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Officials Say Paris Terror Suspects Planning More Attacks; Airstikes On Mosul University Target ISIS; Texas A&M Wins Thriller Over North Iowa; Wisconsin Wins On Buzzer Beating 3-Pointer; Trump's Contentious Relationship With The Media; What Changes Will Come In Cuba?; Cubans Talk About State Of The Island-Nation. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired March 21, 2016 - 06:30   ET

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

[06:33:09] MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: The arrests of Paris terror suspect Salah Abdeslam uncovering new details about what else he may have had in the works. Belgian official revealing that Abdelsam was apparently ready to launch another attack, and he had a new network around him in Brussels.

CNN Senior International correspondent from, Nima Elbagir is live from Mozambique, Belgium with a very latest for us. Nima.

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Morning Michaela. Well, they had always suspected that the network involved in the planning of the Paris attacks was broad. But now they say through their interrogation of Salah Abdeslam they learning it is bigger than they had ever feared.

And in addition to that they are also learning that in his months on the run he was able to assemble a new network around him. When the plan to launch new attack here on European soil. INTERPOL has now warned European countries to be hyper vigilant on their borders that is part of this new network. Their concern is that with Salah in custody that could cause agitation as they put it amongst the jihadis causing them to fast forward some of these plots.

They are warning for the potential of jihadis making their way from Syria here to Europe. And all of this as the manhunt here Michaela, it is intensifying. Belgian authorities have finally figure out the identity of a key conspirator in the Paris attacks a man we only knew as Sufian Kayal. They now have his real identity Najim Laachraoui.

He has believed to have been giving the instructions. This is based on cell phone chatter that they picked up around the time of the attacks. They're asking the public to help them. They are releasing his picture, his details and keeping the threat level at 3 here, the second highest. Back to you, Alisyn.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: It sounds like it has taken a while over there now connecting the dots. Thank you for that Nima.

Well, also breaking overnight, a big blow to ISIS in Iraq. More than a dozen senior ISIS fighters killed in weekend air strikes on Mosul University and the surrounding area. [06:35:06] A former government official saying a number of local ISIS leaders were also killed. Mosul University had reportedly become a base for ISIS fighters and their families. No students were there at the time.

PEREIRA: The Pentagon revealing that a marine killed in an ISIS rocket attack this weekend was at the first U.S. firebase in Iraq. Official say the base, which provides support to coalition forces, had only been operational for a few days. And they plan to acknowledge its existence this week. They believe ISIS spotted marines when they moved into the area and started firing practice rounds.

CAMEROTA: A nationwide effort begins today to protest Republican senators who refuse to hold confirmation hearings for the president's nominee to the Supreme Court. Moveon.org is spurring these efforts. Urging senators to consider Merrick Garland for the job, still Senate Majority leader, Mitch McConnell refuses to budge. He says even in a lame duck session Garland will not get a consideration.

PEREIRA: Be real with me for a second. Are you having some bracket woes? Is your March madness bracket is completely busted yet if you're not, you are in the minority. I have been looking at yours, Coy Wire as you give us the Bleacher report. And I'm trying to compare and contrast yours and mine. We'll get back to you in a minute.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORT ANCHOR: I'm lucky for now and I should brag. I am in first place in our CNN bracket challenge. I don't know how long that will last though.

The hunt for a perfect NCAA tournament bracket is going to have to wait another year because according to NCAA.com there are no more perfect brackets. It's been a crazy first weekend of games. The craziest of the tournament and maybe of all time, Texas A&M and northern Iowa last night. A&M erased a 12-point deficit in the last 44 seconds of the regulation clutch shot by A&M and then a common of errors by Northern Iowa. It's the biggest last minute comeback in NCAA division 1 history. It went into double overtime. Aggies win 92-88. Next up to, Oklahoma on Thursday.

Wisconsin's, Duke Xavier and Wisconsin Bronson Koenig is the man in Madison, a three from way deep to tie the game with under 12 seconds to go. And with two seconds remaining, Koenig from the corner. His fadeaway three. And it goes. The buzzer sound, Badgers win 66-63. They are going to the sweet 16 again. Bill Murray looking dejected. Now after the game Koenig he had a great he said, "I was just trying to channel my inner Steph Curry." Well done, sir.

14 seed Stephen F. Austin up one with 17 seconds to go against Notre Dame but the Irish get a couple of tips and one goes in that's Rex Plfueger with the game winner. A gutsy performance by the Lumberjacks but Notre Dame goes on to get the victory 76-75. They'll face the Wisconsin Badgers on Friday.

Now Michaela, you're in six place looking good, looking great. But how about Alisyn Camerota.

PERIERA: How she doing?

WIRE: Currently 13th in our CNN brackets. And you have three out of the four final four teams remaining. Look out from Ms. Camerota folks.

PEREIRA: Look at his inside view.

CAMEROTA: That is very good news for me.

PEREIRA: You're luck there.

WIRE: There we go.

CAMEROTA: As you know, I occasionally outsource my bracket to someone who knows about it.

PEREIRA: We all do.

CAMEROTA: So like the 13 that coming at you. Coming at you.

WIRE: Yes, she does.

CAMEROTA: OK, thanks so much, Coy.

[06:38:20] All right. It seems that Donald Trump sometimes can go barely a day without tweeting an insult of a journalist, particularly Fox's Megyn Kelly. What are we to make of his attacks on media? We'll discuss all of this next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: Donald Trump once again going after Fox's Megyn Kelly this weekend. Just the latest in his pattern of targeting journalists. Is he trying to silence the media? Let's bring in Boston Herald columnist, Adriana Cohen she's a Trump supporter, and CNN Political Commentator Margaret Hoover, she's a former White House staff for George W. Bush and a veteran of two Republican presidential campaign.

Ladies, is great to have you here this morning. Adriana I want to start with you. And I'm going to read just one of the barrages of Tweets that Donald Trump sent out this weekend because, really don't feel like repeating these ad hominem attacks but I want to give people a flavor for what he is saying about Megyn Kelly just so that you can get the idea. Here's one of these. This was sent out on Friday. "Everybody should boycott the Megyn Kelly show. Never worth watching. Always a hit on Trump. She is sick, and the most overrated person on T.V."

Adriana, in other Tweet they send out he uses the word crazies, sick crazy. Are you comfortable with this language that he's using to go after a journalist?

ADRIANA COHEN, COLUMNIST, BOSTON HERALD: Well, you know, I want to say this, I don't support him calling Megyn Kelly crazy or sick. She certainly is not. She is a respected journalist and very objective and fair. And I find that Fox networks to be objective as well and to deliver the news balanced and fair. However, that said Donald Trump made it very clear early on in this campaign that if you go after him, he's going to push back, you know ....

CAMEROTA: Doing story. I mean, when you say go after him, reporters and journalists do highlight what happens at his rallies. They do highlight inconsistencies. Since when is that going after someone?

COHEN: Well, you know, it really needs to be done fairly. And I'll give you an example. You know, with some of the disruptions that are going on in his rallies, these protesters are suppressing free speech. Donald Trump has every right to have these rallies and speech. Yet these protester are trying to shut down his free speech not of all his supporters.

But yet, the media will present it as when he pushes back on journalists, that Donald Trump thinks are unfair to him, that he is suppressing speech of the media. You know, so I think it's important that, you know, all journalists no matter who they are present or even handed to present a situation fairly.

CAMEROTA: Yes, OK. Fox has fired back at Donald Trump in their own statement about this.

[06:45:03] They said over the weekend, "Donald Trump vitriolic attacks against Megyn Kelly and his extreme, sick obsession with her is beneath the dignity of a presidential candidate who wants to occupy the highest office in the land."

They are using the same language. If he use, is it time for Fox to sort of boycott Donald Trump and not have him on as much if they feel this way about him?

MARGERET HOOVER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well look, what's going on here it's really unprecedented. I mean it's extraordinary that a news organization that is covering a presidential candidate is now going to get boycotted by (inaudible). Imagine what he does in the oval office. Imagine him just boycotting the press entirely.

I mean, there is a reason that's protecting the First Amendment is because our democracy simply doesn't function without free and fair press, without the press reporting exactly what they see. Into this bullying tactics is certainly, it is complete beneath the presidency. And I think you see this weird dynamic in Fox where you have the Washington Post brad (ph). They are the real journalists standing up to Donald Trump. And then you see this other dynamic where you have Shawn Hannity is having him on for an hour tonight. So this is -- it's so unspeakable how Fox is handling this and what -- frankly just a premonition of what could occur if he's the president.

CAMEROTA: There and there it is that's the point. And Adriana, I want to talk about this because it goes beyond Megyn Kelly and it goes beyond Fox News. Donald Trumps lobs all sorts of insults at journalists, those some of us at CNN included. But it's not the insults that are the problem. Obviously we can handle that. It's the blocking access to the story. So when he doesn't like your reporting, if he thinks it isn't fair, even if it's just reporting let say what happened one at rallies he blocks it. For instance a Politico reporter has been blocked one of his events Univision, you know, his had issue with Jorge Ramos. They've been blocked. He and NBC Katy Tur had sat many rounds with him where he got the crowd began insulting NBC's Katy Tur there. What about that these tactics that do seem to have a chilling effect on the free press.

COHEN: Well, I have to say, you know, I just see double standards here because the press has done a hatchet job a lot of them on Donald Trump. I mean, they have hurled some of the worst insults on him. Whether is political opponent or the media they have compared him to a racist or called him a racist. Jorge Ramos called him a racist. So if you're going to allow that at Donald Trump. He has every right to defend himself and push back. You know live is a two-way street.

And if you dish it out, you have to be able to take it. And so, Donald trump is just defending himself from what he perceives is false attacks.

CAMEROTA: OK, go ahead.

HOOVER: But Adriana, I mean, you and I both know the press is never fair to conservatives, or so we think. Right, we've really feel like, the conservative have an uphill battle trying to sort of prove their ideas and got fair coverage in the press because this is been conservative feat for a very long time.

But if you're the president, what you do is you take them on substance and prove why they are wrong. You don't double down and attack the journalist. I mean, it's very usual to see Donald Trump going out talking personal attacks and that really appears to be sort of deflection and diversionary. Rather than trying to say you know what, Megyn, I actually really, you know, have a very good reputation with Woman and then convince on the merit rather than attacking personally the person who lobby the attack. Take the complaint on and win the argument. Don't attack the journalist. It seem very underhanded.

CAMEROTA: Very quickly, 10 seconds, Adriana, your response?

COHEN: Margaret, I think you made some good points. I think when he tweets at Megan Kelly, he could say, hey, I think your coverage is biased toward me. I like to see you have more Trump support on and invite you to come to my rally where thousands of women support Donald Trump.

HOOVER: There you go.

COHEN: All over this.

(CROSSTALK)

CAMEROTA: Yeah, I mean there you go. Rather than the personal attacks. Margaret, Adriana, thank you very much, ladies. Great to get your take on this. And we're going to back to now to Havana, Cuba, where we find Chris. Hey, Chris.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: All right, and a little reminder Alisyn that everything is relative. You're having that conversation there about what happens with the press. Is the president candidate doing the right things. You can't have that conversation here. And yet, in the state-controlled newspaper, Granma, a little bit of nod to irony there.

Look at what's on this front cover. We never thought this would happen. President Obama making history, coming to Cuba. Even the state-run media has to recognize it.

[06:49:22] But what does it really mean? And it certainly something that some are happy about, some are not. Here in Cuba and back in the United States.

The big word is change. But what does it really mean? We'll take you through life in Cuba next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: We're live in Havana, Cuba. I'm not sure much you can tell. But it is blowing like crazy behind me. Our crew is doing super human efforts to keep this setup that we have around us in place.

For many here metaphorically, it is the wind of change that's blowing. Certainly that's the hope for president Obama and the U.S. delegation that's down here. They are hoping things get better in terms of freedoms that are need denied people here. Economic freedoms as well. But change, you're going to hear that word a thousand times. It means something different depending on your perspective. Life is comp indicated on a lot of levels. So we went out to show you exactly all the different layers it played. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: The excitement is everywhere. And so are the tourists. Drawn by the historic visits of President Obama and the rolling stones. The band performing for the first time on Friday.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love Cuba.

CUOMO: Tourists here, no matter the country, are saying the same thing. Everyone wants to see the time capsule that is Cuba.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just want to see I guess the architecture. It is like a time capsule for sure.

CUOMO: And they are all talking about change.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want to see Cuba before the change. We feel like there is going to be a big change in Cuba.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hopefully it won't be changed. CUOMO: Cambio I the word for change but it means something different depending on your perspective. The tourist especially from the United States needs coming to see this beautiful art deco Spanish revival architecture, the authentic Cuban life that's frozen in time.

[06:55:01] But frozen in time if you live here means something very different. It means beyond the patina of the pretty is the reality. The water that doesn't work when it's on. Buildings that pretty on the outside but destroyed on the inside. So change is a matter of perspective.

The novelty and the reality find their source in the government, the Castro regime. The embargo was put in place more than half a century ago by the U.S. to stifle them.

This parking attendant believes when and if the embargo is lifted, everything is going to change, but if Castro still in place, nay in the U.S. have resisted President Obama's move to open up relations. But here his move is endorsed by captivated outsiders.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's way pass time for us to be here in Cuba and be friends.

CUOMO: Many Cubans here also want normalize relations.

Rafaela (ph) says she even wants Obama to be her president, to get the democracy she says she needs. The charm and the challenge of change from Cubans are reflected in the old cars. Vestiges of that pre- revolution 1950s Cuba. On the outside, pretty pictures of time standing still. But inside six different cars in one.

So it's from a new Russian truck he got the hinges from this. The engine is from a Hyundai, it's brand new. The car itself is a '57 Pontiac. It is a mix of all of these different things, because in Cuba you have to make it work on your own.

These American college students have never known life without constant internet access. But that is the reality in Cuba. For these young Americans, this may be one deprivation that could have a silver lining.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm living on Instragram probably posting everything but I'm not feel the intention and to get all in. And it just -- it's exciting.

CUOMO: It's called living, by the way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Wow, Chris, great to see that. Because, you know, there is this romance obviously of the land that time forgot and things being frozen in time. And Chris gets to show us the reality of plumbing and mechanics, which is not quite as fancy.

CUOMO: Well, look, you know, it's impressive what they have done here because they can't buy parts. They don't have money to get things fixed so they do it themselves. And that ingenuity is certainly going to be respected as part of the Americans sprit as well. But, you know, there's a contradiction here, you know, things are not good for Cuban people and it's not just about how much money they make. It's about what compensation they got for their soul as well.

PEREIRA: Right.

CUOMO: And what can they express in their freedoms that matters. So there's a essential plus minus mix. It's -- well why you are coming here, you saw Castro, they are bad, they are press people. And then tension back is the embargo didn't work.

CAMEROTA: Right.

CUOMO: The people here are not better off. It's it time to try to something different like we have in the lot of other parts of the world where there are bad people in control.

PEREIRA: Well, that's the key. Is it time to try something different without losing. I remember what Bill Weir said to us just to the other day about his new show The Wonder List. They're focusing on Cuba as well. It's the idea of not losing Cuba's soul. And I think that's important all involve in especially to the people you're talk to go, Chris.

CUOMO: All right, and Alisyn, you know, it becomes what is that soul, you know, what is authentic or, you know, oppression is not authentic, you know, or suppression of freedom in the press and many others. We'll that's not authentic. So will you take this big step that President Obama did that is practical and symbolic? When you get back, what changes here? It's a big question.

CAMEROTA: Right. How do you preserve just the good stuff?

PEREIRA: Yeah.

CAMEROTA: Chris great to see that. Thanks so much for taking us through it.

CUOMO: Absolutely. Look, there is no question that it is great to be a witness to history. Hopefully it winds up being a step in the right direction. It's part of a big news day for you. So let's get right to it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We don't condone violence. But why aren't they showing the Klan outfit walking up the stairs.

TED CRUZ, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What you do not want to see Donald Trump is the nominee come out Tuesday and vote for me.

JOHN KASICH, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't think that kind of language is appropriate to talk about violence and rioting.

TRUMP: When signs are put up, with tremendous profanity on them. I think maybe those people have some blame.

HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We are moving closer to securing the Democratic Party nomination.

BERNIE SANDERS, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Ten months have come and gone. Doesn't look to me like that's the case.

CUOMO: President Obama doing something that many here in Cuba thought would never happen.

PRES. BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Everything we have accomplished so far it's all happening because of you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We feel like there's going to be a big change in Cuba.

OBAMA: Every single day you're bringing the Cuban people and the American people closer together.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is "New Day" with Chris Cuomo, Alisyn Camerota, and Michaela Pereira.

CUOMO: Good morning, welcome to your "Nuevo Dia" we are here live in Havana because history was made in Cuba when President touched down on Cuban soil.

[07:00:10] The word is never. This has never happen since the revolution here and many generation believe that.