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CNN NEWSROOM

Syrian Aid Deliver Serious Business; Trump Rivals: Don't Count Us Out; Russians Seem to Support Trump; Brazilian President's Announcement Sparks Violent Protests; FIFA Demanding Millions in Damages; China Investing Billions in Soccer; Trump: Riots Possible if Not Nominated; Outraged Latinos Naturalizing to Vote Against Trump; Obama's Supreme Court Nominee Challenge to Senate Republicans. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired March 17, 2016 - 02:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(HEADLINES)

[02:00:32] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Rosemary Church.

ERROL BARNETT, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Errol Barnett. Thanks for joining our two-hour block today. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

(HEADLINES)

BARNETT: Even in the midst of the ceasefire in Syria, aid delivery is a dangerous business. In this exclusive report, CNN senior international correspondent, Clarissa Ward, went undercover into rebel-held Syria.

CHURCH: Virtually, no Western journalists have gone there in more than a year.

She met up with an aid worker as he dodged air strikes, trying to help civilians trapped by violence.

We want to warn you, there are graphic images in her report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is a Tuesday in Syria. British aid worker, Talkir Sharif (ph), is making the dangerous drive to Aleppo.

TALKIR SHARIF (ph), BRITISH AID WORKER: It's really important that we drive with the windows open because any kind of explosions that land close to us, the last thing we want is shrapnel of glass and so on landing on our face.

WARD: He is traveling in to devastated city to deliver an ambulance but it isn't long before he is diverted.

(SIREN) WARD: Four air strikes have hit. Sharif (ph) runs into the wreckage to see what is needed.

SHARIF (ph): This is a house. It's all houses.

WARD: Remarkably, no one has been injured or killed but the sound of another jet means it's time to leave.

SHARIF (ph): Everybody out. Let's go. Let's go.

They are saying that the plane is in the sky. We can hear it. They are saying attack particular that it uses, when ambulances turn up they will hit the same place again, so we're just going to try to get to a safer place.

WARD: Sharif (ph) is one of just a handful of Western aid workers living in Syria.

SHARIF (ph): Most of the big aid organizations they don't want to go into the line of fire in a sense. This is something that we have to do. This is something that is a human response. If we don't do it, then who will?

WARD: In the relative safety of an olive grove near the Turkish border he told us religious conviction played a big part in his decision to come here three years ago.

SHARIF (ph): We need to look at what do the people really want? And if the people are Muslims and they want some form of Islamic governance then it's important that we help them to establish that.

WARD (on camera): Is that what they want?

[02:05:05] SHARIF (ph): In my opinion, that's what I believe. And you can ask -- you can go and ask the people, what do you want. I don't think they will settle for anything else, especially after all this bloodshed, their right to self determination.

WARD (voice-over): For many of the 6.5 million displaced people in Syria, there are perhaps more immediate concerns. Most live in sprawling tent cities along the border. Conditions in the camps are brutal. There is a lack of food and clean water. And they become more crowded every day.

SHARIF (ph): We just recently done a survey of this camp. Just this camp here, alone, which is a conglomeration of about 40 camps, is around 80,000 people.

WARD (on camera): 80,000 people.

SHARIF (ph): And this is just one on this border. There is another one, it's not too far from here, another maybe 65,000, 70,000 people.

(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE) SHARIF (ph): (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WARD (voice-over): Sharif's (ph) favorite project is this smaller camp that houses roughly 100 widows and their children.

Syria is now a country full of widows and orphans, some still too young to understand what has happened to their country, others who have seen too much, all of them dependent on the mercy of others.

SHARIF (ph): (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WARD: Clarissa Ward, CNN, Syria.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: We have much more of Clarissa's exclusive reporting at CNN.com/Syria. While you are there, check out a detailed 360-degree view of some of the destruction in Aleppo.

BARNETT: So it's looking more like Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will be the ones battling for the U.S. presidency this fall.

CHURCH: Both scored decisive victories in the latest round of primaries.

Clinton won Florida, Ohio, Illinois and North Carolina, and leads in Missouri where officials are still counting absentee ballots.

BARNETT: That's right. I can't believe that actually. Clinton now has 1588 delegates to Sanders' 817. That's counting super delegates who have promised to support a candidate but could still switch their vote. That means Clinton still needs this magic number, 795, to clinch the nomination.

CHURCH: Meanwhile, Trump warns of riots if the Republican Party tries to stop his march to the nomination.

BARNETT: Now, even as he inches his way closer, his rivals say don't count them out.

Sunlen Serfaty has more from the campaign trail.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're going to win, win, win, and we're not stopping.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With the math and the momentum, Donald Trump is taking big steps to the nomination.

TRUMP: The fact is we have to bring our party together. We have to bring it together.

(CHEERING) SERFATY: Today indicating he is ready to bring the nominating process to a close. The GOP front-runner saying he is done with GOP debates and would skip one scheduled for next week opting for a policy speech to the pro Israel organization AIPAC instead.

TRUMP (voice-over): I will say this. I think we had enough debates, 11 or 12. I did well in the last one.

SERFATY: With no Trump, John Kasich said he wouldn't show up either, leading FOX News to cancel the debate. That, as Kasich fights to complicate Trump's glide path to the nomination.

GOV. JOHN KASICH (R-OH), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We put one foot in front of the other.

(CROSSTALK)

(CHEERING)

SERFATY: Winning his first state, his home state of Ohio, and promising to bring the fight to the convention.

KASICH: We are going to go to go all the way to Cleveland and secure the Republican nomination.

(CHEERING)

SERFATY: Trump today with an ominous warning, telling CNN if he's denied the nomination while having the most delegates going in, there could be violence.

TRUMP: If we're, you know, 100 shot and we are at 1100 and someone else is at 500 or 400, because we are way ahead of everybody, I don't think you can say that we don't get it automatically. I think it would be -- I think you would have riots. I think you'd have riots.

SERFATY: After last night, Trump continues to hold the most delegates but he still has a tough path to get the 1237 delegates needed to clinch the nomination outright, making chances of a contested convention more likely.

After his home state of Florida, Marco Rubio using his exit from the race to blast Trump.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), FLORIDA: I ask the American people, do not give in to the fear. Do not give in to the frustration.

SERFATY: Emboldening Ted Cruz to intensify his argument that it really is a two-man race based on the math.

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Only two campaigns have a plausible path to the nomination, ours and Donald Trump's. Nobody else has any mathematical possibility whatsoever. Only one campaign has beaten Trump over and over and over again.

(CHEERING) [02:10:05] SERFATY: Already out campaigning in Pennsylvania today, John Kasich not dissuaded.

KASICH: Neither of these guys can win a general election. So maybe they are spoiling it for the Republican Party and for the conservative movement.

SERFATY: Turning into a thorn in side for Ted Cruz.

CRUZ: John Kasich might take just enough votes to give those states to Donald Trump. If he sticks around, John Kasich will become Donald Trump's best friend.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: Now it's the season for taking political jabs. That's what Donald Trump did with this video aimed at Hillary Clinton. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC)

(BARKING)

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Of course, it's no secret that Trump admires Mr. Putin, often saying he would get along well with the Russian leader.

BARNETT: Now it seems Russia's returning the love.

CNN senior international correspondent, Matthew Chance, explains in Moscow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Russian state television appears to have thrown its support behind Donald Trump. Russia's top TV news anchor hailing him as an anti establishment candidate who will be ready to cooperate with Moscow over various issues. Trump has, of course, made complementary remarks about Russia and its leader, Vladimir Putin, over the course of his campaign, asking supporters, for instance, wouldn't it be nice if we could get along with Russia.

Well, the Kremlin's loyal media is now responding in kind, heaping praise on the tycoon-turned Republican hopeful. During the two and a half hour flagship news show this weekend on state-run television here, the anchor said Trump stood apart from the hierarchy of the Republican Party in wanting to forge good relations with Putin

And when you speak to ordinary Russians, many also see Trump as the most favorable candidate. He is a businessman, one man told us recently, who would build a relationship with Russia and who understands that Russia is an important player.

Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: Let's get you back now to our top story out of Brazil.

CHURCH: Thousands of people are flooding into the streets furious over a former president's return to government. The current president, Dilma Rousseff, has given Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva a top job in her cabinet.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: Shasta Darlington joins us from Rio to talk about what is happening.

Shasta, there's been growing discontent among Brazilians towards their leadership. What exactly preceded these spontaneous protests Wednesday night?

SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The big announcement, Errol, is that the former president, Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva, has accepted the post of chief of staff for his protege and current president, Dilma Rousseff. On the one hand, this will help shield him from some ongoing corruption investigations. But it's really inciting these political tensions. That's why we are seeing people out on the street, these anti government demonstrations in more than a dozen cities across the country, in front of the presidential palace, in Brasilia, out on the main avenue in Sao Paulo, but in many other cities, as well. And in hundreds of cities across the country, we heard people beating pots and pans and honking their horns when these announcements were covered in the nightly news programs. So of lot of discontent, a lot of anger. In some ways, this announcement was expected. The president has reportedly offered Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva a position repeatedly ever since the police raided his home earlier this month and took him in for questioning as part of an investigation into a corruption scandal. But this is taking it to a whole new level -- Errol?

BARNETT: We should note, the former president is being investigated for money laundering, for fraud. State prosecutors have called for his arrest. But the current president, Dilma Rousseff, says she appointed him as chief of staff because of his experience with fiscal stability. It's a very unusual time to make a move like this. How many people are buying that excuse?

DARLINGTON: The argument does have elements that actually seem to make sense. President Rousseff has a rock-bottom approval rating. We're in the middle of this prolonged recession. On top of that, she is facing an impeachment proceeding that was already opened in Congress. So the argument for the supporters of the Worker's Party and President Rousseff and Former President Luiz, he is this charismatic, two-time president, had record approval ratings. We will get him in office, he will get him into a ministerial position and we'll be able to negotiate with lawmakers, stave off these impeachment proceedings and build up confidence in the economy. However, if you take a closer look, markets didn't react positively. In fact the real weakened against the dollar. Stocks were down. Because the general consensus among investors is unless you change the government, things aren't going to get better.

[02:15:31] BARNETT: Fascinating stuff for a place that's about to host the Olympics. Shasta Darlington, live for us in Brazil. Appreciate it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Let's take a short break here. Still to come, FIFA wants millions from former officials named in a U.S. probe. Why the organization is calling itself a victim is just ahead.

BARNETT: And China is spending billions on its football future. Stick around to see one of its biggest investments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(SPORTS REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BARNETT: FIFA is seeking nearly $200 million in damages from former officials named in a U.S. investigation. The world's football governing body filed papers in a New York court claiming forfeited assets from indicted executives.

CHURCH: The document argues that many of these officials sold their World Cup votes for bribes. FIFA says the seized assets should be used to compensate the organization for the damage to its brand.

So let's bring in John Bacon now to discuss this. He is a sports commentator and joins me from Ann Arbor in Michigan.

Thank you for being with us, sir.

So FIFA wants to get tens of millions of dollars back from indicted former executives and has lodged this claim in the U.S., effectively confirming FIFA thinks these men are guilty. What does it tell you? Where is this all going?

JOHN BACON, SPORTS COMMENTATOR: It's an amazing circumstance that the U.S. courts and Switzerland courts have given FIFA victim status in the legal sense to allow them to go after the money their own people took in bribes to fill this $550 million black hole, they call it. It's bizarre on its face. On the flip side, however, it does get FIFA currently to go after the former FIFA officials who weren't that corrupt. So in that sense, FIFA itself is kind of doing the work of investigators. That's in some ways good. The flip side is the money is going back to FIFA, and we can only hope they are less corrupt than last time. So where it heads from here is hard to say, but at least there's some chance of retribution.

[02:20:00] CHURCH: Yeah, in essence, creating an old and new FIFA, right? And the new FIFA appears to be attempting to paint itself as the victim in this legal claim. How is that likely to go over? And how much responsibility should it take for allowing this to happen in the first place?

BACON: It's kind of rich, isn't it? I mean the company has victimized itself, essentially, is what is happening here. I will say this. It might be a demarcation between the old and the new. So the new generation might be less corrupt, let's hope, than the previous generation. It also allows them to clean up their image, clearly, put money back in the coffers, and we also hope put money back where it's supposed to go in the first place, which is into promoting youth soccer around the world and other programs to benefit kids all around the world. So that now has a chance of happening.

CHURCH: I wanted to ask you how much of a chance. How likely is it that FIFA will get the money back from these former senior executives? And how long will the legal process likely take do you think?

BACON: I think it's going to be dragged out for a very long time. You are dealing with international courts. Jack Warner, of course, is back in Debago (ph), one of the most -- one of the guiltiest parties, so good luck trying to extradite him back to the U.S.

Look, if you want make a bet on FIFA's cleanliness, please go right ahead. I'm not going to join you.

(LAUGHTER)

CHURCH: Fair enough. And how much damage do you think has been done to FIFA's image as a result of this crisis?

BACON: I think really irreparable on a lot of levels. First of all, Sepp Blatter, the former head of FIFA, was there for 17 years. This has been going on for many years. It's been a worst-kept secret in all sports journalism. We have known about this for a long time. We're all making fun of it, and it is very funny at a lot of levels, except for two I would say. One is they are exploiting the love people have for this game. There is no greater passion in sports than the passion for football internationally. That's where they have got you. They can exploit your love of it because fans will put up with almost anything to make sure they see World Cup again. The more serious side is a simple one, and that, of course, is in Qatar. Right now, they are estimating around 4,000 people will die building these stadiums for the 2022 World Cup, which is not funny at all.

CHURCH: Interesting. And we'll be watching the outcome of this claim very closely, as will you, of course.

John Bacon, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it.

BACON: Thank you.

BARNETT: As FIFA seeks millions to restore its image, China is pouring billions into its World Cup ambitions.

CNN's Matt Rivers visited a school that symbolizes the country's hopes for the future of its football team.

Matt Rivers joins us live to talk about it.

Matt, I'm guessing if money can't buy you the best talent in the world, perhaps try to nurture it instead. Is that the plan here?

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. The thought here is to start everything at a younger age. I think, by any objective standard, Chinese national football is not up to comparison in terms of some of the other major teams that we see on the global stage, the Germanys, the Brazils of the world. But the powers that be here in China want to change that. Part of the way they are doing that is by investing a lot of money in the younger generation in hopes that 10, 20, 30 years down the road maybe it will create some results.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RIVERS (voice-over): The view from above the Evergrande Football School is expansive, 50 pitches spread out across some 160 acres in southern China, the biggest in the world. It's ambitious, to say the least. A trait matched by a young student far down below.

PHU XINGE (ph), STUDENT (through translation): I want to play for the national team, and then play for Spanish clubs like Barcelona or Real Madrid.

(SHOUTING)

RIVERS: Phu Xinge (ph) is a skinny 14 year old mid fielder from Phugian (ph) Province. His family doesn't have a lot of money. So when he got a full scholarship to Evergrande eight months ago, he didn't think twice. For him, football is life.

XINGE (ph) (through translation): I feel really lucky to be here. Otherwise, I'd be in some normal school playing football on the side.

RIVERS: He is one of more than 2,000 students that live on the Evergrande campus. 80 percent of their time is spent inside these ornate buildings attending class. The rest of the time, they eat together. They live together. And they train together. Collectively, they represent the future of Chinese football.

HU JUNG NAH (ph), PRINCIPAL, EVERGRANDE FOOTBALL SCHOOL (through translation): At school, the aim is to cultivate some soccer stars and help them grow as people.

RIVERS: The principal, Hu Jung Nah (ph), says his school reflects a growing trend in China. Football is becoming more popular.

(on camera): Every Saturday, the entire school gets together and teams from different grades play matches against one another. It's the kind of scene young kids involved, parents coming out to watch, that the Chinese government hopes gets replicated time and again across the country as everyone gets more invested in the sport.

[02:25:17] (voice-over): President Xi Jinping, a big fan of the beautiful game, has led a surge of investment in youth football. The sport is now a mandatory part of school curriculums, and there are plans to have 20,000 football-themed schools up and running by 2017. The ultimate goal is to win a World Cup.

To do that, though, you need to develop star players. That's the task facing people like Sergio Zarcodias (ph), a Spanish youth coach, who moved to China four years ago as part of a partnership between the school and European heavyweights Real Madrid.

We asked if he has any future Messis or Renaldos on his roster.

SERGIO ZARCODIAS (ph), SPANISH YOUTH COACH: I hope so, but we are not in a rush because we know this is a process that takes time.

RIVERS: As for 14-year-old Phu Xinge (ph), who might not be the next Messi just yet, but the next time China makes the World Cup, he says he'll be a part of the reason why.

(on camera): You're reminded of China's ultimate goal as soon as you arrive at the school. This replica FIFA World Cup trophy sits right out front its entrance. Principal Hu (ph) says he hopes that the national team can manage to qualify for that tournament in the next 10 to 15 years, and maybe even one day, well down the road, even win.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIVERS: As for the feasibility of those goals, that certainly remains to be seen. But at least for now, it appears that China is putting its money where its goals are.

And, Errol, one more note. That entire school was completed in only 10 months. It only took 10 months to build all those buildings and lay out those pitching. In addition to investing of the money, it does appear there is a bit of haste in order to get those results coming in.

BARNETT: Yeah. You can't rush it, but as you say, putting where the goals are. A very interesting story there.

Matt Rivers, live for us in Beijing today. Thanks Matt.

CHURCH: We'll take a short break here. Still to come, sometimes it all comes down to the map. We'll see just what it will take for Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump to knock out their party's nominations for president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The very same group that he has been attacking is the one that's going to stop him from getting to the White House.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: Also coming up, U.S. Latinos are mobilizing against Donald Trump. How they are planning to win the war they say the presidential candidate started. More on that after this. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:30:52] CHURCH: A warm welcome back to all of our viewers across the globe. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Rosemary Church.

BARNETT: I'm Errol Barnett. We are half an hour in. Let's update you on our top stories.

(HEADLINES)

CHURCH: Donald Trump is warning of riots if he gets to the Republican convention with the most delegates but doesn't get the nomination. Trump says even if he falls short of a majority, there could be trouble if he isn't automatically made the nominee.

BARNETT: Now what can we all expect to see?

Joining me to discuss the path ahead is Republican strategist, Juleanna Glover; alongside Democratic strategist, Joe Lestingi.

Welcome to you both.

Juleanna, I want to begin with you, because I just think what is happening on the Republican side right now is more interesting. Donald Trump has by far the highest number of votes in all these early contests. But all we keep hearing is this plan to stop his march to the nomination. Trump says some of his supporters are likely to riot. Would you concede that he does actually have a point here?

JULEANNA GLOVER, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: I think that at every public meeting, his supporters are likely to riot. So if they are disappointed, who knows how this will turn out. What is crucial to understand is Trump is in no way, shape, or form trying to tame the baser tendencies of his supporters. He is out there egging them on. It's almost as though he wants them to riot, wants to see police out in the streets with tear gas and horses. It's really quite outrageous, frankly.

BARNETT: What does it say about the Grand Old Party and the state of the Republican establishment right now that he is favored more than anybody else despite all the things you just mentioned?

GLOVER: Well, it's not that he is favored more than anyone else. He happens to be getting a plurality of the votes right now. That does not mean that he has the majority. Two-thirds approximately of the Republican Party oppose Donald Trump. And I'll also argue that the man is not a Republican. His history, up until just recently, has been clearly that of a more moderate Democrat. He has a history of being pro choice. He has donated prolifically to the Democratic Party, leaders such as Pelosi, Schumer, the Clintons themselves. It's patently apparent he is not really a Republican and he is just cloaking himself in the mantle of Republicanism in order to acquire power.

BARNETT: That's why it's so fascinating right now because he is still the most popular Republican running. Joe, you're smiling while listening to all of this, but the Democrats

do have their own issues. I mean, why is Bernie Sanders still in the race? Secretary Clinton has a bigger delegate lead now than when she was competing against Obama back in the day. Why is Sanders still around? Is that hurting the Democrats?

JOE LESTINGI, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: No, I don't think it's hurting the Democrats. In fact, what you see on the Democratic side is lack of enthusiasm and turn out because we're happy with both nominees. I live in Virginia and I voted for Bernie, but I will proudly supporting Hillary because I like the plans both of them have put forward.

The reason why Bernie is still in the race is because the way we divide delegates is very different than the way Republicans Do. If you get 30 percent of the vote, you are going to get 30 percent of the delegates. It always makes it look like it's closer than it is. But the mathematical probability of Bernie Sanders being able to really make a push, even at the convention, for the nomination is very, very slim. Hillary has this locked up. Not only that, but we have super delegates on our side, which I know Republicans would kill for right now. We have those. And they are going to help push her over the top. And that's the way the system works. So Bernie is making his points. He's putting out good policy decisions or proposals, and it's helping lead the discussion on free college, single-payer health care, things along those lines, setting bold ideas. So it's good for the party and good for us to develop that brand and message going toward.

[02:36:05] BARNETT: Two big challenges both front-runners face are high unfavorables. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump disliked by many in the electorate.

Juleanna, is that something that you expect will turn around for Donald Trump or are you banking on the scenario that Donald Trump won't become the nominee?

GLOVER: I'm banking on the scenario that the more you see Donald Trump the more you dislike him.

But let's go back to Joe's points a moment ago. The Democrats have two candidates right now. They also have a scenario with of where 30 percent of the Democrats are dissatisfied with their establishment candidate, i.e., Hillary Clinton. If there were more than one candidate running up against Bernie Sanders, I think you would see the exact same thing in the Democratic Party, an extremist candidate who is facing a fractured establishment lane. In fact, I'd argue that we are looking at a four-party system with a both Donald Trump-like candidate, a Sanders-like candidate, and then two more moderate, from both parties, taking up the center lane.

BARNETT: Joe, what do you make about that? There are some who say they don't want Trump and they don't want Clinton either. How does Secretary Clinton trying to win over voters should she become the nominee?

LESTINGI: Yeah, I just want to go back to Juleanna's point on our party and our division. Don't forget that Hillary Clinton also took a large chunk of the vote in 2008. And everyone said they weren't going to come vote for Barack Obama, but they did. It makes it a very different story than we have now.

That being said, I think Juleanna is also right that there is no way I see the fall without Donald Trump somewhere on this ballot. If he is not the nominee, he is going to be a third-party candidate. My heart seems this as a very real possibility that Republicans are going to have to grapple with. If he is the nominee -- I think Juleanna may agree -- there might be someone who is a moderate Republican who decides to come out and run against everybody to give them a voice, to give this wing of the party that has just been completely shut out.

And it's important to note that these voters that are angry at Washington and angry at the establishment, I think it's much more centered on the right than it is on the left.

BARNETT: I appreciate you both speaking with us, Juleanna Glover, a Republican strategist, with Joe Lestingi, a Democratic strategist, both joining us from D.C. Thanks for your time.

GLOVER: Thank you.

LESTINGI: Thanks for having us.

CHURCH: Across the United States, there is a rush among Latinos to become naturalized citizens. They want to vote against Donald Trump.

These legal residents told Kyung Lah this presidential candidate was the push they needed to head to the polls.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(CHEERING)

TRUMP: Number one with Hispanics.

(SHOUTING)

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Visible and loud, the protesters at Donald Trump's rallies, many of them Latino, holding and wearing their outrage.

(SHOUTING)

LAH: More subdued, but just as powerful, Ed Garapol's (ph) protest. A native of Colombia and legal resident for 10 years, it's only now he feels the need to naturalize in time for November.

(on camera): Do you have Donald Trump to thank for bringing you out here?

(voice-over): "If I could become a citizen, I can vote against him," he says.

Across the U.S., from Florida, to Nevada, to Illinois, to North Carolina, Latinos once content to carry green cards now seek citizenship, because when Trump teed off his presidential candidacy with this --

TRUMP: They are bringing crime, they are rapists.

LAH: -- and this --

TRUMP: And who is going to pay for the wall?

(SHOUTING)

LAH: -- the federal government says naturalization applications jumped 14.5 percent compared to the same six months as last year.

(on camera): If all of those green cards become naturalized citizens, what happens politically?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is a game changer.

LAH (voice-over): The numbers reveal that political power. Swing state Nevada has 73,000 Latinos eligible to naturalize. Arizona holding its primary next week, 146,000. Florida, 637,000. Nationally, the U.S. is home to 4.5 million Latinos eligible to naturalize.

[02:40:11] MARIA ELANA SALINAS, UNIVISION ANCHOR: The very same group that he has been attacking is the one that's going to stop him from getting into the White House.

LAH: There is no love loss between Univision anchor, Maria Elana Salinas and Trump.

Univision, a powerful media organization, owned by a Hillary Clinton donor, has joined with grassroots groups to get out the vote in November. The national response? Overwhelming.

SALINAS: You feel it. You know Donald Trump is your enemy, because he declared war. Because he is the one that declared us enemies.

LAH: That's the main motivator why Cuban-born, Giselle Broach (ph) is getting her citizenship after 22 years in the U.S.

When we bring up Trump's name, this reaction.

"I can't stand him. He's like a punch to the gut," she says.

Donald Trump's unintended consequence, a pathway to their political power.

(on camera): The Trump campaign says his proposed immigration reforms, the deportation of 11 million undocumented immigrants, a wall, all of this will end up supporting illegal immigrants. No one we spoke with believes that.

Kyung Lah, CNN, Miami.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: The unintended consequences of Donald Trump's many colorful comments.

CHURCH: We're watching them.

BARNETT: The U.S. Secret Service has apologized for denying Sinn Fein Leader Gerry Adams entrance to a St. Patrick's Day at the White House. They blame an administrative error. But Adams said he was told there was a security issue.

CHURCH: Adams calls the move unacceptable and notes he has been to the White House many times before. Adams helped broker peace in Northern Ireland and has long been associated with the Irish Republican Army, which has ties to Sinn Fein.

BARNETT: President Obama delivers a political challenge with his Supreme Court nominee. The Republicans' reaction, next.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I simply ask Republicans in the Senate to give him a fair hearing and then an up- or-down vote.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: President Barack Obama strategically throwing down the gauntlet over his Supreme Court nominee.

CHURCH: Republican leaders refuse to consider any Obama nominee. Instead, they are insisting the next U.S. president should make the choice.

Pamela Brown has more on Wednesday's announcement.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OBAMA: Today, I am nominating Chief Judge Merrick Brian Garland to join the Supreme Court.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Obama today made his case for 63-year-old Merrick Garland, chief judge for the D.C. appeals court.

OBAMA: I have selected a nominee who is widely recognized not only as one of America's sharpest legal minds, but someone who brings to his work a spirit of decency, modesty, integrity, evenhandedness, and excellence.

BROWN: An emotional Judge Garland, with his family looking on, introduced himself to the nation. MERRICK GARLAND, CHIEF JUDGE NOMINATED FOR SUPREME COURT: Thank you

Mr. President. This is the greatest honor of my life, other than Lynn agreeing to marry me 28 years ago.

[02:45:08] BROWN: The White House touts Judge Garland has having more federal judicial experience than any nominee in history, serving nearly two decades on the bench. Before that, he prosecuted Timothy McVeigh in the Oklahoma City bombing case.

GARLAND: A Ryder truck was seen there.

BROWN: The president considers the Chicago native and Harvard law graduate a consensus nominee. He was appointed to the D.C. appeals court by President Bill Clinton in 1997 and confirmed by a 76-23 Senate vote with bipartisan supporters, including Republican Orrin Hatch.

SEN. ORRIN HATCH (R), UTAH: Based solely on his qualifications, I support the nomination of Mr. Garland and I encourage my colleagues to do the same.

BROWN: The ball now is in the Republicans' court and they vow Judge Garland will not get a hearing.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: It's the Senate's constitutional right to act as a check on a president and withhold its consent.

BROWN: But Democrats aren't backing down.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: If Merrick Garland can't get bipartisan support, then nobody can.

BROWN: For Garland, this day is especially poignant, having been passed over twice before for a seat on the high court.

GARLAND: Mr. President, it's a great privilege to be nominated by a fellow Chicagoan. I am grateful beyond words for the honor you have bestowed upon me. Thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

BROWN (on camera): The seven sitting Republicans voted in favor of Merrick Garland back in 1997. Most of them now are taking the hard- line approach of saying they won't hold a hearing for Garland, even though they still like him. Senator Collins, however, has said not only does she want a hearing, she will meet with Garland in person. Other Republican Senators have also offered to meet him. And he will be on the Hill as well on Thursday to meet with Senators Leahy and Reid.

Pamela Brown, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: In 2010, Senator Orrin Hatch urged President Obama to nominate Garland instead of now Justice Elena Kagan.

BARNETT: That's right. Then he called Garland a consensus nominee who would be well supported by all sides. Now, though, Hatch is digging in his heels on considering Garland's nomination.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HATCH: He is a fine man. I have no problem with liking, you know, the judge. I mean, he's a good judge. Now, I haven't looked at his opinions for 19 years and we are not talking about a circuit court of appeals judgeship. We are talking about the highest court in the land.

Frankly, yes, the president has an absolute right to recommend and to submit who he wants, but the Senate has the absolute right to determine when that should be brought up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Earlier, I spoke with Page Pate about the nomination of Merrick Garland. He is an attorney with a focus on criminal defense and constitutional law.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAGE PATE, ATTORNEY: He seems very conservative on lot of issues, criminal justice issues, gun control, perhaps even issues relating to campaign finance. But he has not taken a controversial position on almost any of the major issues. That's why I think he is probably the most likely candidate to be pleasing to the Republicans.

CHURCH: Right. And that is why President Obama has selected him.

PATE: Presumably.

CHURCH: No doubt. When you look, for Mitch McConnell and the Republicans, as far as they are concerned, this is a life-long position.

PATE: It is.

CHURCH: Not it is something to go in lightly in an election career year. And many of the Republicans are saying this is something that the people of the United States need to weigh in on.

PATE: Right.

CHURCH: What is being said about that in terms of the Constitution? What sort of guidance does the Constitution give?

PATE: Like you said, it is a very important job. It's life long. You can serve until you die or until you retire. But more importantly, this year, most people believe the court is equally split, four conservatives and four moderates or liberals, so this will be deciding vote on a lot of key issues, abortion, immigration, gun control. It's not just a regular appointment. This is a very important appointment. So the Senate says we're going to do what Senator Biden, now Vice President Biden, said many years ago. We're going to say, if this is an election year, then the president should hold off and not sends us a nominee, and if he does, we're not going to consider that nominee because we're in the middle of an election. Let the people decide on who is going to be president and then let that president make the ultimate selection.

CHURCH: Now, is there sort of a back door here for the Republicans if they don't get their president up? Say if Hillary Clinton gets in, what could be the outcome in that instance?

PATE: I think the Republicans are not going to get a better nominee from a Democratic president. If Hillary Clinton wins the election, she is almost certain to nominate someone who is a lot more liberal than Judge Garland. So I could see a situation develop that if Hillary Clinton wins the election in November, then the Senate goes ahead and considers Judge Garland, they have confirmation hearings and vote on him in December before President Clinton, if she is elected, takes office in January. So I think and I've heard that some influential Republicans sent word to the White House that if you want to get a guy nominated and confirmed, it needs to be someone like Merrick Garland.

[02:50:30] CHURCH: Interesting. Just a final point here. We are seeing some Republicans break away from their leadership, saying, no, I want an opportunity to meet with Garland, to talk with him. Could there be enough of a split here to force a hearing, do you think?

PATE: I don't think so. There are some Senators who are up for re- election this year. I think they need to appear to be fair, to at least give the guy an audience, to at least talk to him and consider him. I think the Senate has probably said, look, we understand you're in an election this year, you need to do what you need to do, but he is not going to get a hearing and he's not going to get a vote.

CHURCH: Page Pate, always a pleasure to get your perspective.

PATE: Thank you.

CHURCH: Appreciate it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: Much more to come this hour. Nike has unveiled a pair of sneakers that are literally "Back to the Future." '80s kids like me love this. We'll explain after the break.

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BARNETT: For viewers watching in Denmark, I want to ask how is your day going? I know the answer. It's going well, because Denmark is the happiest country on earth, according to a new report from the U.N. The study asked people in more than 150 countries questions on everything from well-being to education and access to the media.

CHURCH: Denmark is followed closely by Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Finland. You see a pattern here. The U.S. ranked 13th and the U.K. came in at 23rd place. Burundi ranks at the bottom of the list.

BARNETT: Eight and a half hours in an economy seat on a budget airline, that's how you would react. But that's what Richard Quest is experiencing at this moment. It's not how he usually travels. But it's something that wouldn't have been possible just a few years ago when low-cost airlines focused on short-haul, no-frills flights.

[02:55:00] CHURCH: Yeah. That has all changed now. Richard Quest is flying to Sydney from Singapore. It's the latest leg of his epic around-the-world trip all on budget carriers. And it seems all that travel is starting to take a toll.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD QUEST, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: It is day five, and we are in Asia, in Singapore. That's the famous landmark, and the Marine Bay Sans on the harbor.

We've now flown five airlines. So we are halfway through the number of carriers that we're going to take. But things start to get really difficult from now on in. All the flights so far have been between three, four hours long. Now they get much longer. From Singapore down to Sydney, eight hours-plus, then from Sydney up to Honolulu, to Los Angeles.

So far, we're managing on about one and a half hours sleep per night. But that's not in a bed. That, of course, is in some economy seat.

All is going well. A few delays, but we push on. Next is Australia.

Richard Quest, CNN -- where am I?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Singapore.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(LAUGHTER)

CHURCH: Doesn't look like it's taking a toll. He looks fresh.

BARNETT: Looks just fine.

CHURCH: You can follow Richard's progress and all the details at every stop on CNN.com or follow along on Twitter with #flywithquest.

Welcome to what the future looks like, according to the 1980s cult classic "Back to the Future, Part Two." In the movie, Marty McFly tries on a pair of sneakers that lace themselves. That is exactly what Nike just unveiled.

BARNETT: Finally! I have been waiting for these since I was a kid. It also has buttons to adjust how tight you want your laces. The shoes run on rechargeable batteries. Nike hasn't revealed the price tag for this futuristic footwear yet. It's likely to be steep.

CHURCH: I would say so.

BARNETT: Glad to see they finally made it.

CHURCH: You should get a pair.

BARNETT: You think so?

CHURCH: Yeah.

BARNETT: Pay for them for me, and I surely will.

(LAUGHTER)

Let us know what you think of the shoes. Get in touch with us any time on social media. It's great to hear from you.

CHURCH: And we're back after a very short break. You're watching CNN.

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