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CNN NEWSROOM

Syrian Cease-fire Appears to Hold; Academy Awards Winners; Unwelcome Controversy for Trump Plus Senator Endorsement; Clinton Leading Polls After S.C. Win; North Korea Says U.S. Student Confessed to Hostile Act; ISIS Suicide Bombings in Baghdad; Danger of Mosul Dam Breach; Syrian Cease-fire Appears to Hold; Crucial Election in Iran; Academy Award Winners. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired February 29, 2016 - 02:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(HEADLINES)

[02:00:39] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

ERROL BARNETT, CNN ANCHOR: Good to be back with you.

CHURCH: Good to have you here.

BARNETT: Hey, everyone. I'm Errol Barnett. Thanks for kicking off your week with us. Our two-hour block of CNN NEWSROOM starts now.

CHURCH: The cease-fire in Syria is now well into its third day and it appears to be holding for the most part. The fighting there has dramatically slowed down, but it hasn't completely stopped.

BARNETT: Rebel groups say war planes are still sporadically attacking their positions. They blame Russia for the attacks. Moscow has not yet commented. But other world powers have. In a meeting with his counterpart in Saudi Arabia, Denmark's foreign minister warned that even with the truce in place, the threats of military force must be kept on the Syrian regime. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTIAN JENSEN, DANISH FOREIGN MINISTER: There are only a political solution to the Syrian problem and the Syrian war. But a political solution can only come with a military threat. Otherwise, Assad will continue his barbaric regime where he has killed hundreds of thousands of his own people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Our senior international correspondent, Clarissa Ward, has just returned from rebel territory.

BARNETT: She was northwest of the city of Aleppo where she saw firsthand how the cease-fire is holding up. Carissa is essentially the only Western journalist to have traveled to the heavily hit area in more than a year. Here is her exclusive report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We are in the heart of rebel-held Syria, and this entire area has seen some of the most intensive bombardment in the past few months. We've been traveling all around here for nearly a week now, and certainly, it is fair to say that since the cessation of hostilities began, there has been a dramatic decrease in the number of air strikes.

Now, having said that, earlier we visited a town on the outskirts of Aleppo, and people there told us that about 30 hours after the cease- fire began, there was an air strike own a house. We were able to capture some video of the aftermath of that air strike. There have also been reports of clashes in other parts of the country. But certainly it does feel quite a bit quieter here.

Now, what's interesting is that you won't find anybody here celebrating about the cease-fire, and that's for a number of reasons. Firstly, in the run-up to the cessation of hostilities, there was a dramatic increase in Russian aerial bombardment. Secondly, the people here who live in rebel-held territory, simply don't trust the regime of Bashar al Assad. They see the cease-fire as a trick or a ruse designed so that the regime can take more territory. For that reason, many people we've spoken to are, in fact, actually against the cease- fire. Just a few days ago, we attended a protest where people were carrying signs that said this cease-fire is a betrayal of our martyrs, of those who have died for the cause. They were chanting over and over again, "We must keep on uniting and fight." Even the imam in his weekly sermon was urging people not to heed the cease-fire and to continue fighting, not to give up.

I think what this really highlights is the fundamental disconnect between the people who are fighting and dying on the ground here and the people outside of the country who are brokering these types of deals.

Clarissa Ward, CNN, on the outskirts of Aleppo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Tune in to CNN to see Clarissa's full series of reports from inside Syria.

BARNETT: ISIS is claiming responsibility for twin bombings in a crowded market in Baghdad. At least 33 people were killed on Sunday. Police say a suicide bomber blew himself up.

CHURCH: A motorcycle rigged with explosives was also detonated. The attacks took place in a predominantly Shiite district.

BARNETT: German Chancellor Angela Merkel is defending her decision to open Germany's borders to migrants, saying they won't put any limit on the number she accepts. That's after Austria imposed restrictions, leaving hundreds of refugees stranded in Greece.

CHURCH: Chancellor Merkel says Europe cannot allow Greece to fall into chaos in the midst of the crisis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CHANTING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[02:05:10] CHURCH: Refugees at a border camp cheered, "Open the border," as they blocked a cargo train bound from Greece to Macedonia Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CHEERING)

UNIDENTIFIED REFUGEE (through translation): We are against people who close the border in front of women, children, and the sick. We thank the Greek people for their hospitality, but thousands of refugees in these horrible conditions on the border are a stain of disgrace for all of Europe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And more than one million migrants and refugees passed through Greece last year, many of them fleeing conflicts in Syria and Afghanistan.

BARNETT: Many times people feel the need to help those in crisis. To learn how you can help migrants and refugees, head to impact your world website. Just head to CNN.com/impact, and you'll find a list of agencies providing humanitarian assistance.

CHURCH: We want to turn now to Hollywood's biggest night, the 88th Academy Awards, highlighting the best achievements in the movie industry.

BARNETT: That's right. This year's ceremony was hosted by comedian Chris Rock, who wasted no time joking about the Oscars so white controversy and the lack of black nominees. But first take a look at some of the big moments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: And the Oscar goes to "Spotlight."

(CHEERING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: There's the dramatic pause we were looking for. "Spotlight" took home the top prize of the night, winning the Oscar for best picture.

CHURCH: And Actor Leonardo DiCaprio won his first Oscar for his leading role in the revenant. Many say at last.

BARNETT: Yeah, finally.

CHURCH: Well, other big winners of the night, Alejandro Inarritu scored his second straight Oscar for best director, this time for his work in "The Revenant." First time Oscar nominee, Brie Larson, won best actress for her lead role in "Room."

BARNETT: Mark Rylance nabbed best supporting actor for "Bridge of Spies" and best supporting actress went to Alicia Vikander for her role in "The Danish Girl."

CHURCH: Our Isha Sesay was covering all the excitement from the red carpet and joins us now from Los Angeles.

BARNETT: Isha Sesay.

Hey, Isha.

ISHA SESAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, guys.

BARNETT: Leonardo DiCaprio finally winning for best actor. What I was struck by is he used his speech not to talk about himself and the five winless nominations, but he put the focus on climate change. Tell us more about that.

SESAY: Yeah, indeed. Leo DiCaprio, known, of course, for his commitment to environmental issues, he didn't waste his moment, if you will, in the spotlight, taking his moment as best actor to talk about his commitment to the environment. We've seen him do that throughout actually this awards ceremony, this awards season. He had done a similar thing when he won some weeks ago. He used that speech to talk about indigenous people and how they should be recognized and their concerns should be taken to heart. So it's very much in keeping with Leo.

You know, it's a remarkable moment for Leonardo DiCaprio because there are those who say though he won this award for "The Revenant," this isn't the film he should have won it for, that he's played better characters and has given better performances, has been nominated five times for best actor, finally getting it on the fifth try. It's a very big night, and for much of Hollywood, they say very much well deserved.

CHURCH: A case of sort of catch-up, isn't it?

Isha, everyone is talking about host Chris Rock and his opening monologue, tackling the lack of diversity among Oscar nominees. What did people think about how he dealt with that very sensitive issue?

SESAY: Well, you know, it's interesting because we just finished the post-show here in Hollywood and we had a question we put out to the audience at home, asking our viewers that very same question. Did he go too far? I will say, you know, really when over 50 percent said no, actually, he was right on point or at least I should say to be more accurate, didn't go too far. But clearly there is a significant number of people out there who say it was a little bit difficult to watch. And some of the jokes were very, very close to the bone. He came out on stage, and he immediately launched into it. There was no pause. There was no warm-up. He came out to fight the power, and he just -- he went for it.

And I want you to take a little bit -- I want you to listen to some of what he had to say on this issue of whether or not Hollywood is racist.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS ROCK, COMEDIAN: Is burning cross racist? No, no, no. It's a different type of racist?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: It's a different type of racism. Rosy, Errol, you hear him saying that. He really, you know, a friend said it wasn't just that he called out the elephant in the room. He got on the elephant, and he rode the elephant, and he made sure everyone saw him.

[02:10:10] CHURCH: Yeah, and he really -- a lot of people have said to him, put a lot of pressure on him, you shouldn't be taking part in this. He tackled that, didn't he? It was quite an extraordinary monologue.

SESAY: I thought it was extraordinary because I thought that took a lot of bravery for him to come out and acknowledge the fact that there had been that pressure, people calling on him to boycott. But he made the point, and it's a very correct one, that if he boycotted, the show would still go on. And as he said, he would just lose the role to Kevin Hart. He would have got the job.

(LAUGHTER)

BARNETT: Isha Sesay, in Los Angeles for us, looking stunning as usual.

SESAY: Thank you.

Isha, tell our viewers the truth. What big party are you about to head out to?

(LAUGHTER)

SESAY: Why, so that you guys can keep tabs on me?

BARNETT: Exactly.

(CROSSTALK)

SESAY: No, no. That shall remain my secret.

BARNETT: All right, Isha Sesay, joining us from L.A.

SESAY: Bye, guys. Thank you.

BARNETT: Enjoy yourself. CHURCH: Wonderful.

BARNETT: Still to come this hour on CNN NEWSROOM, Donald Trump facing tough questions over a controversial endorsement from a white supremacist leader. What he has to say about that support, next.

CHURCH: Plus, the world finally gets a glimpse of the U.S. student detained in North Korea. You will hear what the country says he confessed to doing.

Back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(SPORTS REPORT)

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[02:15:23] BARNETT: Welcome back. All right. Donald Trump is dealing with some unwelcome controversy this time around as he prepares for Super Tuesday.

CHURCH: The U.S. Republican presidential front-runner faced questions Sunday about re-tweeting a quote from fascist leader, Benito Mussolini.

BARNETT: It reads, "It is better to live one day as a lion than 100 years as a sheep."

Trump shrugged off the quote's origin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's OK to know it's Mussolini. Look, Mussolini was Mussolini. It's a very good quote. It's a very interesting quote, and I know who said it. But what difference does it make whether it's Mussolini or somebody else? It's certainly a very interesting quote.

CHUCK TODD, MODERATOR, MEET THE PRESS: Do you want to be associated with a fascist?

TRUMP: No. I want to be associated with interesting quotes. I have almost 14 million people between Instagram and Facebook and Twitter and all of that, and we do interesting things. And I sent it out, and certainly, hey, it got your attention, didn't it?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Well, Trump's rivals are also blasting him for not condemning a former leader of the KKK during a CNN interview.

Here's what Trump had to say when Jake Tapper pressed him on distancing himself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: I don't know anything about David Duke. OK? I don't know anything about what you're talking about with white supremacy or white supremacists.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Should the head of the conservative movement, should the Republican nominee, be someone that today, like Donald Trump, refused, refused to criticize the Ku Klux Klan?

(BOOING)

RUBIO: He was interviewed on CNN and asked to disavow the Ku Klux Klan. He refused to do it. He was asked to disavow and criticize David Duke. He said, "I don't know who that is." He knows exactly who that is. He knows exactly who that is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: Now, despite all the criticism, Donald Trump picked up an endorsement from a sitting U.S. Senator.

CHURCH: Republican Jeff Sessions, of Alabama, publicly announced his support of the presidential contender at a rally Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JEFF SESSIONS (R), ALABAMA: I told Donald Trump this is isn't a campaign. This is a movement. Look at what's happening.

(CHEERING)

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: Now all of this very significant because this endorsement comes just before the biggest single day of the primaries, Super Tuesday. 13 U.S. states have primaries or caucuses that could decide who becomes the presidential nominee for the Republican and Democratic parties.

CHURCH: On the Republican side, a new poll out Sunday gives Donald Trump big leads in Georgia and Tennessee. But Ted Cruz holds a wide lead in the Super Tuesday state with the biggest prize, his home state of Texas.

BARNETT: Now, among the Democrats, Hillary Clinton was barnstorming across Tennessee on Sunday following her dominating win Saturday in South Carolina. She defeated her rival, Bernie Sanders, with nearly 74 percent of the vote, which is huge.

CHURCH: The margin gives Clinton a surge of momentum going into Super Tuesday.

Thanking supporters for Saturday's win, Clinton talked about her next target, Republican front-runner, Donald Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Despite what you hear, we don't need to make America great again. America has never stopped being great.

(CHEERING)

CLINTON: But we do need to make America whole again.

(CHEERING)

CLINTON: Instead of building walls, we need to be tearing down barriers.

(CHEERING)

CLINTON: We need to show by everything we do that we really are in this together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: Now, Bernie Sanders is acknowledging that he took a drubbing in South Carolina where Clinton won handily among African-American voters.

CHURCH: But Sanders says he will make a stronger showing with that important voting group when the primaries head north and south -- and west, rather.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: But I think you're going to see us doing, and I think the polls indicate it, much better within the African-American community outside of the Deep South. You're going to see us much better in New York State, where I think we have a shot to win, in California, and in Michigan. But, you're right. We're going to have to do a lot better.

But I think what we are doing is putting together a coalition of working class people, of young people, of many other folks who understand that the economy today is not working for the middle class. It's working for the people on top. People who have strong reservations about Secretary Clinton's foreign policy, her vote for the war in Iraq.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: And when you're near your television, your Smartphone, or your tablet, stay with CNN for extensive coverage of all the Super Tuesday primaries. We'll have live updates, teams everywhere throughout the day and into the night only here on CNN. [02:20:16] CHURCH: We'll take a short break here. Still to come, a

U.S. student detained in North Korea speaks out for the first time. The strange circumstances that led to his arrest. That's next.

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CHURCH: A North Korean official says a U.S. citizen detained there has confessed to a hostile act. 21-year-old Otto Frederick Warmbier spoke at a news conference on Monday.

BARNETT: North Korean officials say the conference was held at Warmbier's own request, but it was unclear if he was coerced to speak.

CHURCH: It is the first time reporters have seen Warmbier since he was arrested on January 2nd.

Our Will Ripley joins us from Beijing to talk more about this.

Will, the U.S. Student confessed to this hostile act. What exactly is he admitting to have done? And what were the circumstances leading up to his arrest?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the first time that we're learning these details, Rosemary, and it is interesting to say the least what he is accused of doing. Essentially -- and there was a prepared statement that was released to us that he appeared to be reading from during this press conference. The day before he was leaving North Korea -- he was there as a tourist on a tour of the country with a group of other young people through a Chinese tour agency that often sends foreigners into North Korea for these tours. They do it on a regular basis throughout the year. It was on the last day, around 2:00 a.m., when he is accused of going to the second floor of a hotel in Pyongyang, where most of the foreign tourists stay when they're in the North Korean capital. They say he went to the second floor and was looking for some sort of a banner or sign with a political slogan on it with the intent of taking down that banner or sign, folding it up, putting it in his suitcase and taking it out of the country. Now, for an American college student, stealing a sign is not an uncommon thing. It's something that many college students do as a prank if you will. But North Korea, if you do something like that and you're happening to take a sign with a political message on it, well, you can see the end result.

This young man, 21 years old, Otto Warmbier, now has been detained for more than two months. And he gave a very emotional plea in front of all of the cameras earlier. Take a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[02:25:47] OTTO WARMBIER, U.S. STUDENT DETAINED IN NORTH KOREA: I entirely beg you and the government of the DPA Korea for your forgiveness. Please, I've made the worst mistake of my life. But please, act to save me. Please, think of my family.

(END VIDEO CLIP) RIPLEY: Now, we have no idea of knowing if Warmbier was making that confession under duress of any kind. That video was supplied to me by a contact of mine inside North Korea. It was also -- that moment was recorded by North Korean state media. They put out a news bulletin within the past couple of hours.

We reached out to the University of Virginia and the "Z" Society because Warmbier claimed that this on campus organization called the "Z" Society put him up to doing this as some sort of an incentive to get into this group, which is a group that does charity work around the campus, and whatnot. Also he said that a church in his home state of Ohio also encouraged him to do this. A church member offered to pay him money, at least that's according to his confession that the North Korean government provided to us. Both the church and the student organization said they had no knowledge of any of this. And he continues to be in legal limbo in Pyongyang, unsure of what's going to happen next -- Rosemary, Errol?

CHURCH: And, Will, when we look at that, he's clearly distressed. As you say, we don't know if he was coerced into this, but certainly very emotional. But given what we've seen in the past, what is likely to happen to this young man?

RIPLEY: Well, we've interviewed now a number of American detainees and detainees from other countries in North Korea. The first time was back in September of 2014 when we were granted a surprise interview with three Americans. Two of them were tourists. One of them was a Korean-American missionary. All of them, within a few months of the sit-down interview, they were released after some intervention by the United States. Clearly, North Korea is looking for political leverage here at a time when they are about to face new heightened sanctions as a result of their nuclear test and the satellite launch that was recently conducted. So this American citizen, a tourist in the country, it could potentially be used by a regime as a political pawn if you will. And in his message, he talked about being corrupted by the United States administration, influenced by the United States, and that certainly fits right into the language that the Pyongyang regime likes to use when they're describing the United States and its actions in this region.

CHURCH: It certainly does.

Our Will Ripley, reporting live from Beijing, keeping a very close eye on this story. We appreciate that.

BARNETT: More to come for you this hour, reformers are poised for a big win after a major election in Iran. This vote is also key for another reason, the impact on Iran's next supreme leader. Details after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:32:12] CHURCH: A warm welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

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

(HEADLINES)

CHURCH: Two apparent suicide bombings killed people in a crowded Baghdad market Sunday. A motorcycle rigged with explosives caused one of the blasts. ISIS has claimed responsibility for one of the attacks, which took place in a predominantly Shiite district.

BARNETT: And there is a new danger in Iraq at this moment. U.S. embassy officials say the Mosul Dam is struggling to hold. A breach could mean disaster.

Our Jomana Karadsheh joins us live from neighboring Jordan.

Jomana, we'll talk about that in a moment. But first, detail for us the extent of violence that we've seen ISIS inflict in Iraq, specifically Baghdad.

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Errol, as you mentioned earlier, the attack yesterday in Sadr City, that predominantly Shiite district of the capital, a double bombing, a suicide bomber and a motorcycle bomb killing at least 66 people, injuring more than 150 others. And this comes after a few days where we saw another double suicide bombing also claimed by is targeting a Shia mosque in northwestern Baghdad. These typical kinds of ISIS attacks targeting the Shia population in Iraq, trying to exacerbate the sectarian with the aim to reignite that bloody sectarian war between 2005 and 2007.

Very significant development that we're learning more about right now, Errol. Apparently, yesterday, according to security officials, ISIS militants launched a coordinated attack on the outskirts of Baghdad, on the Western outskirts, the area of Abu Ghraib, halfway between Baghdad and Fallujah. According to security officials, the ISIS militants killed several security forces in the area, and they managed to hold two areas in Abu Ghraib, security outposts that they took over for about 10 hours until that attack was repelled and they were pushed back. And a number of militants kill. We're still trying to get details, a very significant development because we've been hearing that ISIS has basically lost some territory in Iraq, whether in the northern part of the country or in the Western Anbar Province. But the group is still capable of launching deadly attacks like we saw and even launching this kind of coordinated effort and taking ground that they had failed to take even in 2014 when they did that major push across the country, taking large parts of Anbar Province. So a very worrying development although we're hearing from security officials that they managed to put them back at this point -- Errol?

[02:35:] BARNETT: Certainly unnerving to hear that ISIS is able to gain ground anywhere. What can you tell us about the massive dam further north up in Mosul. It's holding back we understand 12 and a half million cubic meters of water. What's new there?

KARADSHEH: Errol, there's always been concern about the Mosul Dam. As you recall, ISIS took over that dam briefly in august of 2014, and then Kurdish and Iraqi forces backed by the coalition managed to retake the dam. At that point, there were also concerns being raised about the stability of the dam, about its maintenance. Now we're hearing after a few months of the Iraqi government really not going into the details of the situation of the dam, overnight the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad releasing a very worrying statement saying, quote, there are serious unprecedented risk of catastrophic failure when it comes to the dam. They're warning, Errol, that this could -- the flooding from that dam, though they don't give a timeline of when this could happen, if the failure does happen. They say there could be significant flooding in the pathway of the flood which hits cities including Mosul, Iraq's second largest city, and downwards towards Tikrit, and even reaching some parts of Baghdad. They say it could reach Baghdad international airport. And they say that this needs to be dealt with fast. They say that the Iraqi government has an emergency plan in place. We're hearing from the Iraqi prime minister also at the same time, releasing a statement saying they have an emergency plan in place, but they're also downplaying it, saying it's an unlikely scenario. That they will have warnings if that happens, and they say right now the water levels are at 307 meters and for the dam to overflow or to burst, it needs to reach 319 meters. But they're reassuring people that they have a plan in place at this point -- Errol?

BARNETT: That is the latest information. Jomana, I know you'll continue to watch it closely.

Jomana Karadsheh, 9:37 in the morning there, with the latest on ISIS making gains and more threats there in Iraq. Thank you.

CHURCH: A cease-fire has dramatically cut down the bloodshed in Syria, but it hasn't stopped it completely. The truce went into effect at midnight local time Friday.

BARNETT: And it is the first attempt at peace, however temporary, in four years. But opposition groups say sporadic air strikes by Russian warplanes are threatening the relative calm.

CHURCH: Barack Barfi joins me now to talk more about the Syria cease- fire. He is a research fellow at the New America Foundation.

Thank you, sir, for being with us.

Now, the cease-fire in Syria appears to be holding at least for now, representing the first attempt at peace in four years. How much of a threat to the truce could these violations on both sides prove to be, do you think? And how much success has there been in getting aid through?

BARAK BARFI, RESEARCH FELLOW, NEW AMERICA FOUNDATION: Well, initially a lot of these violations have not brought the sides to violate the truce and call it off. We've seen some air attacks, we believe, by the Russians in the northern provinces and Aleppo, but the rebels have not decided to respond to this. Both sides really want a truce. They really want to see how far they can get at the negotiating table.

CHURCH: And what proof is there that it's Russia that is behind those air strikes? BARFI: Well, according to some of the observatory groups, the Syrian

observatory for human rights and other monitors on the ground, they are saying they believe that the Russians are carrying out those air strikes. As you know, ever since the Russians came into the fight in the fall, they've carried out the lion's share of the air strikes against the various targets in Syria.

CHURCH: And how likely do you think it is for peace talks to perhaps come out of this particular cease-fire?

BARFI: I'm not very optimistic that we'll see any progress at the peace table for a number of reasons. One, the regime is very emboldened in the last few months. It's not in any mood to make any concessions that are necessary for the rebels to agree to a complete cease-fire and an end to the armed insurrection, specifically that Assad step down. He's not willing to countenance that. Neither are the Russians. Putin spoke about that in January. Without that, the peace talks will not go anywhere.

[02:40:15] CHURCH: What role do you believe Saudi Arabia is playing right now in the conflict in Syria, and what will it likely do if this cease-fire fails?

BARFI: Well, as you know, the reason that the Saudis are in there is they see Syria as another part of the proxy ward against eastern, the Sunni-Shia divide. The Saudis are supporting an array of Sunni rebel groups fighting against the regime. The Saudis have been very positive in working towards arriving at a cease-fire and encouraging their allies to come to the negotiating table. At this point in time, Saudi Arabia is playing a positive role.

CHURCH: Barak Barfi, pleased to talk with you. Thank you so much.

BARFI: Thank you.

BARNETT: A final tally from a crucial election in eastern Iran is getting closer. And there's already some controversy.

CHURCH: Those loyal to Iran's president are poised to score a major victory in parliament. Now a key hardliner is accusing them of working for the West. And we've just learned that reformists will take 15 of the 16 seats reserved for Tehran in the important assembly of experts.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen is in Tehran with the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: More and more results are coming in from Iran's elections, and if they stand, it could be the case that the reformists and the moderates may have won a resounding victory.

Now, here for the Tehran area, projections are that the reformists and moderates may have taken all 30 parliamentary seats that are available here for Tehran. Of course, we also have to keep in mind that there was a second election that took place as well for the council of experts, which is a religious body that will vote the next supreme leader, and that is of course also a very important election. They're also for the Tehran area, it seems as though the moderates and the reformers are ahead. The two top people on that list are Hashena Rostanjani (ph) and Hassan Rouhani, both of them big figures within the conformist and modern movement. However, the conservatives, for their part, are saying not so fast. They say, yes, the moderates may have won here in Tehran, however, they believe that in the rest of the country, they are the ones who are ahead.

It's interesting because looking at these results coming in, there are a lot of candidates who appear to have won seats that are listed as independents where it's not really sure which way they would go politically and on which side they stand.

We've been speaking to some people here in Tehran, and we've gotten some mixed results as to how they feel about how all this is shaking out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If the results be as they are, exactly as they are, that could make a change.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People say yes. They say we will again reform the country, and we will do all our work for country, but after they choose, no, nothing.

PLEITGEN: Of course, many people saw this election as de facto, a referendum on the policies of Hassan Rouhani, the president, and how he's done in the past two and a half years and of course the center piece of those policies has been the nuclear agreement between Iran and the West that has brought this country a lot of sanctions relief. Many people have not Benefited from that sanctions relief yet, but certainly the results coming in from the election right now do seem to validate the policies of Hassan Rouhani, and indeed if the parliament does shape up to have more reformers in it, it could make it easier for Rouhani to push through a lot of other things he wants to do.

However, the election council here in Tehran continues to say not so fast. The results are still coming in. They believe that final results will be available sometime on Monday.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Tehran.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: Stay with us, because after the break, we'll revisit some of the biggest moments of 88th Academy Awards, including a look at how host, Chris Rock, took on the racial controversy surrounding this year's Oscars.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[02:48:16] CHRIS ROCK, COMEDIAN: Well, I'm here at the Academy Awards, otherwise known as the white people's choice awards.

(LAUGHTER)

You realize if they nominated hosts, I wouldn't even get this job.

(LAUGHTER)

So you'd all be watching Neil Patrick Harris right now.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: There you have it. It was no holds barred for Academy Awards host, Chris Rock, who tackled the Oscars So White controversy right from the beginning of Sunday night's show.

CHURCH: The Academy was criticized for a lack of diversity among acting nominees, and many were waiting to see how the comedian would respond. Some of Rock's jokes brought gasps from the audience but, overall, his stint appeared to have gone well.

BARNETT: For more on the controversy and other major Oscar moments, we call upon Chris Beachum, managing editor of goldderby.com. He joins us from Los Angeles.

Good to see you, Chris.

CHURCH: Hey, Chris.

CHRIS BEACHUM, MANAGING EDITOR, GOLDDERBY.COM: Good to see you, too.

CHURCH: Let's start with host Chris Rock and how he dealt with the diversity issue at the Oscars because a lot of pressure was brought to bear on him in the lead-up to the Oscars. Some even suggesting he should boycott the awards along with others. He actually tackled that very topic head on, didn't he?

BEACHUM: He really did. I think they got very lucky. He was announced months ago, before any of this controversy happened, and I think being a prior host, he had some of that experience of knowing what he wanted to do. And I'm sure his friends and fellow writers, everybody was probably really wanting him to do a great job. I thought the monologue was incredible.

BARNETT: What I noticed overall with the show, you had director, Alejandro Inarritu. He won best director for second year in a row now for "The Revenant." He noted the important aspects of diversity during his acceptance speech. And something happened that I've never seen happen before. The playoff music began as he was saying that, and then it stopped. I mean, how unusual is that? Do you get the sense that the Academy is getting the message that there needs to be more diversity overall? [02:50:21] BEACHUM: That's right. It's not just about the lack of

black nominees. There needs to be more diversity all across the board whether it's a Mexican director like Alejandro or Asians, Latinos, just across the board there needs to be more. But it's a Hollywood problem, not an Oscar problem. It needs to come from within and, you know, better movies, better projects for everybody.

CHURCH: We look forward to more discussion on this of course in the hours and days ahead. But just wanted to quickly ask you about "Mad Max" because that dominated the Oscars with six wins, didn't it? But it was actually "Spotlight" that took home the best picture award, but no other big awards. That's unusual, isn't it?

BEACHUM: It's been a long time. You know, "Spotlight" only took a screen play award along with best picture. The last time that happened that a movie only won two awards with one of them being best picture was "The Greatest Show on Earth," so we're looking at like 60 years ago or more.

BARNETT: Of course, Leonardo DiCaprio finally wins. Do you think it was for "The Revenant" or his body of work?

BEACHUM: Yeah, that's a good question. It was his sixth nomination, his fifth for acting. He's always been a good sport over the years. I think that plays into it. Just a great body of work. Remember, he was nominated very young back when he was a teenager. He's been doing this a long time. He's a great campaigner. I've seen him at a lot of events the last few weeks. He really knew what he was doing.

CHURCH: Chris, overall, how about a score for this Oscars, because it goes on hour after hour, doesn't it? Chris Rock was just extraordinary. But overall, what do you think? What would you rate this?

BEACHUM: You know, I would say somewhere in the "B" range. These producers, it was the first time for them. I think they would learn from the experience and maybe do a better job. But the show really, for me, was moving along very quickly that first couple of hours, and then it started to slow down. But we had a couple of surprises here and there, like Mark Rylance beating Sylvester Stallone or "Spotlight" winning the last prize of the night, that always makes for a fun show.

BARNETT: Chris Beachum, managing editor for goldderby.com, thanks for your insight, joining us from L.A.

Like everyone else out there, go and join the parties. Don't rub it in our face.

(CROSSTALK)

BARNETT: Got the sweater on. Maybe it's a more laid-back party. But enjoy yourself, Chris.

BEACHUM: Thank you.

CHURCH: Thanks very much. Want to turn to the weather now. And severe storms are battering is

Italy and France this week. And spring is in the air in parts of in north Asia.

Let's turn to our Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri, who has been keeping an eye on all of this.

We want to see spring. We want to see it now.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Some great news, shorts and T- shirt area for a lot of areas. Across parts of Europe, into France and Italy, really incredible photographs of severe storms that battered this region. You see a man walking on the shores. The storms actually turned fatal across this area this weekend as ah see a massive disturbance across Corsica and Sardinia. It caused at least four fatalities, three of whom lost their lives because of trees coming down. Some winds as high as 160 kilometers per hour. That's around 100 miles per hour. Five reports of tornadoes across this region. In fact the storm system as seen from satellite depiction across this region, notice the areas around the Sahara Desert. This is a plume of sand that has been pushed off and works its way toward portions of Italy. In fact, recent studies have suggested that sand from the Sahara has been found at altitudes of 11,000 feet across portions of Swiss Alps. Microbes, bacteria found alive in that. It shows you the sand via satellite imagery. The snowfall has been tremendous over portions of Alps as well. There, it certainly doesn't feel like spring. In parts of Europe into Asia, some snow showers on Sunday across this region, but a dramatic change in the forecast. There's the storm system that caused the snow showers. It's exiting Japan and pushing away from the islands but notice what happens back behind it. The temperatures in places like Seoul go from 3 Celsius up to 17 Celsius, which is the mid-60s Fahrenheit in just a matter of four days. Incredible climb. Well above the average of 6 for this time of year. It moderates a little bit, so notice the cold air departs. The mild air returns for places like Seoul, of course, it is going to be exceptionally mild. How about this, up to 17 degrees Celsius. This is going to be the warmest setup across portions of Beijing. 117 days, last time it was this mild was back in November of 2015 across portions of Beijing. So some changes in the temperatures across that area.

Pretty powerful storms are pushing across the southern U.S. across the last couple of days. We have the primaries, caucuses for some 13 states in place. Watching some severe storms that will have people going out to the polls in Memphis, in particular one of the cities with the potential for severe weather. In the past, we have seen these impact voter turnout when it comes to inclement weather. It's something we'll follow going into Super Tuesday.

BARNETT: What impact will the weather have? We shall see.

CHURCH: You cover the word spectacularly.

Thank you so much, Pedram.

JAVAHERI: Thank you. CHURCH: Appreciate it.

Remember you, can always follow us on Twitter. We like to hear from everybody. Don't we?

I'm Rosemary Church.

BARNETT: Rosie just joined Instagram there, folks. Find her there, too.

CHURCH: Yes, please.

BARNETT: We're teaching her all the tricks.

CHURCH: It is.

BARNETT: And I'm Errol Barnett. We'll be back next hour with live reports from Beijing and Tehran, plus news as it breaks. Please do stay with us.

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