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New Polls Out Ahead of Iowa Caucuses; Renewed Proposed Peace Initiative Between Israel and the Palestinians; Doctors Without Borders: 16 People Starved to Death Since UN Convoys Brought Food and Supplies; U.S. Presidential Candidates Make Final Push for Voters Before Caucuses; 33 Migrants Died Seeking Asylum from Turkey to Greece; Zika Virus Has Rapidly Spread into 24 Countries; Elon Musk Talks About What Space Exploration Should Look Like. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired January 31, 2016 - 09:00   ET

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


GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR: ... Geneva.

[05:00:04] Syria's opposition signals a willingness to negotiate for peace after all.

Plus, the Zika Virus, it continues to spread through the America's raising fears of a potential global pandemic.

From CNN world head quarters in Atlanta, welcome to our viewers here in the United State and around the world. I'm George Howell. CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

And a good day that we begin this hour in the U.S. state of Iowa where we could see nail biter here, the Iowa caucuses happened Monday. And the Democrat and Republican candidates running for president, they are barn storming across the state, making their final push for undecided voters with less than 48 hours to go.

Republican front runner Donald Trump is gaining momentum against name rival Ted Cruz in a brand new influential poll. The poll from Bloomberg politics and the Des Moines registered papers gives Trump a five point edge over Ted Cruz. Marco Rubio is third, then Carson is fourth.

And on the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, they are virtually neck and neck. Clinton has 45 percent and Sanders 42 percent. That is within a margin of error meaning that they are physically tied.

The polls and the pack campaign rallies will mean very little if voters don't turn out for Monday's caucuses. So rest assured these candidates are trying to do their best to make sure supporters show up. As Karen Kipfer reports, Donald Trump seem to be font and center at his rivals rallies even when we wasn't on their stage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAREN KIPFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: With very little time remaining until the Iowa caucuses candidates are something all over the state Saturday hoping to make a final push.

In its first rally in Iowa this weekend Donald Trump spoke to a crowd in the Dubuque.

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have a chance to do something so great. Make America great again. All this has make America great again. We're losing on trade. We're losing with Obamacare.

KIPFER: But even before Trump took the stage he was the topic during several of his counterparts rally.

BARNIE SANDERS, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: As a result of the disastrous citizen's united Supreme Court decision, as we speak right now this moment on your television sets. Billionaires are trying to buy elections.

KIPFER: Jeb Bush also took shot at Trump.

JEB BUSH, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You're not going to win by insulting the disabled. You're not going to win by insulting women. You're not going to win by saying POW's, were losers because I get caught. Shame on Donald Trump.

KIPFER: But the business mogul wasn't the only candidate getting attacked. Marco Rubio took his aim towards Hillary Clinton.

MARCO RUBIO, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There is a reason why Hillary Clinton spends more in her super PACs. Spend more time attacking me than any another Republican, because they don't want to run against me. But I can't wait to run against her.

KIPFER: And one of the attacks on Clinton and the e-mail controversy continue to haunt her on the campaign trail, she's keeping her focus elsewhere

HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If the Republicans want to use this for political purposes that's their decision. But I'm going to keep talking about what the voters in Iowa talked to me about.

KIPFER: In De Moines Iowa, I'm Karen Kipfer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Now in Iowa's African-American community, many say that candidates have mostly ignored their votes in the pats few moths. CNN's Victor Blackwell has this story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANDERS: God bless the great State of Iowa.

CLINTON: Thank you so much.

CHRIS CHRISTIE, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you, thank you very much.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In the final hours before the Iowa caucuses, candidates are crisscrossing the capital city to build support.

TRUMP: Iowa Democrats, are you excited about the future?

BLACKWELL: But after scores of events in the De Moines over the last several months, there is one community that is still waiting for candidates to ask for their vote.

BOBBY YOUNG, REV., MT. HEBRON MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH: They avoid this neighborhood like maybe there maybe Ebola around some place. That they never come here.

BLACKWELL: In a state that's more than 90 percent wide and covered in corn fields, Reverend Bobby Young's neighborhood is mostly black and Latino in De Moines' inner city. And the people here are poor. And their months of campaigning across the state, Reverend Young says, the top tier candidates in both parties have largely ignored their vote.

AKO ABDUL-SAMAD, OWA STATE REPRESENTATIVE: This is my district.

BLACKWELL: Ako Abdul-Samad represents this district in the State House.

ABDUL-SAMAD: We have two schools here. But a 100 percent for you just launch, you know, we have an area where you won't find any businesses like restaurants in that side within here.

BLACKWELL: The disparity between white Iowans and black Iowans is dark and state wide. While Iowa unemployment in 2014 was 4.4 percent, for black Iowans that number was 12 percent.

YOUNG: You think if candidates are going to go anywhere and talk to anybody. You talk to people that hurt them the most.

BLACKWELL: The younger members of his congregation believed that candidates are not coming because their community cannot afford to contribute.

[05:05:04] YOUNG: If we was able to donate 100, 1,000, 2,000, then they will come back and shake our hands too. But, when you're working at Mc Donald's and you pay a rent, you don't have a $100 to give to a candidate.

ABDUL-SAMAD: There's another side to that. There's other side is that we have to show about you. You know, winning my precinct which is the lowest voting turnout. It's not that we don't have the voters thus -- they lack hope. You know, they don't see hope so they don't come out to vote. You know, and when you haven't -- don't come out to vote what happens with candidates. They focused on the areas that do.

BLACKWELL: They there is one exception. Republican Senator Rand Paul. He spent more than hour at Platinum Kutz Barbershop talking about criminal justice reform. Blacks are just 3.4 percent of Iowa's population but they filled 25.5 percent of the states prison cells.

Have you made a decision?

ROBERT PRESSWOOD, OWNER PLATINUM KUTZ BARBERSHOP: He made me look at him differently.

BLACKWELL: How so?

PRESSWOOD: Because he was the one that coming to my shop and talk to us. And like I said a lot of the candidate ain't going to do that.

BLACKWELL: Young and Abdul-Samad plan to caucus and are leading aggressive voter registration in caucus training programs.

And they're encouraging young people here to participate too because they treasure their votes. Even if they believe that candidates for president do not.

YOUNG: I'm from the south where, you know, it calls us dog bites and fowls and everything else just to get that - to get our name on that paper and share that a little bit a card (ph). They paid a dear price to put that vote. I got to vote, but maybe (inaudible) over somebody.

It maybe won't be for Republican or Democrat, the captain also in the care.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: CNN's Victor Blackwell reporting there for us.

With 11 Republicans and 3 Democrats running for the White House it can be hard for voters to keep track of everyone in the mix.

CNN has put some Iowans to the test and we'll show you that's just a little later in this broadcast.

The French Foreign Administer has proposed a renewed peace initiative between Israel and the Palestinians. The flag calls for American-Arab and European partners to push for a two state solution.

If that effort fails the Foreign Administer said France would move on its own to recognize a Palestinian state.

Following the story CNN's Oren Liebermann joining us now live in Jerusalem, Oren good to have you this hour.

So what more can you tell us about this?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh George we're waiting to see if there's an official response from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He is in his weekly Cabinet meeting right now. And this would be a big and obvious opportunity for him to respond to the French Foreign Administer here. So far the Israeli officials say a deadline on negotiations doesn't make sense because it encourages the Palestinians to stall or to avoid negotiations.

Meanwhile, the Palestinians welcome the French initiative. The French had been pushing at the Security Council for some sort of renewed negotiations, renewed peace talks to move the whole two-state solution process forward.

It is stalled and has been stalled since early 2014 when the last round of peace talks broke down. The Palestinian said they will reach out to the French and other members of the international community to see if they can reignite and restart peace negotiations and move towards recognition of Palestinian statehood.

George.

HOWELL: Oren, since the wave of violence begun back in October have there been any meetings between the leaders there between Netanyahu and Abbas?

LIEBERMANN: There have not. There was one simple handshake between the two at the end of November at the Paris peace talks. For both sides says that was simply formal ceremony. The two were there they shook hands but the two have not talk to each other.

That was the first time that they actually shaking hands in about five years. Since then they haven't talk to each other, the sides have not communicated and anything other than communication is through the media, both sides blaming the other, accusing the other of incitement and blaming the other for the failed peace process.

HOWELL: Oren, Israel and the Palestinian authority have security coordination. Does this continue?

LIEBERMANN: It absolutely does. And that perhaps is the interesting part of all this. We've seen the effects dwindled down or actually very few especially compared to October, November.

But throughout all of this security coordination between the Israeli - the Israeli government and the Palestinian authority has continued. We recently met with Palestinian authorities and say that coordination continues and will continue.

It doesn't appear to be in danger from either side here. So that in the middle of all this is still ongoing.

George.

HOWELL: Oren Liebermann live for us in Jerusalem. Oren we always appreciate your context and reporting there on this issue in Minneapolis.

You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. And still ahead an encouraging sign for the Syrian peace talk that happening in Geneva, ahead the important players who are now joining the negotiation. Plus Turkey summoned the Russian Ambassador after it says a Russian jet violated its airspace again.

[05:10:00] You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOWELL: There is a glimmer of hope from the Syrian peace talks that are underway in Geneva, Switzerland.

The umbrella group representing Syria's rebels, now says it will join the negotiations with the U.N. special envoy.

The envoy's goal, a nationwide ceasefire among all factions except ISIS and the Al-Qaeda affiliate al-Nusra Front.

The rebels had earlier said they would sit out on the talks until the Syrian government agreed to stop attacking civilians.

CNN's International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson is following it all and joins us now live this hour in Geneva.

Nic, good to have you with us. So explain to our viewers what those demands are? You know, everything from stopping the bombing to just making sure that aid and food can get to people.

What more are they asking for?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well they're asking for a prisoner release as well particularly focusing on women and children.

The humanitarian aid access, we're told that they're up to 18 different communities inside Syria that are cut off, that are essentially being starved at this time and an end for the bomb problem. What the HNC, the High Negotiations Committee is saying this is the collaboration of opposition groups here that range from a former prime ministers, it's a hard core Islamic groups.

They are saying that these issues were enshrined in the U.N. resolution that brought about these talks in paragraphs 12 and 13. That's what they say.

They say that they come here to get involved in the political process but not to go into the U.N. building perhaps to get into the talks proper. So I asked one of their representatives here Salim al-Muslat.

What happens if their demands to get these issues addressed before they're going to talks? What happens if they're not addressed?

This is what he told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SALIM AL-MUSLAT, HIGH NEGOTIATIONS COMMITTEE SPOKESMAN: I cannot really, you know, say that we will walk away now until we see the answers from, you know, Mr. de Mistura and the countries that really promised that they will do something about it.

But for us it's really important, you know, that, you know, to see this, you know, on ground.

ROBERTSON: So specifically so we understand. What precisely are you looking for on that language? And a firmness of guarantees that they can guarantee that the bomb problems can stop, that the food can get through, that the prisoners can be released.

[05:15:01] AL-MUSLAT: These solve (ph) issues are very important to us. You know, they can -- I believed they can do it. That, you know, they're willing to do it, they can do it.

ROBERTSON: So what the High Negotiating Committee is saying is that there will meet this afternoon, they're expecting to meet with Staffan de Mistura the U.N. special representatives that mediate in the talks there.

And then they going to face their decisions on what to do next once they heard from state heard from Himmler coming a seven members allegation as small group of people then they're sort of allotted 15 if you will. They're going to decide what to do after they had that first meeting which is likely to be off the U.N. campus if you will under the hotel around here.

And of course the Syrian government has already meet with the U.N. representative Staffan de Mistura, they met for about two hours on Friday, so the talks just beginning if you will and they're not up and running properly yet George.

HOWELL: And Nic, I want to push forward on that just a bit more so the talks or a meeting I should say set to happen which is very crucial which is very important. But help our viewers to understand because you didn't following this for quite sometime and understand that delicacy here. How delicate it is to get all these sides to come together and even have this round of peace talks.

ROBERTSON: Well I think we can see how delicate it is and how difficult it is that the last time they had peace talk was two years ago. They was here in Geneva and not failed after a couple of weeks the U.N. has special representative at the time said it failed because the Syrian government only engaged to talk about the issue of terrorist not to talk about the issues of transitional government that were important in the opposition. That's what these talks are about.

It's talking the high negotiating committee. The opposition group here the past week to decide even if they would show up here they decided to show up and not actually physically go into the U.N. buildings for the talks.

So it is delicate there is a possibility that this could break down in the beginning and even if they get passed this stage you still looking ahead to the next couple of weeks to come to see if there is any movement on -- from the Syrian government, if there is any compromise on the part of the opposition that they have six months for these talks to then get to a new constitution. They're even debating the language, they working to what the transitional government or a government of national unity. But that all of these things sound like demanding but they're very delicate. It's entering forward but its way, way, way too soon to see if there going to be success.

And of course when you look at it, two years ago they were essentially on the same position on what is happens since tens of thousands more people that died and many -- and more than a million migrants fled that conflict and ended up in the surrounding areas.

HOWELL: This is sort of a pie in the sky pictures. So pardon me for putting this forward. But Nic is there even a sense of optimism. Just about this talks even though that the sides have come together, is there a sense of optimism that something can be done.

ROBERTSON: You know, I think when we talk to Diplomat here about, you know, the aspirations and why they're doing this right now. They say, well look the Russians are now different though, two years ago. The other Russians are now signed up with political process, they were part of the U.N. Security Council but they called in to play the process that we're in right now.

But, you know, they say look if we don't do something then that killing continues and also ISIS gets strong, ISIS and Al-Qaeda were taking advantages in Syria and getting strong.

So you have to try and do something. That's a sort of Diplomatic view that surrounds the talks right now. It's not -- I think everyone knows how tough this is. But the belief is if you don't do something it will only continue and potentially get worst. And we see at the moment how this escalates you have a massive amount of migrants streaming into Europe. It's divisive in Europe, its causing problems there. And also the tensions escalate and ripple throughout the region. Sectarian tensions are much bigger across the region now. Then they were perhaps a couple of years ago, so all of this is at stake, George.

HOWELL: There are so many people who are caught up in the middle of this. There's so much carnage, so much death and destruction, all resting upon whether these sites can come together and find peace in Syria.

Nic Robertson following it all for us in Geneva. Nic, thank you.

These peace talks are desperately needed for many of those people who are dying in Syria. As particularly true for the city of Madaya where the former resort town is now under siege.

Doctors Without Borders says 16 people have starved to death there since the U.N. convoys brought food and supplies earlier this month. It also says there still are 320 cases of malnutrition, 32 of which are severe. The U.N. estimates 400,000 Syrians are in dire need of food. MSF says that critically ill people in Madaya should have been evacuated weeks ago.

[05:20:02] Our Nick Paton Walsh shows as the terrible situation inside that besieged Syrian town.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICK PATON WALSH, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: ISIS has now gripped the town of Madaya, adding to the siege and starvation gnawing away of what's left of life here.

Aid came briefly along with global attention but now it's gone and the weak here are still said to be dying.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).

WALSH: This is Dr. Mohammed (ph). He shows us Fawaz Saif Alden (ph), age 50, so malnourished he can't cope with food, only drip feeds.

Held here, almost a ghost, edging towards death. Like his granddaughter, Lama (ph), just 9 months old, she seems dazed.

"For more than seven months, we've not had electricity," explains the doctor, "we've nearly run out of wood."

Now plastic is often burned.

The weakest, immobile, activist Abdullah (ph) shows us.

ABDULLAH (PH), ACTIVIST: This child here is very ill. He eats leaves, tree leaves, and he get sick and ill and his stomach, his stomach is really, really hurting. He needs immediately go to hospital outside in Madaya.

WALSH: The little food here probably won't save the acutely malnourished who need urgent medical help, but it is handed out slowly.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And actually, if they don't bring food for people, the people here will die because of starvation.

WALSH: Here, in a makeshift hospital struggling to keep the lights on, is where they come, hoping to find help.

"In the past 10 days since the arrival of relief supplies," the doctor says, "there have been 10 deaths. Scores of people have arrived at the clinic unconscious. We have around 500 sick people in the town that need hospital treatment."

Syrian rebels have said they won't talk peace until sieges like these by the government are lifted. The rebels, too, are besieging other towns in the north. Hunger, a weapon of war, leaving 400,000 Syrians without the food they need, neither truly alive nor dead.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Beirut.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: On to Turkey now, which is condemning what it calls a violation of its airspace by Russian warplane. The foreign administry says, the jet was warned in both English and Russian before it cross into Turkish airspace from Syria on Friday.

Russia denies the allegations calling them "unfounded propaganda". Turkey's military shutdown a Russian plane as you all remember in November for entering its airspace killing one crew member.

Turkish official say the plane ignored several warnings. They claim that Russia disputes.

Now we turn to you Derek Van Dam, here and severe weather that is threatening the U.K.

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN WEATHER ANCHOR: Yeah, that's right George. The U.K. Met Service actually issuing AMBER Alerts for the north western sections of the North West -- of the United Kingdom for severe wind gust. And in fact Edinburgh had a wind gust of over 100 kilometers per hour on Friday and a series of storm that continues to impact the region. There's yet another one coming late tonight and end in today on Monday.

Here someone who's enjoying the wind George. Yeah, I like this one. Dog gone windy in Scotland, that's the best way to put it, right. At least someone can enjoy it, of course for the rest of us, it quite amuse us.

Downing power lines and just interrupting travel and transportation across to U.K. Guess what, there's another storm headed our way and it's going to bring the same concerns that we received on Friday with that strong are of low pressure that came through.

Look at the forecast wind gust for the day on Monday, Dublin to Liverpool, even London and Edinburgh anywhere between 50 to upwards of 90 kilometers per hour. And of course you get those high elevations peaks and you could easily top 120 kilometers per hour. That's a -- the potential to have hurricanes force winds for those high elevation areas.

Nonetheless, it is going to be blustery and it's all thanks to this deepening area of low pressure that is forward across the Atlantic. There will be a surge of warmth across southern sections of U.K. so if you're in London, enjoy a warm day. But of course it will be windy, maybe a few showers passing through and then a better drop in our temperatures because the cold front will pass through very quickly.

Look at those of pressure grade, those white solid lines that's indicator of a meteorologist that there will be wind associated with the system and it will come in quite fierce. And there's the potential of even snowfall as well.

So the only part of the world that's expected to see snow, we bring it to the United States now where we're focusing our attention on the Central U.S. not only for the Iowa caucuses taking place on Monday but the potential of blizzard conditions that will form. Thanks for the storm that is going to start to really develop just ease of the rockies.

[05:25:08] Denver to Kansas City and Chicago, you have the potential of heavy snowfall here it is forming across the four corners. Southern California also receiving rain on Sunday evening and then the cold air drops in behind it changes his precipitation over to the frozen variety.

We could easily pick up anywhere between 8 to 12 inches or even locally higher amounts from the rockies through the planes and that includes Iowa. But let's time this out for us because we've got the caucuses on Monday. We do believe here at the CNN Weather Center that the snow will hold off until the polls close at midnight and then into the day and Tuesday. That's when the road starts to slicking up because of the fresh falling snow again 12 to 8 inches of snow possible.

Take a look at this I'm going to leave you with this image. George, this is Mars Curiosity Rover taking a selfie.

HOWELL: A selfie.

VAN DAM: A selfie, did you think that was possible ...

HOWELL: Got the angle, right ...

VAN DAM: Here is the proof. Yeah, he is got it all figure it out. I thought this image was kind of cool so I wanted to share it with our viewers. And by that Mars Curiosity Rover by the way has been on the Martian Planet for 900 days now.

HOWELL: Wow.

VAN DAM: Pretty cool.

HOWELL: Derek Van Dam, thank you so much.

VAN DAM: You're welcome George.

HOWELL: Now to the U.S. State of California where three inmates who broke out of jail are now back behind bars. This after more than a week on the run, two of the fugitives were arrested Saturday morning in the city of San Francisco. About 600 kilometers or 370 miles from the prison of which they escaped.

They were found in the white van after a woman pointed out to police saying that it looked like the one that authorities were searching for.

The third inmate turned himself in on Friday. Police say, the trio will be housed in the same jail but this time in a more secure unit.

Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM, the White House hopefuls have been crisscrossing the State of Iowa for weeks now, while Hilary Clinton and Jeb Bush are familiar to many. Can you name the other candidates? We put Iowa a sort of test, next stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:30:27] HOWELL: A warm welcome back to our views here in the United States and around the world your watching CNN NEWSROOM, great to have you with us this hour. I'm George Howell.

The headlines we're following France is proposing renewed peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. The French foreign administer says he will push again for a two state solution and if talks fail, the foreign administer says France will move to recognize Palestinian state on its own.

Some encouraging signs now from the Syrian peace talks in Geneva representatives of the opposition group coalition say they will meet Sunday with the U.N. special envoy running the talk. They had earlier refuse to meet unless the Syrian government hold its attacks on civilian targets.

Turkey, now condemning what it calls a violation of its airspace by a Russian warplane, the foreign ministry says the jet was warned both in English and Russian before it cross in to Turkish airspace from Syria on Friday. Russian denies the allegations calling them "unfounded propaganda."

The U.S. presidential candidates crisscross the State of Iowa making their final push for voters before Monday's caucuses. Republican frontrunner Donald Trump is getting a boost from a new poll that gives him five point edge over main rival Ted Cruz in that state. It also shows Democrat Hilary Clinton holding on to a very slim three point lead over Bernie Sanders.

Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump certainly are familiar faces and names by now to many Iowan's but how about Republican John Kasich he is one of several candidates struggling to get the publics attention and as our Randi Kaye reports some voters can't even put a name to a face.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Drake Dinner in a heart of Des Moines Iowa serve as our test kitchen. All we needed is our camera and an iPod loaded with photos of all the presidential candidate to test Iowan's knowledge. Some were certainly more recognizable.

Who's that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hillary Clinton.

KAYE: Who's that guy?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jeb Bush.

KAYE: Where is he from?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Florida.

KAYE: Does he have famous family members?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, two president.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bernie Sanders. KAYE: Is he Republican or Democrat?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Democrat.

KAYE: This guy everyone knew. Who's that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Donald Trump.

RANDI KAYE: OK, you know anything about him?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Too much.

KAYE: Everybody ...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That was Donald.

KAYE: And you know anything else about him?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We know everything about him.

KAYE: You know anything that he stands for?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He wants to build a big wall.

KAYE: Impressed? Not so fast beyond that, let's just say it wasn't pretty. Look what happened when I show these guys the picture of Marco Rubio. Here is some.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know the face.

KAYE: Can you guess?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm thinking that's Ted Cruz.

KAYE: Oh guys, come on, really?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Really, yeah.

KAYE: Was a, nope.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's an attempt.

KAYE: You want to, have about I give you the initial.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That would help.

KAYE: M.R.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, that's Marco Rubio.

KAYE: I gave them another chance with Rick Santorum. Who is this?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to withhold my answer to start with.

KAYE: OK, that's means he doesn't know. Do you know?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know.

KAYE: You have no idea.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, sorry.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's a presidential candidate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's that?

KAYE: You want to phone a friend? You want some help?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How about some initials again?

KAYE: R.S.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, is that Rick Santorum?

KAYE: That is. Do you have any idea what state he's from?

Rick Santorum was a challenge for her too.

Let's see if you know who this is.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah I do but I don't know what I confirmed, Santorum.

KAYE: Is she telling you names over here?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I told him too.

KAYE: That is not allowed.

The candidate that seems to stump our group the most was Republican John Kasich.

Who's that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is that the Kasich guy?

KAYE: All right

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I always have trouble with his name.

KAYE: You got some points there. You definitely got some points there. Did you know that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No

KAYE: Who do you think it was?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have no idea.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's one of the Republican candidates of the many have no idea. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think its Kelly.

KAYE: So he's Hollywood actor. He's definitely a Republican candidate.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.

KAYE: Are you sure?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think so.

KAYE: You think so. So you've no idea what his name is?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No idea.

RANDI KAYE: Democrat Martin O'Malley was tough for many too. Do you know anything about this guy?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is that Rand Paul?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No that's not Rand Paul. O'Malley.

[05:35:00] KAYE: O'Malley, there you go do know where he is from?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

KAYE: Did he ever hold political office before, do you know?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Was he a senator?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I couldn't tell you.

KAYE: And this slipup, priceless. Who is this?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's Jeb.

KAYE: OK. He just said it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He just said it, OK.

KAYE: And you still don't know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I was going to guess Chris Christie.

KAYE: That is Jeb Bush.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's Jeb Bush, OK. Well, very easily forgotten, in my book.

KAYE: Randi Kaye, CNN, Des Moines, Iowa.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: And you can keep track of what's happening in the Iowa caucuses and the rest of the race for the White House right there on our website. Just go over to cnn.com/politics for the latest election dues. Now, we move on to the migrant crisis in Europe. At least 33 migrants are the latest casualties in the Aegean Sea. The asylum seekers were trying to make the dangerous track from Turkey to Greece. At least five children are among the dead and 75 people were rescued.

The international organization for migration says that more than 200 people have died at sea in the month of January alone.

People in Greece open their hearts and their homes to migrants long before the international community did. And for their generosity, a petition is now asking for the Nobel Peace Prize nomination to go to the people in the Aegean islands.

Arwa Damon had this report.

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ARWA DAMON, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: From their health on the cliff, 81-year-old, Despiona Zourzouvilis and her husband who just passed away noticed the first boat in April of last year.

"My mind went back years because my mother came as a refugee from Turkey. I saw the people walking, drenched. It's a deep sorrow. I felt like my heart is breaking."

She calls them the red boats. Despiona did what she could, putting out waters, sandwiches, hosting people off to cool them down in the summer heat. Often, she wanted to run down the cliff when she heard screamed for help but her knees aren't strong enough.

"Do you know how many people drowned and were taken out of the sea? What I can say? I feel like I have seen everything."

Scattered graves lie in a plot in the Les Bois cemetery. Often marked, which is a number and a date. Small toys identifying those of the youngest victims.

The Greek islanders found themselves the first responders in the month before the coast guard increased its numbers over the summer before Frontex and NGOs finally arrived. For their actions, kindness and generosity, there has been petitions to nominate the islanders for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Thomas Zourzouvilis is one of the many fishermen who time and time again inadvertently ended up on rescue missions when he howling in his next.

THOMAS ZOURZOUVILIS: Because that weather wasn't very nice. OK, people -- when you take people out, they start kissing your hands under this. When it was small children and woman there are, you know, I think anyone will do it.

DAMON: The massive influx of migrants and refugees completely change the nature of this tourist destination.

All islanders have pitched in, drying close, providing food, blankets and even risking jail time.

Before the government and NGOs provided official transport, driving refugees was considered smuggling. But Maria Androulaki did not care. Crummy as many people as could fit in her tiny car.

MARIA ANDROULAKI: Here, I was taking the people while they were walking. They have to walk 75 kilometers from here down to the town of Mytilini and get registered.

DAMON: That is a one to two-day walk.

You could have been arrested back then for this. What made you so strong?

ANDROULAKI: Seeing kids at the age of my son, walking, walking through to get to the next station, I could see in their eyes my son trying to get their life, searching to get a life. I couldn't just bypass and drive my car.

DAMON: Is that type of compassion that may earn islanders the Nobel Nod. But Maria says, it's wrong.

ANDROULAKI: We are monsters if we don't do this. Why should we be given a prize for being human beings? We are supposed to be human beings.

DAMON: In a world where humanity seems to be in increasing short supply, perhaps that is exactly why the islanders deserved to be recognized.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Lesbos, Greece.

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[05:40:00] HOWELL: She says we're monsters if we don't do this. We have to be human beings. That report there. If you would like to learn more about the migrant crisis in Europe, find a ways to help, head over to our Impact Your World website that is at cnn.com/impact.

The Zika virus is spreading through South America in a rapid pace.

Next, we discuss how it could be slowed down and maybe even stopped. Stay with us.

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HOWELL: The Zika virus is rapidly spreading through Colombia. The number of cases there has nearly doubled in the last 10 days alone. 24 countries have active cases but the list of affected area seems to get longer by the day.

Brazil has South America's highest population and has been kept the worst so far. It is ground zero for the Zika outbreak and it must still prepare for the summer Olympics just months away.

CNN's Shasta Darlington reports from Rio. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The epicenter for the Zika virus pandemic is right here in Brazil. But the crisis is increasingly international. President Dilma Rousseff spoke by phone to President Barack Obama in Friday and they agreed to work together to try and combat the mosquito that's spreading the virus. (Inaudible) they said they could do research together. And really trying to speed up the development of a vaccine and that's of course, because there isn't one, there isn't a cure right now.

Here in Brazil, since the virus was detected in the first half of last year that means that more than 4,000 cases of babies born with microcephaly have been reported. These are babies with small heads and underdeveloped brain. This has been linked to the Zika virus.

[05:45:03] Now, President Dilma Rousseff says more needs to be done and quickly.

DILMA ROUSSEFF, BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT, (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): We are losing the battle against the mosquito. As long the mosquito keeps reproducing, each and every one of us is losing the battle against the mosquito. So we have to mobilize so we do not lose this battle.

DARLINGTON: Keeping track of Zika is difficult. It's often asymptomatic. Brazilian health officials say that up to 1.5 million people have already been affected. They've dedicated 200,000 soldiers and health workers to going door to door trying to eradicate the flows of water where the mosquitos breed.

In most cases, the mosquitos breed inside people's home. So getting rid of that plant water, getting rid of the tanks and water where drinking water is stored. They're also fumigating.

And the problem is, they really had a mix success so far. It's the same mosquito that spreads the dengue fever. And last year, there were record number of cases in Brazil of dengue fever with the Olympics just six months away here in Rio de Janeiro. This is gaining a lot of urgency. Officials here, say they'll step up efforts as the games get closer, visiting the venues on a daily basis, making sure that any contact with mosquitos is minimized. They're also vetting on the weather.

The games are going to come in August. That will smocked up in the middle of the winter right here in Southern hemisphere and that the mosquito population will naturally drop off.

Shasta Darlington, CNN, Rio de Janeiro.

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HOWELL: So, what exactly is Zika? Presently there is no vaccine to prevent it, nor a medication to cure it.

All right, Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes a closer look at the causes, at the symptoms and how to protect yourself.

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DR. SANJAY GUPTA: CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Here is what we know about Zika. Some of it will frighten you -- but maybe not as much as you think. It's a mosquito-borne virus. Part of the same family as yellow fever, West Nile, Chikungunya and dengue.

As things stand now, there is no vaccine to prevent Zika, or a medicine to treat the infection.

The most common symptoms include fever, rash, headaches and red eyes. But 80 percent of people who get Zika won't even know they have it. That's right. There are only symptoms in one in five people.

Now, the virus is spreading quickly across Central and South America and the Caribbean. What makes Zika so scary is its alarming connection between the virus and microcephaly -- that is babies being born with heads and brains that are too small.

In Brazil and several Latin American countries, they're becoming concerned enough they have asked women there not to get pregnant. In the United States, pregnant women are being told to postpone travel to any of these countries.

In case you're curious, this is the bloodsucker everyone is after. The female Aedes Aegypti, she's an aggressive biter, but unlike other mosquitoes, feeds mostly during the day. For example, she's different than the mosquitoes that transmit malaria, like to feed at night. That's important, because bed nets won't help as much here.

The best way to prevent infections is using insect repellant with DEET, wearing thick long sleeve shirts and long pants and staying inside, in screened, air-conditioned areas as much as possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Dr. Sanjay Gupta reporting there. The World Health Organization has warned that Zika has the potential to become a global pandemic.

On Saturday, our Nic Robertson spoke with WHO assistant director general about efforts to slow down the virus and to try to find the vaccine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRUCE AYLWARD, WHO DEPUTY DIRECTOR GENERAL: You know, this is really tough because remember Zika and -- well, the aegis virus is carried by a mosquito that breeds in stagnant water. And if you walk around in any country or you got a tire lying there, you got a bucket lying there, they all collect water, they're trying to get everybody to get out there and empty those things or actually apply test that's going to ...

ROBERTSON: You need to help with the population. You need governments to understand to get the population anywhere. And the next solution is vaccines. Where are we on the vaccine trial?

AYLWARD: The goal now is to look what everybody got on the shelf, what they've been doing and then very quickly get into promising into trials. And ...

ROBERTSON: And WHO can help accelerate vaccine ...

AYLWARD: Yeah, absolutely, yeah. Because -- so part of our job, just like on Ebola is getting the international community together, getting consensus, picking out what are the best possible candidates, getting the money behind that, the trial designs and moving those forward and that is exactly the role.

ROBERTSON: And timeframe from where were at today to a vaccine, do you think?

AYLWARD: Probably, the earliest would -- again we've heard a few different things. We could probably have something in a phase one trial in four to six months, and then probably have something available in a year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: For information about the Zika virus and what you can do to avoid it, visit cnn.com/zika.

[05:49:46] Ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, we will hear from SpaceX CEO, Elon Musk why he thinks a colony on Mars is so important for development on Earth.

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PATRICK SNELL, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Hi, there. I'm Patrick Snell with the World Sport Headlines.

Starting off on Australia where Angelique Kerber has shock Serena Williams to win the women's final in Melbourne. This is was the German's first time ever in a slam final. She'd lost five of her six matches to Williams in previous meetings, but on Saturday, it was Kerber's day winning at 6, 4, 3, 6, 6, 4, becoming the first major champion from Germany since Steffi Graf in 1999.

It's been dream run for one of our British tennis star Jamie Murray, he was the doubles man and now Davis Cup trump last year. He's now the Australian open champion. Murray and his partner Bruno Soares came from behind to be beat Daniel Nestor and Radek Stepanek and Jamie's brother Andy within the stand to see.

Andy of course will play Novak Djokavic in Sundays Men's Final the Austrian Open. It's the four round of F.A. Cup in England this weekend. Arsenal were able to hold off championship team Burnley 2, 1 to advance to the fifth round.

Elsewhere, we're Gunners North London rivals Tottenham making to trip to third day Colchester and they got a way unscathed thanks to brace from Nacer Chadli, Spurs of course the favorite they're soaring in the premier league while Colchester, Baltimore there league without the win since October if the F.A. Cup, you never quite know a comfortable win in the end for Spurs, they win at 4-1, their into the fifth round from the first time in four years.

Thanks for joining us. You're buying up to date so look at your World Sport Headlines.

I'm Patrick Snell.

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HOWELL: The CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk is one of the visionaries of space expeditions and while he sees colonizing planet as -- some see that as a pipe dream, the billionaire entrepreneur has a very different outlook on what space exploration should look like and why it's so important.

Kristie Lu Stout spoke to Musk about his plans for the planet Mars.

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KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You are also the CEO of SpaceX. The ultimate goal is Mars. It is getting humankind to Mars. So, why does Mars make sense?

ELON MUSK, CEO SPACEX: The goal of Tesla and Solar City is to minimize the existential threat of a delayed transition to a sustainable energy economy. The purpose of SpaceX is to help make life multiplanetary.

If life as we know it is multiplanetary, then the probable length of existence of human civilization is much greater.

So, I mean, think of like this but the unifying philosophy behind all three companies is trying to minimize existential threats, that kind of thing.

LU STOUT: And I see that. But Mars and ...

MUSK: Why Mars instead of something else?

LU STOUT: No, no, no. But how I see Mars being your destination as sort of a backup plan for humankind, right?

[05:55:06] MUSK: There are really I think there are two main motivations for Mars. I mean, one is, is the sort of defensive reason of saying, OK, if something were to happen to Earth, is life as we know it does it end? Or if it's on another planet, then it probably doesn't end. A multiplanet civilization is likely to last a lot longer than a single planet civilization.

The other part of it is it would just be an incredible adventure.

LU STOUT: Yeah.

MUSK: It would be a very exciting. And even if somebody never planned to go to Mars, just following the progress, I think vicariously, would be quite inspiring.

LU STOUT: Yeah.

MUSK: And I do think it's important that we have things to inspire us. It can't just be about solving, you know, miserable problems all the time, because why get up in the morning?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Wow. SpaceX plans to send the crew to the international space station at the end of the 2017, and Musk says that he will visit the station within the next five years.

Now, let's not forget about the dwarf planet Pluto, it is proving to be full with surprises as well. Scientists have discovered that Pluto has much more frozen water than originally thought.

A map from NASA's new horizon spacecraft shows Pluto is coated with a large amount of ice. These images were taken about 108,000 kilometers. Well, that's about 67,000 miles above the planet.

Since new horizon flew by in July of 2015, Pluto's new discoveries like its eye surfaces and mysterious moons have marveled scientists. What an image. We leave you with that.

Well thank you for watching. I'm George Howell at the CNN Center in Atlanta.

For our viewers in the United States, NEW DAY is ahead and for other viewers, the Best of Quest starts at a moment. You're watching CNN world's news leader.

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[06:00:14] HOWELL: From CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta ...