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CNN NEWSROOM

Trump Takes Victory Lap After Big Win in Nevada; Iran to Hold First Elections After Nuclear Deal; U.S. Skeptical of Russia as Syria Ceasefire Nears; Residents Returning After Gas Leaks in Porter Ranch; Johnson & Johnson Loses Cancer Lawsuit; Oscar-Nominated Film Shines Light on Honor Killings; All-Deaf Music Awards to Broadcast on Fusion. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired February 25, 2016 - 01:00   ET

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


[01:00:10] ISHA SESAY, CNN ANCHOR: This is CNN NEWSROOM, live from Los Angeles.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Ahead this hour is there a bombshell ahead from Donald Trump? A big name in the Republican warns there could be big trouble in Trump's tax returns.

SESAY: Plus, CNN gets exclusive access inside one of Africa's most notorious prisons where inmates say they're treated worse than animals.

VAUSE: And later Johnson & Johnson loses a lawsuit for $72 million after one family argued that talcum powder caused cancer.

SESAY: Hello, and welcome to our viewers from all around the world. I'm Isha Sesay.

VAUSE: Great to have you with us. I'm John Vause. Another hour of NEWSROOM L.A. starts right now.

We're now less than a week away from what should be the most decisive day so far in the U.S. presidential race. It's called Super Tuesday. 12 states will hold primaries and caucuses.

SESAY: But before we get there, the five Republican contenders will face off Thursday in Houston, Texas, at a CNN debate.

Jim Acosta begins our coverage.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Donald Trump's first campaign event after his win in Nevada says it all.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you, everybody.

ACOSTA: Eyeing the bible belt states up for grabs on Super Tuesday next week, Trump appealed to Christian conservatives by sitting down with televangelist Pat Robertson.

PAT ROBERTSON, TELEVANGELIST, CHRISTIAN BROADCASTING NETWORK: You inspire us all.

ACOSTA: Trump talked about forgiveness, perhaps even for his archrival, Ted Cruz. Maybe.

TRUMP: I can forgive. Every once in a while, there will be somebody that went too far over the last few weeks, and you know, things were said that were lies. I've got to be a good person today, at least for the next hour; I'm sorry.

ACOSTA: But Trump isn't spending much time talking about his opponents. He's busy envisioning his days in the White House, the ultimate political outsider saying he would likely want a political insider as his vice president.

TRUMP: I do want somebody that's political because I want to get lots of great legislation that we all want passed.

ACOSTA: And strong conservatives for the Supreme Court.

TRUMP: Pro-life, it starts with that. Starts there. Very conservative, very, very smart, I mean, like Judge Scalia. He was a perfect representative.

ACOSTA: On day one of a Trump Administration, the GOP frontrunner vows he'll scrap Obamacare, improve veterans' healthcare and end the president's executive actions to slow deportations of the undocumented.

TRUMP: Especially the one on the border where people are allowed to come in and just pour into our country like Swiss cheese.

ACOSTA: Trump is heading into Super Tuesday with a lead that is ballooning quickly, with five times the number of delegates as his nearest rivals.

TRUMP: The establishment, the media, the special interests, the lobbyists, the donors, they're all against me.

ACOSTA: Trump is also running a new ad, warning the D.C. establishment is out to get him and he's making the case Republicans should consider how he's expanding the party and get on board.

TRUMP: We won the evangelicals. We won with young. We won with old. We won with highly educated. We won with poorly educated. I love the poorly educated. We're the smartest people. We're the most loyal people. And you know what I really am happy about? Because I've been saying it for a long time, 46 percent with the Hispanics. 46 percent. Number one with Hispanics.

ACOSTA: The contenders vying to be the anti-Trump insist the race is far from over.

TED CRUZ (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We can't get this wrong. We can't be fooled by P.T. Barnum. The time for the clowns and the acrobats and the dancing bears has passed.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

ACOSTA: Cruz went back to delegate-rich Texas to assure the endorsement of that state's popular governor.

GOV. GREG ABBOTT (R), TEXAS: Ted is a constitutionalist, whose judgment I trust to appoint the right judges to the United States Supreme Court.

ACOSTA: Marco Rubio is urging supporters to pick a candidate who can actually win in November.

MARCO RUBIO (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We can't just elect someone that's angry.

ACOSTA: And John Kasich said maybe a fight at the GOP convention won't be so bad.

GOV. JOHN KASICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If we end up in a brokered convention, I can't think of a better way -- better city to have one in than Cleveland, Ohio. So we'll see.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Technically, Donald Trump still has not locked up the Republican nomination. And Marco Rubio is seen by many as the one candidate who could turn the tide but it's a pretty slim chance and it all depends on the Florida senator winning his home state, where he trails in the polls right now, yes, to Donald Trump, which is why many Trump supporters are now saying game over, thanks for playing, the nomination is in the bag.

Among them, Mel Robbins, a CNN commentator, radio host and at time a paid speaker for Trump's company.

Mel, thanks for being with us. Hypothetically here, if all the race dropped out except Rubio, is that going to make any difference?

MEL ROBBINS, CNN COMMENTATOR AND LEGAL ANALYST: I'm sorry. What did you just say about Rubio? That he's dropping out? I don't want to -- I don't want to spread any rumors, John.

(LAUGHTER)

[10:05:04] VAUSE: Well, hypothetically, if all the others except Rubio drop out, would that make any difference? I'm guessing by your answer that it won't.

ROBBINS: Well, you know, look. I think that when Jeb dropped out, it was a really defining moment in the lead-up to the -- who becomes the Republican nominee because it cemented the final three and made it very clear that, you know, Trump is so far ahead, that the only way that Rubio gains at all, John, is, first of all, if Cruz drops out and Cruz is such a pit bull that he is not going anywhere until he gets dragged out of this race.

And second, of all the undecided folks that I'm assuming they're going to then divvy up between these three, I think what the establishment and the Republican Party is hoping that 100 percent of them are going to Rubio. And the fact of the matter is that's not going to happen. Trump is, I'm certain, going to claw at least 50 percent of them.

VAUSE: Today we had the 2012 Republican nominee, Mitt Romney. He's spoken out, saying there could be some big problems ahead for Mr. Trump and his tax returns. This is what Mr. Romney had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY, FORMER REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Frankly, I think we have good reason to believe that there's a bombshell in Donald Trump's taxes.

NEIL CAVUTO, FOX BUSINESS NEWS: What do you mean?

ROMNEY: Well, I think there's something there. Either he's not anywhere near as wealthy as he says he is; or he hasn't been paying the kind of tax as we would expect him to pay, or perhaps he hasn't been giving money to the vets or the disabled like he's been telling us he's been doing, and I think that's -- the reason that I think there's a bombshell in there is because every time he's asked about his taxes he dodges and delays and says, well, we're working on it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: I mean, is that the kind of bombshell that could cause problems for Donald Trump? I mean, at this point it was like he needs some kind of nuclear blast to stop him.

ROBBINS: Yes, I think you're exactly right. First of all, I mean, look at the messenger. Mitt Romney could not bring home the election when he probably should have been able to, number One. Number Two, why is Mitt Romney talking about this at all right now? Is he going out on a book tour or is the establishment trying to push some sort of attack on Trump because they don't want him? And number three, what would the biggest bombshell be against Trump? And that is the fact that he's gone bankrupt when he's pushing a narrative that he's a super successful businessman. And guess what? That has not slowed him down at all.

And so what you're going to see is that if there's any bombshell at all, which I highly doubt, he'd made -- he made his full financial disclosures many, many, many months ago. In fact, he was one of the first candidates to do so. Many of the pundits said he never would; he did. There was nothing inside those financials that anybody revealed. So I don't know what on earth Mitt Romney could possibly be talking about, and by the way, Trump has already done what you would expect him to do. He's gone out on the attack and blasted Mitt Romney on Twitter.

VAUSE: Yes.

ROBBINS: And so I don't think Trump is going to slow down, change his tactics or change his tone. And I don't think anybody has a chance of landing a direct hit. VAUSE: Hey, Mel, great to speak with you; thanks so much.

ROBBINS: You got it. Great to see you.

SESAY: We shall see. They come face-to-face in that debate on Thursday.

VAUSE: And it's going to be fiery.

SESAY: It certainly is. CNN's Wolf Blitzer will moderate that Republican debate in Texas. It is the last chance Republicans to face off on the issues before the Super Tuesday contest next week. That airs at 9:30 in the morning, Friday, if you're in Hong Kong and it is right here on CNN.

VAUSE: And if you thought the last debate before the Nevada caucuses was pretty full-on, well, then, boy, oh boy, oh boy.

SESAY: Oh boy, oh boy, strap yourselves in.

VAUSE: Absolutely. OK. Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton has picked up another key endorsement, this one from Senate minority leader Harry Reid.

SESAY: Clinton campaigned in South Carolina ahead of Saturday's primary where she's the heavy favorite. Reid pleaded for Democrats to unite behind Clinton.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HARRY REID (D), MINORITY LEADER: And Bernie has been a great senator. And I've enjoyed my relationship with him very much. I think the middle class would be better served by Hillary. I also think that she's the woman to be the first president of the United States that's a female.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Bernie Sanders spent Wednesday campaigning in Oklahoma, which holds its primary on Super Tuesday. That's March 1st. Sanders says Clinton may be ahead in the polls but the race is far from over.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is a race where you have to get 2400 delegates. 2400 delegates. So we are in this race to win it. And I think we are going to pull off one of the great political upsets.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: The latest CNN poll of polls shows Clinton leading Sanders in South Carolina, 56-32.

SESAY: All right. Now to Iran where people are getting ready to vote on Friday. The elections will be a crucial indicator of the future direction voters want for their country.

VAUSE: These will be the first elections since a deal was reached to limit the country's nuclear program. Senior international correspondent Fred Pleitgen has more now on the political battle between reformers and conservatives.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[01:10:05] FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Campaigning Iranian-style. Volunteers for the reform movement hand out flyers in Tehran's traffic. They say they're confident, but not certain they'll win.

"It's unclear what will happen because the Iranians only make up their minds in the last minute," he says. "But the moderates' position is much better than that of the conservatives."

Tehran is plastered with election posters, as a fierce battle between the reformers around President Hassan Rouhani and conservatives around the powerful clergy unfolds.

(On camera): Many observers view the upcoming elections as extremely important and also as a referendum on Hassan Rouhani's policies of opening Iran up to the West.

(Voice-over): The divisions were exacerbated by the recent nuclear agreement, designed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons in return for sanctions relief.

"We support the Rouhani government and the nuclear deal," this reformist says. "We should have a parliament to support and not to block Rouhani's policies."

But many conservatives view that as a threat. "Death to America," they chant at this hardlined rally. They believe Iran has opened itself to American infiltration with the nuclear agreement.

"We consider the nuclear deal to be American interference," she says. "And we will fight against it and hopefully defeat it. Our nation will not allow America to influence our affairs."

The decisions Iranian voters make this Friday could do more than just alter the makeup of its parliament. It could also influence the country's course towards the West and, some believe, the stability of its political system.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Tehran.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: The United Nations says it has carried out its first humanitarian airdrop in Syria. It says 21 tons of relief items were dropped on Wednesday in Deir ez-Zor.

SESAY: The U.N. calls the airdrops a last resort to reach people besieged by ISIS. According to the U.N., some 200,000 people are in dire need of aid in that area.

Well, the ceasefire agreement between the parties is set to take effect in Syria on Friday. The United Nations Security Council is expected to meet Thursday to discuss the plan.

VAUSE: But the U.S. says it's skeptical of Russia which helped broker the deal and is considering a plan B in case all of this falls through.

Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Heavy airstrikes and shelling as Syrian forces try to take a key town in the northwest after ISIS moved in. Fighting ISIS is still fair game under a ceasefire that is just days away from going into effect, but Russian and regime forces are dramatically reshaping the battlefield before the agreed stop in fighting with the rebels. The British Foreign secretary making it all public.

PHILIP HAMMOND, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: What we have seen over the last weeks is very disturbing evidence of coordination between Syrian Kurdish forces, the Syrian regime and the Russian Air Force.

STARR: U.S. intelligence indicates Kurds in the West are working with the Russians to attack moderates the U.S. supports, even as other Kurdish groups press from the east, groups the U.S. wants to fight ISIS. It's all putting Russian influence potentially in control of the border area next to Turkey, a NATO ally.

Tonight U.S. uncertainty about Moscow's compliance runs high.

JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: There is a significant discussion taking place now about plan B in the event that we don't succeed.

STARR: The Pentagon, also doubtful.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think there's a certain dose of skepticism.

STARR: Russia says it will comply with the ceasefire. But if it does not, what is plan B? Several U.S. officials say there could be more sanctions on Russia or pressure on Russia to stop what Washington says is indiscriminate bombing of civilians.

But for now, plan B stops short of any U.S. military action. The U.S. already flies under the eye of Russian radars across Syria, a U.S. official tells CNN.

Middle East allies could wind up supplying advanced weapons to the opposition, such as shoulder-fired anti-air missiles. That would be a dramatic escalation and risk ISIS getting its hands on them, as well.

(On camera): The U.S. military also concerned that the Russians may be maneuvering to retake Raqqa, the Syrian city that is the capital for ISIS and where it's believed many ISIS leaders may be hiding out. The worry, in part, the Russians could get there before the U.S. could deal with finding those ISIS leaders.

Barbara Starr, CNN, The Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Still to come here, an exclusive look inside in a South African prison accused of mistreating inmates.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[01:15:05] DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're heading to the one section. That's the most overcrowded section of Pollsmoor's Remand Centers. Some of the cells, more than 300 percent over capacity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(SPORTS)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SESAY: Hello, everyone. The U.S. and China are moving to impose new sanctions on North Korea. The White House says it will be a strong and united response to recent provocations.

VAUSE: Reuters is reporting the U.S. will submit a draft resolution to the U.N. Security Council on Thursday. The move comes after Pyongyang's nuclear test on January and a rocket launch earlier this month.

To South Africa now where CNN has been given exclusive access to one of the country's most notorious prisons.

SESAY: Pollsmoor, which once housed Nelson Mandela, has been dogged by years of scandal and allegations of inhumane conditions.

Our own David McKenzie takes us inside the prison.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCKENZIE (voice-over): Walls designed to keep dangerous inmates out of sight, also hiding allegations of abuse, disease, outbreaks, severe overcrowding. Until now. We've been given exclusive access inside Pollsmoor Prison.

[01:20:05] (On camera): We're heading to the one section that's the most overcrowded section of Pollsmoor's Remand Centers. Some of the cells more than 300 percent over capacity.

(Voice-over): Statistics can be hard to grasp. The horrific reality is not. This single cell, crammed with 86 detainees. It was designed for 19. They all share one shower and a toilet but often it's just a bucket.

(On camera): No mattress, no nothing?

(Voice-over): The smell, these many bodies in such a small space, is suffocating. The filth is so extreme skin disease is endemic. Contracting tuberculosis an almost certainty. Inhumane conditions for even the most hardened of convicts. But all of these men, yet to be convicted.

(On camera): How many of you have been here for more than two months?

CLIVE, INMATE: The worst thing is to see how the people must lay here on the floors, next to each other. Even during the night when we want to go to toilet, we have to climb over them.

MCKENZIE (voice-over): Clive has been stuck here for two years and two months, awaiting trial.

CLIVE: The animals should live like this but not human beings.

MCKENZIE (on camera): It seems very unfair to them.

CECIL JOHN JACOBS, ACTING HEAD, POLLSMOOR REMAND: I understand that but unfortunately we don't invite any of them in here. Correctional Services, we don't invite any of them in here. They come here because they do alleged crimes.

MCKENZIE (voice-over): He says Pollsmoor was designed during apartheid when prisons were meant to break black inmates, not rehabilitate them.

MCKENZIE (on camera): It's inhumane.

JACOBS: It's inhumane. The fact is, it's inhumane.

MCKENZIE (voice-over): Jacobs wanted to show us what wardens were up against. Today, like each morning, hundreds of Remand inmates head off to court. Some will be let off, some convicted. But the majority will just be brought back where hundreds more will join them each week inside this prison hell.

David McKenzie, CNN, Pollsmoor Prison.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SESAY: Well, the head of the World Health Organization is in Brazil, as part of a fact-finding mission into the Zika virus. But she also came with a warning.

VAUSE: Dr. Margaret Chan says there is evidence from Brazil that the Zika may cause -- may be the cause of microcephaly or a birth defect among infants, and that Zika is not going away anytime soon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. MARGARET CHAN, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, WHO: Things may get worse before it gets better. And don't be surprised to see microcephaly reported in other parts of Brazil. (END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Dr. Chan also showed her support by accepting a Zika Zero shirt from Brazil's president.

VAUSE: Residents of a suburb in Los Angeles are returning to their homes after a gas leak. One activist described it as the BP oil spill on land.

SESAY: The gas leak in Porter Ranch was permanently capped last Thursday. And thousands of families were given eight days to return before the Southern California gas company would stop paying for their lodgings.

Paul Vercammen reports not everyone feels safe about coming home.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Taylor Lee rides the bike he got as a gift in December for the first time in front of his Porter Ranch house.

(On camera): How is that new bike?

TAYLOR LEE, PORTER RANCH RESIDENT: It's really fast. I like it.

VERCAMMEN (voice-over): Taylor, his sister Caitlyn, and parents have returned home after living in a hotel for 76 days. The family says they suffered from the massive release of canyon methane gas leak, Taylor had nose bleeds, so they took up SoCal Gas on its offer to pay for temporary housing until the leak was capped.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Division of Oil and Gas has confirmed that the leak in Aliso Canyon storage field is permanently sealed.

VERCAMMEN: While the Lee family unpacked, Matt Palucko and his live- in girlfriend Kyoko unleashed skepticism.

MATT PALUCKO, PORTER RANCH RESIDENT: I saw all those people standing at that press conference. I got two words from them, Flint, Michigan. We heard this from the officials in Flint, Michigan, even the federal officials. It's perfectly safe to drink the water, and we see how that worked out. So we're not going to go down that road again and believe all these people when we know on the ground that what they say is not true.

KYOKO HIBINO, PORTER RANCH RESIDENT: Even after they say it was capped, I got sick, and I went home for something for a couple hours, and suddenly, like suddenly, like I got a headache.

VERCAMMEN: Sue Kim is back home, done driving more than 100 miles round trip from the hotel to school to work.

SUE KIM, PORTER RANCH RESIDENT: I am really glad that now that I don't have to make two trips each way to the hotel back to get our home to get our other necessities. LEE: I can sleep an extra like 30 minutes and then we can go to

school like in no stress and we're not tired.

VERCAMMEN: Matt and Kyoko are staying put for now in their rental house.

[01:25:02] PALUCKO: The strange thing about this is it affects people so differently. But those that are affected are seriously affected and they don't want to go back to this.

VERCAMMEN: In Porter Ranch, it's a mixed homecoming.

Paul Vercammen, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Now in response to some of those complaints from residents, SoCal Gas had this statement. Part of it says, "Regulatory health and air quality authorities including the L.A. County Health Department are monitoring the air. Results based on scientific date demonstrated air quality in the area has returned to typical air quality conditions which existed prior to the leak."

SESAY: Time for a quick break now. And the company Johnson & Johnson has been ordered to pay millions of dollars in damages for using a controversial ingredient in body powder. Ahead one family says the powder led a woman to die of ovarian cancer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. I'm John Vause.

SESAY: And I'm Isha Sesay. The headlines of this hour.

Australia is warning its citizens about a possible terror attack in Indonesia. The letter says terrorists may be in the advance stages of preparation. Australian officials want people to take extra care in Jakarta, Bali and Lombok. Australia sent out warnings on Malaysia earlier this week.

VAUSE: We're waiting on the findings of an independent report about the culture and practices at the BBC where former TV star Jimmy Savile worked there. An investigation by Scotland Yard after his death determined he was a predatory sex offender. He committed hundreds of crimes. Thursday's report may show whether the BBC was aware of his behavior while he was alive.

SESAY: FIFA's Appeals Committee has upheld a decision to ban President Sepp Blatter and UEFA president Michele Platini from football. Both men had the suspensions reduced from eight years to six. Platini said he'll appeal.

(HEADLINES)

[01:30:33] VAUSE: A jury of the United States has ordered the company Johnson & Johnson to pay $72 million in damages to the family of this woman here, Jackie Fox. She died of ovarian cancer and the family used it on talcum powder from Johnson & Johnson, which she had been using for decades.

SESAY: More than 1,000 similar cases have been filed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our whole fight was not just for her. But so many other women. That's why I continue -- that's why I continue this fight.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Finally, the truth has come to light. The jury rightly exposed the conduct of Johnson & Johnson and has made known the fact that talcum powder does cause ovarian cancer. It's been known for 30 years by the industry. But they've hidden the truth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: The company denies those claims. Johnson & Johnson spokeswoman said, in a statement in part, quote here, "The recent U.S. Verdict goes against decades of sound science, proving the safety of talc as a cosmetic ingredient in many products. And while with sympathize with the family of the plaintiff, we strongly disagree with the outcome."

VAUSE: For more on this, Ani Azadian is a civil attorney who has represented hundreds of Fortune 500 companies in the past.

Ani, thank you for being me.

ANI AZADIAN, CIVIL ATTORNEY: Thank you for having me.

VAUSE: Let's get to the heart of the matter. The science is inconclusive. Is the issue the potential risk and the failure by Johnson & Johnson to warn consumers of the possible risk?

AZADIAN: Yes. Johnson & Johnson knew the risk with talc. They use it in their powder products. And they failed to warn consumers, even though they knew as far as the 1980s, this product could cause ovarian cancer. There was a study in 1971, that found 75 percent of tumors, ovarian cancer tumors, to have talc embedded in it. This isn't novel news they just discovered. They knew about it. And they failed to warn it, which is a basic duty to consumers.

SESAY: Beyond the basic duty, the watchdogs are set up, to make sure that companies can't, you know, manipulate the system. How is it, given all of the data existed, they weren't required to warn the public. Even of the possibility?

AZADIAN: Exactly. Ovarian cancer is a bit different one word -- I'm not a medical expert. But Ovarian cancer is hard to detect and because it has no symptoms. The women developed ovarian cancer because of this. And it took years to link it to this actual talc powder.

VAUSE: Is this akin to cigarette smoking where -- yeah.

AZADIAN: I was going to point that out. This is very similar to the cigarette cases that happened years and years ago, which were huge. I would say from a shareholder standpoint, for Johnson & Johnson, they are looking at shelling out some serious money because there's thousands of cases filed in the United States. And more will be filed. And not to mention globally cases will be filed, because Johnson & Johnson is sold throughout the world. They have to evaluate what the claims are and what they're going to do in the future. They can't continue not warning. That's the current stance. They think the product was not the direct cause, even though the jury found it was. And they could continue not warning.

[01:35:22] SESAY: What's the chain of liability here? Some of the suits name a mining company. Does it stop with Johnson & Johnson? How does this net extend out?

AZADIAN: No. The suit is about Johnson & Johnson using the talc powder.

SESAY: This one is. But in some of the others, they've named other parties. From a legal point of view, can you go beyond Johnson & Johnson?

AZADIAN: Sure. In this case -- in the 2013 case, Johnson & Johnson was sued. The plaintiff won. But in that case, they filed a suit against another company. They are directly held liable because they're the ones that are putting a product out on to the market and have the duty to warn. The other parent companies and the other associated companies don't have the direct duty they do. This is why this is such a huge verdict. It's a statement verdict that's supposed to tell companies, you know, hey, if you know your product could be a potential threat, which could cause cancer, we're not talking about a small medical condition, like asthma or athletes foot. We're talking about ovarian cancer, which can lead to death, you have a duty to warn. And that's what they didn't do.

VAUSE: Johnson & Johnson will appeal this. I don't think they formally said they will. It's a big company. They have a lot of money. It took the jury four hours to come to a decision. It was a three-week-long trial. Some of the comments are, this is a rush to judgment. It was a runaway jury. They're out to get the company. They wanted to vindicate this woman.

AZADIAN: I disagree. The evidence here was dire. They had an internal investigation that was done in 1997. Through an independent agency that was reported to a regulatory body. They found the risk right then and there. And they said they were supposed to warn the consumers, if not remove this product.

VAUSE: All of this, was that the smoking gun?

AZADIAN: Yes. Talking about an appeal, there's a chance it might be appealed because of, you know, the causation link and the disproportionate damages here. We have to understand that $62 million -- (CROSSTALK)

AZADIAN: -- punitive damages, that means punishment damages. When you look at the evidence, it was very, very dire.

Ani, thank you for coming in.

AZADIAN: Thank you for having me.

SESAY: Thank you.

It's a distressing story.

AZADIAN: It is, especially for women.

SESAY: Thank you. Appreciate it.

VAUSE: An Oscar-nominated film is shedding some light on a disturbing and overlooked practice.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The most difficult part about making this film was the mindset that people thought honor killing was not a crime.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: You will hear from the filmmaker who tells the story of a young woman who survived an attempted murder by her own family.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:41:28] SESAY: While, the Oscars, Hollywood's biggest award ceremony is on Sunday here in Los Angeles.

VAUSE: One nominated film tells the story of a Pakistani woman who survived a so-called honor killing, said to be carried out by her father and brother.

Sara Sidner sat down with the maker of the documentary.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHARMEEN OBAID-CHINOY, FILMMAKER: Instead of taking her to a home. They took her to a forest, shot her, put her in a gunny bag, and threw here in the river. She miraculously survived.

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy's documentary film, "The Girl in the River, The Price of Forgiveness" is a brutally honest look at an attempted murder that society condoned.

OBAID-CHONEY: The 18-year-old Saba was about to get married. And her uncle opposed the marriage. She had to runaway to marry him.

SIDNER: Her father and brother were accused of trying to kill her because they believed the unsanctioned marriage brought shame on the family.

(on camera): What is an honor killing, to those who don't know what it is?

OBAID-CHONEY: To me, honor killing is premeditated, cold-blooded murder. But the justification given by men killing a woman, is she did something without permission.

SIDNER: When you heard this story, what did she look like?

OBAID-CHONEY: It's a miracle that she was alive. And the only reason she was alive, when they shot her on her face, she put her hand there and moved her face. The bullet hit her hand and her face.

SIDNER (voice-over): She painstakingly documented the gruesome details of what happened, from the doctors who tried to save her.

OBAID-CHONEY: They reinstated the faith in me of how beautifully the system can work.

SIDNER: To society's reaction.

(on camera): What was making this film like for you, as a woman, in Pakistan?

OBAID-CHONEY: The most difficult part of making this film was the mindset that people thought honor killing was not a crime. At the end of the film, when the father is released from jail, he says the stature in society is going to be much more. That his other daughters are getting better proposals of marriage because people think he's an honorable man.

SIDNER (voice-over): Honor killings happen all over the world, with 1,000 women murdered each year in Pakistan alone. While it's legal, it goes underreported.

OBAID-CHONEY: I wanted to start national discourse. People don't think that an honor killing is a crime because no one ever goes to jail for it or few people go to jail for it. When you go into villages and towns and they speak to people, I know X, Y, Z. He killed his daughter. He didn't go to jail for it. I don't think it's a crime.

SIDNER: The documentary got the whole country talking about the subject. Including the prime minister, who promised action.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's no honor in honor killing.

SIDNER: The women like Saba are counting on him to keep his word.

Sara Sidner, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: When the Academy Awards are handed out on Sunday night, this show will be competing against another award show. SESAY: The all-deaf movie awards will be shown on the fusion network

in the U.S. The star-studded event was taped Wednesday in Los Angeles.

VAUSE: The Oscars have been criticized for racism for a lack of diverse nominees, the producers of the all-deaf movies say their show will show diversity in the entertainment and film industry.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[01:45:09] UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: There's a lot of talent in black cinema that doesn't get the look. And why is that? That's the question we're posing with this awards show.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: This idea that it's not changing is false. It is changing. It might not be changing at the rate in which everybody loves. And that's understandable.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: You can take several steps in several directions, but for somebody to make a stand and make the commitment, I can admire that.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: It's a good thing. We have to an equivalent to do. And this gives us a chance to recognize filmmakers, actresses, actors, who didn't get the credit they deserved. It's all about love. Tonight is not a hate event. It's a love event. Show love to those who deserve it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Let's bring in Jasmyne Cannick, a regular with us, to weigh in on both awards show. She's a social and political commentator and communications expert that works to get African-American candidates into office. She joins us now.

VAUSE: Jasmyne, you're always busy.

JASMYNE CANNICK, SOCIAL & POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: One life.

(LAUGHTER)

SESAY: "Thirty Rock" said a couple weeks ago on TMZ, enough with trying to get recognized by, you know, the white establishment. Let's go over here, to use his words, and do our own thing and recognize our own people. He said as much in the clip. Do you think this is the right way to deal with the issue of inclusion and diversity in Hollywood by going off and doing your own thing?

CANNICK: It's one way to do it. That's a criticism and argument that's going on for some time. Why we have the BET Music Awards. Why we have the other awards show. It's not like having the quote/unquote black Oscars. And there's another event they also call the black Oscars. Again, it's food for thought. It gives people a chance to celebrate themselves. A lot of Americans agree, why do we expect the white establishment to recognize us. At the end of the day, it's all awards. It's all folks patting themselves on the back. There's irony about all of that. And some people will watch the Oscars. Some will watch the all def movie awards. And some will watch none of it.

VAUSE: At the end of the day, Russell Simmons, he says he doesn't want that label, black Oscars. This isn't about black actors being snubbed. It's about diversity. How do you get away from that feeling that this is, we're going to take our bat and ball and have our own awards because we missed out?

CANNICK: You don't get away from it. When you put your show up against the Oscars on the same day on television, you don't get to walk away from it. And in a year like this, when all of the controversy is around the fact that the Oscars are, quote/unquote, "so white." I don't think Russell Simmons can expect people not to call it the black Oscars. It would have been interesting for me to see a lot more sort of the white Hollywood liberals that support zoo animals to light poles on the street, to show up in support of their African- American colleagues.

VAUSE: They're all MIA, right?

CANNICK: I didn't see many of them.

SESAY: That begs a question, beyond the symbolism, what impact will this have?

CANNICK: Exactly. Are we going to find ourselves -- this is year two this conversation has been going on. Are we going into year three and just continue to regurgitate the same arguments and complaints over and over again? That's something that not only blacks in Hollywood need to think about. But just people who are concerned with this issue, period, need to figure out where do we go from here? Just because we're screaming and hollering, does not mean that headlight is going to change the way we do business. People screamed and hollered last year. And look at what we got this year.

VAUSE: TV is changing, though. And they're making money from it. That's the catalyst, in my opinion.

CANNICK: Hey.

Yeah.

(LAUGHTER)

VAUSE: You know?

When there's money to be made, things will change.

SESAY: Films starring black people are making money. It's not as if Hollywood doesn't know that.

CANNICK: They are making money. The argument this year is not so much about the money as it is the recognition of the fine work. You look at "beasts of no nation." "Straight Outta Compton," that didn't get a nod.

SESAY: They didn't get a nod. CANNICK: That's right. A nod helps careers. Nods put you over the top and push you, propel you forward. And these actors and actresses aren't getting that opportunity.

VAUSE: Got you.

Thanks, Jasmyne.

SESAY: Jasmyne, appreciate it.

CANNICK: Thank you.

[01:49:59] SESAY: Thank you.

Well, feeling sad, angry or happy, but just can't put it into words? Facebook has an upgrade to help you express yourself. We'll explain, just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SESAY: If liking or commenting on a Facebook post isn't enough for you, the social network has rolled out what it calls Reactions.

VAUSE: It was probably enough for me. They are now a quick way to express your feelings about a post.

Richard Quest explores the full range of emotions that are now at your fingertips.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD QUEST, CNN HOST, QUEST MEANS BUSINESS: These are the six new emotions or reactions, that Facebook has given us. They are a big improvement, some say, on the classic, which has been available until now, which is, of course, the like. That is all you had. But now, there is so much more. For instance, when you need a bit more, you have -- love. The Beatles said that's all you need. But Facebook disagrees. Like and love wasn't enough. So, they decided for those happy moments. Those happy moments when LOL is just not doing the trick. They have given us ha. And when words fail you, you have the wow option. With wow, ha, love and like, life isn't all fun and games. Sometimes it's a bill too much. So, for those blue moments, they've given us sad, which can be used for mishaps. Facebook decided against the dislike button. They said, that was simply nasty and would have a bad reaction. However, they have given us something for when we're angry. So, hit the angry button, what they decided not to give was yay. Yay. Apparently, they decided yay was confusing. And so, they axed it. It was all the result of many months of research, much discussion, and now we're all left wondering, which one to use.

Richard Quest, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[01:56:09] SESAY: Wow.

VAUSE: Took them a year to come up with that. Wow.

SESAY: I like the wow.

You are watching CNN NEWSROOM live. You don't like it?

VAUSE: Yay.

SESAY: I'm Isha Sesay.

VAUSE: I'm John Vause.

The news continues with Rosemary Church after this.

Wow. How about that?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)