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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Manhunt Ongoing For Brussels Suspects; Pakistan Blast Kills at Least 69; Syria Retakes Palmyra; Cruz Accuses Trump of Planting Tabloid Story; Sanders Win 3 Western Caucuses; More Companies Threaten to Leave Georgia If Governor Signs Religious Freedom Bill. Aired 5:30- 6a ET
Aired March 28, 2016 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:30:00] CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Terror crackdown across Europe. New raids, new arrests linked to the Brussels attacks. What investigators are now revealing as protests erupt in the city. Fears over terror rising. We're breaking it all down live for you, next.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR: Dozens killed, hundreds wounded as terrorists target Christians at a crowded park. We're live with who is behind the bomb blast and what comes next.
ROMANS: ISIS pushed out of a key historic Syrian city. Is the terror Caliphate losing valuable ground now? We're live with what the loss means in the war on ISIS.
Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.
KOSIK: Good morning. I'm Alison Kosik. It's 30 minutes past the hour. This morning, new terror arrests across Europe, many of them connected to the Brussels and Paris attacks, suggesting the ISIS terror network is much bigger, more widespread, and in more cities than we knew.
The manhunt expanding for two Brussels bombing suspects who are still on the run and tension is rising in Belgium. Far-right protesters storming the memorial site for Brussels victims, clashing with riot police who pushed them back with water cannons.
And we're learning more about the four Americans killed in the Brussels attacks, including Justin and Stephanie Shults. Their families got condolence calls from President Obama on Sunday.
CNN's Michael Holmes is in Brussels for us with the latest on the investigation, who was arrested where, and what led authorities to them. Good morning, Michael.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: And good morning to you both now. We had, over the course of Sunday, 13 new raids here in Brussels, adding to those that have taken place in days previous. You had more people taken into custody, all part of the investigations into the attacks.
You had French investigators tipping off their colleagues in the Netherlands and a 32-year-old French citizens arrested in Rotterdam. That one tied to the arrest of another man who was described as being in the advanced stages of planning a terror attack on France. You had an Algerian picked up in Italy over the weekend accused of making false documents.
As you said in the intro there, that all shows the breadth and complexity of this web of ISIS operatives. And get this -- this is extraordinary to us. We talked of the lapses in counterterror systems here in Belgium and the government set up an urgent commission of inquiry to look into those failures. That's what it was called -- an urgent commission of inquiry.
We've had trouble getting through to them so went down to their offices this morning and guess what? Closed for the Easter holiday, which sounds a whole lot less urgent when you consider we're less than a week after these massive terror attacks. Closed for the holidays.
You mentioned those ugly scenes of the nationals at the memorial. The group chanting things like this is our home, confronting Muslim women in the crowds, making Nazi salutes. As you said, the riot police were quickly there. Water cannon use at one point. It was diffused.
No real harm done in a physical sense, but emblematic of what we have seen throughout Europe in many countries. Growing right-wing popularity, politically and socially. People against the refugee populations in their own communities. Back to you.
KOSIK: All right, Michael Holmes reporting live from Brussels. Thanks so much. And CNN is going to be taking you inside the inner circle of Paris attack suspects Salah Abdeslam and his suicide bomber brother Brahim.
(Video playing) You're looking at new video showing them partying in a Brussels nightclub just months before the attack. What their friends are telling CNN. That's coming up in 20 minutes.
ROMANS: A splinter group of the Pakistani Taliban claiming responsibility for a suicide blast that killed at least 69 people. Many of them were women and children. A spokesman for the group says it intentionally targeted Christians in a park in the city of Lahore. They were gathered there to celebrate Easter. And we've just learned that all public parks are now closed in Lahore.
For the latest I want to bring in CNN's Ravi Agrawal live for us from New Delhi. Tell us, what do we know about this splinter group?
RAVI AGRAWAL, CNN INDIA BUREAU CHIEF: Hi, Christine. I'll come to that in a second but we just have this in from the prime minister's office in Pakistan. The prime minister has just issued a statement saying that he will take this war to the doors of the terrorist outfit, and he also says God willing, we will wipe them out. So, very strong words that are just coming out from the Pakistani prime minister's office and that might be a little bit reassuring for the Pakistani people.
But, about this splinter group. Its name is Jamaat ul-Ahrar. It splintered away from the Pakistani Taliban about two to three years ago, and this group has sort of made a name for itself for conducting attacks that are especially brutal.
That are not necessarily in the northwestern part of the country -- the mountainous parts -- but in the cities -- in the southeastern city -- more populated parts of Pakistan like Lahore and it has also made a habit of targeting Christians. So that's what we know about this group. Obviously, Pakistan's government has said that it will try and attack this group in whatever way it can.
[05:35:00] ROMANS: So terrifying. The Christians in that country are just a small minority of the population. Attacking them in a park with playgrounds on Easter Sunday, just atrocious. Now, we know that the parks have been closed in Lahore. All parks have been closed now in Lahore. Is that right?
AGRAWAL: That's right. All parks have been closed as of today. And as you say, this was just a horrific attack. The park was in the city center on Easter Sunday right next to an amusement park. It was also near a playground so we actually think a number of the people who were killed were young children. We still don't have details on that.
We also don't have details on how many were Muslims or Christians. I guess that depends on who was there. But, really, a horrific statement of intent from this group and Pakistanis will be looking for a strong response from their leader.
ROMANS: All right, Lahore, Pakistan -- just a terrible scene there. Thank you so much for that, Ravi.
KOSIK: The ancient city of Palmyra is back under the control of the Syrian government. ISIS occupied Palmyra and its priceless ruins for the most of the past year, but government troops -- they say the extremists have been driven out. A strategic triumph for Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. The U.N. is praising the liberation of Palmyra, calling Assad to preserve and restore it.
Let's go to CNN's Arwa Damon who is tracking the latest developments for us from Istanbul. Arwa, we understand, obviously, that it's significant when you see ISIS lose territory but the question is will the Syrian government be able to actually hold onto Palmyra?
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, as long as they have Russian support, which just seems to be unwavering, the answer to that question is most likely yes. The Syrian government was only able to recapture Palmyra because of the relentless strikes carried out by Russian air power.
Hundreds of them leading up to that final push into the city which allowed the Syrian regime and the various different militias that support it to recapture the city and also take control of the ancient ruin, the UNESCO heritage site, that had seen some significant damage done to it by ISIS during its year-long occupation of this location that is strategically located. It connects the province of Homs to that of Deir Ezzor which is another ISIS stronghold.
But it is also incredibly symbolic for Assad's forces to be able to declare such a significant victory -- something that will be bolstering their morale, no doubt, but something that is also allowing the Syrian president to make a very blunt statement declaring very openly that his success was, yes, due to Russia's support, but also to make the underlying point and also to irk, presumably, the United States.
He went on to say that this is a clear example of how his and Russia's strategy is working on the battlefield, whereas the coalition's is not. Now, all of this being said, this does not necessarily mean that ISIS is broadly speaking on the defeat or that it is even on its back foot. But, yes, this is a victory for the regime, both strategically speaking and, more importantly, symbolically as well.
KOSIK: With ISIS leaving behind so much human devastation, so much cultural devastation, but good to see that some progress there being made. Arwa Damon, reporting live from Istanbul, thanks very much.
ROMANS: All right, 38 minutes past the hour. The race for president getting uglier as GOP front-runners Ted Cruz and Donald Trump blame each other for a salacious tabloid story. More on that next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:43:00] KOSIK: The feud between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz more personal than ever this morning. On top of the candidate's wives being dragged into the fight, Cruz is now blaming Trump for planting an ugly supermarket tabloid story about him. Trump denying that claim but adding he has no idea whether the story is true or not.
Joining us to break all this mud fighting down and all the political action as well, senior digital politics correspondent, Chris Moody. Good morning. All right, let's get this dirty stuff out of the way. Trump responded to this tabloid in sort of a disingenuous fashion, in my opinion, but anyway, let's listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't care. The National Enquirer did a story. It was their story, it wasn't my story. It was about Ted Cruz. I have no idea whether it was right or not. They actually have a very good record of being right, but I have absolutely no idea. Frankly, I said I hope it's not right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK: OK, so keep in mind we are having a town hall here on CNN tomorrow. We'll get to substance, but first, what do you think? Is he believable on this?
CHRIS MOODY, CNN SENIOR DIGITAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Trump is talking out of two sides of his mouth here, something he's really an expert at. He's saying I hope it's not true, but then he's winking and nudging and saying well, it might be.
Look, this shows the Republican Party race is in a really tough spot right now. At a time when there are terror attacks across the world, the two top presidential candidates on the Republican side are arguing over their wives. Donald Trump is tweeting photos to show who he thinks is prettier.
This is not the place the Republicans wanted to be. Now, it could very well go against Donald Trump in the end -- backfire against him -- because people are looking to him now, after months and months of him traveling across the country and being quite a spectacle, to look more presidential. This is not what that looks like.
[05:45:00] Trump has been asked to answer many questions on policies, specifically on foreign policy, as he gets closer and closer to the possibility of him actually being the Republican nominee. And to be talking about this kind of thing, instead, probably does not shine so well in the eyes of a lot of his supporters who want to see him pivot to looking more like a presidential candidate.
ROMANS: We are, Chris, getting more of a look into what the world view is of Donald Trump. You know, he sat down for two 50-minute phone calls each with The New York Times. You can read all of that and even the transcript of exactly how he sees the world. And we know that after Brussels both he and Ted Cruz have used that event to shape what their opinions are about immigration, about migrant policy in the U.S. Let's listen to that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Much of the cause of these terror attacks is the failed immigration policies in Europe over the decades where they've allowed vast numbers of Islamic terrorists to come into Europe. They live in isolated locations where law enforcement often doesn't engage at all, and they're hotbeds for radicalization. It leads to these sorts of attacks. We can't become Europe.
TRUMP: I don't think America's a safe place for Americans if you want to know the truth. We're allowing thousands of people to come in here. Nobody knows where they're from, nobody knows who they are, and they're coming in here by the thousands. And let me tell you something, we're going to have problems.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: With so much of the analysis post-Paris and post-Brussels, the terrorism and counterterrorism experts have been so clear that the United States doesn't have the same issues as Europe for a variety of different reasons. But that's not what these Republican front-runners are keying into.
MOODY: Well, there's no surprise that they're using what is happening around the world, particularly in Europe, to try to say that their policies on immigration are justified. I think that's something they would naturally point to. The question is whether it's right.
I would encourage a lot of people to read The New York Times interviews with Donald Trump over the weekend on foreign policies. They really grilled down with him and he seems to be under the impression that in foreign policy you can make a deal about just about anything. That's part of what he's selling himself as. The guy who can go to Israel and make a deal between the Israelis and the Palestinians, or who can make trade pacts that are good for the United States.
But when The New York Times pressed him they, if you read the article, seemed very skeptical at the depth of his foreign policy knowledge. Going forward, that is going to be a topic that I think you're going to see Ted Cruz grill down on against Donald Trump quite a bit. And Donald Trump is going to have to show, in his own way, that he is someone who can be in command of those policies issues and say more than just let's make a deal.
ROMANS: Chris, I would say also that Donald Trump would wear skepticism from The New York Times as a badge of honor, for the record.
MOODY: He would, although if you read that,I've never seen The New York Times more snarky in their writing on a front-page story in my life.
KOSIK: I hear you.
All right, let's quickly go to what happened over the weekend. Bernie Sanders gathering momentum over the weekend. Now the talk is turning to super delegates.
MOODY: Huge night for Bernie Sanders over the weekend.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You begin to look at the reality, and that is that we, in poll after poll, are beating Donald Trump by much larger margins than is Sec. Clinton. In your own CNN last poll we were 20 points ahead of him. In the last national poll we actually beat Sec. Clinton by a point. We started 50 points behind. I think the momentum is with us. A lot of these super delegates may rethink their position with Sec. Clinton. A lot have not yet declared.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK: All right, Chris, go ahead. Before Bernie Sanders rudely cut you off, you were saying --
MOODY: Well, I was saying it was a huge night and he needed that. The news wasn't just that Bernie Sanders won, it's the margin in which he did. That is exactly what he was going for up in the Pacific Northwest and he succeeded.
Now, as he mentioned there briefly, he's going to to take that momentum and try to make the case to the super delegates who have -- most of which -- have pledged to Hillary Clinton saying look, the avalanche of support is on my side. Just watch it happen. Look what happened in Washington, look what happened in Alaska, but here's the trick.
He's going to have to pull that offagain in Wisconsin and then he's going to have to head further east into real Clinton territory and make his case there, and if he does exceptionally well there, I think he's going to have a pretty good point when he talks to the super delegates.
But I think he still has to face future tests and he has to pass them with flying colors, as he did in the west, to show that he has the true national appeal. That's going to be an uphill battle for Bernie Sanders but that is their way forward to try to take this nomination if they can.
KOSIK: Certainly an uphill battle -- you're right about that. Chris Moody, thanks so much for getting up with us this morning. And on Tuesday night the final three Republican candidates will be in Milwaukee for a CNN town hall moderated by our own Anderson Cooper, live at 8:00 p.m. eastern only on CNN.
ROMANS: All right, let's take a look at what's coming on "NEW DAY". Alisyn Camerota joins us this morning. Hi, Alisyn.
[05:50:00] ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR, "NEW DAY": Hey, ladies, great to see you. Love the purple, Christine. So, in a few minutes we'll be talking about new striking developments in the 2016 race. Donald Trump, laying out his controversial foreign policy plan while he and Ted Cruz trade barbs over a salacious tabloid article. Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders riding high after those three wins that you were talking about over the weekend. We'll ask the Sanders campaign about their new strategy to win the state of New York.
And, in the wake of those Brussels terror attacks the threat continues throughout Europe. Police spreading a dragnet across several countries, so we'll have the latest on the manhunt for all of the attackers.
ROMANS: All right, thanks so much.
KOSIK: Thanks, Alisyn.
CAMEROTA: All right, talk to you soon.
ROMANS: All right, investors were in a bad mood last week. Will a long holiday weekend change that? We're going to get an early start on your money next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:55:00] KOSIK: An exclusive look now inside the lives of six suspected terrorists implicated in the Paris terror attacks. CNN has obtained video of the extremists partying at Brussels nightclubs, participating in illegal poker games, and smoking pot eight months before executing their deadly plot.
Let's go live to Brussels and bring in CNN's Nina Dos Santos. Just to put the timeline in focus here, this before the Paris bombings where more than 100 people were killed but were the brothers already associated with ISIS when this video was taken? NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Now, according to their friends they don't think that they were and we've corroborated that with various police sources over the last few days. And, Alisyn (sic) -- but the issue that we're facing here is one of their pervasiveness of ISIS which has gotten its grips, according to these two friends, on no fewer than six of their friends. So six of their friends have been implicated in the terrorist attacks in Paris. One of them still remains on the loose and two of them went on to become suicide bombers.
(Video playing) The picture that they're painting here is one of carefree use, so in just eight months since this video was taken in that Brussels nightclub -- became radicalized. And they said that the last time they say these individuals was only four or five days before the Paris attacks were carried out by Brahim and also Salah Abdeslam.
