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Hala Gorani Tonight
Republicans To Debate in Battle For Political Survival; Purported ISIS Document Leak Shows Fighter Details; Obama Hosts Canadian PM at the White House. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired March 10, 2016 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:20] HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Tonight, Republican rematch. The stage is set. The candidates prepare for a CNN debate ahead
of a crucial Florida primary. Can Marco Rubio keep his campaign alive?
Also, job applications for ISIS. New documents surface that ask potential jihadist about past experience and religious devotion. We'll have those
details for you.
Plus this hour, new information on the banned drug taken by tennis star Maria Sharapova. The man who created the drug tells CNN why he's concerned
for the health of some top athletes.
Hello everyone, I'm Hala Gorani, we're coming to you live from London, thanks for being with us this hour. This is the WORLD RIGHT NOW.
With his rivals on the ropes, Donald Trump says, he wants a nicer, softer, lighter, Republican presidential debate tonight, but all bets are off
because this battle is for political survival. It could be the last time we see the final four GOP candidates on stage together, unless Trump's
momentum takes a hit. Marco Rubio and John Kasich are both facing must-win contests in their home states next Tuesday for Super Tuesday, part three.
But the latest CNN/ORC poll show Trump ahead in both Florida and Ohio. Ted Cruz also needs to make up ground against the frontrunner. He's not only
taking shots at Trump, but also a Trump's supporters now. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Does well with voters, who have relatively low information, who are not that engage and who are angry
and they see him as an angry voice. Where we are beating him is when voters get more engaged and they get more info, when they inform
themselves, they realize his record.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, nobody really knows what to expect when the candidates take the stage tonight. That's been part of the appeal for these debates, Trump
is unpredictable. He says outlandish things. His rivals though have tried almost everything to stop his momentum, but nothing seems to work. They
are now in a do or die situation.
Let's bring in Ryan Williams, a former spokesperson for two Republican government including Mitt Romney whose come out against Trump. We're also
joined by CNN political commentator Jeffrey Lord, a Donald Trump supporter.
So, let me start with you, Ryan Williams, Mitt Romney came out, the entire Republican establishment has come out. They are trying to stop Donald
Trump, it is not working. Is it not partly the GOP establishment's fault that this is happening?
RYAN WILLIAMS, FORMER MITT ROMNEY SPOKESMAN: Well, I think Donald Trump is running a campaign that's appealing to a lot of primary voters. I think
what people are trying to do is expose him for the con man that he is. Someone that says he's for working American, but manufacturers is --
clothing line in China. Someone who says he wants to stop illegal immigration but used illegal immigrants to build Trump tower. I think that
there's -- people let this go on too long. I think people are stepping forward now to try to expose Trump. Is it too late? You know, I think
he's in a very strong position for the nomination, but the Trump campaign seems every day to do something more outrageous than the previous thing
they did. So, I think we'll have to see what happens heading into Florida.
GORANI: And Jeffrey Lord, Ryan Williams is saying, voters are finally uncovering Donald Trump for the con man that he is, can you react to that?
JEFFREY LORD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Sure, sure, Donald Trump is a well-known quantity in this country for about 40 years, 30 years, whatever.
The American people know exactly who Donald Trump is. That's exactly why they're responding to him. And with respect to all due respect to Governor
Romney, you know, he started off his speech the other day condemning Donald Trump by quoting Ronald Reagan. And a time for choosing. Unfortunately,
when Ronald Reagan was out there giving that speech, that was on behalf of Barry Goldwater, and Mitt Romney's father who we idolize has did exactly to
Barry Goldwater what Mitt Romney is now doing to Donald Trump. He gave a speech and said, there is no way he could support him, he would fight him
every step of the way. When Barry Goldwater was in fact nominated, George Romney refused to support him or campaign for him. I think what we've got
here was a play for his beloved dad --
GORANI: But let's get back to the present day. If I may, Jeffrey Lord, if I may, it's a good sort of history -- historical look back. But today,
here we have Donald Trump, a candidate whose remarks have controversial remarks have seen him accused of being a bigot and being racist. And
here's he's at it again. This is something he said about all Muslims to our Anderson Cooper, listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Do you think Islam is at war with the west?
[15:05:05] DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think Islam hates us. There's something -- there's something there that there's a tremendous
hatred there. There's a tremendous hatred. We have to get to the bottom of it. There is an unbelievable hatred of us.
COOPER: In Islam itself?
TRUMP: You're going to have to figure that out.
COOPER: The question is, is there war between the west and radical Islam or is there a war between the west and Islam itself?
TRUMP: Radical, but it's very hard to define. It's very hard to separate because you don't know who is who.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: So, unfortunately we lost Jeffrey Lord, that skype connection went down, but Ryan Williams, you're still with us. There is no denying that
the things that Donald Trump says are appealing to a large portion of the Republican electorate. I was asking you, why do you think that the
establishment has lost such a large chunk of its own voters here?
WILLIAMS: Well, I think that Trump is doing a good job consolidating, you know, 30 to 40 percent of the electoral primary electorate that likes him
and the things he says. And for whatever reasons, he's willing to overlook some of the terrible thing he says. But he is not appealing to the country
as a whole, a new Wall Street Journal/NBC poll out shows that Trump loses 38 percent to 51 percent in a general election, match-up to Hillary
Clinton. Why is it that? Because of comments like that. Because of his refusal to distance himself from the KKK for literally a scandal a day.
Today we're seeing that Trump's campaign manager shoved a female American reporter and bruised her and something Trump won't denounce. It's
outrageous. Every day it is something different that is hurting his chances in the general election and putting the Republican Party at a major
disadvantage heading into November -- go ahead.
GORANI: But let's talk a little bit about the establishment candidates who are expected to do well, who say they would be better place to beat Hillary
Clinton in November. Marco Rubio. He's not even polling first in his own state and he's at seven percent in Ohio. What happened there?
WILLIAMS: Well, I think that Rubio's campaign has hit a rough patch. Kasich still I think is favored to win in Ohio. The other candidate, Ted
Cruz, the candidate who seems to cut across ideological barriers at this point. He's someone that conservatives trust and many members of the
mainstream Republican Party are starting to gravitate towards him because they think he has the best shot to take out Trump. Because they think
Trump is rightfully so is going to be very toxic in a general election not just for the party but for our down ballot candidates, candidates for
governor, candidates for Senate, and elsewhere.
GORANI: And if Kasich and Rubio drop out and it's expected that if Rubio doesn't win his own state, then his campaign is going to have a very hard
time surviving. So, who will benefit from that?
WILLIAMS: I think Ted Cruz. There are a number of polls that show that Cruz can beat Donald Trump in a head to head. Trump has a very solid floor
of support, but given the outrageous comments he's made and his inability to reach out to mainstream Republicans, he has a very, very low ceiling.
So, he doesn't have a whole lot of room to expand his level of support. If he does get a head to head match-up with someone like Ted Cruz. So, I
think it could get interesting in this race if other candidates drop out. If Rubio doesn't win Florida, he will have to get out of the race. If
Kasich doesn't win Ohio, he will have to get out of the race. And at the point, when the field is winnowed, I think you'll see a consolidation of
the vast majority of Republicans who do not support Trump.
GORANI: All right. Thanks very much. Ryan Williams, a former spokesperson for Governor Romney, for joining us on CNN, we appreciate it.
So, that's the Republican side of things. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders were asked point-blank if they thought Trump is a racist at their
debate last night. They didn't say yes, but they didn't say no, Clinton and Sanders faced off a day after Sanders stunning upset in the Michigan
primary. They clashed on a number of issues, but agreed on a pledge that will certainly come up in the general election. They're vowed to stop mass
deportations of illegal immigrants highlights a massive divide with the Republicans. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I would not deport children. I do not want to deport family members here, Jorge, I want to, as I said,
prioritize who would be deported, violent criminals, people planning terrorist attacks, anybody who threatens us. That's a relatively small
universe.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So I want to be very specific. You're telling us tonight that if you become president, you won't deport who were already
children here?
CLINTON: I will not.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you won't deport immigrants who don't have a criminal record.
CLINTON: That's what I'm telling you.
BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I will not deport children from the United States of America.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And can you promise not to deport immigrants who don't have a criminal record?
SANDERS: I can make that promise.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: All right. Let's get some perspective now from Maria Cardona, she's a democratic strategist and Hillary Clinton supporter. Thanks for
being with us, Maria. So, that was news-making.
MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Thank you.
GORANI: Wasn't it the fact that both Democratic candidates said they pledge not to deport the children of illegal immigrants or illegal
immigrants without a criminal record?
CARDONA: Well, it was in a way, but in a way it wasn't. And what I mean by that is, if you listen to what both of them have said in the past, they
have said that if they become president that they would keep the President's executive action that he put forward several months ago that
would essentially protect from deportation a lot of these children, a lot of these families that do not have criminal records, that have been here
for many, many years. That have roots in the community. That are hard- working, and that are just trying to build roots and achieve the American dream.
And so, what they said last night was, I think, maybe a little bit more direct in terms of what they would do, but they both have already said that
they wouldn't just keep the President's executive actions, but that they would expand upon them. So, I wasn't really all that surprised, I think
folks were surprised because no other moderator had ever asked the question that directly.
[15:10:56] GORANI: OK. But what also it did highlight though is the big divide on this particular issue with the Republicans here, Maria.
CARDONA: Yes. Absolutely. And I think that is the most salient piece here, and especially for your international viewers, they should know that
the Latino vote here in the United States is incredibly important. And when you're going into an election cycle where any Republican candidate who
has any aspiration of reaching the White House needs at least 42 percent of the Hispanic vote in order to get there, the Republicans are in a huge hole
here because let's think back, John McCain, who was actually one of the ones who had pushed comprehensive immigration reform back in 2007, but what
happened when he ran for president, he ran to the right in order to win the primary, and he disavowed his own legislation. Mitt Romney, famously said
that he would be in favor of self-deportation of undocumented immigrants. And what happened there? He fell to 27 percent of Hispanic support versus
Obama 71 percent.
GORANI: So, you're saying this is a very key --
CARDONA: Obama, 71 percent.
GORANI: But what I wonder is, is this such a key demographic to win over than Republicans strategically speaking, according to you are playing this
all wrong?
CARDONA: Oh, absolutely. I think they're digging their own grave here. I mean, this is how serious I think this is. And if you recall in 2012,
after Mitt Romney lost so badly with Latino voters, the Republican National Committee itself came out with a report, they called it the GOP autopsy
report to figure out what went wrong. And one of their key recommendations was that they needed to do better with Latino voters, and specifically,
they needed to support some sort of comprehensive immigration reform legislation that would lead to a path to legalization or citizenship. And
what have Republican candidates done? They have completely done the opposite, and on top of that, have offended the majority of Latino voters
in this country.
GORANI: But yet, Maria, when you, and you know better than me, when you look at the issues that most American voters care about, a crushing
majority of, I mean the biggest number, not a majority, but the biggest percentage always goes to the economy. Which explains why, for instance,
Donald Trump and his talk about trade, about jobs being shipped overseas, why he's doing so well.
CARDONA: Right.
GORANI: Why Bernie Sanders is doing well at all. Immigration surprise and we as third or fourth depending on the poll, you look at.
CARDONA: That's exactly right. And I'm glad you brought that up because it is a misnomer to think that immigration is the number one issue for
Latino voters. Latino voters are no different than the rest of American voters. They are looking for a candidate that is focused on jobs and the
economy, that is focused on giving them the tools to make sure that they are able to make ends meet. So that they are able to support their family
and give their children a better future. That's what we all want in this country. But here's the difference, immigration becomes what we call a
threshold issue.
And what that means is, if you're not talking to the Hispanic community about immigration in a way that is respectful, in a way that is inclusive,
in a way that is fair, they're not going to listen to you on any other issue which is why the issue of jobs and the economy, no matter what
Republicans say, Latino voters will essentially turn a deaf ear to that because they feel disrespected by the way that they're talking about their
community in terms of immigration reform.
When you have Donald Trump calling Mexican immigrants rapists and criminals, that is something that the Latino voters in this country are not
going to take lightly which is why you see Donald Trump up to an 82 percent negative rating among Latino voters. And with those kinds of numbers.
There is no path to the White House or as I like to say, there is no path to like Sri Lanka, for any Republican candidate right now.
GORANI: All right. Thanks very much, Maria Cardona for your analysis. I always appreciate your time.
Later this hour by the way, we'll take a closer look at the key role Hispanic voters are playing in this American election. Especially in the
all-important state of Florida.
[15:15:08] Juan Carlos Lopez from CNN en Espanol, our sister network will join us.
Also ahead, after a quick break, the application process for a Jihadist job hunter. It sounds surreal. We'll tell you about the purported document
leak that apparently giving a glimpse into what ISIS looks for in a candidate, coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:17:38] GORANI: Welcome back. The Pentagon is now giving us more details about the captured ISIS operative that it says had been revealing
the chemical weapon secrets. The American military now says that that operative was the chief of ISIS' chemical weapon's program. And the
Pentagon is saying the coalition carried out airstrikes based on Intel from that operative. After they captured him in February, and it's now handed
him over to the Iraqi government. That's according to the Pentagon.
Now the world may be getting some insight into the strange and surreal bureaucracy of ISIS. German officials say, they have a set of documents
that are essentially a treasure-trove of fighter details. And there's a high probability, they say, that the information is authentic. A pro-
opposition Syrian newspaper released this document. It's apparently one of several ISIS job applications, complete with Jihadist names and details we
can't verify it's real, but it includes standard questions you'd expect on any application form. Name, date of birth, education, job references,
even, but recruits will also need to list their religious status. They're previous Jihad experience, their level of obedience, and whether or not
they're willing to become suicide bombers.
Fred Pleitgen is here with us to discuss this. You know, when you read all of these things, I mean, we believe they're real, pretty much, the Germans
are saying they're real.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. The Germans say -- they believe that they're real. There were some people who
would raise questions about the authenticity. They said one of the stamps, when the logos wasn't one that they had seen from ISIS before, but there's
other people who say look, this came at a time when the bureaucracy of ISIS wasn't as sophisticated as it is for instance now when 2015 when they were
sort of at the height of their power. And so maybe it was something that was in development. But the Germans say, they have absolutely no reason to
doubt that these are real, and they say they're going to use them in their law enforcement efforts.
GORANI: And how will they use them?
PLEITGEN: Well, for instance --
GORANI: They have names and everything.
PLEITGEN: This is the thing, I mean, they have names, they have phone numbers, one of the German publications that saw some of the German
fighters, they went and checked some of the information. They called some of these numbers and all of the information, at least from the ones that
they called, it all checked out. So one of the big problems that the Germans and many others have had in the past is that when people had gone
to Syria, they might come back and say listen, I didn't join ISIS, and I didn't go there to join ISIS. Well now, they have a document that says,
you went there and you signed up for this.
GORANI: And how did they acquire these documents?
PLEITGEN: That's one of the big questions. There's some people who believe that it was defectors, and it was people who became disillusioned
with the caliphate, especially now at this time when they're losing ground, when apparently they've had to cut down on salaries. They've had to cut
down some of the benefits that they've had in the past that many people, especially I wouldn't say westerners, but foreigners who joined ISIS and
leave the caliphate, maybe take a hard drive or something and then try to sell it.
GORANI: Interesting nationality breakdown as well. It's just over 70 percent of Arabs, but then many others.
PLEITGEN: There's many others. There's a lot of Germans, 18 Germans, there's some Turks, there's 16 Britains that were on it. We have to keep
in mind though that this lists come from 2013 and 2014, so some of what we're hearing is that some of the people on that list have been killed.
GORANI: Uh-hm.
PLEITGEN: Some people, the whereabouts are unknown. So, it's unclear how many people you would actually be able to prosecute with this, but it
certainly does give an interesting insight as to breakdown of people who came here, what kind of people came there, and some instances also, offers
leads.
GORANI: And it's just remarkable some of the questions. I mean, we had a name of mother, I mean, all of these things that you'd expect. Then are
you willing to blow yourself up?
PLEITGEN: Are you willing to blow yourself up? And the interesting thing was apparently there was one that our people reviewed that apparently, it
was an Australian who said that he wanted to blow himself up, but felt he was too short sided and that could be a problem. And also you couldn't
drive a manual car and that could be an issue as well.
GORANI: Yes. I mean, if it wasn't so just absolutely grim and horrible, you'd find it funny.
PLEITGEN: Yes. But it also shows that they have a real knack for bureaucracy.
GORANI: Yes.
PLEITGEN: Because why else would a terror organization put in place something and ask that many questions. Some of the information presumably
they would never use again, but it does show that they do have a knack for just acquiring a lot of paperwork. Which of course is something that they
can go and fight people when they go there.
GORANI: Yes. Interesting stuff. Fred Pleitgen. Thanks very much. With more on that story and a lot more coming up. The U.S. and Canada are
striking a deal, wanting to reduce greenhouse gases. But it's a very important day at the White House, because it's not often that a Canadian
prime minister visits Washington, it's happening today.
Justin Trudeau is at the White House, we'll have more on his visit after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:23:58] GORANI: Well, the row, as they call it here, over a newspaper story claiming the Queen supports Britain leaving the EU is still brewing.
On Wednesday, Buckingham Palace you remember made a complaint to Britain's press watchdog over this headline. That is quite a rare thing. But the
newspaper in question, the Sun, is strongly defending publishing this story. Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron spoke about the issue a few
hours ago today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Obviously that would be very serious, but there's a statement by Buckingham Palace denying this story, a
statement by the then-Deputy Prime Minister completely denying the story, and other people there have made very clear they don't know where this came
from. So there's now an investigation by the Independent Press Complaints Commission. I think we should let them do their work and leave them to
decide what they think happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Now, the United States and Canada are having a high level meeting in Washington, and one of the things they're talking about is climate
change and trying to protect the arctic. President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hailed a news conference today and they hailed an
agreement to reduce methane emissions among other things. The Prime Minister's trip is the first official White House visit by a Canadian
leader in nearly two decades.
Let's go straight to Susan Malveaux at the White House with the highlights from this visit. So, as I mentioned, almost two decades, what was the,
what was the atmosphere like? Justin Trudeau has turned in somewhat of a, I mean, as you've said, he's a young, he's a new generation of leader in
Canada. So people are saying he's making Canada cool again. What was it like around this visit?
SUSAN MALVEAUX, CNN U.S. CORRESPONDENT: You know, there was some Trudeau- mania. I have to say Hala here at the White House. I mean, people look at him, he's young, he's handsome, he's a boxer, of course, and a former
bartender. A lot of things that he used to do in the past, and he's pretty cool and he also ran on hope and change. A lot of similarities to
President Barack Obama. One of the things that was fascinating, Hala, about what happened here at the White House is you had four questions, of
course, to the Canadian press to American journalists, two out of the four questions were concerning Donald Trump. That is right.
We're talking about American politics, dominating this visit here. And you brought up a couple of very important policy issues here. These two
leaders focusing on trade, how to expand trade, focusing on as well as on security and the environment climate change. So a lot of agreement between
the two leaders, but the real important question was whether or not any of this is going to survive if in fact there's Republican president in a year
or so and specifically a Donald Trump. A lot of people see Justin Trudeau as the anti-Trump they call him. You look at his policies, 25,000 refugees
from Syria that the country is welcoming.
You look at Trump where he says he doesn't want any Syrian refugees. Also as well, he is bilingual, speaking both French and English, the official
languages of his country. There is an openness that he feels. You're talking about climate change as well that they are expanding, the need to
actually fight climate change. Donald Trump says he's not a believer, and so, there are these kinds of things that are diametrically opposed here.
And the question was put to both of these leaders, how is this going to impact the relationship between the United States and Canada, and
specifically the relationship, if we have a Trump presidency. Here's how both responded.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRES. BARACK OBAMA (D), UNITED STATES: What I'm not going to do is validate some notion that the Republican crack-up that's been taking place
ISIS the consequence of actions that I've taken.
JUSTIN TRUDEAU, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: One of the things that is abundantly clear whenever president and prime minister sit down to engage
on important issues of relevance to our peoples is that the relationship, the friendship between our two countries, I have tremendous confidence in
the American people and look forward to working with whomever they choose to send to this White House.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[15:28:18] MALVEAUX: President Obama also emphasizing that he denies any responsibility for what he is calling this kind of circus atmosphere, the
civil war that is taking place within the Republican Party itself in terms of who is going to emerge as the leader of that party and potentially take
on the Democratic nominee. And the other thing that came up that was very important here, and also very political, was President Obama's pick for a
Supreme Court nominee, the fact that the Republicans are blocking the process that they will not even hear that particular person until after he
is out of office, the President making his case that he believed that this was unconstitutional.
And Hala, that comes at a time during this week when we are on Supreme Court watch to see who he decides to pick. The President vowing that he
will do so. That comes as three of the people top on that list, on that short list, bowed out voluntarily rather than go through the process --
Hala.
GORANI: All right. Suzanne Malveaux, thanks very much at the White House, interesting.
MALVEAUX: Sure.
GORANI: The four questions, two on Trump still to come.
Florida is a crucial state on the U.S. Electoral map it's a swing state and Hispanic voters are crucial to winning the state. I'll be exploring how
candidates are trying to woo their vote.
And, a closer look at the drug that got Maria Sharapova suspended. The man who invented Meldonium speaks to CNN. He has a warning for top athletes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:32:05]
HALA GORANI, HOST: Welcome back, a look at our top stories before we move on. The four remaining Republican candidates are preparing for CNN's
crucial debate tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: It takes place - it takes place on this stage in Miami, Florida, in just a few hours. It will be the final time they debate ahead of the next
Super Tuesday where there are more than 350 delegates up for grabs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Also among our top stories, German officials say they have several leaked ISIS documents they believe are authentic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Separately a Syrian opposition paper has released several forms that look like this. Apparently applications for would-be fighters that
asks them background information on their religious - on their religious fervor and their jihad experience.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Corruption charges are moving forward against Brazil's former President who has been placed under formal investigation according to state
media.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Prosecutors allege Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva benefitted from a bribery scheme involving the state-owned oil company, Petrobras. Mr. Da
Silva denies the allegation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Let's get more now on our top story. It's just a few hours, the four remaining Republican candidates are going to face off at a CNN debate
in the very important state of Florida. Let's go live to Miami, Jason Carroll is there on the stage for us. Jason, tell us what to expect this
evening.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, let me literally set the stage for you here as you can see, there's still a lot of last-minute preparations
under way here. I want to show you the four podiums. This is where the candidates will be several hours from now. In order, you're going to have
Kasich on the outside, followed by Cruz, Trump, and Rubio. What they do is put those who polled the lowest on the outside, those who poll the best,
those two will be on the inside.
Actually just a little while ago, we just had a walk through with Kasich as he came through. Each candidate is allowed to come through and walk through
before the festivities get under way, if you will. Take a look out here, Hala, we're going to have 2,000 people seated for this debate. This is make
or break. At least it is for Senator Rubio here in the state of Florida. If he has any hope of moving forward, he must win the state. As you know, he
is trailing Trump in this state as Kasich is trailing Trump in Ohio as well, both candidates predicting they will win their state.
Rubio going a step forward saying whoever wins the primary here in Florida will go on to win the nomination. His goal is to stop him here in the state
of Florida. Kasich's goal, to stop Trump in Ohio. Hala.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: And Trump is promising a softer, gentler debate, I mean, I wonder how that's going to translate because these Republican debates have had a
lot of eyeballs on them. Partly because Trump is so unpredictable and brash. So he's saying what, he's going to be more middle of the road kind
of in his statements?
[15:35:05]
CARROLL: Well, it's hard to predict with Trump. So don't let me be the one to start to predict whatever Trump will do. I can tell you one thing, I can
tell you that when it comes to Senator Rubio, what you're not going to see likely tonight is what we've seen in the past when we followed him out on
the campaign. You know, we've heard about those personal attacks against Trump talking about his hands, talking about his hair, the make-up that he
wears, things like that. Rubio has already said, that was a mistake. That wasn't me as a candidate. He feels as though his children were embarrassed
by that. It clearly did not work out for him in terms of polling. So look what I think what you're going to see is you're going to see people like
Kasich and Cruz and Rubio go after Trump on the issues. Trying to attack him on his positions. Trying to get more specifics out of him in terms of
where he stands on those particular issues.
GORANI: All right, well we'll be watching. I stayed up late for yesterday, I'm going to try to power through this one as well. Thanks very much. Jason
Carroll in Miami, appreciate it.
Now Florida is a crucial contest for both Republicans and Democrats, and a key part of winning the state is winning the Hispanic vote.
As of February, 1.8 million Hispanics were registered to vote there in that state alone. Let's bring in Juan Carlos Lopez, he's a presenter and
correspondent with our sister network, CNN Espanola. So Juan Carlos, tell me first of all the Hispanic vote in Florida. With regards to the
Republicans, where is their vote going?
JUAN CARLOS LOPEZ, CNN ESPANIOL CORRESPONDENT: It's not going where they want, Hala, because if you look at the figures from the last elections of
2012, 2008, Latinos and the different groups that compose the Hispanic population of Florida have been gravitating towards the Democrats.
President Obama for example, obtained 48% of the Cuban American vote, that was not typical for a Democratic candidate. So, Republicans have a real
challenge in Florida with Puerto Ricans, with Cubans, with Columbians, with Mexicans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LOPEZ: The population has grown a lot and the electorate here is very different. People here vote more, Latinos register at that higher rate.
It's a majority female population and women vote more. So it's a state that really matters where the Republicans aren't doing very well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: So most Hispanics in Florida lean toward the Democrats now, and that was not always the case, is that correct?
LOPEZ: No, that was not always the case. The biggest block naturally for years was the Cuban American vote. That has changed. There's a lot more
Puerto Ricans over a million living in the state. There are other groups that have arrived recently, but it's the rhetoric, it's immigration, and
it's a change in the subjects that people care about. Cuba used to be the dominating issue. It isn't the dominating issue anymore. And we've seen
from recent registration for what's going to happen in November, Latinos are going to participate, they're going to participate more, but the data
what it's telling us is that they're going more for Democrats, less towards the Republicans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LOPEZ: And that could be a challenge for any of these four candidates.
GORANI: I was speaking with Maria Cordona who is a Hillary Clinton supporter and was in charge of the Clinton campaign's Hispanic outreach in
previous campaigns.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: She told me, just like other Americans, the biggest issue for Hispanics and Latinos is jobs and the economy. But it's the tone they feel
of the Republican Party that they are finding offensive. Is this something that you've also observed in your reporting.
LOPEZ: Definitely, definitely. Because if you speak to Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens by birth. They don't need immigration reform. Cubans either
latest generation is born in the state or Cubans who arrive have special treatment. So they don't need immigration reform. But everyone knows
someone, is related to someone, who at one point or another either has been undocumented or isn't documented, so when you hear this attack, this is a
very diverse community. You cannot talk about one Hispanic Latino community, there are many Latino communities.
But a lot of people feel that the attacks come against all Latinos and that mobilizes people to vote. If you look at Latino voters, they're not
different than any other voters. They care about the economy, they care about health, they care about jobs, but they felt attacked, and they react,
and that's what we've seen in Florida, we've seen it in California. But Florida is one of the states, and it was decisive for President Obama in
2012, it was decisive in 2008, and it'll probably play a key role this year.
GORANI: And in 2000 as we all remember. Here's an interesting Washington Post poll. Although most Republican Hispanics do not support Donald Trump,
when they are asked, who has the best chance to beat the Democratic candidate in the general election in November, this is how they replied.
And I'll read to you because I know you can't see the graphic, I'll read to you what it says.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: They believe 47% of Republican Hispanics believe Donald Trump has the best chance of beating the Democratic candidate. Marco Rubio 25%, and
Ted Cruz 18%. So although they don't support him, they still think he has the better shot here. How do you explain that?
LOPEZ: Well first, as I said, Latinos are not a monolithic community and there are conservative and Republican Hispanics who are listening to Donald
Trump.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[15:40:08]
LOPEZ: Now he said he won the Hispanic vote in Nevada, technically he did, but he got somewhere around 160 votes because the percentage of Latinos who
are Republicans is a lot smaller than the percentage who aren't. Independents are about 32%. Democrats, are about 30%.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LOPEZ: So people who agree with what Donald Trump is saying, Latinos will agree with what he is saying might believe that he could beat Hillary
Clinton, but what we've seen in our reporting this year Hala, is that Trump's rhetoric is getting people to go out and either register to vote
when they haven't voted before to vote against Trump. Or switching from being legal resident aliens to becoming citizens. And that's a challenge
that there is really no defined leadership. But if you look at the numbers, different groups estimate that around 27/28 million Latinos are eligible to
vote and they expect, if things go well 13 million will vote this year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LOPEZ: So it's less than 50% of the eligible voters who are participating and it obviously makes a difference in a system such as the system in the
United States where you win by the electoral college, not by popular vote.
GORANI: Yes, and a quick word on the Democrats. According to all the polls I've been able to see, most Democratic Hispanics lean toward Hillary
Clinton, why is that?
LOPEZ: There is a long standing relationship with President Bill Clinton. A lot of Latinos have fond memories of President Clinton and that translates
on to his wife.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LOPEZ: But, there are a lot of Latinos who are listening to Bernie Sanders. We saw it in Nevada, we saw it in Colorado, we're seeing it in Florida. A
lot of people who think and who might want to go at a more radical way such as Mr. Sanders is proposing talking over revolution, and that might be a
challenge for Hillary Clinton.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LOPEZ: But so far we've seen that in the south, she's done with well with African Americans. Hispanics have traditionally supported her, but Bernie
Sanders is also attracting mostly more of the young Latinos.
One bit of information, Hala that's fascinating, according to The National Association of Latino elected officials, about 50,000 Latino young persons
turn 18 every month. So if you do the numbers, it's about 600,000 new, eligible voters every year. If someone gets them to vote. That's going to
be dramatic. It happened in California that went from being a Democratic state to being a Republican state. It could happen on a much larger base.
GORANI: It is often so much about turnout, thanks very much, Juan Carlos Lopez, joining us live in Miami.
While Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders were debating policy issues, the internet was talking about one other thing, believe it or not. This is
really what the internet's for sometimes isn't it?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Frivolous things? Well they were talking about Bernie Sanders' suit. Is the suit brown, is it blue, or is it black? Twitter couldn't
decide. So it brought back memories of the dress, the debate that got the internet talking last year, remember. Of course no internet viral story
would be complete without this, the Sanders' suit now has its own twitter account @sanderssuit. And even a top official with the campaign couldn't
get it straight. First he tweeted it was blue, then corrected himself, settling on black. I personally thought it was brown.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Now the Republican candidates will go head to head a few hours from now, CNN's Jake Tapper will moderate the debate from the University of
Miami. That's all beginning at 8:30 p.m. eastern time and you'll be able to see it all live in its entirety early Friday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:45:45]
GORANI: Well Friday marks exactly five years since an earthquake and tsunami killed some 20,000 people and triggered a nuclear meltdown at the
Fukushima power plant - nuclear plant in Japan. As the country tries to clean up the massive amount of radioactive waste, a group of scientists is
realizing that protecting people on land actually begins at sea.
Will Ripley has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Our journey takes us five kilometers, more than three miles off the Japanese coast. Scientists scour
the seabed. Searching for radiation. Greenpeace researcher (Juan Vanderput's) team just beginning to assess the fallout five years after
Fukushima.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's still an enormous amount of radioactivity there which is a liquid form, it's leaking into the underground and slowly moving
into the ocean. And that's very dangerous for the future.
RIPLEY: Scientists believe around 80 percent of radioactive material from Fukushima went into the Pacific Ocean which is why researchers are out
here, trying to find radioactive hot spots where fishing may be unsafe.
A staple of the Japanese diet, seafood is tested for radiation. This Fukushima nursery school takes it one step further before children eat a
single bite, cooks scan every ingredient. So no radiation. Safety measures don't stop in the kitchen. The playground has a Geiger counter. Teachers
test daily walking routes, students get regular medical checks.
Are all of these precautions really necessary or is it more for peace of mind?
"It's absolutely necessary", says the principal. "We need to keep measuring for radiation." So far, 167 Fukushima children are suspected of having
thyroid cancer. Experts disagree if cases are connected to the meltdown.
"The government doesn't understand our five years of suffering, raising children here," says this father. Before the meltdown, the Japanese public
overwhelmingly supported nuclear energy. Today, polls show most are against it.
Japan shut down all of its nuclear reactors after Fukushima. Just a few have been restarted with new, strict safety codes. Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe's pro-nuclear government wants many more back on.
KEN KOYAMA: We need to have independent safer regulator.
RIPLEY: Can all the regulations though really prevent another Fukushima?
KOYAMA: I hope so.
RIPLEY: Ken Koyama was on a government recommending the restarts. Even he admits, nuclear reactors will never be fully safe in a nation prone to
natural disasters.
KOYAMA: I think that concern always can exist. We haven't learned the lesson from Fukushima.
RIPLEY: Nuclear opponents early morning Japan to invest more in renewable energy, saying keeping reactors idle is the only way to protect future
generations and prevent another catastrophe.
Will Ripley, CNN, Fukushima, Japan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Now onto this, Maria Sharapova says she's determined to play tennis again and she may be swinging the same brand of racket if and when she
returns.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Her forced timeout for failing a drugs test could last as long as four years. Now we know that some big sponsors dropped her, but the racket
brand, "Head," that is behind her, that sponsors her is standing by Sharapova, even though several other sponsors have distanced themselves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Meantime, our senior international correspondent, Matthew Chance has been speaking to the inventor of the drug in question that she was -
that she tested positive for, Meldonium. Matthew, what did this drug creator tell you about the drug and its possible side effects?
MATTHEW CHANCE, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, (Ivars Kalvins) is his name, he's a professor at the Latvian Institute for Chemical Synthesis,
which is the leading laboratory in the Latvia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHANCE: And he told me that he developed this drug back in the late 1970s as a way of treating heart patients who have had heart attacks. It also had
a military application, he told me, he said that in the days of the soviet union, the soviet military used it to increase the ability of their
soldiers to perform at high altitudes. They used it in the Afghan war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[15:50:05]
CHANCE: It's essentially a drug which provides protection, he says, to damage to the heart by excessive exertion. That's why it's so popular with
athletes. That's why Maria Sharapova has been taking it she says for the past ten years. And it's why so many other athletes, particularly in the
form of soviet union have made it part of their regular routine because it provides protection. What it doesn't do though, according to the professor
Kalvins is increase the performance of the athlete. Take a listen to what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IVARS KALVINS, MELDONIUM INVENTOR: Meldonium is very safe and protected the life and health's of the sportsmen. And from my point of view, everybody
should use from these top athletes, this substance to be sure their career will continue for ten years or 15 years, not for three.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHANCE: Yes, so it protects Hala, it doesn't enhance performance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHANCE: And the real key to it, I think in terms of its popularity among athletes, that is that it allows athletes who perform at that highest level
to continue their careers for 10 or 15 years as the professor was saying there. Otherwise, he said they would have a much shorter career span.
GORANI: And now, what about inside Russia because this drug is not available in the United States, I believe it's not even approved in the
European Union. Any reaction, and she's a big star, in Russia to all of this?
CHANCE: Well, yes, I mean there's been a lot of reaction because remember, this Sharapova scandal comes at a time when Russian athletics in general
has a very dark cloud hanging over it. A recent Anti-doping Agency report said there were state sponsored doping in this country. And that it means
that Russian athletes may not be able to compete at the Rio Olympics, of course.
And so the fact that Maria Sharapova, one of the most popular professional sports people in this country has been implicated in this, or found to be,
you know been taking an illegal substance, it's something that is, you know, has not going to land very well here. Many people still sympathetic
towards her though saying that she should not be punished very harshly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: All right. Well, we'll see what happens. We don't know yet what kind of punishment she will receive. Matthew Chance, thanks very much
joining us in Moscow. And don't forget, you can check out our Facebook page for our interviews and some of our stories as well.
Facebook.com/halagoranicnn.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Coming up, the pledges at Donald Trump's rallies are strange enough but wait until we show you the one pledge that has gone viral. Here's a
hint, the famous fan is not even a registered voter. We'll be right back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Raise your right paw, Donald Trump is usually appealing to registered voters when he asks people to pledge at his rallies but there's
no rules about man's best friend joining in apparently. Here's Jeanne Moos.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Repeat after him, I pledge allegiance to the Donald.
TRUMP: Should we do the pledge? Let's do a pledge. Raise your right hand. I swear I'm going to vote for Donald Trump next week. Raise that hand. I love
you.
[15:55:08]
MOOS: But not everyone loves the pledge. All of those upraised hands reminds some of a Nazi salute which Trump called ridiculous. Though he
promised to look into it because he didn't want to offend anybody.
TRUMP: But when I say raise your hand, everybody raises their hand, they're screaming to me to do it, we didn't want to do.
MOOS: But they didn't all want to do it.
TRUMP: I do solemnly swear --
MOOS: Look at the furry four legged audience member who seemed to be an unwilling pledged participant.
TRUMP: Will vote for Donald J. Trump.
MOOS: Video of the doggie pledge resistor went viral.
TRUMP: I do solemnly swear.
MOOS: Inspiring tweets like friends don't let man's best friend vote Trump. Though Donald also has his canine supporters and the dog reluctant to raise
his right paw went nowhere near as viral as Hillary's famous bark.
The Donald himself seems to have a things for dogs, at least when it comes to delivering insults.
TRUMP: He was choking like a dog. He couldn't be elected dogcatcher. I'm watching Marco sweating like a dog on my right.
MOOS: Trump seems to have a way with pups, remember the time he yelled at a reporter.
TRUMP: Sit down, sit down. Sit down.
MOOS: Jimmy Kimmel tested the command on actual dogs.
JIMMY KIMMEL: Sit down. Sit down. Sit down.
MOOS: Three out of four sat, sit down and pledge.
TRUMP: I do solemnly swear --
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: And just reminder for our viewers, the Republican candidates will go head to head a few hours now. CNN's Jake Tapper will moderate the debate
from the University of Miami beginning at 8:30 p.m. Eastern time, and you'll be able to see it live in its entirety at 1:30 a.m. London time, and
middle of the night in Europe. We'll have all the highlights for you on the program tomorrow.
This has been "The World Right Now," thanks for watching us. I'm Hala Gorani. A lot more ahead on CNN. We're going to take a quick break, and on
the other side, it's Richard Quest with "Quest Means Business." stay with us.
END
