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CNN NEWSROOM

Terror Suspect Reveals Details about Paris Attacks; Suicide Bombing Kills 4 in Istanbul Tourist Area; FlyDubai Crash Investigation Will Take Months; President Obama Begins Cuba Visit; Trump Rally Protests; Around the World on the Cheap; Syrian Refugee is Olympic Hopeful. Aired 12-12:30a ET

Aired March 20, 2016 - 00:00   ET

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


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LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): A startling admission, Europe's most wanted man admits the plan to blow himself up during the Paris terrorist attacks but changed his mind. Prosecutors now want to extradite him to France.

Also ahead, a deadly suicide blast rips through a busy tourist area in Istanbul, sending Turkey is further down the path of instability.

And making history in Havana we're hours away from the first U.S. presidential visit to Cuba in almost 90 years.

Hello, I am Lynda Kinkade. Welcome to CNN NEWSROOM.

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KINKADE: The only known surviving suspect of the Paris terror attacks has already made a confession to authorities in Belgium. Saleh Abdeslam is now behind bars and his lawyer says he plans to fight extradition to France.

Doctors had been treating him in a hospital for a minor leg wound he suffered during his capture in Brussels on Friday. As Nic Robertson reports, Abdeslam has been giving investigators details about his alleged role in the attacks.

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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: The Paris prosecutor telling us what many people have suspected, that Saleh Abdeslam had come to Paris, that he intended to blow himself up, he has told investigators now in Belgium that he did come here, intending to become a suicide bomber, that he was going to blow himself up at the Stade de France, where the football match was underway. He had already dropped off the other three suicide bombers there; he was going to be a fourth but he changed his mind.

Now the prosecutor also detailing here just the level of planning and involvement that Saleh Abdeslam had in staging and helping carry out these Paris attacks.

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FRENCH PROSECUTOR (through translator): He seems at this point in the investigations that he had a central role in the constitution of building the commando teams for the logistical preparations of the attacks and himself being present in Paris on the 13th of November.

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ROBERTSON: Now we've already heard from the Belgian authorities and from the French president that the extradition process is underway, the prosecutor saying that the extradition has a three-month deadline on it and he has no doubt in his mind that Saleh Abdeslam will be extradited to France.

I spoke earlier with a lawyer representing the victims in that attack, the families of some of the people who died as well. She told me just how important it was for all of them that he does come here and face justice.

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PARIS VICTIMS' LAWYER: Not only families but victims themselves, they want and need and they will ask to have an answer. They have a lot of questions, many questions. They need to know every single thing happened on the 13th of November during this Paris attack, so, yes, they have a lot of questions and they want to have an answer.

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ROBERTSON: More broadly as well, across France, across Paris, a sense of relief that he has been caught, that he will face justice and that he will be asked all those search detailed questions that many people here hope will net the other terrorists who may be out there hiding and planning attacks -- Nic Robertson, CNN, Paris, France.

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KINKADE: In Istanbul at least four people were killed after a suicide attack at a busy tourist area. Two Israeli American citizens and an Iranian are among the dead. The explosion wounded 36 people. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. Senior international correspondent Arwa Damon has the details.

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ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Instead of the throngs of people both Turks and tourists who would normally be packing this street, now it has been almost entirely sealed off following a suicide attack.

This street is one of Istanbul's main pedestrian thoroughfares. It's filled with restaurants and shops. It's located in the heart of the city. And this is one of the areas that the authorities had issued a warning about, saying that there was a fairly high potential that some sort of an attack would be taking place here following threats from a PKK offshoot, the Kurdish separatist group, that they would be carrying out more attacks after last Sunday's deadly and devastating bombing in the capital, Ankara.

This explosion happening at about mid-morning at the entrance of one of the side streets that sells fish and other fresh produce. It was quickly almost immediately sealed off, ambulances rushing --

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DAMON (voice-over): -- to the scene. Police pushing people as far back as they possibly could, concerned about a potential secondary explosion, helicopters, hours later, still buzzing overhead.

As we were walking back down one of the side streets, we saw a woman who was desperately pleading with the police. She later told us that she was waiting for news of her brother. He was somewhere on the street when the explosion took place and she did not know what had happened to him.

This type of violence has become, sadly, fairly routine, especially in Istanbul and in Ankara. This is a population that, at this stage, is feeling phenomenally vulnerable, facing threats on multiple fronts -- Arwa Damon, CNN, Istanbul.

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KINKADE: Preparations are underway in the Greek island of Lesbos to send thousands of refugees back to Turkey. It's part of a controversial new arrangement between the E.U. and Turkey to curb the flow of migrants into Europe.

More than 4,000 migrants now on the Greek island of Lesbos. Greece is a major stopping point for refugees fleeing war-torn Syria. Almost 1,500 migrants arrived there from neighboring Turkey on Friday alone. That's according to Greek officials. Aid workers say returning them to Turkey is simply unethical.

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LUCY, INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS: For me, the International Rescue Committee's perspective, the deal is only going to lead to more disorder and more lack of dignity, more chaos for the people who are already here in Greece. And the idea that you can base resettlement on conditions that people are returned from Greece to Turkey is unethical and will only -- will only ensure that desperate people will -- and it will only ensure that desperate people will only seek more desperate ways to come to Europe.

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KINKADE: ISIS has claimed responsibility for an attack in Asia that killed 13 police officers. It happened at a checkpoint in the Sinai Peninsula. The terror group says a suicide bomber blew up a car at the site and then militants raided it.

Egyptian officials say government forces killed five of the militants.

The Pentagon says an ISIS rocket attack has killed a U.S. Marine in Iraq. It happened Saturday morning at a base in Makhmur while the Marine was on security duty. Several other Marines were wounded in the attack. Sunday marks the 13th anniversary since the start of the Iraq War.

Russia expects the investigation into Saturday's fiery crash of a FlyDubai Boeing 737 to take at least two months. Authorities have ruled out terrorism. Instead, they are focusing on three possible scenarios for the deadly disaster: severe weather, technical issues and human error. Matthew Chance reports.

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MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the snow and freezing rain still pounding Southern Russia, emergency teams pick through the thousands of shattered pieces. The passenger airliner appears to have disintegrated on impact. It's barely recognizable now.

The camera catches a reminder that the dozens of passengers and crew who lost their lives, the grim task of identifying their remains could be painstaking.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Today at 2:50 (ph) am after the second (INAUDIBLE) attempt in the airport of Rostov-on-Don (ph), a Boeing 737-800 belonging to the FlyDubai Air Company on the route from Dubai crashed. Sadly, everyone died.

CHANCE (voice-over): It's now confirmed 55 passengers and seven crew lost their lives.

Flight radar shows how the aircraft flew for nearly six hours from Dubai before aborting its first landing at Rostov because of bad weather. It then it circled the city for nearly two hours, waiting for a break in the storm to make its second and fatal approach.

These images were caught on a security camera near the airport. The plane streaks from the sky, exploding in a fireball as it hits the ground. Airline officials say there was no distress call and that the plane was recently certified as airworthy.

CEO, FLYDUBAI: I would like to express the devastation we all feel in relation to this morning tragic event in Rostov-on-Don. Our primary concern is for the passenger and the crew involved at this stage. Everyone in our company is in deep shock and our hearts go out to all loved ones of those involved.

CHANCE (voice-over): Inside the airport terminal, the shocked families and friends of those on board. Teams of counselors --

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CHANCE (voice-over): -- have been sent to support the bereaved and the Russian government has pledged financial assistance. But the question remains why this modern aircraft from an airline with

a good safety record now lies scattered with all on board -- Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.

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KINKADE: Still to come, the U.S. president will make an historic visit to Cuba on Sunday. We will introduce you to the Cuban grandmother who received a letter from Mr. Obama after inviting him over for a cup of coffee.

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KINKADE (voice-over): Plus chaos in two (INAUDIBLE) Donald Trump. Arrests, pepper spray and a roadblock, all in one day.

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KINKADE: Welcome back. The last time a sitting U.S. president visited Cuba was in 1928, the year penicillin was discovered. And on Sunday, President Barack Obama will arrive in Havana after establishing U.S. relations with the island.

Mr. Obama is expected to meet with Cuban President Raul Castro, attend a baseball game and talk to anti-government activists. The U.S. has lifted some trade and travel restrictions but Cubans are hurting under the ongoing economic embargo.

The White House is hoping the concessions could lead to an improvement in Cuba's human rights.

Bringing the U.S. and Cuba even closer together, direct postal services between the two countries has now resumed. Our Robyn Curnow talked with the Cuban grandmother who received a letter from Mr. Obama himself. Have a look.

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ROBYN CURNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A quiet corner with her own piece of history. This Cuban grandmother holds a letter from American President Barack Obama, one of the first pieces of mail to make it directly from the U.S. to Cuba in half a century. The White House released this photo of the president signing it in the Oval Office.

ILEANA YARZA, CUBAN CITIZEN: To think I would be expecting a letter in that mail and from the president himself, oh, my God. Not in my dreams ever.

CURNOW (voice-over): Ileana Yarza says she's written to Obama five times, offering him coffee at her home.

Finally, he replied.

YARZA: "Dear Ileana, I'm looking forward to visiting Havana to foster the relationship and highlight our shared values and hopefully I will have time to enjoy a cup of Cuban coffee."

CURNOW (voice-over): Even the envelope is weighted with symbolism. Official White House correspondent delivered to an address that, when translated, means "revolution square."

For many Cubans like Yarza, this letter and the president's trip is seen as a long-awaited acknowledgment that U.S. policy for the past 50 years was a mistake.

YARZA: I can die now in peace because I heard in my lifetime an American president say that the embargo --

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YARZA: -- did not work.

CURNOW (voice-over): Slowly, changes are coming, perhaps not as fast as both governments would like but still welcomed. At this Havana post office, letters sent to the United States had to be routed via a third country but now the direct service delivery will take about two weeks, say the postal workers here. After the visit Yarza wants to write back. She knows what she'll say.

YARZA: "Thank you, sir, for writing me back such a beautiful letter. Thank you for coming to Cuba."

CURNOW (voice-over): A thank you and a standing offer to still come over for a cup of Cuban coffee -- Robyn Curnow, CNN, Havana, Cuba.

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KINKADE: Cubans are more likely to see changes in their daily lives as more than five decades of Cold War animosity has ended. CNN asked people in Havana how they feel about Mr. Obama's upcoming visit. Have a listen.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, we came to Cuba because we wanted to see it before all the big changes happened. We just hope that Obama's -- President Obama can make (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) seen in Cuba that people are really friendly and wanting to help and they want change for themselves. So hopefully he'll be able to implement some sort of change on our end.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking foreign language).

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KINKADE: And you can join CNN for special coverage of U.S. President Barack Obama's trip to Cuba. Our Robyn Curnow will bring you an hour- long preview of the visit Sunday at 3:00 pm in London. And stay with us for continuing coverage throughout the history-making events in Havana.

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KINKADE: Protesters gathered in two U.S. states on Saturday to demonstrate against Republican presidential front-runner, Donald Trump. Have a look at two of the people escorted from a Trump rally in Tucson, Arizona. One man apparently mocking (INAUDIBLE) Ku Klux Klan and Hitler was punched and kicked.

Police arrested three people after dozens blocked the highway leading to an earlier Trump rally in the state. Traffic was backed up for miles. There were also arrests in New York City during an anti-Trump march to Trump Tower. Demonstrators got into a scuffle and you can see at least one person there was hurt.

Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders was also in Arizona on Saturday and he had some sharp criticism for Donald Trump. Sanders spoke in a town along the U.S.-Mexico border while promising to reform U.S. immigration policy. He referred to Trump's controversial comments about Mexicans entering the United States being called rapists and criminals.

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SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I), VT., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: To insult an entire nation is not befitting of anybody, let alone a candidate for the President of the United States. Our job as always is to bring people together, not drive them apart.

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KINKADE (voice-over): Be sure to tune in to CNN as all five remaining presidential candidates, Democrats and Republicans, sit down with Wolf Blitzer and Anderson Cooper, five conversations, one night. That's Monday at 8:00 pm Eastern time, midnight in London, only on CNN.

A girl who survived the war in Syria now has her eyes on the Olympics. The swimmer had to cross a sea to get to Europe and now she has another dream.

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KINKADE: Welcome back. Climate change is believed to be affecting some key ingredients of one of the oldest beverages: beer.

Derek Van Dam, meteorologist, has the details --

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DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: The scoop, right?

KINKADE: The scoop.

VAN DAM: You know, I was celebrating St. Patrick's Day as so many people do in the United States this past Thursday and some of my friends were drinking a beer, not me, of course, and they were saying this beer doesn't taste the same. It doesn't smell the same as it used to.

And I said, maybe there's a potential story idea there, right?

Well, I dug a little bit deeper into that and here's what I found. In fact, climate change, warming climates, definitely impacts the hops, the grain, the water and the yeast that is necessary, the essence for making that sudsy brew that so many of us enjoy. Hops, for instance, actually affect the beer's aroma, flavor and the bitterness.

But as our Earth warms, the availability of sufficient irrigation is being reduced and it's also impacting the grains that -- the malted barley that goes into the actual fermentation of the beer.

Let me explain a little bit with the details here. I've got three different selections here. We'll focus in on each of these, first being the hops, but it really is a trouble brewing, especially if you are a beer connoisseur for instance.

And here's why, the hops. We need this in beer. And 70 percent of hops are grown in the state of Washington. So if you're in North America, you know that's a hot spot for growing some of this.

But as we see the Northwest starting to warm, we are getting that reduced snow pack in the Cascades; most of our precipitation is falling as liquid, so during those really hot and dry summer months, we're not getting the winter melting -- the snow melt running off of the Cascades, and so they are not getting the irrigation necessary to help cultivate the hops and the grain as well. You can see that stations are getting just less snow.

And here's a look at the temperatures as well. We are soaring. We've set over 4,000 or just under 4,000 record highs across the United States; that's impacting things like barley and that is pushing some of our crops north, further northward, so the Midwest, where we typically grow our barley for beer, is starting to be replaced by higher cash crops, like soybeans and corn and that -- by the way, Lynda, barley is the ingredient that gives beer its color. So things are changing. The point is that beer doesn't smell the

same. It doesn't taste the same and it doesn't look the same anymore and we can attribute some of that, at least, to climate change.

KINKADE: Beer lovers around the world will be devastated.

VAN DAM: They're devastated now. I give them this news. (INAUDIBLE). It's still tasty.

KINKADE: It certainly is. Derek Van Dam, thanks very much.

VAN DAM: Thanks a lot.

KINKADE: This week on CNN, you may have caught a glimpse of our Richard Quest doing something he doesn't normally do, flying economy. And we're not taking -- talking about one quick flight. He and his team have been zipping around the world on an eight-day trip, flying nothing but budget airlines to show that low costs can still be full service. Here is Richard's latest update.

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RICHARD QUEST, CNNMONEY EDITOR AT LARGE: It is day eight, the final day of flying on our around the world odyssey. The day started in Los Angeles, it brought me to New York. This is the Brooklyn Bridge. And tonight we fly on to London.

As you can hear, eight days of flying around the world has finally seemed to have taken its toll. We're up --

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QUEST: -- in the air and that cabin atmosphere can't be good for the old vocal cords. But what we have seen is the different ways in which low cost carriers operate around the world. It's given us insight into who is doing what and how best to get advantage and value for the passenger. And now London, that's our next stop -- Richard Quest, CNN, New York.

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KINKADE: Quest and the team should be touching down in London in just a few hours but you can catch up on their journey at any time by logging on to cnn.com/businesstraveler. And you can see the path they took around the globe, read the tweets they sent out along the way and find out just how much it costs to take this big trip.

A teenage girl who made the dangerous journey from Syria to Berlin has a new life and new ambition. She crossed one body of water to survive a war but now she is looking to the waters again for an Olympic win. Zain Asher has her story.

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ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): A swimmer from Syria, once a refugee, now an Olympic hopeful. Just seven months Yusra Mardini fled the civil war in her home country, leaving the Syrian capital of Damascus with her sister, making the dangerous sea crossing to Greece, then trekking several weeks across Europe to Germany.

YUSRA MARDINI, SYRIAN REFUGEE ATHLETE: It was really hard for everyone.

ASHER (voice-over): Now she is living in Berlin, going to school, swimming at a pool near her refugee center, training with a coach and determined to make it to the Olympics this summer.

MARDINI: The problem was the reason why I am here and why I am stronger and I want to reach my goals.

ASHER (voice-over): Just 17 years old, Mardini is already an accomplished athlete. She represented her country at the Swimming World championships in Turkey in 2012 but says training in Syria was challenging.

MARDINI: Sometimes we couldn't train because of the war or sometimes you had a training and there was a bombing in the swimming pool.

ASHER (voice-over): Now that she left the war behind, Mardini hopes to qualify for Rio as a refugee athlete.

MARDINI: In the water, there is no difference if you are a refugee or Syrian or German.

ASHER (voice-over): Mardini says that swimming at the Olympics would be a dream come true and a chance to inspire people across the world.

MARDINI: Everyone is excited and they want to see what I am going to do and me, too, actually.

ASHER (voice-over): And if Mardini is selected she will be part of the IOC's very first team of refugee athletes -- Zain Asher, CNN, Atlanta.

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KINKADE: Well, thanks for watching. I'm Lynda Kinkade. I will be right back with the headlines.