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Hala Gorani Tonight

Anti-Terror Operations Have Geneva on High Alert; Blast in the Afghan Capital. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired December 11, 2015 - 15:00   ET

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

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HALA GORANI, HOST: Tonight anti-terror operations have Geneva on high alert.

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GORANI: Police say there may be an Islamic state terror cell in that city. We are live in the Swiss capital.

Then a blast rocks the Afghan capital centered in an area full of expats, we have the latest. And global condemnation of Donald Trump reaches new

heights but so do his poll numbers in the United States.

Plus a bouquet of roses, a prime minister hoisted off his feet. We'll show you the bizarre brawl in Ukraine's parliament today.

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GORANI: Hello, everyone. I'm Hala Gorani. We are live at CNN, London. Happy Friday, everyone. This is "The World Right Now."

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GORANI: Police in Geneva are now talking about the possibility of an Islamic state terror cell in that city. Geneva is already on high alert.

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GORANI: Police are hunting at least five suspects linked to the Paris terror attacks there believed to be plotting violence in Switzerland and

perhaps even in other countries, including the United States.

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GORANI: Now, there are unconfirmed reports that there have been arrests today in Geneva, just a few hours ago. CNN's Nic Robertson is there. Nic,

what can you tell us about these reported arrests two individuals I believe?

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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Hala. What the police chief of Geneva is saying is that she believes that there is the

possibility of an Islamic state terror cell here in Geneva. However, she was asked about these media reports earlier in the day, local media reports

here that say that two men of Syrian origin were arrested today on a road that leads to the French border from Geneva towards the French border. That

they were arrested there, that their vehicle that they were in had traces of explosives in it.

The police chief said she couldn't answer that question at this time because she said that the proceedings involved two distinctive different

prosecuting entities, one for Geneva area and the other one under the Swiss Confederation. So she didn't knock it down and say that wasn't the case,

but she also said she couldn't give details on it, those local media reports.

What we also know today, the heightened state of terror alert here led authorities today at Geneva airport to temporarily for about 20 minutes

shut down a portion of the airport. Two suspicious pieces of luggage were discovered there. One turned out to be a piece of lost luggage, the other

one was exploded using a controlled explosion. The bomb squad was called on the scene to look at that. That gives you an indication of the state of the

terror alert here.

Of course, that's not a normal thing that happens here in Geneva. And of course, the Geneva authorities here acting on several different strands of

information that have led them to this position.

GORANI: And talk to us a little bit about the situation in Geneva this evening. I mean they are on a heightened terror alert. There are more

patrols, we understand, police and security forces there. What is the - what is it like on the streets of Geneva right now?

ROBERTSON: You know, when you drive around Geneva this evening, you don't get the sense that this is a city that's on a heightened state of alert.

You know the cafes still seem busy, it's a city that you know, very much feels that it is preparing for Christmas just two weeks away.

However, that said, the police here are on patrol more. The guards at the U.N. headquarters here are holding in their hand (inaudible) machine guns.

That's not normal for them.

What the Geneva authorities have been told is that there were three separate strands of information that have helped bring them to this

position. One came from the United States. It said that four men -- members of ISIS in Syria, were chatting about attacking not only Geneva but

Chicago. The whereabouts of those four men at the moment are unknown.

Also that a Belgian registered van drove into Switzerland earlier this week. When the police here followed up on the registration of that vehicle

they found out that it was owned by an associate of the Paris attackers. Now they've found the vehicle but they don't know where the owner is, and

they don't know if there's a possibility that he might have had with him Salah Abdeslam, one of those attackers went on the run, international

arrest warrant out for them. So that's of course a concern because of this vehicle and who maybe with it here in Switzerland.

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And the other piece of information that has contributed to this is something that French authorities have learned this week which is the

identity of one of the attackers at the Bataclan Theater, the nightclub where the band was playing where 90 people were gunned down. The third

attacker whose become known now whose identity has been discovered is -- was recruited by an ISIS member who comes from this Geneva region. Although

that person, that recruiter is now in French custody and has been for some time. Another one of his associates, another Swiss man from this area, has

been with ISIS inside Syria and now his whereabouts are unknown.

So there are all these different threads of information, how do they connect it's not clear. But it's leading to this point where there - where

you have now the police chief saying the presence of an ISIS terror cell is a possibility here and not knocking down what's been reported locally that

a vehicle has been discovered here with traces of explosives in it --

GORANI: Nic, thank you very much. We're going to stay in close touch with you - we're going to stay in close touch with you when you learn more. We

will be back in touch with Nic Robertson once he has more information there on this latest development out of Geneva.

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GORANI: A lot going on in Kabul, Afghanistan and none of it positive. Gun shots and explosions are still being heard there as the Taliban is claiming

that it launched suicide attacks on a guest house near the Spanish embassy on Friday evening.

One source briefed on the incident tells CNN the embassy was hit when a car bomb exploded. Sporadic gunfire followed. The Spanish government says that

one Spanish policeman died in this attack.

Nima Elbagir has our details.

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NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Explosions and gunfire heard in the heart of Kabul as darkness fell on the afghan capital. Sources tell

CNN the Spanish embassy was hit by an apparent car bomb. The Taliban quickly claiming to have begun suicide attacks in the area. An eyewitness

described a massive explosion, saying the powerful blast shook the ground.

Afghan security forces cordoned off streets in the area amid reports gunmen may have been holed up in one of nearby buildings.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is one of the most secure areas of the city, but also a place where there's a lot of high profile targets and the Taliban

and other insurgents have carried out attacks in this part of the city before.

ELBAGIR: But this attack comes on the heels of another just days ago in the southern city of Kandahar where Taliban gunmen stormed the city's airport

killing at 50 people and leaving dozens more wounded.

At the same time, leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan met in Islamabad in an effort to repair strained relations as they battle increasing attacks by

Islamic extremists in their respective countries.

But this latest attack serves as a reminder of the ongoing war, the challenge facing Afghan security forces, and fact that the Taliban are

still a force to be reckoned with.

Nima Elbagir, CNN.

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GORANI: Now to the race for the White House. While Donald Trump is holding onto a solid lead it has to be said over his Republican rivals in the

polls, the backlash against him is growing abroad.

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GORANI: Right here in the United Kingdom. Listen to this. Half a million people have now signed a petition calling for Trump to be banned from

entering the country at all. But at home, Trump is riding high. One poll found that while 57% of American adults are opposed to his proposed Muslim

travel ban, one quarter of Americans support it according to this NBC Wall Street Journal Poll.

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GORANI: Now there are just over four days until the next Republican candidates' debate right here on CNN. Will it be a fiery exchange? Ted Cruz

is running second in some polls. He tweeted today that he thinks Donald Trump is terrific. But Cruz also says Trump's days on the campaign trail

may numbered. Here's Athena Jones.

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TED CRUZ, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Both of them I like and respect both Donald and Ben. I do not believe either one of them is going

to be our nominee. Their campaigns have a natural arch.

ATHENA JONES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Newly released audio from a private fundraiser provided to the "New York Times" reveals Texas Senator

Ted Cruz questioning the judgment of frontrunner Donald Trump and Ben Carson.

CRUZ: Who am I comfortable having their finger on the button? I think - look people run as who they are. I believe that gravity will bring both of

those campaigns down.

JONES: Cruz has avoided public criticism of the billionaire. But now just four days away from the next CNN Republican debate, Cruz may not be able to

avoid him anymore. The senator now polling second in the latest national GOP poll. Even though Trump is leading by almost 20 points, this as Trump

continues to outline controversial proposals.

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DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Anybody killing a police officer, death penalty. It's going to happen, OK?

JONES: The latest, Trump says if elected President he would sign an executive order to mandate the death penalty for convicted cop killers.

TRUMP: Police forces throughout the country have had a hard time. A lot of people killed. A lot of people killed very violently, sitting in a car

waiting, sitting in a car watching, and somebody comes from behind.

JONES: And Trump's plan to ban all Muslims from entering the U.S. igniting a firestorm of backlash.

And it doesn't appear to be resonating with voters. More than half saying they oppose his controversial ban in a new national poll. Trump's divisive

proposals are making the GOP nervous.

Meanwhile, CNN has learned that a group of Republican leaders met in private to discuss a plan for a contested convention, which would be

triggered if no candidate has enough delegates to win the nomination.

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GORANI: Well, Athena Jones joins me live now from Washington with more.

So as we were saying there, the Republican Party, is this a concern for the party? You know, is this coloring sort of the race in a way that's going to

damage the brand?

JONES: Well, the talk about a contested primary is raising eyebrows in some quarters, among them with Ben Carson who you'll remember has been near or

at frontrunner status at different times over the last several months.

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JONES: But is now fallen back quite a bit. He says he's concerned that talk of a brokered convention in July could mean or could signal that the party

is going to try to keep someone like him or like Donald trump from being the nominee.

But here's the deal, Hala. We know this is a very, very crowded Republican field. We're talking about 14 candidates going into the Iowa caucuses which

are just under eight weeks away. And the situation is such that it's quite possible that a different person could win in each of the first several

states.

You could have one candidate win Iowa, someone else win New Hampshire, someone else win South Carolina, and a fourth person even win Nevada. It

could go on like that for weeks. And so you could reach a point where you get to the convention in the summer and you don't have anyone who has a

clear lead when it comes to delegates.

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JONES: This is not something that's normal. We haven't seen this happen in decades. Four decades it has been clear who the nominee is going to be by

the time of the convention. But the party has to discuss this possibility, simply because the crowded - the field is so crowded and one person may not

have a lead with delegates, Hala.

GORANI: All right. Athena Jones in Washington, thanks very much for that report. This is "The World Right Now" a lot more to come this evening.

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GORANI: A brawl breaks out in Kiev. Find out why these members of Ukraine's parliament, including at one point the Prime Minister, were not pulling any

punches.

Plus turning the sun into liquid fuel? CNN talks to Bill Gates about an emerging solar technology. We'll have that and more after the break.

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GORANI: Welcome back. Take a look at the Dow Jones industrial average right now. It is down more than 300 points. It is trading at the 17,263 level

right now give or take. There are big concerns about falling commodity prices including oil prices which have been plummeting. So that is dragging

the overall index lower. We'll be speaking to Richard Quest in just a moment. I'm going to have a bit of a sip of water here. There we go. So it

calms my cough.

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GORANI: All right. Welcome back. Sorry. Just had to have a sip of water there. Bit of a cough. Now, it was a rowdy day for government officials in

Ukraine. Take a look at this startling video.

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GORANI: Now, a brawl erupted between MPs in the nation's parliament in Kiev. The Prime Minister was holding you could see there really holding on

very tightly to a bouquet of roses. Arseniy Yatsenyuk was dragged from his podium by an opposition MP before other lawmakers piled in.

The government coalition is under increasing pressure with the fight against pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine still raging. But today the

fight was squarely taking place inside the parliament building.

Surprisingly, the man who hoisted the Prime Minister up is the same man who gave him the bouquet of roses. So unclear exactly how that unfolded or why.

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GORANI: A big deadline has been pushed back for delegates at the COP21 climate change summit in Paris.

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GORANI: Negotiators now have until tomorrow, Saturday, to agree on a sweeping new deal to cut global carbon pollution. But beyond those talks,

other curious ideas are emerging at the summit, including a surprising one from Bill Gates. John Sutter has more.

JOHN SUTTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Someone on Snap Chat wanted to know what one technology you would put faith in in terms of helping us beat the two

degrees target.

BILL GATES, ENTREPRENEUR: No single technology. I think we have to go after fusion and vision and biofuels. I'll mention one that's still at an early

stage risky and very risky and that's taking the sun and directly making fuel. Even though it may not work, there's some labs, particularly at

Caltech, Professor Lewis, who have made some progress on that. It's magical. Because if you can make the liquid hydrocarbon, the gasoline-like

substance, you can always store that and move it around. We know how to do that. So you avoid this storage intermittency problem that's really the

toughest thing right now about wind and solar.

SUTTER: To be honest I've never heard of that idea. And I'm not alone.

I'm wondering if you've heard of technology that turns solar energy into liquid fuel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have not yet, no. But if you know where I can learn I'd love to.

SUTTER: I'm trying to figure it out, too. I'm wondering if you've heard of an idea to turn solar power into liquid fuel.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have not heard about turning solar power into liquid fuel. I'm wondering why we can't get the energy directly from the sun.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't talk to Bill Gates that much. I'm an Apple user.

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SUTTER: I was able to track down someone who does know how this technology works though. His name Nathan Lewis from Caltech in the United States Gates

referenced him by name. And I found him on Skype.

NATHAN LEWIS, PROFESSOR OF CHEMISTRY AT CALTECH: The best way to store energy is in chemical bonds. So it's inevitable that someone's going to

figure out how to take the energy in the sun and store it in chemical fuels.

Now, nature figured that out a long time ago. That's what photosynthesis does. We're inspired by nature that natural photosynthesis does this

function, but doesn't do it very well. And so what we work on is systems that are made out of all man made components that don't look like a tree or

a leaf.

SUTTER: Lewis told me it's going to take many clean energy bets to figure out how to produce electricity without contributing to dangerous climate

change. But he's confident that his bet on solar to fuel technology which is work. And if it doesn't, no worries, if he has to fail, he wants to fail

fast.

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GORANI: Coming up, oil prices have sunk to a seven-year low.

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GORANI: And look at the impact that's having on U.S. stock markets. Our Richard Quest is just ahead. Well that's actually a beautiful sunset. But

it's not having a -- here we are. The Dow's down 329. Almost 1.9% lower. Richard joins me next. Stay with us.

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GORANI: Let's take a look at the big board again. We are down quite substantially right now. Trading near session's low. 341, 42% down for the

Dow. That's almost 2% lower since the start of trade. Let's bring in my colleague Richard Quest he's in New York. What's going on today, Richard?

RICHARD QUEST, HOST QUEST MEANS BUSINESS: Very good question, Hala, and it's not immediately clear what is driving this in the sense that if you

take a look at the Dow, we are at the low point of the day and the pressure seems to be pushing further down, a loss of nearly 2%, 343.

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QUEST: And this of course as you're well away, the last 35 minutes of trading is when you get that book squaring, particularly ahead of the

weekend and the end of the year people don't want to be pardon the phrase caught short in the market.

The main reason, look. I can give you the classic reason people say why. It's the falling price of oil. Brent is down 4.5% today. West Texas is down

2.6%. And they are now both comfortable under $40 a barrel. If you put that into the wider picture of how oil has moved with the graph over the last

few months, that, Hala, is the big fall. That is Opeq and Saudi Arabia.

You then get it hovering around the 50 area, 60 area. That is Iran coming back into the market. You then get a small resurgence. But what is shifting

the market today is this fall. And that to some extent is inexplicable other than by growth, it's by middle east tensions, it's by greater supply.

It's the lot at the moment. Hala, this is the way the markets are. They are deeply unhappy at the state of affairs, which is unusual this time of the

year because December, the last 20 days, are usually positive.

GORANI: And you know I'm looking here at the year to date return for the Dow down 3.25%, the one year return is barely in positive territory. I

mean, stocks in the U.S. have not been this kind of good, positive, reliable investment that they have been for several years before. I wonder

are experts, analysts, are they saying now is a good time to come in, now is a good time to buy, stocks are valued well?

QUEST: Yes.

GORANI: Or could we see further slips here?

QUEST: We could well see further slips. But if you take the Dow, there is no doubt that people still believe that the U.S. economy, the U.S. market

if you like, is the cleanest dirty shirt in the laundry. You're familiar with the phrase. But the problem is how does the U.S. withstand the

external headwinds? More QE and easing in Europe? A slowing China? Tensions in the Middle East. A falling oil price.

Because the perversion of the falling oil price is that it should be good for global growth. Because let's face it, we all use fuel, companies use

fuel, therefore it should lower the cost of production. But if that falling oil price is indicative of slowing global demand, well, there you have the

conundrum. Things are sort of serious with the potential of getting worse.

GORANI: All right, Richard, we'll see you at the top of the hour on "Quest Means Business" have a great weekend.

QUEST: You bet.

GORANI: Still ahead, Donald Trump is dominating in the polls but not all Republicans are happy about it.

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GORANI: We'll take a closer look at what his candidacy means for the future of the republic party.

Also will he run as an independent? Big question. We'll be right back.

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GORANI: Welcome back. The U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and his British counterpart Michael Fallon are holding a joint news conference

right now. They're at the Pentagon. There's Michael Fallon at the podium. We of course address them to address the coalition fight against ISIS.

Let's hear what Michael Fallon is saying right now.

MICHAEL FALLON, U.K. SECRETARY OF DEFENCE: -- Just has there have been attacks like those in San Bernardino. But we must not allow the idea to

take hold that standing up to this terrorism makes our homeland security - and always remember that these people don't hate us because of what we do

but because of who we are.

The investments announced in our strategic defense review, along with our decision to increase defense spending every year, will deliver bigger,

stronger defense so that the United Kingdom can continue to play a leading role in global defense and security. The United States remains our closest

strategic partner, and we will work together to promote global stability, to protect our shared interests, and to deliver prosperity for our people.

Major defense projects such as F35 demonstrate our long-term commitment to the U.K.-U.S. Defense relationship. Our review enhances that with new

priorities, not least the P8 Maritime Patrol Aircraft and the doubling of our drone fleet. I have agreed with Secretary Carter today that we will

strengthen the way our bilateral relationship is governed and directed.

On equipment we now want to take a more structured program-based approach so that our governments and defense industries can deliver these

capabilities against some demanding timelines and can build on our existing strong industrial collaboration. The strength and the depth of our

political resolve deeply align national security and defense strategies, and the extraordinary skill and courage of our armed forces add up to a

relationship unlike any other. With that, happy to take some questions

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Secretary, considering some of the criticism that came up at the hearing the other day and the fact that President Obama will

be here in the Pentagon to discuss the fight against ISIS on Monday, should the American people take this as a suggestion that there's a need to either

invigorate or change if not the strategy but the implementation of the strategy against ISIS in Iraq and Syria or at least make it more

aggressive?

And Mr. Secretary, Secretary Fallon, earlier today Russian President Vladimir Putin said again that he would like closer coordination with the

west in Syria. What do you think of that? Do you think there should be some greater coordination with Russia as more of these strikes continue? And if

you wanted to address that, too.

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ASHTON CARTER, U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: OK. Well, with respect to the first part, we are taking a number of steps. And I described a number of

them earlier this week. And we intend to take more to strengthen the execution of our strategy and hasten the defeat of ISIL. And the President

will be here in the Pentagon on Monday, and he'll hear not only from us here in the defense department, his senior commanders in the field about

the military dimensions of the campaign to defeat ISIL, but also this is a national security council meeting. So the Secretary of State and the

representatives of the intelligence community, law enforcement, Homeland Security, all of the parts that we know are necessary to protect our people

and strike at our enemies will be involved.

And I expect him both to hear what we're doing and continue to say what he's told me and General Dunford certainly for the military campaign, which

is that he wants us to continue to come to him with proposals for ways that we can strengthen the campaign consistent with our overall strategic

approach.

FALLON: Well, thank you. The United States has been leading --

GORANI: All right, Michael Fallon is the U.K. Defense Secretary, he's in Washington right now visiting with his American counterpart, Ash Carter,

talking about the fight against ISIS. Certainly it is a big challenge because it's a group that may have not expanded its territorial footprint

in Iraq and Syria substantially it has not retreated substantially, either. And as we've seen over the last few months has managed to organize attacks

outside of its self-declared caliphate in Egypt, in Beirut as well as in Europe, namely in Paris on the 13th of November.

One of the big strengths of this terrorist group is that it raises a lot of money. It raked in $2 billion last year, billion. And the U.S. Treasury has

detailed a new strategy this week to put a halt to that ISIS funding.

I'm joined by Jose Pagliery in New York with more. How will they manage to do that? And by the way this could really help contain the group. Because

the fighters locally who join it sometimes join it, they say, because they actually get paid quite a lot of money for joining this group. How do you

try to remove funding from it?

JOSE PAGLIERY: All right. So this is a multifaceted campaign. You've got to think about it, this isn't just the U.S. right?

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PAGLIERY: This is a U.S.-led coalition. There are more than a dozen countries that are part of it, and there is a more aggressive campaign and

then there's the more passive campaign.

The more passive campaign is trying to choke off the monetary sources of ISIS from the outside. So the way they're doing that is by naming some of

ISIS' leaders and blocking them from the international financial system. They can't use banks. They're also trying to seal the border between Syria

and Turkey to make sure that ISIS can't sell the oil on the black market by crossing the border.

And then you've got the more aggressive attacks, and that's the actual bombing campaigns that are being led by the U.S. but Saudi Arabia, Jordan

and others are also taking part. And what they're targeting is oil infrastructures. So oil tankers, refineries, making it harder for ISIS to

produce oil.

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PAGLIERY: But it's worth noting something here. The first question in that press conference was about stepping up the attacks, making them more

aggressive. And the real way to do is by taking land away from ISIS. So let's talk about where ISIS really gets its power.

It's the Islamic state. There are about 8 million people that live there and they're getting extorted and taxed. They're being -- these people have

jobs and they're getting taxed at work. They pay business taxes. They pay sales taxes. There's a special tax on Christians called a Jizya.

There are all these ways that the ISIS people levy fees on the folks there. And so that's really where their power comes from. The estimate this year

from some of my sources is that it could be $800 million or more that is will get just from the people in its territory.

And so again, we've got this passive attack, more aggressive attack, but the real aggressive attacks will be taking away land so that ISIS can't

continue to squeeze money out of the people there.

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GORANI: Well we'll see fit works. Certainly this would be a big blow to them. Air strikes so far have not achieved the desired goal.

Jose Pagliery thanks very much joining us in New York. Check out our Facebook page as well if you'd like to see some of our best interviews and

content facebook.com/halagoranicnn. Facebook.com/halagoranicnn. A lot more ahead.

He plays the media like a master. That's what one of Donald Trump's rivals has to say about the Republican frontrunner.

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GORANI: More from Presidential candidate Carly Fiorina later this hour and analysis on the Republican race coming up.

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GORANI: He's been courting controversy but Donald Trump remains firmly atop the polls.

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GORANI: A CBS "New York Times" poll found that 35% of likely Republican primary voters support Trump. His critics say his appeal is more sizzle

than substance. Republican candidate Carly Fiorina told Chris Cuomo that Trump "plays the media like a master." Listen.

CARLY FIORINA, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He knows how to dominate the news coverage. And I think it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy in the

polls. I'm not saying he doesn't resonate with voters. Voters are deeply afraid. And voters are very frustrated. And in a way, Donald Trump is a

reaction to the unbelievable weakness and delusional nature of national security policy from Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

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GORANI: All right. Is that analysis that my next guest will share? Ana Navarro is in Washington. She is the CNN political commentator, also

supporter of Jeb Bush. What -- so you heard from Carly Fiorina there saying this is backlash to Barack Obama. Trump there remaining the leader in the

Republican field. Do you agree with that?

ANA NAVARRO, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think it's a - I think it's a bunch of things. I think Donald Trump has been the perfect storm in one

candidate. He has the money. He has the name recognition. He's got the celebrity status.

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NAVARRO: And he has been able to tap into the angst and into the frustration and into the anger of some of the Republican base. Add to that

his ability to be media savvy. Now, what I would say that is a lot of his Republican opponents, including some of my friends who are running, instead

of criticizing the media and Donald Trump for playing the media like a master should do the same. Should learn to do the same.

GORANI: All right. But how do you compete with Donald Trump? I mean, this is a reality show star. He says absolutely outrageous things, like ban all

Muslims from America. Which has had people shocked by the way internationally.

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GORANI: Here in the U.K., half a million people signed a petition to keep trump out of England. And this is unheard of. So how do you compete with

that if you're a Jeb Bush, for instance, who's in the single digits right now in the polls?

NAVARRO: I think they have to be in the media all the time.

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NAVARRO: I think they've got to learn how to use the media as a tool, as a vehicle, as a platform. They're not going to be saying the things that

Donald Trump says. There's no way in the world that Jeb Bush would ever go out and make these outrageous, bombastic statements. It's true. Donald

Trump has got a no fail formula, Hala. And it's you know I will say something outrageous, then the media will react to it.

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NAVARRO: I will own the media news cycle. Everybody else will be made to react to it. And when that starts dying out in a week I will do it all over

again with another subject. Whether it's prisoners of war, whether it's you know Carly Fiorina's face, whether it's Megyn Kelly, whether it's Muslims,

whether it's Mexicans, whether it's immigrants. You name it and he has done this over and over and over again.

GORANI: But people have buried his campaign over and over again as well, saying that's it.

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GORANI: He's gone too far. This is going sink him. And every single time he says or does something outrageous, a new poll comes out putting him even

more firmly in the lead. Is there in your mind a possibility Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee?

NAVARRO: You know, there's seven stages of grief. I have planted myself firmly in denial. I just cannot wrap my arms around the idea that Donald

Trump will be the Republican nominee.

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NAVARRO: Let's start with the fact that he wasn't a Republican until very recently. He has been a Democrat. He has been an independent. He is for

single payer health care exchanges. I mean it's just you know, this is not a man who's got a firm commitment, ideological commitment to conservative

Republican values.

So you know is there a possibility anything can happen? And you're absolutely right. He has defied logic. He has defied rules, conventional

rules of how this political game has played. He's turned out to be Teflon Donald. Any one of the outrageous things that he has said and done would

have sunk any other candidate. But I think the scrutiny level on him is different because voters, his supporters, don't judge him as a candidate.

They judge him as an outsider. And precisely what they like about him is that he doesn't stick to rules, that he defies norms, that you know he

doesn't stick to protocol, that he doesn't stick to political correctness and that he is outrageous.

GORANI: And he's threatening to run as an independent. I mean, if he doesn't he says get the "a minimum" of "decorum and respect" from the other

candidates. If he runs as an independent, I mean this is a disaster for the Republican Party, isn't it?

NAVARRO: Well, both things are a disaster for the Republican Party. If he wins the nomination it's a disaster for the Republican Party. He has burnt

bridges with Hispanics. He has burnt bridges with women. He has burnt bridges with Muslims. You know It would be very hard for somebody like me,

an immigrant Hispanic Republican woman, to ever conceive supporting Donald Trump as the nominee.

And if he runs in third party it would also be a disaster for the Republican party, frankly he might as well put the Presidency in a Tiffany

box, wrap it up real pretty and hand it over to Hillary Clinton.

But you know, this is a guy who has been making this threat now for months and months and months. He signed a pledge saying he was going to run as a

Republican, and he was not going to do that. But then again, we know that Donald Trump changes his mind, goes back on his word, that these pledges

don't mean anything to him.

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NAVARRO: I don't know what decorum -- what more decorum he wants to be treated with. He's being treated exactly the same as everybody else who's

running. He is participating in debates. At you know the end of the day there's nothing the Republican party structure can do to either push him

out or not.

GORANI: All right. Anna Navarro, we'll see if other candidates are able to elbow their way into the media spotlight. Stiff competition, though, from

Donald Trump.

NAVARRO: They've got to - they've got to learn to be more interesting and entertaining.

GORANI: All right. We'll see. Certainly they have to do something at this stage. Anna Navarro, thanks very much, joining us from Washington. This is

"The World Right Now."

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GORANI: Coming up next find out why new musical talent is flourishing in the Philippines, an interesting story for you there. We'll be right back.

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[15:52:40]

GORANI: To the Philippines where growth in the performing arts is giving Filipinos new opportunities. Andrew Stevens introduces us to a young singer

who's making a name for herself and a living for her family.

MONICA CUENCO: I'm not lucky. I am blessed.

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ANDREW STEVENS: Monica Cuenco is a rising star in her native Philippines. Just 20 years old with a voice still raw and untrained, she won a nation-

wide talent search to be the lead in a major new musical. But Monica is more than just homegrown talent making good. She's also a symbol. A symbol

of a trend that's giving this country's musical talent new opportunities at home.

CUENCO: Thank you.

STEVENS: Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo is also known as the first lady of Philippine's musicals.

LAUCHENGO-YULO: There is a demand now, particularly in musical theater.

STEVENS: It all began here in London's West End in 1989 and the smash hit "Miss Saigon" starring in the lead role Filipino Leah Sulanga. These

performances gave a generation of Filipinos self-belief. But the real spark came in the form of new musicals featuring local stories sung in local

language.

Musicals like Monica's based on a much-loved Philippine movie which translated means "Star Without Sparkle" her own story is also one of

fighting against the odds. It's almost the basis of a musical of its own. At just eight years old, she lost both parents to cancer and moved in with

her aunty. She tried to forge a career in music, propelled by a mother's love and belief.

CUENCO: She just told me that every time I sing, just always sing from the heart. Yeah.

STEVENS: but singing alone did not pay the bills. She was forced to put her career on hold and took a steady job. But that all changed when her nephew

fell seriously ill and her family needed extra money to pay the doctors. She looked for a way of getting back into singing, and finally she got her

big break.

CUENCO: I had to sing. I had to make money so that we can -- I can help them to have a medicine. Because my life is revolving around them.

[15:55:16]

STEVENS: There's certainly no shortage of talent. Singing is a way of life in the Philippines. Even in the slums here in Manila, five pesos, about ten

cents, will buy a couple of songs on a machine that can transport people away from daily life for a little while. And with more theater productions,

more aspiring artists like Monica, are able to transform their passion into careers.

What is it about the Filipino and the musical gene?

LAUCHENGO-YULO I don't know what it is, but we just love to sing.

STEVENS: And throw in a bit of drama, it looks like a recipe for success.

Andrew Stevens, CNN, Manila.

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GORANI: And before we leave you this evening, a positive story for some of Syria's more than 4 million refugees. Canada is doing its part to help.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome to Canada.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

GORANI: That's the Canadian Prime Minister, the new one Justin Trudeau. The first plane load of Syrian refugees arrived in Toronto Thursday to a warm

welcome from the Prime Minister. He's actually fitting some of them with parkas there because it gets cold in the winter, obviously. Canada aims to

resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees.

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GORANI: This has been "The World Right Now" I'm Hala Gorani "Quest Means Business" is next.

END