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Refugees Flee ISIS Fighting; Jurassic World Monster Box Office Hit; Suicide Bomber Mourned; Hong Kong Police Break Up Bomb Plot

Aired June 15, 2015 - 10:00   ET

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

ROBYN CURNOW: Welcome to the International Desk. I'm Robyn Curnow. Well, it's 5:00 p.m. along the Turkish/Syrian border where thousands of refugees

are fleeing fighting between ISIS and Kurdish fighters. They're trying to escape from the ISIS-held town of Tel Abyad. Turkish -- Kurdish fighters

are encircling the militants in an attempt to cut off a key supply line to their stronghold in Raqqa. Well, let's bring in CNN's Arwa Damon. She was

at the Syrian border a short time ago. She joins us now from over in Turkey. What did you see, Arwa? Hi.

ARWA DAMON: Hi, Robyn. You know, it's the same desperate scene that we've seen way too often as the fighting in Syria has raged on. Thousands of

refugees waiting on the Syrian side of the border for Turkish authorities to allow them through. They were awaiting along the fence right next to

the official border crossing, but ISIS controls it on the Syrian side, and they have closed it. Many of these refugees have been waiting for hours,

if not for days. The vast majority of them are from Tel Abyad and the surrounding villages, fleeing this advance by both Kurdish forces, as well

as Arab rebel fighters coming and tying to choke off Tel Abyad from multiple directions. A lot of these people who we were speaking to had

actually already been displaced multiple times coming across, absolutely, exhausted, carrying their children, carrying their belongings, receiving

water that they were gulping down because the heat is just so stifling. A lot of them were telling us that, yes, they were living under these areas

that were under ISIS control, not necessarily because they subscribe to ISIS' ideology, but because, at the end of the day, this is an impoverished

part of the country. They don't want to leave their livelihoods behind. Many of them are farmers or goat and cattle herders, and they don't want to

have to live as refugees, but as the clashes got closer, as the coalition air strikes got closer, they felt as if they had no choice but to come

across, and the moment that gate was opened, the border was opened by Turkish authorities, we heard people on the Turkish side that had relatives

on the Syrian side making frantic phone calls saying, come right now. The border has been opened. Get across before it closes once again because it

only opened for a brief period of time. A lot of people, though, Robyn, was just so frustrated, so angry, so desperate. They didn't really want to

stop and talk. They've had to leave everything behind. There is no end to this violence in sight, and now they are trying to

make their ways into various refugee camps, Robyn.

CURNOW: So as that humanitarian crisis plays out, just give us some sense of the strategic importance of Tel Abyad.

DAMON: Well, it lies on the main route to the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa. It was one of their key logistical supply line areas. They were crossing

the border with, relatively speaking, ease, being able to shuttle through their fighters, various other supplies that they needed. If they are able

to recapture this town of Tel Abyad, that means that one of ISIS' main logistical supply routes to Raqqa and then onwards into the various areas

that they control in Iraq, will effectively be shut down, but this is not going to be an area that ISIS is going to give up very easily. Plus,

there's the additional concern for, according to some estimates that were given to us by an official with Turkey's Prime Ministry's office, tens of

thousands of civilians that are still stuck inside Tel Abyad, who are either unable to leave because ISIS won't let them go, or because they are

choosing not to do so at this stage. Some people we had spoken to were saying that as the fighting got closer to Tel Abyad, ISIS began trying to

block off escape routes for some of these civilians that were trying to flee. One man saying, I was able to get through with my family because the

ISIS fighters were distracted on the other various different front lines, so it's very strategic when it comes to the ISIS logistical supply routes.

It most certainly would be a key victory for both Kurdish and Arab fighting forces, but even while we talk about victory, there's nothing that anyone

is going to be celebrating because so much has already been lost.

CURNOW: Arwa Damon, as always. Thanks so much. Arwa Damon coming to us from Turkey. Well, relatives of a British teenager believed to be an ISIS

suicide bomber are speaking out. They say they're devastated and heartbroken after seeing this ISIS photo showing the 17-year-old with the

group's flag. It's thought he may have carried out a suicide attack near the largest oil refinery in Iraq this weekend. Well, Nic Robertson joins

us now from Dewsbury, England, the teenager's hometown. Hi, there, Nic. We heard that poignant message from the family, but what's the community

say?

NIC ROBERTSON: Well, there's a certain amount of frustration here, and there's a certain amount of coming to terms with the situation. As their

frustration that there's a feeling that the government and institutions like Facebook could be doing more to protect vulnerable teenagers. The

family say that he was a loving, caring teenager, and that it was his vulnerabilities that were exploited by ISIS; exploited to the point of

convincing him, apparently, to commit a suicide bombing. Family members have been visiting the house to pay condolences here this afternoon, but

the sense is that his loss, as shocking as it is, and the family has released a very eloquent statement denouncing and condemning ISIS in every

shape and form. This is such a shock to them. They say that he was here until Easter. That's when he fled with a friend. The police in April

issued a statement to that effect, but within two months, his vulnerabilities were preyed upon so much that he could be convinced into

becoming a suicide

bomber, and the family really feels that the way into his mind, if you will, was through the internet, and that's where, if you will, this

community would agree that more should be done to stop that happening, to stop young people in their own homes, in good -- in the homes of good

families, being attacked and approached in this way, Robyn.

CURNOW: Thanks for that. Nic Robertson there. Well, a US air strike in Libya may have killed one of North Africa's most sought after Jihadists.

The warplane targeted of veteran al-Qaeda militant, Mokhtar Belmokhtar, who the US has been hunting down for years now. Well, our Pentagon

correspondent Barbara Starr joins us now from Washington. This is a big get potentially.

BARBARA STARR: Indeed, Robyn. The US trying to determine if, in fact, he was killed in this air strike. He was the target. They believe he was

there. That's who they were going after, but they're looking for that corroborating evidence from the ground that he is actually dead. No

telling when they will come out with a formal announcement. By all accounts, this was an area where militants had gathered. It had been

watched, and then they got information. We don't what that information was that Belmokhtar was there. Manned aircraft, US jet fighters moving in,

dropping bombs, and this is what they were going after. It's very interesting, though, Belmokhtar not known -- been known particularly to

cross into Libya, but, apparently, they had information that he did. He is, as you say, someone the US wanted very badly for his alleged ties to

that 2013 event in Algeria, an attack on a gas plant there, in which multiple, large numbers of foreign hostages were taken. The US wanted him

very badly after that, and, in fact, had charged with him offenses including hostage taking,

kidnaping, conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction charged in US Federal Court, but if this strike worked out as they believe it did, they

would have gotten him through the sheer weight of US military power, Robyn.

CURNOW: Absolutely, and from the Pentagon, Barbara Starr there reporting. Thank you.

STARR: Thank you.

CURNOW: Well, the chaos in Libya has been a key factor in the country's spiraling migrant crisis with thousands trying to make their way across the

Mediterranean to Europe. Well, CNN has been taking you to the front lines of that crisis, from the ships rescuing people at sea, to the centers on

land where thousands are processed every year. Now, our Freedom Project is showing you what happens to many of them after that. Following the path of

children from Egypt to Rome where they often fall victim to drug and prostitution rings, but our Nima Elbagir begins their story in a village on

Egypt's coast and a mother's desperate search for news of their missing sons.

NIMA ELBAGIR: The Nile Delta is home to generations of Egyptian fisherman casting out onto the mag (ph). It's also the country's smuggling

heartland. We've been investigating the trafficking of teenagers and boys from Egypt to Italy for several months now. Well, one these mothers that

have (inaudible) around as they say that their sons were forced on these ships. Captain Mahmor (ph) and his ship's mate have made the journey to

Italy many times. The parents, he says, are as much to blame as the smugglers.

CURNOW: Well, you can watch the rest of Nima's report on Egypt's child migrants and follow the story all the way to the streets of Italy's capitol

this week on Amanpour. Now that starts at 7:00 p.m. in London, 8:00 p.m. in Rome and in Cairo, only on CNN. Well, there's still much more to come

at the International Desk including a big announcement in the US from Jeb Bush.

JEB BUSH: I'm proud of what we accomplished in Florida, proud we were able to make a difference, to change lives. We grew our economy.

CURNOW: But will the voters back the brother and son of two previous presidents? We'll talk to our political commentators ahead, and hundreds

of zoo animals are on the loose in Georgia after flood waters destroyed their cages, a live report next. All that and much more. Stick around.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CURNOW: Well, welcome back to the International Desk. I'm Robyn Curnow. Well, it's a national day of mourning in Georgia after heavy rains and

flooding killed at least 12 people over the weekend. Now, several others are still missing. Buildings the in the capitol have been damaged, and

there's been extensive damage to roadways as well, but the biggest threat now may be from the hundreds of zoo animals that escaped when the floods

destroyed their cages. Well, Matthew Chance joins us now from Moscow with that part of the story. Hi there. I mean, these images have been

extraordinary, a hippo in Tbilisi. But what's being done about it? I mean, clearly trying to round up these animals is pretty hard.

MATTHEW CHANCE: Yeah. It's really difficult. And to give you an idea of the size of the problem that the Georgian authorities are having to deal

with. There were 600 animals in the Tbilisi Zoo. Half of them have gone missing. They're either dead or they've escaped into the high ground or

the outskirts of the city or they're hiding in buildings. You may remember that photograph of the bear that was perched on a window ledge halfway up a

block of flats, a block of apartments, in Tbilisi. It just gives you an indication of the kind animals, very dangerous animals. There are lions,

and tigers, and wolves. One man reported finding a hyena on his balcony, and so these extraordinary -- seeing the incredible images that came out

today of a crocodile, giant thing, being dragged out of the mud and recaptured by zoo keepers in Tbilisi, so some extremely dangerous animals

out there that obviously still pose an enormous threat to the citizens of Georgia and to the residents of Tbilisi, and so it's a very

dangerous situation, the devastation caused by the flood was bad enough, but you add into that mix these, you know, very, you know, dangerous,

vicious animals, and it makes it all the worse, of course.

CURNOW: The question is, clearly, the zoo has been destroyed, so even if you catch them, what do you do with them?

CHANCE: Yeah. Well, the zoo has been flooded. There are some areas, obviously, I expect that are still usable. In fact, the hippopotamus, I

understand, has been put back into the zoo compound, and so it's a relatively territory, and there is areas that have been inundated, and

areas that are still usable. One of the problems at the moment, of course, is that people are going out there with hunting rifles, and killing the

animals that could otherwise be recaptured. That's something that the authorities have commented on. There's even been a suggestion by one

Georgian official, that some of the animals may have been killed in an unauthorized way. For instance, there was a very rare white tiger -- white

lion, sorry, inside Tbilisi Zoo. It was like the centerpiece, their main attraction inside the zoo, and it is been found dead with a bullet in its

head, but, actually, inside the zoo compound. It hadn't even apparently escaped, and so that's something the authorities are now going to be

looking into.

CURNOW: Matthew Chance, thank you for updating us on that story, appreciate it. Well, police in Hong Kong have arrested nine people on

charges of conspiracy to manufacturer explosives. Now, officers found a range of materials, as well as maps, to the location of the territory's

main government offices. Here's Ivan Watson with this story.

IVAN WATSON: Hong Kong Police have just completed another round of investigations here. You can see the bomb disposal unit moving out, and

they're leaving what was a television studio that has been abandoned for years and years. Did you find real evidence of potential explosives here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we did. We did find some chemicals which could be used as explosives.

WATSON: Right. Police say that found a small amount of chemicals for a highly explosive material known as TATP, as well as maps of a neighborhood

where the headquarters of the Hong Kong Government is located, and they also made arrests of suspects, one of whom, they say, admitted to being a

member of a local radical organization.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On the 14 of June, last night, the operation turned (inaudible) resulting in the arrest of nine Hong Kong Citizens. That's

include [sic] five male [sic] and four female [sic] ranging from the age of 21 to 34.

WATSON: The police raids come at a highly sensitive time, and they appear to be sending a message. Hong Kong's legislative council is expected to

vote this week on a controversial proposal for organizing future elections. Over the last year, this city has seen huge street protests, where critics

accuse the Central Chinese Government of imposing an election system that would allow Beijing to pre-screen candidates for the highest political post

in this former British Colony. A police commander used the announcement of the raid on this abandon TV studio to send a sharp warning during what's

expected to be a politically tense week. He said violent protests will not be tolerated. Ivan Watson, CNN, Hong Kong.

CURNOW: Thanks, Ivan for that report. Now, the son of a political dynasty in the US is said to jump into the race for the American Presidency. We'll

look at his chances of winning the Republican nomination. Also, Sudan's president is believed to be heading home despite an order to stay in South

Africa and face arrest stemming from war crimes charges. We'll find out how he might have slipped out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CURNOW: Welcome back. Now, Sudan's president has apparently left South Africa as a court there said he should be arrested. President Omar al-

Bashir was in Johannesburg for an African Union Summit. The International Criminal Court had called for his arrest on war crimes and other charges in

correction with the conflict in Sudan's Darfur Region. Well, President al- Bashir faces 10 charges in all. Three of those counts are for genocide, genocide by killing, by causing serious bodily and mental harm, and by

deliberately inflicting living conditions to destroy a target group. He also faces two counts of war crimes for intentionally directing attacks

against civilians and for pillaging, and five counts of crimes against humanity including murder, extermination, torture, rape, and forcible

transfer. Well, CNN's Diana Magnay joins me now from Johannesburg with the latest. Hi there, Di. That's quite a long list of charges against Mr.

Bashir, but, still, it seems the South Africans said it was okay if he left.

DIANA MAGNAY: Well, the South Africans sort of managed to find a loophole so that he did leave; even though, the South African Judiciary made it

quite clear that he shouldn't be allowed to leave, and that they considered the actions of the government in letting him leave and then not arresting

him the as soon as he set foot on South African soil to be against the South African Constitution. It would appear as though the state pretty

much stonewalled the case, the hearing, until Mr. Bashir managed to get on a plane and make his way back to Khartoum, and he's in the air right now

probably laughing all the way back to Khartoum because he got away with it effectively. South Africa is obliged as a signatory of the Rome Statute to

arrest and surrender Mr. Bashir as an indictee of the International Criminal Court should he set foot on an African -- South African soil.

They argued that he was immune because he was attending an African Union Summit, but that argument was dismissed by the Court, but,

unfortunately, for the human rights lawyers, bringing this case not in time to actually arrest him because he'd already fled the country, Robyn.

CURNOW: Well, you know, I think there are a lot questions here, many -- much outrage on, I think, on -- within the country because it really does

seem like South Africa's foreign policy, particularly, post-Mandela, has been focused on human rights, on working with multi-lateral institutions.

That's very much the framework of the country's foreign policy, but it seems like in this case and a few other cases, that the South Africans seem

to do it differently in reality.

MAGNAY: Yeah. It would appear as though in this instance they've decided to favor diplomatic ties with other African leaders over the founding

principle, as you say, of their democracy which is to respect human rights, and let's not forget that in this particular case, it would have been -- or

the International Criminal Court is trying to defend the human rights of the very poorest and most vulnerable of people in Africa. Now the African

Union and African leaders have long been extremely vocal about their -- the fact that they believe that the ICC is a Western institution. It unfairly

targets African leaders. How come the US is not a signatory? These are the sort of clamorings that you will always hear about the ICC, but in that

sense, you know, it is important not to forget what President Bashir is charged with, and that those human rights lawyers, civil society groups,

across this continent are trying to bring him to justice for very grievous crimes, and that South Africa, in this instance, seems to

have preferred to protect African leaders over the interests of African Citizens, Robyn.

CURNOW: Indeed, a lot of questions being asked. And, of course, let's not forget the sitting chair of the African Union is Zimbabwe under President

Robert Mugabe. Thank you so much for that, Diana Magnay, there in Johannesburg. Well, the Pope's former ambassador to the Dominican Republic

is poised to go on trial at the Vatican on charges of child sexual abuse. Now, he's the highest ranking Vatican official to face such charges, and

the first to be tried for them by the church. Well, CNN's Vatican's correspondent, Delia Gallagher now joins me now from Rome with details.

Hi, there Delia. What do we know about this man, and then the process he now faces?

DELIA GALLAGHER: Well, you know, this is big news because this is the first time that a trial on sex abuse will be held inside the Vatican, and,

as you say, he is the highest ranking Vatican official to be tried. Now, the Vatican has said that he is going to be tried on, quote, a number of

offenses, which include the possession of child pornography, as well as the sexual abuse of a minors, which allegedly occurred while he was the Papal

ambassador to the Dominican Republic in the period of five years from 2008 until 2013. Now, Mr. Wesolowski has already been laicized. That means

that in June of last year, a church tribunal deemed that there was enough evidence against him to remove him from the priestly state, so this is the

criminal trial, which will begin on July 11th, and in which, if convicted, he faces up to 12 years in prison. At the same time, the Vatican announced

this morning, Robyn, that the Archbishop and the Auxiliary Bishop of a US Diocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in Minnesota have

resigned, and their Archdiocese is facing criminal charges on the issues related to sexual abuse; in particular, related to charges against one of

their priests. This is an important case because, if you remember, just last Thursday, the Vatican announced that they were starting a new tribunal

for Bishops' accountability. This case in the US taught -- speaks to Bishops' accountability, what the Bishops knew and didn't know about what

their priests were doing. The Vatican spokesman this morning, however, said he did not know if the case in Minneapolis, Minnesota, would

eventually come to this new tribunal at the Vatican, Robyn.

CURNOW: Either way, there are significant developments on this front, and really addressing the issues that have been at the heart of criticism of

the Catholic Church. Delia Gallagher, thank you so much, coming to us there from Rome. Well, the field for candidates for the next president of

the US will be adding another name today, and a famous one at that, as Jeb Bush makes an official announcement hours from now. We'll talk about his

chances. That's up next, and, Jurassic World stomps all overall expectations at the box office. We'll look at the gigantic ticket sales

and their record.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CURNOW: Welcome back to the International Desk. I'm Robyn Curnow. Here are the headlines. A US air strike in Libya has targeted a wanted Islamist

militant affiliated with al-Qaeda. Washington has not yet confirmed if Mokhtar Belmokhtar is dead. He's believed to be responsible for killing

dozens of people in the 2013 attack on an Algerian gas plant. South Korea reports five more cases and another death in the Middle East Respiratory

Syndrome outbreak. This comes as many schools reopen for the first time in weeks. A hundred and fifty people have contracted the virus since the

outbreak began a month ago. Sixteen people have died. Beaches in Oak Island, North Carolina, will remain open today despite a pair of serious

shark attacks over the weekend. Two teenagers were attacked on Sunday, each of them lost an arm. The local sheriff's office has helicopters

monitoring the coastline.

To American politics now where Hillary Clinton has granted interviews to two local reports while campaigning in the State of Iowa. The democratic

front-runner has been criticized for sidestepping the media for the past two months. Clinton's aids say Sunday's interviews reflect a new phase of

her campaign after Saturday's official launch. And another candidate is expected to officially announce today that he's running for US Commander in

Chief, and, unlike many that have gone before, his family certainly has presidential pedigree. Jeb Bush, the Republican son and brother of former

presidents released this campaign add on YouTube on Sunday.

JEB BUSH: The barriers right now people rising up is the great challenge of our time. So many people could do so much better if we fixed a few

things. My core beliefs start with the premise that the most vulnerable in our society should be in the front of the line, not the back.

CURNOW: Well, Mr. Bush will not be the automatic front-runner, as he has to overcome that family legacy, as well as other issues. Well, for more on

his chances, let's bring in political commentators Peter Beinhart who's in New York, and Ana Navarro who's in Miami. Ana, I just want to start with

you. You know Jeb Bush. How different is he to his brother and his dad, and is -- or are they a liability or an asset?

ANA NAVARRO: You know, I know Jeb Bush very well, have known him for many years. I don't know his brother or his father to the same degree, so it's

hard for me to compare, but what I can tell you is that he is somebody that has done things differently his entire life. He did not go to Yale. He

went to the University of Texas. He majored in Latin American studies. He did an exchange program in Mexico where he met Columba, with whom he has

been married for over 40 years now, a Mexico woman. He lives in Miami, not in Texas, as a full Miamian, lived in Venezuela before that, so he's a guy

who's very much of an internationalist. He's got a very worldly view of the world, is interested in all -- and very intellectually curious. He's a

policy wonk. He's substantial. He's a serious guy. You're not going to see him joke around the same way that you'd see his brother joke around.

He actually speaks Spanish. His brother thought he spoke Spanish, and sometimes would break into a little Spanish here and

there. Jeb is completely fluent in Spanish, so I think there's a lot of things that set them apart. They also do share some family values.

CURNOW: Okay. So you say he's a policy wonk, a serious guy, an internationalist, not like George Bush, his brother. Peter, what do you

think? Is it a liability or an asset having Bush as a surname?

PETER BEINART: Well, it's an asset in terms of raising money. It's part of the reason that Jeb Bush has raised such and extraordinary amount of

money, but I think it's a serious liability with voters, both amongst Republicans and in the general election. Neither Americans as a whole, nor

Republican, have a particularly positive memory of the Bush administration, and part of the reason I think that Jeb Bush has so far failed so

dramatically to excite Republican voters is because, in fact, Republicans don't want someone who reminds them of the Bush Presidency.

CURNOW: So if somebody doesn't remind -- doesn't want to remind them of the Bush Presidency, that said, Ana, as you said, he's really trying to

appeal to the Latino community. Will that make such a difference? What's going to make or break him? Is it just about the money?

NAVARRO: No. It's not just about the money. Look, money is important because in the Republican primary, you -- the Republican primary this time

around, like last time, will probably be a long haul. With Jeb announcing today, it's going to be 11 candidates who have announced, and I suspect

there's going to be several more announcing in the next month, so it's going -- it's probably going to be a long and expensive process. Money is

going to help, but in primaries, in places like Iowa, like New Hampshire, like South Carolina, it really is about retail politics and introducing

yourself to voters, earning voters' trust one person at a time. You have to go and shake a lot of hands. You have to go meet a lot of people. You

have to answer a lot of questions and show who are you, share your ideas and your vision, and I think he understands that and knows. He's got the

patience to be able to be in this for the long haul, and I see him preparing himself certainly financially through raising a lot of money,

but also emotionally, physically. You've got to have the stamina to be able to be in this. It's a very rigorous process.

CURNOW: Rigorous process, but, Peter, I mean, I think he's the 11th Republican. I mean, it's starting to look like a whole lineup of anybody

out there. I mean, what is going on with the Republicans? I mean, is there this tug, this much publicized hype between sort of the Tea Party

Republicans, and the country club Republicans, and who's going to win. How do you think that's going to play out in the next 511 days until that

election?

PETER BEINART: The fact that some people that are getting in the race is a sign of Jeb Bush's problem. Jeb Bush's strategy was what was called a kind

of shock and awe strategy, to come in, to raise such a vast amount of money that they -- the hope that they would scare other people from the race.

It's been quite the opposite. They've scared no one from the race. They didn't scare Marco Rubio from the race, who I think who is now -- who is a

serious competitor with Jeb Bush for support in Florida, and, of course, support with Latinos. They haven't -- they didn't -- they haven't even

scared John Kasich who's getting in the race right now, the Governor of Iowa [sic], after watching Jeb Bush over the last few months, and the

reason is because Jeb Bush has performed poorly. Although he's raised a tremendous amount of money, he fumbled on the -- virtually, the most

obvious question the media could ask him, which was, what would he have done differently in the Iraq War? He's not a very charismatic speaker, and

he does not have a strong connection to conservative primary voters. Remember, George W. Bush had that connection because of the Evan -- he was

a born-again Evangelical Christian who connected to conservatives at that gut level. Jeb Bush, although he was a very conservative governor, does

not have that gut-level connection with Republican primary voters which is part of the reason he is way, way behind in Iowa, the first state.

CURNOW: So you.....

NAVARRO: He's not way, way behind, Peter.

BEINART: He is.

NAVARRO: Frankly, there's no.....

BEINART: He may not.....

NAVARRO: Well, let me just tell you this. There are no front-runners in the Republican Party right now. When you take a look at the polls, every -

- the people on the top tier are -- vote -- are maybe polling in the 12, 13, 14 percentile, so this is very different from what's happening in the

Democrat Party where you have an overwhelming anointed front-runner, who's going to be the pres -- you know, who is already the presumed candidate.

It's going to be a tough primary, where you're going to see, I think, a very vigorous debate, and you're going to see a diversity of ideas. What's

happening in the Republican Party is, one, that you have a very diverse Republican Party when it comes to thoughts and ideas. You've got people

like Rand Paul on one side of foreign policy issues. You've got people like Lindsey Graham, who are on the other side of the spectrum of foreign

policy, and they're all going to be vying for this. You also have folks who are not really running for president. Let's remember, some people are,

you know, in this to run for president. Some people are in this to get a cable gig, increase their name, increase their relevancy, sell a book,

become more marketable. There's a lot of reasons why people run for president. Not all of them is actually to be president.

CURNOW: Thank you for that. On that note, Ana Navarro and Peter Beinart. Thank you so much for coming on the International Desk. Thanks, guys.

NAVARRO: Thank you.

BEINART: Thank you.

CURNOW: And the Republicans are one thing, but Harry Potter and the Iron Man better look out. Jurassic World just flattened your records. The

monster opening weekend that the critics just didn't see coming. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Something's wrong. They're communicating.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're talking about an animal here. (SCREAMS)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A highly intelligent animal.

CURNOW: Well, intelligence is not the word critics are using for this movie, but, boy, is Jurassic World raking in the cash. More than $500

million on opening weekend. That beats the global record set by the last Harry Potter film, and it's filled more IMAX seats than any other movie has

before, soaring past Iron Man III for that record. Well, for more on this, let's bring in our chief business correspondent, Christine Romans. Hi

there, Christine. So what's so great about this movie? Why the big numbers?

CHRISTINE ROMANS: Well, I'm telling you, these numbers are unbelievable. More than a half a billion dollars around the world, and when you look at

the US, 204 million here. You're right. IMAX, a big winner here, filling up these -- record weekend really for IMAX, and everybody involved with

this film making a lot of money. It costs about a hundred fifty million to make it, so they are, wow, well on their way to the record books. I want

to show you the global box office numbers because you mentioned the Harry Potter. There are two Harry Potter films in the top five of record hauls,

and Jurassic World topped all of them. There's a little bit of talk that maybe that Star Wars sequel that comes out later this year could maybe

knock Jurassic World off the top of the list, but, look, what's going on here? Squeals, 1990's nostalgia. You got attractive millennial actors who

are tying right into something that is right from the 1990's. It's been a long time. It's been 14 years since there was the last

Jurassic World, and it was just -- the timing was right. It was perfect. This isn't even, you know, like, Memorial Day weekend, or a Labor Day

weekend, or a 4th of July weekend. This is just a weekend. You know, there was a Memorial Day weekend film, the Tomorrow Land from Disney, big

disappointment. I mean, people thought that would make a lot more money. This film, people thought it would make less money. One box office analyst

told the AP, this breaks the box office sound barrier. This was a very big weekend for this film. Now, what's so great about the movie? You know,

the marketing was very good. Timing was very good. You know, Rotten Tomatoes gave it, I think, a 70 percent. People say, you know, this was a

fun, scary movie to see this weekend.

CURNOW: Okay. I will admit, I haven't seen it.

ROMANS: I haven't either.

CURNOW: I'm not sure if I will because I'd be scared of the smallest of things, so I think I'll leave that to other (inaudible).

ROMANS: And there's nothing small in this film.

CURNOW: No, I'm just.....

CHRISTINE ROMANS: These are the largest of things.

CURNOW: It's just not my thing, but, anyway, thank you. It is fascinating to know, just to see how much these numbers are ticking up and up and up.

Christine Romans, thanks so much.

ROMANS: You're welcome, Robyn.

CURNOW: Well, that does it for us here at the International Desk. I'm Robyn Curnow. Don't go anywhere. World Sport with Christina Macfarlane is

next.

END