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IDESK

Assad Doubtful of Pause in Syria Fighting; U.N. Struggles to Get Food to Starving Syrians; Oil Exporters Agree to Production Freeze; George W. Bush Hits Trump with Veiled Attacks; Pope Travelers to Flashpoint in Mexico's Drug Conflict; Clinton Dogs Republican Contenders; Donald Trump's German Roots; Big Winners at the Grammys. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired February 16, 2016 - 10:00   ET

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


[10:00:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

ROBYN CURNOW, CNN HOST (voice-over): Ahead at the INTERNATIONAL DESK, Russia denies claims of war crimes in Syria.

The Republican presidential candidates call each other liars.

And the highs and lows from last night's Grammys.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

CURNOW: Hi, welcome. You're watching the INTERNATIONAL DESK. I'm Robyn Curnow.

We start with the growing international powder keg over the Syrian war. Here are the latest developments. Russia is now denying it had anything to

do with the airstrikes on several hospitals and a school in Northern Syria. At least 46 people were killed in those attacks Monday. Turkey and France

say the strikes amount to war crimes.

And as the fighting goes on, Syria's president is casting new doubt on a planned cessation of hostilities. Bashar al-Assad says the West's hope for

a pause this week is a delusion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BASHAR AL-ASSAD, PRESIDENT OF SYRIA: Until now, we hear about them requesting a cease-fire within a week.

OK, then who is capable of bringing together all these conditions within a week?

No one.

When does the West speak about cease-fire?

I think the answer is clear. It's when the militants are hurt, when their defeats begin.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: OK. Let's bring in our Fred Pleitgen. He joins us now from Damascus, where that television broadcast was made.

Mr. Assad not mincing his words there.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely, Robyn. And it seems as though he has two sorts of concerns

about whether or not the cease-fire could go into place.

One of them is, of course, the military situation on the ground, where in the past couple of months, Syrian military has indeed been making gains,

especially up in the north of the country.

And when we were up there, we actually spoke to Syrian soldiers, who were very bold and very confident and said that they believe that there could be

a military end to this conflict.

The other thing, of course, is logistics.

How are you going to get all the groups on board?

Certainly the United Nations and its special envoy, Staffan de Mistura, are trying to get that done. It is a very, very tall task. Now Mr. de Mistura

is in town here, in Damascus at this point in time. And the first order of business, at this point, after the Munich talks and now leading up to a

possible cessation of hostilities, is to get aid to besieged areas here in this country. There are some areas that are besieged by the government,

others by the rebels and yet others still by ISIS. Now the United Nations and its World Food Programme has been gearing up to make aid deliveries

happen. They're just waiting for permission. Here is what we saw when we visited their warehouse.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PLEITGEN (voice-over): These images shocked the world, people starving in the besieged Syrian town of Madaya. Aid groups say dozens have succumbed

to hunger in the winter months.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This child here is very ill. He eats leaves, tree leaves and he gets sick and ill and his stomach, his stomach is really,

really hurting. He needs immediately go to hospital outside in Madaya.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): World powers have started an urgent push to get aid to those most in need. At this U.N. distribution center outside Damascus,

the World Food Programme is gearing up to escalate its relief effort. Hussam al Saleh (ph) shows me the facility.

HUSSAM AL SALEH (PH), WFP: We receive commodities in large quantities and we package it into small individual portions. Each portion is enough to

feed five people for one month.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): While the World Food Programme is working to get its aid ready, the problem is many of the warring parties in Syria are not

willing to allow relief goods to be delivered.

The U.N. has accused the Syrian government, many rebel groups and ISIS of using the denial of food and medicine as a weapon. The World Food

Programme says it could get to places like Madaya quickly if it's allowed.

Workers are already stacking boxes into trucks.

PLEITGEN: Once this vehicle is loaded, the folks here are going to seal it, which makes it easier to get through checkpoints and the World Food

Programme tells us they have many trucks like this one loaded, ready to go and are just waiting for permission.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Most of the parties involved in the fighting here have agreed in principle to allow aid to besieged areas. But ISIS has not.

The group has surrounded the Eastern Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor. Syrian and Russian military aircraft have dropped some food and medical supplies

and soon the U.N. wants to do the same.

SALEH (PH): Unfortunately we couldn't reach them. However, Deir ez-Zor, there is a plan to do an airdrop and hopefully we will soon manage to do an

airdrop as well to access them.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): The World Food Programme is still waiting to get the green light to enter many besieged areas.

[10:05:00]

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Until that permission comes, all they can do is keep packing the goods ready to move when they can.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PLEITGEN: And, of course, getting aid to those besieged areas is so important, not just because of course it would help a lot of civilians

under siege but also because it plays a big role in the greater scheme of things.

Folks who are trying to get some sort of cessation of hostilities going in Syria also say if they manage to get all sides to sign on to getting aid to

those areas, that could be a first step to then getting them to silence their weapons, at least for a while -- Robyn.

CURNOW: Yes, but much anger from many Syrian aid activists, saying they shouldn't need to ask permission, that they just need to institute U.N.

Security Council resolutions. So as always, this continues to be chaotic and messy and politicized. In Damascus, Fred Pleitgen, thanks so much.

Let's go to Russia now, where the Kremlin is categorically denying it struck those hospitals in Northern Syria. Our Matthew Chance is in Moscow

with more on this.

Hi, there, Matthew. Moscow is denying war crimes. But the U.S. and many allied rebels say Russia is bombing indiscriminately, that Russian

airstrikes have been the single largest cause of civilian deaths this year in Syria.

What is Moscow's response?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's strategy, Robyn, as been throughout this whole process, merely to deny,

first of all, that it's targeting civilians in any way. It even says that if civilians are under threat, are being killed from its airstrikes, it

calls off the strikes.

And it's used that same strategy when it comes to these latest allegations regarding the alleged war crimes, according to the U.N., according to the

British government as well now, of bombing these hospitals, one of them in Azaz, the other one outside Idlib.

This is what the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitri Peskov, had to say earlier. He said that those who make such statements that Russia has committed war

crimes are not capable of backing them up with proof.

For the latest condemnation within the past few minutes, in fact, coming from British government, as I mentioned, Philip Hammond, who's the British

foreign secretary, saying that the airstrikes on the hospitals in recent days could amount to war crimes and must be investigated.

And he said he was appalled that the Assad regime and its Russian supporters are still bombing innocent civilians. And so there is a whole

lot of condemnation out there. But as we just said, the Russians, in the face of that, are deploying their weapon of denial once again.

CURNOW: OK.

So with that issue on one side of all of this, this is becoming an increasingly chaotic battlefield, isn't it, Matthew, a dizzying array of

warring parties. But what is really worrying many people is this growing tension between Turkey and Russia, which threatens to make this

conflagration even worse.

CHANCE: Yes. There's really since November, I think, when the Turks shot down a Russian warplane on the Turkish-Syrian border. The relationship

between Russia and Turkey has deteriorated enormously. Of course, Russia and Turkey have always been at odds over Syria. They are on opposite sides

of the conflict, Russia being a close supporter of Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president; Turkey supporting rebel groups that are opposed to his

government and want to topple it.

With the recent suggestions by Turkey, that it would be part of an international force with its allies to stage a grand operation into Syria,

and with the actions of the Turkish military recently, to shell with artillery areas controlled by Kurdish fighters in Northern Syria, that's

really escalated the tensions even further.

The Kurds -- very complicated, of course -- but the Kurds are allies of the Americans but also of the Russians as well and they are sort of fighting

for control of the area along the Syrian border.

There's been one small interesting development over the course of the past few hours, which is the head of the CSTO, which is a regional security

organization involving various former Soviet states, including Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Armenia, saying that they are concerned now

about a broader war involving states in the Middle East over Syria.

And they've warned that it could pose a security to the area that is their area of responsibility as well. And so, you know, there are all sorts of

signs that this has the possibility of expanding to a more regional conflict.

CURNOW: Yes. And a conflict where it seems that my enemy's enemy in most cases is also my enemy.

Really complicated but thanks so much for unpacking things for us. Matthew Chance, as always, great to have your analysis there from Moscow. Thanks.

Well, there's a new agreement --

[10:10:00]

CURNOW: -- to freeze oil production at January levels. Saudi Arabia, Russia, Venezuela and Qatar reached the tentative deal today and want other

nations, including Iran, to join it.

Since it is not a production cut, it wouldn't reduce the massive supply glut. Oil has of course played a major role in market volatility this

year. Here is a live look at Wall Street, where the Dow is up over 70 points. It's been a very volatile year.

And CNNMoney emerging markets editor John Defterios is watching all of this very closely.

Hi, there, John.

Is a freeze a disappointment for the oil markets, which, as I said, has been very volatile of late, in addition to the markets, of course?

JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Yes, Robyn. I think that's a fair comment.

But at the same time it looks like OPEC and not OPEC producers who met in Doha just for them in total, seems to have set a floor here. I think

expectations going in were very high in this group of formerly delivered right about here.

They didn't cut production, as you suggest here, to take some of that glut off the market. But they decided to freeze their production and send a

signal to the market at least that we're watching.

But what's the reality here, Robyn?

We have Saudi Arabia and Russia right at record production. You can add Iraq, Kuwait and the UAE into that category of record production. So

they're not going to cut. They're going to freeze and hold on to their market share.

The positive of this is that we had the two largest producers, who have a lot of mistrust for each other, in Russia and Saudi Arabia, the two

ministers, who sat at the same table, looked at each other in the eye and said, look, we try to stabilize this market going forward. That's the

clear message that came out from Ali al-Naimi (ph), the oil minister from Saudi Arabia. Let's take a listen to him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALI AL-NAIMI (PH), OIL MINISTER, SAUDI ARABIA: We don't want significant gyrations in prices. We don't want reduction in supply. We want to meet

demand and we want a stable oil price.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEFTERIOS: Very telling, those last few words there, Robyn, "a stable oil price." They're not looking, at least Saudi Arabia, to boost the price to

$50 or $60 a barrel by the end of 2016.

What does that tell us?

The Saudi strategy prevails. Don't forget, last week we were talking about a 5 percent production cut across the board. That would have given a huge

lift to the market; that did not happen in Doha. Now they have got to get all the players to cooperate now within the OPEC and non-OPEC sphere going

forward.

CURNOW: OK. Thanks so much, John Defterios, great to have you on the show.

(CROSSTALK)

CURNOW: And as we mentioned earlier, CNNMoney is launching a new global initiative, bringing you the latest in business wherever you are in the

world. Be sure to check out our website at cnnmoney.com.

And just ahead on the IDESK, a former U.S. president who has avoided the public spotlight embraces it. Once again, he's defending his brother and

diving back into politics. There he is.

The rock band also that was performing during the Paris terror attacks, returns to finish the gig. And its lead singer has some strong words about

gun control. All that and more coming up.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:15:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

CURNOW: You're watching CNN. I'm Robyn Curnow. Thanks for joining me on the U.S. campaign trail.

Former president George W. Bush is rallying hard in South Carolina for his brother, Jeb Bush. But he focused much of his rhetoric around another

candidate. Dana Bash has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN SR. U.S. CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): George W. Bush drew a large crowd and a deep distinction between his brother and

Donald Trump.

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Strength is not empty rhetoric. It is not bluster. It is not theatrics. Real strength,

strength of purpose comes from integrity and character. And in my experience, the strongest person usually isn't the loudest one in the room.

BASH (voice-over): The 43rd president never uttered Trump's name but he didn't have to.

We do not need someone in the Oval Office who mirrors and inflames our anger and frustration.

BASH (voice-over): He spoke only a few hours after Trump doubled down on criticizing him for 9/11.

DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I've heard for years he kept the country safe after 9/11 -- what does that mean, after?

What about during 9/11?

I was there.

BASH (voice-over): The former president recounted what it was like for him that horrific morning, then segued to Jeb.

GEORGE W. BUSH: He's got the backbone necessary to make the tough decisions on the behalf of the American people.

BASH (voice-over): George W. Bush energized not just the crowd but his brother, the candidate.

JEB BUSH, FORMER GOVERNOR OF FLORIDA, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I thought it was a little strange that a front-running candidate would attack the

President of the United States, who did keep us safe, while he was building a reality TV show.

I can beat Hillary Clinton. I can promise you that.

BASH (voice-over): Meanwhile Trump, the South Carolina front-runner, is waging all-out war, not just against Bush but Ted Cruz, closest to Trump in

most polls.

TRUMP: Ted Cruz is the most dishonest guy I think I've ever met in politics. I think he's an unstable person. I really do.

SEN. TED CRUZ (R), TEXAS: Today, Donald Trump held a press conference, where he apparently lost it.

BASH (voice-over): Cruz is now stepping up his attacks on Trump on the stump and in ads.

TRUMP: I am pro-choice in every respect.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: South Carolina cannot trust Donald Trump.

BASH (voice-over): Cruz is taking incoming from two opponents, calling him a liar.

TRUMP: I have never, ever met a person that lies more than Ted Cruz.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), FLA., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He's lied about my position on marriage.

CRUZ: Donald Trump and Marco Rubio both have the very same pattern. Whenever anyone points out their record, they simply start screaming "Liar,

liar, liar."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: Well, Republican in-fighting is beginning to steal the spotlight as the South Carolina primary draws near. CNN's Phil Mattingly joins me

live from a Marco Rubio event in Somerville, South Carolina.

You heard it there, a lot of "Liar, liar," thrown at each other. We knew this would get nasty but this is getting pretty scrappy now, isn't it?

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. The amazing thing, Robyn, is usually it's their surrogates, it's the ads. That's where these types of

accusations are tossed about. It's rare that the candidates are actually going after one another at this level this early in the race.

But look, I think we all warned everybody, coming out of New Hampshire, that South Carolina was a different ballgame, one Republican operative

described the Republican primary here as more or less a viper pit. And we've seen that. We're four days out. This is an incredibly crucial

moment for all of the top-tier candidates, a crucial for Jeb Bush if he wants to continue his campaign.

And you're really seeing that play out from the candidates, from their ads. And when the case of Jeb Bush from those top-tier surrogates that they're

trotting out on here -- Robyn.

CURNOW: Indeed. And let's talk about Jeb Bush, particularly his brother. W. is on the trail. And what's important, I think, about that discussion -

- and Dana quite emphasized it in her piece -- he has injected a discussion about the Iraq war, about terrorism. And this is a trauma that continues

to be an issue nearly 15 years in a campaign after 9/11 and its aftermath.

MATTINGLY: Yes, that's right, Robyn. It's been very interesting to watch the debate. You almost had a breathtaking moment at the debate on

Saturday, when Donald Trump really kind of took a Democratic line on things, saying that George W. Bush did not keep the country safe because

9/11 happened under his watch.

Now you would expect to hear that during a Democratic debate or a Democratic campaign event. But that is completely against Republican

orthodoxy. And so he has continued pushing on that and now George W. Bush is actually in play on the campaign trail.

One of the most interesting things, Robyn, watching yesterday, 3,000 people, roaring basically when George W. Bush came out. If you think back

to 2008, George W. Bush didn't even attend the Republican convention because he was that unpopular. He left office with 30 percent approval

ratings.

[10:20:00]

MATTINGLY: But Jeb Bush is looking at South Carolina, looking at what he needs to do here and only needs to look at one number: 85 percent approval

for his brother in the state, a very large military and retired military population.

That's why George W. Bush is here and it's really a major effort by his campaign to try and swing people into Jeb Bush's camp at a moment where he

desperately needs that support -- Robyn.

CURNOW: So this conversation about 9/11, about the Iraq War, an important one, I must say, but who does it benefit?

Or is this just one step too far for Trump?

Where does this conversation end?

MATTINGLY: Robyn, if there's one thing we have learned over the --

(CROSSTALK)

CURNOW: Yes, I shouldn't have said that, "one step too far."

(LAUGHTER)

MATTINGLY: Right. We've been saying that over and over again and it turns out it wasn't been back one step too far. His numbers actually end up

going up.

I think it is an interesting thing to watch kind of the national security portion of the Republican Party, trying to grapple with this. Jeb Bush

struggled at the very beginning of his campaign for almost four or five days, trying to figure out how to respond to his position on whether the

Iraq War was worth it, originally kind of demurring on it and then eventually coming to the conclusion that, with the intelligence looking as

it is now, it was probably a bad decision.

It is a fight that kind of tears into a part of the Republican Party, a part of the national security side of the Republican Party, that has

largely bee papered over in the wake of George W. Bush. But it's a conversation that Trump doesn't want to end anytime soon, Robyn. I think

we're going to continue to hear a lot about this over the next four days.

CURNOW: OK. Thanks so much, Phil. Speak soon.

Well, coming up this week, a unique two-night event on CNN. All six Republican presidential candidates taking part in a South Carolina town

hall, answering voters' questions, spread out over two nights. It all starts 1:00 am Thursday morning in London, 2:00 am in Central Europe, only

on CNN.

Well, the triumph over terrorism of sorts after the November attacks in Paris. The band that was playing when gunmen stormed a concert venue is

back in the city and will finish its gig Tuesday night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

CURNOW (voice-over): That's Eagles of Death Metal. As you can see, they are back on the road singing. Lead singer Jesse Hughes says it was the

band's sacred duty to return to Paris. And he is sounding off also against gun control, saying that until nobody has guns, everybody should have them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: Well, CNN's Jim Bittermann joins me now live from Paris.

You've been speaking to him.

What else did he say?

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT: Well, Robyn, he had quite a bit to say this afternoon about the emotions and the joy for him and also

the sadness of returning here to Paris to finish the gig. It's not only finishing the performance here in Paris but they're going to go ahead with

their concert tour over the next couple of weeks or so. The tour that had been planned that was interrupted by the November 13th attacks. There's

going to be about 2,800 people at a sold-out show at the Olympia tonight, which is the concert theater here in Paris.

And about 900 people of those people are going to have some relation to that terrorist attack at the Bataclan. They are either survivors or

families of victims but there'll be about 900 people there. It's kind of what one psychiatrist here said was collective therapy.

And Jesse himself has said that was collective therapy for himself. He -- I was asking him this afternoon, we sat down for the interview, exactly

what he thought the concert would be like tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JESSE HUGHES, EAGLES OF DEATH METAL: Of course, this isn't going to be just a regular show for us tonight, you know. Of course, this is much more

than just a show but, at the same time, it's just going to be a show.

JOSH HOMME, EAGLES OF DEATH METAL: Yes, somehow they serve each other, you know.

BITTERMANN: You going to be thinking tonight about what happened all the time?

Or is it going to -- can you lose yourself in the music?

HUGHES: I always lose myself in the music. But I'm going to lose myself in the kids. I'm going to lose myself in that. We're going to get lost in

one another, actually, is what's going to happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BITTERMANN: Jesse Hughes there, and Josh Homme, the two co-founders of Eagles of Death Metal.

One of the things interesting that they said, by the way, Robyn, is that, last night, they met with some of the survivors and the families of the

victims and they had a gathering that, in fact, turned out to be something of a party. They all got together and started singing and dancing. And I

think, for everybody, it was kind of collective therapy -- Robyn.

CURNOW: Very collective therapy but just imagine how hard it is going to be during that concert for the survivors and those connected to many of

those who perished.

Thanks so much, Jim.

And of course CNN will have coverage of that throughout the coming hours.

Well, Pope Francis has just arrived in a region of Mexico, where people's lives have been changed forever by the country's brutal drug wars. CNN's

Rosa Flores is traveling with the pope, joins us now by phone.

Hi, there, Rosa. This has been --

[10:25:00]

CURNOW: -- an incredible journey by the pope. We're seeing pictures of him now in his Popemobile.

What is going to be his message as he addresses the people in this area, which has had a brutal drug history?

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Robyn, Pope Francis is really coming to the epicenter of the drug war here in Morelia.

If you remember, back in 2006, when the former president launched a war against drugs, he sent soldiers here. This is where it all started. He

sent about 6,500 soldiers to start that drug war.

And here we are, about a decade later and about 80,000 people have been killed in the drug war. And so Pope Francis, in his trip to Mexico, has

not shied away of that topic of drug violence, of drug lords.

In fact, when he was speaking in Ecatepec, which is a suburb of Mexico City, he said very passionately, he said, "Don't dialogue with the devil.

He will always win."

Another instance he's spoken about drugs and drug dealers, that was back in 2013, where he called narcos "dealers of death."

And in his recent book, he also made another reference to drug lords and to organized crime. He's actually begged them to change their lives.

And then said, "God rejects sin but not the sinner."

So we're going to have to wait and see what he says here in Morelia, in the epicenter of this drug war. But, Robyn, I don't think he is going to mince

words. He might be very direct with drug lords -- Robyn.

CURNOW: Indeed. He certainly hasn't shied away from dealing with some tough issues on this trip and generally during his papacy.

But what kind of impact would his words have there on the ground?

I mean, a drug lord is not going to suddenly have a conversion because the pope has chastised him.

What kind of impact do you think it'll have for those who commit these crimes?

And of course the people have sometimes no choice on the ground.

What kind of language will make a difference?

FLORES: I think the easiest answer is hope. From talking to people here on the ground, that's what they are hoping that the message brings. They

want to hear a message of hope.

And Pope Francis said himself before arriving in Mexico, he said I know that I will not be able to cure all of the ills in Mexico by visiting. But

I hope that I can bring some hope.

And from talking to folks here, Robyn, that's exactly what he's bringing.

CURNOW: Message of devotion there to the powerless there on the ground, with the pope, Rosa Flores, thank you so much.

You're watching CNN. Much more news after the break.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:30:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

CURNOW: Welcome back to the INTERNATIONAL DESK. I'm Robyn Curnow. Here's a check of the headlines.

(HEADLINES)

CURNOW: OK. Let's get back to the U.S. presidential race, where it's been a colorful 24 hours. Mounting pressure on candidates has had them fighting

like cats and dogs, to be frank. To that end, Hillary Clinton is accusing Republican contenders of lying. And she has jokingly proposed a new way to

prevent political deception. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: One of my favorite, favorite political ads of all time was a radio ad, rural Arkansas, where the announcer said, "Wouldn't it be great

if somebody running for office said something we could have an immediate reaction as to whether it was true or not?"

Well, we trained this dog. And the dog, if it's not true, he's going to bark. And then the dog was barking on the radio.

(LAUGHTER)

CLINTON: And so people were like barking at each other for days after that.

I'm trying to figure how we can do that with the Republicans.

You know?

(APPLAUSE)

CLINTON: We can get that dog and follow him around and every time they say these things, like, oh, you know, the Great Recession was caused by too

much regulation -- bark, bark, bark.

CURNOW (voice-over): A lighter moment there from Clinton. She also called on President Barack Obama to fill the Supreme Court vacancy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: Well, Donald Trump has been touting his pedigree of German roots, which go back to a quaint village.

What do people there think of Donald Trump?

Well, CNN's Atika Shubert went to Southern Germany to find out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

TRUMP (voice-over): My grandfather, Frederick Trump, came to the United States in 1885. He joined the great gold rush. He did fantastically well.

He loved this country.

So they were from Germany. I have great German heritage. I'm very proud of it. Great place. But we all love the United States the best.

But you know what?

I love Kallstadt (INAUDIBLE).

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to Kallstadt, South Germany, population of 1,200. Its local

vintage, a dry Riesling. Famous sons include Henry Heinz, the ketchup king, and this guys.

Yes, Kallstadt is the ancestral home of Donald Trump.

Simone Vendal (ph), a great cousin-in-law of Trump made "The Kings of Kallstadt," a documentary on her hometown's Trump connection just before he

launched his U.S. presidential bid.

SIMONE VENDAL (PH), DOCUMENTARIAN: Do you feel any (INAUDIBLE)?

TRUMP: Well, the people in Kallstadt are very reliable, strong people. A I feel that about myself. Yes, I'm strong and I'm very reliable. I'm on

time. I get things done. And that's basically a whole German culture, not just Kallstadt. I mean, that's a German culture. And you know, I'm proud

to have that German blood. There's no question about it. Great stuff.

"I wasn't surprised he decided to run for president," she tells me. "I think I always knew he was going to do something like this."

Kallstadt mayor Thomas Yaverik (ph) took us for a tour.

THOMAS YAVERIK (PH), KALLSTADT MAYOR: Hello, that's relatives to Trump.

SHUBERT (voice-over): Just outside the house, a car pulls up and a man leans out to say, "We served Kallstadt wine at the coronation of Queen

Elizabeth. Maybe there will be a Kallstadt wine at the U.S. presidential inauguration."

Axel Messer's (ph) family is more Heinz than Trump. They have been making wine since the 1600s. He figures Trump does have one distinctive Kallstadt

trait.

[10:35:00]

"Kallstadters are certainly confident," he says, and Trump is not short of confidence.

A 10-minute walk away, the Kallstadt Country Ladies Association is busy making herring salad for Ash Wednesday. Innkeeper Veronica Schram (ph)

says Trump just wouldn't fit in in Kallstadt today.

"Personally, I think he is too much of a radical. We're a friendly place," she says.

No one we spoke to seemed to think that Trump would visit Kallstadt anytime soon, president or not. But everyone recommended he try the local

delicacy, stuffed pig stomach -- Atika Shubert, CNN, Kallstadt, Germany.

TRUMP: Ich bin ein Kallstadter.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: Great piece there from Atika.

And a programming note, you can hear much more of that and the race for the White House. CNN's Jonathan Mann has a show every week that covers the

candidates and the conversations. "POLITICAL MANN" is on Saturdays at 7:00 pm London. Be sure to watch every week for the entire campaign season.

Well, coming up, a massive spread of Filipino jewels goes up for auction. Why some say the gems are the product of corruption.

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CURNOW: Welcome back.

Well, the plight of one migrant girl in Australia has put the country's controversial immigration policy back into the headlines.

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CURNOW (voice-over): This 1-year-old girl, who was hospitalized for severe burns, faces deportation on her discharge. So staff at a Brisbane hospital

have refused to release baby Asher until a safe home has been identified for her. The fear is that she may be sent back to an off-shore detention

center with poor conditions.

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CURNOW: Moving on now to the Grammys. Taylor Swift was the night's big winner at this year's show. No surprises there. She took home the top

prize for Album of the Year and used her acceptance speech to send a message. Michaela Pereira has the highlights from music's biggest night.

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TAYLOR SWIFT, SINGER: Welcome to the 2016 Grammy Awards. Right now, it's "1989."

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): And Taylor Swift's year it was. The pop superstar snagging three Grammys, including coveted Album

of the Year at the 58th Grammy Awards.

SWIFT: To all the young women out there, someday when you get where you're going, you'll look around and you will know that it was you and the people

who love you who put you there.

PEREIRA (voice-over): Prompting rapper and powerhouse Kendrick Lamar sweeping the rap categories.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the Grammy goes to "To Pimp A Butterfly," Kendrick Lamar.

PEREIRA (voice-over): Electrifying the audience with an explosive performance, dancing "Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars named --

[10:35:00]

-- Record of the Year.

Ed Sheeran and Meghan Trainor riding high of their first Grammy wins.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE).

PEREIRA (voice-over): And Adele falling short of vocal perfection when audio issues marred her performance.

The night peppered with earnest tributes. Lady Gaga channeling Ziggy Stardust in honor of the late David Bowie. But many thought it was

Broadway that stole the show.

A live broadcast for the opening number of the hit musical, "Hamilton," dazzling audiences and winning Best Musical Theater Album.

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CURNOW: Great stuff. That was CNN's Michaela Pereira reporting there.

Well, a dazzling array of jewels worth tens of millions of dollars is about to go on sale. As Manisha Tank now reports, for the Philippines, it's much

more than an auction. It's a piece of history.

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MANISHA TANK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a collection estimated to be worth millions of dollars. Jewels once owned by the former first lady of the

Philippines, Imelda Marcos, about to go on auction.

Marcos was renowned for her lavish spending during her late husband, Ferdinand's, presidency. The couple were accused of stealing billions of

dollars from the Filipino people during his two decades in power.

Imelda is perhaps best known for her extensive shoe collection. It's reported when Ferdinand was ousted from power in 1986, she left behind more

than 1,200 pairs of shoes.

But it's gems now that are up for sale on the international market. This piece, a rare 25-carat pink diamond, said to be the size of a grape, has an

estimated value of $5 million.

And this Cartier diamond tiara is worth as much as $5 million.

U.S. Customs seized all of this when the Marcos family arrived in Hawaii after Ferdinand was overthrown.

But this is one of three collections formerly owned by Imelda Marcos. The other two are currently being contested in court.

Once those cases are settled, the Philippines government hopes to be able to auction those pieces as well, selling a total collection valued at an

astounding $21 million -- Manisha Tank, CNN, Hong Kong.

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CURNOW: OK. Thanks to Manisha for that.

And this just in to CNN, former United Nations secretary-general Boutros Boutros-Ghali has died. A U.N. official announced his death a short time

ago. Boutros-Ghali from Egypt served as secretary-general from 1992 to 1996. He was 93 years old.

That does it for us here at the INTERNATIONAL DESK. Thanks so much for watching. I'm Robyn Curnow. I'll be back in just over an hour with more

on those tensions between Turkey and Russia over Syria. But don't go anywhere, "WORLD SPORT" with Amanda Davies is up next.

But we will leave you with more pictures of Pope Francis' trip to Mexico.

END