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GOP Nomination Process; Blind Pole Vaulter; CNN Goes Inside Rebel-Held Syria. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired March 17, 2016 - 08:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:31:35] MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: All right, let's go to school. We're going to talk some numbers. The magic number for Republicans, 1,237. That's how many delegates any candidate needs to clinch the nomination. If no candidate hits the mark, the GOP then heads to a contested convention.

What exactly happens there? We brought Peter Beinart in. He's a CNN political commentator and an associate professor at City University of New York.

Prof, we need you to help us with this because this is really - it's complicated, intricate stuff. We're trying to break it down so we can understand. This is the magic number, 1,237. That's exactly half of the total Republican delegates available. Both Trump and Cruz say they want to hit that number, 1,237, before the convention. Are likely either one of them likely to get there?

PETER BEINART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Cruz is not. He would need roughly 80 percent of the remaining delegates. There's no reason to believe he can get that much. Donald Trump is closer. Probably only a bit more than 50 percent of the remaining delegates. So Donald Trump does have some chance of getting to the 1,237 number.

BARTIROMO: Closer, though. That's interesting, right? Because it's not - it's not a done deal. It's not a sure thing. So then, if they don't, either - assuming that either one of them gets there, we know then, as the convention starts, according to analysis done by "The New York Times," 95 percent - 95 percent of those delegates are bound. Does that vote automatically fail then if they go into the convention without the 1,237?

BEINART: Well, it depends how close Donald Trump is. You say 95 percent. That's not 100 percent. So there are a few delegates - if Donald Trump were really close to 1,237 -

PEREIRA: Yes.

BEINART: He might be able to lure some of those people. But if he's not really, really close, then, you're right, you probably go to a second ballot.

PEREIRA: Did you say second ballot? So let's go to round two, assuming that vote fails. At vote two, 50 percent. So then this is the new number that we have.

BEINART: Right.

PEREIRA: Fifty-seven percent of the delegates become unbound. And then the attempts to get a majority begin again. Trump has always said, I'm a negotiator, I'm a negotiator. What kind of negations? What kind of back room conversations are happening?

BEINART: Well, this is when things would get really, really fascinating. So you could imagine him going to another candidate, a John Kasich for instance, and say, you know what, we've got a great job for you in our administration if you bring some of those delegates over. Or you could bypass the candidate altogether and go straight to the delegates and say, hey, want to come to Mar-A-Lago and lounge in the swimming pool? It's really fun here. I mean Donald Trump, if he's close to getting the nomination, will have lots and lots of ways of luring delegates to his side. And if he's close, I think he can probably do it.

PEREIRA: And this is where we're going to see likely some of these tactics that Donald Trump takes that are different from what we've seen in past conventions. His negotiating skills play out a little differently, right?

BEINART: Right. I mean there are going to be all kind of rumors about the deals that were - that were made. The interesting question is, is it conceivable that the anti-Trump candidates, Cruz, Kasich, Rubio, who's not in it but still there's some delegates there who supported him, could they conceivably team up, come up with some kind of agreement to allow one of them or even someone who wasn't even running to get to the 1,237.

PEREIRA: Interesting.

BEINART: But I -

PEREIRA: So that's the big variable really?

BEINART: That's the big variable. But that's probably harder than Trump simply luring a few people over to his side.

PEREIRA: OK, so let's say, again, we get to round three. At this point then 81 percent of delegates are unbound and they can then vote for anybody they want. How do you see that potential scenario playing out?

[08:35:06] BEINART: If Trump can't get it on the second ballot, and, again, I think his chances of getting it by the second ballot are pretty high -

PEREIRA: OK.

BEINART: Then I think all bets are off. You really have - I mean we - this is totally uncharted territory. We haven't been in a situation like -

PEREIRA: This is unprecedented? BEINART: Well, I mean, you can go back to the 1920s, but it's been a

very, very long time since you went to a third ballot. It's even conceivable in those circumstances, if it became clear that Donald Trump could not get to the 1,237 and none of the other candidates could, that you could have someone who hadn't run. I mean there are questions about whether this is possible in the rules, but depending on how they write the rules, it's even conceivable - I'm not saying it's likely - it's even conceivable that someone who was not running, a Paul Ryan -

PEREIRA: Yes, yes, yes.

BEINART: A Mitt Romney -

PEREIRA: Yes. yes.

BEINART: Could potentially come in and people could rally around them.

PEREIRA: Isn't that fascinating.

Ok, last but not least, we've got to ask you this. Marco Rubio. We know he dropped out of the race. He had 171 delegates. So we go back to this magic number. What happens to these 171?

BEINART: Well, it's complicated because the rules are created by the states. So, in some states, those people have to vote on the first ballot for Marco Rubio, even though he's no longer in the race. And then in the second ballot they can switch. In some states they can vote for someone else on the first ballot.

PEREIRA: Each state could do different things.

BEINART: Each state could do different things.

PEREIRA: Oh, wow.

BEINART: And to make it even crazier, each state can rewrite the rules between now and the convention in some cases.

PEREIRA: Goodness.

BEINART: But there will be some unbound Rubio delegates. Now, Rubio might endorse somebody else and try to get -

PEREIRA: Right, right, right.

BEINART: But he doesn't - he can't control that. So I suspect you're going to see Donald Trump spending a lot of time -

PEREIRA: Chasing after these, yes.

BEINART: With the unbound Rubio delegates because they give him a cache that could potentially put him over.

PEREIRA: Push him over the edge.

Professor, how did we do? There's not going to be a pop quiz on this later, is there?

BEINART: Not at all.

PEREIRA: OK. Good. I've been learning a lot.

Alisyn, that really helped sort of lay it all out, what it looks like.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: It sure did. And the new word "unbound." I like that. We'll use that.

Thanks, Michaela.

So what is life like for the people trapped inside rebel-held Syria? The regular people, the aid workers who are trying to help others. In a CNN exclusive, Clarissa Ward takes us to an area few journalists ever go. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:41:10] PEREIRA: All right, here we go with the five things to know for your new day.

At number one, Donald Trump under fire for a comment that he made here an NEW DAY, predicting riots if he's not the nominee at the Republican convention.

A contentious battle brewing over the president's Supreme Court nominee. GOP leaders vowing to block Merrick Garland's nomination. Garland heads to Capitol Hill today. He'll meet with Democratic lawmakers.

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder is about to be grilled by lawmakers on the water crisis in Flint. Governor Snyder testifying before the House committee investigating that led contamination.

Washington, D.C.'s metro system, whew, back up and running a day after it was forced to shut down for an emergency inspection. Officials repaired dozens of frayed power cables, the culprit of a fire on the tracks on Monday.

Frank Sinatra, Jr. has died. The son of legendary old blue eyes went on - out on his own to a successful music career. He suffered a cardiac arrest while on tour in Florida. He was just 72 years old.

For more on the five things to know, be sure to visit newdaycnn.com.

Chris, don't forget the dot com.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Never forget, otherwise you get nowhere, Mic.

All right, so college outdoor track season is set to start and a big ten athlete is ready to go even though she can't see the starting line. CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has her story in this week's "Turning Points."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When you watch Charlotte Brown, it's hard to believe she can't see.

CHRIS HOFFINS, ASST. TRACK & FIELD COACH, PURDUE UNIV.: Se does life so seamless that often people don't know she's blind.

GUPTA: The Purdue University freshman developed cataracts in both eyes at 16 weeks old and had surgery to remove them.

CHARLOTTE BROWN, BLIND POLE VAULTER: I could see colors and I could see shapes and people, but I always read large print and I could never see really well.

GUPTA: In sixth grade, Charlotte's vision got worse and she was declared legally blind.

BROWN: We just kind of hiccupped right over it. My parents, they never said, can you do that, it was just, how are you going to do that?

GUPTA: And question she asked when she wanted to pole vault in seventh grade.

BROWN: No one on my team was doing it and it seemed dangerous. And I was like, oh, I want to do something dangerous.

GUPTA: Charlotte and her coaches came up with a strategy. She places a beeper above the box where she plants her poll and then counts the steps on her approach.

BROWN: Because I have very sensitive hearing. So essentially when I vault, I really don't hear anything except for the beeper.

GUPTA: In her senior year, Charlotte won bronze at the Texas State High School Championships.

BROWN: I had a lot of kids come up to me and they just think you're the world. That's really cool just to know what you're doing is going to have an impact on them.

GUPTA: Now in college, the 18 year old says the sky is the limit.

BROWN: I'm scared of a lot of things, I just choose to do it away. So you just have to stare fear in the face and you just have to smile, even if you can't see it.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CUOMO: Wow!

CAMEROTA: That's remarkable.

CUOMO: I mean, have you ever pole vaulted?

CAMEROTA: Yes, constantly. PEREIRA: What? What? Oh, Chris -

CAMEROTA: I mean that was my sport, but I don't know how she does it.

PEREIRA: (INAUDIBLE) long jump. I did not do -

CUOMO: (INAUDIBLE) toss you (INAUDIBLE).

PEREIRA: Right.

CUOMO: It is so hard to do. That's amazing. That - that's just amazing.

CAMEROTA: That's amazing.

PEREIRA: Incredible.

CUOMO: Thank you for - thank you, Sanjay. Thank you for that.

So let's take a little break now. When we come back, doctors are finding themselves more and more in the lie of fire in war ravaged places like Syria. So what would motivate a doctor to stay in a place that is so life and death every day for them? Well, CNN's Clarissa Ward takes us to the front lines. An exclusive report, ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:48:23] CAMEROTA: You have to see this next segment. When rebels took control of parts of Syria, they hoped to create their own state away from Bashar al Assad's tyranny. Then Russia started bombing them. Courthouses, schools, even a hospital now all leveled. But what happened to the doctors who stayed behind and survived?

CNN's senior international correspondent Clarissa Ward went into rebel-held Syrian territory where virtually no Western journalists have been for the past year. And Clarissa joins us now with her exclusive reporting.

Clarissa, great to have you here. Great to have you back safely. So tell us about this dangerous assignment and what you found.

CLARISSA WARD, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, what was so extraordinary when you talk to people on the ground, Alisyn, you know, Russia and the regime of Bashar al Assad has said that it's fighting a war against terror and against terrorists. But when you talk to people on the ground they will tell you over and over again that it feels like a war against everyday life and the main victims in that war are civilians and civilian infrastructure like hospitals, like courthouses. And we took a look around at several courthouses and hospitals to find out just how dramatic the impact of that Russian bombardment has been. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WARD (voice-over): It is an all too common sight in rebel-held parts of Syria. The moments after an airstrike. Dazed survivors stagger from the rubble. Those still trapped call out for help. The target this time, the courthouse in Idlib city. Activists say the bombs were Russian.

WARD (on camera): When rebels took the provincial capital of Idlib, they saw it as a crucial opportunity to demonstrate that they could build their own state and they believe that is exactly why the Russians bombed this courthouse, to undermine that effort.

[08:50:10] WARD (voice-over): Any civilian infrastructure is a potential target, including hospitals. Last month four were hit in a single day. One in the city of Maarat al-Numaan was supported by Doctors Without Borders. This is what remains of it now. At least 25 people were killed.

(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WARD (voice-over): Dr. Maz al-Souad was the general manager. He told us that Russian and regime forces target hospitals cynically and deliberately.

DR. MAZ AL-SOUAD, GENERAL MANAGER OF HOSPITAL (through translator): They want to kill the maximum number of people. Also they want to forbid the area from having medical service. If there is no doctor, no nurse, no hospital, then there is no healthcare for the people and people will flee.

WARD (on camera): Is it possible that they did not know that this was a hospital?

AL-SOUAD (through translator): Everyone knows this is a hospital. There was even a sign that said this is a hospital. But if they didn't know, this is an even bigger disaster because if you are bombing a building like this without knowing it is a hospital, it means you are hitting totally indiscriminately.

WARD (voice-over): Against the backdrop of this vicious war, Islamist factions have gained the upper hand here. Among them, al Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al Nusra. The landscape is peppered with signs shunning Western democracy and urging all men to join the jihad. One encourages women to cover up completely.

Dr. Faras al-Jundi (ph) works at the only hospital still standing in (inaudible). He's no militant, but sees this conflict in black and white.

DR. FARAS AL-JUNDI (through translator): The whole of the Syrian people is against ISIS and against extremism. But we see that the Russians are bombing far from ISIS and they are focused on civilian areas.

(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WARD (voice-over): I asked him why he doesn't leave Syria.

(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE) AL-JUNDI (through translator): If I did that, I would abandon my

conscience. This is our country. We can't desert it. If we left, then we have sold our morals. Who would treat the people? I can very easily leave. But we will remain steadfast. I am prepared to die rather than to leave. And I will carry on no matter what.

WARD (voice-over): Carry on in the faint hope that for the next generation of Syrians, it will be better.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMEROTA: Oh my goodness. Clarissa, what a story. I mean, what a choice. His conscience or his life. So if civilian targets are truly -- intentionally being targeted, what is their defense? What do they do there?

WARD: There is no defense. I mean, this is the big problem. They can't -- you know -- look for an example at this Doctors Without Borders supported hospital. Doctors Without Borders provides coordinates for their hospitals so that people know that they are there. So that people don't attack them. There was a sign outside the hospital saying that this was a Doctors Without Borders supported hospital. It only seems to make them more of a target.

And Doctors Without Borders actually released a report last year where they looked at hospitals in rebel-held areas and they found that 82 medical facilities were hit. 82 medical facilities in one year. 12 of them completely decimated. And just to give you another couple of figures because they are so astonishing, in one area in the northwest, the rebel-held area, 462 children under the age of 5 killed. 1420 women and children killed in and around Damascus in rebel-held areas. It is so clear from these figures and from what we saw on the ground that civilians are the targets and they are bearing the brunt of this bombardment.

CAMEROTA: So that doctor says that he's staying out of his principles and out his conscience. Do other people have the resources to leave? Why are other people still in the areas of bombardment?

WARD: This is what was incredible to me, Alisyn, because there are actually -- you would imagine that anyone who has the resources, the means and the money would be on the first ticket out to Europe, to Turkey, to Lebanon, anything to escape the bombardment. But there is a small but very steadfast core group of doctors, of lawyers, of various people who are committed to staying inside Syria and to keep on trying to carve out some semblance of normal daily life in these rebel-held areas.

[08:55:00] And obviously they are hopeful. You know, this video was shot before the cessation of hostilities began. There is now some hope that perhaps with this Russian withdrawal there will be some decline in the degree of bombardment.

CAMEROTA: Let's pray for that. It's an incredible window into life there and we would never have had it without you. Clarissa, thanks so much for bringing us that exclusive. WARD: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: Great to have you here. All right. We have "The Good Stuff." That's next. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: Time for "The Good Stuff." Nate Ogan (ph) heading to the beach. This is one of those that starts off bad, ends up good.

CAMEROTA: Okay. Thank you for the warning.

CUOMO: He's in the Santa Barbara. He sees something in the water. What he sees is Stephanie Nable (ph) lying face down unconscious in the water. Why? Huge set of waves knocked her off the boogie board. Guy what though? Nate, no ordinary man. Fire fighter, longtime life guard, doesn't think twice and goes right after her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NATE OGAN, OFF-DUTY LIFEGUARD WHO REVIVED WOMAN AT THE BEACH: The waves came up and she'd be two feet under. So I pulled her out and opened up her airway.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: Stephanie walked away only minor injuries. He resuscitated. He saved.

PEREIRA: Oh my goodness.

CAMEROTA: Oh my gosh. Thank goodness for life --

CUOMO: It's not over.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHANIE NABLE, OFF-DUTY LIFE GUARD REVIVED HER AT THE BEACH: I'm very grateful for you. You're my hero. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: Lady's thanking up her life and you're yapping over it.

CAMEROTA: There you go.

CUOMO: What a save. What a great guy. The nonchalance, the urgency in the moment.