ovide clean energy for everyone here. it's been a great partnership. together, we're building a better california. shaky but holding. syria's cease-fire enters a third day. "spotlight wins the prize for best picture. nearly overshadowed by issues of race. republican and democratic candidates attack donald trump after controversial comments on the kkk. welcome to our viewers all around the world. i'm rosemary church. >> i'm errol barnett. thanks for kicking off your week with us. our two-hour block of "cnn

newsroom" starts now. the cease-fire in syria is well into its third day. and appears to be holding for the most part. the fighting there has dramatically slowed down. but it hasn't completely stopped. >> rebel groups say warplanes are attacking their positions. they blame russia for attacks. moscow has not commented. but other world powers have. in a meeting with his counterpart in saudi arabia, denmark's foreign minister warned that with the truce in place, the threat of military force must be kept on the syrian regime. listen. >> there are only a political solution to the syrian problem. but a political solution can only come with a military stretch. otherwise, assad will continue

with his regime where he has killed his own people. >> clarissa ward has just returned from the rebel-held territory. >> she was just west of the city of aleppo, where she sees firsthand how the cease-fire has held up. here is her exclusive report. >> reporter: we are in the heart of rebel-held syria. and this area has seen the most bombardment in the past few months. we've been travel all around here for nearly a week. and since the cessation of hostilities began, there's been a dramatic decrease in the number of air strikes. having said that, we visited a town on the outskirts of aleppo. and people there told us about 30 hours after the cease-fire began, there was an air strike on a house. we were able to capture some video.

there's been reports of clashes in other parts of the country. certainly, it does feel quite a bit quieter here. you won't find anyone celebrating about the cease-fire. that's for a number of reasons. in the run-up of the cessation of hostilities, there was a dramatic increase in russian bombardme bombardment. and the people who live here, don't trust the regime of ba sar al asad. they see this has a trick so that the regime can take more territory. many people are actually against the cease-fire. a few days ago, we attended a protest, where people were carrying signs saying this cease-fire is a betrayal of our martyrs, those who have died for the cause. they were chanting over and

over, we must keep on fighting and unite. even in the imam in his weekly sermon, was to continue to fighting not to give up. this highlights the people who are fighting and dying on the ground and the people outside of the country who are brokering these kinds of deals. clarissa ward, cnn, outside of aleppo. >> and tune in to see her reports from inside syria. at least 33 people were killed on sunday in a crowded market in baghdad. a suicide bomber blew himself up. >> a motorcycle rigged with explosives was decembtonated. angela merkel is defending her decision to open germany's

borders to migrants. she won't put limits on the number of migrants her country accepts. >> chancellor merkel says europe cannot allow greece to fall into chaos in the midst of the crisis. refugees at a border camp cheered open the border, as they blocked a cargo train bound from greece to macedonia on sunday. >> we are against the people who close the border in front of women, children and the sick. we thank the greek people for the hospitality. but thousands here on the border are a disdain of grace for all of europe. >> and more than 1 million migrants and refugees passed through greece. many flying conflicts in syria and afghanistan.

>> many times people feel the need to help those in crisis. head to our impact your world. cnn.com/impact. and you'll find a list of agencies providing humanitarian assistance. we want to turn to hollywood's biggest night. the 88th academy awards. >> this year's ceremony was hosted by chris rock, who wasted no time joking about the oscars controversy and the lack of black nominees. first, look at the big moments. >> and the oscar goes to -- "spotlig "spotlight." >> there's the dra mat pause we were looking for. "spotlight" took home best picture. >> and leonardo dicaprio won the oscar for his leading role in "the revenant."

other big winners, alejandro inarritu scored for his work in "the revenant." first-time nominee brie larson won best actress for her role in "room." mark rylance went to best supporting actor. and alicia vikander won for her role in "the danish girl." >> isha sesay is joining us. >> leonardo dicaprio winning for best oscar. he used the speech not to talk about himself and the five winless nominations. but he put the focus on climate change. tell us about that. >> indeed. l leo dicaprio, known for his

talking about the environment issues. he talked about the commitment to the issues. weave seen him do throughout this awards season. he did a similar thing, some weeks ago, to use that speech to talk about indigenous people and how they should be recognized and how their concerns should be taken to heart. it's a remarkable moment for leonardo dicaprio. there's those who say he won the award for "the revenant." this is not the film he should have won it for. he's played better characters and has been dominated five times for best actor. finally getting it on the fifth try. it's a very big night. and for much of hollywood, well-deserved. >> a case of catch-up. everybody is talk about chris

rock. what do people think about how he handled that issue? >> we had the post show. and we asked our viewers that same question. did he go too far? over 50% said he was right on point. didn't go too far. but there were a number of people who said it was a little difficult to watch. some of the jokes were very close to the bone. he came out on stage and immediately launched into it. there was no pause. no warm-up. he came out to fight the power. the nwa song. listen to some of what he had to say on this issue of whether or not hollywood is racist. >> is it burning cross racist? is it lemonade racist?

no. it's a different type of racist. >> it's a different type, kind of racism. you hear him saying that. he really -- a friend said it wasn't that he just called out the elephant in the room. he got on the elephant and he rode the elephant. >> a lot of people said to him, put a lot of pressure on him, you shouldn't be taking part in this. and he tackled that, didn't he? it was an extraordinary monologue. >> i thought it was extraordinary. that took a lot of bravery for him to come out and acknowledge the fact there had been that pressure, to boycott. he made the point and it's a correct one, if he boycotts it, the show would still go on. and he would just lose the role to kevin heart. >> isha sesay, in hollywood for us. what big party are you about to head out to?

>> why? so that you can keep tabs on me. >> exactly. i'm following your instagram right now. >> bye, guys. >> enjoy yourself. >> wonderful. still to come, donald trump, facing tough questions over a controversial endorsement from a white supremacist leader. what he has to say about that support, next. plus, the world finally gets a glimpse of the u.s. student obtained in north korea. you hear what the country says he confessed to doing. back in a moment. one day a rider made a decision. the decision to ride on and save money. he decided to save money by switching his motorcycle insurance to geico. there's no shame in saving money. ride on, ride proud. geico motorcycle,

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welcome back. all right. donald trump is dealing with unwelcomed controversy as he prepares for super tuesday. >> the u.s. republican presidential front-runner faced questions about retweeting a quote from benito mussolini. >> it reads, it is better to live 1 day as a lion than 100 years as a sheep. trump shrugged off its origin.

>> mussolini was mussolini. it's a good quote. it's an interesting quote. and i know who said it. what difference was it make if it's mousussolini or somebody e. it's an interesting quote. >> you want to be associated with a fascist? >> no. i have about 14 million followers on twitter and instagram. it got your attention, didn't it? >> trump's rivals are also blasting him for not condemning a leader of the kkk during his cnn interview. here's what trump had to say when jake tapper pressed him on distancing himself. >> i don't know about david duke, okay? i don't know anything about what you're talking about with white supremacy or white supremacist. >> should the head of the conservative movement, should

the republican nominee, be someone today, like donald trump, refused -- refused to criticize the ku klux klan. he was interviewed on cnn and asked to disavow the ku klux klan. he refused to do it. he was asked to criticize and disavow david duke. he said he didn't know who that is. he knows who that is. >> donald trump picked up an endorsement from a sitting u.s. senator. >> republican jeff sessions of alabama publicly announced his support of the presidential contender at a rally sunday. >> i told donald trump this isn't a campaign. this is a movement. look at what's happening. >> this endorsement comes before the biggest single day of the primaries, super tuesday. 13 u.s. states have primaries or

caucuses, that could decide who becomes the presidential nominee for the republican and democratic parties. >> on the republican said, a new poll out sunday, gives donald trump big leads in georgia and tennessee. and ted cruz has his home state of texas. >> now, among the democrats, hillary clinton was barn storming across tennessee on sunday. she defeat eed bernie sanders wh 74% of the vote. >> the margin gives clinton a surge of momentum going into super tuesday. thanking supporters, clinton talked about her next target, republican front-runner, donald trump. >> despite what you hear, we don't need to make america great again. it never stopped being great. but we do need to make america

whole again. instead of building walls, we need to be tearing down barriers. [ cheers and applause ] we need to show by everything we do, we really are in this together. >> bernie sanders is acknowledging he took a drubbing in south carolina, where clinton won handily among african-american voters. >> but sanders says he will make a stronger showing with that voting group when the primaries hit north and west. >> i think you're going to see us doing, and the polls indicate it, much better within the african-american community, outside of the teep south. you're going to see us better in new york state, where i think we have a shot to win, in california and michigan. but you're right, we have to do a lot better. what we're doing is putting together a coalition of working class people, young people. of many other folks who understand that the economy today is not working for the middle class.

it's working for the people on top. people who have reservations about secretary clinton's foreign policy. her vote for the war in iraq. >> and on your television, your smartphone or your tablet, stay on cnn for all the coverage of the super tuesday primaries. we'll have teams throughout the day and into the night, only here on cnn. we'll take a short break. still to come, a u.s. student detained in north korea speaks out for the first time. the strange circumstances that led to his arrest. that's next. so i need nutrition... that won't weigh me down. for the nutrition you want without the calories you don't... try boost® 100 calories. each delicious snack size drink gives you... 25 vitamins and minerals and 10 grams of protein. so it's big in nutrition and small in calories. i'm not about to swim in the slow lane.

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>> north korean officials say the conference was held at his own request. but it's unclear if he was coerced to speak. >> it is the first time that reporters have seen him since january 2nd. and will ripley joins us from more from beijing to talk more about this. what is he admitting to have done? and what were the circumstances leading up to his arrest? >> this is the first time we are learning these details. and it is interesting to say what he is accused of doing. the day before he was leaving north korea, he was there as a tourist, on a chinese tour agency, that sends foreigners on

tours. they do it on a regular basis. it was on the last day, around 2:00 a.m., he is accused of going to the second floor of the hotel, where most of the foreign tourists stay, when they're in the north korean capital. he went to the second floor and was looking for a banner or sign with a political slogan on it, with the intent of taking down the banner or sign, and folding it up and taking it in his suitcase and taking it out of the country. for an american college student, stealing a sign is not an uncommon thing. it's something that college students do, as a prank, a minor prank. but north korea, if you do something like that and you're happening to take a sign with a political message on it, you can see the end result. this young man, 21 years old, he has been detained for two months. he gave a very emotional plea in front of the cameras earlier. listen to what he said.

>> i entirely beg you and the government of the dpr korea, for your forgiveness. please. i made the worst mistake of my life. but please, act to save me. please. please, think of my family. >> now, we have no idea if he was making that confession under duress of any kind. that video was supplied to me by a contact of mine inside of north korea. it was also, that moment was recorded by north korean media. they put out a bulletin in the last couple of hours. we reached out to the university of virginia and the zee society. he claims that the zee society put him up to this, an incentive to get into this group. also, he said that a church in

his home state of ohio also encouraged him to do this. a church member offered to pay him money. that's according to his confession, that the north korean provided to us. the church and the student organization said they had no knowledge of any of this. and he continues to be in legal lim limbo, unsure of what's going to happen next. >> when we look at that, he's clearly distressed. we don't know if he was coerced into this. but emotional. given what we've seen in the past, what is likely to happen to this young man? we've interviewed a number of detainees in north korea. the first time was in 2014, when we were granted a surprise interview with three americans. two was tourists. one was a korean-american missionary. and all of them, within the sit-down interview, they were

released after intervention with the united states. north korea is looking for political leverage here at a time when they are about to face new heightened sanctions as a result of their nuclear test and the satellite launch that was directed. it could be used by the regime as a political pawn, if you will. in his message, he talked about being corrupted by the united states administration, influenced by the united states. and that fits into the language that the pyongyang regime likes to use when they're describing the united states and their actions in this region. >> it does. will ripley, reporting there, live from beijing, keeping an eye on this story. we appreciate that. more to come for you this hour. a big win after a major election in iran. now, this vote is also key for another reason. the impact on iran's next supreme leader. details after the break.

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a warm welcome back to our viewers in the united states, and all around the world. i'm rosemary church. >> i'm errol barnett. we're half an hour in. let's update you on our top stories right now. >> the film "mad max: fury road" dominated on the oscars. it did not take best picture, that went to "spotlight." chris rock, the host of the ceremony, krtalked about the controversy of the lack of black

nominees. trump deflected questions from jake tapper about support from the kkk and white supremacy groups. two suicide bombings killed 66 people in a crowded baghdad market on sunday. a motorcycle rigged with explosives caused one of the blasts. isis has claimed responsibility for the attacks which took place in a predominantly shiite district. a new danger in iraq at the moment. u.s. embassy officials say the mosul dam is struggling to hold. a breech could mean disaster. we go to jordan to discuss this. jap jomana, detail for us the extent of violence that we've seen isis inflict, in iraq, specifically baghdad. >> well, errol, as you mentioned earlier, that attack yesterday in sadr city, the shia district of the capital, a

double-bombing. a suicide bomber and a motorcycle bomb, killing 66 people, injuring more than 150 others. and this comes after a few days where we saw another double-suicide bombing also claimed by isis, targeting a shia mask in northwestern baghdad. these isis attacks, targeting the population in iraq, trying to exacerbate the sectarian factions in the country, aiming to re-ignite the sectarian violence we saw in the country. and a development we are learning about now. yesterday, according to security officials, isis militants launched a coordinated attack on the outskirts of baghdad, the area of abu ghraib. halfway between baghdad and fallujah. and according to security oo

officials, isis killed several forces. and they managed to hold two areas where they took over for about ten hours until the attack was rappelled. and they were pushed back. the militants kill were frying to get details of this. we've been hearing that isis has lost some territory in iraq, in the northern part of the country or in the west in anbar province. but the group is capable of launching deadly attacks. and launching this coordinated effort and taking ground, they had failed to take even in 2014, when they did that major push across the country, taking large parts of anbar province. a very worrying development. although, we're hearing from security officials they managed to push them back at this point, errol. >> unnerving, to hear that isis is able to gain ground anywhere. what can you tell us about the massive dam, further north, up in mosul. it is holding back 12.5 million

cubic meters of water. there's new warnings about its stability. what's new there? >> there's been concern about the mosul dam. isis took over that dam briefly in august of 2014. and then, kurdish and iraqi forces backed by the coalition managed to take the dam. there was concerns at the stability of the dam and its maintenance. now, we're hearing after a new months of the iraqi government not going into the details of the situation of the dam, overnight, the u.s. embassy in baghdad releasing a very worrying statement saying, quote, there's serious unprecedented risk of catastrophic failure when it comes to the dam. and they're warning, errol, the flooding from that dam, they don't give a time line when this could happen. there could be significant flooding in the pathway of the flood, which hit cities,

including mosul, eric's second-largest city, and downwards towards tikrit. and reaching some parts of baghdad. it could reach baghdad international airport. and they say that this needs to be dealt with fast. they say the iraqi government has an emergency plan in place. we're hearing from the iraqi prime minister, also at the same time, releasing a statement saying they have an emergency plan in place. but they're also downplaying it. it's an unlikely scenario, they will have warnings if that happens. right now, the water levels are at a 307 meters and for the dam to overflow or to burst, it needs to reach 319 meters. but they're reassuring people they have a plan in place at this point, errol. >> all right. that's the latest information. i know you will watch it closely.

thank you. a cease-fire has cut down the bloodshed in syria. but it hasn't stopped it completely. the truce went into effect midnight local time friday. >> it is the first attempt at peace in four years. sporadic air strikes by russian warplanes are threatening the relative calm. >> barak jafi joins me now. he is a research fellow at the new america foundation. thank you, sir, for being with us. the cease-fire in syria appears to be holding, at least for now, representing the first attempt at peace in four years. how much of a threat to the truce could these violations on both sides prove to be, do you think? and how much success has there been in getting aid through? >> initially, a lot of the violations have not brought the sides to violate the truce and call it off.

we've seen some air attacks, we believe by the russians, at the ya, idlib and aleppo. both sides right now, really want to see how far they can get at the negotiating table. >> and what proof is it that it's russia behind the air strikes? >> according to some of the observatory groups say they believe the russians are carrying out the air strikes. as you know, rosemary, since the russians came into the fight, in the fall, they carried out the lion's share of the air strikes against the targets in syria. >> how likely do you think it is for peace talks to, perhaps, come out of this particular cease-fire? >> i'm not optimistic we will see progress at the peace table for a number of regions. one, the regime is emboldened in the last few months. it's not in a mood to make

concessions that are necessary for the rebels to agree to a complete cease-fire andened to an armed interaction. the key command that assad step down. he is not willing to agree that. neither are the russians. without that concession, at the end of the day, the peace talks will not go anywhere. >> what role do you believe saudi arabia is playing right now? in the conflict in area? and what will it likely do, if the cease-fire fails? >> as you know, rosemary, the reason that the saudis are in there, they severe ya as another part of the proxy war against iran. the divide that has been riveting the region since the americans occupied iraq in 2003, the saudis are supporting sunni rebel groups. the saudis have been positive arriving at a cease-fire and encouraging their local allies

to come to the negotiating table. at this point in time, saudi arabia is playing a positive role. >> all right. barak barfi, pleasure to talk to you. thank you so much. a final tally from a crucial election in iran is getting closer. and there's already some controversy. >> those loyal to iran's president are poised to score a major victory in parliament, now, a key hard liner is accusing them of working for the west. and we've just learned that reformists will take 15 of the 16 seats reserved for tehran, in the important assembly of experts. fred is in tehran with the latest. >> reporter: more and more results are coming in from iran's elections. and if they stand, it could be the case that the reformists and the moderates may have won a resounding victory. here for the tehran area, projections are that the performists and moderates may have taken all 30 seats

available for tehran. we have to keep in mind there was a second election for the council of experts, which is a religious body that will vote the next supreme leader. that's an important election. and for the tehran area, it seems as though the moderates and reformers are ahead. the two, top people on that list, both really big figures in the reformist and moderate movement. the conservatives for their part are saying, not so fast. yes, the moderates may have won here in tehran. they believe in the rest of the country, they are ahead. interesting. look at the results coming in, there are candidates who are listed as independents, where it's not really sure, which way they would go politically and on which said they stand. we have been speaking to team here in tehran. we've gotten mixed results as to

how they feel about how this is shaking up. >> if the results, be as they are, exactly, as they are, that could make a change. >> people, yes. they say we will, again, reform the country. and we will to all our work for country. but after they choose, no. nothing. >> reporter: of course, many people saw this as a referendum on the policies of hassan rouhani and the president on how he's done in 2 1/2 years. and the centerpiece of the policies has been the nuclear agreement between iran and the west, which brought this country sanctions relief. many people have not benefitted from the sanctions relief. but the results coming in from the election validate the

policies of rohani. and if the party has more reformers in it, it could make it easier for rohani to push through other things that he wants to do. the election council continues to say not so fast. the results are still coming in. they believe that final results are be available some time on monday. fred, cnn, tehran. we will relive the moments of the 88th awards. and how chris rock took on the racial controversy surrounding this year's oscars. we live in a pick and choose world. choose, choose, choose. but at beedtime? why settle for this? enter sleep number and the ultimate sleep number event, going on now. sleepiq technology tells you how well you slept

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well, i'm here at the academy awards. otherwise known as the white people's choice awards. you realize, if they nominated host, i wouldn't even get this job. so, y'all be watching neil patrick harris right now. >> there you have it. it was no holds barred for chris rock, who tackled the oscars so white controversy from the beginning of the show. >> the academy was criticized

for lack of diversity in nominees. some were waiting to see how he would respond. his stint appeared to have gone well. >> for more on the controversy and other major oscar moments, we call upon chris beacham. >> good to see you, too. >> let's start with host chris rock and how he dealt with the diversity issue at the hoscars. a lot of pressure was beared out. some suggesting he should boycott the awards. and he tackled that topic head-on, didn't he? >> he really did. i think they got very lucky. he was announced months ago before this controversy happened. being a prior host, he had the experience of knowing what he wanted to do. and i'm sure his friends and fellow writers, everybody was probably really wanting him to do a great job. and i thought the monologue was

incredible. >> what i noticed overall with the show, you had director alejandro inarritu. he won for second year in a row, for "the revenant." he noted the aspects of diversity. and something i heard, the play-up music began and then, it stopped. how unusual is that? you get the sense that the academy is getting the message there needs to be more diversity overall? >> that's right. it's not just the lack of black nominees. it needs to be diversity across the board. a mexican director, like alejandro, asians, latinos. it's a hollywood problem, not a oscar problem. it needs to come from within. and better movies, better projects for everybody. >> yeah. we look forward to more discussion on this, of course, in the hours and days ahead. just wanted to quickly ask you,

about mad max. that dominated with six wins. but it was "spotlight," that took home the best picture but no other awards. that's unusual. what did you make of that? >> "spotlight" only took a screenplay with best picture. the last time that happened that a movie won two awards was "greatest show on earth." we're looking like 60 years ago or more. >> of course, leonardo dicaprio finally wins. do you think it was for "the revenant" or for his body of work? >> that's a good question. his sixth nomination overall. his fifth for acting. he's been a good sport over the years. a great body of work. he was nominated very young, back when he was a teenager. so, he's been doing this a long time. and he's a great campaigner. i've seen him out at parties and events in the last few weeks. he knew what he was doing. >> chris, overall, how about a

score for this oscars? it goes on, hour after hour. chris rock was just extraordinary. but overall, what do you think? what would you rate this? >> i would say somewhere in the "b" range. these producers, they would learn from the experience and do a better job. the show really for me was moving along very quickly, that first couple of hours. then, it started to slow down. we've had a couple of surprises, like mark rylance beating sylvester stallone. or "spotlight" winning the last prize of the night. >> chris beacham, thanks for your insight, joining us from l.a. and like everyone else, enjoy the parties. don't rub it on n our case. got the sweater on. maybe it's a more laidback party. but enjoy yourself. >> thank you. want to turn to the weather. and severe storms are battling italy and france this week. and spring is in the air in

parts of north aaron sha. let's go tour pedram javaheri. we want to see spring. >> great news. shorts and t-shirt weather. a lot across northern asia. europe, france and italy, incredible photographs of severe storms that battered the region. the storms turned fatal across this area this weekend. you see a massive disturbance that's locked in across corsica and sardinia and caused four fatalities. three of whom lost their lives because of trees coming on the vehicles. some winds as fast as 160 kilometers per hour. five reports of tornadoes across this region. the storm system, as seen from satellites, depiction across this region, the area around the sahara desert. this is a plume of sand pushed

towards portions of italy in the past couple of days. recent studies have suggested that sand has been found at altitudes of 11,000 feet across the swiss alps. it's been deposited there. microbes found that incredible at such attitudes. but the imagery being pushed over this region. the snowfall is tremendous over the alps. some areas in 20 or 30 centimeters have come across this region of europe. there, it doesn't feel like spring in parts of europe and asia. there's seoul in south korea. some snowshowers in this region. a dramatic change in the forecast. there's the storm system that caused the snowshowers. exiting japan and pushing away from the islands. the temperatures in places like seoul, go from 3 celsius, up to 17 celsius, in a matter of four days. incredible climb.

above the average of six for this time of year. for seoul, it will be mild. work your way into beijing. this is going to be the warmest setup across beijing. last time it was this mild, was in november of 2015, across beijing. some changes in the temperatures across that area. and a quick glance across the united states. we're watching pretty powerful storms pushing across the southern u.s. the next couple of days. this happens, we know, the primaries, the caucuses for 13 states. it has people going out to the polls in memphis, one of the cities for severe weather potential, going into the afternoon hours of super tuesday. and in nashville, some wet weather possible. and in the past, we've seen the impact voter turnout when it comes to inclement weather.

it's something we will follow going into super tuesday, guys. >> what impact will the weather have? we'll see. >> we cover the world spectacularly. you can always follow us on twitter. we like to hear from everybody. don't we? i'm rosemary church. >> and rosie just joined instagram, folks. i'm teaching her all of the tricks. >> he is. >> back next hour with live reports from beijing and tehran. plus news as it breaks. stay with us. ♪ [ male announcer ] andrew. rita. sandy. ♪ meet chris jackie joe. minor damage, or major disaster, when you need us most, we're there. state farm. we're a force of nature, too. ♪

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shaky but holding. a truce in syria enters a third day with no major violations. under fire. donald trump caught new controversy after refusing to distance himself from kkk supporters. also coming up -- >> and the oscar goes to "spotlight." >> "spotlight" wins the prize for best picture and an academy awards nearly overshadowed by issues of race. a big welcome to our viewers here in the states and from those watching all around the world. i'm errol barnett. >> i'm rosemary church. thank you for joining us. this is cnn newsroom.

>> the skies in syria are relatively calm almost three days after a cease-fire has taken effect there. the violence has slowed down. but the truce hasn't completely stopped the bloodshed. >> some world powers say military pressure on the syrian regime may be called for, even with the truce in place. >> there are only a political solution to the syrian problem. but a political solution can only come with a military stretch. otherwise, assad will continue his barbaric regime where he has killed hundreds of thousands of his own people. >> now, senior international correspondent, clarissa ward, has just returned from rebel-held territory in syria. she was northwest of the city of aleppo, where she saw firsthand

how the cease-fire is holding up. >> she is virtually the only western journalist to travel to the heavily-hit area in a year. and here is our exclusive report. >> reporter: we are in the heart of rebel-held syria. and this area has seen the most bombardment in the past few months. we've been travel all around here for nearly a week. and since the cessation of hostilities began, there's been a dramatic decrease in the number of air strikes. having said that, we visited a town on the outskirts of aleppo. and people there told us about 30 hours after the cease-fire began, there was an air strike on a house. we were able to capture some video. there's been reports of clashes in other parts of the country. certainly, it does feel quite a bit quieter here. you won't find anyone celebrating about the

cease-fire. that's for a number of reasons. in the run-up of the cessation of hostilities, there was a dramatic increase in russian bombardment. and the people who live here, don't trust the regime of ba sar al asad. they see this has a trick so that the regime can take more territory. many people are actually against the cease-fire. a few days ago, we attended a protest, where people were carrying signs saying this cease-fire is a betrayal of our martyrs, those who have died for the cause. they were chanting over and over, we must keep on fighting and unite. even in the imam in his weekly sermon, was to continue to fighting not to give up. this highlights the people who are fighting and dying on the ground and the people outside of the country who are brokering these kinds of deals. clarissa ward, cnn, outside of aleppo.

>> and tune in to see her reports from inside syria. the rebel groups in syria say russia is behind the latest air strikes in their positions. moscow has not commented. we want to turn to matthew chance, in moscow. he joins us live with more. matthew, the fingers being pointed at russia. what does the evidence tell us? and how and when is russia likely to respond? >> there's been reports that there's been air strikes carried out in aleppo. the russian air force has been active in supporting a

controversy offensive to retake that city. so far, as you mentioned, the russian defense ministry has not confirmed or denied that it has carried out any air strikes over the course of the past 24, 48 hours, inside syria. they have issued a statement, commenting on the progress of the cessation of hostilitiehost. in general, the cease-fire, has been observed in syria. the russians have identify a number of violations that they've disclosed. one of them, apparently, in latkia, one of the strongholds. the turks themselves have been

party to the violations of the cessation of hostilities in the past 24 hours. the russians recording nine incidents in the past day, that they say are a violation of the terms of that cease-fire or of that cessation of hostilities. we have situation where both on the terms. both sides, including the russians, are saying the truce is generally holding. >> in the lead-up of this truce, the united states indicated it doesn't trust russia completely. how is that playing out now? how did it play out across russia? >> i mean, yeah. there's a degree of mistrust between the united states and moscow. though, at this point, it's the

u.s. and russian relationship and their diplomacy together that has developed in the cessation of hostilities. it's an agreement that i don't think anybody argues isn't weighted in favor of russian interests. russia has been backing bashar al assad since last year, when it sent its military to drop up the regime of bashar al assad. it's done that successfully. just a few months ago, bashar was facing defeat, of course. and in the past several weeks, before the cessation of hostilities, the military have been making territorial gains. the syrian government hasn't controlled for years. and it's generally a good thing. it means that the u.n., along with the russians, as well as and other parties, can get more

humanitarian aid in the areas that need support. and give some basic sustenance to the millions of people inside syria that have been deprived of food and water over the past several months of conflict. >> thanks to matthew chance, bringing us that live report from moscow. it is the eve of super tuesday. this is the biggest single day of the u.s. presidential primaries. 13 u.s. states have caucasuses or primaries to could decide who becomes the nominee for the republican and democratic parties. >> on the republican side, a new poll released sunday gives donald trump big leads in georgia and tennessee. but ted cruz holds a wide lead in his home state of texas. >> among democrats, hillary

clinton hit the campaign trail in tennessee, where she responsibilities to continue her recent success. >> and she spoke to a mostly african-american crowd in nashville, a demographic that catapulted her to a blowout win in south carolina. she took a veiled swipe at republican front runner donald trump, and his campaign slogan, make america great again. >> i believe that america is great. right now. what we need is to be whole. we need to be whole, where all of us have a place, where everybody feels like we're all in this together. that's what i want to do in this campaign. and what i want to do as your president. clinton's rival, bernie sanders, is not backing down. he was in oklahoma on sunday, one of the many states he hopes

to win on super tuesday to stay competitive with clinton. >> speaking in oklahoma city, he hit one of his most common critiques of clinton, her speaking fees on wall street. >> if you're going to get paid $200,000 for a speech, it must be a pretty damn good speech. and if it is such a good speech, you're ought to release the transcripts. let everybody see it. >> donald trump is under fire, as he prepares for super tuesday. >> the republican front-runner was questioned about retweeting a quote from mussolini. >> it reads, quote, it is better to live 1 day as a lion than 100 years as a sheep. trump defended the use of this quote. >> it's okay to know that mussolini. mussolini was mussolini. it is an interesting quote. and i saw it. i saw what -- i know who said

it. but what difference does it make, whether it's mussolini or somebody else. it's an interesting quote. >> you want to be associated with a fascist? >> no. i want to be associated with interesting quotes. and i have almost 14 million people between instagram and facebook and twitter and all that. and we do interesting things. and i sent it out. certainly, another got your attention, didn't it? >> trumps opponents also blasting him for not blasting a leader of the kkk. trump said this when jake tapper asked him about distancing himself. >> i don't know about david duke. i don't know what you're talking about with the white supremacy or white supremacist. >> should the head of the conservative movement, should the republican nominee, be someone that today, like donald trump, refused -- refused to criticize the ku klux klan?

he was interviewed on cnn. and asked to disavow the ku klux klan and he didn't do it. he was asked to disavow david duke. he knows exactly who that is. >> despite the criticism, donald trump picked up his first endorsement from a sitting u.s. senator. >> jeff sessions of alabama announced the support of the contender at a rally sunday. i told donald trump, this isn't a campaign. this is a movement. look at what's happening. >> i think it's safe to say, larry sabato has never seen a situation like this with a republican front runner. that's saying something. he is the director for politics at the university of virginia. he joins us from charlottesville, virginia. what do you make of donald

trump's wobbly response to racist support? he seems reduck luck taunt to disavow it. >> it's hurting hip. very few things have with his base. he's been able to survive controversies. but just about everybody has jumped on trump, for not disavowing david duke instantly as he has done before and has now done again. and refusing at one point, the comment about the kkk. this has energized marco rubio and ted cruz, his two prime opponents on super tuesday. how much impact will it have? i expect trump to win the lion share of the states on tuesday. but it has weakened him. >> as you mentioned, time is running out for the nomination to be handed to a different republican candidate. donald trump got his first endorsement from a sitting

senator. and the majority of accomplishment figures fear a trump nomination. they fear it hands the election to the democrats, the white house and the senate, as well. overall, is the republican party in disarray? >> oh, i think it's a question of how much disarray. this is a party that's badly split. at the moment, at least, it's difficult to see a way out for them. if they nominate trump, they're going to lose a large portion of mainstream republicans. they won't vote for hillary clinton, the democratic nominee. they will vote for some independent that files. but it means they can't win. and if trump is not nominated, many of trump's followers with l not vote for the eventual nominee. this is a major problem. >> it's fascinating to watch this unfold, as well. on the flipside, hillary clinton says her national campaign has kicked off, after her decisive win in south carolina's primary on saturday.

she got 74% support, compared to bernie sanders 26%. is she out of the woods yet? there's some match-ups that show bernie sanders doing better against trump. what's the story there? >> she can see the clean field out of the woods. she is close to having, in essence, the nomination. she doesn't have the delegates to be nominated. when she can beat bernie sanders in south carolina, and likely to win the lion share of the states and the delegates up on tuesday, super tuesday, it's really only a matter of time until she is declared the effective nominee. >> larry sabato, the director for the center of politics at the university of virginia. thanks for your time, larry. >> thank you, errol. let's take a short break here. still to come, the u.s. student

detained in north korea speaks out for the first time about his arrest. why pyongyang says he is being held there. and leo ke cdicaprio wins bn l.a. we'll tell you the other winners of hollywood's biggest night. need to hire fast?

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a north korean official says a u.s. student detained there has confessed to a, quote, hostile act. he spoke at a news conference monday. >> pyongyang says the conference was his idea. but it's unclear if he was forced to speak or if he did so in his own words. >> it's the first time reporters have seen him since he was arrested january 2nd. will ripley joins us live from beijing to discuss this. you know this better than anybody. it's hard to what is the deal with the detained american? >> the north korean officials

who told me about the press conference, long before it happened. this was in the works over the weekend. this was an eager request on the part of the student who was detained, just after the new year in pyongyang, as he was ready to board the airplane, to leave after a tour of the country with a tour group. at that time, we didn't know the charges that he had faced, though some who were in his tour graup said a lot of the people were out at the time. and now, this press conference reveals, he is accused of doing, what he is confessing to. if it was made under surs re. around 2:00. he went to the second floor of the hotel, where only the staff are housed. and in areas where north koreans are staying, there are often these propaganda banners.

and apparently, he attempted to steal one of the slogans, take it down. put it in his suitcase. he realized it would be too large for him to take out of the country, he left it in the hallway. in the united states this, is a simple college prank. clearly not the case in north korea. listen to the emotional confession that he gave. >> i entirely beg you, and the government of the dpr korea, for your forgiveness. please, i have made the worst mistake of my life. but please, act to save me. please. think of my family. >> now, the charges against him that the north korean government presented to us, alleged that he did this in cahoots with the central intelligence agency, the cia, a church and a student group at his university.

we reached out to the state department, the university and the church, they all say they have no connection to this, errol. >> sometimes we can look at kim jung un, the regime or the calendar to explain his behavior. why is this happening now? >> north korea is about to face even more heightened international sanctions than they have previously due to the h-bomb test earlier this year, and a satellite launch a couple of weeks later, that a lot of people feel was a front for the testing of a missile. these sanctions are looming. and the young american, who may or may not have done something frankly not wise, in north korea, it's not wise to do anything that could be politically-charged at all in that country, if you're a visitor there. and if what he is confessing to is the case, he now becomes a political pawn. he gives the north korean regime leverage as they try to open a dialogue with the united states. and at this moment, there's a

united states citizen being held there, even though the charges, other people may look and not think this is something so serious. it is being taken very serious. penalties can be prison time, hard labor and the rest. >> the world's worst place to pull a prank. will ripley joining us from beijing. thanks. turning in a very different direction now to hollywood's biggest night. 88th academy awards, highlighting the best achievements in the movie industry. >> this year's ceremony was hosted by chris rock, who wasted no time to talk about the oscar so white controversy. and the lack of black nominees. first, the big moments. >> and the oscar goes to. "spotlight." >> "spotlight," took home the top prize of the night, winning the oscar for best picture. >> and finally, actor leonardo

dicaprio won his first oscar for his leading role in "the revenant." and other big winners of the night, alejandro inarritu scored his second-straight oscar for best director. this time for his work in "the revenant." first time oscar nominee brie larson won for best actress. that's for her role in "the room." >> mark rylance bester is porting actor for "bridge of spy." and best supporting actress went to alicia vikander for her role in "the danish girl. ." >> there were other memorable moments. stephanie elam was there. >> reporter: everyone was waiting to see how chris rock was going to handle the oscars so white controversy. and he wasted no time getting right into it. >> well, i'm here at the academy awards.

otherwise known as the white people's choice awards. you realize, if they nominated host, i wouldn't get this job. [ laughter ] >> leonardo dicaprio. >> reporter: the night's big winners including leonardo dicaprio. his fifth acting nomination. and he finally got the oscar for "the revenant." thank you. thank you all so very much. thank you to the academy. thank you to all of you in this room. >> as for the ladies, brie larson was the favorite to win for her role in "room." she got her gold statue. and best supporting actress, alicia vikander won for "the danish girl." she was still surprised she won. this looks like on oscar. >> i had to wake up at 2:00, 3:00, with my mum every year to watch this on telly. it's not really real.

>> spotlight ran away with the win for best picture. >> many other big stories coming up for you. the controversy as the final results from iran's election come in. what's at stake and who is complaining in a live report from tehran, next.

a warm welcome back to our viewers here in the united states and around the world. i'm rosemary church. >> i'm errol boarnett. a cease-fire in syria is in its

third day. it's curbed bloodshed but hasn't stopped it entirely. opposition groups say warplanes have attacked their positions. syrian government denies carrying out air strikes. donald trump is taking heat for not rejecting support from a former ku klux klan leader. in a cnn interview, trump deflected when jake tapper repeatedly asked him about distancing himself from white supremacist groups and the kkk. the film "spotlight" took home the big prize at the 88th oscar, winning best picture. chris rock joked about the oscar so white controversy, criticizing the lack of black nominees. turning to iran, where some of the country's hard liners are pushing back against an apparent defeat. >> this is a major election for a clerical body at stake.

results so far show reformists with major gains in both institutions. but a judiciary chief is accusing them of working for the west. >> the official results are expected very season. fred is with it. how might the hard liner respond to the results going forward? >> they're already responding. and i think people in iran are surprised by how strong a showing the reformers have had so far in this election. a couple of minutes, we got the results for the assembly of experts, a clerical body that will vote for a clerical leader. and that is something that is very, very significant because a

lot of hard liners in that body for a long time, have bonn voted out. other than that, there is some controversy about the election results. the results for the tehran area for the parliamentary election, show that all 30 seats in the tehran area have gone to moderates. and that is certainly something that is being celebrated in moderate newspapers. i have the shard daily here, the moderate newspaper. it says all 30 and shows the picture of the candidates. if you look at another newspaper. this is the conservative newspaper. and its headline is a big lie, saying 111 is less than 153. that fleiss the fact that the conservatives are saying they have won overall in iran. at that point in time, we're waiting for the final results. it seems like a strong showing

for the hod rats and performers in this country, rosemary. >> how big a turning point might this be for iran, when you consider those have been chosen here will select the next supreme leader? >> reporter: it is, in ways, something that validates the policies of hassan rouhani. i wouldn't expect big changes here in iran after this. even the reformers voted here, are moderate reformers. they are part of a wider political establishment. one of the things that we can expect is that the reformers that have been initiated by rohani, the course of opening up to the west, is something that will continue. and is something that will possibly even be axeccelerated a certain extent. but there won't be leaps towards larger performs or big political changes. that's something that won't happen with the consolation

right now. we can expect an opening up of the west, to be strengthened by the results, if they stand the way they're shaping up to. and at this point in time, the final results are what we're seeing right now. >> fred pleitgen, covering the elections in tehran. the official results will be revealed very soon. they will follow what we have just seen. thanks so much, fred. isis is claiming two bombings killed 66 people in baghdad. the explosive in a crowded market, followed by a suicide blast. >> more than 160 others were wounded. and women and children were among those killed. the attacks targeted a predominantly shiite district. another threat to iraq, the mosul dam, engineers fear, it could fail would warning. >> they say the ground underneath iraq's largest dam

does not have the strength to hold it up. if it breaks, the water could flood mosul and could get all the way to baghdad. officials say when it breeches, it will happen in minutes. >> there's problems that likely exist underneath. you have mosul, a city of 2 million, just downstream from the dam. and the capital itself. most of the capital would be flooded to include the green zone, the seat of the government. this isn't a moral responsibility. this is a threat to the survival of two of iraq's largest cities and then, all the way down to the south and basra itself, where all of the oil is produced for the country. >> and for years, crews have been filling holes in the dam. but that work stopped when isis captured mosul in august 2014. kurdish and iraqi forces seized

back control of the dam. an italian firm has been hired to make repairs. and troops will be deployed to protect the repair crew. you know that donald trump is triggering controversy in the u.s. is the rest of the world listening to this man? we'll get the international view of the republican presidential front-runner. war veterans wounded in combat, are putting their skills to use, taking down child predators. we're back with that and more.

we cannot be a party that nominates someone that refuses to condemn white supremacists and the ku klux klan. >> we need to be whole, where all of us have a place. where everybody feels like we're all in this together. >> democratic and republican

presidential candidates there, ripping into donald trump for refusing to disavow former ku klux klan leader, david duke, who says he is supporting trump. trump failed to condemn the white supremacist group in an interview on sunday. >> over the weekend, felipe calderon and vicente fox campaigned him to hitler. we asked cnn reporters to tell us how trump's emergence is playing in their corners of the world. and we turn first to cairo, where trump's position on muslims worries many egyptians. >> here in the egyptian capital, there's a lot of talk about donald trump. but first, egypt is a major u.s. ally and partner in the war against terrorism. it happens to be a majority muslim country.

that's why the possibility of donald trump as president has many worried, especially with his views regarding islam. he plans to block islams into the united states, temporarily. it's important to know, u.s. presidential elections aren't carried out in a vacuum. the whole world is watching carefully. everything a candidate says is scrutinized. donald trump's rhetoric against muslims could make it hard for him to reach out to crucial middle east allies. muslim countries on the front lines. egypts leaders remain quiet. the republican front-runner says he has many muslim friends. it's hard to find one of those friends here. >> i'm kelly morgan in london. here in the u.k., donald trump's triumph in nevada isn't making front page news. it's confined to the opinion

pages and providing some -- peter brooks from "the times." you see he is likening our controversial politician, boris johnson, to trump, with ton mistakable flick of blonde hair. a parliamentary debate whether or not to ban trump from the u.k. brits are treating his race to the white house as a spectator sport. and you can see that through betting agencies. a bit of money going down on whether or not donald trump will be nominated as the republican candidate. originally, the odds were 200-1. they have been shortened. he is the favorite. and one man stands to win $100,000. >> the rise of donald trump is surprising to a lot of people here in tokyo. and it continues to be front page news. one saying trump wins three in a row. many japanese closely watching the u.s. presidential race. america is japan's closest and

most powerful ally. and while few japanese politicians and business leaders are saying much publicly about trump, privately, many are taking note of trump's harsh criticism of u.s. economic policies in japan. the fact that japan sells so many cars in the united states, that u.s. automakers sell a fraction of that amount here in japan. and the treaty that requires the united states to protect japan is unfair and a bad deal. something he wants to change. the thought on the ground here in tokyo, if trump were elected the u.s. president and were to follow through on his promises to shake things up, it could have a dramatic effect and not necessarily a positive one on u.s./japan relations moving forward. will ripley, cnn, tokyo. >> despite all that, trump would get a big boost very soon. we invite you the stay with cnn for extensive coverage of all of the super tuesday primaries.

live updates all day and into the night, only here on cnn. thousands of u.s. service personnel have returned from the battlefield with career-ending wounds. >> many of them still have a sense of service and a whole lot of fight still left in them. now, as our kim laur reports, some of them are chasing down people who abuse children. >> reporter: it's training day at the former army ranger tom block. block and 23 other elite war veterans from the u.s. special forces, that the u.s. military spent $1 million training to be physically and mentally

exceptional, are training for a new mission. >> the unique program that it is, it gives a veteran an opportunity to not only take on a mission but really, really go out and make efforts to rescue children. j. christian, a former decorated ranger, leads the team, as head of a nonprofit called protect. it partners with u.s. special operations command to train and place the veterans with law enforcement agencies around the country. >> you see groups of children being abused, at average the american can't fathom. >> reporter: protect says the united states is the world's largest producer of child pornography. the images too hard to look at. but for these heroes, the idea of not taking action is not an option. >> what we're dealing with is

actual capturing of crime scenes. it gives you a sense of urgency to make sure that you're able to get there as fast as you can. and when they go in the field, the main objective for the hero is to aid and assist in child rescue. >> these hero core veterans share another trait. the veteran must have been wounded, ill or injured in service to their country. block the 2014 soldier of the year, was wounlded in a raid in southern afghanistan in 2013. a suicide bomber charged him and his team. the explosion went off just eight feet from where block was standing. >> we lost four friends that night to ied blast. levels some of the house. most of the house. threw me into a ditch. wounded a bunch of others. >> getting back to fighting shape wasn't easy. after learning to walk again,

sergeant block had several surgeries. doctors couldn't save his right eye. but block decided to use the setback to make a statement. >> i picked captain america's shield for my fake eye because it represents what i stand for in a big way. he doesn't like bullies. and neither do i. >> reporter: let that service as notice for anyone who may be terrorizing children. >> and to learn more about the heroes working to protect children from online predators, you can go to protect.org. next, you will meet a former member of the elite delta force. injuries in afghanistan left shannon feeling like he hit rock-bottom. >> as he told our paula newton, he found a cause in his hometown of new orleans that helped him rebuild his own life. >> as child exploitation people are busy this time of the year. >> reporter: monitoring chat rooms to identify people

planning to come to mardi gras to have sex with children. >> there's a lot to do because of mardi gras. because people are here that aren't normally here. and they bring bad habits with them. >> and he is just one of the heroes at home you'll meet this week as part of our freedom project, only on cnn. we'll be right back.

and the oscar goes to -- "spotlight." >> when the film "spotlight" won the oscar for best picture, some were surprised. but for the six "boston globe" reporters, it is a major win for journalism. >> reporter: everyone knows the sorry state of the news business. the internet, taking over. and thousands of jobs lost along the way. overall, trust in media is at record lows.

>> they are disgusting, i'll tell you. >> reporter: with few signs it will improve anytime soon. >> it's been a shame what's happened to journalism over 15 years. >> reporter: "spotlight" is a rebuttal to the doom and gloom. in "spotlight," the reporters are heroes. bringing sex abuse survivors out of the shadows. >> show me that the church manipulated charges. >> this is a story that confr t confronted under the circumstances. >> reporter: marty baron, read a column that the truth about priest abuse may never be known. >> that should be a red flag to go after something and find out what the truth is. >> reporter: the resulting investigation rocked the vatican to its core. now, "spotlight," is shining light on the ways that journalism can help people. >> since the movie "spotlight" came out, many more survivors

have come out. nothing in the past has done what "spotlight" has done to bring out of darkness, the issue of -- of priest abuse, cover-ups and the ongoing secrecy that still exists today to protect the good name of the church. >> in other words, there's more reporting to be done. >> everybody knew something was going on. and no one did a thing. >> reporter: reviewers say "spotlight" has given inspiration to an industry that needs it. >> there's no way the white house can control the investigation. >> reporter: reporters have loved this movie. but the makers want the message to resonate with the general public, as well. from hopefully not just a shot in the arm to journalists but to citizens. this is good journalism is a essential amount of our

democracy. >> reporter: brian setter, cnn, new york. thank you so much for joining us. i'm rosemary church. >> i'm errol barnett. we've warmed you up for the week. you're in good shape. join us tomorrow. and you can join us on twitter anytime. "early start" is next for those here in the states. >> for our viewers elsewhere, stay tuned for "cnn newsroom" and have a great day. >> see ya. . .

new controversy for donald trump. attacked for failing to condemn the kkk and one of his racist supporters on cnn. with just one day to go before super tuesday, bernie sanders ratchets up his approach to hillary clinton. the glitz and glamour. social issues taking over the oscars. the night's big winners. welcome to "early start." i'm christine romans. >> i'm john