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CNN NEWSROOM

Obama's Historic Visit to Cuba; Starwood Hotel and Resorts Group Cuts Multi-Million Dollar Deal in Cuba; North Korea Reacts to U.S./South Korean Military Exercises; U.S. Opens New Base in Iraq for ISIS Fight; Belgium Seeks Out Textbooks at Core of ISIS Recruiting; 2 Altercations at Trump Arizona Rally; Israelis React to Donald Trump; India Reacts to Possibly Trump Candidacy; American Football Goes Abroad; Cubans Keep Classic Cars Running During Import Ban. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired March 21, 2016 - 02:00   ET

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


(HEADLINES)

[02:00:57] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

ERROL BARNETT, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Errol Barnett. Good to be with you. Thanks for joining us as you kick off your week. Our two hours of CNN NEWSROOM starts now.

CHURCH: Cuba and the United States are embarking on a new chapter in relations stamped with President Barack Obama's historic visit to Havana. He is the first U.S. president to visit Cuba in 88 years. The trip caps a re-engagement process that began in December 2014.

BARNETT: Now hours before Mr. Obama arrived, police arrested scores of Cuban dissidents from the group Ladies in White at their weekly protest there in Havana.

CHURCH: President Obama is scheduled to meet with dissidents later in the trip.

Jim Acosta has more on the rest of the visit's itinerary.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Change is in the air in Cuba as President Obama prepares to spend his first full day here on the island. The president will begin his day by laying a wreath at the memorial remembering the Cuban revolutionary, Jose Marti. Then the president will sit down for a formal bilateral meeting with Cuban President Raul Castro.

As for last night, the president and the first family took a walking tour of old Havana, stopped at the old cathedral in the Cuban capitol. That was after the president addressed members of the U.S. embassy in Havana where he talked about the significance of this trip.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's been nearly 90 years since a U.S. president stepped foot in Cuba. It is wonderful to be here. Back in 1928, President Coolidge came on a battleship. It took him three days to get here. It only took me three hours.

(LAUGHTER)

ACOSTA: Later on, tomorrow, the president will be delivering a speech to the Cuban people. And the White House says the president will be talking about expanding human rights for the Cuban people, talking about freedom of speech and freedom of the press. After that, the president will wind down his trip to Cuba with a baseball game between the Cuban national team and the Tampa Bay Rays. Jim Acosta, CNN, Havana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: This visit underscores President Obama's 2009 vow to extend the hand to traditional U.S. enemies. He thanked staff at the newly reopened U.S. embassy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: I know your workload is a lot heavier than it was. But I want you to know everything we've accomplished so far, more Americans coming to Cuba, more engagement with the Cuban people, civil society, faith groups, entrepreneurs, students, young people, more opportunities for the Cuban people to improve their lives, it's all happening because of you. Every single day you're bringing the Cuban people and the American people closer together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The trip has its U.S. critics who say it rewards an authoritarian regime that has made no substantive moves toward change.

Republican presidential candidate and real estate mogul, Donald Trump, took issue with Cuban President Raul Castro's failure to meet President Obama on his arrival.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I mean, we are amateur hour, folks. Amateur hour. And honestly, Obama should have turned the plane around and left. No, he should have. He should have turned it around. Should have said, bye-bye! You mean he's not here?

(CHEERING)

TRUMP: And I'm not knocking Castro. If they can get away with this stuff, it's great. They're making a great deal. Because they're making a deal. I said it's fine to do it but you've got to make a better deal. Like the clause I told you about.

But honestly, number one, it should never happen. But if it did happen, it's called bye-bye, we'll see you in a couple of years, or maybe a couple of decades.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: Donald Trump has cast a businessman's eye, you could say, towards Cuba, saying if he were president, he'd cut a better deal.

Now the Starwood Hotel and Resorts Group has cut its own multi-million dollar agreement that could mean managing as many as three hotels in Havana.

Our Robyn Curnow spoke with Starwood's top executive for the region.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[02:05:03] JORGE GIANNATTASIO, CHIEF OF LATIN OPERATIONS, STARWOOD HOTEL AND RESORTS GROUP: We are very proud to be a protagonist in this beautiful moment, in the leadership between the U.S. and Cuba. More important for the hospitality industry, we are thrilled to be the first company that signed management contracts.

ROBYN CURNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How did you become the first company?

GIANNATTASIO: I think it's a testament of all the hard work that our people put in day after day. And clearly Starwood has been renowned for being a pioneer, for opening new markets. We have a great presence in China, Argentina, Chile, Peru Brazil, now we are first in Cuba. We know how to operate in --

(CROSSTALK)

CURNOW: This is about Sheratons, about the "W" Hotel?

(CROSSTALK)

GIANNATTASIO: It's about all of our 11 brands. We are going to begin here with two properties and one four point in Myanmar. So three hotels, three established hotels.

CURNOW: How difficult do you think this is going to be? This is unprecedented. You've got a lot -- you talk about being a pioneer. There's a lot to try and figure your way through.

GIANNATTASIO: Yeah, I think it has been a long process. A very thoughtful one. A lot of regulations involved. We obtain license from the U.S. government last week. We apply, of course, many, many months ago. And locally we have been working toward this moment. We are very proud to offer the travelers around the world a better way.

CURNOW: How is this going to work? You're effectively a partner with the Cuban state. And that brings in itself a number of challenges.

GIANNATTASIO: I mean, we are partners of the Cuban companies that manage hotels. And this is no different from other parts of the world. We have a management contract, as we usually do. And we'll be able to operate under our standards.

CURNOW: But still, you're going to be working within a pretty challenging environment. With staff, for example, trying to source --

GIANNATTASIO: I mean, no question about it.

CURNOW: -- food and that sort of thing. The minutiae of running a hotel in Havana --

GIANNATTASIO: The management is going to be challenging. We did it before, we're going to do it again.

CURNOW: Where have you done it before? What is a similar model? China, Vietnam?

GIANNATTASIO: China is one, right? We have -- we are the largest hotel operator in China. We have more hotels operating than all our competition combined. We have a great presence there. And we are ---

CURNOW: What lessons did you learn from early on in China that you might have applied to -- and you might apply to Cuba?

GIANNATTASIO: Yeah. In general, we don't going into specifics. It's a highly regulated economy, right? Therefore you need to be very careful in complying with laws. We have to be very careful to comply with the license we apply for, with U.S. regulations, and also with Cuban and local law.

CURNOW: A lot of lawyers involved?

GIANNATTASIO: A lot of lawyers, a lot of operational expertise, and more important the power of our brands.

CURNOW: Are you going to be able to live up to the brand? Is that going to be challenging?

GIANNATTASIO: It's well to be challenged. It's going to be exciting. We are going to be able to do it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Coming up next hour, we'll take a closer look at who is backing closer ties between Cuba and the U.S., and why.

BARNETT: Now, we've got some new images we want to show to you. They show North Korean leader, Kim Jong-Un, inspecting what we understand are military drills.

CHURCH: State-run media broadcast the images of Kim watching exercises on the coastline, including landing exercises by the Korean People's Army. The exact date of the drills is unknown.

BARNETT: But all of this comes during a time of heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula. U.S. officials say North Korea fired two ballistic missiles this month and CNN is getting exclusive access to a U.S. aircraft carrier involved in annual joint military exercises with South Korea.

Our Ivan Watson takes us aboard the aircraft carrier "USS John C. Stennis."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Somewhere in the sea east of Korea, F-18 fighter jets catapult into the sky, launching off the deck of a U.S. aircraft carrier the "John C. Stennis."

(on camera): This carrier's strike group is here as part of annual joint military exercises with South Korea. This takes place every year and it makes the North Korean government furious. They argue that this could be a precursor to a military invasion of the North.

(voice-over): "Nonsense," says the admiral in charge here. But he says the presence of the largest war machine in the U.S. military arsenal is designed to send a message to North Korea.

[02:10:03] RANDALL RUSSELL (ph), U.S. NAVY REAR ADMIRAL: The publications and things you see from North Korea, we hope our actions here as routine operations help to deter any escalation of actions.

WATSON: North Korea routinely shows off its own military muscle. Some experts argue you have to show strength when dealing with this regime.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you show weakness in the domestic political system, an authoritarian state like North Korea, you're eliminated. That's how it works in the international system. If you're weak, they will bully you and take advantage of you. They only respect power.

WATSON: The problem is this annual show of force, which includes simulated amphibious assaults carried out by U.S. and South Korean Marines, hasn't stopped North Korea from testing nuclear bombs. In fact, Pyongyang recently fired salvos of ballistic missiles twice in just eight days, in violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions.

Just days ago, Kim Jong-Un gave orders for scientists to develop the technology to launch a nuclear warhead on the tip of a ballistic missile. Even those who preach power concede Pyongyang is committed to expanding its nuclear arsenal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They put so much effort and they're very dedicated to having those capabilities. So if they're not reliable today, they're going to keep working so they'll be reliable and they can use them if they need to use them tomorrow or next month or next year.

WATSON: And so the saber rattling continues. In addition to this strategy of containment and deterrence, experts say the U.S. and its allies are likely training for other possible scenarios, such as how to take out North Korea's growing arsenal of nuclear weapons if it looks like Pyongyang is about to use them.

Ivan Watson, CNN, aboard the U.S. aircraft carrier "John C. Stennis."

(END VIDEOTAPE) CHURCH: We'll take a break right here. Still to come, some fists were flying at a Trump campaign rally in Arizona. The latest on the Republican front runner's campaign in the Wild West.

BARNETT: Plus, the first part of CNN's exclusive series on Belgium's fight against home-grown terrorism. We'll give you an inside look at the extremists texts at the core of ISIS recruiting. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(SPORTS REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:16:31] CHURCH: An American Marine killed by an ISIS rocket attack in Iraq Saturday was stationed at a newly operational fire base, according to a U.S. defense official. Now, the base is located in northern Iraq, just south of Mosul.

BARNETT: A Pentagon official tells CNN it planned to acknowledge the base's existence this week. And that it's part of what will be a limited ground combat operation supporting Iraqi troops.

CHURCH: Let's bring in CNN's Jomana Karadsheh for the latest from Amman in Jordan.

Jomana, what more are we learning about these previously undisclosed U.S. bases in northern Iraq?

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, as you mentioned, that U.S. Marine, who was killed in a rocket attack on Saturday, was at this fire base. According to U.S. defense officials, in the last couple of weeks, a group of about 200 Marines moved into this location and set up this fire base. Now, fire bases are usually set up in remote locations and they are places where they provide artillery support for infantry troops in locations at about 10, 15 kilometers away from these bases.

As you mentioned, the U.S. has not made public information that these bases have been set up. There are a couple of other fire bases that are set up in larger Iraqi bases in the country. But this is the first that we know of. A separate fire base that has been set up as you mentioned south of the city of Mosul.

Now at this point in time, U.S. defense officials say that it is providing protection, providing artillery support for a nearby base where Iraqi forces, about 5,000 forces, are being trained for that eventual operation to retake the city of Mosul. And in the future, in the coming weeks and months, U.S. officials say that this fire base will be used with these couple of hundred Marines providing that artillery fire support for Iraqi forces as they advance towards the city of Mosul.

Now, this attack, according to defense officials, they believe this is the assumption, right now, that in the past couple of weeks, as the Marines moved in, that they may have been observed by ISIS forces close by moving in. And in the last few days, there is also practice firing of their artillery guns. So that may have alerted ISIS to their presence in the area and two rockets targeting that base on Saturday, Rosemary, and one of those rockets flying inside the base killing that one Marine and wounding several others. It's not clear how many others were wounded in this attack. Really underscoring how dangerous this mission is for U.S. forces also on the ground providing that limited combat support.

CHURCH: And of course, the end game here is to take Mosul ultimately. What efforts are in the works to do that? And how likely is it that that can be achieved in the short-term?

[02:19:52] KARADSHEH: Well, as we've heard, there's been talk about this operation for retaking Mosul since last year, Rosemary. Iraqi forces are being trained, Peshmerga forces, Kurdish forces are being trained and preparing for this mission. And we've seen Kurdish forces in northern Iraq moving in areas trying to secure routes into Mosul. And the same thing in the other parts of Iraq where they're trying to secure areas, because to try and retake Mosul is a very complicated operation, as one can imagine. Not only do they want to cut off these supply routes, do they want to secure this city. I remember the Iraqi -- senior Iraqi official last year telling us they're not going to be able to move into Mosul until they secure, at least secure areas of Anbar Province in the West where they believe weapons and fighters can move to -- north towards Mosul.

There's also that very complicated situation within the city itself. Rosemary, you're talking about a city of two million people. This is Iraq's second-largest city, a high-density of civilians in that city. It is going to be a very complicated one and very difficult to try and retake the city and to try and preserve civilian lives in there.

CHURCH: Most definitely.

Jomana Karadsheh, joining us from Amman, Jordan, live with that update. We'll talk to you again next hour. Thank you so much.

BARNETT: We move our attention to Turkey where the country's interior minister says a Turkish citizen with ties to ISIS carried out Saturday's suicide bombing in Istanbul. The attack in a busy tourist area killed four people and wounded dozens. Five people have been detained in connection with that blast. The government postponed a soccer match in the city on Sunday, citing security concerns.

CHURCH: We turn to Belgium, where the foreign minister says Paris terrorist suspect Salah Abdeslam was planning fresh attacks in Brussels before he was caught on Friday. The 26-year-old was captured after a gunfight with Belgian authorities. Investigators are now trying to uncover the terror network that supported Abdeslam.

BARNETT: Even with Abdeslam's arrest, Belgium's fight against homegrown terrorism is far from over. One of the battles, and that's combating an epidemic of extremist literature.

CHURCH: In the first part of CNN's exclusive series "Frontline Belgium," Nima Elbagir seeks out the textbooks at the core of ISIS recruitment.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A sunny day in the center of Brussels. For years, authorities have been combating an epidemic of extremist literature. We set out to find out how easy it is to access these texts.

Using an undercover camera, we visited a number of book shops, asking for books we knew espoused violent jihadi ideology.

This man stammers nervously before telling me he doesn't have them but knows where to find them.

"Sergos," he says, a small district in the North of Brussels. We head to Sergos.

We head to Sergos. Another book shop. Another stammered answer. We're directed to the center of town, back to the first shop. It's starting to feel like we're being given the run-around.

This woman knows these bookshops are known all too well. 10 years ago, the researcher visited many of them undercover to expose the extremist literature openly for sale. After she published her findings, she found herself at the center of a whirlwind of recrimination, criticism, and threats.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The mayor, the police, the Secret Services, they all said it was too sensational, that I exaggerated. My conclusions were based on, well, just street talks. They didn't take me serious. And they didn't take the young people on the streets serious.

ELBAGIR: The buying and swapping of the books is itself part of the radicalization, seen as evidence of commitment that the ideology is taking heart. Armed with the titles and the publishing houses, we don't have to search much further. Through online bookshops, in Belgium extremist literature is delivered right to your front door.

(on camera): We're not disclosing the names of these books but these are amongst the extremist texts being found in the homes and hideouts of suspected militants. They're essentially jihadi 101. The language in here is horrifying. Justifying the targeting of Jews, the conscription of children, and matter of fact statements that it's every Muslim's responsibility to bear arms. These are key ISIS tenets.

[02:25:12] (voice-over): In many European countries, these books are banned. In Belgium, at best, buying these books may attract unwanted attention from the authorities. But the books and their sale is completely legal.

(CROSSTALK)

ELBAGIR: Videos like this have grown infamous here. Belgian jihadis exhorting those at home to join them in Iraq and Syria. Estimates vary, but Belgian security forces calculate the average number of Belgians who have successfully left to join is since the Paris attacks at almost two dozen. The dramatic capture of the so-called eighth Paris attacker, Salah Abdeslam, just a street away from his childhood home in Brussels after months on the run, a stark reminder of how hard it's been for Belgian authorities to stay one step ahead of the extremist networks.

And the tide of extremist literature bolstering the networks is proving even tougher to quell. If anything, it appears to be even easier to obtain.

Nima Elbagir, CNN, Brussels.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: There will be more exclusive reports all week as Nima Elbagir gives us an inside look at Belgium's fight against homegrown terrorism, the fear of radicalized Belgians coming home, and of losing more children to the lure of ISIS.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELBAGIR: Belgian security sources tell CNN, in 2015, an average of five to six Belgians a month left to join ISIS. It's a pipeline that flows both ways. For the families and communities they return to, it only exacerbates the fear.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (through translation): Every sign, every case, is different. When you look at them separately they don't look like signs of radicalization. When you look at the whole picture you realize these are signs of radicalization, they're part of the recruitment process.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: Join us at this time form for more of Nima's investigation, "Frontline Belgium," only on CNN. Nima also speaks to us live next hour with the latest on the ongoing terror investigation.

CHURCH: We'll take a break here on CNN NEWSROOM. But still to come, a top aide to Donald Trump is caught on video interacting with a protester at a rally, and it didn't seem very cordial. The latest altercation still to come.

BARNETT: Also coming up, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump prepare to address one of the largest pro-Israeli group in the U.S. More on that after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:30:55] BARNETT: A warm welcome back to viewers watching right here in the U.S. and those of you tuned in from all around the world. This is CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Errol Barnett.

CHURCH: I'm Rosemary Church. It's time to check the main stories we've been following this hour.

(HEADLINES)

CHURCH: Donald Trump's campaign manager appeared to yank a protester by the collar at a rally in Arizona on Saturday. A Trump spokesman said the top aide was confronting a man who had already been kicked out of the rally and had somehow returned. It wasn't the only confrontation at the rally. This protester got sucker punched by a Trump supporter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTER: I had a sign that said "bad for America." It had Trump with the Confederate flag superimposed on his face. I was being escorted out, had that in my right hand and a peace sign up. The guy grabbed the sign out of my right hand and then sucker-punched me. Then he got on top of me and hit me a couple more times.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: Donald Trump has insisted that his campaign events have not been particularly violent. And he's repeatedly said that violent behavior is not something he condones. But he himself has often taken a combative tone in speaking, which his supporters appear to relish.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: The press is now calling this thing, oh, but there's such violence. No violence. You know how many people have been hurt at our rallies? I think like basically none.

(SHOUTING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The First Amendment!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get your hands off me!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mother (EXPLETIVE DELETED)!

TRUMP: If you see somebody getting ready to throw a tomato, knock the crap out of them, would you?

I promise you, I will pay for the legal fees, I promise.

(SHOUTING)

TRUMP: You have to be so nice, so nice, so nice, so nice.

Lies, he lies. I've never seen anything like it.

(SHOUTING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I couldn't believe, man. (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

(SHOUTING)

TRUMP: How many people have been injured at my rallies? Zero. Zero.

(SHOUTING)

TRUMP: There's no violence. There's none whatsoever. People say, well, is there violence? There's no violence. They're love fests. These are love fests.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Decide for yourselves there.

U.S. Democratic presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, is set to speak at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee gathering in Washington in just a few hours. Republican Donald Trump will speak there later Monday.

BARNETT: The pro-Israel group traditionally invites all U.S. presidential hopefuls to address their conference in election years. And all the presidential candidates, except Bernie Sanders, accepted their invitations. Sanders said his campaign schedule prevents him from attending.

CHURCH: All of the candidates say they support Israel, Donald Trump, especially. But while the Republican front runner claims to love the country, many Israelis don't necessarily love Donald Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[02:35:14] SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: On Israel, Donald has said he wants to be neutral.

TRUMP: There's nobody on this stage that's more pro-Israel than I am.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You'd be forgiven for thinking the candidates were running for office in Israel.

GOV. JOHN KASICH (R-OH), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: -- by supporting the Israelis --

LIEBERMANN: The Republicans trying to one-up each other, arguing about who will keep Israel safe, and who can repair the strained relations between President Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Trump has gotten most of the headlines in Israel.

TRUMP: My name is Donald Trump and I'm a big fan of Israel --

LIEBERMANN: Playing up his stance on Israel and highlighting an ad he made for Netanyahu's re-election in 2013.

TRUMP: Israel has a great prime minister.

LIEBERMANN: Yet, his comments on registering Muslims in the U.S. and a salute to Trump at an Orlando rally compared by some to the Nazi salute, that frightens some Israelis.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like the entire world, Israelis are looking astounded at this phenomenon called Donald Trump.

LIEBERMANN: Before dropping out of the race, Marco Rubio attacked Trump on Israel.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), FLORIDA: The policy Donald has outlined, I don't know if he realizes, is an anti-Israeli policy.

LIEBERMANN: Despite the Republican emphasis on Israel, the latest poll from the Israel-based Panels Politics Institution shows Israelis favor Clinton.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

LIEBERMANN: A carryover from Israelis' fondness for Bill Clinton.

(on camera): We hear Trump and Cruz and, before, Rubio, now Kasich, arguing who is the most pro-Israel. Yet Israelis prefer Hillary Clinton. Why is that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's a recognition and a familiarity thing. She's a household name in this country. I think everyone remembers her husband Bill Clinton when he was president.

(SHOUTING)

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Hillary Clinton played up her support for Israel on CNN's "State of the Union" in February.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I will defend and do everything I can to support Israel.

LIEBERMANN (on camera): The irony to all of this arguing about Israel, especially in front of an American Jewish audience, is, overwhelmingly, Israel is not the main issue for American Jewish voters. The 2015 survey from the American Jewish Congress found that Israel fell behind the economy, health care, and national security. Only 7 percent of American Jewish voters said Israel was their deciding issue.

Oren Liebermann, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: As Donald Trump gets closer to securing the Republican nomination, people in the world's biggest democracy are getting increasingly uncomfortable with the candidate and his views on Muslims.

Sumnima Udas has that story for us from New Delhi.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUMNIMA UDAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On the cover of one of India's top publications, an angry and petulant Donald Trump, headlined "An American Nightmare."

KRISHNA PRASAD, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, OUTLOOK MAGAZINE: The more incendiary he gets, the more Indians wrinkle.

(SHOUTING)

UDAS: Waking up and noticing a person of Indian origin holding a "stop hate" banner being ushered out of one of Trump's rallies. The man, apparently a Sikh, wearing a red turban, the same color of Trump's signature hat.

TRUMP: No, he wasn't wearing one of those hats, was he? Was he wearing one of those? And he never will.

UDAS: Many here were outraged including provocative TV talk show hosts.

UNIDENTIFIED INDIAN TALK SHOW HOST: This is not an insult of the Sikh community. That is an insult of all Indians. Go and tell this man, this bigoted, semi-literate idiot called Donald Trump --

UDAS: Trump is hardly a household name here, but now the editor of "Outlook" magazine says it's impossible to ignore him.

PRASAD: After Super Tuesday, I think it became more and more clear that United States was moving in a direction of making him the Republican candidate. So having considered him for a period of time the moment arrived.

UDAS: We, too, thought the moment was right to explore what Indians think of a potential President Trump. Most didn't know of him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

UDAS (on camera): No. No idea?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No idea.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

UDAS: Never?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Never.

UDAS (voice-over): Those who did didn't think much of him.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't like him.

UDAS (on camera): No?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not at all.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We don't like him.

UDAS: You don't like him, why?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's real scary right now.

UDAS (voice-over): The dominant concern, his comments on Muslims. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That is not the kind of leadership we look for.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The way he said for Muslims, maybe one day he'll say for Indians, we don't know.

(CHANTING)

UDAS (voice-over): In a country with 170 million Muslims, his style of politics is a sensitive issue.

PRASAD: The brashness. The insensitiveness. There's enough of it in all that he says. Pretty much what's happening not just in America, but what's happening in India, where there's raging debate on nationalism, raging debate on immigrants.

UDAS: Still, while Indians may relate to the Trump phenomenon, many here say they expect better of America.

(SHOUTING)

UDAS: Sumnima Udas, CNN, New Delhi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[02:40:06] CHURCH: And Donald Trump will be among the five presidential candidates making their cases for that seat in the Oval Office later Monday on CNN. Be sure to tune in as both Democrats and Republicans sit down with Wolf Blitzer and Anderson Cooper. Five conversations, one night. That's Monday, 8:00 p.m. eastern time, midnight in London, only here on CNN.

BARNETT: Still to come this hour, important imports -- import embargoes have kept Cuba's cars famously trapped in time. Next, look at how people there have kept them running.

CHURCH: Plus, we'll take you to Egypt's capitol where hundreds of American-style football fans tackled and trained with some of the best players in the field. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BARNETT: Just when we thought spring had sprung in the northern hemisphere, a late, mean storm, let's call it, taking aim at the U.S. eastern seaboard.

Our Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri joins us now with the latest on this mean-spirited storm.

(CROSSTALK)

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, a couple of weeks ago, talking about shorts and T-shirts. Record temperatures even as far north as New York City. It was the warmest start ever that early in the year. Almost 80 in central park. Snow showers in the area now.

CHURCH: Ridiculous. JAVAHERI: I know.

CHURCH: We're complaining down here. This is nothing, right?

[02:44:46] JAVAHERI: Nothing at all. It's a noreaster in the works as well. We'll break down what's happening. Look at some of the images. This is March 10th. Breaking out the bicycles in central park. The T-shirts. Enjoying the mild temperatures. Take a look, the perspective. People enjoying the sunshine as well. I could see Errol coming down the stairs using your hands. Upper-body strength. You see the ladies, you try to get in on the action, a little workout there.

The incredible ride on the temperatures. 79 degrees. That was on March 10th. Then nosedive. Temperatures have brought it back to reality, the first day of spring, Sunday across the northern hemisphere. Coming in at 43 Fahrenheit. Celsius, if you're watching internationally, 26 Celsius, dropping to 6 Celsius in a matter of just 10 to 11 days. That is how rapidly things have changed across parts of the eastern U.S. With a massive change in the temperatures. But this is the pattern over the last couple of hours. We do watch the storm system meander off the eastern seaboard as it sets up shot. A northeasterly flow, we get snow showers with cold enough temperatures in place Sunday morning, Monday morning as well. Generally speaking light amounts, around long island, 2 to 4 inches working into Atlantic City, 2 to 4 inches of snow showers. The heavier amounts expected near Boston, 4 to 6 inches especially northwest toward Lowell.

That is a pretty impressive storm system late season as you transition into spring. The front stretches 6,000 miles. 6,000 miles from the Pacific, it sets up stop toward southern Florida, Cuba. A cold front ushering in the winds of change. We know the president of the U.S. making his first visit for many U.S. Presidents in about 88 years' time. Here's what it looked like. They come in rain showers come in. It is the driest time of the year in Cuba. Look at this, climate logically speaking, 25 millimeters easily a dry month. Plenty of rainfall in recent days and temperatures cool as well. As I said, ushering in the winds of change.

BARNETT: Unusual weather everywhere.

JAVAHERI: Absolutely.

CHURCH: We don't like this.

BARNETT: Pedram says I would do that step thing? This is Mr. Fitness over here.

JAVAHERI: I've never seen anyone do that.

(CROSSTALK)

JAVAHERI: Not Rosemary.

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

JAVAHERI: Maybe Errol will bring in a picture of the workout.

BARNETT: Yeah, there we go.

(CROSSTALK)

(LAUGHTER)

BARNETT: Thanks, Pedram.

CHURCH: Thank you.

A group of American football players traveled to Egypt to hold a training camp in Cairo.

BARNETT: And as CNN's Ian Lee reports, more than 400 people signed up to learn from some of the best in the field on the field.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARSHAWN LYNCH, FORMER NFL RUNNING BACK: Hey, no, don't do that. Do not lead with -- don't do that. Not this, not that.

IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is how you get into beast mode.

LYNCH: Hey, don't dive like that.

LEE: Learning to hit from former NFL running back, Marshawn Lynch.

(LAUGHTER)

LEE: This isn't a camp near you. American football is going abroad, bringing the hits, the pain, and unique motivation.

LYNCH: More you get hit, the more I get paid. The more I get paid! Hey, that's not working!

LEE: It's American football without barriers, or AFWB for short. 10 NFL players held a three-day camp in Egypt.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here's a sport that it's newer, it's different in their culture. But it's a fun sport. It's a huge team sport. It's really the definition of a team sport. And it builds friendships and life-long friendships.

LEE: Football isn't completely unknown in the land of pharaohs. Egypt already has two leagues and a dozen teams.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People here in Egypt, they like violent sports a little bit. And this is appealing to them. People say, that's amazing, I want to do this, I want to hit somebody.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Actually, I prefer for lineman defense because I love hits. I love being aggressive like that.

LYNCH: Get out of here, get out of here, let's go, let's go, let's go!

LEE: 400 people signed up within hours to learn from the best, including from Egypt's two all-female teams.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I had a dream like, for the sport, especially for women here in Egypt to prosper here.

LYNCH: For y'all, y'all show great teamwork, and that's very important in the sport of football.

LEE: But there's more to football than the hitting, drills and push- ups.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want to polish it up from a standpoint of, you have to eat right, you have to be healthy when you play this sport, you have to make sure that you have the right equipment. Because when you have these popup sports in other countries they're not always doing it right.

LEE: It's unlikely the gridiron will overtake the pitch, at least any time soon. Soccer is still king in Egypt. But who knows, football could make an interception and lead to a touchdown here.

(SHOUTING)

LEE: Ian Lee, CNN, Cairo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[02:50:00] CHURCH: Cruising down Havana's streets is like traveling back to the 1950s. We will show you how Cubans are keeping these classic cars going. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. President Barack Obama's historic visit to Cuba includes a meeting with his Cuban counterpart Monday.

BARNETT: Now Mr. Obama is the first U.S. president to visit Cuba since this trip ends -- I should say, since 1928. This trip ends more than 50 years of estrangement between the two countries.

Now President Obama's fortified Cadillac limo, nicknamed The Beast, made the trip with him. It's likely one of the most modern vehicles in the country right now.

CHURCH: A ban on car imports has, of course, kept Cuban drivers in the 1950s.

CNN's Will Ripley shows us how they have kept their classic cars running.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A lot of you have been asking how the Cubans keep all these classic cars on the road. You can see what Alberto's doing here right now, replacing the engine of this 1954 Chevy.

Having an old car isn't a luxury here in Cuba. It is a necessity. Because since Fidel Castro took power in 1959, it is extraordinarily difficult for ordinary Cubans to import foreign cars or car parts. As a result, you have vehicles on the road that are 60, sometimes 70 years old, and parts are just as old as well. Sometimes you'll have an American car like this with an engine from Russia with parts from Germany. They have a bartering system. They let each other know what they need, they buy, they sell, they trade. And as a result of the isolation of the embargoes, Cuba is home to some of the most creative mechanics in the world. They patch together these cars to keep them going long after they've been discarded in most other countries.

As the restrictions start to lift, Cubans may have more new cars. They might not have to do what they're doing right now. In the meantime, this is how you see all these vintage cars, really, an icon of Cuban culture. It gets down to the nitty gritty, patching things together, doing the dirty work, to keep the antique cars on the road.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[02:55:51] CHURCH: Will Ripley there.

Just shows you how solid those cars are.

BARNETT: That's some gorgeous vehicles, too.

CHURCH: Oh, really.

BARNETT: A romantic look back.

CHURCH: This concludes this hour. But do remember you can follow us on social media any time.

I'm Rosemary Church.

BARNETT: It's always good to hear from you.

And I'm Errol Barnett.

Next hour, we've got a live report on the Brussels terror investigation. Plus, news as it breaks. Do stay with us.

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