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Hala Gorani Tonight
Funeral for Nancy Reagan; Latest on the Campaign Trail; Obama's Comments on Libya Examined; South Sudan Government and Atrocities. Aired 2- 3p ET
Aired March 11, 2016 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:02] HALA GORANI, CNN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW ANCHOR: Tonight, a special two-hour edition of the program and we'll look at many stories including
politics. A former rival gives Donald Trump his support, Dr. Ben Carson is now endorsing Trump. How will is it impact the crucial Florida or Ohio
primaries.
Then, the American President describes Libya as a complete mess in a new interview, and criticizes the British Prime Minister for much of it.
And happening now, the funeral for former First Lady Nancy Reagan, a look at her legacy and her influence, you're seeing those attending there
including George W. Bush, and his wife Laura and other dignitaries officials as well former First Lady Rosalynn Carter there in the front row.
While a lot more on Nancy Reagan's funeral in Simi Valley, California, a little bit later in the program.
Hello everyone, as I mentioned this is a two hour edition of "The World Right Now". I'm Hala Gorani, we are live in CNN London. This is a special
edition of "The World Right Now".
Well you saw some of the images there at the top of the hour, funeral services are beginning this hour this 2:00 p.m. Eastern, 11:00 a.m. Pacific
Time. This is Simi Valley, California. It is the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, and these are the services for former American First
Lady Nancy Reagan.
The current First Lady Michelle Obama is attending as his former President Bill Clinton and his wife and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. She
is taking some time away from the campaign trail today to be there.
Now Nancy Reagan died on Sunday, she was 94. Both of her children, her son Ron and her daughter Patti Davis will offer readings during the ceremony.
Mrs. Reagan is being buried alongside her husband of more than 50 years, former President Ronald Reagan.
And as I mentioned this is all happening on this day at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California.
CNN Sara Sidner joins us now live from Simi Valley, California with more on what to expect in the next few hours, Sara?
SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're watching as the Reverend Kenworthy walks in. We are also seeing all of the dignitaries here, political heavy
weights are here, as well as Hollywood stars, you've been watching them scream and to pay their final respects to Mrs. Reagan, the former First
Lady, who is really well-known for a few things, but mostly the love that she had for her husband and that very much on display.
This was planned by her, each detail nothing in this -- this funeral. She had it handed everything, every single detail, to the peonies on her casket
there that was her favorite flower, to those who were invited as well as the little cards that they give out when you leave, thank you for paying
your respects.
She planned this and about 6 to 9 months ago we're told from the folks inside of the Presidential Library here that she looked over those plans
and made sure that every single detail was just how she wanted it. In the end she will be buried just inches away from the husband that she fiercely
love and support him. Hala?
GORANI: All right, let's talk a little bit about those attending because we have personalities and dignitaries former first ladies, former
president, but also figures from the entertainment world, figures from the journalism's world, tell us more about who's there, as we watch her casket
there make it's way in front of those attending these funeral services, Sara?
SIDNER: Yeah, we watch this Canadian Prime Minister -- former Canadian Prime Minister Mulroney showed up and he was talking about the fact that
he's going to be reading a letter that will probably bring tears to a lot of people's eyes. He's here to take part in this funeral. We're also
going to hear from her children who will eulogize her.
We'll also hear from -- for example former NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Brokaw who is here to also eulogize Mrs. Reagan. You can see that the
breath of the people who were here. They are from all walks of life and they've been screaming and we're talking about a thousand people, so a
large crowd and we're seeing right now of the casket has been brought in and everyone is on their feet including the First Lady Michelle Obama is
here.
There are also many former first ladies who have come to be apart of this and to say goodbye to someone who truly is iconic. She had a huge presence
in the White House but she also had a huge presence in American culture, she was the one that came up with the "Just Say No to Drugs" campaign if
you remember that back in the '80s,
And then when she was a former First Lady, she really push hard for stem cell research which was against the Republican Party's wishes, they were
not with her on that issue but she was there, she was -- she was there and pushing forward for her husband always fiercely fighting for him. Hala?
[14:05:08] GORANI: All right, we'll be speaking with analyst Larry Sabato in a moment. But first thanks Sara. Let's listen and I understand the
Battle Hymn of the Republic, one of the musical pieces being played today, let's listen for a moment.
Larry Sabato is joining me as the point-founder and the director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, he joins us live from
Charlottesville.
So, Larry let's talk a little bit about Nancy Reagan's legacy, she had a very of course love and relationship with Ronald Reagan really a big chunk
of the '80s defined by that partnership. Tell us more about how history will remember her.
LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR CENTER FOR POLITICS UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Actually I think history is going to remember in a very substantive way.
We weren't fully aware in the 1980s of the influence that Nancy Reagan had on Ronald Reagan -- President Reagan on big issues including the
relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union. The more we learned, the more we realize that she pushed very hard to give her husband
a legacy of peace rather than one of the cold warrior that he had defined himself for much of this political career.
GORANI: So explain that and by the way if we could get back to the video of the actual event in Simi Valley, that would be great. But explain what
do you mean she pushed him more toward peace, specifically here, because what would the alternative have been had she not been an informal adviser
in the White House, do you think?
SABATO: President Reagan had always been very concerned about Soviet Union, and remember early on he had called ...
GORANI: Yeah.
SABATO: ... it the evil empire. Well it's very difficult to negotiate to with an entity that you're calling the evil empire. She helped to get in
to tone down the rhetoric and behind the scenes she was even encouraging key Russian figures like Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko to negotiate with
Ronald Reagan and she pushed President Reagan to redefine that relationship in a way that defined peace and in the way that encourage negotiations and
agreements which did in fact occur in the second term of the Reagan Administration.
GORANI: That's very interesting and by the way I want to let our viewers know what their watching right now Nancy Reagan's Funeral standby for a
moment Larry in Simi Valley, California at the Reagan Presidential Library, there is a Ron Reagan, the son of Nancy and Ronald Reagan, Patti Davis
their daughter as well.
We understand that speakers will include James Baker the former Secretary of State, Tom Brokaw news anchor, Amazing Grace will be sung by the Santa
Susana High School Choir, we'll have Diane Sawyer from the world of journalism as well. And, a few others as well to pay tribute to Nancy
Reagan.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... is far beyond pearls. Her husband entrusting his heart to her has an unfailing prize ...
GORANI: This is a family member, the niece of Nancy Reagan there as well paying tribute to the former First Lady.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... obtains wool and flax and makes cloth with skillful hands.
Like merchant ships, she secures her provisions from a far. She rises while it is still night and distributes food to her household.
She picks out a fill to purchase out her earnings, she plants a vineyard ...
GORANI: There's Michelle Obama the current First Lady with George W. Bush sitting to her left. We'll go back live to the funeral of Nancy Reagan.
This is a special edition of "The World Right Now".
Still to come though, other news. Republican candidates for U.S. presidents take on a much different tone in the latest debate that happened
yesterday on CNN, we'll break it down for you.
And it is starting to sound like the plot of a spy novel. Washington officials say a former Putin aide did not die of a heart attack but
something far more sinister. All that and much more when "The World Right Now" continues, stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:12:01] GORANI: Well is often happens in politics. Former bitter rivals in the U.S. presidential race are now heaping praise on each other.
Ben Carson who dropped out of the race last week, endorsed Donald Trump today for the Republican nomination.
Carson says, he got to know Trump during the campaign and that Trump's public persona is very different he says from his private self.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. BEN CARSON, FORMER U.S. (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There two different Donald Trump's, there's the one you see on the stage and there's
the one who's very cerebral, sits there and considers things very carefully, you can have a very good conversation with him.
And that's the Donald Trump that you're going to start seeing more and more off.
DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Yeah, I think there are two Donald Trump says the public version and people see that and I don't know
what they see exactly, but it seems to have work over my lifetime but it's probably different I think than the personal Donald Trump I think Ben would
say that. Ben said a very well today.
So perhaps there are two Donald Trumps but, well I, you know, I'm somebody that is a thinker. I'm a big thinker. And I have my ideas and they're
strong, and, you know, typically they've worked out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, there are very important contest coming out, there's Super Tuesday number three, it is on March 15th and then in just release CNN poll
of polls which is an average of the most recent polling.
Donald Trump holds a substantial lead in the important state of Florida ahead of that primary. The Florida Senator Marco Rubio who is from Florida
is trailing behind by 14 percentage points in this particular survey.
Now Trump's lead over John Kasich is narrowing in Ohio, another important state swing. The Ohio Governor says he will quit the race if he doesn't
win his home state on Tuesday he's at 34 percent.
In this poll of polls, on a Democratic side, Hillary Clinton holds a wide lead over Bernie Sanders in Florida, 62 to 31. This is all going down next
Tuesday.
Now the survey CNN used to gather polling data from came out before the most recent Republican debate and that contest was very different from the
ones before it. Take a listen to some of the key moments from last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAKE TAPPER, CNN REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE MODERATOR: Last night you told CNN, "Islam hates us." Did you mean 1.6 billion Muslims?
TRUMP: I mean a lot of them, I mean a lot of them.
There's tremendous hatred and I will stick with exactly what I said to Anderson Cooper.
MARCO RUBIO, FORMER (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well let me say, I know that a lot of people find appeal in the things that Donald Trump says,
because he says what people wish they could say. The problem is presidents can't just say anything they want. It has consequences here and around the
world.
TED CRUZ, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Dealing with radical Islamic terrorism on Israel, Donald had said he wants to be neutral between Israel
and the Palestinians. As president I will not be neutral.
JOHN KASICH, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There are more 18-year-olds who believed they have a better chance of seeing UFO than a Social Security
check, and we have a lot of seniors who are very nervous. I have a plan to fix it that doesn't even requiring raising the retirement age.
[14:15:06] CRUZ: Met Donald's rallies recently, he's taken to asking people in the crowd to raise their hand and pledge their support to him.
Now I got to say to me, I think that's exactly backwards. This is a job interview. We are here pledging our support to you not the other way
around.
TRUMP: I think, frankly, the Republican establishment, or whatever you want to call it, should embrace what's happening.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well those are the highlights. Let's get some perspective from two Republicans.
Joining me now to discuss are, Steve Munisteri, former Senior Adviser to Senator Rand Paul's presidential campaign, and CNN Political Commentator,
Tara Setmayer. Thanks to both of you.
Let me start by asking you different tone in yesterday's debate, Steve let me start with you.
STEVE MUNISTERI, FORMER SENIOR RAND PAUL CAMPAIGN ADVISER: Well, it's a different tone when Donald Trump is there, I've remind everybody when he
wasn't on the debate and Rand Paul was there it was a very quite debate, but this is a first time when Donald Trump participated that he, he took it
down in a level and I think that's very good for our party.
GORANI: OK, and let me ask -- so essentially is this do you think strategy on his part, he's promised sort of a gentler, calmer, more considered
Donald Trump perhaps to prepare himself for a general election, is this -- are we starting to see beginning of that strategy?
MUNISTERI: Well yes, and I think he wants to act like he's going to be the nominee because it creates a psychological effect that he's a navigable and
there is a banned wagon effect, party leaders want to get on board with the winner, because folks want to be ambassadors and get appointments when he
goes to Washington. And he wants to act like the race is over, but I can assure you the race is not over.
He still has to win 68 percent of the legally bound delegates and 55 percent of the overall delegates. One of the things that people haven't
talk about is that there 284 delegates that are not legally bound to vote for anyone, so that's going to make it very difficult for anybody to lock
up the nomination with a legally bound delegates 1,237.
GORANI: And Tara, let me ask you about what Rubio is reported is telling his supporters for Ohio, where he is polling so low that he has really no
chance there. He is saying vote for Kasich, because Kasich is very narrowly in second position behind Donald Trump.
Is this in an effort to defeat Donald Trump, will it work?
TARA SETMAYER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Obviously it seems quite clear that the strategy moving forward is that they want to have a contested
convention, not a silly broker, there's a difference. And so by the only to do that to stop Donald Trump is to deny him, the winner take off states
with Ohio being one of them.
So it's an interesting strategy, whether it works or not we'll -- we shall see, but when it says closest it is this poll you to showed, show that
Donald Trump was within a margin of error there, and if only -- all takes is a couple of percentage points, in this case it's not proportional all
you need is 50 plus one.
So, if that's the long term strategy they're trying to achieve then, sure would make sense for the -- for Marco Rubio and Kasich and even Cruz to get
together to do what they need to do to deny Trump the delegates he needs.
But just something about to the tone of the debate last night and what's going on ...
GORANI: Yeah.
SETMAYER: ... with Donald Trump. This whole thing is an act, you know, which -- will the real Donald Trump please stand up, you know, this whole
thing about Ben Carson coming out and saying, that oh the person you see in public is different from the person you see in private, he's very
thoughtful, he's cerebral and really? Well it doesn't that bother folks, that should bother people, because if this is all in act for him and he can
turn it on and turn if off ...
GORANI: What Tara ...
SETMAYER: ... when which is the real one.
GORANI: ... well we've learned the one thing -- but I was going to say, if we've learned one thing about Donald Trump over the last several months now
when people were saying this was going to be a flash and the pan sideshow, instead no matter what he says, his supporters are so fervent, that in no
need ...
SETMAYER: Unfortunately ...
GORANI: ... it doesn't really matter, does it?
SETMAYER: Which is ...
GORANI: Yes.
SETMAYER: That's right, which is very disheartening, because, you know, when -- and I one of those folks that didn't think that this was going to
last very long, because I didn't think people would buy in to it.
But obviously the anger and the disillusionment with Washington has really just defined logic for a lot of folks. There, there, there -- it's based
off of emotion. Is I don't know how he can seat there and look at that debate last night, about on policy and on positions and think that Donald
Trump is qualified to be President of the United States.
When Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz ran circles around him on issues that are very important for the presidency of the United States, if you want to be
president, you should really and have know what's going on in Israel and Cuba, and North Korea and with our trade deals and, you know, note the
nuclear try at this for goodness sakes, if you want the nuclear code you should know what there for.
Donald Trump is a -- he is ...
GORANI: Tara, let me ask.
SETMAYER: ... yeah demonstrating, he has no idea and that is just astonishing to me.
GORANI: But your -- your saying Tara that it defines logic but Steve ...
SETMAYER: It does.
GORANI: ... what are the things that when you really look at the phenomenon is perhaps it doesn't, perhaps really what it is, is a symptom
of a Republican Party and desperate need of reinvention, right, I mean do the mainstream establishment Republicans need to admit at some point that
they've really disappointed conservative voters in some parts of America.
[14:20:09] And the end result of that fail strategy, is that Donald Trump is doing so well.
MUNISTERI: Well, I disagree that we're in a middle of a reinvention, I'm over enough to have been involved in this for 44 years, and we've had many
times when the party is been at war with each other.
I was at the last contested convention in 1976, between Reagan and Ford, and these types of battles are not unusual. But let me point out
something, Donald Paul -- Donald Trump in the last two polls nationally got 34 percent and 30 percent, so he does seemed to be stuck around the matter
third of our party, which means that two-thirds of our party doesn't want him. And what he step into is that there really is an anger and
frustration among our Grassroots based, but our party according to the last poll is only 26 percent of the electorate.
So that means he's getting about a third of 26 percent. So we're still only talking about 8 or 9 percent of all voters and you need to keep that
in perspective.
SETMAYER: That's a good point ...
GORANI: All right.
SETMAYER: ... I'm glad he brought it up ...
GORANI: Yeah, go ahead Tara.
SETMAYER: ... but that's important to keep it -- no it's a great point, because it's important to keep it in perspective, everyone is thinking
that, oh Donald Trump is coming in and he's going to reinvent the Republican Party, he's inevitable and we're taking way the will of the
people.
It's actually quite a small percentage in the brocade of scheme of things and frankly Donald Trump is not running as a Republican, he's not a
Republican, he's not a conservative, his ideas are very much inline with Democrats and a lot of things from healthcare, to his this start of things
and in trade, these are not Republican or conservative for that matter, principles at all. But like I said logic is not what's controlling this
election cycle, it's clearly emotion.
GORANI: Right, Tara Setmayer and Steve -- Steve last word to you and then quickly we have to wrap it up.
MUNISTERI: I would just say the Democrats have their own problems, Bernie Sanders is never ...
GORANI: Yeah.
MUNISTERI: ... run as a Democrat before, he's run as a socialist so.
GORANI: It was an independent -- yeah.
MUNISTERI: Yup.
GORANI: Well, it's an interesting race, in both parties you certainly have a different electorate raising up, many people voting for the first time.
Thanks to both of you, Tara Setmayer, Steve Munisteri, really appreciate your time on the program.
Coming up, President Obama has some harsh criticism for his European counterparts and this issue of "The Atlantic". We'll be live in London for
reaction. Names were named.
We'll be right, stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: White House spokesman says President Obama did not mean to be critical of British Prime Minister David Cameron over the policy in Libya.
It comes after this interview in the latest issue of "The Atlantic" Magazine, an article by Jeffrey Goldberg, where Mr. Obama said his
counterpart, "Became distracted by range of other issues after the 2011 interventions."
So what is all the fallout from this and by the way, President Obama also called Libya a mess. Frederik Pleitgen -- Fred Pleitgen joins me now live
from Downing Street with more.
So, any reaction from Downing Street to the quote attributed to President Barack Obama naming David Cameron specifically for having had some
responsibility in today's Libya situation?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, yeah, there has been some reaction and then it was quite diplomatic, the #10
Downing Street put a statement a little earlier today. And I want to read just a little bit of that statement, it was both on Libya and generally on
the relations between the White House and #10 Downing Street and the President and Mr. Cameron.
[14:25:05] And what is says is, "The White House has been clear that the Prime Minister has been as close a partner as the President has had, and
that they deeply values the UK's contribution to our shared national security and foreign policy initiatives."
Now they went on to say Hala, specifically about the Libya conflict is that of course they also don't believe that Libya is in the place where anyone
wants it to be but they also say that the United Kingdom is very much part about -- in the effort trying to stabilize Libya as part of that UN effort
that's going on of course not only trying to rebuild the country itself but trying to rebuild civil society, but certainly if you read the article by
Jeffrey Goldberg, it really was some very clear words that the President had about David Cameron, about Nicolas Sarcozy as well feeling not only
that maybe David Cameron and the aftermath was distracted but then it was the French and the Brits who essentially almost sucked him into that
conflict if you will.
GORANI: So, he is basically according to this article, Obama shifting responsibility to his European counterparts on Libya specifically?
PLEITGEN: I would say in a way he sort of his, because one of the things that he also said in that article according to that article, was that he
believed that as far the planning of the intervention in Libya was concerned, he felt that the United States had planned it's intervention to
the best of it's ability that they had done everything that they could have done right and then he went on to say that were that still Libya at this
point is a mess.
Now he also said, he didn't completely shift the blame, he also said that believed in retrospect that the intervention in Libya was a mistake, and
that might have gone too far, because if you recall at the time, the original intervention was about trying to save Benghazi, the original
resolution of course was a no-fly zone that also had that little provision that said that any other measures could be taken to protect the civilian
population in Libya which then of course turn out to be the air campaign against Gaddafi's forces.
But in many ways he did say that he believed that it was the French and the Brits who were pushing for and of course a year after at the Libya conflict
ended. Nicolas Sarcozy was no longer in office and therefore the Libya policy was in the hands of Francois Hollande would not been part of that
intervention.
GORANI: All right, well want ask to wonder, without this no-fly zone, without the bombing campaign, where would Libya be today.
PLEITGEN: Yeah.
GORANI: Nobody can really answer that question. Fred Pleitgen, at 10 Downing Street. Thanks very much.
And by the way speaking of the era world post there of spring, this programming note, next week CNN's Clarissa Ward is taking you on a heroine
journey deep into the heart of a country scarred by five years of war. You will get an exclusive look, Inside Syria: Behind Rebel Lines.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLARISSA WARD, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We had to travel undercover to see a war few outsiders have witnessed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Russian planes target anything that works in the interest of the people. The goal is that people here live a destroyed
life, that people never see any good.
WARD: There snipers all around here, but this is the only road now to get into Aleppo.
Aleppo was once Syria's largest city. Now an apocalyptic landscape.
Any civilian infrastructure is a potential target including hospitals.
Is it possible that they did not know that this was a hospital?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everyone knows this is a hospital.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: And this is all part of our exclusive special coverage Inside Syria: Behind a Rebel Lines, all next week, we'll have in "The World Right
Now" and on CNN.
Now a man who used to be part of the Russian government, found dead in Washington, apparently did not really died of a heart attack.
Up next, what the medical examiners say happened to a former aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Also coming up, the U.N. is accusing South Sudan of horrendous atrocities against women and girls as part of what's being called "Scorched Earth"
campaign, some disturbing details in this reports coming up.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:31:37] GORANI: Welcome back and we got our top stories.
Former American first lady Nancy Reagan is being buried in California next to her husband of more than 50 years, it's happening today.
Former U.S. President Ronald Reagan died of course about 12 years ago. Mrs. Reagan died Sunday of congestive heart failure. She was 94. And
you're seeing there James Baker speaking, the former Secretary of States, Statesman James Baker.
Also, among the top stories we're following. Republicans vying to be the next U.S. president are back on the campaign trail after Thursday night CNN
debate. The candidates tone down the personal attacks, but clash on issues like immigration and foreign policy.
And the European Union has just signed the deal with Cuba in hopes of improving relations, the delegation from the EU including Foreign Policy
Chief Federica Margarino arrived in Havana to finalize negotiations in an exclusive interview with CNN, Margarino said the agreement would increase
cooperation and trade and diplomacy.
Russia has made progress, but it has significant work to do if he wants his athletes to compete in the Rio Olympics that is the conclusion made by a
task force reviewing Russia's November suspension over doping allegations.
The -- there you have it.
Authorities in Washington say a former aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin died of blunt force trauma, not a heart attack as his family had
said. Mikhail Lesin was found dead in a Washington hotel in November. Police saying an investigation into his death is ongoing.
CNN Senior International Correspondent Matthew Chance has more from Moscow.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Or we (ph) says phrase a lot but this really is like a cold war spine novel. Mikhail Lesin
was a key figure in the Kremlin who wined up dead in his Washington hotel room. Russia state media first said it was a heart attack that Mr. Lesin
for years, a close adviser of President Putin have been suffering with poor health.
But now, police in the United States say otherwise, it couldn't just statement issued by police and the colonels in Washington D.C. that cause
of death, it was quote, "Blunt force injuries on the head." There were other injuries report says to the neck and torso as well. The reports stop
shows of this, but of course it raises the possibility that Mikhail Lesin was murdered.
He was certainly a controversial figure with plenty of enemies. Here, we saw the timing of Russia's media air effectively bringing the under
prominent (ph) control after a period of Russian press minister establishing Russia today, the television network.
He went on ahead the countries biggest media holding company, Gazprom-Media until he resign that was force tag in 2014. The carminate (ph) says, it's
repeatedly ask, but been given no substantive information about the U.S. investigation so far, but the revelation that this was not a natural dead,
his fueling speculation that Mikhail Lesin was killed because of this political connections.
Matthew Chance, CNN Moscow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Now, to a scathing condemnation against the world's newest country, the U.N. says South Sudan's government let soldiers rape women and
girls in lieu of wages. And that's not the only atrocity the government is accused of and in shocking new report.
[14:35:08] Robyn Kriel has a story from Kenya.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBYN KRIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's an all too common scene in South Sudan. Villages destroyed, here bodies littering the streets. Thousands
have been left homeless trying to flee the violence. Now, the United Nations accuses South Sudan's government of operating what it calls a
Scorched Earth Policy against its own people.
DAVID MARSHALL, U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS MISSION: Which is killing of civilians, displacement, pillaging, abductions, rape, and generally terrorizing the
civilian population.
KRIEL: Among the more horrendous abuses detailed in the new report, the U.N. says South Sudan lets fighters rape women as payment.
In another case, Amnesty International says scattered human remains in this field are all that's left after government forces let more than 60 men and
boys suffocate in a shipping container. According to the report, they were suspected of supporting the opposition.
South Sudan's government denies those accusations. A spokesman also says the U.N. report is not genuine and that the military's mission is to
protect the people, vowing any perpetrators of human rights violations will be brought to justice.
But the country has been racked by years of violence. After gaining its independence in 2011, civil war erupted two years later, splitting the
already poverty-stricken country along ethnic lines.
And while the U.N. says there have been war crimes committed by both sides of the bloody conflict, they add this.
MARSHALL: The violations in 2015 are predominantly the responsibility of the government.
KRIEL: The U.N. says some 50,000 people have died since the fighting broke out. But, multiple aid workers tell AFP they believe the number to be as
high as 300,000 killed.
Whatever the number, the U.N. calls South Sudan one of the most horrendous human rights situations in the world.
Robyn Kriel, CNN, Nairobi, Kenya.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: The funeral of Nancy Reagan, let's return to that story now. These were live images. James Baker who is chief of staff under Ronald
Reagan later became Secretary of State speaking right now. There you have white flowers over the casket of Nancy Reagan.
Let's bring in Larry Sabato, the Founder and Director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. He joins us now live from
Charlottesville.
How did -- Larry, we're speaking a little bit earlier about how close of course she was to Ronald Reagan, her husband. I wonder did she change the
role of First Lady for those who came after her?
SABATO: Actually, I would say she was a high-breed of the old first lady and the new first lady that we have come to understand. She was not a
public leader of causes. She had "Just Say No to Drugs." She pushed the Foster Grandparent Program, but that wasn't her thing.
She was quite private and she wanted to exercise her influence in private with her husband. I think she had more influence that just about any first
lady, but she didn't like to show it publicly. Other first ladies have been more inclined to demonstrate that in public.
GORANI: And by the way, for our viewers, just keeping them up to date, we're seeing Tom Brokaw now, the former news anchor speaking at the
funeral.
So, high-breed. You mentioned, "Just say no." In fact, to understand Mr. T who is part of that campaign is actually present at the services as well.
I wonder, having studied the Reagan's, what do you think they would think of the current crop of Republican candidates, because the Ronald Reagan
name is invoked quite a bit, by candidates today.
SABATO: Well, let me be blunt. Ronald Reagan was actually a moderate conservative in today's terminology. He was willing to raise taxes when
necessary. He was willing to increase the number of immigrants rather than try to expel many of them.
I don't believe he could get nominated in today's Republican Party and I'm given to understand that Mrs. Reagan also believe that the current crop of
Republican candidates was simply too conservative, at least that was her view.
She was always more liberal than her husband on social issues. She wasn't a hard core conservative on abortion, gay rights, and alike as her husband
got often be, but I think her view is pretty accurate.
[14:40:06] GORANI: Larry, we saw on the front row there are George W. Bush, of course James Baker, Tom Brokaw, the Reagan's children Patti Davis,
Ronald Reagan, we're seeing Michelle Obama as well, but some of the conservatives have criticized President Obama for not attending the
funeral. Is it unusual for sitting presidents not to attend the funerals of former first ladies?
SABATO: There's a very mix record of this. Generally speaking, you try to have representatives from every modern first family at the funeral of a
first lady.
Certainly, you have all living former presidents who are able to attend as well as the current president at the funeral of a decease president. But,
there's a mix record for first ladies. So, I think that criticism is misplaced.
Mrs. Obama is there representing the Obama Administration and you see it's very bipartisan. You actually have three Democratic first ladies there.
So, I really don't think that criticism is legitimate.
GORANI: Well, we know Bill Clinton for instance did not attend the funeral of Mrs. Nixon. I understand that President Obama did not attend the
funeral of Betty Ford, so this is certainly is not a first.
SABATO: That's absolutely correct. And this goes back a long way. It's not just in recent decades that that is been true.
GORANI: So, let's talk a little bit more about legacy. We talked about how she was a high breed between the former first ladies that were perhaps a
lot more silent, didn't bring out the issue. Certainly, didn't discuss policy publicly. And the current first lady, was she? Did you see her a
little bit as a bridge between the generation before her and the generation that came after her?
SABATO: That's actually very interesting point. Mrs. Obama has been much more careful than say Mrs. Clinton was during the 1990s in becoming the
face of a particular set of policies. Mrs. Clinton was very prominent with healthcare for example and Mrs. Obama has her causes healthy eating among
children, that kind of thing, but they tend to be less controversial.
So, in a sense, she also is a high-breed first lady. She's history in the making simply because she's our first African-American first lady. I think
she has been a little hesitant to take on controversial topics. So maybe she took a bit of a queue from Nancy Reagan and also Laura Bush.
GORANI: All right, Larry Sabato, standby. We'll going to get back to you in a moment. We're going to take a quick break.
We'll be back with more news and more of our coverage of Nancy Reagan's funeral in California.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:45:10] GORANI: Right now, U.S. presidential hopeful Donald Trump is campaigning for votes in Saint Louis, Missouri. His remarks have been
repeatedly interrupted by protesters. Again and again, Trump called for their immediate removal.
Earlier in the day, Trump earned a major endorsement from former campaign rival Ben Carson. Carson's spoke a short time ago at a news conference at
Trump's resorts in Palm Beach, Florida.
The retired neurosurgeon's message never really caught on with voters. He says he prayed over the decision to endorsed Trump.
Now, the endorsement comes today after the Republican debate, CNN's Chris Cuomo caught up with Donald Trump right after the contest to see what he
thought of the kinder, gentler tone that he says he would be using during the debate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I thought it was a very elegant debate. I thought it was very sub- sensitive and I thought it was a really -- I think your folks did a great job. I thought it was very fair and we needed this kind of debate. We
need this kind of a tone and I'm glad it's a place tonight.
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Do you think it played to your advantage?
TRUMP: I think so. I mean, look, the other if somebody hits, you hit back and I think that's true in life, that's true in running country, that's
true in running businesses, but I just found this to be a very elegant evening and everybody did a very good job.
CUOMO: One of the questions is what would happen if it were you versus Ted Cruz one-on-one. When you're up there on the debate stage listing to him
make the case, you making your own. How was your confidence level in terms of how that would go, you versus him?
TRUMP: Well, I think it will go very well. I mean, and we're doing very well against Ted right now as you know. We're leading and we're have a lot
more people voting for Trump than voting for Ted. But, I like Ted and we - - I think we all did a very good job tonight.
I thought it was actually terrific and very different because it has really been harsh and I like that also, but I think there was something that we
were ready for this kind of an evening.
CUOMO: There are couples of points that contrast up there on the stage tonight. One was, what was -- I guess, you could basically call it the
over system argument about Islam. You -- as you remember spoke to Anderson and you said there's a hatred coming from Islam towards the United States.
TRUMP: No doubt about it.
CUOMO: The criticism is, but not from all Muslims, but from some and you understand the sensitivity to what you call a political correctness ...
TRUMP: Awesome, but look ...
CUOMO: ... the counters that it's just correctness. What do you want to say now?
TRUMP: Let say it's there. No, I don't want to say anything. I mean, I've answer the question. I've answered that many times. There is a great
hatred and we have to get to the bottom of it.
CUOMO: The concern is that you were depending with two brother brush. You said in the past, you hire Muslims, you have Muslim friends.
TRUMP: I do.
CUOMO: You're not saying they're part of the hatred, right?
TRUMP: I do, but there's a lot of -- you look at the Mosque's and you go to various places and look at what's going on there and it's virtually 100
percent and certainly you could say radical Islam is a disaster right now. It's causing tremendous problems world wide not just here.
But the question was asked about Islam and there is a great hatred. There's no question about it.
CUOMO: One of the people up on the stage with you tonight said, it makes an environment around the world when Muslims feel that the United States
has antipathy towards them, has negativity towards them?
TRUMP: Well, we're just going to have to run our own place. We have our country. We have a country a lot of problems, a lot of death, a lot of,
you know, weaken to military. We have so many different problems right now.
We're just going to have to do our thing, but the question was asked to me and I'll tell you what probably heard the audience. The audience was --
and I won't do it for the audience. I don't care in terms of doing it for the audience and I'm not doing it to be incorrect politically, but there is
animosity like I've never seen before and hopefully we can straight it out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Donald Trump there after the debate. Well, some major changes are expected in the presidential race.
Next week, CNN's Political Mann is calling it Terminal Tuesday, Saturday at 7:00 p.m. in London. We'll explain why it could be the last day of the
race for some candidates.
Plus, Donald Trump raises the states and Bernie Sanders down the code of many colors. Ted Cruz show off his tattoos. This is "The World Right
Now".
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:50:55] GORANI: Let's take you back now live to the Nancy Reagan funeral. This is her daughter, Patti Davis speaking now. Let's listen
briefly.
PATTI DAVIS, DAUGHTER OF NANCY REAGAN: No, I have the secret service check on that. "You must be furious," I told her puzzled by the fact that she
didn't seem furious at all. She shook here head no and her entire demeanor was not only calm, it was practically zen (ph).
Even people who never met my mother will know that the word zen (ph) has never before been applied to Nancy Reagan. But, that was what I saw.
There's no time to get upset she said. There is work to be done. I can't get distracted. I have to keep moving forward. I admit I did say, who are
you and what have you done with my mother?
Overtime, what she referred to as late night visits from my father's cysts. She no longer heard his footsteps in the hall, but she never stopped
missing him. She told me once that the reason she had the television on all the time was because it filled the house with sound and made her feel
less lonely.
Another remedy for her loneliness was to fill the empty spaces with stories and memories.
A few days before she died, I reminded her of something that happened many decades ago when we live in Pacific Palisades. My father use to get
massages from a large eastern European man who would come to the house and set up his massage table in my parent's dressing room.
On one of these days, as my father lay face down on the table, my mothers tiptoed in, kiss him lightly on the back of his neck and tiptoed out. He
didn't know it was her. But, he went through the rest of the massage, never said a word, and after the masseur left, he said to my mother, "I
don't think we can have him back anymore."
"Why?" She asked him what happens. "Well, he kissed me." When she told them it was her, he was flooded with relief and said, "Thank God, I didn't
know what to do." My mother's laughter in remembering that day would unbeknownst to me. Turn out to be the last time I would hear her laugh.
It's no secret that my mother and I had a challenging and often contentious relationship. When I was a child, I imagine having warm comfortable
conversations with her, the kind of conversations that feel like lamp light. The reality was far different. I tried her patience and she
intimated me.
We were never mild with one another, whether we were distant and angry or bonded and close, our emotions burned up the color chart. Nothing was ever
gray. But there were moments in our history when all that was going on between us was love. I choose to remember those moments.
I choose to remember the mother who held together the gaping wound on the back of her young daughter's head after she fell at a friend's house and
crack her skull open on the fire place hard (ph). She drove with one hand and held my head with the other talking soothingly to me and trying to
conceal the fear in her eyes. Watching her was hypnotic. It made my head hurt less.
[14:55:00] I choose to remember my mother framed by the window of a New York hotel room as I told her that I've been involved in a complicated
relationship for two years and had now been cruelly toss aside. I was 19.
I felt older and more wounded than any 19 year old should feel. I needed a mother and I came to mine, holding out a fragile hope that she would keep
me from crumbling beyond recognition. She did. She didn't judge me. She wasn't punishing or accusatory. She was tender and understanding and
loving.
I choose to remember walking with her along the beach of Trancas. Somehow the ocean always calm the air between us and allowed us to be easy with
each other. Most of all, I will remember looking out the window to the sweep of sunset and seeing my parents sitting together on the sand. Maybe
on the other side, there are endless shores and eternally brilliant sunsets. Maybe it's possible to sit there forever undisturbed two souls
happily entwined needing only each other.
Robert Sexton wrote, "Across the years, I will walk with you in deep green forest, on the shores of sand, and when our time on earth is through, in
heaven too, you will have my hand."
I hope for my parents that those words don't live only in the poet's imagination, but are map to what they both long for and believe in, in the
world beyond this one.
GORANI: Patti Davis, the 63 year old daughter of Nancy Reagan and Ronald Reagan. Ron Reagan, Patti's brother, Nancy Reagan son is about to speak
now.
Patti Davis has described becoming closer to her mother in the final years of her mother's life. Denied the fact they had a contentious relationship.
Let's listen a little bit to Ron Reagan, Nancy Reagan's son.
RON REAGAN, NANCY REAGAN'S SON: On behalf of my family, thank you all for coming here. We really appreciate it.
My sister Patti and I who certainly find ourselves orphan really appreciate being surrounded by so much love and kindness and to James and Tom and
everybody else who spoken your kind words, appreciate that very much too.
And to the folks at the library here who put this whole thing on, what a terrific job they've done and we so much appreciate that, too.
She did love a party and she would want this to be a party. This is not a tragic, you know, this is a celebration.
I hope you had the chance to have a look around here. Some of you, of course, have been here many times before. But, I hope you realized that
none of this, none of this would have been possible without Nancy Reagan.
I don't mean that she was active in fund raising in building a library, of course, she was. What I really mean to say is that there would be no
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library without a President Ronald Reagan and they are likely wouldn't have been a President Ronald Reagan without a
Nancy Reagan.
Of course, it may not have happen that way if she was not made of such stern staff, she may not have made it all the way to being Mrs. Ronald
Reagan. So my dad was played the hard to get little bit when they were dating back, way back when he'd already purchased the ranch, not too far
from here in Malibu and he loved to go there and ride his horses and back hay and generally get dirty and sweaty outdoors and that sort of thing.
Not the kind of thing that she's really crazy about, my mother.
But, she was a good sport and she wanted to participate in this. If he loved his ranch, well, she was going to love the ranch, too. And so she
would go out there and they would -- he would do his thing and she would took wonder about how she could help.
Now, this ranch down in Malibu is about 700 acres or so, had a long drive way that led to the house, about a half a mile, fences on both sides. So,
they would go out there and they would hang out and be ranchers, but she wanted to help as I said, so she asked him, "What can I do to help?
END
