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Hala Gorani Tonight
Carson Doesn't See "Political Path" Forward; Trump Racks Up Seven States on Super Tuesday; Likely MH-370 Debris Washes Ashore in Mozambique; Abortion Restriction Case Focused on Texas Law. Aired 03-03:30a ET
Aired March 02, 2016 - 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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[15:00:43] PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They risk their lives on the battlefield, now men and women who served as Elite
Special Forces are taking on a new enemy and a dangerous mission, a mission to protect society's most vulnerable by going out to some of world's most
dangerous predators. Heroes at home. All this week on the CNN Freedom Project, ending modern day slavery.
When you follow a story, you may be asked to take risks, and sometimes go down a path that's not marked. That's where you find a brotherhood risking
it all, or a fighter who's had a change of heart. When you dare to take risks, you witness passion and persistence and that's where change happens.
I'm Patrick Oppmann in Havana, Cuba. This is CNN.
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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Tonight, no path forward. Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson says he will not be attending
the next Republican debate. What does this mean for the race for the White House?
Also tonight, we'll hear from the host of the UK's Apprentice. Lord Alan Sugar about how he sees Donald Trump's candidacy.
Plus, an island in Eastern Canada says it is ready to offer refuge to Americans, unhappy about a potential President Donald Trump.
And in other news, a new piece of debris could hold a clue to the faith of doomed flight MH-370.
Hello, everyone. I'm Michael Holmes live at the CNN Center sitting in again for Hala Gorani. Welcome to THE WORLD RIGHT NOW.
All right. We begin with that breaking political news. Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson says he won't be taking part in a debate
hosted by FOX News on Thursday. The candidate says, and these are his words, he doesn't see a political path forward. But he isn't planning on
formally suspending his campaign yet. Carson, a retired neurosurgeon has won seven just seven delegates so far, more than 1200 are needed to clench
the Republican nomination. Carson says, he plans to discuss his next moves on Friday. Now, Carson's comments follow a dismal performance on Super
Tuesday.
CNN politics executive editor Mark Preston joins us now from Washington, a man who's had little sleep since this Super Tuesday started. Now, Mark,
we're going to start with Ben Carson. What is this going to mean for whose left? Some may say, what took so long but who gains?
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICS EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Certainly, then there will be four. So Ben Carson is going to decide to give his speech at the
Conservative Political Action Conference. That's going to take place Friday in a suburb of Washington, D.C. His decision not to attend
tomorrow's debate and of course his comments saying that he sees no path forward spells the end of the candidacy that many are surprised that has
gone on this long. Michael, he was trying to hang in there, trying say that not only was his supporters are telling him not to drop out but as
well as God. He felt like that God was telling him that he should move on. But a lack of money, a lack of support and a dismal performance on Super
Tuesday has really spell the end now to Ben Carson's campaign.
HOLMES: All right. Now, Michael, I want to get on to some other stuff too on Super Tuesday. But let's remind our viewers how things shook out, first
of all. Trump of course picked up seven states. Did well in the South, in particular. Rival Ted Cruz grabbing his home state Texas as expected. But
also Oklahoma and Alaska. Rubio managing just one win. Now, on the Democratic side, we had Clinton sweeping the South. She grabbed seven
states. Her rival Bernie Sanders won his home state of Vermont and three other states. So, Mark, never before I think I'm right in saying, has
someone won the states that Trump won and not won the nomination. And even though the finish line is not even in site, this continues to terrify the
Republican Party. Right?
[15:05:11] PRESTON: They're petrified right now. And if there is anyone else in the poll position like Donald Trump is right now, they had a
different last name, then we would be talking about the inevitability of this nominee. But because the Republican establishment right now Michael
is so concerned that Donald trump is going to become the GOP nominee, they are doing all they can to try to stop him. But as you said last night
winning seven states amassing a huge number of delegates, the wind is at his back as he is heading into the next round of contest this weekend and,
of course, the all-important date of March 15th. This is when several large states here in the United States are going to hold contests and if
you win those states, you win all those delegates, namely for our viewers all around the world. The state of Florida where he would pick up nearly
100 delegates right now -- Michael.
HOLMES: It is an extraordinary phase of this campaign. Is it not? I mean, you have not Trump versus Rubio or Cruz as the party versus their own
frontrunner which is just amazing.
PRESTON: It is amazing. And in fact, we'll going to hear from the 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney tomorrow. Just in the past
couple of hours, he has put out a statement saying he is going to give a speech tomorrow in Utah, his home state. Now, I have to tell you, speaking
to a confidante that is very close to the former Governor Romney, we will not hear him endorse a particular candidate nor will he talk about his own
political future. But what he will do is he'll attack Donald trump and he will try to convince Republican voters, demanding Republican voters in
states that have not yet weighed in on this presidential election to not support Donald Trump. He's going to say that Donald Trump is not right for
the Republican Party. Donald Trump is not right for the United States. He will implore his fellow Republicans to try to choose another candidate and
he'll do that tomorrow, Michael.
HOLMES: Mark Preston, fascinating as always. You don't look like a man working on one-and-a-half hours of sleep. I appreciate it, Mark. Good to
see you.
PRESTON: Anything, Michael.
HOLMES: Been a long night for Mr. Preston. Well, Donald Trump, one of the thing he does, he drives voters to the polls. And he did so in record
numbers on Super Tuesday. And the Republican elite as we have been discussing just then finally waking up to the fact that he could, in fact,
clinch the nomination.
Now I'm joined from Washington by Trump supporter Barry Bennett, he is the former campaign manager for Ben Carson. Also, CNN commentator Mary
Katherine Ham who is a conservative blogger and senior writer for "The Federalist." Barry, I'm going to start with you. Former Carson campaign
manager, I'll get you to react to this latest news, predictable perhaps. Your thoughts?
BARRY BENNETT, TRUMP SUPPORTER: Well, I mean, he obviously, wasn't getting a lot of traction. But I do hope that he stays involved. He has a lot to
offer the party both in terms of, you know, his ideas and inner city education and in health care. And I hope that he uses his platform that he
has now to be a real voice inside the party for those kind of issues.
HOLMES: All right. And Mary, let's move on to other things. Is it fair to say the establishment underestimated Trump for too long and now the
hierarchy as we said is terrified of the prospect of Trump the nominee. The question is, is it too late for the party to turn on their own?
MARY KATHARINE HAM, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, I would say it's more than fair to say that he was underestimated, not just by the establishment
of the party who has issues with him, but there are plenty of conservatives and activists in the party who have issues with him. Rubio and Cruz
supporters until lately Carson supporters and Kasich supporters. Like, he was underestimated by everyone. There is a reason they weren't attacking
him from the beginning. They thought people would overlook him and move to them. And that was not the case. I think had Rubio or Cruz done some of
the more effective attacks on him earlier in the game, things would be different now. And there is an issue now where you say, OK, consolidation
didn't happen. So, maybe you can't beat Trump outright. What might happen now is that you prevent Trump if these, you know, three guys stay in the
race.
HOLMES: And Barry, when it comes to Trump's appeal which has caught a lot of people off guard, I think, is there a sense perhaps that voters feel
they have been over the last few years sold a bill of goods by politicians to block rather than to achieve, to promise and not deliver and they're
selling very good prepared to go with anyone but a politician, even one who is low on detail and big on bluster.
BENNETT: Oh, absolutely. I mean, they want to burn Washington down, right? They don't think it's relevant to their lives, it doesn't help them
when they needed help and they have got a lot of politicians in town who say something and then do nothing. So it's a real revolt if you will
against the political class in Washington. And, you know, it's been this way for months. I mean, I don't know why people are surprised now. He's
been leading the polls since summer. But they had these theories that he was going to melt here or melt there. Of course, it never happened. But I
mean --
HOLMES: But Barry, following on from that, I mean, we talk about the public being annoyed at the lack of anything getting done in Washington
quite frankly. Mr. Trump has a long list of in the real world, unfulfillable promises. You know, this wall in Mexico will pay for,
deporting 11 million people, a trade war with China, taking on Vladimir Putin. When he gets to the Oval Office and sits down behind that big
guest, he's not going to be able to do half of what he says he's going to do.
[15:10:12] BENNETT: I mean, we'll see. But I believe that we will build a wall between our Mexican borders. I think we have to. And, you know, will
Mexico pay for it? One way or the other. I think they probably will. We have a huge trade deficit with them. Plus, you know, we give them a lot of
foreign aid. So, I think there are ways to do it.
HOLMES: Mary, you know, when you look at the Republican landscape, in fact, let's talk about the political landscape. You have Donald Trump out
there on the Republican side. The renegade, if you like. It's the same for the Democrats, isn't it? You have got Bernie Sanders doing very well,
far better than anyone expected. He's probably not going to win, but just look at the support that he has intended. When you look at the traditional
-- the parties, both Democrat and Republican, they both have some thinking to do.
HAM: Yes, there are complimentary movements here. Both rejecting the sort of normal political class. Now, Bernie Sanders is a senator and he's been
there for a long time. But he's not exactly your average senator since he's a democratic socialist from Vermont. And he is really picking up a
lot of young people support. Donald Trump, of course, energizing this idea that people are revolting against the federal government and are
dissatisfied and angry with it. With good reason that the issue that many critics of Trump like myself has said that, if you're not looking for a
transactional politician in Washington, then I'm not sure the transactional businessman who sells himself as a transactional politician is the guy that
you want. And so, there is some disconnect in what people are revolting against and what they think the prescription might be. And many
conservatives are saying, I'm not sure that guy is the prescription.
HOLMES: Barry Bennett, your thoughts on that. And you also -- the fact that I mean, it just seemed so extraordinary to see parties -- in the
Republican Party saying, we don't want Trump. Some of them are saying, I won't vote for him. It's just amazing. But do you think that might
backfire on the party and that nothing saves -- Trump, anyway?
BENNETT: You know, I do think it kind of feeds the movement, if you will. I mean, if you look at the CNN poll last week, between Cruz, Carson and
Trump, over 70 percent of the electorate is saying, they want an outsider, they don't want a politician. So, any time somebody K-Street or somebody
in the House or in the Senate says, there's no way I'll vote for Donald Trump, I think the American public is going, yes, that's fine.
HAM: Even it's not just people on the hill. There are just normal people who are normal Americans who are akin to the Trump voters but they happen
to back Rubio or Cruz saying that guy is not going to work for me for these reasons. I don't believe what his ideology is. I think he's a weather
vane. I think he doesn't denounce people when he should. I think he's associated with the wrong things. And they look at a guy who's contributed
to Democrats and helped Democrats in the past and they say, this isn't our guy. It's not just the establish folks.
BENNETT: We said the same thing about Mitt Romney, right? It was pro- choice. He was -- he invented RomneyCare all those things and everybody came around with him. I mean, you know, when John McCain was the nominee,
I was anybody but McCain, right? I wasn't going to vote for him, I did. I wrote him a check and the party coalesce around him, you know.
HOLMES: But Mitt Romney is a Donald Trump. You know, with all due respect --
BENNETT: Probably, he's more liberal.
HAM: Yes. I don't know about that.
HOLMES: What do you think, Mary?
HAM: Well, I do think in most cases, I think yes, that you're right. There are a lot of Republicans just jump in line here. I think there is
something real here that people are responding to with this never Trump campaign. And it has to do with the bluster. It has to do with the fact
that he won't nail down any policies. It has to do with -- it has no long history of ideology. He's different from Reagan in that way. Let's not
pretend that Reagan just changed two years before he started running. That he had an actual history of what he believed in. People don't know what to
believe in because he won't give them details. They don't believe he's going to stick to anything when he gets into office. And I think it's a
fair criticism if you look at his business career and his public persona.
HOLMES: We said on the program yesterday, and I have to say it again today, we're talking an awful lot about the Republicans. There are two
campaigns going on. The Republicans are just a little bit more entertaining. I think --
HAM: Bringing out more voters, too.
HOLMES: Well, and that is a key point. And speak to that. One thing about Donald Trump, he's getting voters to the polls. Bernie Sanders is
the one who is getting young people involved on the Democrat side. But turn out, it's no way near the same as the Republicans. If it is Hillary
Clinton, is that going to be a problem for her? Mary, you first. And then we'll get your thoughts.
HAM: I think do it's possible. I think one of Hillary's problems is that she is a bit of a flawed candidate. She has a bit of Mitt Romney's style,
can't connect with regular voters. They don't believe that she knows about the problems that they face. And so I think she has trouble engendering
excitement. And you see that in these caucuses and these polling states where people are not coming out on the same numbers. Whereas on the
Republican side, this is something that Democrats should worry about in a general election, even though the Republicans are split so much, they're
bringing out a ton of people. There's a ton of interest in this. And there's a ton of excitement.
HOLMES: And Barry, Clinton-Trump. You know, their toll say that she would take him to the cleaners. But do you think that might not be the case
given the mood?
BENNETT: Yes. I think that is absolutely not the case. I mean, polls this far, they don't really mean much. But I mean, if you look at where
the anger is and where the movement is on both sides, it's anti-Washington. I mean, you know, Hillary Clinton gave a victory speech last night that was
completely joyless. I have never seen a candidate do that before.
HAM: This is where we agree.
BENNETT: And Bernie, Bernie, you know, he's out there. He is revving them up. You know, a lot of those people are going to carry their torches and
vote for frump, I'm telling you.
HOLMES: All right. We have to leave it there, unfortunately. Barry Bennett, Trump supporters, thank you so much. Mary Katherine Ham,
conservative blog, a senior writer with "The Federalist." Thanks so much.
HAM: Thank you.
BENNETT: Thanks, guys.
HOLMES: All right. We're going to take a short break. When we come back, it's been nearly two years since Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 vanished
almost two years to the day. And now investigators might have a newly discovered clue. The details in just a few minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:18:00] HOLMES: Welcome back. A piece of plane debris has been discovered on Mozambique's coast. A U.S. official says, the debris is
thought to be from a Boeing 777 and is a piece of horizontal stabilizer skin. A source telling CNN that there is no record of any Boeing 777
missing other than Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. So it could be part of that missing plane?
CNN's aviation correspondent Richard Quest has been following the story from the very beginning. In fact, written a new book about the vanishing
of flight MH-370. He joins me now from New York. And Richard, thanks you for doing so. Officials says, it could only of MH-370. If that's the
case, the significance of it?
RICHARD QUEST, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: I think it's too soon to say that in the sense that even the man who found it on the beach initially had
doubts as to whether it was -- he recognized it from an aircraft but it had no step on it. But is it a small plane? Is it a larger plane? Does it
come from some other aircraft incidents? There may not have been a 777 gone missing before. But they've certainly been crafted in that part of
the world from 777's and from other aircraft. So, you know, I'm not saying it isn't. And I'm not saying it is.
It certainly is in the right place. Look at that. You got the search area. You got the piece found in Reunion Island off the coast of
Madagascar and then you have got this piece in Mozambique. So, yes, certainly, Michael, it would -- it fits the profile of the currents and the
oceanic movements that would have taken it from the crash -- the assumed crash site of Australia west to East Africa.
HOLMES: So further investigation required then. You know, I think a lot of people don't realize that ever since this plane went missing, there has
been an ongoing search going on out there in that very big ocean. It continues every day. How far through are they? What if they don't find
anything?
QUEST: OK. So, go back to the last picture that we were looking at and you'll see the search area is about 1500 miles, 3,000 kilometers of Western
Australia. At the moment, there are five ships involved. And they -- one of them is doing a survey of what's on the bottom. The other two are going
up and down. And the others are going backwards and forwards for resupply to Australia. So, the ships, the discovery, the survivor, now they are
most definitely actively searching 1120,000 square kilometers. They're about two third to three quarters of the way through.
Michael, if they do not find anything from this 120 k search, then they've agreed Malaysia, Australia, and China have agreed in tripartite agreement
that they will not extend the search zone any further. And for good reason. Because it means that the most likely area has failed and yes,
they can expand greater and greater and greater. But frankly, unless they can pinpoint with more accuracy, never mind needles in hay stacks. We're
talking about finding the farm to find the hay stack to find the needle.
HOLMES: Yes. You only have to go out there on a boat to realize it is a big, big ocean. Richard Quest, as always, thanks.
QUEST: Thank you.
HOLMES: Well, the European Union is planning on giving Greece $760 million to help them cope with the ever growing migration crisis. The money would
be paid over a period of three years. More than 120,000 people have crossed into the country since just the beginning of this year. And the
U.N. is warned of an imminent humanitarian crisis in Europe. Tempers flaring on the Greek Macedonian border over the last few days as you can
see.
A short break. When we come back, a law of protecting women's health or avail an attempt to restrict abortion. That is a question before the U.S.
Supreme Court and it is one we'll take up with our very own legal expert.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:23:16] HOLMES: Welcome back, everyone. Dueling protests on the steps of the Supreme Court in the U.S. Patients, health care providers and pro-
choice advocates demanding the court uphold abortion again. Pro-life demonstrators also voicing their opinions on what is one of the most
important abortion rights cases in decades. The highest court in the U.S. is already ruled, of course, an abortion is constitutional. That was
argued in the famous Roe v. Wade many years ago. But in a lesson -- case, the court did give states authority to regulate abortion services as long
as in doing so they did not put an undue burden on women.
Opponents of the new law in Texas call that law the death and mission of undue burden. Now if upheld, the law would likely lead to the closure of
all but ten clinics in that huge state because they wouldn't be able to meet the strict standards to stay open legally. Supporters of the law say
those requirements are for the health of Texas women. Opponents say the opposite is true. Well, the standards do not apply to outpatient
procedures with risk levels similar to abortion, things like liposuction or colonoscopies.
Jeffrey Toobin is in Washington with more on the arguments. Jeff, as we said, described by some as the most important abortion case in decades, do
you agree? What is at stake?
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Well, you know, Michael, abortion is the issue that never disappears from American public life, from
the law, from politics and ultimately these questions always wind up in the Supreme Court. In the past few years, states dominated by Republicans,
like Texas, have tightened access to abortion, specifically they have done things like Texas did here which is they said that facilities, clinics that
do abortions have to have very elaborate kind of equipment, more like a hospital.
And they say doctors who work in these clinics have to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals. Both of which have the effect of shutting
down many clinics in Texas. And now the -- as you said, the clinics themselves are challenging these regulations and today was the argument and
it was the first major argument where Antonin Scalia, the great conservative voice of the court was gone and there were only eight
justices. And the four liberal justices very much took charge of the argument and seemed confident that they could at least stop these
regulations from going into effect.
HOLMES: And Andrea, because, you know, and you have gained some of this here, this context. That, you know, abortion is legal in the U.S. and
critics say anti-abortion forces, they're fighting that by just making it harder for clinics to provide those legal abortions. They're not making
abortion illegal, just not impossible for some women to get some. I think there is a number of states where there is only one clinic in the whole
state.
TOOBIN: That's right. And mostly, exclusively, Republican dominated states, mostly in the South. And the four liberals focus their questioning
on the issue of what was the purpose of these requirements for hospital- like settings? What medical problem were they addressing when, in fact, they were asserting they were not addressing any medical problem? They
were simply erecting barriers to make it impossible for these clinics to operate. They have four votes clearly. What was not clear is whether they
have a fifth vote.
Anthony Kennedy back in 1992 in the last big abortion case voted to uphold abortion rights. But since then, he had seemed to migrate away from that
position and Anthony Kennedy who is so often the swing vote on the court seemed to be looking for some sort of middle ground in the case, perhaps
even to kick the whole case back to the appeals court for more fact finding which would allow the court simply to just avoid the issue, probably for
another year and perhaps only come back to it when they're at full strength with nine justices.
HOLMES: So what they have to decide on here is the definition of undue burden, right?
TOOBIN: Correct. That's exactly right. The 1992 case, in an opinion jointly written mostly by Sandra Day O'Connor, the court said abortion can
be regulated by the states. However, they cannot issue regulations that's impose an undue burden on a woman's right to choose abortion which of
course raises the question, what is an undue burden? The court has never clearly defined what an undue burden is. So, today's argument was about
was, were these Texas rules which makes clinics so difficult to operate, are those an undue burden? Clearly, the four more liberal justices thought
the answer was yes. What is not clear is that they -- whether they had a fifth vote. And we'll see by June.
HOLMES: Yes. And it's interesting. Medical groups including the American college of obstetricians and gynecologists say repeatedly that these
restrictions that have been imposed are not necessary for this procedure and the fear is that they would be illegal abortions carried out because
women can't get to an actual clinic. What are we likely to hear a decision on this?
TOOBIN: Well, the Supreme Court issues its decisions every year by the end of June. What makes this case a little even more complicated is because
there are only eight justices, there is the possibility of a four-four tie which would ratify the lower court decision upholding the regulations but
it wouldn't apply in the whole country. It would only apply in the states, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi. It would be a very big deal. It would be
very big victory for abortion rights opponents if they do that. But it wouldn't establish a precedent for the whole country.
HOLMES: Right. Right. Important to know. Jeffrey, as always, good to see you, Jeffrey Toobin.
TOOBIN: All right. Michael.
HOLMES: Appreciate it.
Still much more to come on the program. And much more on the race for the White House. We'll see how Donald Trump's surge has some members of his
own Republican Party in open revolt.
And then, you could call him the Donald Trump of the UK. At least when it comes to reality television. The host of British apprentice talks about
his very public clash with Trump on, of course, Twitter.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:32:10]
MICHAEL HOLMES, HOST: Bring you up to date now. A major announcement in the race for the White House; Republican Ben Carson says he no longer sees a
political path forward after disappointing results on Super Tuesday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: He has already dropped out of tomorrow's Republican debate but no official word yet that he is leaving the race altogether. He's going to
speak again on this on Friday.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: And this just in to CNN, we're getting a first look at pictures of that piece of plane debris.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Apparently according to sources from a Boeing 777 which was discovered along Mozambique's coast according to a U.S. official. Another
aviation source tells CNN there is no record of that type of plane missing other than Malaysia Airlines flight MH-370 which of course vanished two
years ago. At the top of the hour, my colleague Richard Quest is going to speak to the man who discovered that debris, that's "Quest Means Business"
about 30 minutes or so from now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The U.N. Security Council will slap North Korea with new sanctions that include a mandatory inspection of all cargo going to the country, a
weapons sale ban, and a prohibition on the supply of rocket fuel.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The international community of course trying to put a dent in the country's nuclear program.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The ex CEO of Chesapeake Energy who had been in seriously legal trouble is dead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Oklahoma City Police confirmed Aubrey McClendon has died in a car crash. The aftermath of which you see there. McClendon was indicted just
yesterday on fraud charges specifically bid rigging.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Big wins on Tuesday for Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton put even closer clinching their party's nomination for President.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The Republican and Democratic candidates each winning seven states, racking up hundreds of delegates. Trump lost three states to Ted Cruz
though, and one to Marco Rubio. Here are the total number of delegates so far, these are not winner take all states. Trump could surge even further
ahead once the race moves from those states that award delegates proportionately to the states that do allow winner take all.
On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton way ahead of Bernie Sanders, earning twice as many delegates so far. But many of those are the so called
super delegates.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Donald Trump striking a more conciliatory tone than we've heard recently in a speech after his Super Tuesday win.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: But he did threaten one of the most powerful Republicans in congress, House Speaker, Paul Ryan, saying he would "pay a big price" if he
doesn't get along with the Trump administration. As the rift between Trump and the Republican establishment deepens, the 2012 GOP presidential nominee
stepping in now.
[15:35:11]
HOLMES: Mitt Romney expected to warn his party against electing Trump in a major speech expected on Thursday. He's already said Trump should be
disqualified for "coddling bigotry."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Our next guest says the Trump phenomenon is neither a disease nor a symptom but the bitter test of a cure that the American people are trying
out. Ben Domenech is publisher of "The Federalist" and a Senior Fellow with the Heartland Institute.
Good to have you on, and I want to explore a little bit more of what you say. You know but regardless of what happens with Donald Trump, the GOP is
a party divided, fundamentally divided, a disconnect between the traditional politicians and the people saying Trump's my guy.
BEN DOMENECH, PUBLISHER, THE FEDERALIST: Yes, we're seeing a political realignment that really has very few precedence in the history of American
politics. I think that it's something along the lines of what happened in the 1890s when William Jennings Brian came along and took over the
Democratic Party with his message about free silver for all sorts of populists.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOMENECH: You know farmers across the country responded to that and rejected democrat leadership. I think the same thing is happening something
along those lines at least to the Republican Party today.
It is bringing new people in, we saw the increased numbers, the increased vote all across the country on Super Tuesday in man different states. And
yet at the same time, I think this is a point where the party is being taken over by Donald Trump and by a lot of what he has to say that goes
against what Republican elites would have preferred for this election to do.
If you rewind to 2012, the sort of autopsy that the party participated in where they analyzed why they had lost, it's basically the basis, the
blueprint for Marco Rubio's campaign, how he's approached running and how he's approached trying to send this message.
That's been a complete disaster. It hasn't been able to take over the votes of the party. And, instead, someone like Trump who speaks to all those
concerns has come a long and really taken the Republican Party and turned it into an engine for his efforts. It's an amazing thing to witness.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: And you can argue that the same is happening with the Democrats with Bernie Sanders and his little renegade win on the left and that both
parties are going to have to have a hard look at themselves. But the Republicans more so because Donald Trump is winning so far.
You know, the fundamental reasons though, across the board is there a sense that people have been conned all these years by politicians, partly a
message particularly from the right that what's good for the rich is good for the working stiff, which isn't true. And partly that politicians in
general promise a bunch of things they can't or won't deliver on.
DOMENECH: It's really what we witnessed is a collapse on both sides. You know you have the conservative sort of wing of the of the Republican Party
that is very ideological and in principle, cares about the constitution, cares about these things. And then you have kind of a Washington
establishment, the leadership of the party that tends to prioritize more what's important for business concerns, things of that nature.
The business wing of the party, the elites who've been in the leadership in Washington for the Republicans for so long had thought that they could get
away with basically pretending to be populists, standing on a stage and holding a musket over their head and saying that they care about the
concerns and then once they get into office catering to the concern of K Street, Wall Street, et cetera.
Conservatives thought that the, you know base of the party was more ideological. That it was more principled, that it cared about these things.
It turns out they were both wrong in the sense that there is a significant portion of the Republican coalition and of people who are disaffected
voters who feel disenfranchised by both political parties and who really don't see their needs represents by either. Who are very open to a man in
Donald Trump who has basically lived in their living room officials the course of weeks and months for the past several years in reality T.V. and
in so many other contexts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: And if they'll go for a guy with previous little policy detail, and an awful lot of bluster, it just shows how disenchanged they are. Whether
he's the nominee or not, eventually what then does the Republican Party do? Because it is already split. When you have you ever heard senators and
party leaders railing against their own front runner? It's just extraordinary. What does the party do when this is all over?
DOMENECH: I think that a number of people are going to choose to reject Trumpism. You've already seen Senator Ben Sass, from Nebraska, you know
part of a new generation of conservatives in Washington saying that he will go for a third party choice if the choice is between Trump and Hillary.
But I actually think for the most part, that a lot of these Republicans are going to end up lining up behind Trump. They're going to make the case for
themselves to their voters saying, hey, I'm a principled conservative, I'm going to keep Donald Trump honest, that's why you need to send me back to
Washington.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DOMENECH: But I think that's going to be a difficult case to make in a context in which you have such a divisive figure at the head of the ticket.
That being said, Trump turned around his negatives within the Republican Party in a few months. It's something he's going to have to do again if he
is going to win in a general election. He's certainly going to try. I will say that at this point he's a negotiator. He negotiates from the extremes.
This is probably as conservative as you're going to hear Donald Trump sounding. Once he shifts to a general election, he's going to be
negotiating with a different electorate, and I think that we might hear very different things coming out of his mouth.
[15:40:09]
HOLMES: Ben Domenech, publisher of "The Federalist." Fascinating, interesting stuff, thanks so much.
DOMENECH: Good to be with you.
HOLMES: All right. Lord Alan Sugar is in a way the Donald Trump of the U.K. from T.V. show hosting to dabbling in politics, the two actually have a lot
in common. Max Foster now remind us of the often turbulent connection between the two moguls.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: With his success in the Presidential primaries, it's hard to remember that this time last year
Donald Trump was still hosting a reality T.V. show. The Apprentice.
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You were in charge of Branning, star you're fired.
FOSTER: On the other side of the Atlantic, Alan sugar, like Trump, has been the face of the British Apprentice for more than a decade. Like Trump,
Sugar has a no nonsense approach.
ALAN SUGAR, U.K. APPRENTICE: This is my board room and by the way this is my money. You're fired.
FOSTER: Both men are worth a lot of money. But whilst Trump was born into one of the richest families in America, Sugar takes pride in being a self-
made man. Beginning his business life trading car radio antennas out of the back of a van.
And going on to found the electronics empire, Amstrad, in the 1980s. Sugar has a knighthood, and like Trump, he too has dabbled in politics getting a
seat in the House of Lords. Sugar and Trump both have their own provocative styles.
TRUMP: Is she a leader or just a stressed out [beep]
SUGAR: Marry Poppins I am not.
FOSTER: And have fallen out publicly on twitter in the past. This spat from three years ago saw Trump accuse Sugar of having little persona telling him
to drop to his knees and say thank you to Mr. Trump. While Sugar retorted saying Trump had a charisma bypass.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Ooh, well, Alan Sugar visited our London studios today to share his thoughts on Trump's unorthodox candidacy. Here's part of what he told Max
Foster.
SUGAR: I have to say and I'm sure that he would agree with this, that when I first heard him mentioned that he was going to go for the presidential
elections and all that, we kind of -- I guess most people just laughed it off and said, no, not really. You know, it's not going to happen. And I
think even up to January of this year, you were still thinking he's got no chance.
But you know, one has to admit he's a contender now. There's no question of it. He has got the American public or a certain sector of the American
public voting for him. So, because I think it's because he's kind of like what's on your lung is on your tongue attitude, you know.
FOSTER: What do you think it is about him? Is it his authenticity, is it as he says, he's convinced people that running a business is a great way of
going into politics and being outside of the establishment, outside that Washington mess?
SUGAR: No, I think he's the first person to actually be so bold as to say what he believes. A lot of other people think. And as we know, some of his
remarks in respect to Mexicans and Muslim population and all that stuff has touched a nerve inside America which must tell you that he's talking in a
way that he believes other people are thinking.
Now what fascinates me, quite frankly, is how he's been able to get away with it. And why his competitors have not taken that approach. Because I
guess that some of Donald's comments are not politically correct.
FOSTER: Well he's had some - he's had some choice words for you as well hasn't he? He said you have no persona or whatever, but it hasn't turned
you against him in any way.
SUGAR: No. I mean listen, I can dish out as much as he can dish out, really. I don't think - I think he wouldn't like to get into a slanging
match with me. In fact, I've said to some of my American friends when I watched him talking about Rubio and Cruz and all that stuff and they just
seem to take it, you know? And I can't imagine why they didn't -- why they don't fight back. But I believe Rubio started to throw a bit of mud back
but it didn't work, did it? And it's going to be interesting to see if Hillary if there's going to be a mud fight between those two. I don't know.
FOSTER: What sort of President do you think he'll be?
SUGAR: Well, I don't know. As a businessman, it will be useful. Because I don't think they've had many Presidents that have actually had any business
skills. But, of course, running a country is not all finance. It's got a lot to do with it, and you can apply financial, you know, noose, to certain
things in spending and all that type of stuff. I think when it comes to diplomacy, talking to other countries and I'd love to see him having a chat
with Putin and what's her name, Angela Merkel and all those type of people, and I don't know how he'll be dealing with our --
[15:45:15]
FOSTER: With our own David Cameron in this country.
SUGAR: Yes, well I don't know, well David's very polite. There is talk of not letting him back in the country here because of -- due to some of his
remarks. But I think the biggest challenge for Donald is if he does win, he now has made a -- what we say in England a rod for his own back. Because he
says he's going to build a wall, he says he's going to deal with the immigrant situation or the illegal immigrant situation, he says he's going
to make America great again, he says he's going to stop imports from China, he says he's going to create more jobs. Well you know, he'll be given a
year to implement that. If the brick layers are not out and the cement mixers are not working on the Mexican line, he's going to be under fire,
you know under fire and I think he has to implement his promises.
FOSTER: Would you hire Donald Trump if you had the opportunity?
SUGAR: Well, I mean, he's a property man just like I am so certainly. I mean if it comes to property business he knows what he's doing and all that
stuff. So yes, certainly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Interesting conversation indeed. We're going to take a short break, we'll be right back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, starting a new job is exciting but even more so when you're answering a calling. As part of CNN's Freedom Project, we're about to
introduce you to a man on his first day with a task force that hunts down child sexual predators. Here's CNN's Lynda Kinkade.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LYNDA KINKADE: These are the first steps in Steven Blackstone's new life. The retired air force master sergeant is meeting his new boss and joining
the Pasco County Florida Task Force aimed at stopping a trade in trafficking of child pornography.
CAMILLE COOPER, DIRECTOR OF LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS, PROTECT: These children are actually tied up and gagged and bound and tortured. That's how bad
these images are.
KINKADE: Camille Cooper works for the National Association to protect children. The organization trains U.S. war veterans and places them with
law enforcement agencies around the country. This is the program's fifth year with the group planning to graduate its 100th hero.
Across the country, working with home land security investigations, members of the H.E.R.O. Child Rescue Corps. have helped identify and arrest dozens
of child abuse suspects and rescue the children being abused.
[15:50:00]
COOPER: Each of those offenders that they've arrested is going to have conservatively 13 victims in their lifetime. 32% are related to that child
and another 22% are a close family friend. So you have the majority of these perpetrators within a child's circle of
trust that are producing this material.
KINKADE: Blackstone, a former high level criminal federal investigator in the military, says this program has given him a new mission.
STEVEN BLACKSTONE, H.E.R.O. CHILD-RESCUE CORPS.: I was in the military for almost 21 years. Veterans and military personnel, you know, we have a bias
to action.
KINKADE: And he says much of the motivation will come from his family.
BLACKSTONE: What motivates me is my 9-year-old and 4-year-old kids and this H.E.R.O. program was the perfect opportunity for me to be involved in this
kind of work trying to stop a child sexual exploitation.
COOPER: We thought we were just going to be saving these kids by bringing these you know veterans in to save them and we didn't realize we saved the
veterans in the process, too. So that's been really moving.
KINKADE: As for the child predators, Blackstone and his friends will soon be training their sights on he has this simple message.
BLACKSTONE: We're coming. We're coming for you.
KINKADE: A warning for those who would abuse children and a promise for the victims that help may soon be on the way.
Linda Kinkade, CNN.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: And on Thursday, Sarah Sidner's going to introduce us to a former army ranger who is proof that heroes are made on and off the battlefield.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What has training and steely determination, Tony Whaley is one of the last guys a child predator will
ever want to see. Less than a year into his work, the retired army ranger recently discovered key evidence that took a child offender off the
streets.
TONY WHALEY, H.E.R.O. CHILD-RESCUE CORPS.: You can see the children, they'll look at the camera and, like, is anybody out there you know? Is
anybody out there? Looking to help us. And, you know, on the other side is us, you know actively trying to find them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: This week our Freedom Project is meeting H.E.R.O.S. at home fighting on behalf of those children, only on CNN. We'll be right back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Welcome back. Donald Trump's success on Super Tuesday makes him, of course, the strong favorite at the moment for the Republican nomination. If
he does become President, one island on Canada's East coast is offering any unhappy American a place of refuge. A radio D.K. from Cape Breton Island
set up a website called Cape Brenton if Donald Trump wins. Paula Newton with the story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Perched high of the northeastern edge of the continent, the peace and serenity of Cape Breton Island in Canada, is a
long way from the bold and brash American vision Donald Trump is pedaling. That got one guy with one idea and a website asking his U.S. neighbors
could this place be your refuge from a Trump Presidency? With one click, hundreds of thousands of Americans are wondering, too.
No, really. We're not kidding. This is no joke. So we have come here to this wind swept island to figure out why this pitch is enticing so many in
ways no one could have imagined.
Rob Calabrese is the guy, a local radio D.J. with the "If Trump Wins" website. He spent $28 and less than half an hour creating it.
ROB CALABRESE, CREATOR "CAPE BRETON IF TRUMP WINS:" As many people have told me, I'm just some bozo up in Canada on an island no-one's ever heard
of. What I think of him is irrelevant. The fact he is makes a lot of people very nervous about the future of the country. So I'm just saying, now is
the time to plant the seed. Get your affairs in order. That way the day after the election, you've got everything all settled and you can you just
come on up then.
NEWTON: A little more than two weeks and 800,000 clicks later, Americans want to know more.
CALBRESE: All of a sudden the joke is over. And this is serious. We have a serious problem. People are showing a serious interest in moving here.
NEWTON: That problem is a familiar one. It may be pretty but this island is economically depressed and in need of new blood. At Smitty's Pancake House,
Cape Bretoners told us the website is pure genius.
UNIDETNFIED FEMALE: Rob's our hero.
NEWTON: Rob's your hero?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He really is, yes, he really is. I know it started out in fun. But I think he said what we were all thinking.
[15:55:03]
NEWTON: How do you feel about getting Trump refugees here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't mind. We'll take any refugees. That's what we need in Cape Breton Island, we need people.
NEWTON: How welcoming are you guys to Americans though?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very welcoming, extremely.
We love Americans. The more the merrier. No fences.
NEWTON: No fence but you can't just walk into Canada and live here. Damien Barry is an Immigration lawyer, and an Irish immigrant.
NEWTON: Would you say Canada tough is a tough country to immigrate to?
DAMIEN BARRY, IMMIGRATION LAWYER: It is in a way. I mean I guess there's a lot of red tape to get through.
NEWTON: Even so, he says he's getting dozens of serious inquiries from Americans looking to live north.
Wayne Miller is a man who immigrated in the opposite direction for a time. He's back home now making it as an entrepreneur. He believes some Americans
will take up the Canadian offer.
WAYNE MILLER, ENTREPRENEUR: I do.
NEWTON: Really?
MILLER: I do.
NEWTON: You don't think it's just a joke?
MILLER: No. I don't think Americans joke. You know? They're pretty -- when they set their mind to something, they make it happen.
NEWTON: Valerie Sampson has already seem some evidence of that. More Americans calling and e-mailing about Cape Bretton's stunning and, yes,
affordable homes.
VALERIE SAMPSON: Anybody would come to me and say I don't see anything I like on the market. I could go knock on a door and find a piece of
waterfront for anybody. Give me six hours.
NEWTON: This is what is called Sunrise Drive.
Mary Toll takes us for a ride along that waterfront. As a tourism official here, she says American interest surged since the website went live.
MARY TOLL, TOURISM OFFICIAL: We have a fantastic receptionist that would normally handle maybe two inquires a day. We had five people dedicated full
time to manage the inquires.
NEWTON: Back at the radio station, Rob expects more Americans to come calling as Trump builds momentum in the primaries.
Do you think there's going to be a Donald Trump bump in the economy this summer?
CALBRESE: There may be a Trump bump. And thank you for coining that phrase.
NEWTON: That might be true in summer. But this place doesn't exactly look like paradise right now.
What do you want to tell them about when it's not so good.
CALBRESE: Well, I mean this is not the Caribbean. It's not an island in the Caribbean. So we don't -- we have a winter here.
NEWTON: In the meantime, remember this island may not get a vote but now it's certainly has a stake in the U.S. Presidential race.
Paula Newton, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: There you have it. This has been "The World Right Now," thanks for watching everyone. "Quest Means Business" is next.
END
