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Hala Gorani Tonight
Inside Aleppo Hospital Hit By Deadly Airstrike; Kerry: Syria Truce Has Been "Put To Test"; Cruz Trails Trump In Latest Indiana Poll; Longest- Serving American Prisoner In North Korea Speaks Out; U.S. Cruise To Cuba Comes Weeks After Obama Visit; Australian Claims He Created Bitcoin; Marking Fifth Anniversary of Bin Laden Killing; Syria Hospitals Under Attack; Prince's Estate Examined; Leicester Hoping for Premier League Clinch. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired May 02, 2016 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Hala Gorani live from CNN London. This is THE WORLD RIGHT NOW.
Every single day that goes by more innocent lives are lost so the stakes could not be higher for urgent talks under way on restoring a ceasefire in
Syria. The American Secretary of State John Kerry says negotiators are making progress but are, quote, "not there yet."
After meetings today in Geneva, he acknowledged the partial truce reached months ago as completely collapsed in some areas, and that includes
obviously Aleppo where hundreds of civilians have been killed in the past week alone. Kerry accused the Syrian government of carrying out one of the
deadliest attacks there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: Aleppo is particularly disturbing to everybody for what has happened there. There are three health clinics now,
one major hospital that had been attacked from the air by bombs. There are only two air forces flying in that particular area.
And the Russians are clear that they were not engaged or flying at that time. The regime has clearly indicated a willingness over a period of time
now to attack first responders, to attack health care workers and rescuers, and the attack on this hospital is unconscionable under any standard
anywhere. It has to stop.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: John Kerry there. There was no warning of what was about to come before a blinding flash of light. We're about to show you some horrific
scenes from inside the hospital that was bombed in Aleppo. Surveillance footage obtained by Channel 4 News captured the exact moment of the attack
and the devastating aftermath. Matt Frye reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATT FRYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is a silent film, but you begin to imagine the sounds. The CCTV cameras outside the hospital in the
rain and inside are unflinching observers of what is about to unfold.
The clocks on the screen are an hour out, it is 9:38 on Wednesday evening and the hospital is shaken by an explosion nearby. Some head downstairs
expecting casualties to arrive. That turns out to be a deadly mistake.
No one you can see here has any idea that this hospital is seconds away from becoming a target itself. The choice of where to go, left or right,
up or down, seals their fate.
The man in green is Dr. Mohammed Moaz leaving the intensive care unit. He's 36 years old and he's the last pediatrician in Aleppo. He's already
done one day shift at another hospital and is in the middle of the night shift in this one.
He is single and his parents have fled to Turkey. He was looking forward to visiting them a few days later. We don't know exactly where he has now
gone, but we do know his fate. At 9:42 and 12 seconds the hospital is hit. Same explosion, different camera.
Minutes after the dust clears the survivors emerge. The ghostly image of a nurse carrying a child or a baby from the maternity ward. Civilians
milling around in a daze taking on the task of nurses of those who were injured. Dr. Moaz is now dead and so were 50 others, nurses, patients,
visitors.
[15:05:09]As the smoke clears the road outside emerges as a field of rubble.
Since then, two more hospitals have been hit and yesterday one of Aleppo's main medical storage facilities. In this case four CCTV cameras bear
silent witness.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Matt Frye was reporting there on that surveillance footage from inside al-Quds hospital.
The United States, what is it saying and what is it doing in the aftermath of all of this? It is urging Russia to do more to ensure that its allies,
Syria's government, honors its commitment to the cessation of hostilities.
Let's bring in Elise Labott. She is live in Washington. So we heard John Kerry earlier, and he was speaking from Geneva. What is it that the U.S.
is doing differently now that these hospitals clearly are being deliberately targeted in Aleppo?
ELISE LABOTT, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Hala, Secretary of State Kerry kind of, you know, went urgently to Geneva to have talks with
the Saudi foreign minister who is the opposition's big backer and also with the U.N. envoy, Staffan De Mistura, to try and get some kind of peace talks
going to salvage the ceasefire.
But it's pretty clear that the Russians, who are, you know, supporting the Syrian regime are not part of these talks and while Russia is continuing to
say that it supports and backs the ceasefire, it's also continuing to support regime strikes in Aleppo and other areas that the regime does not
control.
In fact, the regime is only adhering to the ceasefire in areas it already controls. Take a listen to Secretary Kerry earlier today urging Russia to
reaffirm its commitment to the ceasefire and said that the violence has decreased since February when the ceasefire started, but he acknowledged
the situation is really out of control.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KERRY: But it is a fact that in the last weeks the cessation of hostilities has been put to test and it has frayed in certain areas and it
has fallen completely in a few areas so we are engaged in an effort with of all. Members of the international Syrian support group and with Russia
particularly in an effort to restore that cessation of hostilities in those places where it has been most at risk.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LABOTT: So, Hala, what Secretary Kerry is trying to do is get a new mechanism to reaffirm everyone's commitment to the ceasefire, to have more
monitors in Geneva, kind of taking a look at some of these violations, but I think, you know, what's really not being said is until the Russians are
willing to put pressure on the Syrian regime nothing is going to really change on the ground.
The opposition is saying, listen, we've been adhering to the ceasefire, but if the regime is not going to, we're going to fight back. The Saudis today
said that they are not going to stand idly by while the regime continues to go after Aleppo.
And a lot of people think this is part of a regime strategy to encircle Aleppo and try and strengthen its hold on northern Syria and some of the
areas it doesn't control so if nobody is really willing to adhere to the ceasefire on the ground and is only talking words, I don't think anything
will change and certainly hundreds of civilians have been paying the price.
GORANI: Because as you know, people in the Middle East are saying, look, if all the U.S. can do is issue statements and express outrage and have
Secretary Kerry go to Geneva for the day and then back urging the Russians to stop supporting the regime and its bombing of hospitals then really the
U.S. doesn't have much influence at all over what's happening in Syria.
How at the State Department are those accusations met? Do those work really at the highest levels of government and the U.S. respond to
accusations that really they have no influence over what's going on there now?
LABOTT: I have to admit I've been startled in the last week by the administration's tacit acknowledgement that they don't have influence here.
They do have leverage in terms of shaming Russia and talking and Secretary Kerry, you know, using his stature to go and draw attention to the issue.
But certainly the Russians are not listening and they are backing the regime with air support, and I think the only thing you have is a bunch of
parties that are not on the ground agreeing to ceasefire and then not putting their leverage behind the parties that are actually doing the
fighting so I don't think right now the U.S. has any leverage.
The only thing the secretary can do is to try and draw attention to the issue and hope that there's more international pressure that's brought to
bear, but alone the U.S. doesn't really seem to be able to do anything and it's pretty clear about that fact right now.
[15:10:12]GORANI: All right, thanks very much, Elise Labott. To our viewers, by the way, we'll be speaking to a doctor who worked in that
hospital that was bomb a little bit later in the program. So stay tuned. Thanks, Elise.
U.S. politics, and we are one day away from what could be a make-or-break primary for Ted Cruz. Now, he needs a win because quite simply he needs to
deny Donald Trump the 1,237 delegates that Trump needs to become the nominee, and it would bump his chances of a contested convention in July.
However, here's the bad news for Ted Cruz. It's not looking good for him at all. Now, here's the latest poll. It shows that the Republican
frontrunner, Donald Trump is 15 percentage points ahead of him at 49 percent in Indiana. That's the next big primary. John Kasich trails them
both significantly with 13 percent support.
Let's go live to Carmel, Indiana and CNN's Sara Murray is there with more on this important primary. So, if Ted Cruz doesn't win this one, what
happens?
SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: That's right. This is really a make- or-break Ted Cruz. We're seeing polls that show him lagging behind Donald Trump by as much as 15 points and we're really seeing this alliance that he
made with John Kasich may actually be backfiring for him.
There was a "Wall Street Journal"/NBC News/Marist poll that showed 58 percent of Republican voters in Indiana disapproved of this deal.
Remember, this was designed to get John Kasich out of the way here and give Ted Cruz the ability to run mano-a-mano against Donald Trump in that state
and that's what we're seeing.
Look, Ted Cruz has packed his schedule today. He and his surrogates are holding ten events and Donald Trump is sprinting to the finish. We're
expecting him to speak here in a couple of minutes.
Another event later tonight, but it's clearly going to be a surprise victory if Ted Cruz is able to pull it out and I'll tell you, Hala, that
the Trump campaign feels very confident and comfortable about their odds here in Indiana.
GORANI: All right, Sara Murray there, a boisterous Trump rally. And I want to ask you about some of the more controversial rhetoric coming from
Donald Trump, the Republican frontrunner, regarding China, and using a very inflammatory term that China is raping the United States when it comes to
trade policy.
I want our viewers to listen first to what Donald Trump said and then we'll get back to you, Sara.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We can't continue to allow China to rape our country and that's what they are doing. It's greatest theft in
the history of the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: So Sara, raping, I mean, using that term, how is that being received, not just by Trump supporters but his rivals?
MURRAY: Donald Trump has been very unapologetic about the kind of language he used. This has really been a staple of his stump speech, not with such
colorful language in terms of talking about the idea that China is ripping off the United States, but it's interesting to watch how Donald Trump
navigates this issue.
Remember, just last week he gave a foreign policy address and in that speech he said he wants the U.S. to be able to work more closely with
China, more closely with Russia.
But, of course, when he's out on the campaign trail, particularly when he's campaigning in areas that he feels like have had manufacturing industries
that are hurt he rails really hard against China and that's what we're seeing -- Hala.
GORANI: Sara Murray at a Trump rally in Carmel, Indiana, thanks very much. Unapologetic Donald Trump as always after those comments about China.
Now to this story and we've very rarely heard from him since his release but now he is speaking out to CNN. Kenneth Bae was the longest serving
American prisoner in North Korea. He was arrested November 2012, supposedly according to the North Koreans for committing a hostile act and
sentenced to 15 years of hostile labor.
He was the first American known to be sent to a labor camp in North Korea and worked ten hours a day carrying rocks and shoveling coal. In an
exclusive interview with Chris Cuomo, Bae described how all along he kept his hope alive.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KENNETH BAE, FORMER NORTH KOREAN POLITICAL PRISONER: There is one prosecutor assigned to my case for the latter year of my imprisonment, who
came to me almost every week and say no one remembers you. You have been forgotten by people, your government. You are not going home any time
soon. You'll be here for 15 years. You'll be 60 before you go home.
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR, "NEW DAY": What would that do to your head?
BAE: Obviously, it was very difficult to take it in. But I was still holding on to the promise that it was from when I was praying to God that
he would be my rescuer and the U.S. government would do everything possible to bring me home. I was holding on to the promise.
[15:15:06]CUOMO: So, there was all of this movement going on from your family. They were tireless. I mean, you know this, but just to hear this.
But there is one controversy, Dennis Rodman got into the mix. How much are you aware of what happened with him, what he said, and what he did?
BAE: Well, not until after a couple of weeks later when I saw your show in 2014, I believe. And I was told by the prosecutor that Dennis Rodman made
a comment and made national "headline news" and that I was given papers to show what happened with the interview.
CUOMO: We will play people that remember this, something I've been trying to forget for two years. Here is a portion of what Dennis Rodman was
saying about Kenneth Bae back then, and his controversial trip to North Korea at the time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DENNIS RODMAN, FORMER NBA PLAYER: Do you understand what Kenneth Bae did?
CUOMO: You tell me. What he do?
RODMAN: No, no, no. You tell me. Why is he held captive?
CUOMO: They haven't released any charges.
RODMAN: I don't give a rat's ass what the hell you think. I'm saying to you, look at this guy there. Look at him.
CUOMO: Don't use it as an excuse for the behavior that you're putting on yourself.
RODMAN: They came here --
CUOMO: You were basically saying that Kenneth Bae did something wrong. We don't even know what the charges are.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CUOMO: What sense did you make of that situation? What did you think that he was suggesting that you had done?
BAE: Well, I believe that, you know -- I believe that he was -- maybe he was upset for something else. I believe that -- he did apologize to our
family afterwards.
CUOMO: Do you think he was convince by things from his friends in North Korea that maybe he didn't understand himself?
BAE: There's no way knowing that. I want to thank Dennis Rodman for being a catalyst for my release because of his rant, the media attention on my
plight was increased. If I meet him some day, I want to say thank you for what he has done that really brought attention, international attention for
my plight.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Kenneth Bae there who was the longest serving American prisoner in North Korea speaking to CNN. A lot more to come this evening after decades
of icy relations.
An American cruise ship is making history in Cuba and we're live in Havana with the very latest.
And could this man be the mysterious creator of Bitcoin. He says he is. We'll take a closer look at his claim.
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GORANI: Well, moving to a legacy building moment for President Barack Obama. The first American cruise ship in almost 40 years is now docked in
Cuba, and, of course, this is the result of warming relations between Cuba and the United States after decades of very frosty diplomatic tension.
The Adonia Carnival cruiseliner pulled into a port in Havana carrying almost 700 passengers. It's the first stop of a seven-day trip touring
three Cuban cities and of course, signaling in a symbolic and colorful and visual way the closer ties between the U.S. and Cuba since they restored
diplomatic relations almost one year ago.
Let's bring in Patrick Oppmann in Havana witnessing the historic voyage. Any of the passengers come off the ship yet, Patrick?
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They are all off. They are all exploring Havana and came streaming out. You only get a day and a half in
Havana so people were just eager to get out and see a city most had never seen. Of course, there were some Cuban-Americans aboard as well, people
born on the island.
Hadn't been back in many decades and for them it was extremely emotional to see their homeland come into view this morning as the ship came into Havana
harbor this morning.
But most of the people here were Americans that said it was simply the curiosity factor for them that something that had been prohibited and off
limits to them for so many years.
All of a sudden was attainable and it's interesting, Hala, because even now it's still under U.S. law illegal to come here for purposes of tourism so
this is something of a work around where the cruise ship says that they are engaged in cultural travel, people-to-people trips.
So they are on tight schedule, but of course, it will involve some salsa music and mojitos as one would expect when coming into Cuba, but this trip
will continue for another week, two more stops around Cuba. Not just a once-off.
Carnival says they plan on having cruises here on a weekly basis and other cruise lines want to come from the U.S. to Cuba and of course, where all
these people and cruises fit just isn't enough room.
The terminal behind me is the only cruise terminal in Cuba's capital city that fits all of two cruise ships. And none of the cruise ships that
accommodate thousands and thousands of people.
So this is, of course, the beginning of an industry in Cuba and have a long way to go, but today was an important day and certainly the sense of
history being made here has this American ship came into communist-run Cuba -- Hala.
GORANI: Quite a bikini there. Thanks very much, Patrick Oppmann. I wonder if the Cubans are ready for what's about to come. Mass tourism
headed right for their country. Thanks very much.
Now the inventor of Bitcoin has remained elusive for years and now that mystery may, key word operative, may be finally be solved. An Australian
computer scientist, Craig Wright, is claiming to be the currency's creator.
Samuel Burke is here with in the studio to talk about this. Do we know if this is really him? Can we verify this claim?
SAMUEL BURKE, CNN MONEY BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It's interesting because he spoke to two different media organizations, the BBC and "The Economist."
The BBC says it is him and "The Economist" says it may be him. There is no way of really knowing.
Because Bitcoin is so complicated that only a few people up top can really know. Even those people, some have said it's definitely him and some said
it's not him.
At the end of the day, he says he doesn't want to be the spokesperson for Bitcoin and that's really what Bitcoin needs. So whether he is the founder
or he isn't I don't think it really matters because it's never going to be really mass, mass until someone is the face of it and can explain it --
GORANI: So why is he coming out now?
BURKE: Well, basically what he said is he was outed and there's been all these questions about it. He has some tax issues as well that he says are
separate from Bitcoin. So I think he just wants to get that over with.
Other people say it's a hoax and that it's not really him and wants the attention. He swears that he doesn't want any money or any awards. Time
will tell.
GORANI: Any awards. Everybody wants awards.
BURKE: Don't we all?
GORANI: What's the status of Bitcoin now?
BURKE: Right now, it's actually -- it went up so high. At one point, one Bitcoin was worth about $1,100. I think we have a chart there to show your
viewers and then there was a big crash and now it's worth about $440.
So what I keep on thinking it doesn't really matter who the founder is. If you can have a virtual currency be worth $1,100 at some point, then it
doesn't really need the founder to be the founder to be the face of it for it to function this way, but you do need that voice to make it mass. I
assume you've never used Bitcoin.
GORANI: Never used Bitcoin and in fact that was going to be my next question. If I wanted to use Bitcoin, how easy or difficult would it be
for me to do that?
[15:25:04]BURKE: Well, you just transfer currency and at the end of the day hard to explain Bitcoin like it's hard to explain a general banking
system in any given country, but it's only worth what people are willing to pay for it. So whether you have pounds or dollars, you just transfer your
money and a lot of people use it to do some very nefarious things.
GORANI: It's kind of under the radar so that's part of its appeal.
BURKE: Exactly.
GORANI: Thank you, Samuel Burke. This is THE WORLD RIGHT NOW. We'll take a quick break. Coming up, remembering one of Aleppo's last pediatricians
killed in an airstrike on his hospital last week. I will speak with a doctor who worked alongside him and knew him well. Stay with us for that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Welcome back. A look at our top stories. "We are hopeful but we are not there yet," that's a quote from the American Secretary of State
John Kerry describing some urgent talks on Syria. Negotiators are working to revive a month's old ceasefire agreement that has all but collapsed, and
they are attempting to extend the partial truce to Aleppo, which is being pounded.
Also among our top stories, Ted Cruz is campaigning as hard as he can in Indiana ahead of a crucial vote tomorrow. He basically needs a win to
bolster his chances for a contested Republican National Convention in July and block Donald Trump from the 1,237. But the latest poll from that state
is indicating he faced quite an uphill battle. A "Washington Post"/NBC poll puts Donald Trump 15 points ahead of Ted Cruz.
The first American cruise ship to travel to Cuba in four decades has arrived at its destination. Hundreds of passengers poured out of the
Carnival cruise liner and are now exploring Havana and other Cuban cities as we speak. The tour is the latest sign of improving ties between the two
countries after relations were restored almost a year ago.
Five years ago, U.S. Navy SEALs attacks a compound in Pakistan where they found and killed their number one target, Osama Bin Laden, the leader of al
Qaeda and the mastermind of 9/11.
The American President Barack Obama watched the events unfold in this military command center and we're all familiar with this still picture, the
famous situation room.
Now, CNN's Peter Bergen has become the first journalist to interview the president in the situation room where he spoke about the events of that
night five years ago.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Well, we came in here at the point where the helicopters were about to actually land.
[15:30:00] It is here where we observed, for example, that one of the helicopters got damaged in the landing.
PETER BERGEN, CNN U.S. SECURITY ANALYST: And what were you thinking?
PRESIDENT OBAMA: I was thinking that this is not an ideal start. Look, we were all worried. The good news was it didn't crash. Our guys were able to
extract themselves. The bad news was that the helicopter itself had been damaged and -- and this is an example though of the kind of meticulous
planning that had been done. Even though we had the best helicopter operators imaginable, despite the fact that they had practiced these
landings repeatedly in a mock-up we couldn't account for temperature, and the fact that helicopters start reacting differently in an enclosed
compound where heat may be rising.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, Peter Bergen joins me live now from New York. And Peter, of course, you wrote the back on the manhunt for Bin Laden. Five years later
you sat down with President Obama, did you learn anything new on that night?
BERGEN: Well, one thing, Hala, I think that is new is that he was contemplating the raid option earlier than we understood. I mean he didn't
feel he had to make a decision until the time he made the decision. And, of course, as you know, you know, his top advisors, Secretary Gates, the
Defense Secretary, and Vice President Biden urged against the raid.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BERGEN: Hillary Clinton urged for it and, you know, he walked us through physically where he was. Here's the main situation room where they had the
final meeting where they discussed options and then, of course, as, the iconic photograph where they are actually in a smaller room which is inside
the situation room complex where they could actually watch video of the raid unfold. In the main situation room they could only hear audio. And
then he also walked us through colonnade where he just before he delivered his speech, where he alerted the world to the fact that Bin Laden was dead
and kind of told us what he was thinking that night. And we also were able to interview quite a number of the people in his inner circle who were part
of that decision, John Brennan, CIA Director, Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State at the time and others.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: And you spoke to the -- one of the -- or the main architect of the raid, William McCraven, Admiral McCraven. He was the head of U.S. Special
forces at the time so he's never spoken in depth about this. What did you learn from him?
BERGEN: Well he, you know, as you say, Hala, he's not spoken in depth, and we had a lengthy interview with him in which he kind of narrated what
happened between the planning phases of the raid as far as he saw them and then of course, the raid itself. And he was in Afghanistan, you know,
basically talking to the White House back in Washington but also talking to the people on the ground and he tells us exactly what happened that night
from his perspective. And a lot of, you know, interesting detail and flavor of what happened that night.
GORANI: And I have to ask you, of course, it's been all those years. Now the big question is whether or not some of the Pakistani, you know, at
least local leadership knew that Bin Laden was in Abadabad this entire time. Based on everything you've learned and all the high level officials
you've spoken to, did they know that he was there?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BERGEN: You know CIA Director John Brennan, Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, the President himself all say they didn't know
or there was no evidence that the Pakistanis knew. Interestingly Hillary Clinton had a slightly different take. She points out, of course, that this
was, you know, the events happened near a Pakistani military academy, this is a town that is popular with Pakistani military officers who retire
there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERGEN: And she firmly believes or suspects that someone, either a retired officer or perhaps a serving officer knew. There isn't any evidence for
that that we know of, but certainly that's interesting that the Secretary of State, then Secretary of State firmly believes that.
GORANI: Yes, very interesting, thanks very much, Peter Bergen, and we'll of course be watching your special this evening on CNN. Thanks for that.
Let's go back to the desperate situation in the Syrian city of Aleppo.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: These pictures were obtained by Channel Four News showing one of the last pediatricians in the city. Seconds later a flash. This is, by the
way, silent CCT footage from inside the Al Quds hospital and a huge explosion. Dr. Muhammad Waseem Moaz was one of dozens killed in this
attack. Let's get more on this pediatrician and on the work that these doctors do from someone who knew him and who has worked in Aleppo at that
hospital.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Dr. Iyad Azrak from the Syrian American Medical Society, joins me live from Chicago. And you can see a picture of the two of them, Dr.
Azrak, I'm showing this to our viewers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: You can see Dr. Waseem in the scrubs on the left and Dr. Azrak there to the right there wearing the glasses, and we've blurred the faces
of the other individuals in the photo for their own safety.
[15:35:05]
Dr. Azrak thanks for being with us from Chicago. Talk to me a little bit about the Dr. Waseem Moaz. What kind of man was he?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DR. IYAD AZRAK, SYRIAN AMERICAN MEDICAL SOCIETY: Dr. Waseem was just a fantastic pediatrician. I met him a couple years ago when I started going
to Aleppo and he was doing amazing job. We were working in the same clinic. I was - I am an Ophthalmologist, I work in the eye care. However, we really
worked together for my stay over there, and it was really -- I was impressed with the way and standard of care that he would provide. He would
not compromise the care of his patients under any circumstances.
His schedule was actually from the morning -- the minute he wakes up he goes to the work until the evening he sleeps in the hospital and in case
there's an emergency he would be able to help so he would not go home and sleep at home.
GORANI: And Dr. Azrak I want to just interrupt you so I could tell our producers to actually put up pictures of Dr. Waseem Moaz who was killed, if
we could see him while you're talking about him, that would be - that would be great.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: This is you by the way, we're showing a picture of you as you were operating in Aleppo. But if we could see Dr. Moaz you're saying he actually
slept at the hospital because he wanted to make sure he didn't miss any emergency cases. Tell us more about that.
AZRAK: I mean, basically he would sleep in the hospital because there's not that many pediatricians available in the city and he served more than
200,000 people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZRAK: So, if he doesn't sleep in the hospital there will be no MD available to see those patients in the middle of the night. So he basically
said I will just sleep there and if there's an emergency the nurses can wake me up and get to see those patients.
GORANI: I mean he must have known the danger, I mean this is also something that everyone has said about him, that he must have known that this was
life or death for him.
AZRAK: We all know when we work there that we don't know what can happen any minute. We experienced this especially in Aleppo, I mean, in Syria,
that the medical facilities have been targeted from the beginning of the uprising. Doctors are being tortured, killed, burned. A couple medical
students in the beginning of the revolution were actually burned to death, and this is a reality of the medical field in Syria.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AZRAK: Unfortunately, the medical personnel don't feel safe all the time. We basically force the work where we're basically unknowing what's going to
happen to us in the next day.
GORANI: And I want to show pictures of you, Dr. Azrak because you've traveled to Aleppo as well. There's one of you outside in Aleppo standing
by a huge pile of rubble there. When was the last time you went to Aleppo and describe what it was like working there.
AZRAK: I went two months -- two months ago right before the declaration of cessation of hostilities. I actually met Dr. Waseem the day before - you
know I just saw him the day before leaving, and we had that dinner together actually.
We basically the situation was very bad at that time because it was the peak of the fighting around the city trying to cut the roads to the city.
However, with the cessation of hostilities, the violence, it was down a little bit or down to a point where people demonstrated in the streets and
were able to gather.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZRAK: However, my understanding right now that it's really -- you know, it's 24 hours non-stop presence of the aircraft in the sky again. I've been
contacting my friends on a daily base and the situation is very difficult at this point.
GORANI: Well, we really appreciate taking the time for us, Dr. Iyad Azrak, speaking from Chicago. Friends with Dr. Waseem Moaz who was killed at Al
Quds hospital in Aleppo of the Syrian American Medical Society. Thank you very much, and very interesting talking, to, about what the doctors there
face daily. Thank you.
Well the deterioration in Aleppo is just one example of the Syrian cease- fire teetering close to complete collapse.
The complicated situation to discuss this I'm joined here by Fawaz Gerges, he's a Professor of International Relations at the London School of
Economics, and the author of the book "ISIS, A History." There it is. Thank you very much Fawaz for joining us.
So what is the -- the Americans are blaming the regime they're saying this is - you were targeting hospitals. MSF is saying we're not even giving you
coordinates anymore because we know if we do we're going to get bombed. What's the strategy here?
[15:40:00]
FAWAZ GERGES, PROFESSOR INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS: Well I mean, Aleppo, Hala, is the most important battleground
in Syria today. The most important battleground. It is the economic capital of Syria. It's very strategic. It's the last line of supplies between
Turkey and Aleppo.
If the Syrian government, the Syrian regime succeeds in besieging Aleppo it really would achieve a strategic victory. And we have had reports in the
last few weeks that the Syrian government and its allies have been mobilizing. They want to move on, they want to basically cut the supply
lines between turkey and Aleppo and basically win the war, the strategic war. So you have had major escalations and also in terms of Aleppo you have
as you well know, scores of armed factions. Some of them really do not adhere to the ceasefire and the Syrian government uses this as a pretext to
attack the rebels. Because you have Al Nusra from and other rebels inside Aleppo.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: But they're attacking medical facilities, and that is a very cynical strategy of depopulation. I mean, if you have no more medical
facilities, if you have no more -- even apparently according to some reports there was a facility that stored medical supplies so it goes -- and
ambulances being targeted.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: So this is a strategy to push the population out of those areas.
GERGES: And this is not the first time, Hala, as you know. I mean Doctors Without Borders have documented scores of attacks against medical centers,
against hospitals, scores of, I mean, medical staffs and doctors have been killed. This is a kind of punitive policy on the part -- the Syrian
government is doing most of the killings and also some of the armed rebels are attacking some medical centers in the government side. But the Syrian
government, might take on the evidence is that this is as systemic policy, punitive policy in order to really force the population to move out of the
armed rebels' controlled areas and trying to move on militarily on the ground.
GORANI: You mentioned rebels in the government-controlled areas of Aleppo. Certainly there have been shells and mortars fired from rebels into
civilian areas so that is happening as well, of course, nowhere near the scale of the Syrian army.
I want to tell our viewers about exactly how many medical facilities have been targeted in Syria since the beginning of the uprising. This is
according to physicians for Human Rights. 358 medical facilities hit and then the number of medical staff killed is 726. I believe we have that
number as well, so really, as you say there, this is a strategy.
GERGES: A systemic policy. And this is not our words. I mean you're talking about medical without borders, about the United Nations.
I mean remember, Hala, out of the 300,000 Syrians who have been killed, the overwhelming majority are civilians, most of them, both on the government
side and the rebel side. This is a civil war.
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GERGES: It's one of the greatest catastrophes since the end of World War II and here you have John Kerry now talking about the cessation of
hostilities. One of the --
GORANI: Saying this hasn't collapsed which was interesting because I spoke with John Kirby, the U.S. State Department spokesperson who would not say
that the cease-fire has collapsed. He would only say it has frayed in places.
GERGES: Why, Hala, they have no other strategy. The Americans now rely on Putin and the Russians in order to really expert pressure on the Syrian
government. One of the most important statements made by Kerry today it was really revealing. He said the situation has spiraled out of control. I
can't promise you anything. I have to talk to the Russians and see whether the Russians can deliver the Syrian government. This tells you what
American foreign policy is.
GORANI: But is - has -- is this it? Has America walked away from Syria?
GERGES: Yes.
GORANI: Has it handed Syria to Russia essentially? I mean, to be perfectly blunt here?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GERGES: This is not new. For the last five years the Obama administration has not invested any major capital inside Syria. Syria is not a priority
for the Americans. Neither Syria or Iraq so in this particular sense the Russians, Hala have invested strategic capacity, have changed the
priorities, diplomatic and militarily.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GERGES: And yes, American foreign policy that was dependent on Russia in fact just to prevent the cessation of hostilities from I mean collapsing,
final collapse.
GORANI: If the regime and its allies encircle Aleppo and regain control, will they then say, all right, we're ready for peace talks now?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GERGES: Absolutely. That's exactly the strategy of the Syrian government, to deliver a shattering blow in Aleppo. If they do succeed this would
really represent the strategic victory and the collapse of the opposition. They would basically transform into I mean basically guerrilla warfare
inside Syria.
GORANI: All right, well it's just not a rosy picture anyway you look at. Fawaz Gerges, thank you very much for joining us, we always appreciate your
time. This is "The World Right Now."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: A Minnesota court gets involved as Prince's relatives try to determine their share of the late singer's estate. We'll take you live to
the courthouse.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:46:53]
GORANI: There may be a contentious legal battle brewing among Prince's siblings over his fortune.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: In the past few hours an American court in Prince's home state of Minnesota appointed a special administrator to oversee his estate. It is
believed to be, but we can't be sure obviously, but it's believed to be worth about $300 million. Soon after Prince died last month one of his
sisters filed court papers saying the musician left no will. Let's check in with our Stephanie Elam who's outside Minnesota Courthouse with the very
latest.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: So, talk to us a little bit about what the court is now saying what happened next.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, well, I was in the court, Hala, and I can tell you what this hearing was about today was really just
administrative business. They wanted to accomplish two things.
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ELAM: We did hear that the trust, which is the special administrative overseeing how they're going to divvy up Prince's estate, that they are
looking at the possibility of any other heirs being out there. They said that they went through - that anyone that they believe is a possible heir
has been notified and that they had ample time to be here today to say that they could be part of this lead-up to how they divvy out this estate.
The other thing is that they said they've gone out and looked for a trust. They are still looking for a trust or a will, either one. They haven't
found one yet but that could change if they do locate them. So those are the two big things that came out of this hearing today, but I can also tell
you that Tyka Nelson, Prince's only full-blooded sibling, she was there with two lawyers sitting on one side of the court and the other side of the
court there were several lawyers and also representatives from the trust that will be overseeing the estate, and there were four other siblings in
the court as well. Hala?
GORANI: And how do the siblings get along with each other? Are they -- is there tension already?
ELAM: It seems to be fractured in some ways. It does seem that there's some siblings that know each other better than others.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ELAM: But for the most part in the courthouse it was very, very much about business. Everyone was quiet. They were listening to what the judge had to
say. The lawyers as well, very small interaction. It was really only 12 minutes long so it was not a long period to see how people interact, but at
this point it was all about business.
GORANI: All right. Stephanie Elam, thanks very much in Minnesota there at that courthouse there, as the question of Prince's estate is on the way to
being resolved hopefully. Thank you.
Champagne is still on ice, it hasn't been popped yet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Coming up; Leicester City is getting closer to a historic success but the fans' anxious wait is not over yet including all the way over in
Thailand where we'll be live after the break.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:51:15]
GORANI: Well, we could be just one hour away from a very happy ending to one of sport's greatest fairy tale stories ever.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Now, full disclosure. I wasn't fully briefed on this story until I realized just what an underdog tale it was. Because Leicester City, the
football club, were big outsiders, and they were poised to win their first ever English premier league title. The long wait will be over if Tottenham
-- if Tottenham -- if the Tottenham team fails to win tonight.
It's halftime in London however and Tottenham is leading the game 2-0 against Chelsea. It seems almost everyone is rooting for Leicester. The
club has Thai owners and a lot of Thai fans as well.
We're in Leicester, England, Christina MacFarlane is there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: So let's first of all discuss the situation, Chelsea versus Tottenham. Tottenham needs to either lose or draw in order for Leicester to
win the cup and that's not happening so each time a goal went in in favor of the Tottenham, that was a big disappointment for Leicester so what's the
mood now?
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the mood is quickly turning to despair here, Hala. There's anticipation, tension and now concern it is
2-0 as we head into the break. A goal from Harry Kane and Song Hu Min just before the break. Let me remind you that if Leicester are to wrap up the
title tonight, Tottenham need to draw or lose this game and it is not going in their favor. As we speak right now, it's been a very testy London derby
between Chelsea and Tottenham, so much so that the players almost got into a punch up just before halftime.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: Now, the club here are waiting for this moment. They've been waiting for it for the first time in 132 years to take the title. And if
they do manage to -- if Chelsea do manage to come back and level the score tonight, it's hard to overestimate just what an incredible shock this will
be for the Foxes to take the title. This is a club who spent 140 days at the bottom of the premier league last season and to this year they have
spent 132 days at the top. It is an incredible story. And we've heard, Hala, that we're not the only ones watching the match unfold on the T.V.
here tonight. Somewhere in the city the players have gathered at Jamie Vardy, the star striker's house to watch the game with bated breath.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: So it will be very interesting to be a fly on their wall right at this moment in time. And we've also heard that Claudio Ranieri, the
manager of the team who was thought to be in Italy today, has flown back especially for the game and has touched down in the east midlands, so
everyone here willing Chelsea on. Every time they touch the ball there's an enormous cheer from the fans in the pub behind me.
GORANI: All right, but so it's halftime and it's not necessarily looking good for Leicester this evening. So if it doesn't go their way, what next?
MACFARLANE: Well, then we will shift to next weekend and we will all be back here to do this all over again. Because what Leicester will need to do
next is they will need to beat Everton here at the home stadium, at the Kim Power stadium on Saturday. And I think some fans will be pleased to see it
happen that way, Leicester playing their way out in incredible form as they have been all season so the champagne is on ice. It could wait for another
week yet, Hala.
GORANI: OK. And it's a musical halftime for you there. OK. Have fun at the pub. Thanks very much. Sadly I promised a live from Thailand, but tech
gremlins have intervened and prevented us from going that far. But, of course, as we've mentioned Leicester is owned by a Thai company, and so,
therefore, lots of Thai fans. All right. Thank you, Christina.
[15:55:07]
GORANI: Now we've been talking a lot about historic steps forward in U.S./Cuban relations, some like that hulking cruise ship we told you about
earlier are coming by sea. But other changes are coming on the stage. CNN's Maggie Lake has that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAGGIE LAKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the sound of cultural barriers crashing down.
In March, half a million people flooded on to the waterfront plaza in Havana to see a performance by electronic dance superstars Diplo and Major
Laser.
The first concert by a top U.S. pop act since the U.S.-Cuban thaw. Christopher Wangro and Fabien Pisani produced the event. Emboldened by the
success of that show, the two are hard at work on an even more ambitious project, a four-day free international festival called Musicabana.
FABIEN PISANI: MUSICABANA PRODUCER: Well my hope for Music Havana is to reinstate Cuba as one of the music capitals of the world.
CHRISTOPHER WANGRO, MUSICABANA PRODUCER: You can come to Musicabana and see an incredible array of Cuban music from the most famous of the elder
statesmen like Pablo Milanes or Los Van Van.
To the young, hot acts of Cuba.
LAKE: Musicabana hopes to attract both locals and tourists so they're expanding beyond their traditional producer role offering travel packages
complete with Cuban visas. For Cuba there are real benefits; tourists give the nation much needed hard currency but experts say there are real risks
for the regime going forward as it slowly opens up to the world.
CHRISTOPHER SABATINI, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: You're going to see a flood of tourism in a way that's going to make it very difficult for the Cuban
regime to control which makes it quite nervous.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: There you have it. A bit of a taste of what's changed in Cuba. This has been "The World Right Now" thanks for watching, I'm Hala Gorani, I'll
see you same time same place tomorrow. "Quest Means Business" is up next.
END
