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Connect the World
Famed Music Producer George Martin Dies at 90; Upset Win for Sanders in Michigan; Democrats, Republicans Look Ahead to March 15; Iran Tests Ballistic Missile; Human Rights Groups Criticize Europe's Syrian Migrant Solution; A Look Into Saudi Arabia's Jihadi Rehabilitation Center. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired March 09, 2016 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:22] LYNDA KINKADE, HOST: A big victory for Bernie Sanders. The U.S. presidential candidate gets a win in Michigan over Hillary Clinton,
completely the opposite of what the experts predicted.
Plus, Iran claims it has tested two ballistic missiles stamped with a cryptic message for Israel.
And sad news from London: some called him the Fifth Beatle, famed music producer George Martin has passed away at the age of 90.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is Connect the World.
KINKADE: Hello, I'm Lynda Kinkade. We'll have those stories in just a moment, but first when it rains it pours. And nowhere does that seem truer
today than in the United Arab Emirates.
We couldn't bring you the show out of Abu Dhabi studios today because of torrential rain. Just have a look at these pictures.
Not only did the storm shut down CNN's operations there, schools in the area are also closed, so, too, the Abu Dhabi stock exchange.
But before battening down the hatches, John Jensen and the team put this report together.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN JENSEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The forecast called for rain, but the ferocity of the storm took many in the UAE by surprise. Massive downpours
swept across this desert nation this week with more rainfall than the UAE normally gets in a single year. The worst of it hit Wednesday with gale
force winds slamming parts of Abu Dhabi.
This is really something unprecedented. You can see the wind and the rain just blowing down the roof, knocking plants and tables down on our roof,
the roof next door, this is something we've never seen before out here.
Trees were uprooted across town. Security services raced to unblock roads.
No injuries were reported, but there was flooding in several buildings.
Abu Dhabi's schools closed and the airport too briefly.
The full damage has not yet been assessed, but with more rainfall on the way, meteorologists say this desert rainstorm could be one for the books.
John Jensen, CNN, Abu Dhabi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Turning now to the U.S. race for the president, the candidates are sizing up the latest results after four states weighed in on the race on Tuesday. Democrat Bernie Sanders stunned Hillary Clinton with a victory
in Michigan, the state with the biggest prize of the night.
Despite the surprise win, Sanders still trailed far behind Clinton in the overall delegates needed to win the nomination. On the Republican side,
Donald Trump won three of the four states on the line on Tuesday, bringing his total number of delegates to 461. Ted Cruz won the Idaho primary and
remains in second place. Marco Rubio meanwhile left empty-handed with no new delegates. And as our Jim Acosta reports, Trump pulled off the
impressive win despite a barrage of new criticism.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Only one person did well tonight, Donald Trump.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was another election-night victory lap for Donald Trump, serving up some red meat to the crowd in the form of
Trump Steaks, along with Trump Wine and Trump Water. The GOP front-runner laughed off the "stop Trump" forces out to destroy his campaign.
TRUMP: I don't think I've ever had so many horrible, horrible things said about me in one week.
ACOSTA: The super PAC ads bombarding him on the airwaves...
TRUMP: I want to thank the special interests and the lobbyists, because they obviously did something to drive these numbers.
ACOSTA: ... to his top rivals, Ted Cruz...
TRUMP: Lying Ted. He holds the Bible high, and then he goes down and he puts the Bible down, and then he lies.
ACOSTA: ... and Marco Rubio, who failed to slow his momentum.
TRUMP: Hostility works for some people. It doesn't work for everybody.
ACOSTA: John Kasich ended up neck and neck with Cruz for second place in Michigan, bolstering his case that he should stay in this race.
JOHN KASICH, 2016 REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The people are beginning to reward a positive campaign. Next week we are going to win the
state of Ohio.
ACOSTA: Cruz won Idaho, managing to perform better than Marco Rubio, who had another rough night. The Florida senator is still holding out hope for
his home state.
SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I believe with all my heart that the winner of the Florida primary next Tuesday will be the
nominee of the Republican Party.
As Cruz, again, is making the argument he's the GOP's best candidate to stop Trump.
CRUZ: What Donald Trump wants is he wants us divided. If we are divided, he wins the nomination and Hillary becomes president. If we unite, that ain't
going to happen.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Tuesday's vote also resulted in a major win for Democrat Bernie Sanders in Michigan. His victory is another sign of the battle facing
Hillary Clinton as the race moves on.
Jean Casarez reports from Bell Isle, Michigan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[11:05:JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Lynda, the polls were wrong, the experts were wrong, the voters of Michigan have spoken and they voted for
Bernie Sanders. They believe that he exemplifies the will of the people in this state.
And as I spoke to voters after they had voted and were coming out of the polling places, they really told me that they believed he was a person and
so authentic that he meant what he said that he wasn't part of the elitist group, that he wasn't taking money from the elitist people, that he then
had to succumb to and making decisions for this country. And they said that Michigan needs help and they believe that he's the person to do it.
This is the Midwest. This was the first primary in the Midwest next week. We'll have Ohio. We'll have Illinois. But the pulse of the Midwest is very
important voting block for the actual presidential election. And let's look at it. CNN took some exit polls, and primarily it was white males
that voted for Bernie Sanders. 63 percent of white males in this state voted for him.
And also when you look at worried about the U.S. economy, very worried about the U.S. economy and Michigan's economy, overwhelmingly 56 percent
voted for Bernie Sanders.
And once again when you look at Michigan, they have had many issues in the last few years. First of all, the Detroit public school system currently
is $515 million in debt. The students can't compete with other students around the U.S. and around the world, and that is an issue for the people
here.
The Flint water crisis is an issue for the people, and also let us not forget the auto industry, because that is the industry that created so many
jobs in Michigan that have been taken away and Bernie Sanders, along with Donald Trump and on the Democratic side Bernie Sanders says he wants to
bring those jobs back.
And Lynda, we do want to say that tonight there is a debate of the Democratic candidate. It is put on by Univision, one of the major Latin
American networks in the world. It will be simulcast on CNN in English. And tomorrow night on CNN will be the final GOP debate before Super Tuesday
next week, a critical primary across the country, and that will be moderated by Jake Tapper -- Lynda.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Joining me now to discuss this, is John Avalon, CNN's political analyst, and the editor-in-chief of the Daily Beast. Great to have you
with us as always, John.
JOHN AVALON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Good to be with you, Lynda.
KINKADE: Many polls had Clinton way in front in the Democratic race in Michigan, more than 20 points on average. Were all the polls wrong, or did
Sanders simply work really hard to get voters to the polls?
AVALON: Well, I think both things are true. The polls were clearly wrong and Sanders worked hard to get voters out to the polls.
This was a win for Bernie Sanders that nobody saw coming, the pollster community and
certainly Hillary Clinton's campaign. But Bernie Sanders pulled off a major upset in a big state with
an open primary and that is good news for him as he makes the case for his relevance as someone who can win the Democratic nomination going into Super
Tuesday.
Hillary Clinton still has math on her side. She still has the larger organization on her side. But nobody can tell Bernie Sanders fans that
they don't have a shot anymore, so this is real wind at their sails. And the Clinton camp is going to have to recalibrate and figure out how they
lost a state they had in the bag.
She won voters over the age of 40. He won voters under the age of 40. She won voters who make under $30,000 and over $100,000, he won the broad
middle class.
So, that's a sign of strength for Bernie Sanders that he's going to have to see if he can replicate in the Super Tuesday states coming up.
KINKADE: And so, of course, Clinton is way ahead in the delegate count. What will her team have to do going forward to make sure that she does well
in the other so-called Rust Belt states?
AVALON: First of all, I think it's a reminder that you can't take anything for granted in American politics right now. There is a wave of populism
going through both the Republican and Democratic parties responding to some of the same stimuli, but with very different standardbearers. Bernie
Sanders and Donald Trump couldn't be less alike in their personal and political characteristics.
But the sense that the system is rigged by big money, the sense that income inequality has accompanied the objective economic recovery of the United
States has seen. And that's one of the fascinating dynamics here, Lynda. You have got unemployment rate has been cut in half in Michigan over the
last six years, but still there's deep economic anxiety, frustration and anger. And that seems to have affected turnout in both primaries last
night.
KINKADE: And looking a the Republicans, we have just heard that Carly Fiorina has endorsed Ted Cruz. And looking at Donald Trump, his victory
speech is quite interesting last night.
It did seem like a bad info commercial.
[11:10:00] AVALON: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, you know, never before in American politics, certainly recorded American politics, has anyone taken a
big primary win and turned it into an opportunity for product placement.
He paraded his steaks, his wine, his water around, his magazine. It was surreal, to say the least. It's a sign -- let's not dignify it by saying
it's a sign of his unorthodox campaign. It's, I think, a metaphor for the inherently self-promotional nature of his campaign and the fact that he is,
at the end of the day, a marketer, much more than a tycoon or a businessman, he is an expert marketer. And he has translated those skills
to kind of a political pugilism that has ridden him to the top of the Republican polls right now and he is a very strong position going into
Super Tuesday with those two wins under his belt.
You can win evangelicals in the deep south and Reagan Democrats in Michigan, it's hard to make an argument that you're not well positioned to
at least win the Republican nomination.
But I guess that comes with a bag of schwag for the American people.
KINKADE: He certainly is a businessman first and foremost. John Avalon, great to have you with us. Thank you.
Iran has test fired ballistic missiles within its borders for a second day in a row, that's according to state media. The U.S. says developing that
kind of weaponry could violate a UN resolution. Iran's semi-official news agency reports the missiles were marked with a message in Hebrew reading
"Israel must be wiped off the Earth." That's of particular concern because the
missiles are capable of reaching Israel's borders.
Let's get right to our CNN team with the latest. CNN global affairs correspondent Elise Labott is live for us in Washington, and Oren
Liebermann joins us live from Jerusalem.
I'll start with you first, Elise. These missile tests come after Iran signed the nuclear agreement with the U.S. and the other world powers. Are
these tests a violation of that agreement?
ELISE LABOTT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, in fact, they are not. The agreement clearly does not touch upon the missile program. That was a very big
sticking point in the negotiations.
It is mentioned in the UN Security Council resolution that enshrines the nuclear deal that
places some kind of limits on the missile tests. And so this is like a very delicate dance that the U.S. and Israel, for instance, are walking
right now because Israel fears that as Iran continues to develop its missile capability, even if there are curbs on the nuclear program, this
certainly it presents, as we've seen today with this missile threat to Israel.
Take a listen to Vice President Joe Biden who is in Israel right now trying to allay fears about
whether the U.S. would act if Iran were to violate its nuclear obligations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I want to reiterate, which I know people still doubt here, if in fact they break the deal, we will
act. We will act. And all their conventional activity outside of the deal is still beyond the deal and we will, and are attempting to act wherever we
can find it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LABOTT: And so what does the U.S. do now in terms of these missile tests? I mean, the U.S. came out very strongly condemning the missile tests of
Tuesday. Again, Vice President Biden in Israel discussing this today. We understand they could go to the UN
Security Council. It's very unlikely that you'd see any action there particularly because of Russia and China. The U.S. could also impose some
unilateral sanctions, but clearly they are keeping a very close eye on the developing missile program that Iran feels it's free to do outside of that
nuclear deal.
KINKADE: All right, Elise Labott there.
I want to go to Oren Liebermann now. Oren, this was the second ballistic missile test in two days. How is it different to the last one?
LABOTT: It appears that the big difference is what we have been talking about that the missiles tested today have that 2,000 kilometer range that
could theoretically reach Israel if fired from western Iran, and additionally that message in Hebrew saying Israel must be wiped off the
map. That's the big difference here. And that is what Israel is focusing on.
Now, we haven't seen a reaction. We haven't seen a comment from the prime minister's office or from the foreign ministry.
Difficult to theorize about why that is. Certainly Netanyahu has multiple times talked in the past not only about Iran's nuclear program, but also
about the intercontinental ballistic missile program that we're seeing tested here.
Now, it is worth pointing out that last week Israel and the U.S. wrapped up a joint exercise called Juniper Cobra, which was an intercontinental
ballistic missile defense exercise. In that exercise, Israel fired the Arrow 3, that's the -- its latest line of ballistic missile defense.
So, Israel and the U.S. saying that this exercise -- the timing of this exercise has nothing to do with anything going on in the region, but
certainly seems like it's almost a preemptive statement before Iran fired off this ballistic missile with the range to hit Israel.
[11:15:14] KINKADE: Certainly it really concerning developments for Israel. Oren Liebermann there in Jerusalem and Elise Labott in D.C., thank
you both very much.
Now to a major development in the fight against ISIS. U.S. officials tell CNN a detained ISIS operative has been providing crucial information on the
militant's chemical weapons program, and the U.S. military is now acting on that information launching airstrikes targeting sites it believes are
linked to that weapons program.
U.S. officials tell CNN intelligence agents have confirmed 12 chemical attacks by ISIS in Iraq and Syria, the most recent just a month ago.
This is Connect the World. Coming up when he first met the Beatles, he didn't think much of
their music but of course all of that soon changed. We are in London to remember the life of legendary producer George Martin.
And then an anniversary that Japan wishes it didn't have to mark, and yet it's impossible to forget. We'll revisit the land and lives destroyed by
the Fukushima disaster five years on.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: You're watching CNN and this is Connect the World. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Welcome back.
Well, tributes are pouring in from the music world and beyond for George Martin. The Beatles producer died Tuesday at his home in England at the
age of 90. Erin McLaughlin looks back at his long career and how his work with the Beatles helped redefine music.
(BEGIN VDIEOTAPE)
(MUSIC)
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He was known as the fifth of Beatle. Sir George Martin only discovered the greatest British pop band of all
time, he helped shape their music. His successful career spanned seven decades, producing 700 albums with a variety of artists.
But it was when he signed the Fab Four in 1962 that his career changed course.
GEORGE MARTIN, MUSIC PRODUCER: It was fantastic working with The Beatles. I mean, right from the word go, because I guess I fell in love with them,
because they had this wonderful charisma when I first met them. I was astonished that everybody else had
turned them down. Really, everybody in England, every record company had turned them down. I was their last ditch. And we
just hit it off.
MCLAUGHLIN: From The Beatles' first hit "Love Me Do" to the psychodelic sounds of "Sergeant Pepper," Martin's work helped spark a pop culture
revolution.
Sir George was a classically trained musician in London, no previous experience in pop music. The Beatles were a young band from Liverpool who
had never been in a studio.
MARTIN: At that time, their music wasn't very good. And I knew that my job was to try to
find good songs for them. It's crazy now when you think about it, but they weren't writing great songs. But they developed terribly well and terribly
quickly.
MCLAUGHLIN: Together they created some of the most memorable music of the '60s.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He had a very great musical knowledge and background. I mean, he taught us a lot. And I'm sure we taught him a lot by our sort
of primitive musical ability.
MARTIN: Following the breakup of The Beatle, Sir George worked with other artists. He co-produced Sir Elton John's tribute to Princess Diana, but
his enduring legacy will be with the group of four men from Liverpool who transformed music and marked an era.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: And Erin McLaughlin is following this and joins us now from London. Erin, you're at the iconic Abbey Road Studios where many of The
Beatles most famous hits were recorded, many produced by Martin. How are people paying tribute there?
MCLAUGHLIN: Well, Lynda, people have been stopping by here to leave flowers and notes of
remembrance. The studio is also blasting Beatles music in tribute, put out a statement saying that
they were dedicated to preserving his legacy. And that's really because of the profound impact he had on The Beatles and their music.
We are also hearing from Paul McCartney earlier today put out a rather lengthy statement, which reads in part, the world has lost a truly great
man who left an indelible mark on my soul and the history of British music. God bless you, George, and all who sail with
you.
We're also hearing from the son of the late John Lennon, Julian Lennon, tweeting out, the fifth
Beatle without question and likely one of the best and most iconic music producers of all time.
We also of course heard from Ringo Starr. He was the one to break the news of Martin's death on Twitter saying that he was thanking him for his love
and for his kindness. It was after all Martin who discovered Ringo Starr. He actually replaced The Beatles original drummer with Start.
So, just really just another example of the impact that Martin had on the Beatles and their music.
And I think many people will be surprised to find out exactly how much influence he had with some of their biggest hit songs.
MCLAUGHLIN: Absolutely. He didn't just influence the Beatles. His career spanned some seven decades. He also worked with artists such as Celine
Dion, Elton John, famously co-producing Candle in the Wind song, the version of that song that Elton John played at Princess Diana's funeral.
Elton John paying tribute on Twitter as well. He tweeted out the following, so sad to hear about Sir George. It is the end of a wonderful
era. He was a delightful, brilliant man.
So, he helped give the world really, Lynda, what we're hearing from so many people today. He helped give the world some of its best music.
KINKADE: Absolutely. And he continued working well into his 80s. Erin McLaughlin in London, thank you very much.
You're watching Connect the World. Coming up, life after jihad. We'll take you inside a rehabilitation center that's trying to reform Islamic
extremists.
And we head to South Africa to look a the how one woman is mixing her passion for
chemistry with a keen eye for business. African Start-up is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[11:25:37] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: South Africa's coastal city of Durbin is best known for its outdoor lifestyle and sun-kissed beaches, but one young
entrepreneur has chosen to make this laid back tourist hub her business base.
Nelly Shezi (ph) is the founder and owner of Elegant Line Chemicals. She says that the company manufactures and distributes up to 200 tons of
personal care products, detergents and lubricants to the private sector and to government departments monthly.
UNIDENIFIED FEMALE: Elegant Line Chemicals started in 2007. At that time, we were
very small. So it's just myself and the receptionist, and we were doing almost everything by ourselves.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Since its first international order to Mozambique in 2010, the manufacturing facility has experienced rapid expansion, and today
exports to five African countries.
Yet the chemical analyst's early days have been anything but free flowing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have faced a number of challenges. One of them being clients who still do not believe that female can run a chemical plant
and they can make it work.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Facing fierce competition from large multinationals at home, Nelly (ph) shifted the focus to foreign markets forging on the
ground partnerships with established distributors in neighboring territories. She says that this has enabled
her to tap into their knowledge of local market dynamics and provides her with a valuable channel for receiving customer feedback.
Added to the mix of the chemical facility success has been acquiring accreditation with the
South African Bureau of Standards, which gives potential clients an assurance of quality.
The company's staff complement is made up mainly of women.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We chose the name Elegant Line, because we really wanted to be
professional in everything that we do. That is our staff or service as well as our corporate look as (inaudible).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: According to Shezi (ph), ongoing research and development as well as the nurturing of young talent are further defining
features of the company with their recent entry into the water purification market, Elegent Line Chemicals hopes to
take their success to the next level.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They say that if your dream doesn't scare you, then it is not big
enough. My big dream for the future is to be listed on the Johannesburg stock exchange.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(HEADLINES)
[11:31:58] KINKADE: Returning to U.S. politics now. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is celebrating big wins in three
states. He's looking ahead now to next Super Tuesday's contests on March 15. Voters in Florida and four other states head to the polls. As you can
see, polls show Trump is leading by a wide margin in Florida. He is followed by Marco Rubio who is still hoping to eke out a win in his home
state. On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton is leading Sanders almost 2 to 1 in Florida after a significant loss to him in the Michigan primary.
In Ohio, polls show Trump ahead by a narrower margin over the state's popular governor John Kasich While Clinton is leading over Sanders by
double digits in the state.
Well, let's get some perspective on the state of the race from Political Mann host Jonathan Mann. Good to have you with us.
JONATHAN MANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good to be back.
KINKADE: Now, looking at Florida, it is winner takes all for the Republicans. And as we can see, Trump is way ahead. Can he take that
state?
MANN: It looks like he will. Not only the polls tell us he will, but by all accounts Marco Rubio has been doing a terrible job of running in
Florida. Very little advertising, not much organization on the ground. He has not gotten the endorsement of former Governor Jeb Bush. He doesn't
impress the people of Florida. And even within his core constituency, you think he and Ted Cruz, they are both Cuban-Americans, you'd think the
Cuban-American community in Florida, sizable enough, may support him. That may be true, but then again we don't see any segment. Donald Trump seems
to be to the extent that I've seen polling that breaks down the demographics, Donald Trump seems to be winning across the board.
And it may be the Cuban-Americans who have a surprise for him. We'll have to wait and see.
KINKADE: And a major newspaper in Florida didn't endorse a candidate, but they went further by criticizing Marco Rubio. Certainly that's not going
to help his chances. Should he drop out before the embarrassment of Florida?
MANN: Well, that's -- it's a terrible choice, because either he's going to look weak and cowardly if he won't face voters in his own state. He's
still a sitting senator. Or he'll look stupid if he faces the voters, and as the polls tell us, goes down in defeat.
So, I think, though, his chances, if anything, might be supported by some disaster in the Trump camp or maybe the possibility that he stays in the
race is considered as a vice presidential cadidate for Ted Cruz, as someone a contested convention turns to in desperation.
They are all fairly distant possibilities, but if he suspends his campaign, if he leaves the race, he knows he has got no chance. So, he may be
sticking around hoping something happens. It's really -- it's hard to figure out, but there is no good option for him here.
KINKADE: As someone suggested earlier today that Donald Trump might pick him as his running mate, that seems like a long shot.
MANN: It's not -- you know, after Chris Christie came out and endorsed Donald Trump, we see strange bedfellows in this campaign and it's hard to
know. Because it's -- Rubio seems to have no happy outcome here. So what will happen at this point? That may be the best chance he has.
KINKADE: Absolutely. OK, on to the Democrats.
Clinton is way ahead in the polls in Florida against Sanders. But given the upset we saw in
Michigan, could sanders close the gap?
MANN: Probably not. Here's my bold prediction. I'll tell you why. And it comes down to demographics. You think about who the Clinton coalition
is. In state after state, she wins among older voters. Florida Democrats tend to be older than in other states. And in state after state, Bernie
Sanders tends to win young white people. He doesn't win minorities. Florida heavily Hispanic among the Democratic voting base.
So, those are two key groups for her. She way ahead in the polls. She does have the demographics on her side. And demographics among the
Democrats really seem to have told the story so far in the election. Bernie Sanders wins among some segments -- very young people, very white
people, very liberal people, Hillary Clinton wins among older people, older Democratic Party people -- another key thing, Florida will be a closed
primary. If you're an independent, you can't vote.
Independents got Bernie Sanders the victory in Michigan. They won't even be able to walk
into the polling places in Florida.
KINKADE: So, not looking good for him there.
And Clinton will be hoping that she gets this one.
MANN: You bet.
KINKADE: Good on you. Jonathan Mann, great to have you with us. As always, thank you.
MANN: Thanks.
KINKADE: And be sure to stay right here on CNN. Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are set to meet head to head once again. CNN will
simulcast the Univision Democratic debate in Miami, Florida that's at 2:00 a.m. Thursday in London or 3:00 a.m. in Berlin.
In Saudi Arabia several years ago al Qaeda was behind a string of domestic terror attacks, but alongside the traditional responses we have seen
elsewhere CNN's Nic Robertson shows us how the kingdom decided to try something very different.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the laundry.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: OK.
We're going past a basketball court.
I'm not in a resort on holiday.
Do you ever have a problem with any of them trying to escape from here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
ROBERTSON: And not in a jail. I'm getting a guided tour of Saudi Arabia's state of the art
jihadi rehab center.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have several units like this one.
ROBERTSON: More than 3,100 men have been through here. The Muhammed Bin Naif Center for Advice, Counseling and Care (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (inaudible) 122. The success rate among them 80 percent.
ROBERTSON: The center's slick PowerPoint is shown to visiting prime ministers, international counterterrorism officials and me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a group of religious, psychological counsel, social training, culture, and sports programs...
ROBERTSON: He's talking about the staff.
The majority of people are from a religious discipline. Why is that?
DR. HAMEED AL-SHAYGI, CRIMINAL SOCIOLOGIST: Because Daesh and other organizations use Islam to recruit.
ROBERTSON: I can't talk to the jihadis on rehab, but I can meet this man.
If I had met you in Afghanistan when you had been to Osama bin Laden's training camp, if I had met you then, would you have killed me?
"Yes," he says. "He did five years in jail, then graduated the rehab program and credits the certain for turning his life around."
But still doesn't want his identity shown.
It says each one of these is the inmates at Guantanamo Bay.
Officials credit success with getting in the minds of the jihadists with imams, sociologists, psychologists, even art therapy. But admit there is
no silver bullet to success.
YASSER ALMAZRUA, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: And there is a high chance of relapse. But instead like when you talk about that problem in terrorism
problems, OK, relapse it's common. But I think we're with that small percentage that is good.
ROBERTSON: Everything is done to make the jihadists comfortable, open up so their terrorist ideas can be discussed and changed.
It might look look the beneficiaries here are getting pampered, but Saudi Arabia knows it's under pressure to tackle this extremist threat. There's
nothing better than groups like ISIS would like to take control of this country, home to Islam's two holiest sites.
The former jihadi derides ISIS as chaotic compared to al Qaeda and he shocks me claiming the
ISIS attack in Paris was a fabrication of the west.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's happened is (inaudible).
ROBERTSON: It's not often I'm at a loss for words, but I'm struggling.
The families who lost their loves ones in Paris are very real. It's not a fake. I was there.
Success at this center is measured in no repeat offenders. What the former jihadis really
think when they leave is their own business.
Nic Robertson, CNN, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: It's been five years since the most powerful earthquake ever to hit Japan triggered a devastating tsunami and the Fukushima nuclear
meltdown. Not only did the disaster kill thousands of people, but it also destroyed the lives of some of survivors.
Will Ripley has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[11:40:16] WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Whenever Sojiro Saito (ph) wants to check on his home, he has to wear this to guard against radiation.
Saito only comes a few times a year to the house his family has owned since before World War II, each visit more difficult than the last, each room
devastated. Poison does little to keep the rats away.
"It's painful," he says. "My wife doesn't want to come here. The house is getting more dilapidated."
This room pretty much hasn't been touched since the earthquake. You can see the calendar, March 2011. There's still laundry hanging that was done
right before the earthquake hit.
The shaking lasted six minutes, tsunami waves soon after, icy cold, consuming coastal towns.
Five years ago, on March 11, 2011, almost 20,000 people died, many spared by nature would soon face a man made disaster.
Saido house is three kilometers, less than two miles from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. His town, Futaba (ph), sits empty. More than 6,000
people once lived and worked here.
Today, they're allowed in for just five hours at a time. Nearly 100,000 Fukushima residents are still evacuated, nearly 19,000 still living in what
was supposed to be temporary housing.
Some choose to stay, others have nowhere else to go.
Sesuko Matsumoto (ph) used to live within walking distance of her children, now they barely see each other.
"I had a happy life," she says. "The disaster made a lot of families fall apart, including mine."
Saito also lived with his parents, children, and grandchildren. Now, they're scattered in several cities.
What did you grow in here?
The soil on his farm contaminated. .
"I'm sad," he says. "I'm empty."
A feeling shared by so many here five years later.
Will Ripley, CNN, Futaba (ph), Japan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Still to come, debating the fate of the refugees. The UN criticizes a plan that's supposed to ease Europe's migrant crisis.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:45:12] KINKADE: You're watching CNN and this is Connect the World with me, Lynda Kinkade. Welcome back.
The UN says a plan to tackle Europe's migrant crisis could leave refugees without the protection of international law. Under the provisional
agreement, Turkey says it is would take back migrants who cross the sea to Greece without authorization. And for every Syrian
migrant sent back to Turkey, the EU is offering to take one Syrian migrant from Turkey after they have been approved for refugee
status to resettle them.
But an official from the UN's refugee agency says an agreement that would be tantamount to a blanket return to a third country is not consistent with
European law and not consistent with international law.
The plight has new urgency as Macedonia has just closed its border with Greece to all migrants. That will quite simply leave tens of thousands of
people stranded. This map highlights the massive number of people who have made it to Greece this year alone and their journey is far from over.
Atika Shubert joined some of the arrivals.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Piraeus Port, the gateway to Athens. But for many refugees, it is no longer the doorway to Europe.
Most mornings, ferries arrive from the islands. The tourists come off first. Then the refugees. They
carry bundles of blankets, s rolled up tents in one arm, babies in the other all with the same destination.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Germany.
SHUBERT: Germany.
There has been a lot of confusion and chaos here. Nobody is really sure where to go. There is a bus, but it really only brings people around the
terminal. And there is no official here to tell them where to go next.
We do see a single UN official attempting to figure out who needs what. But many refugees simply set up temporary homes inside the port.
But where there are few officials, there are plenty of volunteers.
Soliris Alexopoulos was laid off in the debt, so he turned to helping the homeless and now refugees. But since the borders north have been closing,
he says, their work has changed.
SOLIRIS ALEXOPOULOS, VOLUNTEER: Food, clothing, and medical care. Snd then we would see them off on their buses to the board.
SHUBERT: But that has changed now.
ALEXOPOULOS: That has changed now, and this change means that we overnight we became a camp.
[08:35:07] SHUBERT: Greeks, heavily in debt, deep in unemployment, know what it is like to need a helping hand. Athens residents stream in with
donations.
Nearby Johnson & Johnson sponsors a children's play area that also sevens as a waiting room
for an on site pediatrician and a children's dentist.
But the days are hot, the wait is long, and the border is still not open.
This is a group of Afghan refugees demanding that Macedonia open up the border.
But their demands are not heard.
As governments bicker over what to do, ordinary Greeks do what they can to help. The refugees wait, facing a choice: stay in Greece and hope to be
legally accepted is as an asylum seeker and relocated somewhere in Europe, or keep moving, whether illegal or not.
Atika Shubert, CNN, at Piraeus Port in Athens, Greece.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: And as we mentioned, the EU and Turkey have a plan that's meant to ease the crisis, but rights groups are criticizing it. Amnesty
International calls the proposal dehumanizing. Arwa Damon met with some family's for whom Europe's proposals are quite frankly the last thing on
their mind.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: These are the people whose fate was bartered by European and Turkish leaders trying to clean up and
recover from a night spent in the bitter cold and pouring rains.
The Ali (ph) family's kids are all sick, vomiting their parents say.
"We tried to stack the blankets on the floor, but it didn't work," Ziad (ph) tells us. "We don't know what is going to happen to us."
They tried to stay as dry as they could trying to keep at least the kids' clothing out of the water that was coming through, and you can see what a
lot of people have done now that the sun is finally beginning to come out as take their sopping wet things and try to dry them off.
The so-called breakthrough great agreement on Europe's migrant crisis is not about saving the most vulnerable of people, it's about protecting
Europe from them. Human Rights Watch's Peter Bouckhaert says it's as what is happening here is disconnected from the war zones.
[11:50:06] PETER BOUCKAERT, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: We need to connect these two crises and understand these are the people fleeing from the Islamic
State, from Assad's terror. Europe talks about human right and about promoting human rights abroad. And now there's a crisis coming to Europe
and they close their borders.
DAMON: The agreement, he says, is a slap in the face to those fleeing conflict.
Europe has received over 1.5 million asylum requests in the past year. They say they can't handle the influx.
The agreement, which still needs to be put to a vote in ten days, would push the crisis outside of
most of the European Union, to Greece and ultimately to Turkey.
At this camp along the Greek side of the border with Macedonia, 13,000 people are waiting. Lines for food, a sandwich, lasts two hours.
It's where we meet Asra (ph) and her sister sporting necklaces given to them by a volunteer, a small act of kindness that has become a rarity these
days, but one that at least helps them forget a little of what they are going through.
"I was very cold. I was shivering," Asra (ph) tells us. "All the water came inside the tent."
What will happen to them and the other refugees stranded along the way is unclear. And Amnesty International is calling this agreement a death blow
to the right to seek asylum.
Arwa Damon, CNN, on the Greece-Macedonia border.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: This is Connect the World. Coming up from Hawaii to Kuala Lumpur, thousands
around the world got to witness an amazing spectacle early on Wednesday. The details about that, after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: You're watching CNN and this is Connect the World with me Lynda Kinkade. Welcome back.
Well, crowds across Asia witnessed a total solar eclipse earlier on Wednesday. These stunning images provide a glimpse of the rare feat.
Those in Indonesia got the best view.
But according to NASA it was also partially visible in Malaysia, parts of Australia and even Hawaii. And for those wondering about the science
behind a solar eclipse, here's our Erin McLaughlin to explain.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MCLAUGHLIN: Long ago, ancient cultures around the globe looked to the skies in shock
and bewilderment. Many believe they were watching the sun being eaten by an animal like a dog or a mythical dragon.
Now we know there's a more scientific explanation for one of nature's most spectacular displays. This solar eclipse.
Watching as the moon blocks out the light from the sun, it can be hard to imagine the amazing cosmic coincidence taking place. The sun's diameter is
some 400 times larger than the moon's, but it's just the right distance away to appear the same size.
For a couple of minutes when the sun and moon are perfectly aligned, the moon completely cover's the sun's disk. The Sun's atmosphere, or corona,
can be seen in the dim light along with stars and planets.
This glowing atmosphere is much hotter than the surface of the sun, but no one is exactly sure why. It's a question puzzling astronomers.
The so-called totality only exists in a narrow band where the moon's shadow falls on the Earth. Outside the zone, some observers can see a partial
eclipse where it looks like a chunk has been taken out of the sun. It's not a phenomenon that will last forever. The
moon is slowly moving away from the Earth and one day it will appear too small in the sky to cover the sun completely.
But don't worry, if you miss this total solar eclipse, NASA estimates that you still have 563 million years to catch one.
If you are lucky enough to see this incredible spectacle, remember, never look directly at the sun. Even with everyday sunglasses, you risk causing
permanent damage to your eyes.
If you don't have access to special filters, a safe way to observe the show is to make a pinhole in
a piece of paper and project the image on to another sheet.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[11:56:09] KINKADE: And you can also follow the stories our team is working on throughout the day by going to our Facebook page. That's
Facebook.com/CNNconnect.
I'm Lynda Kinkade, and that was Connect the World. Thanks for joining me.
END
