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Sanders, Clinton Blanket NYC Before Primary; Police: Bus Fire an Attack in Jerusalem; On Board "USS Harry S. Truman" Where Women Play Important Part in Fight Against ISIS; Supreme Court Reviewing Obama Executive Action on Immigration. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired April 18, 2016 - 13:30   ET

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


[13:30:00] WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Has his record on guns hurt him with voters, you believe, in New York?

TAD DEVINE, SENIOR MEDIA ADVISER, BERNIE SANDERS PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN: No, Wolf. Listen. I understand the attacks and to hear something like that, I mean, that's a pretty tough attack to level against Bernie Sanders. He is someone who understands that gun violence is a terrible problem in this society. That's why from the beginning of his political career, he has stood up and opposed assault weapons. He said we need to ban them.

He lost his first race because he stood up and said we need to ban assault weapons in Vermont and everywhere in America. This is a guy with a d minus lifetime rating from the NRA and supports all of the reforms advocating in terms of gun violence today and Hillary Clinton in her surrogates, unfortunately, in terms of a rural state representative is one of the toughest records in terms of guns of anybody in the United States Congress.

BLITZER: What would you consider a win for Senator Sanders in New York tomorrow? Does it have to be an outright win, a majority of the votes, or does coming in a close second count from his perspective as a victor victory?

DEVINE: The system doesn't allow Independents to participate is a of the number of voters who are going to participate that supported Bernie overwhelmingly and what we try to do tomorrow is win as many delegates as we can. If we come close because we have proportionate representation, we'll be able to win a lot of delegates and I think we go on to win a lot of states. I think we can get ahead by the time voting is over in June.

BLITZER: Tad Devine, with the Bernie Sanders campaign. Tad, thank you very much.

DEVINE: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: Coming up, breaking news out of Jerusalem. Police now calling a bus fire an attack. We're going there live. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:36:20] BLITZER: Breaking news in Jerusalem. Israeli police say a bus fire that injured at least 21 people was an attack. Police say the fire started by an explosive device on a bus in south Jerusalem.

CNN's Oren Liebermann joins us from Jerusalem.

Oren, what's the latest? What are you hearing from local authorities on the investigation?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, it was moments ago the Jerusalem district police commander said, quote, "There's no doubt we're talking about an attack here." There had been some questions about that. Initially, there was a report of an attack. But police backtracked saying they were looking at all possibilities. And then again moments ago, the commander here saying, yes, without a doubt, this was an attack. It was the mayor and police saying it was an explosive device on one of these buses. Questions remain and they are significant questions, how did an explosive device get on a bus and how was it set off, and more importantly, who set it off? That all is under investigation. Wolf police have blocked off the area, are searching the area, and trying to find out the exact cause here. Wolf, police are being careful with this one. And it was moments ago, one of the spokeswomen said they're investigating whether this is a criminal act or a terrorist act. So again, police being very careful and very methodical at this point.

BLITZER: I take it, Oren, no one has claimed responsibility for what police say was an attack.

LIEBERMANN: We haven't seen any claims of responsibility at this point. That will be, of course, what we wait to hear and what police are looking to see to find out who it was that planted this explosive device that started the fire that injured, according to the latest numbers, 21 people.

BLITZER: Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem for us. Thank you very much.

Meanwhile, officials in Ecuador say the death toll from Saturday's 7.8-magnitude earthquake is approaching 350 and that's expected to rise. More than 2500 people are injured and many more remain missing. Homes, buildings and entire towns were reduced to rubble and roadways buckled when the quake kicked along the northwest coast on Saturday. Ecuador has deployed nearly 15,000 soldiers and police officers with canines to set up mobile hospitals and help in the search for survivors. Officials say getting supplied and food to the impacted areas has been a challenge because of bad weather and communication problems.

Japan's prime minister calls it a race against the clock. Frantic efforts under way in that country to find any possible survivors after back-to-back earthquakes. Continuing aftershocks and the threats of landslides are making a dire situation worse for rescue workers. At least 43 people are dead. More than a thousand injured from the twin quakes that struck Thursday and Saturday. 180,000 others are now staying in emergency shelters.

Up next, we'll take you on board a U.S. aircraft carrier to show you what it's like on the front lines of the war against ISIS where women are playing an important part in the fight. This is a CNN exclusive. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:43:19] BLITZER: The U.S. will bring additional resources to Iraq to beef up the fight against ISIS. That announcement from U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter after arriving in Baghdad earlier today for an unannounced visit. Carter says 217 additional troops will be deployed to the country, many of them U.S. Army Special Ops forces to serve as advisors, trainers and security forces. The U.S. will also make Apache attack helicopters available to help Iraqi forces to help retake Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city. It's been under ISIS control since summer, 2014.

Right at the heart of the U.S. fight against ISIS, a massive aircraft carrier packed full of fighter jets ready to strike ISIS targets.

Our Brooke Baldwin got a rare and exclusive look at the "USS Harry S. Truman," the Navy's front line on the war against terror.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the U.S. Navy's front line of the war on terror in the Persian Gulf.

Lieutenant Commander Kate Batten deployed two weeks after the Paris terror attacks and her resolve only deepened after the recent bloodshed in Brussels.

KATE BATTEN, LIEUTENANT COMMANDER, U.S. NAVY: That is exactly where we're out here. If anything, it gives u that much more purpose and resolve to ensure that we're doing things the right way and that we leave this region better than we found it.

BALDWIN (on camera): When you put on your flight gear, what does that feel like?

BATTEN: It's interesting because it's a routine now. It's something I do every day. So a lot of times, I don't think about it. But when I sit back and think, what does this really mean, it's -- I still get goose bumps every time I take a catapult off.

[13:45:07] BALDWIN (voice-over): Operation Inherent Resolve is by no means a man's mission. Batten is the senior female aviator on the hulking aircraft carrier, the "USS Harry S. Truman," full of fighter jets ready to strike ISIS.

(on camera): This right here is a bomb. It's not live. It's just before this F-18 takes off. Oftentimes, these pilots don't know what the specific ISIS target is until they're already in the air.

(voice-over): Batten flies an E-2 protecting those jets. Her aircraft, one of the most central for carrier operations. Acts like air traffic control in the skies above Iraq.

(on camera): For those pilots who are getting the coordinates to drop the bomb, how serious did they take their jobs? BATTEN: We do meticulous planning for every day for whatever mission

we're performing. And I know they don't take the responsibility lightly.

BALDWIN: Orchestrated coordinated terrorist attacks in the West. Is that frustrating to you, discouraging given everything happening out here in the gulf?

BRET BATCHELDER, REAR ADMIRAL, U.S. NAVY: I would say it's disappointing. It's disappointing that we have human beings that would do that to other human beings. On the other hand, it's motivating and is assuring that the mission we're on is very righteous.

BALDWIN: What does, ultimately, success or victory look like?

BATCHELDER: It looks like violent extremism being eradicated and I don't know that we achieve that on this deployment.

BALDWIN: Here at the "USS Harry S. Truman," this is what's known as (INAUDIBLE). There's about 90 sorties of these F-18s per day. And when you feel the after-burn of these jets, it makes your teeth rattle.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Brooke is joining us live safe and sound back in New York.

Brooke, the "USS Harry Truman," home to one of about 6,000 U.S. sailors and Marines. Tell us about this deployment, this mission, what it's like for them.

BALDWIN: It is extraordinary. I mean, it was personal to me because the U.S. Navy was kind enough to extend an invitation as the executive officer of the "USS Anzio." They gave me two days of extraordinary and rare access to the "Harry S. Truman," a floating city, 5300 men and women. Deployments supposed to be seven months. They think it's about month five. Deployed after Paris.

And I just wanted the opportunity. We talk about the war on terror and the primary hearing these candidates. And let me tell you, these men and women, average age 27, thousands of miles away in the middle of the Persian Gulf there, paying very close attention. And especially when it comes to qualifications for the next commander-in- chief. They want leadership. And if somebody doesn't have experience in the U.S. military, they want to make sure that individual is surrounded by advisors who do -- Wolf?

BLITZER: In your piece, you mentioned the growing role of women in this operation. You're going to go into much more on that in your special report next hour. Give us a preview.

BALDWIN: So you're looking at -- this is Kate Batten, who flies an E- 2, which has massive radar on top of it. She primarily flying over Iraq and makes sure these different F-18s, these fighter jets are safe over both Iraq and Syria. It's incredible, the access. I was two feet away from the ordinances, these bombs. Many women are pilots that fly these planes. I talked to a woman also on the nearby "USS Anzio," a U.S. Navy Academy graduate who left her year and a half- year-old back home with her husband because duty called. And I left with a profound appreciation. My grandfather was in the Navy for four decades, but a profound appreciation for the sacrifices. We talk about it. I saw it with my own eyes. And I'm sharing with our CNN viewers today, tomorrow, and Wednesday, the stories of these men and women in the middle of the gulf.

BLITZER: Have you been ever reporting from an aircraft carrier in a war zone like this before?

BALDWIN: I hadn't. It was a first for me. Landing -- it was four flights to get to Bahrain hopping on the C-2 cod. About 16 people all sitting backwards, two tiny windows, helmet on, ear plugs in, and four seat belts. And an hour into the flight, these two sailors were shouting, "Go, go, go," and that meant to grip because you're basically going from 159 knots to zero in a matter of seconds as the hook is catching the wire and the catch is successful and you land on the aircraft carrier and you lose your stomach for about five seconds. But it was all worth it. I'd do it again tomorrow.

[13:50:02] BLITZER: I've landed on aircraft carriers like that on a cod. I prefer landing on an aircraft carrier on a helicopter --

BALDWIN: Whoo. On a helicopter.

BLITZER: -- as opposed to that cod. You can get a little nauseous landing like that backwards.

BALDWIN: You can.

BLITZER: Get stuck inside. Were you OK when you landed?

BALDWIN: I was OK. There were cameras, as well. So you will see in Wednesday's piece the actual landing. Kept it clean, which is a good thing.

BLITZER: Good.

BALDWIN: But, yeah, it was like nothing I've ever experienced.

BLITZER: I'm glad you did that.

Brooke, thank you very much.

BALDWIN: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: Stay tuned and watch your report next hour. And anxious to see them throughout the week.

Brooke Baldwin reporting for us.

Good assignment. You did a good job. Thank you.

BALDWIN: Thank you. BLITZER: Up next, protesters gather in front of the U.S. Supreme

Court here in Washington as the justices hear arguments on immigration. We'll talk about what's at stake. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:55:04] BLITZER: The spotlight right now in the U.S. Supreme Court as it takes on the issue of immigration.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Protesters were in force at the Supreme Court as the Supreme Court started hearing arguments today on President Obama's executive actions on immigration. Those were issued back in 2014, directly affecting around four million people here in the United States. But a court in Texas put it all on hold until now.

Our justice correspondent, Pamela Brown, with me right now.

Pamela, take us through some of the oral arguments heard today, the questions raised by some of the justices.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Pretty heated in the 90 minutes, Wolf. The justices seemed divided over the question whether the president has the authority to shield millions of undocumented immigrants. The conservative justices seemed to think that that's really a job for Congress and not the president. In fact, one point, Justice Kennedy said it seems here that the president is setting the policy and Congress executing it. That's upside down. And the justices on the conservative side seem to be focused on the language of lawful presence, that this program would give these 4.3 million undocumented immigrants lawful presence. And they said, how can that be if they're in the United States illegally, according to the justices.

On the other side, the administration argued it's a tolerated presence. These are the least, you know, the least priority for us. We're really focused on criminals and other people who recently crossed the border. The 4.3 million people came to the U.S. as children, parents of U.S. citizens. Why not let them come here, apply for work and pay taxes, and come out of the shadows? And seemed like the liberal justices sided with the administration saying the administration has to prioritize who to deport, who not to deport.

But I'll say that Chief Justice Kennedy -- I should say Chief Justice Roberts -- excuse me -- all eyes on him about the standing question. He seemed very interesting in whether Texas, which is really leading the charge of the 26 states in bringing the lawsuit, has the legal ability to bring the lawsuit in the first place. Texas contends it has to spend millions of dollars subsidizing these driver's licenses for these undocumented immigrants but the administration says there's not enough injury here and you don't really have to subsidize these driver's licenses. So it could come down to standing in the end. We have to wait and see -- Wolf?

BLITZER: The court has the authority to issue the ruling. The Supreme Court is operating at less than full strength. Normally, there are nine justices. Right now, there's eight. In the aftermath of the death of Antonin Scalia, four liberal justices, four conservative justices. What happens if it's a 4-4 tie, if you will?

BROWN: If it's a 4-4 tie, that's bad news for the administration meaning that the programs will not go forward. The lower court's ruling will stand with an injunction on the program. So the only other alternative for -- you know, unless one of the conservatives joins with the liberals, would be the standing issue. If a majority of the justices decide that Texas does not have the standing to bring the lawsuit that means programs could go forward. We have to wait and see. A decision of June or July.

BLITZER: End of the term, so they have a few months.

BROWN: End of this term.

BLITZER: Usually, the questions of the justices, you get a little indication of where they stand. I take it Justice Thomas, he didn't ask questions?

BROWN: He didn't. You could tell the conservative justices that did talk, you sort of see what side they were going on, and the liberal justices, as well. I'll say on the question of standing, it was really tough to see which side, particularly Chief Justice Roberts, would go on.

BLITZER: He could be the decisive -- as he was on Obamacare when he ruled in favor of what the administration wanted allowing the Affordable Care Act to survive. And he's the chief justice, so everybody's going to be watching him. Is that what you're saying?

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: Justice Kennedy can be a swing, too.

BROWN: Justice Kennedy could, but he -- but it's always dangerous to read the tea leaves. And you never know until the opinions come out. But Justice Kennedy seemed concerned with the notion of executive overreach and Congress to give benefits to these undocumented immigrants, not the president.

BLITZER: Pamela Brown, thank you very much.

BROWN: Thank you.

BLITZER: We'll see what happens in June or July.

Turning to the political turmoil in Brazil, less than four months until the start of Olympic Games. Lawmakers in the country's lower house delivered hours of speeches and finally voting to impeach the embattled President Dilma Rousseff. Demonstrators took to the streets ahead of the Sunday vote. The motion goes to the Senate. If it passes, Rousseff will have to step down for six months to defend herself in an impeachment trial. She is accused of hiding a massive budget deficit to win re-election back in 2014.

And that is it for me. Thank you for watching. I'll be back 5:00 p.m. eastern in "The Situation Room."

The news continues right now on CNN.