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Largest Group Arrested in U.S. Trying to Join ISIS: Hillary Clinton Dominates Polls as Marco Rubio Surges; Americans Stuck in Yemen as Air Strikes Continue; Aid Workers Targeted in South Africa. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired April 20, 2015 - 13:30   ET

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


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[13:30:25] WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer, reporting from Washington.

It's being called one of the largest groups ever arrested in the United States for trying to join ISIS. Six men from Minnesota are now in custody. Officials say four of the men were arrested in Minneapolis yesterday, two were taken into custody in San Diego. They allegedly planned to travel to Syria to join ISIS.

The U.S. attorney for Minnesota says the suspects kept trying to get to Syria even after their plans were disrupted.

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ANDREW LUGER, MINNESOTA ATTORNEY GENERAL: But what is remarkable about this case is that nothing stopped these defendants from pursuing their goal. They never stopped plotting another way to get to Syria to join ISIL. They were not confused young men. They were not easily influenced. These are focused men who were intent on joining a terrorist organization by any means possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: CNN's Ryan Young is joining us live from Minneapolis.

Ryan, what more can you tell us about the investigation and the arrests?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this investigation was very detailed. So far, what we've been able to read, someone on the inside of this group decided to give evidence to the FBI and actually start recording bits of conversation as these people started to meet together. This was a peer-to-peer network where everyone was working to get to Syria to join the group. And once that one individual decided to start giving evidence to the FBI, they had details you never could have expected.

BLITZER: Ryan, officials say the men were getting help from one of the friends who did actually make it to Syria, had a role in direct role with is in Syria. What role was he playing allegedly in all of this?

YOUNG: Well, it seems like so far he's the guy that everyone wants to be like. In fact, we are outside a Greyhound bus station where four of these men tried to get to New York, to get to JFK to get over to Syria. And, in fact, they all denied knowing each other. But from what we've been told the FBI was able to go through surveillance videos and link them together, saying they know they all booked tickets within a few hours of each other, and then could all see them sitting together before boarding a bus getting to JFK. Once FBI agents started talking to them, they said we don't know each other, but the FBI was able to link them together not only because of the tickets but footage from several locations where they've seen these people meeting over and over again. And they've also reached out to the community because they want to make sure that the people who are doing this peer to peer network don't have a chance to do something like this again.

BLITZER: The U.S. attorney there says -- and I'm quoting now -- he says we have a terror recruiting problem in Minnesota and also says the men arrested are part of a larger peer-to-peer recruiting ring. How extensive do they think the operation is?

YOUNG: Well, we started to ask that conversation. They said it was an ongoing investigation so didn't want to get into the numbers. They say there are several people in the community who are tired of being linked to terrorism and they're starting to talk. And they also have initiative in the community to make sure that anybody who hears of something, starts speaking to the FBI to make sure they can start any terror plot. So far, it doesn't seem like anything in terms of striking the U.S., everything is about going over to Syria and joining ISIL.

BLITZER: Ryan Young, thanks very much for the update. We'll stay on top of this story, a very disturbing story, indeed.

Up next, American politics, the race for the White House. Hillary Clinton dominates among the Democrats. Look at this. Marco Rubio, he's surging among Republicans after he announces he wants to be the next president of the United States. We have our brand new CNN poll numbers. The 2016 race, much more coming up.

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[13:37:17] BLITZER: The road to the White House in 2016 runs through New Hampshire. It's the latest stop for Hillary Clinton's campaign. We have brand new CNN poll numbers on Clinton's dominance among Democrats. The latest numbers on the Republican contenders as well. Clinton visits a family owned toy company if Keen, New Hampshire, in a community college in Concord tomorrow. The crowded field of candidates and hopefuls flocked to New Hampshire over the weekend.

Our political director, David Chalian, is here with me in Washington; senior Washington correspondent, Jeff Zeleny, is on the road in New Hampshire covering the Clinton campaign for us.

Jeff, what are we expecting to see? What kind of low-key events is the former secretary planning today? We know there were several in Iowa.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the second week is going to look a lot likes the first week, except she will be in New Hampshire, at the New Hampshire primary. Arrived here a few moments ago and a few supporters braving the elements and rushed in to greet her as she arrived. Very small scripted settings here. One-on- one conversations in coffee shops and businesses. Her message is the economy. She's going to use this family-owned business that's been in business more than a century, as an anecdote for how small businesses can help improve the economy. So -- but the real questions here for her are any Democratic voters going to ask her any questions about some of her evolving positions over the last eight years. That's another thing she's confronting.

BLITZER: Let's see what happens. It will be interesting.

David, our new CNN/ORC poll, among Democrats, shows she's doing remarkably well, not surprising. She's at 69 percent. Biden, not even running, 11 percent. Bernie Sanders, 5 percent. Jim Webb, 3 percent. Chafe O'Malley, 1 percent. She has, unless something unexpected happens, looks locked up, at least at this early stage.

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Right. You don't see a real path yet for anybody else. Now obviously Hillary Clinton would be the very first person to tell you don't believe early poll numbers right. She's been through this before. We've never seen a non-incumbent in such a dominant position as we see her and beyond the horse race numbers, one of the really interesting things in the poll was that 58 percent of Democrats are now enthusiastic about the idea she may be the nominee. Last June, we asked that only about 41 percent. That has jumped up now that she's a candidate. Democrats are getting more enthusiastic.

BLITZER: Seems to be based on what our poll numbers show.

The Clinton campaign launched a preemptive strike, if you want to call it that, against the soon-to-be published book about donation to the Clinton Foundation, speaking fees to former president Clinton, what is the campaign saying about the new back about to be leased? Republicans, a lot of them seem to think there's damming information that could hurt her?

ZELENY: That's right, Wolf. The Clinton campaign only responds to things that they think could be a problem so this is a sign they're taking this seriously. This is what they said in a statement about this new forthcoming book called "Clinton Cash." A spokesperson said it appears this book is being used to aid this coordinated attack strategy, twisting previously known facts into absurd conspiracy theories. It will not be the first work of partisan fueled fiction about the Clinton's record and we know it will not be the last. So, Wolf, from a Clinton campaign spokesman, again a sign they are trying to push back on anything that they believe could be a problem here. And David is right about the early poll ratings. Clinton advisors know all too well, she knows all too well, about how these early national polls don't peen a lot in term of what will be happening a year from now. [13:40:57] BLITZER: Yeah. What's obviously always more interesting

at least early on in how these candidates are doing in various battleground states or early states like Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina.

The Republican field, lets take a look at the Republican field, David. Right now, Jeb Bush still ahead of the pack, we'll put the numbers up there, at 17 percent. The Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, 12 percent. Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, 11 percent. For Rubio he's more than doubled his number from a little while ago, right.

CHALIAN: We haven't seen Marco Rubio in double digits for a couple years, before he hit a speed bump with immigration reform, not popular among Republicans but a fine rollout. These numbers reflect that. We asked about lots of attributes, strong leaders, shares my values, has the right experience to be president, Marco Rubio does well in these attributes and ties Jeb Bush among who is the future, the face of the future, of the Republican party. 18 percent say Jeb Bush, 18 percent Marco Rubio. We're seeing a battle shape up between these two Floridians.

BLITZER: Do you have a sense, it's early, you speak to Hillary Clinton strategists out there, Jeff, who they, the Clinton campaign would fear the most? Would it be someone like Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, who is much younger than Hillary Clinton, or some of the other candidates, Scott Walker or Rand Paul? What is your sense? And I'll tell you my sense after you tell me yours?

ZELENY: Wolf, talking to a lot of advisors in the Clinton campaign and supporters and donors believe that Jeb Bush overall would be, you know, the strongest challenger to her just because of his access to fund-raising. Just his pedigree, his experience matches up with hers. But they do not discount Senator Rubio at all. They were paying very close attention to his announcement last week when he was talking about yesterday. Of course he was referring to the Clinton campaign and possibly the Bush campaign so that would certainly be an image of the future. But quite frankly one top Democratic adviser close to Clinton said we don't know who will be the nominee, a wide open race, hard to tell here. If you press them it starts with Jeb Bush and goes from there.

BLITZER: That's what I've heard as well, David. The Clinton people say they will carry New York, California, the Republicans will take Texas. What worries them is Florida and Ohio. Jeb Bush is pretty popular in Florida, twice elected governor, right. Ohio is a key battleground state. If he were to pick John Kasich, that would be a problem for Hillary Clinton.

CHALIAN: No doubt those will be two critical states. They are every election cycle even more so now if a Floridian or Ohioan is on the ticket. You're right about that. We asked head-to-head general election match-ups in this poll so we tested Hillary Clinton against eight Republicans of the Republicans national poll very early, put that out there, Marco Rubio does best against her the only one of the eight Republicans we tested to crack 40 percent and yet even though he does best, Hillary Clinton still beats him by 14 points. BLITZER: That's nationally.

CHALIAN: Nationally.

BLITZER: Not necessarily in Florida.

CHALIAN: Not in the Electoral College the road to 270.

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BLITZER: As important as national polls, those battlegrounds states, the road to 270, obviously a whole lot more important if you want to be president of the United States. Just ask Al Gore, right?

(LAUGHTER)

CHALIAN: Exactly.

[12:44:15] BLITZER: Thanks very much for that, David Chalian and Jeff Zeleny. Appreciate it.

Other news we're following, despite warnings from the U.S. government to leave, there are still Americans trapped in the fighting in Yemen. Up next, we will meet some of them as they desperately try to escape to safety, including one woman from Buffalo, whose son is an Iraq war veteran. She's desperately trying to get out, as are so many other Americans trapped in Yemen.

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BLITZER: Saudi-led air strikes continue to pound the Shiite Houthi rebel positions in Yemen.

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BLITZER: This one targeting a weapons depot near the capital of Sanaa. Yemeni health officials said 46 civilians were killed, more than 300 injured in that attack alone.

But despite warnings from the U.S. government to get out, there are still some American citizens stuck in the country.

Our senior correspondent, Nima Elbagir, reports on their struggle to escape the violence.

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NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On our way out of Aiden, Yemen's second-largest city is too dangerous to overnight in. On the journey in, we've been warned we must leave before dark. We weren't the only ones trying to get out.

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ELBAGIR: For these people, desperate to leave this besieged city, our ship was an unexpected lifeline.

Too scared to sleep at home, many were living on the streets outside the port.

MULA MULASA (ph), AMERICAN TRAPPED IN YEMEN: It was just bombs all the time. Gunshots. People are running down the street.

ELBAGIR: Mula Mulasa (ph) is from Buffalo in upstate New York. She was visiting her sick father when the war erupted around her.

MULASA (ph): I called the Riyadh embassy and asked them to help us. Interest was about 75 families waiting. My family has been --

(CROSSTALK)

ELBAGIR (on camera): At the port?

MULASA (ph): My family has been waiting there two weeks. We ran out of money, we ran out of food, we ran out of shelter. We were just sitting there waiting for someone to come and say OK, where's the Americans, let's pick them up.

ELBAGIR (voice-over): That didn't happen. And she and her family had to pay $3,000 to port officials just to be aloud to leave Aden. She gave them everything she gave them everything she had.

MULASA (ph): I want to ask my president, Mr. Obama, how come we're third-class citizens? How come our country did not come and rescue us?

[13:50:19] ELBAGIR: Mula (ph) says there are 75 more American families still stranded in Aden, uncertain whether they will make it out alive.

The U.S. government isn't evacuating its citizens at this time.

After a day and a half at sea, we reached the port. For those on board, it's been a grueling journey, but finally they are safe.

For Mula (ph) and the other Americans, it's time to show their dark blue passports.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you get off this bus, you're going to look for us.

ELBAGIR (on camera): We've seen other governments go in and get their nationals. Why has the U.S. not been able to do this?

CHRISTINA HIGGINS, DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSIONS, U.S. EMBASSY, DJIBOUTI: As you stated, it's a very difficult situation. You've just returned from Yemen. It's very fluid. We have one of the branches of al Qaeda that's especially active. There's the Houthies. Neither of these two groups friendly to U.S. citizens. We've had to weigh very, very carefully what is the safest way, the best way for us to help them. For many U.S. citizens, that's going to mean sheltering in place. For other U.S. citizens, we're very actively working at getting information to them on different avenues for travel out of Yemen. And then of course when they reach places, we're here right away at the port meeting them when they get off the boats to provide immediate assistance, food, water, and help them get their papers processed to travel home.

ELBAGIR (voice-over): For Mula (ph) and her daughters, at least the ordeal is now over. For those left behind, it's unclear when and if help will be on its way.

Nima Elbagir, CNN, Aden.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: By all accounts, there are hundreds of Americans still stranded inside Yemen right now.

In Somalia, a deadly attack on United Nations workers. An improvised bomb exploded near a U.N. vehicle traveling in the northeast part of the country. Six people were killed, including four aid workers. The four staff members work for UNICEF, which is the U.N.'s children's agency. The terrorist group al Shabaab has claimed responsibility for this attack.

Horrific attacks also in South Africa. We're going to tell you why hundreds of people are now under arrest after a deadly rampage there.

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[13:56:25] BLITZER: A word of caution before this next story. Some viewers may find the images and content in this report disturbing.

In South Africa today, deadly protests aimed at foreign workers in the country. More than 300 people have been arrested in the attacks, which killed at least five people, including a 14-year-old boy.

CNN's Diana Magnay has more from Johannesburg.

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DIANA MAGNAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, there are some photographs which capture a story or a moment. In this case, the truly evil face that is xenophobia in South Africa.

This photo series was taken by photographer, James Oatway, who's a senior photographer at "The Sunday Times" here in South Africa. He was down in the Alexandra Township early on Saturday morning to photograph some of the looting that had taken place overnight, Looting of Somali shops. He literally walked into this situation. He heard a commotion and ran towards it and saw it was a gang of four men who were attacking another man. One man hitting him repeatedly with a wrench. Then another man stepping in to stab him repeatedly. This whole process lasted some two minutes. Oatway came as close as he could, four or five meters. He feels his presence did stop the men from finishing the job. One man tried to walk in with a butcher's knife and he was pulled away and the four ran off.

Oatway then tried to take the man to the local clinic, but the doctor wasn't there. The clinic said he was a foreigner, too, so he was scared to come to work. By the time that Oatway had managed to take the man to hospital, it was too late and he died.

When I spoke to James Oatway, he said he felt devastated at the level of cruelty and depravity that he'd born witness to and that he hadn't been able to do more.

JAMES OATWAY, SENIOR PHOTORAPHER, THE SUNDAY TIMES: This kind of level of violence is deeply disturbing to me. And it's shocking, and I'm sickened by it. I'm really disappointed. I'm sickened and I'm extremely angry. I'm angry with the men that did this. And ultimately, I'm really upset I wasn't successful in saving his life.

MAGNAY: Everyone is talking about these pictures, Wolf. It's as though they, more than anything else, have woken the nation up to the horror that is xenophobia. Even President Zuma said that when he saw them, he asked what we are telling the world about our fellows. Police have arrested three suspects, including the man wielding a knife but a fourth suspect remains at large -- Wolf?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[13:54:12] BLITZER: What a shocking story.

Diana Magnay reporting from South Africa. Thank you very, very much.

Let me end this hour with a quick check of the markets before we go. Here in the United States, there you see the Dow Jones Industrial is up more than 200 points. That's a big rebound from the loss it suffered at the end of last week. Analysts now say that good company earnings are giving investors a boost. We'll see how the markets continue to move over the next few hours today.

That's it for me. Thanks very much for watching. I'll be back 5:00 p.m. eastern in "The Situation Room." Among my special guests later today, Senator John McCain, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Congressman Adam Schiff, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee.

For our international viewers, "Amanpour" is coming up next.

For our viewers in North America, "Newsroom" with Brooke Baldwin starts right now.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, there. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thank you so much for being with me on this Monday.