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Is Donald Trump in Position to Win Nomination?; Will Cessation of Hostilities Hold in Syria; Live from the Brit Awards; China Puts Floor on Gas Prices. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired February 24, 2016 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:09] JONATHAN MANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Three in a row. U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump comes out on top in another stop on the
road to the Republican nomination. It is the bombastic billionaire unstoppable?
Also ahead, a river of trash. Lebanon's garbage problem is getting worse and now attention
risks spilling over yet again. We are live in Beirut.
And the Brit Awards gear up for a tribute to a legend. We're live from the red carpet in London.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is Connect the World.
MANN: Thanks for joining us.
Republican Donald Trump is celebrating a major win in Nevada and the candidate is sharing the first things he'd do on his first day as
president. He told ABC News that he would, quote knock out Obamacare, take care of our vets and military, fix the U.S./Mexico border
where he said people can pour into the country like Swiss cheese. Day one will be busy.
Sara Murray reports now on Trump's big win in Nevada.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SARA MURRAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Donald Trump emerging victorious for the third contest in a row.
DONALD TRUMP, 2016 REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We love Nevada. We love Nevada.
MURRAY: Dominating the Nevada caucuses and steamrolling his opponents.
TRUMP: And 46 percent with the Hispanics, 46 percent, number one with Hispanics.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: We won the evangelicals. We won with young. We won with old. We won with highly educated. We won with poorly educated. I love the poorly
educated.
MURRAY: For both Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, a disappointing loss.
SEN. TED CRUZ, (R) TEXAS: I want to congratulate Donald Trump on a strong evening tonight.
MURRAY: In his concession speech, Cruz pointing to his early Iowa caucus win and arguing he's the strongest argument to Trump.
CRUZ: The first four states have shown is that the only campaign that has beaten Donald Trump and the only campaign that can beat Donald Trump is
this campaign. MURRAY: While Cruz advisors tell CNN the candidate has reached his
boiling point with Trump and to expect a more aggressive Cruz in the coming days.
Meanwhile the pressure is mounting on Dr. Ben Carson and John Kasich to drop out after their dismal results. Kasich's camp quick to rub salt in
Rubio's wound in a biting press release saying "Senator Rubio just endured another disappointing performance despite being the highest spending
candidate in Nevada."
Last night larger voter turnout caused some problems at the polls, like ballot shortages and incidents of volunteers checking in caucus goers
without verifying I.D. Voters even took the Twitter to complain of poll workers openly showing support for Trump. Nevada GOP officials say there
have been no official reports of voter irregularities or violations, and it's not against the rules for volunteers to wear candidate gear.
Now the pressure is on. These guys were vying for second place to prove that they can be the
alternative to Donald Trump. For Ted Cruz that means he has to win Texas on March 1st and for Marco Rubio, a candidate who did not even speak in
Nevada last night who is shrugging off that loss, he is now saying he can win in Florida. But he's going to have to prove that he will be able to
pick up delegates along the way and pose a real threat to Donald Trump.
Sara Murray, CNN, Las Vegas, Nevada.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MANN: Despite Trump's resounding victory in Nevada, the chair of the Republican National Committee isn't crowning him the party's standard
bearer just yet. He spoke to CNN's Alisyn Camerota.
(BEIGN VIDEOTAPE)
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Is it time for the entire GOP to embrace the frontrunner, Donald Trump?
REINCE PRIEBUS, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: I think it's pretty clear. We're going to embrace whoever the nominee is. I embrace all
of these candidates. I embrace them all. So we're going to determine the delegates coming through March and whoever the nominee ends up becoming,
they're going to inherent - or they're going to join, I should say, the biggest RNC operation that we've ever put together.
CAMEROTA: Yes, you say that your...
PRIEBUS: But just -- I mean, let's keep in mind - you asked that question in a way that I think is a little bit -- it's -- these folks are competing
to join us. I mean that's what's happening, right? So they're competing to join the Republican Party as our nominee depending on what the delegates
decide to do or who wins the requisite amount of delegates. And whoever that is, joins..
CAMEROTA: Well, sort of. I mean but they are competing...
PRIEBUS: Joins -- that's what they're doing, though, they're competing to be the nominee of the Republican Party. That's what's happening.
CAMEROTA: Yes, but they're competing to become the president of the United States. And so they are looking for voters, all voters, to vote for them.
PRIEBUS: But to do that -- right, but to -- well...
CAMEROTA: I mean my point is this, Reince.
PRIEBUS: No. No, they're not. They're -- they're competing...
CAMEROTA: Is that look -- listen -- let me -- let me make my point.
PRIEBUS: Well, I haven't been able to make my point.
CAMEROTA: All right, go ahead.
PRIEBUS: There have been -- there are two, major political parties in America and each party has a nomination contest and people are running in
that contest to be the nominee of each party. So in Cleveland they're going -- we're going to vote on the floor for who that nominee is. That nominee
joins the Republican Party. That's what's happening.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[11:05:22] MANN: Reince Priebus of the Republican National Committee speaking to our Alisyn Camerota.
Russia says Bashar al Assad is committed to respecting a planned ceasefire for Syria. President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone today with the Syrian
president as well as the king of Saudi Arabia and the president of Iran.
Both Russia and the U.S. are working to shore up the cease-fire that they brokered forSyria due to take effect in just days. But already there are
concerns about who is not included and whether the agreement can hold. Let's bring in Frederik Pleitgen, following developments from Tehran, a
critical ally of the Syrian regime.
Fred, some groups are clearly behind this cease-fire and plan to go along with it. Some don't. And Iran, which has both its own forces there and is
backing Hezbollah forces there, hasn't really been clear. Are leaders saying what they plan to do when the ceasefire comes into effect?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Iranians, Jonathan, are definitely playing a very vital role in all of this. And
you're right, they're not exactly clear as to where they stand.
On the one hand, both President Rouhani and President Vladimir Putin of Russia have said that
they want a diplomatic solution to this conflict.
On the other side, though, they both say that they are still committed to what they call fighting against terrorism which means fighting against
ISIS, groups like Jabhat al-Nusra, but also other groups, they say, as well.
Now, with the Irans we have to keep one thing in mind. On the one hand, they have played a vital role diplomatically. They have put forward their
own peace plan for Syria a couple of times. They've tried to push that through. They've been a part of the Vienna process as well to try and get
this new agreement together.
But on the one hand, they certainly are also making a big impact on the battlefield.
You know, I was up in Aleppo about two weeks ago, north of Aleppo, and Iranian forces certainly are making a big impact there. You look around
there a lot of the places have Iranian flags on buildings there. There's buildings of the Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. So they certainly are
having an impact on the battlefield and it's a dynamic that they want to keep going as well, becasue their goal, like Bashar al-Assad's goal at this
point is trying to seal off the border between Turkey and Syria to make sure that rebels in that area can't resupply themselves.
And at this point in time they haven't achieved that goal yet. So, militarily, they are loorking to push forward, but at the same time they
are also looking to play a vital role diplomatically as well, Jonathan.
MANN: And still not saying what they are going to do on the ceasefire.
I guess there attentions are focused more closely at home. There are elections coming up on Friday both for the Iranian parliament and an
institution that's not well understood outside of Iran. the Assembly of Experts. What can you tell us?
PLEITGEN: Yeah -- well, the Assembly of Experts election is actually the one that people believe is the more important of the two elections. The
Assembly of Experts is a group that will elect Iran's next supreme leader who is, of course, the person who holds the ultimate say in any sort of
affairs here in this country at this point. It is Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but the parliamentary elections are very
important as well because they come very closely after the nuclear agreement that of course makes Iran come closer to the west, also brings
Iran sanctions relief. And many people see these elections as a referendum on the (inaudible) of President Hassan Rouhani who is known as a reformer.
Many people want those to continue.
But there is a lot of backlash from conservatives. You know, I have been going around Tehran all day today, and it really is a fierce election
campaign that's going on. The city is plastered with posters. There's people for the reformers who are going around in traffic handing out
fliers. There's election campaign events that we went to from the conservatives as well.
And there's many people who say that this election could define the way that this country moves forward. Will it continue? And even more
forcefully follow that course of opening up towards the west or could that course be dampened?
We also had a speech by the supreme leader today where he was warning about influence from the United States, for instance, if this course continues.
He warned about infiltration.
So, it really is a divisive election and one that people here across the board say is vital to the future of this country.
MANN: Fred Pleitgen on the line in Tehran. Thanks very much.
Now to a story we have been covering for you from the very stinky start. Have a look at some striking images -- a river of trash in the Lebanese
capital, Beirut.
The city's seven-month garbage still crisis hasn't been resolved. Anger over authority's inability to collect and dump the trash spilled over into
the streets in August. And that was months ago. The issue symbolizing wider discontent with just about everything that's going wrong in Lebanon.
Our Nick Paton Walsh has been following the story and joins us now from Beirut.
I can't believe we're still talking about this. This has been dragging on for months. Where do things stand?
[11:10:09] NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, remember, Jonathan, that extraordinary snake of trash, I mean, literally it
rolls around the hillside like a river, but it is entirely made of large plastic bags containing all sorts of normal household trash, that at this
stage now today stinks awfully. It's just intolerable to stand nearby.
But we're in the middle of winter here now. The reason the trash crisis got so exponentially unbearable for people here in Lebanon was the summer
heat led so much of the trash that hadn't been collected by the trash companies whose contract ended on the streets. It got overheated and it
made, -- I live nine floors up. I could barely stand on my balcony some days.
The problem was back then that the contractor who was supposed to take away much of the trash its contract came to an end. There was no obvious
solution for a successor. The landfill site that had been used as a temporary solution for years, that was considered to be overflowing and no
longer usable.
There was protests on the street and it became seen as a broader part of Lebanon's malaise where the government here, unable to elect a president
for nigh on two years here, so caught up in its internal bickering wasn't even able to deal with something simple like trash collection. I mean,
there's been issues with water and electricity as well, but something like that began to palpably let people smell the rot, so to speak, politically
on the street.
Now it seemed to disappear at some point. The more wealthy parts of Beirut had regular trash
collection, other areas still saw trash pile up. But people were asking, where is this trash going? There has been a deal, potentially struck in
which there was talk of exporting it. There was a vague idea of Germany, which processes trash very fast into energy might take it. Then
there was this talk maybe Sierra Leone, that was rubbished -- forgive the pun.
Now we're talking about a contract maybe that a British company supposedly may have taken it to Russia. Well, that fell through last week.
So now the focus is what do you do with this?
And that pile of trash we saw today you have seen in those pictures that is one of the solutions the government has found. For four months, they have
been piling it up there. Well, obviously that isn't a solution at all. The problem here is that during the heavy winter rains, the rain has seeped
through the trash, taking away toxins within it and adding them to the water table, many say. That's a potential ecological health disaster for
Lebanon down the road.
But the clock is ticking because we're now in a very cool time of year, but in two or three months from now it will start to warm up. In August, it
will be 40 degrees centigrade here, way into the hundreds Fahrenheit.
So, a lot of concern that the protests we saw last summer, which took over the city Frankly, for months. A lot of fears here, but a lot of genuine
anger beneath it, too. We could see worse, if not more, potentially this summer as well -- Jonathan.
MANN: It beggars belief. Nick Paton Walsh in Beirut. Thanks very much.
Returning to our top story now. Republican Donald Trump building on his major win in Nevada to prepare for Super Tuesday, a series of primaries and
caucuses stretching from Alaska to New England to mostly the southern U.S.
Right now Trump is holding a rally in Virginia Beach, Virginia. That's where we find correspondent Phil Mattingly.
Phil, the campaign looking forward to more than a dozen contests. Tell us where things stand and how they are moving in Virginia.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jonathan, 25 percent of all delegates will be in play on Super Tuesday, Virginia being one of those
crucial states here.
Donald Trump here at Regent University, and a school run by a top evangelical leader, as he continues his push really to defy the odds and
lock in evangelical support across the the board.
One of the most interesting elements to keep an eye on, Jonathan, over the next couple days is the battle for the south. Ted Cruz, the Texas Senator,
who has been in second and third place going back and forth over the last couple of weeks, has put a ton of resources into the south. This was the
area where he was supposed to strike on Super Tuesday. Yet Donald Trump with double digit leads across those states and Trump expected to leave
after this event today and head on a multi-day, multi-state tour of the deep south.
There's a very real recognition right now inside the Republican Party that Donald Trump is perhaps just one week away from really putting this
nomination in the bag for him.
A lot of concern amongst Marco Rubio, the Florida senator, and Ted Cruz, how are they going to try and put an end to that quickly?
MANN: Phil Mattingly, live in Virginia Beach. Thanks very much.
We'll check in on the Democratic race in about a half an hour. Bernie Sanders and Hillary
Clinton took part in a town hall we hosted on Tuesday. The highlights coming up right here on Connect the World.
And a brand new start for the brand behind world football. FIFA prepares to choose its next president.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:16:54] MANN: You're watching CNN. This is Connect the World. I'm Jonathan Mann. Welcome back.
The lives of countless Syrians could depend on a partial truce due to take in effect in just a few days. But it's far from clear whether this one can
succeed where so many other attempts have failed.
Some opposition leaders are skeptical about Russia's commitment, for example. They fear it will misuse a provision that allows continued
attacks against ISIS and other designated terrorist groups to fire on moderate Syrian rebels.
An opposition leader says Russia is escalating its airstrikes, in fact, in northern Syria ahead of the planned partial truce.
Charles Lister is a resident fellow at the Middle East Institute and the author of "The Syrian Jihad." Thanks so much for being with us.
What do you expect to come out of this cessation of hostilities?
CHARLEST LISTER, MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE: I think it's really different to tell at this point. I think we have put an awful lot of trust in partners
-- or international partners in the agreement like Russia, like Iran and of course the Assad regime itself to essentially prove that are willing to
stop firing on groups that they have for a long time, as you noted, labeled as terrorists.
And of course, what we are hearing so far is statements coming out of Damascus and out of Moscow saying that we will continue operations against
terrorist forces on the ground. So there's a great deal of an unclear picture at this point.
Of course, it's a positive development that the states together within the ISSG have come together to make this agreement. But whether or not it's
actually, you know, practically implementable on the ground is an entirely different question.
And of coruse that ignores the fact that we still haven't quite got a definitive answer from the armed opposition on the ground as to whether or
not they are willing to abide by this. And they won't be until they, as they say, they have seen more of a demonstration of the ending of sieges,
the provision of humanitarian aid and other kind of what they call human rights to be actually implemented on the ground,
So, as I say, it is a very unclear picture still at this point.
MANN: It sounds from what you're saying like the odds are against it. But let's presume, for a moment, that there is some partial cessation of
hostilities, that it works out in some way. Obviously, civilians stand to gain enormously just from the end to the bloodshed. But among the
combatants, who wins? Because there's a sense, at least among some analysts, that the real winner is going to be Russia.
LISTER: Well, that's certainly the trajectory that we're on at the moment. Steadily since Russia intervened in Syrian at the end of September 2015,
the balance of power on the ground has quite dramatically shifted. It did take several months for that to actually
happen. But certainly in the last month or so we have seen a number of extraordinarily significant developments take place, especially around
Aleppo.
So, yes, if the ceasefire does take place -- and of course this is one of the big concerns and fears within the opposition -- is if it does take
place, whose interest is it actually that the ceasefire takes place? And so far, as I say, the fact that the trajectory has shifted within the
regime's interest and by extension within the interests of both Russia and Iran, then, yes, they stand to benefit the most from a cessation of
hostilities.
It's very hard to tell whether or not that is actually going -- it's very hard to actually say whether or not that's reversible at this point bearing
on some spectacular intervention by the United States and its allies, which there is no indication here in Washington that that's going to take place
any time soon.
[11:20:14] MANN: Well, let me ask you about the United States and its allies. The U.S. Secretary of State said, and I'm quoting him here, there
is significant discussion taking place now about plan b if we don't succeed at the table.
So Secretary Kerry is already speaking about the possibility there will be no cessation of hostilities, there will be no peace talks at the table,
whether it's in Geneva or Munich or wherever.
But what would plan b be?
LISTER: I mean, Secretary Kerry has pointed towards a potential, or an eventual partition of Syria, which most experts will be the first people to
tell you that by proposing a partition of Syria is actually proposing something that the vast majority of Syrians on all sides of the conflict
are actually opposed to.
So that doesn't necessarily seem like a workable plan b, although it may be something of interest to Iran and Russia. The most likely consequence of
the ceasefire or the cessation of hostilities agreement failing to be implemented on the ground is just simply a continuation of the conflict and
almost certainly and further intensification of the conflict by extension, as I say, because the balance of power has changed in the last couple
months, we're likely to see Russia facilitating further regime gains, which will probably encourage divisions within the opposition and ultimately the
main benefactors are not just Russia, the regime and Iran, but also extremists who are currently and have been fighting against the regime such
as al Qaeda.
ISIL is probably a slightly different calculation, but they will certainly look to try and benefit from that kind of scenario as well.
MANN: It's all unspeakably sad.
Charles Lister, author of "The Syrian Jihad," thanks so much for talking with us.
LISTER: Thank you.
MANN: You can read more about the Syrian War and the planned truce on our website. See why one commentator believes Russia is outplaying and
maneuvering the U.S. and just about everyone else. That and more at CNN.com.
A 16-year-old Swedish girl rescued from ISIS says she didn't know anything about the terror group before traveling to Syria. The teenager was rescued
by Kurdish forces in Iraq near the ISIS controlled city of Mosul.
In an interview on Kurdish television, she says agreed to make the trip to join ISIS with her
boyfriend, but didn't know what she was getting into.
Live from CNN center, this is Connect the World. Coming up, the head of the International Monetary Fund weighs in on the debate in Britain right
now over whether to remain in the EU.
Christine's Legarde's interview with CNN coming up later.
And finding a solution to Uganda's sanitation problems. We head to Kampala to check out an idea that's hoped will save lives.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AMIR DAFTARI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Dirt roads, wooden shacks, the poor parts of Kampala can be a difficult place to live, suitable
infrastructure and proper sanitation systems in particular are a concern.
And here's why. Around 200 million people across Africa still defecate in the open, which can lead to diseases like cholera. This challenge is most
evident in Uganda. Around 65 percent of the people here don't have access to flushing toilets.
So, this is your office here.
[11:25:03] SAMUEL MALINGA: Yeah, we rent here.
DAFTARI: But sometimes these difficulties offer opportunities, especially to people like
Samuel Malinga. He grew up facing the problem of poor sanitation and knows exactly what it means.
MALINGA: Like diarrhea, which can be it can be prevented. It's a major common disease in Africa, most (inaudible) because of these sanitation-led
diseases.
DAFTARI: Diseases that spread from outdoor toilets.
Samuel is an engineering graduate who saw an opportunity. So, he put his skills to use. Meet the REM (ph).
MALINGA: Borehole (ph), people call it the borehole (ph) for pumping.
DAFTARI: A simple but effective piece of equipment invented by Samuel, an invention he's built a business around.
MALINGA: When (inaudible) down, it (inadible) and the (inaudible) enters...
DAFTARI: Essentially the rammer empties these toilets quickly and cleanly. And that's the key. The more frequently they are emptied, the less the
potential for disease.
Samuel and his team use the rammer across Kampala, charging just under $9 per drum.
Job done, time to head to the local treatment center.
This is where all the waste is dumped and reprocessed.
It may not be the most glamorous place in the world, but here as well Samuel saw potential. Amongst the beds of dried sludge, he tells me of
another innovation.
MALINGA: With (inaudible) here, (inaudible) then we come and dry it here in this bed. Then we buy it here for processing briquettes for cooking.
DAFTARI: That's right, briquettes for cooking made out of human waste.
Much of the cooking in these parts of Kampala is done with wood charcoal. Samuel says his briquettes are better.
MALINGA; This a unique type of briquettes from dried (inaudible). It burns longer, cheaper and it saves the environment from problems of
deforestation.
DAFTARI: And they're simple to make, too. Just heat the waste at 300 degrees Celsius, burn off pathogens, add molasses, then mold and try.
Some are already using the briquettes. But they're not yet a money spinner.
For the moment, protecting and helping his community is how this entrepreneur turns a profit.
Amir Daftari, CNN, Kampala.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(HEADLINES)
[11:30:37] MANN: Oil prices are falling again after, this time after comments from an influential Saudi official. Oil minister Ali al Naimi
effectively ruled out a supply cut any time soon.
The current glut in oil is behind the dramatic fall in the commodities price over the past few months.
And it's not just investors who are worried about the turbulence. In China, there is increasing
frustration at petrol stations because consumers are not seeing the decline in prices reflected in what they pay.
Matt Rivers has more from Beijing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In Beijing, a liter of fuel costs 5.56 yuan, about 85 U.S. cents. And while prices keep falling across most of
the world, here in China gas is as cheap as it's going to get.
UNIDENTIIFED MALE (through translator): I'm jealous. Very jealous.
RIVERS: Met Liu Zhonguo (ph). He's 52, has a wife, one daughter, she's in med school, and that blue Buick si his chariot. He earns a living driving
people around, which means lots of time spent here at the gas station.
The government sets fuel prices, but despite the plunging cost of oil, prices haven't changed
since mid-January, that's when Chinese official set a price floor.
When crude oil trades below $40 a barrel, prices at Chinese pumps freeze.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It's China, the government sets the prices. When it's expensive you pay more, less when it's cheap. What
can ordinary people do about it?
RIVERS: Resignation and a bit of frustration from Mr. Liu (ph), a familiar sentiment from
Chinese consumers wondering why their government won't let them join in on the cheap oil party.
Officially, state media says its for environmental reasons. Cheap gas would mean more people
buying, which means more pollution in a country where there's plenty of toxic smog already.
And there's likely another reason for this price floor centering on a different kind of green: profits. They plummeted at the big Chinese state-
owned oil companies last year, because of cheap oil.
Many experts suggest that this price floor is a way for the government to try and ease that pain by not letting prices get too low.
Whatever the reasons, Liu Zhonguo (ph) says costs everywhere else in Beijing are going up. It would be nice if fuel went down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Everybody thinks the lower the better.
RIVERS: Then he'd have more money to reinvest in his car, maybe put towards his daughter's
tuition. At the least, he'd have more cash to spend on the chestnuts he likes to eat while driving
around.
Matt Rivers, CNN, Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MANN: The managing director of the International Monetary Fund tells CNN that low oil
prices are here to stay. Christine Lagarde was speaking at the end of a visit to the United Arab Emirates.
She also addressed another big concern in the business world right now, the possibility of a Brexit. He's what she told CNN Money's emerging markets
editor John Defterios.
(BEGIN VIDOETAPE)
CHRISTINE LAGARDE, MANAGING DIRECTOR, IMF: Well, I'm concerned about the impact that it is going to have on other countries, those that I have just
recently mentioned, which have been vastly oil dependent. Because with a statement like that, and with the supply side demand side
effects we can anticipate clearly prices are going to stay low and for longer.
Whether you look at the supply side effect with more countries coming to the market with the
input of Iran, for instacne, we have added productions from countries that are e relying on other
extracting sources.
The supply side is not going to go down. And those countries that were massive consumers of oil are reducing their consumption. China, for one,
which had not reduced so far, but which will probably reduce in due course.
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: There's a lot of concern a bout a Brexit right now. Go beyond the short-term shocks to the British
pound. Medium-term, either as the IMF managing director or as a European, would it really be that bad for the UK to be out of the European Union?
They don't even share the currency of the euro?
LAGARDE: Uncertainty is bad in and of itself No economic player likes uncertainty. They don't invest. They don't hire. They don't make
decisions in times of uncertainty. So, if you take one out, my hunch, and that's my -- and that's really as a European and as a person that I will
say that. Is that it is bound to be a negative on all fronts for those who stay because a few of them and for those who go because they lose the
benefit of those facilitation of exchange.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MANN: Christine Lagarde speaking to our John Defterios.
We're just two days away from elections that may change the future of world football. After 18 years under Sepp Blatter, FIFA will have a new
president by the end of the week, a huge opportunity to reinvent the brand's name which has been tainted by controversy.
CNN's Amanda Davies spoke to one of the front runners in the race. Sheikh Salman Bin Ibrahim al-KHalifa of Bahrain.
The 50-year-old has faced his own share of controversy in recent times.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SALMAN BIN IBRAHIM AL-KHALIFA, FIFA PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't mind, I've got nothing to hide, you know. Everything has to be cleared, but we
have to check as well the sources as well. You cannot accept somebody coming to you and accusing you of things that you haven't done and they are
repeating it again and again.
People don't understand that we are a sport authority. And I mentioned that a few times, a thousand times, maybe a million times. God knows for
how long.
And the sports authorities are only their restriction is only through the sports regulations. We're not involved in the civil, let's say matters.
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: But on a basicl level, you were head of the Bahrain football association. You say this is a sporting body. If a number of your national
football team's players were arrested, which is fact, some allege that they were tortured. Surely on a basic level as the head of the national
association, you have failed those footballers by not protecting them. They were simply displaying their political viewpoints.
KHALIFA: To say that I haven't done anything, I don't think it's fair as well, because nobody knew what I did after the 2011 until 2013 or '15 up to
now. Nobody knows about it.
And I think it's only me, the players, the clubs, the people are involved in football knows exactly. To be judged by people from outside that I
haven't done enough, I don't think that's right.
DAVIES: So why are the negative stories coming out in your opinion?
KHALIFA: As I said, you know, I've been used as a political tool. I don't think we should get
involved into a political dispute between some opposition and some government.
DAVIES: Do you feel you have been unfairly portrayed?
KHALIFA: Absolutely. I think everybody who knows me, whether in my country, in my region, in my continent, they know exactly who I am.
DAVIES: What about that phrase, though, there's no smoke without fire?
KHALIFA: It depends on who is going to make the smoke, and if it's certain people, let's have -- as I said, have their agenda and if there are some
network, media network, and organization are behind it, no matter what you cannot convince them. I think it's just a waste of time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MANN: Sheikh Salman of Bahran, a candidate for the presidency of FIFA.
Live from CNN Center, this is Connect the World. Coming up, stars of the music world are expected to pay tribute to David Bowie at the Brit Awards.
We'll be live on the red carpet in just a few minutes.
Also next, we'll check in on the Democratic race for the U.S. presidential nomination and
bring you some highlights from Tuesday's town hall. Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:40:51] MANN: You're watching CNN. This is Connect the World. I'm Jonathan Mann. Welcome back. With his victory in Nevada in the bag, U.S.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is looking ahead to Super Tuesday. Why super? Have a look at this
map. March 1, voters from Alaska to New England go to the polls more than a dozen contests happen on that day. And lots of delegates will be up for
grabs for the Republicans and the Democrats, more than any other day on the primary or caucus calendar.
Before Super Tuesday, Democrats Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton will duke it out on
Saturday in the South Carolina primary. They went head to head in the CNN town hall in Columbia, South Carolina and Sanders was forced to respond to
a recurring attack from Clinton that he's a single issue candidate. He was shown a particular campaign ad. Have a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, 2016 DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Tax on Wall Street speculation, the disastrous and illegal behavior on Wall Street.
The wealthiest people, the top 1.5 percent.
The CEOs of Wall Street companies.
The rich are getting much richer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MANN: Here is how Sanders responded during the town hall.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SANDERS: Single issue. Anybody here who has gone to my rallies, they are the longest, most boring discussions in the history of politics. I talk for
an hour, hour-and-a-half. Of course I talk about Wall Street.
And I'll tell you something, if I may, why Secretary Clinton is a little bit nervous, because people are asking, how does it happen or why does her
super PAC receive millions and millions of dollars from Wall Street?
What does it means that you give speeches to a financial institution like Goldman Sachs, and you got a couple hundred thousand dollars a throw for
giving that speech. So maybe they're a little bit nervous about the Wall Street issue.
Want to talk about a difference between Secretary Clinton and me? She supported NAFTA. She supported Permanent Normal Trade Relations with China.
I have lead the opposition to virtually all of these disastrous trade agreements, which have cost us millions of dollars.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MANN: Bernie Sanders.
Well, CNN political commentator Errol Louis joins us now live from New York. Thanks so much for being with us. The Sanders campaign has shown
remarkable strength and energy and passion. Is it about to come to an end do you think? Is South Carolina going to finally put an end to his plans
for the presidency?
ERROL LOUIS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I strongly doubt that, Jonathan. He may not be favored to win South Carolina and I would be
surprised if indeed he did win South Carolina, but there is that big Super Tuesday contest that you discussed
that includes Vermont, a state where he is expected to win. And we should keep in mind that there are 2,383 delegates that are going to cast votes to
actually select the nominee. So you have a long way to go before any candidate Bernie
Sanders or Hillary Clinton can declare victory, declare a majority.
And it does pay off for Bernie Sanders, even if he's not winning state by state to keep accumulating delegates so he can go into the convention with
a block of delegates and then start negotiating over a party platform points that he wants to see established, over possible selection of the
vice presidential candidate, over different things to try to make his followers somewhat happy their voice has been heard and they made an impact
on this race.
MANN: From the outset, two big surprises. Bernie Sanders is doing so well and no one can quite understand why Hillary Clinton isn't doing better.
What is your sense?
LOUIS: Well, the polls strongly suggest that a majority, not a big majority, but a slight majority of Democrats do not find her honest and
trustworthy. That in itself creates a problem. There are a number of older voters, and by older I mean say 45 and up who remember the
Clinton/Bush administrations and who just want to turn the page. They are just plain old tired of what has been the closest we have seen in awhile in
America to what smacks of dynsatic politics.
So there's a factor there as well.
And then finally, look, if you're lower income and you want a $15 an hour minimum wage, which is what Bernie Sanders is campaigning on,when you hear
Hillary Clinton say $15 an hour is out of reach, we're going to push for $12 an hour, well, you know, there's a pretty significant percentage
difference there.
When you hear Bernie Sanders say I want free public education at the college level for any public university or college, that's a big deal.
When Hillary Clinton says that's out of reach and I'm not going to try for that, there's a a good reason for a lot of voters to say, you know what, we
want the Bernie Sanders' program.
MANN: OK. So Bernie Sanders a bit of a surprise. Hillary Clinton, a bit of a surprise. Let's talk about the really big surprise of this campaign.
Let's hear from him. Here's Donald Trump after the win in Nevada.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, 2016 REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We won the evangelicals. We won with young. We won with old. We won with highly
educated. We won with poorly educated. I love the poorly educated. We're the smartest people, we're the most loyal people. And you know what I
really am happy about because I have been saying it for a long time, 46 percent with the Hispanics, 46 percent, number one with Hispanics.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MANN: Astonishingly he has really got a point.
When he started out as a campaign, people believed that his demographics would be limited, his appeal would be limited, he seems to cut across every
demographic there is. Is he, do you think, if Hillary Clinton isn't guaranteed, is he essentially at this point guaranteed the nomination?
LOUIS: Well, I don't know about guaranteed, but he's well on his way to winning the Republican nomination.
But Jonathan, let me put a little asterisk next to that Hispanic vote, only 8 percent of the people who attended the caucuses in Nevada last night were
in fact Hispanic. So they were not a big part of the Republican voting base.
And so to win half of the 8 percent who went in, well, it's very nice to get just under 4 percent of Hispanic votes, but let's not kid ourselves
about how popular or unpopular Donald Trump is among Hispanic voters.
The reality is, though, just as you suggest is, he's well on his way to winning this nomination. What has been said before is that he has got a
high floor but a low ceiling, that about 32 to 35 percent voters in the Republican Party seem to like him. Well, he blew that out last night.
He's raising that ceiling. He's bringing new voters in. He's getting momentum. Victory begets victory as people in our very hyper linked age
start to see him winning one race after another he's going to attract more followers, more supporters And if it were any other candidate, frankly,
who had won three of the first four contests as resoundingly as he has, I think we would all be saying that person is very, very likely to be the
nominee.
MANN: Errol Louis, thanks so much for talking with us.
LOUIS: Thank you, Jonathan.
MANN: The question is can Ted Cruz or Marco Rubio slow down Trump's campaign? They may be able to make some gains during the republican
debate, hosted by CNN. Watch it at 5:30 a.m. in Abu Dhabi on Friday.
And you can join me over the weekend for Political Mann. We have the race covered from, well all the best to just the plain silliness.
And this week a special look at Super Tuesday. Saturday at 12:30 p.m. if you're watching from Abu Dhabi. I'll guide you through the world's wildest
and most expensive exercise in democracy.
Live from CNN Center, this is Connect the World. Coming up some of the world's biggest music stars will be performing at the Brit award in London.
We're live on the red carpet.
And Hollywood is getting ready to honor its best. When we come back, different past Oscar
winners about that unbelievable moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:50:28] MANN: You're watching CNN. And this is Connect the World. I'm Jonathan Mann. Welcome back.
Just hours from now the Brit awards get underway in London. Homegrown artists like Adele and Coldplay are in the running for music prizes, and
there's expected to be a tribute to the late David Bowie.
Let's get straight to the red carpet in London. Erin McLaughlin is outside the O2 Arena. A big night for a lot of stars and for, as we mentioned, one
who will not be there. What can you tell us?
ERIN MCLAUGHIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Jonathan.
First I just want to let you check out the scene here on the red carpet. We're still waiting for the
first stars to arrive. Some of the biggest names in the music business expected here tonight. Names such as Justin Bieber, Rihanna and Adele.
But the headlining act will be a tribute to the late David Bowie, one of the most iconic musicians ever to hit the British music scene. It's really
difficult to overstate the influence he had on British music and many of the stars that will be here tonight.
So, it's perhaps fitting that they are taking this opportunity to pay tribute to him. The details of that tribute are being kept tightly under
wraps. We don't know quite what to expect. There's been some speculation that super model Kate Moss may be taking part in the tribute. After all,
in 2014 she presented -- where she accepted David Bowie's Brit Award on his behalf dressed as the iconic Ziggy Stardust.
And it's really that kind of originality, the original characters such as Ziggy Stardust that really resonate with people here, that people here
remember David Bowie by. And that's perhaps fitting given that there has been controversy about the diversity or lack of diversity in
the music scene as well as in the entertainment industry in general.
So it's fitting that tonight in 2016 Brit Awards, they are taking this opportunity to celebrate the
life of David Bowie, one of the most original and iconic artists of all times.
MANN: So, you passed very quickly over another name that I think we're all going to be mentioning before the night is over, Adele. Some people are
saying she is going to be the big winner tonight.
MCLAUGHLIN: Absolutely. She's nominated for three Brit awards tonight. All eyes on Adele. She's coming off a rather disappointing performance at
the Grammys thanks to a rogue microphone that interrupted her piano. She actually said was crying in tears literally all day the next day, but
hopefully no tears tonight because many people are expecting her to win big.
MANN: Erin McLaughlin, live at the Brit Awards, thanks very much.
As always, the team at Connect the World wants to hear your thoughts about the stories we
have brought you over the last hour. Send us your opinions and ideas on our Facebook page. Facebook.com/CNNconnect. You can also watch our
reports there plus some exclusive Facebook content and get in touch any time. Tweet me at Jonathan Mann, CNN
In our Parting Shots, looking ahead to Hollywood's biggest night this Sunday.
Winning an Oscar is something most of us can only dream about. But what does it actually feel like? We talked to some winners.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EDDIE REDMAYNE, ACTOR: The actual moment of winning it is a kind of weird blurred
frenzy of adrenaline pumped insanity frankly. But what's amazing is once you get the prize, you're sort of you shall erred off stage to press and
you don't have a moment to yourself for the next seven hours because it's journalists and selfie, and it was such a frenzy that you couldn't take any
of it in.
KATE WINSLET, ACTRESS: Winning, I mean I'm not going to lie. My favorite Oscar moment after six nominations winning the bloody thing. It was
fantastic.
TOM HOOPER, DIRECTOR: It was extraordinary. Because I was sitting in the audience. Steven Spielberg was directly in front of me who he was my
childhood hero. We were like chatting during the commercial breaks. And the moment came where the envelope was opened and it was
Hillary Swank and Catherine Bigelow. (inaudible) Red Dust, my first film. So that kind of felt like a good sign.
But the strangest thing was I am here because I made a film about a guy who is terrified of public speaking and I'm sitting here in reality terrified
that if I win I've got to up and make a speech live in front of half a billion people, a far larger audience than King George VI had to speak in
front of.
And so in a weird way in the moment of having to make that speech, I had a more empathetic connection with the king's predicament than ever in my life
before.
AARON SORKIN, SCREENWRITER: i don't know if people know this but the Oscar that they hand you on stage isn't the Oscar that they take home. It's a
prop. It's -- they give you -- you go backstage and they give you an Oscar that isn't yet engraved. And afterward at the Governor's Ball, which is
the first party that they go to, they have the engraving place. They have master engravers and
you go there and congratulations, and give them the trophy. And you watch as they engrave your Oscar. And that's special.
HOOPER: And then I got up and then I saw my mom in the audience and my dad in the audience. And I thought how lucky I am to be young enough that they
were alive and well and my mom had a -- as you probably know, was the person responsible for finding this stage, this unproduced stage play
script. And the fact I was able to honor them and thank them within that made me calm and I found my calmness.
REDMAYNE: I was staying in this hotel on Sunset Boulevard and it had -- it was this sort of Deco hotel and it had this balcony that about 6:00 in the
morning, about 12 or seven, eight friends and my wife and I were on this balcony as the sun came up over sunset boulevard. Then that's the moment
that I remember going, sort of leaves me breathless, really. That was the first moment of really taking it in.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MANN: How wonderful.
Well, CNN is the place to turn before and after this Sunday's Academy Awards ceremony. For the glamour from the red carpet, tune in to
Hollywood's biggest night, Sunday at 6:00 p.m. Eastern our time. That's 11:00 p.m. in London, 7:00 a.m. Monday in Hong Kong. And once the Oscars
wrap up, join Isha Sesay and Don Lemon for And the Winner Is during the ceremony. You can even take part by voting in our Oscar poll at
CNN.com/awardsvote.
I'm Jonathan Mann. You have been watching Connect the World. Thanks for joining us.
END
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