Return to Transcripts main page
Connect the World
U.S. Athlete Hope Solo Has Doubts About Attending Rio Olympics; Visiting Israeli Kibbutz That Might Have Inspired Bernie Sanders; Red Carpet for President el-Sisi Enrages Some in Egypt; U.S. Presidential Candidates Move on to South Carolina, Nevada. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired February 10, 2016 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:11] LYNDA KINKADE, HOST: Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders triumphant in New
Hampshire. We'll tell you what the primary results mean for the race for the White House. A live report from the Granite State coming up.
Also ahead inside Syria, an exclusive report from Aleppo as government forces close in many on rebel-held parts of the city.
And rolling out the red carpet, but not for a movie premier. Find out why this carpet caused such an uproar in Egypt.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is Connect the world.
KINKADE: Hello, I'm Lynda Kinkade.
Well, some have called them outsiders in the race for the White House, but after their first place finishes in the New Hampshire primary, Republican
Donald Trump and Democrat Bernie Sanders certainly can't be called outsiders anymore.
Let's begin with Donald Trump who is widely criticized for a vulgar term he repeated at a campaign rally. But it didn't seem to hurt the Republican in
New Hampshire.
Trump told NBC News that he was just having a good time. And he's certainly celebrating now.
Sara Murray reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: New Hampshire, I want to thank you. We love you. We're going to be back a lot. We're not going to
forget you. You started it.
SARA MURRAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Donald Trump exhilarated after crushing his GOP rivals by more than 50,000 votes.
TRUMP: We are going to make America so great again, maybe greater than ever before.
MURRAY (voice-over): Boasting amid record Republican turnout about how he pulled off his big win after a disappointing loss in Iowa.
TRUMP: I think the ground game was very strong. And I tell you, we really focused on it after Iowa. You know, the ground game was not something I was
extremely familiar with but I learned quickly.
MURRAY (voice-over): The other big winner of the night, second-place finisher Ohio governor John Kasich.
GOV. JOHN KASICH (R), OHIO: If you don't have a seat belt, go get one.
MURRAY (voice-over): Kasich taking pride in running a positive campaign in a field of sharp elbows.
KASICH: Tonight the light overcame the darkness of negative campaigning.
MURRAY (voice-over): Meanwhile the winner of the Iowa caucuses, Ted Cruz, in a dead heat for third with Jeb Bush.
JEB BUSH, FORMER GOVERNOR OF FLORIDA, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This campaign is not dead. We're going on to South Carolina.
MURRAY (voice-over): As Marco Rubio suffered a bruising fifth-place finish.
SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), FLA., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I know many people disappointed, I'm disappointed with tonight.
MURRAY (voice-over): Even admitting his rocky debate performance was likely to blame.
RUBIO: Our disappointment tonight is not on you. It's on me. It's on me. I did not do well on Saturday night, so listen to this. That will never
happen again.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: On the Democratic side, the win by Bernie Sanders in New Hampshire was a big wakeup call to Hillary Clinton.
Here's Jeff Zeleny with that wrap up.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A victory lap for Bernie Sanders.
SANDERS: The people of New Hampshire have sent a profound message to the political establishment to the economic establishment and by the way to the
media establishment.
ZELENY: And a profound message to Hillary Clinton, who is no longer the undisputed Democratic front runner. A commanding across the board win for
Sanders among women, young voters and independents. Riding a wave of discontent at politics as usual.
SANDERS: The people want real change.
ZELENY: The Clinton campaign had predicted a loss in New Hampshire and they got one, even bigger than they feared.
Supporters masked their frustration with cheers.
HILLARY CLINTON, FRM. U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: My goodness, I don't know what we'd have done tonight if we'd actually won.
ZELENY: It's a new day in the Democratic primary fight. Sanders will suddenly draw more scrutiny as the battle with Clinton intensifies.
SANDERS: They are throwing everything at me except the kitchen sink and I have the feeling that kitchen sink is coming pretty soon.
ZELENY: As the race moves to Nevada and South Carolina, Sanders vowed to build on his growing movement, but it's an open question whether he can
find the same appeal in a diverse electorate of black and Hispanic voters.
SANDERS: What began last week in Iowa with voters here in New Hampshire confirmed tonight is nothing short of the beginning of a political
revolution.
ZELENY: A humbling and frustrating moment for Clinton, but she made clear she's been down that road before.
CLINTON: I know I've had a blessed life. But I also know what it's like to stumble and fall, and we have learned it's not whether you get knocked
down that matters, it's whether you get back up.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, following the campaign trail for us is Mark Preston, executive editor for CNN politics. Good to have you with us, Mark.
He joins us from Manchester in New Hampshire.
Mark, Donald Trump, billionaire, and Bernie Sanders, a socialist, are miles apart when it comes to political ideology, but both seem to be tapping into
a similar vein: ager, people fed up with the status quo.
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICS EDITOR: You know what, you're absolutely right. We're talking about two
outsiders with absolutely different political ideologies. You have the capitalist in Donald Trump talking about how he's going to make America not
just great again, but so great again and how he's been such a good businessman.
On the other side you have Bernie Sanders who is basically talking about handing the citizens of the United States pitch forks to charge on
Washington and to change things.
But that's the keyword here right now with these two candidates: change.
Unbelievable amount of frustration amongst folks here in the U.S. because of the economy. Even though it is getting better, people are still feeling
the pain here. You walk along the streets of Manchester here in New Hampshire or Iowa where we were a few weeks ago. As
we head down to South Carolina, the economy is still something that folks are hoping and really want it to see get better, Lynda.
KINKADE: And Mark, when we heard Trump give his victory speech last night, he seemed quite humble thanking all his family and thanking the voters in
New Hampshire. And he said he took lessons from Iowa and improved his ground campaign.
What will that mean for him going forward and will they continue to work?
PRESTON: Well, it remains to be seen.
I've got to tell you coming out of Iowa into New Hampshire, we had one narrative on this campaign, that there would be three people basically that
would be really viable to move on from New Hampshire. It was going to be Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Donald Trump.
But after last night where we saw this field of eight or nine really collapse to only about
five, we don't really know what's going to work down in South Carolina. Donald Trump has his populist edge on him, certainly backing him. We have
Marco Rubio, who a lot of establishment folks were hoping would do well here in New Hampshire. He did poorly. And of course you have Jeb Bush,
you know, the namesake of -- really bringing on the family tradition of two former presidents and John Kasich who came out of nowhere, the Ohio
governor.
So, how this plays out over the next couple weeks really remains to be seen. It is really going to be quite a show to see here in South Carolina,
Linda.
KINKADE: And you mentioned Marco Rubio's performance. He came in fifth. Obviously, the establishment, the Republican establishment, have been
behind him. What would they be doing today had he done better?
PRESTON: Well, so interestingly enough, I was here in New Hampshire about three or four weeks ago when I was talking to all the campaigns. And they
thought basically what would happen is that at this moment in time, phone calls would be being made all across the spectrum to these centrist
candidates -- Jeb Bush, John Kasich, Chris Christie, Marco Rubio, with the idea of who did not do
well enough, they would try to get that person out of the race to try to consolidate that centrist establishment support.
However, Marco Rubio really having a terrible night during a debate on Saturday night really
caused this whole pile up now in this centrist lane. So, we're not seeing that happen, but we will see perhaps today we're being told is that Chris
Christie will suspend his campaign or all indications are that he will suspend his campaign because he performed so poorly in New
Hampshire and really sees no path forward.
But we still have three people left: Jeb Bush, John Kasich and Marco Rubio, Lynda.
KINKADE: Yeah, still a pretty packed field there. Now, looking at the Democrats, Bernie
Sanders secured a great deal of support from young people, and females in particular. Going forward, what does Hillary Clinton have to do to tap
into those voters?
PRESTON: Well, they have to shake up their campaign and their messaging and what their strategy is going to be to make her campaign reach out to
younger women. Really what it comes down to this, older women want to see Hillary Clinton, older Democratic women, want to see Hillary Clinton become
president. It's historic for them. In their lifetime, they want to see that happen.
And you're not seeing that with younger women. They have a longer road ahead, and don't see it as important to see Hillary Clinton be the first
woman president. It could be somebody else down the road.
What Hillary Clinton has to do is really make overtures now to these younger women and really
try to get them on board. If she continues to lose those, that will be problematic for her as she battles Bernie Sanders for this nomination.
KINKADE: She certainly, though, has in her favor a more support from African-Americans and Hispanic voters. Will that work for her in the next
primary?
PRESTON: Well, certainly in South Carolina it will and maybe Nevada, although Nevada is a little bit of a different situation. It has a very
large Hispanic population, but it's unclear how many Hispanics will come out and actually vote in Nevada caucus.
But in South Carolina, yes. I mean, she's expected to do very well down there just like Bernie
Sanders did very well here in New Hampshire where there's a small African- American population.
So, Bernie Sanders himself, while Hillary Clinton is trying to shore up support with younger voters and younger white women, Bernie Sanders needs
to do the same with African-Americans.
KINKADE: Mark Preston, great to have your analysis on all of that. Thanks for joining us from New Hampshire, we appreciate it.
And we will have more politics for you in less than 20 minutes right here on Connect the World.
But first, we get an exclusive look at what life is like in one of the most dangerous places on Earth. A special report from the Syrian city of
Aleppo.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: You're watching CNN. And this is Connect the World. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Welcome back.
Recent violence around the Syrian city of Aleppo has killed at least 500 people, that's according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which
monitors the conflict. There's been heavy fighting in the area as government forces advance on rebel-controlled areas backed by Russian air
power.
The violence has forced tens of thousands of people from their homes, many are gathered at the
border with Turkey.
This latest government offensive is just part of a protracted five-year conflict that we've been covering in-depth for you from various angles.
CNN's Frederik Pleitgen has gained exclusive access to Aleppo where people are continuing on with their lives despite the destruction around them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We are right in the heart of Aleppo. This is the Jemaliya (ph) area and it's actually
fairly close to the frontline. But it's also one of the main places held by the Syrian government.
Now as you can see in this area, there are a lot of products that are actually available. Food, a lot of other products as well.
However, the people here, it is very, very difficult for them. There's almost no electricity. Most of it comes from generators. And of course,
because we're so close to the frontline, there is also shelling here. And it's quite dangerous for the folks who live here.
"I believe we've already endured about 80 percent of the hardship," this man says, "and I hope the remaining 20 percent will end soon." "The
situation is very tough right now," he adds, "but we are steadfast and we believe the power will be on the correct side."
And this man says, "We have had very tough times, but thanks to the victory of the army, we have survived these hard times."
Aleppo is currently the key battleground in Syria's Civil War. The Syrian government under President Bashar al-Assad has started a brutal offensive
in this part of the country, also of course, backed by Russian air power and pro-Iranian militias as well.
And they believe that if they're able to deal a crushing blow to the rebels in this part of Syria, that they could decide the Syrian Civil War for
themselves. Of course, that still is unclear.
They don't know how solid their gains are at this point or whether or not the rebels might try to launch a counterattack, but at this point in time,
Aleppo is certainly one of the toughest battle grounds in the Civil War that's been going on for about five years.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Aleppo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[11:15:32] KINKADE: And as we have been hearing, Aleppo is a major prize in the Syrian conflict. Head to CNN.com for more of our special coverage
and analysis including this piece by Tim Lester explaining why Aleppo matters and how recent events are symbolic of
a worsening of the Syrian crisis.
Japan has announced fresh sanctions against North Korea. That's in response to Pyongyang's
recent range rocket launch. Meanwhile, South Korea says it will suspend operations at the Kaesong industrial complex, a joint facility between the
two nations.
On Sunday, Pyongyang said it launched a satellite into orbit. Many countries believe that
launch was a front for a ballistic missile test.
Ivan Watson has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're continuing to cover the fallout from North Korea's controversial rocket launch, which attracted
condemnation from governments around the world.
A U.S. defense official tells CNN that the satellite that North Korea shot into space, it stabilized briefly but it now appears to be tumbling out of
control, which presumably would prevent it from carrying out the functions that North Korea says it is supposed to carry out, which is to be an Earth
observation satellite.
In the meantime, the U.S. director of national intelligence has published his annual world threat assessment. And in that report, he announced that
North Korea appears to have followed through on a previous threat to expand a nuclear enrichment facility and begin production there.
James Clapper says that North Korea could begin production of plutonium within a matter of
months, if not weeks.
Meanwhile, earlier on Wednesday Japan announced a series of sanctions designed to punish
North Korea for its rocket launch. Among them is a new ban on North Korean vessels from entering
Japanese ports or for any ship at all to enter Japan that has previously stopped in North Korea.
Japan is also just going to stop travel for North Korean passport holders completely to Japan.
And South Korea has announced that it is shutting down completely a joint North and South Korean industrial complex along the demilitarized zone just
inside North Korean territory. South Korea says that the rocket launch as well as a purported hydrogen bomb test by North Korea a little more than a
month ago proved that North Korea cannot be entrusted to earn an estimated $120 million a year from the Kaesong Industrial Complex. Relations between
these two neighbors always very, very difficult continue to deteriorate.
Ivan Watson, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: In Taiwan, prosecutors are questioning a developer over the collapse of a 17-story tower following a powerful earthquake that struck on
Saturday.
The former chairman of the defunct company, which built the tower was arrested on Tuesday along with two other former executives. They face
charges of professional negligence resulting in death.
At least 40 people were killed in the earthquake, and more than 100 people are still believed to be trapped in the ruins.
In Iran, the grandson of Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, has lost his appeal and will be banned from running in an
upcoming election.
Hassan Khomeini wanted to run for a position on the senior clerical body, the Assembly of Experts. It's the only authority that can appoint or
remove the supreme leader.
The candidates are heavily vetted to minimize dissent. Hassan Khomeini is seen as a moderate cleric linked to the reformist movement in Iranian
politics.
Officials in Germany are still looking for the third data recorder following Tuesday's head on train collision in Bavaria. It could help them
determine how the trains ended up on the same track headed directly towards each other.
At least 10 people were killed in the crash, which is one of the worst disasters there in years.
Our Atika Shubert has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The mangled wreckage of the commuter trains both completely derailed in the head-on collision. It
happened just before 7:00 a.m. during rush hour. The trains were traveling at a top speed of 120 kilometers an hour. Transport officials say drivers
on both trains were unable to see the other as they traveled around a bend on a single track line.
ALEXANDER DIBRINDT, GERMAN TRANSPORT MINISTER (through translator): It is shocking that the two trains became wedged. One of the trains drilled into
the other one. And the cab on the second train was totally torn apart.
SHUBERT: Police arrived within three minutes of getting the emergency call. The Wooded, mountainous area on the Austrian/German border was
difficult to reach. More than a dozen helicopters were needed to airlift survivors out.
This was the first accident for private train operator Meridian. Investigators will comb through the data recorders from the train looking
at two lines of inquiry, whether it was an issue on board the trains, human error, or technical malfunction or with the state-run rail infrastructure,
a possible signal failure.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Usually there is automatic systems automatically stop the trains when you pass by the signal. That's why we don't know what
happened. We assume that those the signals were green, but with he don't know yet.
On our train, there have been two train drivers each. We had a train driver, but a train driver instructor (ph) on the train. So usually not
two people miss a red light.
And then the automatic braking system doesn't work. So we really don't know yet exactly yet what has happened.
SHUBERT: This is the worst train accident in Germany in many years. The trains, however, were not as full as they normally would be due to a school
holiday and the annual Carnival separation.
Atika Shubert, CNN, Berlin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Live from CNN's world headquarters, this is Connect the World. Coming up, two U.S. presidential candidates both sons of Cuban immigrants.
We'll head to Cuba to learn more about the backgrounds of Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio.
Also ahead, a recipe for success. The entrepreneur whose home made beauty products are cooking up a storm in Africa.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE
AMIR DAFTARI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Whipping, whisking, pouring, and mixing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is my sister Tasha (ph), my other sister Sandra. They will be helping me.
DAFTARI: These women are passionate about cooking.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's got to be made with love. We like to say we're handmade
with love.
DAFTARI: But nothing here can be eaten. In this kitchen, they are creating a beauty brand.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It began out of frustration. We don't have at lot of hair products or even skin products that are targeted towards Afro textured
hair, or the African skin.
DAFTARI: Charlene Kentaro (ph) saw a gap in the market and took matters into her own hands.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And so I started to explore with Shea butter and cocoa butter and these things that are grown in my country and that's how
the good hair collection was born.
DAFTARI: The birth of this organic beauty brand wasn't easy. It was a case of trial and error.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I went on to YouTube and I read a couple chemists' blogs and
figured out a recipe and quantity that would work.
DAFTARI: And then, of course, there's working with family.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They all work hard on occasion.
They are a great team, sometimes.
DAFTARI: Team at the ready, products in place, Charlene's (ph) next move was to
go to market. She opened her first store in 2015.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are trying to keep our costs reasonably low so that the price can also be, you know, reasonably affordable.
Not having a very strong business background, I had to learn a lot on the job. And it's really opened my eyes and opened my mind to doing business
not just in Uganda, but in Africa.
The organic cocoa butter.
[11:25:19] DAFTARI: Making her own products, creating a brand, opening a retail space, all within two years.
You'd think that would be it for this young entrepreneur, but you'd be wrong.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We don't just make the products and put them out there, we teach Ugandan women about hair care and styling and we give them
the tools, but also the techniques to love their hair and take care of it.
We would just like to be on every counter in every bathroom not just in Uganda, in Africa, in Europe, in -- like I said, everyone that has skin and
hair, that's where we want to be.
DAFTARI: Lofty goals for a company that started in a kitchen. But as the good hair collective has already proved, small means can lead to big
ambitions.
Amir Daftari, CNN, Kampala.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(HEADLINES)
KINKADE: There are growing fears over the threat of the Zika virus and the Olympics in Brazil this year. U.S. football star goalie Hope Solo says she
would consider skipping the games under the current circumstances.
The virus has been linked to birth defects in new born babies.
Nick Paton Walsh is following this story and join us now live from Rio de Janeiro.
Nick, U.S. Olympic Committee says that if athletes and staff are concerned about the Zika virus
they should consider not going to Rio. Now we see this world famous soccer player saying she might boycott the games.
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly an iconic female sportswoman, yes, making a statement in an interview with
Sports Illustrated in which she said, "if I had to make the choice today, I wouldn't go to the Olympics. I would never take the risk of having an
unhealthy child."
She goes on to say, "we accept these particular choices being part -- as part of being a woman, but I do not accept being forced into making the
decision between competing for my country and sacrificing the potential health of a child."
The the dilemma, I think, facing many now clearly in the open, clearly being discussed, the USOC, the U.S. Olympic Committee a statement shortly
afterwards saying there was no real suggestion that large numbers of their athletes weren't going to be going, that they still all intended to compete
and be here.
I think statements like that from high profile sportswomen like Hope Solo, you know, a very iconic figure, really, will encourage this debate to
continue and highlight the uncertainty, too, because we know so little about the virus at this stage, about how long, potentially, women who have
been infected by it could end up being -- putting their pregnant unborn children at risk, that's a lot of medical information that is, frankly, not
clear at this stage. And that's what's breeding the uncertainty and that's what putting potentially a shadow over the Olympics in August, Lynda.
[11:31:20] KINKADE: And Nick, there were reports that Kenya, known for having some of
the world's best runners, would withdraw from the Olympics. But now we're learning that's not the case.
WALSH: Absolutely. The head of the National Olympic Committee of Kenya said they wouldn't -- if Zika, for example, got to an epidemic level, they
wouldn't risk Kenyans necessarily competing there.
Now, there's a flurry of activity after that statement saying, you know, potentially he was quoted out of context, but now we are getting clearer
signals from Kenyan officials that they want, obviously, to partake.
Here's what one of them said a couple days ago, just yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIOCHOGE KEINO, KENYAN OLYPIC COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: (inaudible) they are preparing (inaudible). Also, any decision is in (inaudible). But to me, I
think they it is going to be clear by the Brazilian organizing committee and the government of Brazil will take.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALSH: Now, obviously of course Kenya bringing so many long and middle distance runners to an event like that. And I think what you're seeing
here with these different comments is an acceptance that Zika is deeply troubling disease, one the consequences of which are not fully well known
and people are trying to work out quite what that would mean for their health were they to come here.
Now, of course, the Brazilian government is doing everything it can in the weeks ahead to get rid of the mosquito breeding grounds where potentially
we could the virus expand here inside of Rio. We are just coming out of the end of the Carnival here where frankly that virus was the last thing on
anybody's mind.
And it will be a test case as to how that virus was proliferated here in Rio during that period of time where people were out at dusk not covering
themselves in repellent. As I say totally unmindful about the potential risk to their health.
But we are into a period of uncertainty here, and it's frankly down to Brazilian officials, world health organization officials, anyone who really
can get rid of that sense of uncertainty to bring an atmosphere around the Olympics here in Rio, which means people can attend without that sort of
sense of uncertainty and fear that it could in the long-term impact their health, Lynda.
KINKADE: OK, Nick Paton Walsh following those developments in Rio, thank you very much.
Returning to New Hampshire. And Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump are celebrating their wins in Tuesday's primary. But just how accurate is this
primary in predicting who actually wins the White House? Tom Foreman gives us some historical perspective.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here are all the Democratic winners of the New Hampshire primary since 1976. And we're going to subtract from this
all of the presidents who were in office trying to hold on to the job.
And we wind up with seven people out there. Out of these seven who won in New Hampshire, how many became the party nominee? Just Jimmy Carter, Mike
Dukakis, Al Gore, and John kerry, just four of them. And out of those four, only one went on to become the president, and that was Jimmy Carter.
What about the Republican side? Is it different or better than there? Well, let's lay them out since 1976. Once again, we subtract all of them
who were in office just trying to hold on, and that brings us down to seven. And again, if we say how many of these New Hampshire winners became
the party nominee, we get four. Once more Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, John McCain, and Mitt
Romney. And out of them, of course, only two actually became the president.
So for all of this talk about momentum and early leads, this really is just one step along the way to the presidency in New Hampshire here. And it's
not a guaranteed step at all.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[11:35:08] KINKADE: Some great graphics there.
Well, with New Hampshire in the rear view mirror, many of the candidates have already hit
the ground to campaign in South Carolina ahead of the next primary. We'll show you some live pictures now from that region. Jeb Bush is at a rally
in Lufton, South Carolina. And that's where we will find Victor Blackwell.
Victor, there is a block of Republicans that trail far behind Trump. John Kasich, who came in second in New Hampshire with less than half the support
of Trump. And then Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio. Who out of that middle pack will stand out in South Carolina?
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it depends on the demographic that performs well or shows up at the polls ten days from now. Let's start
now with Jeb Bush, who is speaking here in Bluffton. His case to the voters here that he has the
best temperament and the strongest credentials to be commander-in-chief.
His supporter, former opponent, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham in the introduction today really played on that narrative for him as well.
I also understand there's a Ted Cruz event making a big play for evangelicals across this state.
Third place finisher in New Hampshire where there are very few, if any, evangelicals, Christian conservatives self-identified there. That will be
the group with which he promotes his narrative.
We also know that John Kasich, who came in second, worked hard, 102 town halls across that
state. But the competitors campaign say that he had a one-state strategy. They believe that he does not have the finances, does not have the
infrastructure to do well here in South Carolina. That is why the Jeb Bush campaign is optimistic moving forward.
KINKADE: And Victor, many analysts say that Donald Trump does better in a bigger field. Given that there was no strong runner up in New Hampshire,
does that give Trump a pretty clear road ahead to South Carolina?
BLACKWELL: Well, that was the expectation in Iowa when the field was even larger than it is now. But in Iowa he came in second place behind Ted
Cruz.
I mean, of course, the establishment lane is still crowded with Governor Bush, with Governor Kasich, Senator Rubio as well. As long as they are
splitting that vote, and there has not been one candidate around which they have coalesced, that will be separated.
And the outsiders will -- ousider campaigns, Cruz and Donald Trump, will split that vote. But we'll see if he's able to hold on to what has been a
double digit lead for some time here in South Carolina.
KINKADE: And Victor, looking at the Democrats, this state it seems -- it will be a big test, I think, for Bernie Sanders. Can he tap into the
African-American and the Hispanic voters?
BLACKWELL: Well, he is certainly trying. We understand that today he's having a lunch with social activists well known here in the United States,
I'm sure around the world, Al Sharpton, who could help him with the African-American demographic.
Bernie Sanders coming close to Hillary Clinton in Iowa, winning by more than 20 points
in New Hampshire. But those electorates are mostly white, more than 80 percent white.
So here in South Carolina, the demographics of the Democratic Party at least one-third African-American, Hillary Clinton has shown strength there
in the polls with the African-American community.
In Nevada, as the caucuses have begun there in 10 days, the Latino community, Clinton has shown strength with them as well.
So, Bernie Sanders has a tough road ahead of them. But he's trying to make inroads into those minority communities.
KINKADE: OK. Victor Blackwell, great to have you with us from South Carolina. Thank you very much.
Well, South Carolina and Nnevada are the next two states to take part in the primary race. After that, it's Super Tuesday, March 1st is potentially
a make or break day for the candidates.
Primaries and caucuses will be held in 15 states and territories right across the U.S. campaigning will continue through the spring into summer
accommodating into national conventions. Republicans meet in Cleveland July 18th where they will officially name their presidential candidate.
The Democrats choose their candidate a week later in Philadelphia. And then it's on to the general election in November.
Bernie Sanders is the first Jewish candidate to win a presidential primary in the U.S. And he also describes himself as a democratic socialist. Our
Will Ripley decided to explore the roots of Sander's political beliefs and found they may have been shaped by his travels there. He joins us now from
Jerusalem. Will, what did you find when you toured this area that Bernie Sanders spent some time in many, many years ago?
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORREPSONDENT: It's really interesting, Lynda. And obviously there's been a lot of speculation, Lynda, about the fact that
Bernie Sanders could possibly be the first Jewish-American president and he has mentioned repeatedly that he spent time on an Israeli Kibbutz, a small
communal farming community back in the early 1960s. But he was always vague about exactly where it was.
And so an Israeli newspaper Harretz, dug through the archives, and they found an old article identifying this particular kibbutz up north, about
two hours from here near the city of Haifa. So we decided to drive up.
And what we found are really a lot of real-life examples of the policies that Bernie Sanders is now advocating in the United States.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RIPLEY: Could this be the birthplace of Bernie Sanders socialism? Don't be fooled by all the green or how most people get around, Sharkha Makim
(ph) is no golf course community, it's a kibbutz, a socialist settlement near Haifa in northern Israel.
Albert Ely, a kibbutznick (ph) for almost 60 years.
ALBERT ELY, KIBBUTZNICK: Everything belongs to everybody.
RIPLEY: In Israel's early days, collective farms were a cornerstone of this society. Neighbors looked after the land sharing profits equally.
This is socialism.
ELY: That was once Communism. Today it's socialism. Call it whatever you want.
RIPLEY: This kibbutz, modeled after the Communist ideals of the former Soviet Union. For decades, people from all over the world volunteered to
live, work and study here, including an American in the early 60s whose name stuck out.
ELY: The only thing I remmeber is how can American call himself (inaudible).
RIPLEY: Ely he doesn't recognize Bernie Sanders, seen here in his early 20s. The self-described democratic socialist has long said he traveled to
a kibbutz, but has been vague on exactly where he volunteered.
But Israeli newspaper Harretz dug up a 1990 interview with Sanders who claimed he spent several months here in 1963.
Back then, Ely was in charge of dozens of volunteers who came to labor and learn about socialism.
ELY: We spoke. And maybe that had an influence on him.
RIPLEY: The work was simple: growing crops, raising cattle.
What do you make of the fact that someone who very likely was here with you as a volunteer is now a candidate for president of the United States.
ELY: I am happy. I hope he'll change things, not for me. I'm too old. For the rest of the people.
RIPLEY: Today, the kibbutz makes most of its money producing solar water heaters. But volunteers from overseas stopped coming a decade ago. When
they left, business dried up at the old pub now closed.
These days, only rusty reminders of a place where young idealists like Sanders once gathered sharing drinks and dreams of changing the world.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RIPLEY: And so this kibbutz -- these were really, really critical in the early years of Israel
because you had immigrants from all over the world coming here. They didn't speak the same language, but they learned together, they worked
together. And this really is credited with kind of helping to build the sense of community in society here in Israel.
So, Lynda, you can see what may have attracted Bernie Sanders who has identified himself as a
Democratic Socialist to a community such as this where one of their key points is to try to take care of the poor in the community and lift them up
and make sure that everyone is taken care of equally -- Lynda.
KINKADE: Yeah, certainly fascinating to look at his background. Will Ripley, thank you for very much for that report.
Live from CNN's world headquarters, this is Connect the World. Coming up, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio are fierce competitors, but the two do share
something in common. We take a look at their shared heritage as the sons of Cuban immigrants.
And we're off to Barcelona to find out how the government is using technology to save precious natural resources. That's the Digital State,
next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:46:01] KINKADE: You're watching CNN and this is Connect the World. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Welcome back.
Well, it's a laid back city with a mix of sun, sea and sand. But in Barcelona the local government is also working hard to build a leading
European smart city as well. Today, the Catalan metropolitan is embracing the power of technology to save precious natural resources.
Max Foster reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Barcelona, the Catalonian capital is steeped in tradition, but is quickly becoming one of Europe's
leading smart cities.
In recent years, the Spanish metropolis has turned its attention to one resource in particular: water.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The (inaudible) Barcelona have a recent history of two droughts in 2005 and 2007. This is because the Mediterranean climate
has erratic rainfale.
So we have to implement strategic and concrete actions in in the city to rationalize the water usage.
FOSTER: Water is not only crucial for citizen, but also city parks, which cover 10 percent of the urban area here.
(inaudible) is Barcelona's oldest and perhaps most tranquil green space, but beneath the surface a quiet revolution is taking place.
Buried 30 centimeters underground is a network of sensors, which monitor irrigation and capture information about the park's soil. All the data
collected feeds back to the control center here at Barcelona water cycle.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For the irrigation system, we have 40 sensors that measures the (inaudible), humidity and salinity in the soil.
We calculate the water needed to the plants and the trees for irrigation.
For example, it's raining and the system stops and (inaudible). Everything is automatic.
UIt's important because we want to save water because it's not an infinite source.
FOSTER: Smart irrigation is installed in nine parks across Barcelona. And it's now an important tool for park keepers who can track the system via
smartphone and tablets.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Before we would take many risks because we did it manually. You'd open a tap and then you would go and
open another and waste time in between.
Whereas now, the computer will do everything for you leaving you more time to do other tasks.
FOSTER: The initiative has cut water consumption in parks by 25 percent. This saves the city more than 425,000 euros each year and ensures that
Barcelona's public gardens are truly green.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Water is the future of parks, trees and cities. We cannot behave as we did a few years ago. We cannot
waste water.
FOSTER: Plans are underway to extend smart irrigation to 26 of Barcelona's parks. And there are hopes it will also start to take root in other cities
worldwide.
Max Foster, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Live from CNN center, this is Connect the World. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio have both spoken about their Cuban heritage from the U.S.
campaign trail.
Next we trace their family roots.
Also ahead this red carpet more than 4 kilometers long is causing controversy in Egypt. We'll tell you why in just a few minutes. Stay with
us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:51:04] KINKADE: You're watching CNN and this is Connect the World. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Welcome back.
We have seen U.S. presidential candidates Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio go head to head on the
debate stage and at the polls. It may be hard to believe the two fierce rivals have anything in common, but both have addressed their shared
heritage as the sons of Cuban immigrants.
Our Patrick Oppmann traces their Cuban roots.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio spend a lot of time talking about Cuba on the campaign trail.
RUBIO: My parents weren't born here. They were born on the island of Cuba to poor families. They have very limited education, no access to power.
They came here in 1956. They had no money. They didn't know anyone. They barely spoke English at the time.
And yet somehow working hard as a bartender and a maid, my parents owned a home in a safe and stable neighborhood. My parents retired with dignity. My
parents left all four of their children better off than themselves.
SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: To my dad -- a man who came from Cuba at age 18 with nothing, with $100 in his underwear. He doesn't
carry money in his underwear anymore. A man who was imprisoned, who was tortured, who washed dishes making 50 cents an hour, who has lived the
American dream.
OPPMANN: Cruz's father Rafael grew up here in the seaside city on Matanzas. In his memoir Rafael Cruz writes about fishing for sharks and how he
initially backed Fidel Castro's revolution before fleeing to the United States. A schoolmate of the elder Cruz we spoke to who fought to bring
Castro to power and later retired with the rank of colonel said Cruz supported but didn't play a very active role in the revolution.
"I don't remember him", he says, "throwing Molotov cocktails or planting bombs or putting up revolutionary signs against the tyranny."
Today the streets of Matanzas are covered in propaganda supporting the revolution that Rafael Cruz says he once fought for but now opposes. In
Havana much has also changed since the 1950s when Marco
Rubio's family lived here. This is the store where both Marco Rubio's parents once worked. According to his book, his mother worked at the cash
register and his father as the store's security guard and it's here where they actually met.
Of course, (inaudible) revolution, the store just about like all private property in Cuba, was taken away by the government.
On Tenerife Street where the Rubios once lived, no one we talked to remembers the family. Resident, Julio Fabian, said he has a message to
critics like Cruz and Rubio of the new U.S. policy of restoring ties with Cuba.
"Why break relations now that we are just starting," he says, "if both sides keep talking I think we will arrive at an even better understanding."
If Cruz or Rubio is elected president, that's not likely a conversation either man would be willing to have. Both have said they won't engage with
Cuba until the island changes its leadership.
Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: And you can always follow the stories the team is working on throughout the day by going to our Facebook page. That's
Facebook.com/CNNConnect.
And you can get in touch on Twitter. You can tweet me @Lyndakinkade.
Well, J.K. Rowling once wrote that the ones who love us never really leave us. And for fans of her greatest creation Harry Potter those words are
coming true.
It's just been announced that the world famous wizard will return to book shelves later this year. The eighth installment, Harry Potter and the
Cursed Child will be released as a two-part play on July 31st, Harry Potter's own birthday.
The story sees Harry as a struggling dad of three who is now working for the ministry of magic.
It's been co-written by Rowling as well as Jack Thorn and John Tiffany. The play itself opens in London the day before.
In tonight's Parting Shots, we take you to Egypt. It's not unusual to see heads of state on a red carpet, but the one that was rolled out for
Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is causing controversy. The 4 kilometer-long carpet was used by the president's motorcade as he attended
a social housing project.
Ian Lee has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IAN LEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Its red carpet season. Celebrities and VIPs strutting their stuff. Award shows boast their
carpets are the best.
Well, move over, Hollywood because in this battle Egypt reigns supreme. I give you a two and a half mile, or 4 kilometer, red carpet. Egypt rolled
it out for President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to inaugurate a low income housing complex.
His speech at the event focused on tightening the austerity belt. Social media didn't hold back on the irony.
This user mocked Sisi as being clueless. One post took a dark turn, sarcastically saying in Arabic, "at least Egypt is doing better than
Syria."
This Egyptian human rights lawyer did the math estimating the carpet cost roughly $200,000. On a popular TV show, the brigadier general Ehab el-
Kahouki (ph) defended the 3-year-old threads saying it was a light fabric and it gives a good impression to the world.
The criticism is really just echoing the poor economy. Inflation is in double digits, unemployment at roughly 13 percent while 1 in 4 Egyptians
lives on less than $2 a day.
The president knows times are tough, but that's why this red carpet has many Egyptians e seeing red.
Ian Lee, CNN, Cairo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: I'm Lynda Kinkade, and that was Connect the World. Thanks for joining me.
END
