voters to win monday's caucuses. he says the latest iowa poll is leaning in their favor. listen. >> we've always expected this to be close. people say it's within the margin of error. each number could be plus or minus four points. it's not like it's a four-point race and it's all tight. our lead general i when with older voters, we believe we haven't seen all of this poll yet because it just came out but we believe it looks like the people who are most committed to caucusing seem to lean our way. but look, we've said since i think the spring, this is going to be close. we've got an organization around this state to get our voters to the caucuses because that's what this is going to come down to on monday night. >> now in iowa's african-american community, many say candidates have mostly ignored their vote in the past few months. cnn's victor blackwell has this report.

>> god bless the great state of iowa. >> thank you so, so much. >> thank you, thank you very much. >> reporter: in the final hours before the iowa caucuses, candidates are crisscrossing the capital city to build support. >> iowa democrats, are you excited about the future? >> reporter: but after scores of events in des moines over the last several months, there is one community that is still waiting for candidates to ask for their votes. >> they avoid this neighborhood like maybe there may be ebola around someplace. they never come here. >> reporter: in a state that's more than 90% white and covered in cornfields, reverend bobby young ace neighborhood is mostly black and latino in des moines's iner city and the people here are poor. in their months of campaigning across the state, reverend young says the top-tier candidates in both parties have largely ignored their votes. >> this is my district. >> reporter: abule samad represents this district in the statehouse. >> we have two schools here that

are 100% free or reduced lunch. we're in an area where you won't find any businesses like restaurants and that type of thing. >> reporter: the disparity between white iowans and black iowans is stark and statewide. while iowa's unemployment in 2014 was 4.4%, for black iowans that number was 12%. >> you'd think if candidates going on go anywhere and talk to anybody you'd talk to people hurting the most. >> reporter: the younger members of his congregation believe candidates are not coming because their community cannot afford to contribute. >> if we was able to donate $100, $1,000, $2,000, they'd come shake our hands too. when you're working at mcdonald's and paying rent, you don't have $100 to give to a candidate. >> there's another side to that, that we have to show our value. we're in my precinct which is

the lowest voting turnout. it's not that we don't have the voters. they lack hope. they don't see hope. so they don't come out to vote. and when you have individuals that don't come out to vote, what happens with candidates? they focus on the areas that do. >> reporter: they say there is one exception. research senator rand paul. he spent more than an hour at platinum cuts barbar shop talking about criminal justice reform. black rts just 3.4% of iowa's population but they fill 25.5% of the state's prison cells. >> he made me look at him different. >> how so? >> because he was wanting to come into my shop and talk to us. and like i said, a lot of candidates ain't going to do that. >> reporter: young and abdul samad plan to caucus and are leading aggressive voter registration and caucus training programs and encouraging young people to participate too. because they treasure their votes even if they believe the candidates for president do not. >> i'm from the south where, you

know, it costs us dog bites and fire hoses and everything else just to get our name on that paper and carry that little bitty card. we paid a dear price for that vote. i got to vote. but maybe it will be for an independent or somebody. it maybe won't be for a republican or democrat because they don't seem to care. from the united states geneva, switzerland, where there is a small sign of hope for syrian peace talks. syria's main opposition group says it plans to now participate in negotiations with is u.n. special envoy. earlier they had refused to join in, insisting that government forces first stop attacking civilians. following all the details, cnn's international diplomatic editor nic robertson live for us this hour in geneva. good to have you with us. look this has been clearly a delicate process of bringing all these sides together. could you help our viewers understand where things stand

now? >> good morning, george. where things stand now, the high negotiating committee, the opposition and conglomeration of opposition groups arrived in geneva late last night are the day before the u.n.'s special representative mediating here met for two hours with representatives of the syrian government. i'm joined here now by a representative, a spokesman for the high negotiating committee. what are the issues that have held you back from coming, and are you ready to go into talks? >> you see we are here really to start this political process. and we're keen to make this a success. the main purpose is really to -- for our people, you know, for our people there. we came and are discussing many things but we have guarantees that the issues, the

humanitarian issues, that was -- you know, the security council resolution 2254, the implementation of the resolution for us is important. concentrating on the humanitarian issues -- >> access to humanitarian areas that are cut off from food, areas where bombardment continues, release of prisoners, these issues? >> yeah, it's important to see this. because we discuss this and received a letter. it's like an assurance to implement this one. and also we received from mr. kerry and other ministers from different european countries, from saudi arabia. and we're here just to discuss this. and this really would make things easier for us to go and start negotiation with the other. >> to be very clear, at the moment you're not ready to into the meetings inside the u.n.? you want mr. mustura to confirm

these details before you begin the talks proper? that's what we understand at the moment. >> the meeting will be today, outside the negotiation building there. to discuss, as i told, these are important to us. it's very important for us, you know, to lift this from what our people is facing there in syria. and also to prove to the world that this regime is not serious about what it's doing. you know, we join the in negotiation in geneva too, until now nothing has been done. there are many resolutions, nothing has been implemented until this moment. >> but if you don't get what you want, which are the guarantees for these key issues for you, what's going to happen? will you walk away from the talks and not go into them proper? >> i cannot really, you know, say that we would walk away now until we see the answers from

mr. mustura and the countries that promised they would do something about it. for us it's really important to see this on the ground. >> specifically so we understand what precisely are you looking for in that language? and a firmness of guarantees that they can guarantee that the bombardments can stop, that the food can get through, that the prisoners can be released? >> these are the issues that are very important to us. you know, they can -- i believe they can do it, you know. they're willing to do it, they can do it. >> it means putting pressure on the syrian government to make these concessions? >> this has to be done. it's the duty of the members of the security council really to implement the resolution that they signed. and it only takes a little -- not only the regime but russia, russia is a member there. i believe the key is there. they can put pressure on russia to stop this whenever. russia stops killing our people, our civilians, fine, the fig

fightifigh fighting daesh, let them fight daesh but not kill children and families for no reason. >> thank you very much indeed. so the talks a step closer, but as of right now not up and running fully, george. >> nic robertson with a very important interview to share with our viewers. the simple fact though that a meeting will happen today. an important step in the process for sure. nic, thank you so much for your reporting. >> >> there is no question that these peace talks are desperately need for those people who are dying in syria. doctors without borders says 69 people have starved to death since u.n. convoys delivered food and supplies earlier this month. it also says there are still 320 cases of malnutrition, 32 of which are severe. the u.n. estimates 400,000 syrians are in dire need of food. nick payton walsh shows us the terrible situation playing out there. >> reporter: ice has gripped the

town of madaya, adding to the siege and starvation, gnawing away at what's left of life here. aid came briefly along with global attention but now it's gone and the weak here are still said to be dying. this is dr. mohammad. he shows us fawa saaef, age 50. so malnourished he can't cope with food, only drip feeds. almost a ghost edging towards death. like his granddaughter lamar, just 9 months old. she seems dazed. for more than seven months we've not had electricity, explains the doctor, we've nearly run out of wood. now plastic is often burned. the weakest, immobile. activist abdullah shows us.

>> this child here is very ill. if he lives, he'll get sick and ill, and his stomach is really, really hurt him. he needs immediate go to hospital outside madaya -- >> reporter: a little food here probably won't save the acutely malnourished who need urgent medical help but it is handed out slowly. >> actually they don't bring food for people, the people here will die. because of starvation. >> reporter: here in a makeshift hospital, struggling to keep the lights on is where they come, hoping to find help. in the past ten days since the arrival of relief supplies, the doctor says, there have been ten deaths. scores have arrived at the clinic united states, we have around 500 sick people in the town that need hospital treatment. syrian rebels have said they won't talk peace until sieges

like these by the government are lifted. but rebels too are besieging other towns in the north. hunger a weapon of war. leaving 400,000 syrians without the food they need. neither truly alive nor dead. nick payton walsh, cnn, dbeirut hidden cameras capture a rare view of endangered wildlife in cambodia. we show you why the sighting is a sign of success for conservation efforts. a sigh of relief in the u.s. state of california now that these three escaped convicts are finally behind bars. i am about to embark on a long and dangerous journey.

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at a mass rally in rome, hundreds protested saturday against proposed same-sex legislation. the italian senate is discussing the bill which would recognize same-sex civil unions. the most contentious issue is a proposal to provide limited adoption rights to same-sex couples. italy is the last major country in western europe without legal

recognition of same-sex partnerships. the final vote in the senate is expected in mid-february. to greece where people opened their hearts and homes to migrants long before the international community did. and for their generosity, a petition is now asking for the nobel peace prize nomination to go to the people of the aegean islands. arwa damon has this story. >> reporter: from their house on the cliff, up-year-old espiona and her husband, who just passed away, noticed the first boats in april of last year. >> translator: my mind went back years because my mother came as a refugee from turkey. i saw the people walking, drenched. it's a deep sorry. i felt like my heart was breaking. >> reporter: she calls them the red boats. she did what she could, putting out water, sandwiches, hosing

people off to cool them down in the summer heat. often she wanted to run down the cliff when she heard screams for help. but her knees aren't strong enough. >> translator: do you know how many people drowned and were taken out of the sea? what can i say? i feel like i have seen everything. >> reporter: scattered graves lie in a plot in the lesbos cemetery, often marked with just a number and a date. small toys dent might go those of the youngest victims. the greek islanders found themselves the first responders in the months before the coast guard increased its numbers over the summer. before ngos finally arrived. for their actions, kindness and generosity, there have been petitions to nominate the islanders for the nobel peace prize. thomas sorsavides is one of the many fishermen who time and time

again inadvertently ended up on rescue missions when he was hauling in his nets. >> of course the weather wasn't very nice, okay? people, when you take people out, they start kissing your hands and this. when you have a woman, you know -- i think anyone would do it. >> reporter: the massive influx of migrants and refugees completely changed the nature of this tourist destination. all islanders have pitched in, drying clothes, providing food, blankets, even risking jail time. before the government and ngos provided official transport, driving refugees was considered smuggling. but maria andrewlaki did not care, cramming as many people as could fit in her tiny car. >> from here i was taking the people that they were walking. they had to walk 75 kilometers from here down to the town and get registered. >> reporter: that is a one to two-day walk.

you could have been arrested back then for this. what made you still stop? >> seeing kids at the age of my son walking. walking to get to the next station. i could see in their eyes my son, trying to get to life. searching to get a life. i couldn't just pass by and drive my car. >> reporter: it's that type of compassion that may earn the islanders the nobel nod. but maria says it's wrong. >> we're monsters if we don't do this. why should we be given a prize for being human beings? we are supposed to be human beings. >> reporter: in a world where humanity seems to be in increasing short supply, perhaps that is exactly why the islanders deserve to be recognized. arwa damon, cnn, lesbos, greece. now to the u.s. state of colorado where a motorcycle show

turned violent on saturday. one person there died and seven more injured after shots were fired in a crowded auditorium. one of the injured was stabbed and three others suffered minor injuries consistent with a fistfight. police said they were able to respond to the situation in a timely fashion. >> you have officers that were working off-duty here, we have some other security that were working for the national western stock show. we were able to get officers here quickly and be able to get our victims to the hospital. >> no arrests have been made but several people are being questioned. after more than a week on the run, all three inmates escaped a jail in southern california are now back behind bars. two of the fugitives were arrested saturday morning in the city of san francisco. more than 600 kilometers or about 370 miles from the press ton where they broke out. >> a female citizen approached the officers and pointed out a

white van. officers approached the van as hossein nayari fled the area on foot. a short foot pursuit ensued before he was taken into custody by officers. officers immediately returned to the white van and discovered the other escapee, jonathan tiu, hiding in the van. >> the third inmate turned himself in on friday. police say the trio will be housed in the same jail but this time in a more secure unit. police have arrested two fugitive mafia bosses in southern italy. the men were captured in an underground bunker on friday. one of them had been on the run for nearly 20 years. their hideout had an array of weapons, including rifles. they had pistols and machine guns. the mobsters are part of a criminal organization that is based in calabria. the pentagon is challenging what it says are attempts to limit freedom of navigation by

the u.s. and other nations in the south china sea. a u.s. navy destroyer "the uss curtis wilbur" sailed within 12 nautical miles of one of the parcel islands on friday. china calls the move "a serious provocation and a violation." china, taiwan, and vietnam all claim this aush berchipelago. you may remember a similar incident last year. the chinese navy issued warnings eight types when a fasurveillan plane flew over disputed island in the south china sea. >> a british pie lot was shot and killed fighting poaching in tanzania, shot midair by poachers in the mazwa game preserve friday night. he was able to land the chopper but died before help arrived. he was involved in tracking down and arresting elephant poachers. those responsible for his death are still at large. the world's elephants are

critically endangered but in one corner of cambodia there has been an amazing find and a sign of success. here's my colleague natalie allen. >> reporter: green as far as the eye can see and beyond. this is the central cardaman protected forest in cambodia. 14 years ago the government, along with conservation international, set aside 400 hectares. the aim, give the endangered animals who call this land home a chance at survival. in 2015, wildlife officials set out to see if it worked. they installed camera traps on trees hope is to catch a glimpse of elusive wildlife, especially the rare asian elephant. they were rewarded with this, 12 elephants came into view. moving through the night, grazing and interacting. it is the largest group of wild asian elephants seen here in decade. also important, young elephants are in the herd.

peter seligmann, founder and ceo of conservation international, spoke from cambodia. >> we think there are many more because we have very few camera traps in the area. to be able to catch a herd of 12 means that -- indicate that is the population is healthy. so that just regarding elephants is really big news. >> reporter: asian elephants are more endangered than their african cousins. both are routinely killed for their tusks or meat. their habitats are overrun by humans and illegal logging. the cardaman mountains are one of the largest reservoirs of nature in cambodia, home to one-third of the country's endangered and rare species and critically important to people too. >> these forests are the source of the fresh water that's required to keep the largest freshwater lake in southeastern asia productive. and the fish in that lake are enormously populous. there are more fish in tunly sap

in this one lake than in all the lakes in north america combined. this lake provides 75% of the protein of the people of cambodia. >> reporter: the forest preservation is a success story thanks in part to its remoteness. 90% is inaccessible. no roads in, no roads out. getting the animals who give here more room to roam and hopefully survive. natalie allen, cnn, atlanta. this is "cnn newsroom." iran prepares for a major election. we will show you how the country's politics are now responding to warming relations with the west. live from atlanta and broadcasting around the globe this hour, you are watching "cnn worldwide."

a very warm welcome back to our viewers here in the united states and around the world. you are watching "cnn newsroom." great to have you with thus hour. i'm george howell. the headlines we're following -- >> >> in the race for utah president, candidates are making their final push in iowa before monday's caucuses. republican front-runner donald trump is getting a boost from a new poll that gives him a five-point edge over main rival ted cruz in that state. it also shows democrat hillary clinton holdology to a very slim three-point lead over bernie sanders. a. a delegation of syrian opposition groups says it will meet with the special envoy to syria. the high negotiations committee has previously refused to sit down with government representatives until the regime agrees to stop attacking civilian targets. at least 33 migrants drowned on saturday after their boat sank. the migrants from syria,

afghanistan, and myanmar were trying to make their way from turkey into greece. at least five of those dead were children. many of these migrants are fleeing death and misery back home and as they migrate to the north, asylum seekers often face dangerous routes. they also face indifference and even hostility from natives. but that is not the case in one town in austria that is being hailed as a model of integration and diversity. here's our kelly morgan with this story. >> reporter: neudufel is basically cold this time of year. the town's lake freezes over. the ground is blanketed in snow. but when you step foot in this small austrian town, the welcome is undoubtedly warm. adil was one of the first migrants to feel it when he fled the bosnian war 23 years ago. he explains how his family was

immediately accepted by residents and that he works as a lifeguard at the lake during summer, protecting the community he says has kept him safe. now a new wave of migrants are finding sanctuary in this idyllic place, population 4,500. this family of six from afghanistan has only just arrived after a cold three-month journey sleeping in tents. boosting the number of refugees in town to 80. the parish church has given them a warm home to stay while they await asylum. the family will have access to local schools including the kindergarten. here children sleep soundly far from the cacophony of war so many have fled. the most recent arrivals are mainly kurdish. but the preschool takes in all nationalities. >> romanish, turkish -- >> reporter: the curt count is

21 different languages. it is through play they learn to communicate, integrate. so too these young migrant men who are living in a private house run by caretas, the same not for profit organization that housed refugees in the bosnian war. they made their way to austria alone and are now awaiting asylum, including 16-year-old ahmed takushi, who is keen to practice the german he's been learning since he arrived last may. "i need to learn german so i can go to school and become a carpenter," he says. it's the process the town has been guiding migrants through for 26 years. >> the people living here in the house, they all stay. they have good jobs here. the children, the kids are going to university now. they're really well integrated. and it really works. >> reporter: it is a model for integration the mayor is sharing

with other local leaders from countries dealing with the unprecedented flow of people. he's calling for a change in the way migrants are perceived. >> migrants take the first day from the community. the second day, if we make it possible, they bring to the communities. >> reporter: in a small town with a big heart, migrants are not treated as a burden. they're simply given a safe haven if and a new start. kelly morgan, cnn, neudofel, austria. most migrants are not so lucky. even when they make it to europe, refugees and other migrants face more difficulties. earlier we spoke with amnesty international and heard about a bleak and uncertain time ahead for most migrants. >> the last week has been a fairly catastrophic week for refugees across europe, fairly grim for the prospects of europe itself moving forward. the essence of the europeans' response has been predicated on

keeping refugees out. and we've seen those moves accelerating. conversations talking, going forward, that are effectively about transforming greece into a pen for a -- a holding pep for european refugees. deals with turkey that have involved returning migrants to turkey. and nationally every single government now as you just described, denmark in a race to the bottom to make themselves as unattractive to refugees as possible. i think as often in europe, the eu and its member states will after exhausting every single opportunity to do the wrong thing, may well have to find its way to doing the right thing if it's going to stay together. on to iran which is adjusting to a new set of circumstances after the country made a landmark agreement with the united states and other world powers on its nuclear program. and now they're headed into a major election. our fred pleitgen reports from

tehr tehran. >> reporter: after the nuclear agreement, iran is heading for key elections. voters will choose a new parliament and also the body that elects the country's supreme leader. this is a very important election for iran because it's also seen as a referendum of this country's current course after the nuclear agreement of opening up towards the west and even slightly towards the u.s. but there is controversy ahead of the vote. moderate supporters of president hassan rouhani say many of their candidates have been disqualified. the head of the economic committee is one of them. arsalan says he will appeal. "whoever has been disqualified has the right to object to that disqualificatio disqualification. he can defend himself and see the documents against him." some claim the disqualifications are a move by hardliners to cement their power, fearing the nuke deal and better relations with the westrouhani's camp.

even the grand so that of the islamic republic's founder, ayatollah hoe mainny, hasan, seen as a relative moderate, has been blocked from uning for a top clerical body. the election for the assembly of experts is on the same day as parliamentary elections. all candidates are vetted by the guardian council. half its members are chosen by iran's supreme leader. conservatives we spoke to deny that moderates are being singled out. "these disqualifications have all happened according to the law," this conservative mp says. "all those who have been disqualified did something against the law. otherwise the guardian council would not have disqualified them." the upcoming elections will do a lot to shape iran's approach toward the west as tehran looks for foreign investment, some worry politics could get in the way of the current

reconciliation process. fred pleitgen, cnn, tehran. u.s. president barack obama will soon make his first visit to a u.s. mosque. he is set to visit the islamic society of baltimore this week to celebrate the contributions of muslim americans. mr. obama has been vocal in his support of muslims, especially since republican presidential candidate donald trump called for a temporary ban on muslims entering the united states back in december. coming up we will hear from spacex ceo elon musk and his advice to inventers and his plans for the planet mashs. mars.

the 88th southern parallel. we had traveled for over 850 miles. my men driven nearly mad from starvation and frostbite. today we make history. >>bienvenidos! welcome to the south pole! if you're dora the explorer, you explore. it's what you do. >>what took you so long? if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. it's what you do. >>you did it, yay!

the ceo of tesla, elon musk, is one of the visionaries of private space expeditions. while some see colonizing other planets as a pipe dream, the billionaire entrepreneur has a very different outlook on why

space exploration is so important. cnn's kristie lu stout spoke with him about plans for the planet mars. >> spacex, the ultimate goal is mars. is getting human kind to mars. why does mars make sense? . the goal of tesla is to minimize the existential threat of a delayed transition to a sustainable energy economy. the purpose of spacex is to help make life multi-planetary. if life as we know it is multi-planetary then the probable length of human civilization is much greater. think of it like this. the unifying philosophy behind all three companies is trying to minimize existential threats. that kind of thing. >> and i see that. but mars and -- >> why mars instead of something necessarily. >> no, but how i see mars being your destination, sort of a backup plan for human kind?

>> really i think there are two main motivations for mars. one is the sort of defensive reason of saying, okay, if something were to happen to earth, to life as we know it, does it end? if it's on another planet it probably doesn't end. a multi-planet civilization is likely to last longer. the other thing it would be an incredible adventure, very exciting. even if somebody never planned to go to mars, just following the progress, i think vie care yulsly it would be quite inspire recognize i do think it's important that we have things that inspire us. it can't just be about solving problems all the time. >> what's your advice to encourage people to do the hard stuff and invent the hard stuff for the betterment of human kind? >> i think the right way to think of things is what is the most useful thing that you can think of to do? and that others are not doing?

if problems are getting well solved by others, there's not much point in going and competing against them if they're going to solve it well anyway. it's better to work on things other people aren't working. >> that was kristie lu stout reporting. there is the question, is landing humans on mars a good idea? earlier my colleague jonathan mann spoke to planetary evangelist emily lackdawala who seth even though the prospect of mankind on mars seems exciting we should use caution. >> there's a number of different reasons to explore mars. one of the reasons we're excited about mars is that there's the potential that there was life there once and there could even be life there now. it will make it much harder to search for life on mars once humans have put their feet on there. >> fair enough. he's making another point which is that mars could be our fallback planet. does that make sense to you? >> i think it does make sense in the very long term. he's thinking very long -term

there. he's taking the necessary steps toward helping us become a multi-planet species by diversifying the different ways we can get off earth with his falcon 9 rocket and other ways of exploring the solar system. he is really thinking very, very long-term. we have a lot of steps we have to get through before then. space stations, long duration human spaceflight, landing heavy thins on mars. there's a lot more to do but he's working on solving some of those problems. from mars and now back to this planet. talking about the weather that could impact the situation in iowa and the caucuses. >> yeah, voters are focusing on iowa. in fact, the nation's eyes are focusing on iowa on monday. meteorologists are focusing on the central parts of the united states for tuesday with the big snow storm that we've been talking about for the past several days. we're going to show you this graphic. you can see exactly where we're anticipating this low pressure system to develop. it will start to form across the four corners and gather some steam before overspreading some

blizzard conditions into places like des moines, iowa. again, that is about 12 hours after the caucuses end. here's the storm evolving and you can start to see the heftier snowfall from nebraska into the upper great lakes. and we'll be able to time this out for you quite nicely so you can see exactly what to expect. in terms of timing of the snow, here's the amounts. for the first part you can see big snow totals for the ski resorts out into the colorado rockies. as it moves across the plains we could sbheerns 12 to upwards of locally 18 inches of snow. we've time the it out for you. we believe it will hold off until after midnight when the caucuses end on monday. but it's tuesday when the heavy snowfall really starts to overspread the state. and it is possible, again, we experience anywhere between 12 to 15 inches of snowfall by the time this storm is all said and done by early wednesday morning. you can see the snowfall totals

across this particular region. interesting statistic that i just read about whether, on presidential election dates, it affects voter turnout like this. if there is one inch of rain above the normal levels for that particular day, republicans actually receive an uptick in their votes by 2.5%. if there's 1 inch or more of snow above the normal levels for that particular day, republicans receive about 0.6% uptick in their voter percentages. so interesting statistic. take a look at visuals and a quick update on a cargo ship that i was discussing yesterday at this time. it is still floating adrift in the bay of busineof bisque off of france, at a 50-degree tilt right now. there are no crew members on board the ship because they're currently trying to take it over so they can take control,

upright the position of the ship, and bring this into safe harbor. but they were unsuccessful because the weather was too dangerous. looks as if it's not going to get any better any time soon. >> thank you so much. you're watching "cnn newsroom." coming up, the winners of the screen actors guild awards. what they might mean for oscar predictions.

the screen actors guild awards, the sags, are seen as indication who might take home the academy awards. this might be the year for oscar nominee leonardo dicaprio. on saturday decap trio won the s.a.g. for best lead actor in "the revenant." brie larson won the s.a.g. for her performance in the film "room." the top s.a.g. award went to the cast of "spotlight" which was nominated for an oscar for best picture. earlier natalie allen spoke with kim seraphin, senior editor for the magazine "in touch weekly," asking kim how unique the s.a.g.

awards are. >> 'tis award season in los angeles in hollywood. all leading up to the oscars. this was is screen actors guild awards. this is voted on by the actors. so all the awards are about actors. it's not about production design or sound or anything like that. it's all about the acting awards. but a lot of people look to the screen actors geld awards because the actors are the largest voting branch for the academy, for the oscars are a lot times whoever wins a screen actors guild, it predicts who will win an oscar. >> let's talk about the fact that the oscars, criticized for lack of diversity. but the first award handed out went to an african-american woman. >> very interesting. because clearly if anyone is paying attention, you know that the oscars have gotten a lot of attention because of the lack of diversity. but in very stark contrast, at the s.a.g. awards it was a very diverse show. in fact, idris alba, who won two s.a.g. awards, got up and at one

point when introducing "beast of no nation" he said, "welcome to diverse tv" because you did have a lot of nominees, a lot of winners, "orange is the new black," viola davis won for "how to get away with murder." idris alba won two awards. he won for "beast of no nation." a lot of people thought he should have been nominated for an oscar for "beast of no nation," he was not. his name is one of the names that comes up where people say, where was his name? looking at these 20 white actors that were nominate. a very different story when you're looking at the screen actors geld awards. >> let's talk about best actor and best actress. >> i think everyone was looking to see who would win best actor. it was leonardo dicaprio. for "the revenant." i think this pretty much says that he is a lock for an oscar. he did win the golden globe, he won the critics choice award. leonardo dicaprio i think clearly is someone who deserves an oscar. this was his ninth s.a.g. award nomination but his first win.

so it's kind of his time. it is his year for sure. >> and it might as well be maybe brie larson's year as well. >> yeah, brie larson, who won for "room." now jennifer lawrence is probably her main competition when you come to the oscars. jennifer lawrence for "joy" did not get a s.a.g. nomination. so very interesting. brie larson i think probably is the front runner for an is on car. jennifer lawrence was not nominated for a s.a.g. award, so with her in the mix in the oscars that throws everything into turmoil. so we don't know for sure who will win. it's not as clear cut as leonardo dicaprio is for best actor. >> we'll have a big drumroll for best actress when we get on the oscars. they also hand out an award for ensemble cast for comedy and film. it's interesting that two films really were really good this year for ensemble cast, but one about brave journalists won. >> yes, "spotlight" was the winner of the s.a.g. award for

ensemble cast. this is often a predictor of who will win best picture come the oscars. >> a glowing night and a diverse night for hollywood. and of course beautiful dresses on the red carpet as well. as always, kim seraphin watching it for us, thank you so much. >> thank you very much. >> we'll wait and see. we thank you for watching this hour. i'm george howell at the cnn center in atlanta. i'll be back after the break with another hour of news from around the world. you're watch cnn, the world's news leader.

campaigning down to the wire. candidates running for u.s. president have one more day to convince voters before the crucial iowa caucuses. a sign of hope in geneva. syria's opposition signals a willingness to negotiate for peace after all. plus the zika virus. it continues to spread through the americas, raising fears of a potential global pandemic. from cnn world headquarters in atlanta, welcome to our viewers here in the united states and around the world. i'm george howell. "cnn newsroom" starts right now. we begin in the u.s. state of iowa where we could see a nail-biter here. the iowa caucuses happen monday and democrat and republican candidates running for president, they are barn storming across the state, making their final push for undecided voters with less than 48 hours to go. republican front-runner donald trump is gaining momentum against main rival ted cruz in a

brand-new influential poll, the poll from bloomberg politics and "the des moines register" paper gives trump a five-point edge over ted cruz, marco rubio third, ben carson fourth. on the democratic side hillary clinton and bernie sanders virtually neck and neck. clinton has 45%, sanders 42%. that is within the margin of error meaning they are statistically tied. the polls and the packed rallies will mean little if voters don't turn out for monday's caucuses. rest assured these candidates are trying to do their best to make sure supporters show up. donald trump seemed to be front and center at his rivals' rallies even when he wasn't on their stage. >> reporter: with very little time remaining till the iowa caucuses, candidates are stumping all over the state saturday hoping to make a final push. in his first rally in iowa this weekend, donald trump spoke to a crowd in dubuque. >> we have a chance to do

something so great. make america great again. all these hats. we're losing on trade, we're losing with obamacare. >> reporter: even before trump took the stage he was the topic during several of his counterparts' rallies. >> as a result of the disastrous citizens united supreme court decision, as we speak, right now, this moment, on your television sets, billionaires are trying to buy elections. >> reporter: jeb bush also took shots at trump. >> you're not going to win by insulting the disabled. you're not going to win by insulting women. you're not going to win by saying p.o.w.s were losers because they got caught. shame on donald trump. >> reporter: the business mogul wasn't the only candidate getting attacked. marco rubio took his aim toward hillary clinton. >> there is a reason why hillary clinton and her super pacs spend more time attacking me than any other republican, bah they don't want to run against me. but i can't wait to run against

her. >> reporter: clinton and the e-mail controversy continue to haunt her on the campaign trail. she's putting her focus elsewhere. >> if the republicans want to use this for political purposes, that's their decision. but i'm going to keep talking about what the voters in iowa talk to me about. >> reporter: in des moines, iowa, i'm karen cafa. in iowa's african-american community many say the candidates have mostly ignored their votes in the past few months. >> god bless the great state of iowa. >> thank you so, so much. >> thank you, thank you very much. >> reporter: in the final hours before the iowa caucuses, candidates are crisscrossing the capital city to build support. >> iowa democrats, are you excited about the future? >> reporter: but after scores of events in des moines over the last several months, there is one community that is still waiting for candidates to ask for their votes. >> they avoid this neighborhood like maybe there may be ebola

around someplace. they never come here. >> reporter: in a state that's more than 90% white and covered in cornfields, reverend bobby young's neighborhood is mostly black and latino in des moines's inner city and the people here are poor. in their months of campaigning across the state, reverend young says the top-tier candidates in both parties have largely ignored their votes. >> this is my district. >> reporter: abdul samad represents this district in the statehouse. >> we have two schools here that are 100% free or reduced lunch. we're in an area where you won't find any businesses like restaurants and that type of thing. >> reporter: the disparity between white iowans and black iowans is stark and statewide. while iowa's unemployment in 2014 was 4.4%, for black iowans that number was 12%. >> you'd think if candidates

going on go anywhere and talk to anybody you'd talk to people hurting the most. >> reporter: the younger members of his congregation believe candidates are not coming because their community cannot afford to contribute. >> if we was able to donate $100, $1,000, $2,000, they'd come shake our hands too. when you're working at mcdonald's and paying rent, you don't have $100 to give to a candidate. >> there's another side to that, that we have to show our value. we're in my precinct which is the lowest voting turnout. it's not that we don't have the voters. they lack hope. they don't see hope. so they don't come out to vote. and when you have individuals that don't come out to vote, what happens with candidates? they focus on the areas that do. >> reporter: they say there is one exception. senator rand paul. he spent more than an hour at platinum cuts barber shop

talking about criminal justice reform. blacks are just 3.4% of iowa's population but they fill 25.5% of the state's prison cells. >> he made me look at him different. >> how so? >> because he was wanting to come into my shop and talk to us. and like i said, a lot of candidates ain't going to do that. >> reporter: young and abdul samad plan to caucus and are leading aggressive voter registration and caucus training programs and encouraging young people to participate too. because they treasure their votes even if they believe the candidates for president do not. >> i'm from the south where, you know, it cost us dog bites and fire hoses and everything else just to get our name on that paper and carry that little bitty card. we paid a dear price for that vote. i got to vote. but maybe it will be for an independent or somebody. it maybe won't be for a republican or democrat because they don't seem to care. from the united states to

with 11 republicans and three democrats running for the white house it can be hard for voters to keep track of everyone in the mix. cnn has put some iowans to the test and we'll show you that a little later. the french foreign minister has proposed a renewed peace initiative between israel and the palestinians. the plan calls for american, arab, and european partners to push for a two-state solution. if that effort fails the foreign minister said france would move on its own to recognize a palestinian state. following the story, oren lieberman joining us live in jerusalem. what more can you tell us about this? >> reporter: we're waiting to see if there's an official response from prime minister who w benjamin netanyahu. he is in his weekly cabinet meeting. this would be an opportunity for him to respond to the french foreign minister. so far israeli officials say a deadline on negotiations doesn't make sense because it encourages the palestinians to stall or to avoid negotiations. meanwhile the palestinians

welcome the french initiative. the french have been pushing at the security council for some sort of renewed negotiations, renewed peace talks, to move the two-state solution process forward. it is stalled and has been stalled since early 2014 when the last round of peace talks broke down. the palestinians said they will reach out to the french and to other members of the international community to see if they can reignite, restart, peace negotiations and move towards recognition of palestinian statehood. >> oren, since the wave of violence began in october, have there been any meetings between the leaders there, between mr. netanyahu and abbas? >> there have not. there was one handshake between the two at the end of november at the paris peace talks. both sides say that was a ceremony, the two were there, they shook hands. the two have not talked to each other. that was the first time they'd shaken hands in about five years. since then they haven't talked to each other, the sides have not communicated, in anything other than communications through the media, both sides

blaming the other, accusing the other of incitement, blaming the other for the failed peace process. >> israel and the palestinian authority have secure coordination. does this continue? >> it does and that's the interesting part. we've seen the attacks dwindle down. there are few compared to october, november. but throughout all of this, security coordination between israeli government and the palestinian authority has continued. we recently met with palestinian authorities and say that coordination continues and will continue. it doesn't appear to be in danger from either side here. so that in the middle of all this is still ongoing. >> oren lieberman live in jerusalem, we always appreciate your context and reporting there on this issue and many others. you're watching "cnn newsroom." still ahead, an encouraging sign for the syrian peace talks that are happening in geneva. ahead the important players who are now joining the negotiations. turkey summons the russian

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lactaid®. 100% real milk. no discomfort and for a creamy and delicious treat, try lactaid® ice cream does the smell of a freshly fill you with optimism? do you love your wireless keyboard more than certain family members? is your success due to a filing system only you understand? does printing from your tablet to your wireless printer give you a jolt of confidence? if so, you may be gearcentric. someone who knows that the right office gear helps you do great things. and there's one place that has it all. office depot officemax. gear up for great. there is a glimmer of hope from the syrian peace talks that are under way in geneva, switzerland. the umbrella group representing syria's rebels says it will join the negotiations with the u.n.

special envoy. the envoy's goal, a nationwide cease-fire among all factions except isis and the al qaeda affiliate al nusra front. the rebels had earlier said they would sit out on the talks until the syrian government agreed to stop attacking civilians. cnn's international diplomatic editor nic robertson is following it all and joins us in geneva. good to have you with us. explain to our viewers what those demands are. everything from stopping the bombing to making sure food and aid can get to people, what more are they asking for? >> prisoner release, folk focusing on women and children. the humanitarian aid access, we're told there are up to 18 different communities inside syria that are cut off, that are essentially being starved at this time. an end to the bombardment. what the hnc, high negotiating committee, is saying, this conglomeration of groups ranging from a former prime minister to

hard-core islamist groups, they are saying that these issues were enshrined in the u.n. resolution that brought about these talks in paragraphs 12 and 13. that's what they say. they say that they've come here to get involved in the political process. but not to go into the u.n. buildings, to get into the talks proper. so i asked one of their representatives here what happens if their demands to get these issues addressed before they go into talks, what happens if they're not addressed. >> i cannot really, you know, say that we would walk away now until we see the answers from mr. mustura and the countries that promised they would do something about it. for us it's really important to see this on the ground. >> specifically so we understand what precisely are you looking for in that language? and a firmness of guarantees that they can guarantee that the

bombardments can stop, that the food can get through, that the prisoners can be released? >> these are the issues that are very important to us. you know, they can -- i believe they can do it, you know. they're willing to do it, they can do it. >> the high negotiating committee are expected to meet with the u.n. special representative mediating the talks here and they're going to base their decisions on what to do next once they've heard from him. they're sending a seven-member delegation, a smaller group of people than the allotted 15, if you will. they're going to decide what to do after they've had that first meeting which is off the u.n. campus, if you will, at a hotel around here. the syrian government has already met with the u.n. representative, they met about two hours on friday. so the talks just beginning, if you will, but they're not up and running properly yet. >> nic, i want to push forward a bit more.

the talks, meeting i should say, set to happen, which is very crucial, which is very important. but help our viewers to understand, because you've been following this for quite some time and understand the delicacy here. how delicate it is to get all these sides to come together and even have this round of peace talks. >> reporter: well, i think we can see how delicate it and is how difficult it is that the last time they had peace talks was two years ago. it was here in geneva. and that failed after a couple of weeks. the u.n. special representative at the time said it failed because the syrian government only engaged to talk about the issue of terrorists, not to talk about the issues of transitional government that were important to the opposition. that's what these talks are about. it's taken the high negotiating committee, the opposition group here, the past week to decide even if they would show up here. they decided to show up. they're not actually physically going into the u.n. buildings

for the talks. it is delicate. there is the possibility that this could break down in the beginning. and even if they get past this stage, you still are looking ahead to the next couple of weeks to come to see if there is any movement from syrian governments, if there is any compromise on the part of the opposition. they have six months from these talks to then get to a new constitution. they're even debating is language. are they working towards a transitional government or a government of national unity? all these things sound like semantics but they're very delicate. it's inching forward but it's way, way, way too soon to see if there can be success. when you look at it, two years ago they were essentially in the same position. what has happened since? tens of thousands, tens of thousands more people have died and more than 1 million migrants fled that conflict and ended up in the surrounding areas. >> this is sort of a pie in the sky picture so pardon me for

putting this forward but is there even a sense of optimism about these talks, even though the sides have come together is there a sense of optimism that something can be done? >> i think when we talk to diplomats here about the aspirations and why they're doing this right now, they say, look, the russians are now different than two years ago, the russians are signed up to the political process this they were part of a u.n. security council vote that called into play the process we're in right now. they say, look, if we don't do something, then the killing continues. and also isis get stronger. it's sister and al qae isis and al qaeda are taking advantage in syria competing stronger so you have to try to do something. that's the diplomatic view that surrounds the talks right now. think everyone knows how tough this is. but the belief is, if you don't do something, it will only continue and potentially get worse. we see at the moment how this escalates. you have a massive amount of migrants streaming into europe.

it's divisive in europe. it's causing problems there. and also the tensions escalate and ripple throughout the region. sectarian senses are much bigger across the region now than they were perhaps a couple of years ago. all of this is at stake. >> there are so many people who are caught up in the middle of this. there's so much carnage, so much death and destruction all resting upon whether these sides can come together and find peace in syria. nic robertson in geneva, thank you. these peace talks are desperately needed for many of those people who are dying in syria. that's particularly true for the city of medaya where the former resort town is under siege. doctors without border says 16 people have starved to death there since the u.n. convoy brought food and supplies earlier this month. it says there are 320 cases of malnutrition, 32 of which are severe. the u.n. estimates 400,000 syrians are in dire need of

food. msf said the critically ill people in madaya should have been evacuate the weeks ago. nick payton walsh shows us the terrible situation inside that besieged syrian town. >> reporter: ice has gripped the town of madaya, adding to the siege and starvation, gnawing away at what's left of life here. aid came briefly along with global attention but now it's gone and the weak here are still said to be dying. this is dr. mohammad. he shows us fawa saaef, age 50. so malnourished he can't cope with food, only drip feeds. almost a ghost edging towards death. like his granddaughter lamar, just 9 months old. she seems dazed.

for more than seven months we've not had electricity, explains the doctor, we've nearly run out of wood. now plastic is often burned. the weakest, immobile. activist abdullah shows us. >> this child here is very ill. if he lives, he'll get sick and ill, and his stomach is really, really hurt him. he needs immediate go to hospital outside madaya -- >> reporter: a little food here probably won't save the acutely malnourished who need urgent medical help but it is handed out slowly. >> actually they don't bring food for people, the people here will die. because of starvation. >> reporter: here in a makeshift hospital, struggling to keep the lights on is where they come, hoping to find help. in the past ten days since the

arrival of relief supplies, the doctor says, there have been ten deaths. scores have arrived at the clinic unconscious. we have around 500 sick people in the town that need hospital treatment. syrian rebels have said they won't talk peace until sieges like these by the government are lifted. but rebels too are besieging other towns in the north. hunger a weapon of war. leaving 400,000 syrians without the food they need. neither truly alive nor dead. nick payton walsh, cnn, beirut. turkey is condemning what it calls a violation of its air space by a russian war plane. the foreign ministry says the jet was warned in both english and russian before it crossed into turkish air space from syria on friday. russia denies the allegations calling them "unfounded propaganda." turkey's military shot down a russian plane as you'll remember in november for entering its air

space, killing one crew member. turkish officials say the plane ignored several warnings, a claim russia disputes. derek van dam, severe weather is threatening the uk. >> that's right. the uk met service issuing amber alerts for the northwestern sections of the united kingdom for severe wind gusts. in fact, edinburgh had a wind gust over 100 kilometers per hour on friday and a series of storms that continues to impact the region, yet another one coming late tonight into the day on monday. here's someone who's enjoying the wind, george. i like this one. doggone windy in scotland. that's the best way to put it. at least someone can enjoy it. for the rest of us it's a nuisance, downing power lines and interrupting travel and transportation across the uk. guess what, there's another storm headed our way and it's going to bring the same concerns we received friday with that strong area of low pressure that came through.

look at the forecast wind gusts for the day on monday. dublin, liverpool, even london and edinburgh, 50 to 90 kilometers per hour. high-elevation peaks could easily top 120 clom testikilome hour. that's the potential to have hurricane-force winds for high-elevation areas. nonetheless it is going to be blustery thanks to this deepening area of low pressure that has formed across the atlantic. there will be a surge of warmth across southern exes of the uk. if you're in london, enjoy a warm day. of course it will be windy. maybe a few showers passing through. then a bitter drop in our temperatures because the cold front will pass through very quickly. look how tight the pressure gradient is. those white solid lines. that's an indicator to meteorologists there will be wind associated with this system and it will come in quite fierce. and there's the potential of even snowfall as well. we bring you to the united states where we're focusing our

attention on the central u.s. not only for the iowa caucuses taking place on monday but the potential of blizzard conditions that will form thanks to a storm that is going to start to really develop just east of the rockies. denver, kansas city, chicago, the potential of heavy snowfall. here it is forming across the four corners. southern california receiving rain sunday evening. then cold air drops in, changes precipitation to the frozen variety. we could easily pick up anywhere between 8 to 12 inches or even locally higher amounts from the rockies through the plains and that includes iowa. let's time this out for us. we've got the caucuses on monday. we do leave at cnn weather center the snow will hold off in the polls close at midnight and into the day tuesday. that's when the roads start to slicken up because of the fresh snow. 12 to 8 inches of snow possible. take a look at this. i'm going to leave you with this image. george, this is mars curiosity rover taking a selfie.

>> a selfie? >> did you think that was possible? >> he's got the angle right. >> he's got it all figured out. i thought this image was cool. i wanted to share it with our viewers. and that mars rover has been on the martian planet for 900 days now. >> derek van dam, thank you so much. now to the u.s. state of california. where three inmates who broke out of jail are now back behind bars. this after more than a week on the run. two of the fugitives were arrested saturday morning in the city of san francisco about 600 kilometers or 370 miles from the prison they escaped. they were found in a white van after a woman pointed it out to police saying it looked like the one authorities were searching for. a third inmate turned himself in on friday. police say the trio will be housed in the same jail but this time in a more secure unit. the white house hopefuls have been crisscrossing the state of iowa for weeks now. while hillary clinton and jeb

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welcome back to our viewers in the united states and around the world. you're watching "cnn newsroom." great to have you with us this hour. i'm george howell. the headlines we're following. france is proposing renewed peace talks between israel and the palestinians. the french foreign minister says he will push again for a two-state solution if and if talks fail france will move to recognize a palestinian state on its own. encouraging signs from the syrian peace talks in geneva.

representatives of the opposition group coalition say they will meet sunday with is u.n. special envoy running the talks. unless the syrian government eet halted its attacks on civilian targets. turkey condemning what it calls a violation of its air space by a russian war plane. the foreign ministry says the jet was warned in both english and russian before it crossed into turkish air space from syria on friday. russia denies the allegations calling them "unfounded propaganda." the u.s. presidential candidates crisscross the state of iowa making their final push for voters before monday's caucuses. republican front-runner donald trump is getting a boost from a new poll that gives him a five-point edge over main rival ted cruz in that state. it also shows democrat hillary clinton holding on to a very slim three-point lead over bernie sanders. both hillary clinton and donald trump certainly are familiar faces and name busy now to many iowans. but how about republican john kasich?

he is one of several candidates struggling to get the public's attention. and as our randi kaye reports some voters can't even put a name to a face. >> reporter: drake diner in the heart of des moines, iowa, served as our test kitchen. all we needed was our camera and an ipad loaded with photos of all the presidential candidates to test iowans' knowledge. some were certainly more recognizable. >> who's that? >> hillary clinton. >> who's that guy? >> jeb bush. >> where's he from? >> florida. >> does he have any famous family members? >> yes, two presidents. >> bernie sanders. >> republican or democrat? >> democrat. >> reporter: this guy everyone knew. >> who's that. >> donald trump. >> you know anything about him? >> too much. >> everybody reacts like that. >> that's the donald. >> you know anything else about him? >> we know everything about him.

>> do you know anything that he stands for? >> he wants to build a big wall. >> reporter: impressed? not so fast. beyond that, let's just say it wasn't pretty. look what happened when i showed these guys a picture of marco rubio. >> you're stumped. >> i know the face. >> can you guess? >> i'm thinking ted cruz. >> oh, guys, come on, really? >> really, yeah. >> okay. no. >> it's an attempt. >> how about i give you the initials? >> all right. >> that would help. >> m.r. >> oh, that's marco rubio. >> reporter: i gave them another chance with rick santorum. >> who's this? >> i'm going to withhold my answer to start with. >> okay. that means he doesn't know, do you know? >> i don't know. >> no idea? >> no, sorry. >> he's a presidential candidate. you guys want to phone a friend? do you want help? >> how about initials again? >> r.s.

>> rick santorum? >> that is. do you have any idea what state he's from? >> reporter: rick santorum was a challenge for her too. >> let's see if you know who this is. >> i do but i don't know that i can -- santorum? >> is she telling you names over here? >> i told her to. >> that is not allowed. >> reporter: the candidate that seemed to stump our group the most was republican john kasich. >> who's that? >> is that that kasich guy? >> is that that kasich guy? all right. >> i have trouble with his name. >> you definitely got some points there. did you know that? >> no. >> who'd you think it was? >> i have no idea. >> he's one of the republican candidates of the many, have no idea. >> he's not a hollywood actor, he's definitely a republican candidate, are you sure? >> i think so. >> you think so? you have no idea what his name is? >> no idea. >> reporter: democrat martin o'mally was tough for many. >> do you know anything about

this guy? >> is it rand paul? >> no, that's not rand paul. >> o'mally? >> there you go. do you know where he's from? >> no. >> did he ever hold political office before, do you know? >> was he a senator? >> i couldn't tell you. >> reporter: and this slip-up, precisely. >> who's this? >> that's jeb. >> okay. >> jeb bush. >> i was going to guess chris christie. >> that's jeb bush. >> that's jeb bush? okay. they're easily forgotten, in my book. >> reporter: randi kaye, cnn, des moines, iowa. >> you can keep track of what's happening in the iowa caucuses and the rest of the race for the white house right there on our website. just head over to cnn.com/politics for is latest election news. now we move on to the migrant crisis in europe. at least 33 migrants are the latest casualties in the aegean sea.

the asylum seekers were trying to make the dangerous trek from turkey to greece. at least five children are among the dead and 75 people were rescued. the international organization for migration says that more than 200 people have died at sea in the month of january alone. people in greece opened their hearts and their homes to migrants long before the international community did, and for their generosity a petition is now asking for the nobel peace prize nomination to go to the people in the aegean islands. >> reporter: from their house on the cliff, 81-year-old espiona and her husband, who just passed away, noticed the first boats in april of last year. >> translator: my mind went back years because my mother came as a refugee from turkey. i saw the people walking, drenched. it's a deep sorrow. i felt like my heart was breaking.

>> reporter: she calls them the red boats. she did what she could, putting out water, sandwiches, hosing people off to cool them down in the summer heat. often she wanted to run down the cliff when she heard screams for help. but her knees aren't strong enough. >> translator: do you know how many people drowned and were taken out of the sea? what can i say? i feel like i have seen everything. >> reporter: scattered graves lie in a plot in the lesbos cemetery, often marked with just a number and a date. small toys dent might go those of the youngest victims. the greek islanders found themselves the first responders in the months before the coast guard increased its numbers over the summer. before ngos finally arrived. for their actions, kindness and generosity, there have been petitions to nominate the islanders for the nobel peace prize.

thomas sorsavides is one of the many fishermen who time and time again inadvertently ended up on rescue missions when he was hauling in his nets. >> of course the weather wasn't very nice, okay? people, when you take people out, they start kissing your hands and this. when you see small children, women, that -- you know -- i think anyone would do it. >> reporter: the massive influx of migrants and refugees completely changed the nature of this tourist destination. all islanders have pitched in, drying clothes, providing food, blankets, even risking jail time. before the government and ngos provided official transport, driving refugees was considered smuggling. but maria andrewlaki did not care, cramming as many people as could fit in her tiny car. >> from here i was taking the people that they were walking. they had to walk 75 kilometers

from here down to the town and get registered. >> reporter: that is a one to two-day walk. you could have been arrested back then for this. what made you still stop? >> seeing kids at the age of my son walking. walking to get to the next station. i could see in their eyes my son, trying to get to life. searching to get a life. i couldn't just pass by and drive my car. >> reporter: it's that type of compassion that may earn the islanders the nobel nod. but maria says it's wrong. >> we're monsters if we don't do this. why should we be given a prize for being human beings? we are supposed to be human beings. >> reporter: in a world where humanity seems to be in increasing short supply, perhaps that is exactly why the islanders deserve to be recognized.

arwa damon, cnn, lesbos, greece. >> she says we're monsters if we don't do this, we have to be human beings. if you want to learn more about the migrant crisis in europe and find ways to help, head to our impact your world website at cnn.com/impact. the zika virus is spreading through south america at a rapid pace. next we discuss how it could be slowed down and maybe even stopped. hey, you forgot the milk! that's lactaid. right. 100% real milk, just without the lactose. so you can drink all you want... ...with no discomfort? exactly. here, try some... mmm, it is real milk. see? delicious. hoof bump! oh. right here girl, boom lactaid®. 100% real milk. no discomfort and for a creamy and delicious treat, try lactaid® ice cream

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the zeke that virus is rapidly spreading through colombia. the number of cases there has nearly doubled in the last ten days alone.

24 countries have active cases. but the list of affected areas seems to get longer by the day. brazil has south america's highest population and has been hit the worst so far. it is ground zero for the zika outbreak and it must still prepare for the summer olympics just months away. cnn's shasta darlington reports from zee row. >> reporter: the epicenter for the zika virus pandemic is here in brazil but the price sister is increasingly international. president roussef spoke by phone to president barack obama on friday and they agreed to work together to combat the mosquito that's spreading the virus, aedes aegypti, saying they could do research together and really try and speed up the development of a vaccine. that's because there isn't one, there isn't a cure right now. here in brazil, since the virus was detected in the first half of last year, that means that more than 4,000 cases of babies born with microcephaly have been reported.

these are babies with small heads and underdeveloped brains. this has been linked to the zika virus. president roussef says more needs to be done and quickly. >> translator: we are losing the battle against the mosquito. as long as the mosquito keeps reproducing, each and every one of us is losing the battle against the mosquito. we have to mobilize so we do not lose this battle. >> reporter: keeping track of zika is difficult. it's often asymptomatic. brazilian health officials say up to 1.5 million people have already been infected. they've dedicated 200,000 soldiers and health workers to going door to door trying to eradicate the pools of water where the mosquitos breed. in most cases the mosquitos breed inside people's homes so getting rid of that plant water, getting rid of the tanks of water where drinking water is stored. they're also fumigating. the problem is they've really had mixed success so far. it's the same mosquito that spreads dengue fever and last year there were a record number

of cases in brazil of dengue fever. with the olympics six months away in rio de janeiro, this is gaining a lot of urgency. officials here say they'll step up efforts as the games get closer, visiting the venues on a daily basis, making sure that any contact with mosquitos is minimized. they're also betting on the weather. the games are going to come in august. that will be smack dab in the middle of the winter right here in the southern hemisphere and the mosquito population will naturally drop off. shasta darlington, cnn, rio de janeiro. >> what exactly is zika? presently there is no vaccine to prevent it nor a medication to cure it. our chief medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta takes a closer look at the causes, at the symptoms, and how to protect yourself. >> here's what we know about zika. some of it will frighten you but may not as much as you think. it's a mosquito-borne virus, part of the same family as yellow fever, west nile, and

dengue. there is no vaccine to prevent zika or medicine to treat the infection. the most common symptoms include fever, rash, headaches, and red eyes. but 80% of people who get zika won't even know they have it. that's right. there are only symptoms in 1 in 5 people. the virus is spreading quickly across central and south america and the caribbean. what makes zika so scary is its alarming connection between the virus and microcephaly. that is, babies being born with heads and brains that are too small. in brazil and several other latin american countries, they've become concerned enough they've asked women there not to get pregnant. in the united states pregnant women are being told to postpone travel to any of these countries. in case you're curious, this is the blood sucker everyone's after. the female aedes aegypti, an aggressive biter that unlike other mosquitos feeds mostly during the day. for example, she's different than the mosquitos that transmit

malaria, who like to feed at night. that's important because bed nets won't help as much here. the best way to prevent infections is using insect repellent with deet. wearing thick long-sleeved shirts and long pants. staying inside in screened air conditioned areas as much as possible. >> dr. sanjay group that reporting. the world health organization has worned zika has the potential to become a global pandemic. saturday nic robertson smoke with the w.h.o. assistant director general about efforts to slow down the virus and to try to find a vaccine. >> this is really tough because remember, zika and, well, the aedes aegypti virus is carried by a mosquito that breeds in stagnant water. if you walk around any country in the world you've got tire lying there, a bucket lying there, they collect water. you're trying to get everybody out there to empty those things or actually apply a pesticide. >> you need the help of the population, you need governments

to understand, to get their populations aware. >> absolutely. >> the next solution is vaccines. where are we on the vaccine track? >> the goal is to look at what everybody's got on the shelf and quickly get anything promising into trials. >> w.h.o. can help accelerate that, the trials? >> absolutely. yeah. because -- so part of our job, just like on ebola, is getting the international community together, getting consensus, picking out what are the best possible candidates, getting the money behind that the trial designs, and moving those forward. and that is exactly the road. >> and time frame from where we're at today to a vaccine? >> probably the earliest -- again, we've heard a few different things. we could probably have something in a phase one trial in four to six months and something available in a year. >> for information about zika virus and what you can do to avoid it, visit cnn.com/zika. ahead on "cnn newsroom," we will hear from spacex ceo elon musk. why he thinks a colony on mars is so important for development

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space expeditions. while he sees colonizing planets as some see it as a pipe dream, the billionaire entrepreneur has a very different outlook on what space exploration should look like and why it's so important. kristie lu stout spoke to musk about his plans for the planet mars. >> you're also the ceo of spacex. the ultimate goal is mars. is getting humankind to mars. why does mars make sense? >> the goal of tesla is to minimize the existential threat of a delayed transition to a sustainable energy economy. the purpose of spacex is to help make life multi-planetary. if life as we know it is multi-planetary then the probable length of existence of human civilization is much greater. think of it like this. the unifying philosophy behind all three companies is trying to minimize existential threats. that kind of thing. >> and i see that.

but mars and -- >> why mars instead of something else? >> no, but how i see mars being your destination, sort of a backup plan for humankind? >> really i think there are two main motivations for mars. one is the sort of defensive reason of saying, okay, if something were to happen to earth, to life as we know it, does it end? if it's on another planet it probably doesn't end. a multi-planet civilization is likely to last a lot longer than a single-planet civilization. the other thing it would be an incredible adventure, very exciting. even if somebody never planned to go to mars, just following the progress i think vicariously would be quite inspiring. i do think it's important that we have things that inspire us. it can't just be about solving measurable problems all the time, because why get up in the morning? >> spacex plans to send a crew to the international space

station at the end of 2017 and musk says he will visit the station within the next five years. let's not forget about the dwarf planet pluto. scientists have discovered that pluto has much more frozen water than originally thought. a map from nasa's new horizon spacecraft shows pluto is coated with a large amount of ice. these images were taken about 108,000 kilometers, about 67,000 miles, above the planet. since new horizons flew by in july of 2015, pluto's new discoveries, like its ice surfaces and mysterious moons, have marveled scientists. what an impaj. we leave you with that. thank you for watching. i'm george howell at cnn center in atlanta. for our viewers in the united states "new day" is ahead. for other viewers "the best of quest" starts in a moment. you're watching cnn, the world's news leader. roll. bounty is two times more absorbent.

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i don't even think i have to campaign anymore. why am i wasting my time. i don't have to campaign. >> ted cruz has been my friend and has decided to run a deceitful campaign at the end. people see that. >> this campaign is fueled by a grassroots passion and energy that is nothing short of inspiring. >> we're working hard to get out to meet as many iowan as we can. >> i see myself as an