWELL: So, now, the question is whether Catholic voters in the U.S. will react negatively to Mr. Trump's comments about Pope Francis. Earlier, I spoke with our religion commentator Edward Beck about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Given that Mr. Trump is sparking, I guess, you could call it a holy war. You know, a war of words with the pope. Could this hurt him with Catholics?

EDWARD BECK, CNN RELIGION COMMENTATOR: Well, it could hurt him with Catholics, George. Because remember, Catholics here in the United States are 20 percent of the voting electorate. And he seems to be alienating Catholics on the right and the left. His various dubious stances for abortion. I mean, it seems like some type ago he was pro- choice. And now, he said he's pro-life that he's evolved.

Well, Catholics on the right are not too comfortable not knowing really where does Donald Trump stand on abortions? And then, Catholics on the left say he denies climate change. He says it's a hoax. He is against immigration and reforming immigration policy as he currently have it.

He's going against the pope on both of those issues. So, he's alienating Catholics on the left. So, I think it's a valid question to ask, how much is this going to hurt him with the Catholic vote. And indeed, if he were to become president he would certainly need that vote to get into that White House.

HOWELL: I'm just curious, what have you heard from Catholics, just regarding what Donald Trump has said?

BECK: The majority of Catholics that I have heard from, including on Facebook and Twitter, are standing alignment with the pope. They do not like what Donald Trump said. They agree with the pope's perspective.

And again, they see a lot bluster coming out of Donald Trump that has little grounding in the truth. And so, anecdotally just people relating to me through Facebook, a few phone calls saying, can you believe what's happening? And that Donald Trump is doing this?

And once again, they're seeing the pope as a man of virtue, who is speaking on behalf of the people, the poor and the oppressed. And Donald Trump, as a rich billionaire who seems hardened to the plight of ordinary people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: But again, you know, things that would typically hurt a regular candidate in a presidential race, seem to help Donald Trump. So, what happens with this? We will have to wait and see.

ALLEN: He's not a regular candidate, for sure.

Well, to Syria now, where the start of the ceasefire planned for today is likely now delayed.

[03:10:02] Both U.S. and Russian officials are set to meet today to start organizing the troops.

HOWELL: But the Syrian President has said that a cessation of hostilities is unlikely. The video you see here shows Syrian soldiers retaking a key town near the northeastern coast on Thursday.

Our Jomana Karadsheh is following this story and now joins us from Amman, Jordan. We will go to her.

ALLEN: But first, let's go to Matthew Chance. He is following the developments from Moscow for us. And, certainly, Matthew, it seems the solidarity between Russia and the government there in Syria might have just a little wedge in there.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, there's an indication of that. Perhaps the first indication we had of that remarks that have been made by the Russian ambassador, in the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin.

He's basically cast some doubt or poured some water on the interview that the President Assad himself gave a few days ago, saying it was the Syrian intention to extend the rule of the government back over the entire country.

That is something that the Russians have, as I say, poured water on. They rolled it back a little bit, saying that that's not necessarily the Russian plan. We want a cessation of hostilities a ceasefire and some kind of negotiated settlement.

So, there's a small difference of opinion perhaps, that's how it's been interpreted at least between the Russians and the Syrians on that point. Although the U.N. ambassador from Russia made the point very clearly, that we should not be necessarily listening to the words of Assad, but watching the actions on the ground of the Syrian authorities, of the Syrian government, which are very much in the throw of the Russians.

Because just a few months ago, they were facing defeat. When the Russians deployed their air force at the end of last year, or near the end of last year, it turned the situations around, militarily.

And now, the Syrian government have been advancing. They've been taking territory. And they certainly secured their core areas in the west of the country. That stands to Russian air power. And of course, any withdraw of Russian air power may reverse the military situation once again on the ground. And President Assad knows that very well. And so, yes, some diplomatic distance in terms of the words. But it's the actions we should be looking at most carefully.

ALLEN: Right. We're all waiting for a cessation of hostilities. And then all of a sudden Turkey enters the fray with an attack. How does this complicate the situation there in Syria militarily?

CHANCE: Well, of course the situation is incredibly complicated. You got the Russians backing Assad and his allies on the one side. You got the United States and their allies backing what they call moderate rebels, moderate opponents of the Syrian government. That's already a very complicated sign. Particularly, when you got

this agreement, the cessation of hostilities agreement, in which the Russians say, that does not mean they will stop their air campaign against what they call terrorists. What they designate as terrorists. And that includes those modern rebel -- moderate rebel groups, as well.

And so, the cessation of hostilities was already going to be very problematic. When you add Turkey in the mix, it really shows us how complicated this conflict in Syria has become. Of course, there was that bombing on Monday, in Ankara, the Turkish capital, which the Turks blame on the YPG.

The YPG are the Kurdish groups which are -- a Kurdish group which is on the north of Syria. Allied to the United States or fighting alongside the United States against ISIS and also backed by the Russians, as well.

The Turks say that they will consider cross-border action against the YPG, which of course could not only bring them into -- into dispute with the United States but could bring them into military contact with the Russians, as well. So, very dangerous, very complicated situation that is brewing in Syria at the moment.

ALLEN: And of course, all of the civilians caught in the middle running for their lives. All right. Matthew Chance in Moscow for us. George.

HOWELL: Let's go live to Jomana Karadsheh now in Amman, Jordan. Very good to have you with us, Jomana. As Matthew explained a complicated puzzle here. So many different actors involved. But I want to ask you the sentiment. The feeling there in the region, given this latest delay in the cessation of hostilities. How does that bode for the possibility of finding any sort of peace in that region? What are people saying?

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A lot of people, George, are very skeptical about this cessation of hostilities taking that they're keeping an eye seeing what is going on with one part of the agreement, which was the delivery of aid to besieged areas in Damascus in Idlib province. These different places that have been besieged, either by the rebels or the regime.

[03:14:58] Seeing that as maybe a little bit of glimmer of hope there when we've seen some deliveries taking place, switching about 80,000 people, according to the U.N. in the past couple of days.

But a few days ago, George, we were talking to a senior rebel commander who operates in the southern part of Syria that is bordering Jordan. And he was really skeptical. There's really a serious mistrust as one would assume here between them, between the regime and the Russians.

He doesn't think there's any sincerity when it comes to negotiations or any agreements they reach. You know, citing what we've seen over the past week, what seems to be real escalation in the conflict, whether it's in the northern part of the country or even in the southern part of the country, in Daraa province where we have seen also an escalation of violence there.

And of course they would say that, what is going on now, this is according to one top rebel commander we spoke to, is that this is a delay tactic, that the, he said the Russians and the Syrians tier are trying to gain more leverage, when it comes to negotiations, showing they have the upper hand on the battlefield.

So, a very complicated situation, of course, George. Everyone here is concerned about those caught in the middle. It's the civilians, as we have seen in the past week, attacks on medical facilities, on schools, that no one is taking responsibility for. So, it continues to be the civilians in this conflict who are bearing the brunt of the violence.

HOWELL: And those aid trucks, those U.N. aide trucks, delivering the food and medicine that's needed. But it seems doing so at their own risk, with this delay of the cessation of hostilities.

Jomana Karadsheh live for us in Amman, Jordan. Jomana, thank you for your reporting there.

Moving on now, two women in Australia scaled the spire of the Melbourne Art Center to protest the treatment of asylum seekers.

ALLEN: Yes. Look how high these women were, they climbed the 162 meters spire and hung a banner reading let them stay. This is the latest demonstration against Australia's plan to return a group of refugees to an offshore detention center.

And it's the same issue, migrants, what to do about the migrants in Europe, that's causing trouble there in Europe. And Britain's prime minister is facing off against 27 other European leaders asking them to grant his country a new deal to settle their differences in the E.U. We'll have a live report from London, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN WORLD SPORTS ANCHOR: I'm Christina Macfarlane with your CNN World headlines.

Things can't get much worse for Louie Van Howell on a night when Manchester United have suffered arguably their most shocking defeat in club history.

[03:20:06] Danish FC Midtjylland toppled the Manchester Giants 2-1 at home in Thursday's first League Europa tie. The Danish haven't played competitively for two months but were able to turn the game to their advantage when Pione Sisto evened things up before a bar Paul Onuachu scored the game-winner. A Danish dream come true.

With just a week to go until the FIFA presidential election, Sepp Blatter has revealed that he won't be publicly supporting any of the candidates despite only one of five of the men running, failing to contact him. Speaking to French radio station RMC on Wednesday, Blatter said, four

of the five candidates contacted me and spoke about the campaign. And when it was suggested that Prince Ali of Jordan was the one decenter, Blatter said, you can deduce him, it was perhaps him that was against me.

The lead-up to the Masters is officially under way for Rory Mcllroy as the four-time major champ tied off at the Northern Trust Open in California. The former world number one got off to a strong start, posting five birdies and just one bogey for an opening round of 67.

That's a look at your sports headlines. I'm Christina Macfarlane.

HOWELL: Welcome back to CNN Newsroom.

In Brussels, a critical meeting is under way to determine the fate of Britain's European Union membership. A major sticking point in the discussion among E.U. leaders as Britain's demand to not pay benefits to migrants from other E.U. countries.

ALLEN: Britain's prime minister is appealing to his European counterparts to help him strike a credible deal that he can sell to his citizens. Britain will vote on whether to remain in the E.U. later this year.

One, major poll finds 43 percent of British citizens want to remain in the organization, 39 percent would opt to leave. The rest are undecided. The first seeds of the European Union were planted after World War II. And the group now represents more than 500 million people.

HOWELL: CNN's Max Foster explains the political and economic impact that has on its members.

MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What is the E.U.? The European Union is a group of countries that work together to create a single market. This allows goods, capitals, services and people to move between the member states.

As long as they follow the rules and they pay the entry fee. But we're getting ahead of ourselves. To start this story, we need to go right back to the end of World War II. After six years of fighting, Europe was decimated. And colonies were collapsing and mistrust was rife, as old enemies faced the prospect of re-creating trade ties.

France and previous occupied Germany faced the difficult task of creating a unity for profit. So, they started talking, mainly about steel and coal.

In 1951, a total of six countries, France, Belgium, West Germany, Italy, Luxemburg, and The Netherlands reached their first accord by uniting the steel and coal industries, creating the European Coal and Steel Community or the ECSC.

They later introduced the European Economic Community, the EEC, in 1958. These two organizations are seen as the origin of the modern European Union that wouldn't adapt its new name until 1993.

More than six decades later, the European Union now represents more than 500 million people, across 28 countries and with a common currency, the euro, which generates an estimated 14 trillion euros in GDP per year. The premise countries who are economically linked are less likely to have conflicts.

But it isn't a totally happy marriage for many countries. And some are affected differently by world events. There have been arguments in different regulations. They allowed some different approaches to migration. This has given rise to anti-E.U. parties across Europe, with many calling for their countries to withdraw from arguably the world's most powerful union.

HOWELL: Let's get more from Nina dos Santos, joining us in Brussels to talk about Britain's fate with the European Union. Nina, good to have you with us. So, you know, with day two of the summit, there is a sense that this is taking a little longer perhaps than Prime Minister Cameron would want. Would you get that feeling from what's happening?

NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPPONDENT: Well, day one and day two seem to blurred into each other, George. Because David Cameron, as he left this building at 5.30 a.m., that's only three hours ago. And as you see from the screens behind me, he's set to arrive; we got that arrival shot on the screens here in the European Council building. Everybody eagerly awaiting the U.K. Prime Minister's arrival for what was supposed to be a breakfast meeting.

[03:25:01] But the summit timings has been slipping as tempers have been frayed and people's patience is wearing thin. We now understand that the E.U. leaders, instead of having a late breakfast, they are going to be having a lunch instead.

And forgive the British joke here. But you can hope that Belgian waffle is not going to be on the menu there.

There have been notable issues among some of these members that perhaps Mr. Cameron's modest talk would have been easier to iron out by now. In particular, what we've got on the one side is France, very much entrenched in its position that the U.K. should not allowed to get special treatment.

It should not be allowed to put the rest of the European Union at stake here to try and get better terms and conditions for itself. Why? Because that opens up a whole Pandora's Box for other 27 countries who may want to negotiate on their own terms a better deal with the European Union.

Also remember, there is no precedent so far for a country actually leaving the bloc. And if the U.K. were to do so, that could set a very dangerous precedent for the whole integrity of this project, as Max is pointing out.

And then we have a number of four Eastern European countries that are particularly irritated by David Cameron's plans to try to limit welfare benefit to migrants from some of those countries. If they've only been in the U.K. for a few years.

And also if they have children back in their home country, outside of the U.K. David Cameron is trying to limit the benefit payments so that they are the same as they would get in a country which is perhaps less economically profitable than the U.K.

Those countries are holding out against the so-called emergency brake on welfare for migrants. So, there's a lot to play on the table here. And as you were pointing out before in your introduction, Natalie, this is a region with 745 million people, 325 million of those are intractably linked within the same currency area.

So, there's a lot at stake here. And that's why these negotiations are likely to go on some fear, perhaps even into the weekend. We should point out that David Cameron has said though, that, you know, his is not a deal that, yes, he has to achieve at all costs. He's promised the British people a referendum not this year but technically by the end of next year.

And he is getting some irritation from other E.U. leaders who are saying, look, the weather is getting better, the migrants are going to get back on the boats and they are going to arrive on the shores of Greece. We're going to have more disasters here. That is the true emergency, not Britain soul-searching inside of the E.U. So, that's the dynamic going on at this hour in Brussels today.

HOWELL: Nina dos Santos live for us in Brussels. Nina, thank you for your reporting there.

You're watching CNN Newsroom. And still to come, the U.S. presidential race and the democrats running for president are headed for a showdown in the silver state. Highlights from their town hall meeting in Nevada just ahead on newsroom.

ALLEN: Plus, will the president of Uganda in power for 30 years be re-elected again? And is the election fair? We'll have a live report from Africa.

[03:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOWELL: Welcome back to our viewers around the world. You're watching CNN Newsroom. I'm George Howell.

ALLEN: I'm Natalie Allen.

We want to update you on our top stories this hour. U.S. and Russian officials will meet in a few hours in hope of organizing a cessation of hostilities in Syria. That means the actual ceasefire may not start today as originally planned.

The U.N. says more humanitarian aid needs to be delivered. The Syrian regime have said a ceasefire is unlikely.

HOWELL: European Union leaders they are meeting in Brussels to determine the fate of Britain's E.U. leadership. A major sticking point though, in those discussions. Among the leaders is Britain's demand not to pay benefits to migrants from other E.U. countries.

Israelis police say they have stabbed and killed the Palestinian man who stabbed two Israeli officers in Jerusalem. It happened outside the city's Damascus gate. Police say the officers both in their 20s, were lightly wounded. The assailant was from a Palestinian neighborhood in East Jerusalem.

ALLEN: South Carolina holds its republican presidential primary Saturday. And Jeb Bush, John Kasich, and Donald Trump made their appeals to voters at a CNN town hall. The hot topic, Pope Francis, who implied that Trump wasn't Christian for wanting a wall to deter illegal immigrants from Mexico.

Well, in Las Vegas, the network MSNBC held a town hall for democratic contenders Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton. They talked health care, immigration reform and the fight brewing between Apple and the U.S. government.

HOWELL: It is an interesting fight there, while the candidates have some common ground, they also disagree about plenty of things. Sanders responded to Clinton's claim that he is a single-issue candidate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BERNIE SANDERS, (D) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If she happened to come to one of my rallies, which she has not yet. But I welcome her. She would hear me speaking for about an hour and a half, an hour and 15 minutes and we would cover 15 or 20 separate issues. I'm not quite sure where she comes up with the single-issue idea.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: Well, later in that program, Clinton defended Democratic Party principles after the town hall moderator quoted some of what Sanders said on his flight to Nevada.

HOWELL: The senator attacked Bill Clinton's legacy as president. And has in the past called U.S. President Barack Obama, weak.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, (D) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I just don't know where all of this comes from because maybe it's that Senator Sanders wasn't really a democrat until he decided to run for president.

(APPLAUSE)

He doesn't even know what the, you know, the last two democratic presidents did. Well, and I'm, you know, I'm -- well, it's true.

(CROWD BOOING)

It's true. You know it's true.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HOWELL: So, those two candidates really neck and neck. A new Fox News poll shows Clinton and Sanders locked in a very tight race nationally, Mr. Sanders leading 47 to 44 percent.

ALLEN: Yes, the new numbers come ahead of a crucial contest there in Nevada. It's the first battle of the campaign season in the Western U.S.

Jonathan Mann explains why the caucus is important for both parties.

JONATHAN MANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Nevada caucuses could turn into an old-fashioned Wild West showdown.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRY REID, (D) NEVADA STATE SENATOR: When you look at Nevada, it's a microcosm of our country, it is what America is all about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MANN: It's the first contest of the campaign calendar held in the Western U.S. Democrats turn out February 20th, republicans, three days later. It's relatively new to the process. Nevada's first caucus was just in 2004. But now, it is seen as a critical battleground for Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, fighting to win over an electorate more diverse than Iowa or New Hampshire with more Hispanic and African-American voters.

[03:35:09] While the state is geographically large, the race will likely be won or lost in just one city, Las Vegas. Sin city and the surrounding Park County are home to nearly three-quarters of the state's population. Recent history suggests Nevada is Clinton country.

Hillary Clinton narrowly won the vote in the 2008 caucus. Bill Clinton carried the state in both 1992 and '96 elections, helping him win the White House both times.

The Sanders campaign hopes to change that, spending millions on TV ads in both English and Spanish. And adding at least 50 staffers in 11 offices across the state. Nevada Senator Harry Reid tells CNN the race in his home state is too tight to call.

You think it's a toss-up?

REID: I think it's going to be very close.

MANN: Odds makers agree, giving Clinton and Sanders a 50-50 chance of winning. We'll find out which candidate hits the Nevada jackpot on Saturday.

HOWELL: There's much more on this race, race for the White House. You can find it on our web site cnn.com/politics. You can take a closer look at the candidates, the issues and the major events happening on the campaign trail.

ALLEN: Well, we're going to turn to another election right now far away from the United States.

Provisional results are in for Uganda's presidential election and the county's current leader, President Yoweri Museveni is leading more than 60 percent of the vote.

But this hotly-contested election has been marred by protests and accusations of vote-rigging.

CNN's Robyn Kriel is joining us from Nairobi, Kenya. She's been following the story there in Uganda. And the question is, will 30 years of power come to an end for this president? Robyn?

ROBYN KRIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, still early to tell, Natalie. As you said, votes are being counted. They do have 48 hours in which to count those votes. However, yesterday, when the voting occurred, a number of irregularities reported. To some of them being that the votes arrived, for many, the election materials arrived late.

So, that extended the polling time, really people were voting into the night. So, using flash lights to vote in some cases in the rural areas. Also, claims of irregularities by the opposition party. And ending with day with an arrest of the main opposition leader that is Museveni's opposition candidate that is Kizza Besigye.

He was arrested late last night because he said that a house that he had gone to with journalists and with some observers from the European Union, he claimed was being used to store illegal election materials.

However, police said that that was an intelligence center and that he was trespassing. They arrested him and took him home. So, a lot of varying things happening, excitement however, on the ground in Uganda. They had this report that a number of people turned out to vote, standing in long queues for a very long time.

ALLEN: Right. We've seen it, you can go on our web site and seeing just the winding rows of people standing there. Very patient, I might add, from the looks of the photographs, just waiting for their turn. What also of reports of some social media sites being blocked there in Uganda during this process.

KRIEL: Well, yes. What journalists were saying very early in the day, and as well as just observers in general. They were saying that they could not access social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp, as well as even some mobile money transfer sites.

And this really spiraled throughout the day. Eventually the communications commission saying that they had been asked to block a certain number of sites by the government. Museveni, President Museveni saying later in the day that it was done for safety and security of the country, that some of the sites were being used for nefarious activities.

So, that's what they're saying on the ground in Uganda. But there is outrage from the people of Uganda. And as a result, a record number of people have been downloading what's called VPNs, which is a way that you can bypass those source of bans, those source of blockages that were occurring, and as well the number of neighboring countries, such as here in Kenya, saying that they would tweet on behalf of Ugandans.

That Ugandans can't tweet if they can't express their opinions, the Kenyans says they would do so for them. So, it was a very active day on social media, I guess for Uganda's deciding vote.

ALLEN: All right. We'll wait and hear what happens. Robyn Kriel following it for us. Thank you, Robyn.

Well, a new report says ISIS is recruiting children at an unprecedented rate. When we say recruiting we should say in effect kidnapping. Up next, we'll say what one boy says happened when he refused to be trained by ISIS militants.

[03:40:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ALLEN: Well, sadly, we have a new horror to report on behalf of ISIS. The new report shows that the terror group is mobilizing children and teenagers, at an alarming rate.

The results first published in the CCTC Sentinel. Look at the deaths of 89 children eulogized in ISIS propaganda. The majority were killed, detonating improvised explosives or as soldiers in battle, forced by ISIS, of course. Sixty percent were adolescent, between 12 and 16, 6 percent were younger than 12 years old.

HOWELL: Just over half of them died in Iraq. Thirty six percent died in Syria. The rest were killed in Yemen, killed in Libya, and killed in Nigeria.

In the Iraqi of Sinjar, our Nima Elbagir talked to children who survived the brutality of ISIS.

ALLEN: And the town was liberated in November. But the emotional and physical scars have not, of course, faded away. Here she is.

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The road into Sinjar town. Almost two months after liberation from ISIS, it's still heavily guarded. Sinjar's mayor has traveled with us today to show us what remains of his city.

When ISIS swept through the Yazidi homeland, it's along this very road where the men, women, and children rounded up from the surrounding villages were driven. The mayor takes us to the other side of the earth defenses encircling the town.

This was the site of an ISIS massacre.

(FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

ELBAGIR: It breaks his heart, he says, to leave the bones exposed like this to the elements. But no one has come to investigate. No one has come to document. So, they don't want to undermine any findings. This grave is one of the hundreds. He tells us here is where they buried the women and the children. The young boys who refused to accompany ISIS, who refused to be conscripted as child soldiers. [03:45:03] Surviving eyewitnesses tell CNN the victims in these

graves, more than 130 people, had originally been singled out to transports to the nearby ISIS town of Deir ez Zor. They refused. You can still see the close ties that bound the victims' hands, both young and old.

The prayer beads clutched until the final moments. The bullets fired by the executioners. A refugee camp in Northern Iraq. Those who have managed to flee ISIS have found refuge here.

Kurdish authorities tell CNN they have evidence of the abduction of approximately 600 children, from Sinjar and the surrounding Yazidi villages. Around 200 have since escaped and are sheltering in camps like this one across the Kurdish region.

Returning to describe the brutality. Eleven-year-old Nori Falah (ph) is one of the lucky ones. His family were abducted the day of the Sinjar massacre. Once in Deir ez Zor he refused to join the training. ISIS fighters brutally beat him, breaking his leg in three places. When it healed, he could only limp.

(FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

"They asked me to go to the mountain," he says, "and I refused. Again, they broke my leg. That saved me. The other children were taken by force." He says the fighters deemed him useless. That saved his life. Nori's 5-year-old brother Saman, was terrified from the very beginning. Subjected to daily beatings.

Their life in the ISIS camp is something no one, no child, should ever have to endure. The children's grandmother Gorahala (ph) says the boys described watching as militants murdered other children who refused to train.

(FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

Gorahala tells us they are utterly traumatized. Nori wakes up terrify to the night, screaming that he is being choked and some man still suffers from seizures. Traumatized and too broken to march in the militants ranks they were by some miracle released by ISIS.

Back at the outskirts of town, in the distance, we can see smoke rising from a mortar strike into an ISIS encampment. Mass graves we're told honey comb the valley leading to the boundary of their territory.

On the ground, the mass spots a fragment of what appears to be a child's skull. Delicately, reverently, he places it on top of the grave. One day, he tells us, he hopes it will be safe enough here for forensic investigators to come and help them identify the children under this rubble.

Nima Elbagir, CNN, Sinjar.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: A few different areas of snowfall forecast for the early parts of the weekend throughout North America. First, across the Pacific Northwest and into Western Canada, with a deep trough overhead.

And then, also a quick moving clipper system that will bring snowfall into Quebec and into Ontario. Even the extreme northern sections of New England that could bring much-needed snowfall to the ski resorts of Vermont and into the New Hampshire region.

Here's our forecast radar. There's snowfall moving eastward from the upper great lakes, through the northeastern portions of the U.S.

[03:50:01] we'll focus in Quebec and into Ontario. Some of the ski there are getting much-needed snowfall and could be in the month for both regions. Rain, perhaps transitioning to snowfall. Temperatures covering just above the freezing mark.

But a little snow base at the moment for most locations. Nonetheless, we're still roughly 75 to 100 percent open. So, we will take whatever snow we can get. Now a little further to the south, into Vermont and New Hampshire, good chances of snow for the popular areas like Killington, up northward into Sugar Bush. Temperatures just above the freezing mark.

But we should see that precipitation stay mainly frozen, at least in the frozen variety. There's our storm system across the Pacific Northwest. The Cascades look active this weekend. Mt. Baker into Crystal Mountain, perhaps another three, to even upwards of a foot of snow.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOWELL: So, it doesn't matter whether it's the democrat or the republican. Every time there is an election, some Americans will vow to move to Canada, if the candidate that they choose, that they want, is not elected.

ALLEN: Well, now, a radio host in the Canadian Maritimes is trying to beat the rush.

Jeanne Moos reports he is already reaching out to Americans who tremble at the mere thought of President Donald Trump.

HOWELL: Wow.

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When Donald Trump deals with protesters.

TRUMP: Get them out.

MOOS: He doesn't mean out of the country. But for those who want to voluntarily leave...

ROB CALABRESE, CAPE BRETON RADIO DEEJAY: Hi, everyone. Donald Trump may become the president of your country. If that happens and you decide to get the hell out of here, might I suggest moving to Cape Breton Island. MOOS: First of all, where is Cape Breton? It's in Nova Scotia, along

Canada's Eastern Coast. Boy, is it beautiful.

CALABRESE: And nobody has a handgun.

MOOS: Cape Breton radio deejay, Rob Calabrese is no Donald Trump fan. He says if Trump wins web site started as a joke. Come on up to Cape Breton. Come on up to Cape Breton.

CALABRESE: Where women can get abortions. Muslim people can roam freely. And the only walls are holding up the roofs of our extremely affordable houses.

MOOS: There are answers to questions like, how do I immigrate to Canada? They will often...

CALABRESE: They want to know if they can bring their cats to Canada.

MOOS: The web site has been flooded with hundreds and hundreds of inquiries. Would you consider moving to Canada if Donald Trump were elected president?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm thinking Berlin.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would do it in a heartbeat.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. I'm an American. I'm going to stay here no matter who is president.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm moving to Europe if he's elected president.

MOOS: But in Cape Breton, they need people.

CALABRESE: Absolutely. We have an unsustainable population decline.

MOOS: Housing is a bargain. We saw a three-bedroom waterside houses selling for 200,000, even $25,000. Sure, Rob has gotten some angry e- mails from Trump supporters.

CALABRESE: Why would anyone want to move to Canada? Especially some isolated known for nothing place like Cape Breton.

MOOS: Well, it's known for something now. Cape Breton's motto, "your heart will never leave."

TRUMP: Get him the hell out of here, will you, please?

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN.

TRUMP: Bye-bye.

MOOS: New York

ALLEN: Oh, my. That's very interesting. We'll wait and see if Cape Breton gets...

(CROSSTALK)

HOWELL: A population boost here.

ALLEN: Yes. Well, we usually see tornadoes in Oklahoma. But right now, it's wildfires that are moving across that state.

HOWELL: That's right. Our meteorologist Derek Van Dam joins us with more on that. Derek?

DAM: George and Natalie, take a look at some of this new video brought to us from one of our affiliates in Central Oklahoma. You can see the firefighters battling the blazes for the overnight timeframe. Remember, it's about 4 a.m., or 3 a.m., Central Standard Time at the moment in Oklahoma, but dangerous conditions to say the least. But all of the ingredients there are necessary for these fires to spread.

[03:55:03] There is some good news, which I'll touch on in just one moment. But take it like this. If we were perhaps building a campfire in the wilderness to stay warm, what ingredients do we need to get that fire to spread, as it does in Oklahoma?

Well, first of all, we need fuel. That is the dry grass. We're coming off a rainy, rainy period in Oklahoma. But that has dried out from the winter. And that has just provided the fuel necessary for these flames. We also have the heat component, breaking records that have stood for decades. And on top of that, we have strong wind.

This is fueling oxygen into the flames. Just like we were trying to build our cam fire up in the wilderness the wind is helping to spread those flames and make them even larger. Unfortunately, the wind can become too strong. It can take embers and actually fly them roughly hundreds of feet, if not yards. And they create what is called spot fires.

These spot fires help spread and grow wildfires at a very rapid rate. Dangerously rapid rate, that can be quite a hazard for people in the way of that particular situation.

Now what I'm going to show you is a satellite loop, taken from space. And you can actually see some of the spot fires that occurred, with the strong winds. Clearly, a southerly component to the wind here across Eastern Oklahoma. All of those red circles those are the fires that are ongoing. We also have our fire across the Panhandle of Oklahoma.

Natalie and George, the winds will die down on Friday. And temperatures will move eastward. The warm temperatures, I should say.

HOWELL: Derek, a serious situation. I do have to say one of those embers though, from your graphic got on your jacket.

(CROSSTALK)

DAM: Oh, well, I'll get that out next time, OK. HOWELL: Derek, thank you so much. And we thank you for watching this

hour of CNN Newsroom. I'm George Howell.

ALLEN: And I'm Natalie Allen. Stay with us at CNN Newsroom with Hannah (ph) Van Jones in London continues after this break.

[04:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)