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Tensions Boil Over in Baghdad; U.S. and Russia to Recommit to Truce in Syria; Kenyan Government Burns Ivory as Message; Best Lines from the White House Correspondents Dinner; Hong Kong's Bamboo Scaffolding Aired 12-12:30a ET

Aired May 1, 2016 - 00:00   ET

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


[00:00:00] ANDREW STEVENS, CNN ANCHOR: Sectarian tensions boil over in Baghdad as the Shiite protesters invade Iraq's parliament building.

Millions of dollars worth of ivory gathered in flames as the Kenyan government sends a strong message to poachers and the world.

Plus.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, U.S. PRESIDENT: I want to thank the "Washington Press Corps. I want to thank Carol for all that you do. You know, the free press is central to our democracy and -- no, I'm just kidding. You know I've got to talk about Trump.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEVENS: It is that time of the year when politics becomes a legitimate laughing mess. And we'll bring you the best lines from White House correspondent dinner.

Hello. I'm Andrew Stevens in Hong Kong and this is CNN "NEWSROOM".

Thanks for joining us. We'll begin this hour in Baghdad. The Iraqi capital is under a state of emergency after protesters charged the city's Green Zone on Saturday, unleashing havoc. Iraqi forces say they have regained control of the usually well secured area that the government has its offices. The country has been embroiled in a deep political crisis for weeks now as Shiite cleric speech on government corruption brought the frustration to a breaking point.

Ian Lee has the detail in Cairo.

IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Chaotic being played out inside the Iraqi parliament building in Baghdad, hundreds of protesters stormed heavily-fortified Green Zone, pushing at multiple security cordons (ph).

Once inside, they chanted, "The cowards ran away", referring to the parliamentarians. These supporters of influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr are angry over the deadlock in the parliament. They think the government is corrupt and want reform.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is attempting to reshuffle his cabinet with non sectarian technocrats, the demand of the protesters, but he's facing opposition from parliament members. The prime minister was set to reveal the names of his new cabinet, Saturday.

But there weren't enough parliamentarians still present to form a quorum and that's what's enraged protesters, leading to the storming of the building. The U.N. said it's gravely concerned by the developments in calls for the restoration of security and a dialogue to implement the reforms.

U.S. officials fear the ongoing political crisis will make it to believe have to fight against ISIS despite there being no reforms of violence. The storming of the Green Zone is a major security breech. It isn't just home to the government but also many embassy. State of emergency has been declared in Baghdad, all roads leading into the capital have been closed.

Ian Lee, CNN Cairo.

STEVENS: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will meet with foreign diplomats Geneva on Sunday and Monday to discuss efforts to reaffirm the cessation of facilities in Syria.

The U.S. and Russia reached agreement to recommit to a truce for path to Syria on Friday. The U.S. is pushing the truce to also include Aleppo (ph) and the United Nations warns the situation there has become what it calls "catastrophic". At least 230 people have been killed in the Syrian City over the past week.

Well, the U.S. says, it will voice its concerns to Russia after a Russian fighter jet conducted a barrel roll maneuver over a U.S. military plane, as Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr reports. This is the second of such incident by a Russian war plane this month.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Another dangerous military maneuver by the Russians. It happened Friday over the Baltic when an Air Force RC 135 aircraft, a reconnaissance aircraft was flying in international air space over the Baltic.

Suddenly, a Russian Su-27 fighter came up along sight within 25 feet of the American aircraft and did a barrel roll maneuver. That means it came up over the sides, inverted, flew over the top of the American aircraft, came back down the other side at close range at high speed.

This is one of the most dangerous, unsafe maneuvers that can happen according to the Pentagon. And actually, it was the second barrel roll this month by the Russians. There was also another incident when the Russian flew very to the Air Force set in the region.

The question now is what are the Russians really up to? Is all of this happening under direct orders from Moscow or is it happening because Russian pilots are out there hot dogging?

For the U.S., it doesn't really matter. The Pentagon, making very clear, it wants the Russian military to stop these unsafe, dangerous maneuvers.

Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.

STEVENS: Brussels airport is said to partially reopen as deportable on Sunday.

[00:05:02] Move comes 40 days after the Brussels terror attacks in which 12 people were killed by suicide bombers at the airport.

Following an opening ceremony, passengers on three flights will be able to check in at the departure hall on Sunday afternoon. Well, check-ins for other flights will be handled at the temporary structures.

Kenya is taking an unprecedented stand against poaching. 12 piles of elephant tusks and rhino horns have been burning in Nairobi National Park, consuming more than $170 million worth of ivory and horn poached from the wild. It's not the first place of its kind but it is the biggest.

Robyn Kriel has more.

ROBYN KRIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The fire is crackling loudly. And you can feel the warmth of it from far away. And the smoke is quickly filling the air.

In some parts of the world, this would considered ludicrous. In fact, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding this burn.

105 tons of ivory, 1.23 tons of rhino horns literally going up in smoke. That's an estimated black market value of $172 million, now, no more.

Kenya's message to the world, this ivory is worthless. It has no value unless it's on a live animal.

It's not the first burn in Kenya's history. Kenya first began burning ivory in 1989 and initially saw good results.

Exhort to tribute, this recent scourge in poaching to Asia is voraciously growing appetite for ivory, particularly in China. This is the biggest ivory burn in the world's history. It' snatched 12 piles of contrabands like this, blackened with smoke and a fire due to last for more than a week.

The Kenyans hope this will change perception forever.

Robyn Kriel, CNN, Nairobi National Park, Kenya.

STEVENS: Meanwhile, cruise in Kenya's capital are desperately looking for signs of life after a building collapsed there on Friday. The seven-storey building fell after days of rains and flooding in the area. At least 12 people were killed, dozens are still missing.

Earlier, my colleague, Amara Walker spoke to Anthony Mwangi from Kenya's Red Cross about the dire situation. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY MWANGI, SPOKESMAN FOR KENYAN RED CROSS: We're getting survivors from a seven-storey building collapse. I think this is mini glimpse for all the rescuers who were watching tireless. It seems for now, we are looking at all the 24 hours and so that the building collapsed.

It's, really, we're down to race against time. The longer it takes to rescue the people who may be still trapped in there, the harder will they -- it will take to -- for us to really get the survivor. So, we really are hoping that we can get as many survivors as possible.

Yes, it is, we will be glad to see survivors. But at the same time, we know that the possibility is very laborious. It's slow and painstaking. The rest is about to be just extremely cautious.

AMARA WALKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What kind of resources do the rescue crews have? Do they have everything they need, also, in terms of number of crew members who are helping?

MWANGI: There are lots of crew and services from the government, from the Saint June (ph) ambulance the Kenya Red Cross, from the military, the police, the fire brigade. So, we literally we've got all kinds of rescuers on site, providing different services, ambulance services, trained that are site, heavy lifters. So, we really are sort of I would say in good shape in terms of rescue services and equipments that are currently on site.

WALKER: Have you heard stories of the rescue crews being able to hear screams for help?

MWANGI: Yes, absolutely. Those are really great signs. We've been hearing, and in fact at one point earlier in the day, we spoke to somebody who was trapped in there. He was upbeat and literally, we're so joyful that we were able to release him from his distress. And he was later rushed to hospital. He's doing well. So, we are looking forward to such great stories from beneath the debris.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEVENS: Anthony Mwangi there from the Kenyan Red Cross.

Now, the flood threat continues across Kenya's capital with more rain in the forecast.

Let's got to Derek Van Dam now at the CNN Weather Center with more on that.

We heard that there are survivors, Derek, still believed to be in the wreckage of that collapsed building. How difficult are the conditions for the rescuers there?

DERECK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST. Well, Andrew, at least it's a glimmer of hope for what is otherwise a heartbreaking story coming out of the capital of Kenya. Well, conditions obviously are very difficult considering that it's still raining within this region. You can see just the flood of roads behind me.

[00:10:00] Many locations receiving over 200 millimeters of rainfall just within the past four days, and that is nearly the amount of rain that they experience within the entire month of April.

You can see more precipitation especially for the extreme western sections of the Kenya area. You can see Nairobi still included in that, another 50 millimeters or rain, not out of the question. So, flooding, flash flooding could potentially occur going forward over the next several days and through the end of the weekend.

By the way, just a quick reminder that this is the rainy season in Kenya and the nation's capital, April to May, that's when we experience our heaviest amounts of rain.

Speaking of heavy rain and flash flooding, this is the rainfall total that took place out of Texas. And you can see the results, unfortunately, there were five fatalities, a grandmother and four children.

From this particular event, you can see just behind me, the water levels rose all the way through the roof of this house, devastating conditions, and it's just amazing how quickly flash flooding can occur especially when you see rainfall totals nearing 200 millimeters in just an hour period.

There is more rainfall in the forecast, but fortunately, the majority of it has shifted east of Texas. It is now focused on the Deep South, but it's not only the heavy rain and the flooding that has been a concern. It's been the tornadoes and severe weather. We've had 97 reports of hail, or excuse me, 92 reports of hail, 97 reports of wind damage, and a total of eight tornadoes.

This is just within the past 48 hours. And there's a potential for more severe weather today to end off the weekend, really, from Shreveport, Louisiana towards Nashville, Louisville as well as Roanoke and into Charlotte.

Take a look at what happened in Lindale. This is in Texas. This is the aftermath of a tornado that took place there, the mayor issuing a local disaster declaration two hours, really, just east of Dallas. This tornado ripped through parts of the city on Friday evening, tearing apart buildings but also leaving some untouched. This is a common characteristic of tornadoes, but nonetheless, a scary moment for the people of Lindale, Texas.

And this is the peak of tornado seasons, so not out of the ordinary.

Andrew, back to you.

STEVENS: Yes, as you say, so having not out of the ordinary. Derek, thanks very much for that. Now, we're going to take a short break. When we come back, we'll checking with the comedian-in-chief. It is the last time that Barrack Obama attended a comedic tradition as the U.S. President, he seemed to enjoy himself. You'll be hearing some of this jokes and his jabs next.

Plus, Leicester City looks for a fairytale finish to a magical season. How their championship run compares to footballs' all time best just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If social media becomes such a huge phenomenon when you had started designing. How do you think you would have used it to your advantage?

CALVIN KLEIN, FASHION DESIGNER: I would have created images that people would just their jaw would drop because they would be so amazed. Even on a phone, you can create something that's so exciting. But when people show me all the photos that they take, I get bored out of my mind. It's just photos. I want to see something that's graphic, that's art directed, that's lit perfectly. It's so much about photography than just this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:14:58] STEVENS: In the U.S. presidential race, it is mathematically impossible for Republican Candidate Ted Cruz to secure his party's nomination on a first ballot at the convention in July. However, Cruz is trying hard to stop the Republican frontrunner, Donald Trump, from doing that.

And on Tuesday, the State of Indiana holds a very important primary. Crucially, its two ads there, linking Trump with the Democratic frontrunner, Hillary Clinton. Here's one of them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are two sides of the same coin, both support the Obama Care individual mandate, both support taxpayer funding for plan planned parenthood, and both support letting transgender men go in little girl's bathrooms.

Trump and Hillary, do we really want two big government liberals on the ballot in November?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEVENS: Now, it insults the fact that the controversy is Donald Trump has won his way to the top of the Republican pack.

Tom Foreman now examines how the number of votes cast to Trump compared to past and present Republican presidential candidates.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Trump could prove to be a record breaker in this GOP primary season. He already has roughly 10.1 million votes cast for him in all the primaries and caucuses, and they are only about 80 percent done. That compares very favorably to the total primary and caucus votes for some other recent contenders.

Mitt Romney, for example, had 10.1 million votes. John McCain, 9.9 million votes, and George W. Bush, 12.6 million votes, that's more, yes. But by the time the season is done, Trump very well could hit that number. Granted, everyone here had a lot of people running against them when they started their campaigns, but in the case of these three, the most robust competition dropped off earlier than it has against Donald Trump.

So, you can argue that he's actually won these votes while fighting longer and harder through a denser pack of contenders. He does, however, have to bring over a lot more supporters. He's going to go into the general election if he becomes the nominee.

Look at this. Yes, he was 10 million or so votes out there so far. But Ted Cruz has almost seven million. John Kasick, more than 3.5 million. And all the others combined, almost five million. Wrap that all together and what you have is more than 15 million people who have voters in the Republican primary and caucus process who do not support Donald Trump.

If he really wants to become the nominee and wants to make history, he's going to have to get an awful lot of those people up into his camp.

STEVENS: Tom Foreman there.

Now, an American committee tradition, known as the "nerd prom", the White House correspondent dinner bring celebrities, joint journalists and politicians together for a night of jokes and jabs.

It was the last time Barrack Obama attended as U.S. president. And he took full advantage of the opportunity to poke fun, including at the expense of, well, Donald Trump who decided to skip the event.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: In my final year, my approval ratings keep going up. The last time I was this high, I was trying to decide on my major.

And here's the thing, I haven't really done anything differently, so sad. Even my age can't explain the rising poll numbers. What has changed? Nobody can figure it out.

On the Republican side, things are a little more, I'm not sure we say this, a little more loose. It's like a confusion over the invitations to tonight's dinner. Guess what asked to check, whether they wanted steak of fish. But instead, a whole bunch of you wrote in Paul Ryan. That's not an option people, steak or fish. You may not like steak or fish, but that's your choice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEVENS: And a good time there, the U.S. president. Well, comedian Larry Wilmore from the "Nightly Show" and "Comedy Central" deliver the host monologue and he also wasn't shy either with his jokes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY WILMORE, HOST OF "NIGHTLY SHOW" AND "COMEDY CENTRAL": And the office has taken its toll on you, you look terrible Mr. President. No, you do. I mean look at you, your hair is so white and tried to punch me at a Trump rally.

[00:20:00] President's hair is to white, it keeps saying all lives matter. All right, fine. Fine, I get it. I get it.

No man, you came in here looking like Denzel. Now, you're going all looking like Grady from "Sanford and Son". I know this is dated reference but you're dated Mr. President.

All I'm saying is that in less than eight years, Mr. President, you've busted two-time honored stereotypes, black does crack and, apparently, once you go black, it looks like we are going back. Thanks Ben Carson.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEVENS: Still ahead on the show, we'll be going high up with Hong Kong's bamboo scaffolders, how they reached such dizzying heights, when we come back.

{COMMERCIAL BREAK}

STEVENS: Welcome back. Now, Leicester City football club could seal the premiere league title this Sunday.

A win against Manchester United would clinch the championship. They were bottom-ranked team this time last year. Now, they need to win just one of their final three games to take home the trophy.

It would take a huge collapse for Leicester not to win at this point. Pundits are already talking about their place in sports history books.

And the question everyone is asking is if this could be football's greatest underdog ever.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At the start of this season, who would've thought it, Leicester known for Chris when eye watering 5000 to 1 to win the English premiere leagues. To put this into perspective, at 500 to 1, we have Lady Gaga to be U.S. president in 2020. At 5000 to 1, we had Elvis Presley to be proved to be alive.

But isn't this football's greatest underdog story?

Nottingham, known for Robin Hood had a forestein(ph) that only used 17 players in their title winning season.

La Coruna, known from being founded by Hercules, have a Deportivo team that's spectacularly broke the Real Madrid and FC Barcelona duopoly. Montpellier, known for its wines, blew away their money back rivals with a stunning title charge on a shoe string budget.

Denmark, known for bacon hadn't even qualified for the 1192 euros. They were sunning themselves on the beach, but exterior political forces changed all that. The unfancy games were back in the folds and never looked back.

Greece, known for the Acropolis and a team who had never previously won a tournament game in their history, turned defense, on defense, on defense on their way to Euro 2000 court trial.

But what makes Leicester that greatest tribe of all is many tipped them for relegation at the start of the season. So much so, they weren't even worth a bet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEVENS: And another wrinkle to this story, Leicester's fortunes have coincided with those of a 500-year-old king. Now, back in 2012, you may remember, the remains of Kind Richard III was found beneath car park in with the city.

At the time, the Foxes were in 10th place in the second tier of the English football competition. Well, by the time King Richard's remains were reentered last month, the carpet (ph) risen to the bottom of the premier league, the first edition.

[00:25:00] And with the King's honor, now somewhat restored, Leicester had climbed steadily to the very top of the premier league.

Now, when you think of old materials going to modern to skyscrapers, you'd probably think concrete glass and steel. But here in Hong Kong, workers are employing a more traditional resource to reach new heights.

CNN's Ivan Watson has more on Hong Kong's bamboo scaffolding.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: 30 stories of hanging on a bamboo pole. Ministers have a build and repair skyscrapers in Hong Kong with scaffolding made of bamboo.

It's a common site in these urban Kenyans, towering ladders of sticks trusted by the workers who cling to them. It's all the more remarkable when you consider bamboo is technically the largest member of the grass family.

To get a better sense of how this very modern city uses such an ancient technique for construction, I went to bamboo scaffolding school.

So, this is the bamboo?

WEN CHI-LIEUNG, MASTER AND INSTRUCTOR AT A BAMBOO SCAFFOLDING SCHOOL: Bamboo.

WATSON: Master Wan Chi-leung explains, because it's both hollow and strong, bamboo is lighter, cheaper and more flexible than metal scaffolding, and that allows him to work at dizzying heights.

You've worked 88 stories up on bamboo?

I could see a lot of clouds from up there, he says. The key to this job is a safety technique master Wan calls riding the bamboo, keeping an ankle locked around the pole at all times.

You keep your gloves in your helmet?

CHI-LEUNG: Yeah.

WATSON: As for the scaffolding, you make it look so easy, it's held together with simple knots made of nylon strips.

Maybe you can finish this one for me because I've ruined it.

I should probably stick to my day job.

It goes up like that.

The people who do this work are proud of their craft.

Bamboo scaffolding is an art, the scaffolders says, a Chinese traditional art that can be traced back thousands of years.

It's certainly an example of an ancient skill that continues to be taken to modern day heights.

Ivan Watson, CNN Hong Kong.

STEVENS: It's all in the ankles apparently.

Thanks for watching. I'm Andrew Stevens. I'll be back for the headlines after this break. You're watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:30:13] STEVENS: Hello, I'm Andrew Stevens and this is CNN "NEWSROOM".