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Hala Gorani Tonight
Heavyweight Politicians Spar Over Brexit; Fighting Intensifying Around Aleppo Despite Truce; Key Vote On Rousseff Impeachment Annulled In Brazil; Canada Blaze Has Burned 160,000 Hectares; Michel Platini Resigns As UEFA President; North Korea Kicks Out BB Reporter; BBC Reporter Expelled from North Korea; Trump Defends Remarks about Hillary Clinton; North Carolina LGBT Law; New Avenger Movie Debuts. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired May 09, 2016 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(HEADLINES)
HANNAH VAUGHAN JONES, CNN INTERNATIONAL GUEST ANCHOR: Hello. Good evening. I'm Hannah Vaughan Jones live from CNN London and this is THE
WORLD RIGHT NOW.
We begin tonight right here in the United Kingdom where the rhetoric is being ramped up ahead of next month's referendum on E.U. membership.
Earlier, David Cameron and Boris Johnson, two political heavyweights from the same party, but on very different sides of the argument laid out their
positions. Phil Black has more on what they had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In just 45 days, British people will head to the polls to cast the historic vote on whether to stay
in or get out of the E.U. As the clock counts down the war of words picks up.
Prime Minister David Cameron for the in campaign sets out the security argument saying peace in Europe could be threatened if Britain left the
E.U., and the U.K. would become weaker in the face of terrorists.
DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Can we be so sure that peace and stability on our continent are assured beyond any shadow of doubt? Is that
a risk worth taking? I would never be so rash as to make that assumption.
BLACK: For the leave camp, the former mayor of London, Boris Johnson, delivered his own speech, accusing his rivals of running scare stories and
slamming the E.U. for being a force of instability and alienation.
BORIS JOHNSON, FORMER MAYOR OF LONDON: I don't think the prime minister can seriously believe that leaving the E.U. would trigger war on the
European continent given that he was prepared only a few months ago to urge that people should vote leave if they failed to get a substantially
reformed European Union.
BLACK: The politicians may talk, but have the British people already made up their minds? Well, the stakes certainly could not be higher. The
latest polls show the race is very tight. Phil Black, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JONES: Today was day one of the six-week countdown now to that Brexit debate, that referendum, 23rd of June. It's going to be taking place here
in the United Kingdom. Both David Cameron and Boris Johnson, David Cameron, the British prime minister and Boris Johnson, the former mayor of
London, who some are saying is vying for Mr. Cameron's job in the long run.
They are both in the same party and both members of the Conservative Party and members of parliament for the Tory Party as well, but finding
themselves now on very different sides of this debate.
It's certainly going to be a very interesting one to see whether he -- well, which man is victorious in the run-up to that debate. Six weeks, as
I've said, they have been talking about security. That was the main thing they were talking about today.
Both of them looking to our military past, our history as well looking at Britain as an empire in the past, looking at two world wars as well,
whether we're safer in or out of the European Union.
Let's talk to Nic Robertson now, who is joining me in our studio to talk more about this. The two big figureheads, the big political heavyweights
in Britain going head to head now on this issue. Who do you think won the argument today?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: You know, somebody in the Conservative Party Office over the weekend said Boris Johnson is
excellent at cutting through the issues, but if you look at today, David Cameron lays out this big, bold, patriotic plan as he talks about it.
And Britain being a central plank and a necessary plank to the peace and security and stability of Europe, but Boris Johnson in the beginning of his
speech today talks about he compares the European Union, who he says European Union is trying to increase the bureaucracy.
And he says that's like the mafia saying that they are only interested in olive oil and real estate. By those words alone he equates the European
Union with a mafia, a negative in everyone's mind. That cuts through the message of who won?
Well, we won't know until the referendum happens, but who is the orator who can sway people? Boris showed us today that he has that, and I'll give you
another example there as well, because it was very telling. He talked about the issue of immigration which is a touchstone issue here.
He said the government has tried to promise us that there are tens of thousands of immigrants coming year over year. In fact, he said there's
hundreds of thousands of immigrants coming, they can't stop it and why don't they level with us.
[15:05:04]He said that's equivalent to the city the size of New Castle. That is so easy for people to understand that engagement. He simplifies
the issue.
JONES: Interesting as well that both men sort of drew on Britain's military history as well. It's the element of the fear factor I think,
which is so rife not just in British politics at the moment that we've seen it in the states as well. You can argue that it's happening there as well.
What is it about that need to scare people into voting to drive fear into them about the results of their decisions that is so necessary, it seems,
in our politics now?
ROBERTSON: Well, you can argue that it's necessary, and if you look at the recent British history. We could look at the mayoral elections just last
week. There the new incumbent, the mayor said that it was Zach Goldsmith who was running against him, said that he can't run -- that actually it was
Goldsmith's negative message of fear about Kahn that drove the voters more towards Kahn.
JONES: Talking about the fact that he's the first Muslim mayor.
ROBERTSON: And the people has been associated with a lot of negative connections were made to scare people, but they look at the Scottish
referendum where, again, it was the British government and David Cameron at the center of it that said to Scotland, look, we can't promise what's going
to happen next, and the economy is a key thing, and he made this argument today.
Again, it was, you know, the Scottish National Party, Nicholas (inaudible) and Alex (inaudible), who said that this is scare tactics coming from
Westminster but in that case the scare tactics won.
What is it in a way that politicians are trying to shake us out of our complacency, and why do they need to do that because people have become
bored with what politicians are saying, they don't trust what politicians are saying.
So now when you're confronted with these economic concerns and potential woes about the future you find people, as we do, we go out on the streets
and ask them, well, how do you know that we can believe them?
How do we know that we can trust them on these big issues so I think it's trying to break through the trust issue is part of it, contextualizing it
in this big way.
JONES: Nic, great to have you in the studio with me. Thanks very much indeed.
A new effort is under way to silence the guns in Syria. International diplomats are meeting in Paris to try to restore a partial ceasefire that
has all but collapsed, but while they are talking peace, thousands of kilometers from the battlefield, the war in some areas is only getting
worse.
(VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: Fighting is intensifying around the city of Aleppo despite a new truce for that city reached just days ago. The Syrian troops and their
allies clash with rebels today while warplanes launched new attacks around the nearby town.
Let's get the very latest now on the ground in Syria from Fredrick Pleitgen. He is live from the capital of Damascus for us. And Fred, while
these talks go on thousands of miles away and progress is seemingly being made on that front.
Of course, back in Syria, they are still struggling through nearly six years now of civil war so in reality, when they -- when people hear about
this so-called cessation of hostilities, is that really worth the paper that it's written on?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly, Hannah, there will be some people who say that it's not. If you
look at the situation in Aleppo over the past couple of days there has been a lot of fighting going on in that city.
There's been a lot of shelling of rebel-held areas by pro-government forces, but also the other way around. There has been a lot of shelling of
government areas from the other side as well, so there has been violence.
But on the whole, if you look at Aleppo, the situation there since there was a bilateral agreement between the United States and Russia seems to
have at least improved somewhat.
The latest that we're getting from people there on the ground, they say it's much more quiet than for instance it was around ten days to a week ago
when you literally saw hundreds of people killed on both sides in just a few days of fighting.
So it certainly seems to have decreased the fighting in some places. There's other places where the fighting has ceased all together, but on the
whole it doesn't appear as though Syria conflict in itself is anywhere near being resolved or that there's substantial progress that's being made.
So certainly in some respects, there are Syrians that we're speaking to are quite cynical about these efforts being made thousands of miles away from
the actual battlefield where things are going on -- Hanna.
JONES: Fred, I mentioned just a few moments ago that there has been a fighting in and around Aleppo and that the negotiators in Paris right now
were very proud to announce that there had been some sort of ceasefire for Aleppo, but yet we've seen violence erupt in and around the city over the
last couple of days.
In particular a number of Iranians killed by militants, and that just gives you an insight, I supposed, into just how many parties there are in the
battlefield in Syria right now.
[15:10:04]PLEITGEN: Yes, you're absolutely right. It's a very complicated mix of different factions, different factions on all sides of the equation,
if you will.
The rebels for their part, of course, really have a lot of different groups that are fighting, some of them Islamist, some of them moderate, some of
them the wing of al Qaeda and then, of course, you have ISIS itself as well.
Then on the pro-government side, you have Hezbollah and the Russians and you have the Iranians that is really interesting that you mentioned that
because what happened to the Iranians last Thursday into Friday was that they suffered the single greatest loss of life that they have ever
acknowledged since they have even said they are intervening in the Syria conflict.
They said 13 of their troops were killed on the ground in a massive assault by Islamist rebels even caught on drone footage with a large suicide attack
that the drone captured as well.
Thirteen Iranians killed there. There are also six apparently have been captured. Unclear what the Iranians will do next, but certainly we do know
that there were heavy air strikes in that region.
And it appears as though pro-Assad forces are now trying to take that town back. So certainly in that part of Syria it really doesn't look as though
any sort of cessation of hostilities seems to be working.
JONES: Fred, it's obviously nightfall that we can see behind you in this live shot, but I think a lot of people will be surprised that life seems to
be at least for some people in the capital city running along as normal. The capital city is still functioning as a city. Have you noticed a shift
in attitude amongst the residents of Damascus?
PLEITGEN: Yes, we certainly have, at least here in the government held part of Aleppo we certainly have. Since the cessation of hostilities has
been put in place it's really gotten a lot more calmer here in Damascus.
And there's a lot more people that are out on the streets really than at any time that we've seen here in the past four years that we've been coming
here.
And the interesting thing, not just the people going out but many of them are also bringing their children as well and people we've been speaking to
say, look, for the past five years we've all but been keeping our children inside because we were so afraid for their safety.
Now for the first time people are able to go out to shops, to restaurants and they really are doing that. Here's what we saw when we went around
Damascus.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PLEITGEN (voice-over): After a recent spike in fighting in Syria's brutal civil war at least in some parts of the country some respite. Residents
crowd cafes and restaurants in the government-held part of Damascus. One of several cities where limited crease fires have been agreed and put in
effect in recent days.
We were so concerned for our daughters, this man says. We wouldn't even let them leave the house but look now. We're taking them with us.
And this man adds things are so much better than before. I think local reconciliation like in some neighborhoods could be a solution.
Russia and the U.S. brokered ceasefires between government forces and many rebel factions in Damascus and the Latakia region due to last between 48
and 72 hours.
The truce has been extended to Aleppo as well where heavy fighting killed hundreds of civilians in the past two weeks including one of the
pedestrians in the rebel-held part of the city in a strike on a children's hospital.
Now, many Syrians hope that this new period of relative calm could last more than just a few days.
(on camera): Of course, people here are discussing the prospects of political reconciliation or longer term ceasefire but the majority of folks
that we spoke to here in the government-held part of Damascus say right now they are just enjoying this moment where they don't have to worry about
machine gunfire or mortars reigning down on their heads.
(voice-over): But in many places the civil war rages on. Dozens of pro- government and rebel-fighters were killed in heavy fighting outside Aleppo on Friday, and an Islamist group even filming the battle with a drone.
After five years of fighting many here say they are simply fed up with the violence.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My heart is, you know, broken when I hear and see what's happening there. Syria is -- everywhere is my country and
everywhere is, you know, my family.
PLEITGEN: Despite the current calm no side of Syria's civil war seems willing to back down leaving many to worry that the quiet here in Damascus
could be all too brief.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PLEITGEN: That's exactly one of the things that people say they are so frustrated about, Hannah. You know, we speak about the negotiations that
are going on far away from the battlefield.
Many Syrians here still believe that this is really a game of the great powers of this world that is playing with Syria and that the civilians here
are being crushed in the middle.
So while they are enjoying the fact that they have this calm here on the ground right now, many people here don't trust the fact that this is
something that will actually last -- Hannah.
JONES: Fred, thanks so much. Frederick Pleitgen there reporting live from Damascus, the Syrian capital, thank you.
[15:15:05]Let's turn our attention to Brazil and a stunning political about face. The interim speaker of the country's lower house has annulled an
April impeachment vote against the nation's President Dilma Rousseff, which adds another layer of uncertainty to Brazil's political crisis.
Just a few months ahead, of course, of the summer Olympics. Shasta Darlington joins me now live from Rio de Janiero to sort it all out for us.
Shasta, first it seems like she was gone and now it seems that the tiniest glimmer of hope that she might hang on in there. How significant is this
ruling?
SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Hannah, it really caught everybody off guard. Nobody expected it so even the politicians most
affected are scrambling to figure out what it means. At this point, it really looks like this is going to be short lived.
The speaker, this interim speaker in the Lower House of Congress, basically annulled last month's vote saying they are going to call a new involvement
the problem is that the legislators, they already voted overwhelmingly in favor of going ahead with an impeachment trial.
So a lot of the lawmakers there are already appealing to the Supreme Court. They are appealing to the plenary of the Lower House of Congress and even
to the Ethics Commission saying that this interim speaker simply doesn't have the authority to make this kind of decision.
And at the same time this -- this whole procedure had already really moved on to the Senate so we were expecting the Senate to vote this Wednesday on
whether President Dilma Rousseff has to step down and face an impeachment trial.
Well, at the Senate, they are saying they are going to go ahead with that vote. They are simply going to ignore this ruling. They are not going to
consider it legitimate. Things may change. This is in flux, but at this point really most of the players are trying to brush this aside -- Hannah.
JONES: OK. The cynics amongst us are saying they perhaps are delaying the impeachment after the crucial Summer Olympics. We'll have to leave it
there. Shasta Darlington, thank you so much.
Now as the fire in Canada rages on, there could be good news for firefighters. We'll bring you all the very latest from Alberta coming up.
And the latest twist in a scandal that rocked world football. The latest on UEFA President Michel Platini's ban from the game.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JONES: Hello. Welcome back to the program. There's a new development in the Philippines' presidential election. Grace Poe has just conceded to top
rival and frontrunner, Rodrigo Duterte. Duterte is leading the unofficial count after voting ended earlier on Monday.
He is a controversial figure. He sparked outrage around the world with his inflammatory jokes about rape and his vow to kill criminals. Official
election results aren't expected until early June.
Firefighters in Alberta, Canada, say their battles against a raging wildfire could soon turn a corner.
[15:20:02]Lower temperatures have helped slow down the fire, which is now heading towards sparsely populated areas, but the blaze remains completely
out of control and has destroyed more than 160,000 hectares of land.
CNN's Jessica Schneider joins us from Edmonton, which lies in the affected Alberta Province. Jessica, good to talk to you. How big of a respite do
you think could this lighter weather be for the exhausted firefighters who had to watch their own homes and their own communities go up in smoke?
JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, Hannah, this weather has definitely turned for the better. It's been a turning point. The cold
damp weather today, a far cry from what they saw last week, which was record-setting temperatures that scorched Northern Alberta.
So this is obviously welcome news and the firefighters out here feeling very optimistic. The temperatures this week, today in particular, in the
mid-50s, so that is definitely good for the firefighters out here.
But this blaze to be sure is still considered an out-of-control inferno. Firefighters say it's essentially zero percent contained, 400,000 acres are
being consumed by this fire, and about 90,000 residents have been displaced because of it.
But the colder temperatures and this wind that you're seeing out here, that has also turned the focus of the fire. It's now moving a bit eastward,
which is a good thing because that's away from the major population centers and it's more towards the dense forests of Saskatchewan.
Now, in terms of all those people who have been evacuated. I've talked with many of them here today at one of the shelters in Edmonton.
At this point, they are exhausted and they are uncertain and they are waiting for a bit more word about what's going to happen to them. Some of
them not even sure if their homes are still standing. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, hopefully everything is fine where we are and that our housing is fine and safe, and hopefully some sort of time frame is
due about they think they can get things moving in a forward direction and that right now it's just basically hour by hour and one foot in front.
Other trying to figure out where we're going and what we are doing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We feel bad for that. Don't know if we have that yet so who knows.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHNEIDER: So all of these people just waiting for word as to what comes next. The Alberta premier will be up in Fort McMurray today taking a look
at the situation and getting a status and seeing the devastation. At that point, people here hoping that they will have a bit more idea when they may
be able to get back up there -- Hannah.
JONES: Jessica Schneider, live for us in Edmonton in Canada, thank you so much.
Now, there is big news from the world of sports. The president of Europe's football governing body, Michel Platini, has resigned. He was banned along
with Sepp Blatter over a $2 million payment from FIFA.
Earlier the Court of Arbitration Board effectively rejected his appeal to overturn that ban though it was cut from six years down to four.
Let's go live to CNN Center and speak to World Sport's Don Riddell about this. Don, good to have you on the program. Michel Platini says he'll
fight what he calls an injustice against him. But is this really about UEFA or is this more about his bid for the FIFA presidency?
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: I think it's a bit of everything, Hannah. A profound injustice is how Michel Platini described it. This stings on so
many different levels for him.
Of course, he was hoping to be the next president of FIFA. That ship has already sailed, and until this whole thing blew up, he was very much the
frontrunner and many thought Platini would be a shoe-in for that position.
That's now not going to happen. The six-year ban being reduced to four doesn't help him either. I suspect he feels that the Court of Arbitration
(inaudible) has just rubbed salt into the wounds because a four-year ban still precludes him from running for the FIFA presidency in 2019.
And of course, amidst all of this, he's finally stepped down from his position as the president of UEFA. It leaves European football's governing
body without a figurehead for the very prestigious championships being played in France this summer.
Platini being a French man, of course, would have been very excited about effectively hosting such a major tournament in his home country. He is now
no longer going to be a part of that.
On so many different levels he's very, very annoyed and disappointed about the way things have played out today.
JONES: And what about the possibility of him being the comeback kid in four years' time? How damaged is his reputation amongst his peers? Could
he make some sort of a comeback?
RIDDELL: I think that's going to be very, very difficult. The Court of Arbitration for Sport upholding this ban that is going to rule him out from
being able to run in 2019, so I don't think he's going to make a comeback there.
I think it's very interesting. If you ask various people just how damaged is Michel Platini's reputation now, it really depends who you ask.
[15:25:05]There are still some corners of football administration that are rather murky, and if you ask those people they might argue that, you know
what, what Platini and Blatter have done is not a big deal. It's not that bad.
But if you speak to people who truly want to reform football and reform the world game they will tell you that Plantini is very much damaged goods and
there's really no way back for him into the global football administration.
JONES: Don, thanks very much. Don Riddell joining us on the program from CNN Center.
Still to come on THE WORLD RIGHT NOW, Donald Trump is not only defending his accusation that Hillary Clinton is playing the woman's card. He's
going a little further now saying she wouldn't be good for women if elected U.S. president.
And one U.S. state in a feud with one federal agency. We'll discuss the debate raging over states' rights and equality when it comes to public rest
rooms.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JONES: British politicians on both sides of the Brexit argument have been laying out their positions ahead of June's referendum. The Prime Minister
David Cameron told Britain the country will be safer and richer if it remains. Meanwhile, former London mayor, Boris Johnson, wants Britain to
leave saying the E.U. has, quote, "changed out of all recognition."
The Pentagon says it believes a coalition airstrike has killed a key ISIS leader in Western Iraq. The man known as the military emir of Anbar, Abu
Wahid (ph) was targeted last week in Anbar Province. The Pentagon now says the strike was successful.
The head of the Austrian government has resigned. His spokesman tells CNN that Chancellor Verner Fineman (ph) quit because his party performed poorly
in the presidential elections. Fineman has served as chancellor for nearly eight years.
International press organizations have condemned North Korea for kicking out a BBC reporter. The BBC says North Korean officials detained Rupert
Winfield (ph) Hayes and questioned him and made him sign a statement of apology. He's now in Beijing. Our Will Ripley is in Pyongyang and sent us
this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's been quite an eventful day here in the North Korean capital beginning with a surprise press conference. We
thought we'd be speaking with a North Korean government official, but instead we were told the North Korean authorities detained a BBC
correspondent just as he was about to board his flight out of the country.
Rupert Winfield (ph) Hayes and his crew were questioned by the North Koreans for eight hours, and the BBC says they were made to sign apology
letters before he was allowed to get on a flight to Beijing and leave the country being barred from ever entering again.
[15:30:00] At the airport he said he felt relieved. The reason North Korea says a series of reports that Winfield Hayes filed over the last week while
inside the country that they felt were highly disrespectful against their supreme leader, Kim Jong-un.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIPLEY: After that press conference we were told to put on suits and bring our passports and get on a bus, a small group of us. We thought perhaps we
were going to another press conference but instead we had an extensive security check that last 90 minutes. Then we were taken to the venue for
the Seventh Workers' Party Congress, the most significant political gathering in North Korea in 36 years.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RIPLEY: We were walked into the room where 5,000 party members were waiting for us, North Korean State T.V. was videotaping us and moments later the
leader, Kim Jong-un and his highest level leaders walked onto the stage for several minutes of thunderous applause and then they started reading off
the news that we were first to learn that Kim Jong-un who already has absolute power here in North Korea, has been given a bigger title, a new
title created just for him; Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea. It became very clear to me in that room with all of North Korea's ruling elite
and the most powerful figure in this country that he has a clear path forward to aggressively grow his nation's nuclear arsenal which he has
stated is his key priority.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNAH VAUGHAN JONES, HOST: That was CNN's Will Ripley reporting from Pyongyang, the North Korean capital.
Now we turn to U.S. politics. Donald Trump says it's retribution, that's his explanation for his attacks on Hillary Clinton for her husband's
infidelity.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: Today the presumptive U.S. Republican Presidential nominee defended calling Clinton a nasty mean enabler. He said she opened herself up to
those kinds of insults by using her gender to try to win votes. Clinton herself of course would strongly reject that accusation but here's what Mr.
Trump told CNN.
DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: She's playing the women's card to the hill. She is going -- I mean, I watched her over the weekend
and everything is about woman and Donald Trump raised his voice and, you know. It's all nonsense, and you know what, women understand it better than
anybody and watch how well I do with women when it counts, when the election comes. Watch how well. Nobody respects women more than Donald
Trump, and I'm going to take -- I will -- I will be better for women by a - - by a big factor than Hillary Clinton who frankly I don't even think will be good to women.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: Well, Trump is also speaking out about his very public rift with Paul Ryan. He says he was blind-sided when the Republican House Speaker
said he wasn't ready to endorse him. As Phil Mattingly reports party unity could be on the line when Trump and Ryan come face to face in just a few
days' time.
TRUMP: I'm going to do what I have to do. I have millions of people that voted for me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Donald Trump, upping the ante in his battle with the GOP, escalating tensions with house speaker Paul Ryan.
TRUMP: I will give you a very solid answer if that happens about one minute after that happens, OK?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Trump suggesting that if the nation's highest ranking Republican doesn't endorse him, the presumptive nominee may try to remove
Ryan as Chairman of the Republican National Convention.
TRUMP: I'd like to have his support but if he doesn't want to support me that's fine and we have to go about it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Former Vice Presidential nominee and top Trump supporter Sarah Palin going further pledging to help defeat Ryan in the race for his
Wisconsin seat.
SARAH PALIN, FORMER U.S. VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I think Paul Ryan is soon to be cantered as in Eric Cantor. His political career is over, but
for a miracle because he has so disrespected the will of the people.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Trump hinting he won't just go rogue with Ryan but with the entire party.
TRUMP: Does the party have to be together, does it have to be un-unified? I'm very different than everybody else perhaps that's ever run for office.
I actually don't think so.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Trump's fiery words setting the stage for a face to face meeting between Ryan on Thursday. As the GOP rift widens between those who
support him --
JAN BREWER, FORMER ARIZONA GOVERNOR: I would be willing to serve of in any capacity that I could be of help with Donald on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And those who don't.
TRUMP: Jeb Bush is not an honorable person. Lindsey Graham is not an honorable person.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some drawing a hard line vowing to skip the convention or not vote.
JOHN MCCAIN, U.S. SENATE REPUBLICAN: You have to listen to people that have chosen the nominee. I think it would be foolish to ignore them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Senator John McCain who once called Trump's statements "uninformed and indeed dangerous" says he'll now support him, with
conditions.
MCCAIN: I think it's important for Donald Trump to express his appreciation for veterans.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Others pressing feverishly for a third-party option, including one group, Conservatives against Trump. Their concern, that Trump
isn't conservative enough to care the party torch.
TRUMP: This is called the Republican Party. It's not called the Conservative Party.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This as Trump continues to change his tune on tax hikes for wealthy Americans.
TRUMP: I come up with the biggest tax cut by far of any candidate, anybody, and I put it the in. When it comes time to negotiate, I feel less concerned
with the rich than I do with the middle class.
[15:35:10]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And on minimum wage.
TRUMP: I like the idea of let the states decide, but I think people should get more.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: Well, turning to the Democrats and Hillary Clinton can't focus all her energy on countering Donald Trump because she still has to contend with
Bernie Sanders.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: Her Democratic rival addressed a cheering crowd in New Jersey today. He's hoping to keep his momentum alive with a win in West Virginia's
primary on Tuesday, but even so he would still be far behind Clinton's delegate lead. Clinton is meeting with supporters in Virginia today. A
clear sign she's already looking ahead to the general election in November. She easily won the state's primary back in March.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: Let's turn our attention now to another hot button issue in the United States. The rights of transgender people to access public bathrooms.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory announced just hours ago that the state is suing the U.S. Justice Department for challenging its recent
so-called bathroom bill. North Carolina became the first U.S. state in March to pass a law that would force transgender people to use public
bathrooms based on their biological sex, not on their current gender identity.
For more on this I'm going to bring in CNN's correspondent Martin Savidge who is covering all of these developments for us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: Martin just explain this for us, he want a clarification of what the federal law, is and he's also suing the government. Are they the same thing
or different?
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's pretty much the same thing. Essentially that happened here was that the Federal Department of Justice
had basically given the Governor of North Carolina and the state of North Carolina until today to change the so-called bathroom law.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: The Department of Justice had maintained that it was discriminatory, in other words, that transgender people could not go to the
bathroom which they now identify themselves with but instead under state law had to go to the bathroom in the one they were biological identified
with.
That discrimination the Federal Government says violates the very historic 1964 Civil Rights Act. North Carolina fired back and said that is such an
overreach of that very important law. They said that it does not apply to transgender and in fact transgender is not a protected class. Thereby the
law doesn't violate their rights, it doesn't violate anything.
Well the Department of Justice greatly disagrees with that. In fact, it's expected that the Attorney General of the United States is going to fire
back with their own suit against North Carolina.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: So essentially what started in a bathroom is going to end up in a courtroom but it could have far-reaching consequences in the United States.
JONES: And Martin, we are expected to hear from the Department of Justice very shortly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: I think we can bring up the live pictures at the moment from where a press conference is due to take place very soon. As you said, you think
that the Department of Justice may now respond with a countersuit against North Carolina.
Will there be any kind of clarification? Is there a way to just clarify what Federal Law, is or does that need to go through the courts first?
SAVIDGE: Well, I mean, North Carolina says that they need this kind of clarification. The Department of Justice says, no, you don't need
clarification. Discrimination is not allowed against anyone regardless of their sex or in this case transgender as they move from one sex to another.
And in fact in the suit that the Federal Government has now just filed against North Carolina, they say that North Carolina stigmatizes and
singles out transgender individuals seeking access to facilities resulting in their isolation and exclusion and perpetuates a sense that they are not
worthy or equal treatment and respect.
So, again, they say the law exists and that the law is clear. North Carolina is the one that says, no, that doesn't seem to really ring true
here. But what's behind all of this is billions of dollars, federal money that the state gets that the Federal Government is threatening to cut off
if North Carolina doesn't change its bathroom bill.
JONES: And is there any precedent then for a state in the United States successfully bringing a suit against the Federal Government?
SAVIDGE: In a case like this no. I mean, this one is unique because of the territory which is currently being talked about here; transgender and
bathrooms. But the United States would say it is not unique in the precedent of discrimination.
Discrimination has been something that the U.S. Government has been fighting against since the early 1950s and into the 1960s. And at first it
may have been about race but subsequently it's talked about gender, It's talked about national origin, It's talked about religion. And this is just
merely an extension of the age-old argument.
Some have said that North Carolina is merely fighting an argument it made back in the '50s and '60s when it was denying against African-Americans. In
this case they say it is just continuing a history of discrimination.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[15:40:12]
SAVIDGE: North Carolina says, that's not the case here. They're worried about situations of transgender people walking into the showers or changing
rooms of young women and young boys and worried about what those possibilities could bring. They are implying, of course, it could be
something unsavory. The Federal Government says you can't make that kind of a claim.
JONES: Martin, we have to leave it there. Thanks so much for explaining what all of this toing and froing is all about. Martin Savidge for us,
thank you.
SAVIDGE: You're welcome.
JONES: You're watching "The World Right Now."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: A commemoration and display of force. Russia celebrates World War II victory day. That's coming up next.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JONES: Welcome back. Well, we were talking a little bit earlier about the fractured Republican Party in the United States and, of course, Donald
Trump and whether he's going to do anything about that fracturing in his party.
We're going to get some perspective on this now from CNN's political commentator Jeffrey Lord who is a Donald Trump supporter. Jeffrey, thank
you so much for joining us on the program it's great to see you.
JEFFREY LORD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Thanks.
JONES: Let's talk about the rift within the GOP. How big a rift is it, and is it fixable? Does anyone on either side be it the Trump camp or indeed
the establishment even want to fix it?
LORD: Yes, I think it's a little less than meets the eye and I do think there are a lot of people that want to fix it.
I think Paul Ryan, to his credit wants to fix it. He's a pretty reasonable guy. I think he made -- both he and I worked for the late Jack Kemp.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LORD: And, you know, I -- I just think that he -- he probably made a mistake -- probably made a mistake, he made a mistake when it was pretty
clear that Donald Trump was going to be the nominee and he sort of hesitated here. He is the speaker of the house which in America makes him
the Head of the Legislative Branch of the Republican Party in the House of Representatives meaning a titular leader and with that comes a
responsibility to endorse the nominee. So I think he made a mistake. I think this will be corrected. They are going to meet on Thursday and I
think we'll get things ironed out.
JONES: But still talking about Paul Ryan as well, I mean, this is tricky, isn't it, for senate republicans looking ahead to their own seat of power
as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: Do you think that -- that the majority of them are likely to hold on to their seats if they go on the Trump ticket?
LORD: Oh, I think so. Sure. I mean one of the things that Donald Trump has done, and I used to work for Ronald Reagan, it's not unlike what Reagan
did, he brought a lot of Democrats and independents into the Republican fold. And that's what's happening with Donald Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LORD: And when you bring that kind of a surge in, when Reagan ran in 1980, he won the Republican senate for the first time in almost a quarter of a
century because all of these folks came in to vote for him and they voted for those down ballot. I think that can happen again.
[15:45:03]
JONES: Donald Trump, is, of course, the party nominee.
There are more and more Republicans, senior Republicans said they cannot support him, they won't even attend possibly the party convention. With
that in mind do you think that a contested convention is still a possibility?
LORD: No, no. Mathematically he's -- he's going to be there. I mean, he has no opposition left inside the party. All of his 16 competitors have now
dropped out of the race. It's just not possible mathematically to do this. You would have to have a real candidate who's got serious delegates, and
the closest they came was Senator Cruz and he finally had to give up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: And I suppose the one thing -- well, the big factor that is on Trump's side at the moment is that he's certainly getting the air time and
the media coverage as well. So the Clinton camp must be quite worried, I would have thought, about the fact that she's just not getting as much
coverage for her campaign and going into a general election that's got to work to the Republican advantage.
LORD: Well it does. And you know one of the interesting things. Donald Trump is a cultural figure here, a media superstar, and this was before he
ran for President. He says yes to just about every press request that comes into him. Hillary Clinton famously is -- she's been around for a long time
but she hates this stuff.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LORD: And she and her campaign frequently turn people down for interviews, and -- and frankly his Republican opponents had the same problem, so if
you're going to do that, you're not going to get the kind of coverage that you do if you just say yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: Jeffrey, just returning now, again, to this Paul Ryan meeting which is going to take place in a couple of days' time. Donald Trump doesn't
strike me anyway as a fan of compromise, but is there still something that he needs from the Republican establishment? Does he need Paul Ryan in any
way?
LORD: Well, he is the guy who wrote "The Art of the Deal." He does like to compromise, he does like to negotiate, but he's very famous for staking out
a position and getting the other guy to come towards his direction before he says yes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LORD: So, sure, he wants the Republican Party -- any nominee wants the Republican Party apparatus in all 50 states with all of the political
support that that means down to the precinct level, the local level. So, sure, there are things here that he's going to want, so, yes, absolutely,
and I think he can do this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: Fantastic to talk to you. Jeffrey Lord there, we appreciate your perspective there from Pennsylvania. Thank you.
LORD: Thanks, Hannah.
JONES: Now, Russia is celebrating the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II and taking the opportunity to showcase some of its
most impressive weapons. Matthew Chance is in Moscow for Victory Day.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: On Victory Day, Russia celebrates the glories of its wartime past. It lost tens of millions
of people in the Second World War, and every year on May the 9th it commemorates that sacrifice on Red Square. National pride and patriotism
carefully nurtured by the Kremlin and President Putin is front and center.
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT: (As translated) This is both state and a very personal family holiday. It has become a symbol of a sacred relation
of Russia and its people and this unity, devotion to fatherland, is a core of our strength, confidence and dignity.
CHANCE: And it is Russian's strength on display. The Kremlin has invested billions of dollars modernizing its military, building a force capable of
waging wars in both Syria and Ukraine, sending a message to the West it has a potent fighting force. For many Russians it's now a worthy successor to
the Red Army that helped defeat Nazi Germany 71 years ago.
"We're proud of our history and of Russia," says this father. "We want our children to love our country just like we do" he says.
CHANCE: "We will always carry this pride for our country," says this man, "and always be proud of being Russian."
The biggest cheer comes for these intercontinental ballistic missiles parading through the streets of central Moscow today on this Victory Day
2016. This is about commemorating the past and the millions of people who died in what Russians call the great patriotic war, the Second World War to
everybody else. But it's also about celebrating Russia's military presence and its technological advancements of today.
Despite all the hardware on display, Russia's military spending is nowhere close to that of the United States, just 7%. And as its actions in Syria
and Ukraine have shown what Russia has it's prepared to use.
Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[15:50:10]
JONES: Stay with us on the program. Coming up, Marvel's latest installment, "Captain America Civil War" is already a record-breaking blockbuster.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: We'll tell you how much it's slaying the competition next.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JONES: Marvels superhero showdown between Captain America and Ironman is dominating box offices around the world.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: There you have it, "Captain America Civil War" hit theaters over the weekend, and from the looks of the Box Office Captain America won this
fight.
The movie topped "Iron Man 3's" debut by collecting almost $182 million in just three days.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: The movie has made more than $678 million globally, a huge success for Disney and its marvel brand. Disney films now make up four of the top
five openings in box office history.
Well let's go straight to CNN Money's Frank Pallotta, who's live for us in New York. Frank, nearly $700 million globally, how big a coup is this for
Disney?
FRANK PALLOTTA, CNN MONEY CORRESPONDENT: It is one of their biggest franchises, and it's the franchise that's kind of carried them at the
movies for the last couple of years.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PALLOTTA: As you said, it almost -- it almost got to $700 million globally, and that includes $181 million in the United States and 95 million, in the
second biggest market in the world which is China. It's just superheroes sell and it doesn't matter where it is. Everybody loves Captain America,
everybody loves Ironman and everybody really loves Marvel, especially at the movies.
JONES: And does Disney have the monopoly on superhero movies overall and their sequels for that matter, or are there any other companies in the
running?
PALLOTTA: No, there's other companies in the running, there's D.C. and Warner Brothers which like CNN is owned by Time Warner.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PALLOTTA: And they put out "Batman vs. Superman" a couple months ago which has nearly gotten to $1 billion worldwide, it was the biggest March release
ever in the United States. And, I mean, you can't go wrong with Batman and Superman, but the problem with Batman and Superman was that the movie
wasn't really good. It didn't do very well in terms of acclaim. The difference is is that Captain America and Ironman and Civil War, that
brought in over 90% review scores with both critics and viewers who gave it an "A" when they went to go see it. Which means it will probably have a
little bit longer of a shelf life.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PALLOTTA: Superheroes' tendency - have a tendency to live a bit longer than us regular folks.
JONES: They do but the actors don't necessarily. Captain America and Ironman aren't exactly getting any younger so who's the future?
[15:55:05]
PALLOTTA: Well like you said, Ironman and Captain America are timeless characters. Unfortunately, Chris Evans at 34 and Robert Downey Jr. at the
nice young age of 51 playing Ironman are not forever young. So Disney really needed to introduce some new characters in this film and do so in a
way that pleased films. And I have say they did an incredibly well job introducing black panther played by Chad Bostwick and spider-man. Spider-
man became a part of the Marvel cinematic universe after spending years at Sony Pictures Entertainment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PALLOTTA: Now both studios are kind of converging to work together and Tom Holland who played Spider-Man has not only got a bunch of critical acclaim,
and as Spider-Man he was pitch perfect. But he's 19, he's only 19 years old so he's going to carry this franchise for at least another decade.
JONES: OK. Frank, you have to be honest for us now, which camp are you in, are you on Captain America's side or Ironman?
PALLOTTA: I'm Team Captain America. I'm in New York City right now. I'm literally wearing red and blue. I'm Captain America. I have the shield
upstairs by my desk. I'm not playing around. It's Captain America.
JONES: That's -- that might be too much information, but we appreciate it anyway. Frank Pallotta, thanks so much for joining us on the program.
PALLOTTA: Thank you.
JONES: And finally, the most intense political fight of the century is on. We're talking about the hit HBO show "Game of Thrones" of course. Millions
of viewers have followed the story of people fighting to sit on the iron throne. Now our top political team is breaking down the battle for
Westeros.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Let's not forget this. Way up here, way up here, up in Castle Black, right? You ready for this, unconfirmed reports,
still unconfirmed, but John Snow possibly rising from the dead.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Unconfirmed reports, but if he has been resurrected that could really change the landscape of the politics of
Westeros. Look out, there's a dire wolf coming.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, guys, what the hell are you talking about?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: Absolutely. What are they talking about? You can though watch the rest of Jake Tapper and John King's "Game of Thrones" segment and you can
find that at cnnpolitics.com.
Thanks so much for joining me on the program. This has been "The World Right Now." "Quest Means Business" is up next.
END
