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Japan: Two Months On; Opposition in Tripoli; World Cup Allegations

Aired May 11, 2011 - 08:00   ET

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

KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST: Welcome to NEWS STREAM, where news and technology meet.

I'm Kristie Lu Stout, in Hong Kong.

Two months on, and in places the scene has barely changed, as areas of Japan devastated by March's quake and tsunami continue to rebuild.

Rebels in the middle of Gadhafi's stronghold. We hear from rebels in the Libyan capital of Tripoli.

And FIFA's president says he is shocked by allegations of bribery in the process to select World Cup hosts.

Japan's disaster zone shows signs of progress and paralysis. It has been exactly two months since an earthquake and tsunami devastated the country's northeast coast.

Now, you remember this, an image of a ship in a sea of destruction. This was taken on March the 14th, three days after the disaster struck. Now, the vessel has just been removed from the top of that building, and some area residents had hoped it would be kept there as a memorial.

In many places, people say the cleanup is going slowly. An estimated 130,000 people still have nowhere to live because of the quake, tsunami and subsequent nuclear crisis.

Now, here, you can see the emperor visiting evacuees at a relocation center in Fukushima. Now, those white walls are cardboard put up as partitions for a bit of privacy.

And here is another change in the shelter. Now, the walls have been covered with cards of encouragement and support. And for weeks after the disaster, names of the missing, they were displayed to help survivors find their family members.

And the nation marked a moment of silence earlier on Wednesday to remember the victims, but in the disaster zone, people never forget.

Kyung Lah joins us live from the hard-hit city of Ishinomaki.

And Kyung, two months on, what are you seeing there?

KYUNG LAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, what I can tell you, Kristie, is that large swaths of Ishinomaki, just like many parts of the tsunami region, look like the tsunami just happened.

Take a look at what I'm standing right next to. This is a fishing vessel on dry land. It's dark though, so it's a little hard to tell. But the tsunami picked up this fishing boat.

This used to be a house. It crushed a house. So this is still in the neighborhood.

This is just one small snapshot of what we're seeing all around this area. There are so many signs that this region has not progressed not just physically, but also emotionally.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAH (voice-over): Heavy machinery clears the rubble as brocades of flowers rustle in the wind, marking the spot where 74 elementary schoolchildren died. This grandfather lost two of his grandchildren when the tsunami swallowed the school two months ago, a loss that brings him to this hilltop to watch the crews every single day.

"I want to say here to be close to them," he says. "There's no joy in life now. I feel so alone."

The tsunami swept away three-quarters of the children at Ishinomaki Okawa Elementary School. All around the school, signs of adults still unable to comprehend so many young gone.

The neighborhood Buddhist monk prays here daily for the souls of the dead children. Mothers still look for memories.

(on camera): Crews are tearing down this school piece by piece. Until it's gone, parents are wandering through this haunted shell. Their children's belongings, piled here without their bodies. This is all families have left.

(voice-over): Stuffed animals have been dusted off. Trophies sit piled with baseball gloves, the children's shoes.

Two months on, parts of the region are digging out. The wide swaths still look like the tsunami hit yesterday.

Cities are building temporary housing, but too slowly for an estimated 130,000 evacuees who are learning to improvise. They're building cardboard cities within the evacuation centers, as close to home as you can get with boxes.

This is the Sazuki (ph) home, a kitchen in this corner, laundry over here, even a calendar and clock, waiting for their life to begin again.

(on camera): You have to build your own cardboard house.

(voice-over): "We can't live a normal life here," says Hiromi Sazuki (ph). "We're all frustrated, both the adults and children."

Grandfather Yoshi Sazuki (ph) won't lose hope. His plants rescued from his level home remind him why. "They were washed away by the tsunami but still survived," he says. "And they're blooming with flowers now. Just like the plants, we must go on and live."

Even in the worst corners of this disaster's making there is no choice. Time goes on. Parents who lost their children say time will move forward, but their grief will never disappear.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAH: What we can tell you is that this debris, like the debris all around this region, the government is hoping that they will be able to clear it out by the end of August, and that they're going to be able to move some of those people into temporary housing by then as well. But what many people will tell you, Kristie, is they do feel like that's too optimistic a time - - Kristie.

STOUT: You know, it's an incredibly stark picture of the devastation still left behind, behind you two months on.

I also want to ask you, Kyung, about reports of new damage at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. What is the latest on efforts to wind down the nuclear crisis?

LAH: What we know is that this is still very much a nuclear emergency. What TEPCO is confirming to CNN is that they did find a leak in reactor 3. It is a leak where they did detect some surface radiation. What's not really clear though is if that water is going into the ocean.

Remember, they had to -- in the early days, when this nuclear crisis was happening, they had to pour water onto those reactors because there was a budding crisis there. So all that radioactive water has to go somewhere.

It's a highly radioactive environment there, and this is one of the things that they're dealing with. Remember, there was a huge leak in reactor number 1 that caused a lot of problems. They eventually did seal that. At this point, it's a little too early to say exactly what they're dealing with, but TEPCO says they did find some surface radiation, that they are looking more into this possible leak, this leak where they did find some surface radiation out of reactor number 3.

STOUT: All right.

Kyung Lah there.

Thank you very much indeed for this update, and also for staying on the story since day one of this crisis two months ago.

Kyung Lah there.

Now, images of the devastation moved one Tokyo resident to take action. Now, Dan Grunebaum volunteered to clear the debris in Ishinomaki, and he describes the tsunami zone as the world turned upside down. He says survivors had emotional tales of the disaster.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAN GRUNEBAUM, VOLUNTEER: A lot of the people that we met wanted to tell us their stories. And one woman who we helped to move into an evacuation center, a woman named Toshiko Yamimoto (ph), in her 60s, who lives alone, she told us how she survived the tsunami on the second floor of her house, and that the water had come right up to the top of the first floor, and that she had thought it was the end, and she was very lucky to survive.

And she pointed to the next block, and there was nothing left of the next block. And she said that if it hadn't been for a factory between her house and the sea that brunted the force of the wave, then probably there would have been nothing left of her block as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: And Dan, he repeats what we heard earlier from Kyung -- there was still a lot of work to be done in the disaster zone.

And even if you can't be there as a volunteer, you can still help the victims. Just log on to CNN.com/impact. And if you scroll down, you go to the section here. It's called "Helping Japan," and you'll find a list of charities, as well as videos about the relief work being done.

Now, Japan's earthquake and tsunami have had such far-reaching effects. They've also impacted the world's biggest automaker.

Now, Toyota says that net profit fell 77 percent in the latest quarter, and that hit comes from a strong yen, combined with the disruption in production after the March 11th disaster. And Toyota, like other Japanese car makers, did not provide a forecast for this fiscal year, but the company says it expects output to normalize by June.

Turning now to the ongoing unrest in Syria. A resident of Homs is telling CNN that there is heavy police presence on the streets there after security forces shelled the city early on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, 13 top Syrian officials have been hit with EU sanctions for what the European Union calls violence against protesters. Now, one of them is President Bashar al-Assad's own brother. The state-run news agency reports that more than 2,600 alleged rioters have been released from custody after agreeing not to act out against the government again.

And the struggle continues in Libya as well. Heavy shelling by pro-Gadhafi forces has been raining over the port city of Misrata for weeks, and it's been deterring many humanitarian aid ships from coming in and making it difficult for thousands of refugees to get out.

And meanwhile, in Benghazi, opposition forces received their first shipment of U.S. non-lethal aid on Tuesday, and it included thousands of meals and medical supplies.

Government forces continue to control Libya's capital city, Tripoli, but appearances can be deceiving. Now, our Frederik Pleitgen got this exclusive look into the city's underground opposition movement.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the Tripoli Gadhafi supporters show international media, the Libyan capital they claim is a Gadhafi stronghold.

(CHANTING)

PLEITGEN: But there's more here than meets the eye. We managed to meet a group of rebels in a secret location in Tripoli. They wore masks, fearful of getting caught by Gadhafi security forces.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We are the youth of the 17th of February in Tripoli. We declare our support to the free Libyan people, also declare our full and total support to the Transition National Council and only believe in it, and no one else, as our legitimate representative of the Libyan people.

PLEITGEN: The men provided us with amateur video, which we cannot independently verify, but which they say shows Gadhafi's soldiers firing live ammunition at protesters in the early days of the conflict. One of them tells me he was detained and tortured by government forces.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I didn't even know where the blows were coming from when they beat me. I was deprived of sleep, even food and drink.

PLEITGEN: Others did not survive. In one of the clips, a young man is seen dead with a gaping head wound. The rebels say the body is 20-year-old Hisham Mohammed Ben-Nissur (ph), a policeman.

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court recently said there is credible evidence that Gadhafi's forces committed crimes against humanity. He says he will ask for arrest warrants for three individuals he did not name.

LUIS MORENO-OCAMPO, PROSECUTOR, ICC: In all the incidents to be presented to the judges, the victims who were shot at by the security forces were unarmed civilians. And in all these incidents, there is no evidence of any attack against the security forces.

PLEITGEN: Officials for Gadhafi's government say the International Criminal Court's investigation is one-sided, and they deny allegations of crimes against humanity.

The rebels tell us many in Tripoli oppose Gadhafi, but most are afraid because the crackdown continues, with armed militias patrolling the streets and manning checkpoints. Currently, they say, all they can do is secretly distribute pamphlets, spray anti-Gadhafi slogans on walls and every now and again attack pro-Gadhafi checkpoints.

(on camera): The men here say right now Gadhafi is using bullets and other live ammunition to suppress the demonstrations here in Tripoli. But they say they are confident in the end they will prevail and Gadhafi will fall.

(voice-over): These young men are still a long way from achieving that goal, but the fact that they still manage to agitate in this alleged Gadhafi stronghold shows that, while the opposition here might be weak, it is still alive.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Tripoli, Libya.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: Now, when Qatar bid to host the FIFA World Cup, they said expect amazing. But now it is shock amid the celebration as allegations of bribery emerge.

And we'll get a glimpse inside one Kabul school where children learn they can never make peace with America.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STOUT: Welcome back.

Now, world football's governing body is fighting allegations of bribery in the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Now, FIFA's president said he is shocked by allegations from former English Football Association chairman Lord Triesman, who told a British parliamentary of request that he claims to have received money for favors.

Now, Pedro Pinto is watching the follow-up for us. He joins us now.

And Pedro, can you tell us more about Lord Triesman's allegations?

Of course I can, Kristie. This was news that really shocked everyone here in London on Tuesday.

No one was really expecting Lord Triesman to make these accusations. This is what he said -- and I'm going to get into specifics here. He accused four members of the FIFA executive committee members, Jack Warner, Nicolas Leoz, Ricardo Teixeira and Worawi Makudi of demanding cash or honors -- perks, in other words -- in exchange for votes.

According to Lord Triesman, Jack Warner asked for up to $4 million of cash to be transferred to him so he could build a school and offices, but the money would go directly to him initially.

Nicolas Leoz, of the CONMEBOL, the head of South America's governing body in football, allegedly wanted knighthood in exchange for a vote.

Ricardo Teixeira said -- and I quote according to Lord Triesman, when mentioned that Lula was on the side of England's bid, Ricardo Teixeira said, "Lula is nothing. You come and tell me what you have for me."

And here we're seeing some of the reaction from Jack Warner. We'll get to that in a moment.

Worawi Makudi wanted, allegedly, to have television rights for an England friendly in Asia in exchange for his vote.

So these are serious allegations, direct benefits that these FIFA executive committee members wanted, in exchange for these votes. And I can tell you that after these latest allegations, a total of eight of the 24 executive committee members have now been involved in some kind of accusation from someone connected with the bidding committee, because we had Issa Hayatou and Jack Numa (ph) as well accused of taking bribes from the Qatar bidding committee, as part of Lord Triesman's testimony. And, of course, you'll remember that Amos Adamou and Reynald Tamari were suspended before the World Cup vote in December for allegedly being caught on camera selling their votes as well -- Kristie.

STOUT: Very serious allegations involving so many. What is FIFA saying about this?

PINTO: Well, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said he was shocked when he heard what Lord Triesman had to say. I will quote what the president of football's world governing body said as he heard about what was transpiring in London.

He said -- and I quote -- "I repeat, we must have the evidence and will react immediately against all those in breach of the ethics." This is what he said. And apparently, Lord Triesman will now take his case to FIFA.

Jack Warner has reacted to these accusations, the head of North America's Football Confederation, the CONCACAF. He said, "I've never asked Triesman nor any other person for any money for my vote at any time." And out in Brazil, Ricardo Teixeira, who's also been accused, said he will sue Lord Triesman for his accusations.

So, no doubt that everyone is taking this pretty seriously when it comes to the accusations and when it comes also to the reaction to what Lord Triesman said here in London on Tuesday -- Kristie.

STOUT: Yes, it's a devastating story for FIFA.

Pedro Pinto, thank you very much indeed for that.

Now, let me take you to the test screen for our next story. Google has unveiled a slew of new features for its mobile operating system Android on Tuesday from movie rentals to merging Android's tablets and phones. And we thought we'd highlight what we think are three of the biggest new features.

First up, Ice Cream Sandwich. You heard right. That is the name of the latest version of Android. Now, Google says it is forcing handset makers to promise that all new phones will run the latest version of Android for at least 18 months. Android phones have been criticized for not being clear about which phone can run which version of the operating system.

Now, up next we have Music Beta by Google. And that is the company's attempt to send your music to the cloud. It works by having you upload your music to Google servers, and then you can play that music on any device with an Internet connection.

Now, it follows a similar system from Amazon. And reports say that like Amazon, Google has not received permission from all the major music labels to launch the service.

And finally, there's Android@Home. Now, the idea here isn't just to send music and movies from your Android phone to other devices. It is to use your Android phone to control your home appliances, anything from your stereo to your light switches. But it will require that those devices are built with Android@Home compatibility.

Now, you are watching NEWS STREAM. And still ahead on the program, we have a rare look inside a boys' school in Afghanistan. Now, here, the students are taught to pray while learning a message of hate.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STOUT: A sad goodbye for a Spanish sporting icon. The funeral of Seve Ballesteros is taking place right now in his hometown. Seve was the first European to win the Masters. In all, he won five Majors, but his legacy lies in establishing European golf as a global force. And he was a key part in the Ryder Cup side that finally beat the American team in 1985.

Seve Ballesteros was 54.

And the CNN family is saying farewell to one of our own. Former president Burt Reinhardt has died at the age of 91. Now, he helped turn the network into what you're watching now.

You see the logo at the bottom of your screen. Well, it's called a bug, and that was his idea.

Here's Richard Roth with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TED TURNER, CNN FOUNDER: I dedicate the news channel for America.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When CNN was launched in 1980, CNN news vice president Burt Reinhardt blended into the crowd. He was the consummate newsman, but always shun the spotlight.

HARLAN REINHARDT, NEPHEW: In my opinion, he's probably the most important and powerful news executive you've never heard of.

TURNER: Burt, do you want to say a few words?

BURT REINHARDT, FMR. CNN PRESIDENT: I'm leaving.

(LAUGHTER)

ROTH: But the man who created CNN new Burt and how valuable he was.

TURNER: Well, I don't think -- I'm not sure CNN would be here without him. He was an integral part of getting the whole operation going and keeping it going. He ran it for close to 20 years.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And history began to unfold.

ROTH: The world's first 24-hour TV news network raced into history with a small staff and minimal resources.

TOM JOHNSON, FMR. CNN PRESIDENT: I think Burt is responsible for the survival of CNN in its pioneering days.

ROTH: At the beginning, CNN was derided by competitors as chicken noodle news for its upstart look. Burt Reinhardt led its news-hungry staff out of the soup.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, FMR. CNN CORRESPONDENT: Burt was a great person, but now a showman. He was the solid sinew of the network and kept it going. And without any drama or any fuss, was a leader who made the trains run on time.

ROTH: Little did the staff know Burt was covering breaking news before many of them were even born.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Burt Reinhardt was a journalist for 65 years. He started working in this business in the late '30s, and he told me that cameras at that time were so heavy, it took two people to carry them.

AMANPOUR: One day he brought me into his office just as I was about to leave Atlanta, and he showed me a picture.

REESE SCHONFELD, FMR. CNN PRESIDENT: When MacArthur landed, it was Burt who took those pictures. And it was a good experience for him. He learned to be a pretty good cameraman.

AMANPOUR: I realized there and then that this wasn't just an executive in a suit. This is a man who had been there. This is a man who was one of us.

ROTH: Before CNN, Burt was already scrapping against bigger and richer news outlets while working at different agencies.

SCHONFELD: And there was always a sense of integrity and strength to Burt Reinhardt.

ROTH: Two newsmen who would soon make TV history, sparked by a man in Atlanta who had an idea.

TURNER: And I said an all news channel would be nice because it would be very convenient to be able to watch the news whenever you wanted to.

ROTH: Ted hired Reese Schonfeld, then in charge of a news agency, to be CNN's first president. He then chose Burt.

B. REINHARDT: He said, "Ted Turner's on the phone." I said, "OK." I went into a private room, I took the call. Ted wanted to know when I'm coming down.

When I come out of the office, Mike Mole (ph) is standing there. And he said, "What did Ted Turner want from you?" I said, "He wanted me to try out to be shortstop for the Braves." I never got more respect.

SCHONFELD: All the way through there was never a better partnership in my life. I mean, Burt had been my mentor.

ROTH: After two years, Reese left CNN and Turner tapped Burt to be CNN's second president. His main mission, keep CNN afloat.

Cutting the ribbon to open CNN Center in Atlanta with Ted, and always keeping an eye on cutting costs.

AMANPOUR: And I think Burt, we all knew, was the money man who kept CNN afloat in the worst of times, that he was pretty intimidating. He was also a man with a heart of gold.

TURNER: He just did a masterful job. He got the stories covered, but he did it within the budget.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The 25th space shuttle mission is now on the way.

ROTH: One of those stories, the space shuttle blows up, a landmark CNN moment in 1986.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It appears that there were no survivors.

ROTH: And Burt is in the frenzied newsroom.

B. REINHARDT: How many at the Space Center? That's the --

ROTH: A few years later, CNN is honored for coverage of the crackdown in Tiananmen Square, China.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was very content to have Ted take all the credit.

B. REINHARDT: I accept this award on behalf of the dedicated and hardworking people of CNN, and to Ted Turner, who made it all possible.

TURNER: Well, Burt, I want to --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This man has integrity. And he's very competitive, but he wants to do things the right way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A grateful staff championed their news leader as a successful CNN turned 20.

TURNER: I just -- Burt, what this says is congratulations Burt Reinhardt, a CNN original 1980-2000. Burt, this is yours. It only cost a couple bucks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well we knew it was -- it was a well deserved recognition of one of the most unique and most -- almost anonymous leaders that we've ever had in our media world.

TURNER: We were together. I mean, I was chairman and he was president. And we got along like two peas in a pod, always did, and I love him like a brother.

CROWD: Burt! Burt! Burt! Burt!

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching News Stream. And these are your world headlines.

Now Japan's emperor and empress have visited evacuees in Fukushima Prefecture. Their trip to the disaster zone comes two months after the deadly quake and tsunami hit. An estimated 130,000 people are still homeless after the disaster which also triggered a nuclear crisis. Now TEPCO, the operator of the crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant says it has just discovered a new radiation leak, but it can't confirm is contaminated water from reactor number three is escaping into the sea.

Now a Swiss diplomat in Iran says the trial of two Americans charged with espionage has again been delayed. Shane Bower and Josh Fatal have been held since July 2009. Iran arrested them near the border with Iraq's Kurdish area. Now they deny that they are spies, but could face the death penalty if they're convicted.

And Greece remains at a standstill. Thousands of workers have walked off the job to protest more austerity cuts. Now flights are grounded, ferry and rail services are suspended, schools and government offices are shut. Despite the cuts, Greece may end up needing more bailout money.

As details of the U.S. operation that took down Osama bin Laden spread across Pakistan, so do new fears. As Brian Todd reports, Pakistan's media now wants to know what is to stop the U.S. from targeting its nuclear weapons.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT; The speed and efficiency of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden reignites fears in Pakistan over the country' nuclear weapons. A senior Pakistani security officials tells CNN the media there is broiling with speculation, asking whether U.S. forces could just as easily capture or compromise Pakistan's nuclear facilities.

The official says it's gotten to the point where Pakistan's top general, Ashfag Kayani felt compelled to say publicly that Pakistan's strategic assets are well protected.

Georgetown professor Christine Fair was in Pakistan during and after the bin Laden raid.

How much concern is there inside Pakistan and the government and the populace that the U.S. could come in and actually take control of their nuclear weapons facilities?

CHRISTINE FAIR, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: And that concern is real. I mean, it exists among Pakistanis, it exists in the military and the intelligence agencies. Pakistani understands that's its biggest card to play, right? That's its preeminent source of defense against the Indians who are provincially bigger.

TODD: Nuclear weapons, she says, are the Pakistani's biggest security asset. And they've always been sensitive about threats.

U.S. officials have never even hinted at a desire to take over Pakistan's nuclear facilities and that senior Pakistani official says Defense Secretary Robert Gates recently reassured Pakistani officers of that.

But the bin Laden raid has also fueled fears in Pakistan of the terrorist threat to its nuclear weapons. Experts say Pakistan has got about 100 nuclear warheads. Where they're kept is a closely guarded secret? The uranium processing facility at Dera Ghazi Khan, which experts say has come under attack in the past by militants.

The Kushab reactors, wehre they make plutonium for weapons.

The New Labs plant, where they separate that plutonium.

And the Wah facility where they make nuclear weapons.

I asked nuclear weapons expert David Albright about an eyeopening concern from the bin Laden operation.

Bin Laden was found in Abbottabad right about here not too far from some of these nuclear facilities. What's the main security concern?

DAVID ALBRIGHT, NUCLEAR WEAPONS EXPERT: Well one that bin Laden was active right in the heart of Pakiatan. And there is a lot of worry that he was trying to recruit insiders in these nuclear sites, maybe get them help to steal the nuclear explosive material, maybe get help on weapons design.

TODD: Albright says even after bin Laden's death, there is concern that if he had designs on penetrating Pakistan's nuclear facilities, he wouldn't have been acting alone. Albright says U.S. officials are likely scouring the seized documents and computer chips from the raid to see if bin Laden might have been cultivating a network of nuclear insiders in Pakistan.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: Now the White House says it is optimistic that Pakistan will give the U.S. access to materials collected at the site of the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound. Now Navy SEALs left behind what analysts say is a stealth Blackhawk helicopter that crashed during the raid. Now the SEALs blew up the main part of the chopper, but a portion of the tail was left intact. Now there have been fears that Pakistan would pass on parts of the stealth aircraft to a third-party.

Now in the wake of the death of Osama bin Laden, the Wall Street Journal is reporting U.S. President Barack Obama plans to make another address to the Muslim world. Now CNN's Stan Grant goes inside one school where children are taught they can never make peace with America.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STAN GRANT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT; Here boys pray early and pray hard. This is a rare look inside a closed world, a strict Islamic school, madrasa, in a poor Kabul neighborhood. Outisde, the day is just dawning, but these students, some as young as 6, are already locked in a trance like rhythm. Over and over, they recite the Koran.

There is no god, but Allah, they chant.

But there's another lesson here, a fierce lesson of hate. These boy's minds are poisoned against the United States.

"Do they like the U.S.?"

"No," they say.

"Should they leave Afghanistan?"

"Yes," they say. "We want our country to be peaceful. They are the devil."

"The Americans are making the Taliban and Afghans fight each other," this boy says. "And then they watch. When they see us fighting Americans are happy."

It's a message they get straight from their teacher, the imam himself.

IMAM, OMAR-E FAROOQ MOSQUE (through translator): God says we can never be friends with unbelievers. What do they know about our religion? We can never be friends.

GRANT: It's a chilling reminder that despite 10 years in this country and hundreds of troops killed battling militants the U.S. has failed to win the hearts and minds of so many. In fact, young hearts are hardened here, raised on anti-western propaganda. Here the words of slain al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden live on.

"We can never be friends. Americans are doing suicide attacks and blame Osama bin Laden," he says.

To these boys this is the only world they know. For many of them, it may be the only world they will ever know. They're not learning about math and science here, they're not learning about the world, they're learning only about one thing -- God, Islam.

IMAM (through translator): A child is like a tree, it will give fruit when children come to see me I trained them the right way.

GRANT: That way is the way of strict Sharia law. Girls are banned from the school. They told me women should be behind doors at home. To go outside without a veil, they say, is filthy. They would fight for Islam. Indeed, authorities fear they were being trained to do just that.

Earlier this year weapons, explosive devices, even suicide bomber jackets were uncovered. The previous imam is now in prison linked to a Pakistani Taliban network. The mosque is under constant scrutiny even if the new imam denies any claims the boys were being taught to fight. These boys stand by the old imam as well. To them, it is an American conspiracy.

What they say often sounds fanciful. What matters is they believe it.

"They kidnap mullahs and take them far away," he says. "I have seen on television Americans putting needles into the chest of people and pulling out the other side. That's what they are doing to mullahs."

Like children the world over, these boys like to play with toy guns. But war here is no game. The enemy is the United States. And they believe god is on their side.

Stan Grant, CNN, Kabul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: Now to the U.S. now where many activists say it is a significant step, and one they hope will lead to new national legislation. On Tuesday, President Barack Obama was in El Paso, Texas to call for broad reform of the country's immigration system. And the analysts say the issue could be critical to the 2012 presidential election with several states having recently changed their own laws.

Now in his speech, the president accused Republican lawmakers of using what he called impossible standards for border enforcement to block any deal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The most significant step we can now take to secure the borders is to fix the system as a whole so that fewer people have the incentive to enter illegally in search of work in the first place. This would allow agents to focus on the worst threats on both of our -- on both sides of our borders to drug traffickers, to those who would come here to commit acts of violence or terror. That's where our focus should be.

So, El Paso, the question is whether those in Congress who previously walked away in the name of enforcement are now ready to come back to the table and finish the work that we started. We've got to put the politics aside. And if we do, I'm confident we can find common ground.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: Now some Latino advocates have called on Mr. Obama to follow up his words with action.

In the U.S., millions of people along the Mississippi River delta are bracing for the record flooding that is causing all of this. We'll give you the latest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STOUT: Welcome back.

Now this just in to CNN, a spokesman for the Libyan rebels is now saying that opposition fighters have taken over the airport in Misrata. The number of casualties in this battle is unclear. We're getting word from the opposition in Libya that the rebels have taken over the airport. Any more details, we'll bring it to you right here on CNN.

Now to the United States now, it is a sight that most people living along the Mississippi have never seen. This one New Orleans resident told us she wouldn't wish this flooding on anyone.

Now just to take a look at this video. Now this is filmed Tuesday near Louisiana's Morganza spillway where homeowners are forcing (ph) for these waters to rise even higher.

Now the river has crested in Memphis, Tennessee at almost 48 feet -- or 14 and-a-half meters. That's eight -- nine times my height.

Now the levees held. And still hundreds of people have been forced from their homes. And authorities say millions of acres of farmland along the Mississippi Delta remain under threat.

Now let's get the very latest from Mari Ramos who is of course watching the situation very closely for us from the world weather center. She joins us now -- Mari.

MARI RAMOS, CNN WEATHER CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Kristie, that area there that you showed up, the Morganza spillway, that's weeks out from the Mississippi near the New Orleans area. That spillway has never been opened before. And they're thinking that they may have to do that to release some of that water and prevent the city of New Orleans and Baton Rogue from flooding.

This is very significant. If it does happen it's going to put many of New Orleans's Parishes, or areas there, under water. Some of that is uninhabited area, because there is a large river system, another river that goes through there as well. However, it may put many homes at risk to try to save the larger city, if you will, across this region.

So this is what we're expected as far as the flood. Of course, we had the Memphis one that you talked about, but Greenville expected on May 16th at 19.7 meters. And Vicksburg at 17.5 meters.

And there's the New Orleans one. Hasn't changed too much. May 23rd probably in the early morning hours, looking at 5.94 meters. Six meters is the height of the walls. So we are very, very close to being able to over top those walls. So that's why there's so much concern for that area as well.

Those flood warnings extend up and down the Mississippi River. And remember, it's not just the Mississippi that is flooded, many in many places the tributaries are flooded as well. And that's a big concern because it's flooding out communities far away from the main river system. And that's a huge concern for authorities. And that's why those flood warnings are spread out across the Mississippi, not just along the river banks themselves. And notice how they go all the way down even as we head into the New Orleans area.

One thing that we're having as we head through the next 24 hours is the potential for rain across the northern portions of the Mississippi. Now most of the rain right now, we went ahead and highlighted the rivers for you, is still farther here toward the west and then over here toward the east. Some of it is falling into the Ohio River.

Overall, though, as we look for the next few days most of the weather will remain over here with damaging wind and the potential for some severe weather coming in across the plains and all the way down into Texas. This will be moving into this area possibly as we head into Friday. So the next 24 hours not a lot happening as far as rainfall over this region.

Of course, any amount of rain that falls here could have an effect on the river rising and could have an effect also on those forecast potential for those -- for the crest for those rivers.

In contrast, the situation across Asia, especially in China, still looking at some significant drought across some of those regions. I want to go ahead and show you a picture of this would advance. It's going really, really slow. But continue to be very, very dry across many parts of eastern China in particular. Kristie, last year around this time, maybe a little bit later in the year, we were talking about how dry -- about the flooding in Wuhan remember? Now those very same areas are actually extremely dry and farmers are having a hard time even getting their crops ready.

We'll be talking more about this throughout the day here on CNN. And there's a drought going on also, across central parts of Europe.

Back to you.

STOUT: All right, Mari. Thank you for that.

And if it seems to you that massive floods like the ones that we've been reporting on along the Mississippi River are becoming more commonplace, you're not alone. Now a new study, and even Hollywood might back you up. Atika Schubert looks at the risks from London.

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ATIKA SCHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is not real, it's Flood a disaster movie that depicts London engulfed in water. But according to scientists, disastrously high sea levels may not be fiction.

A new Antarctic study showed that melting ice sheet would contribute about 50 percent of the total rise in sea levels. If global warming continues at its current rate, the study expects sea levels to rise 1.4 meters in the next 100 years. That's double what the intergovernmental panel on climate change predicted going into the Copenhagen summit.

COLIN SUMMERHAYES, SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY ON ANTARCTIC STUDIES: Some of these glaciers around Antarctica are moving much faster than anybody expected. The Pine Island Glacier is moving 40 percent faster now than it was in 1970. At the mouth, it's moving back by 10 meters a day. It's thinning by up to 1.5 to 2 meters per year.

SCHUBERT: The Thames barrier protects more than a million people in the London area. It is now being re-engineered to accommodate a rise of 2 to 4 meters. But what impact would this have on poorer nations without defenses?

Low lying Bangladesh already suffers annual flooding that routinely kills hundreds. Rising sea levels could devastate its capital Dhaka.

Most scientists believe the earth is warming up because of the rise in carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, but skeptics are not sure humans are responsible.

And while scenes like these in Flood are still movie magic, scientists are warning that action on climate change needs to be taken before fiction becomes reality.

Atika Schubert, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: Now up next here on News Stream, from "eat my shorts," to "ay caramba." We'll bring you the woman behind the voice of Bart Simpson. And we'll be talking Tinsel Town and Springfield with Nancy Cartwright.

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STOUT: Welcome back.

Now for years Bart Simpson has been spouting words of wisdom from "I didn't do it" to "eat my shorts." And behind every "ay caramba" and "whoa momma" is one woman -- Nancy Cartwright.

Now Cat Deeley talks Tinsel Town and Springfield with the voice of Bart Simpson.

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CAT DEELEY, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: For 22 years Nancy Cartwright has lent her voice to the 10-year-old boy in one of the world's most famous families. I've come to talk about Bart and some of the other voices Nancy does.

But before we begin, there's a childhood trauma I need to resolve.

Now, of course, you're known for doing Bart, but you just mentioned there Roger Rabbit. I have a bone to pick with you, Nancy.

NANCY CARTWRIGHT, VOICE ACTRESS: Yes.

DEELEY: That character that you did, which was the little baby shoe, right?

CARTWRIGHT: Yes.

DEELEY: Terrorized me.

CARTWRIGHT: It was just squealing, wasn't it?

DEELEY: How do you come up with how a character is going to sound?

CARTWRIGHT: What helps me is when I actually see a picture of what the character looks like. You know, if I can see the jaw, if I can see the teeth of the character.

DEELEY: Do you kind of change how you hold yourself?

CARTWRIGHT: Absolutely. Yeah, you do. You can't help it, because it is acting. It's a little bit suppressed, though, because this would come off. The bling -- no bling, because it's too noisy. You know, you can -- it picks up the tiniest little sound.

DEELEY: Dripping tap. Right?

CARTWRIGHT: You've so done your homework.

DEELEY: Dripping tap. I knew that one. Man in a barrel.

CARTWRIGHT: Get me out of here!

This is more of a visual. It's not so much of a sound effect.

See, there he goes.

BART SIMPSON: Just when you think I'm out of ideas.

DEELEY: How did the whole Bart Simpson happen? Because you were originally going in to audition for Lisa, right?

CARTWRIGHT: Yeah.

DEELEY: OK. So what happened?

CARTWRIGHT: There was a green table. Matt was sitting like on a couch kind of far -- you know, 15 feet from me. And I walked in, hi Matt. This is Matt Groening.

Oh, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

And his eyes, he was just like, whoa that's him, that's Bart. You've got the job.

DEELEY: What other voices do you do on the show?

CARTWRIGHT: One of my favorite ones is Nelson.

Hello this is Nelson Mandela Munce. May I have your attention, please. We had a tall freckled face kid on the team that we picked on till he quit. Hey splatter face, how's the weather up there?

Ralph Wiggim -- Geez, like there doesn't matter what he says, it's -- I'm Idaho, when I grow up I want to don't want to be a principal or a caterpillar.

LISA SIMPSON: Managers manage and players play.

RALPH WIGGIM: Do alligators alligate?

LISA SIMPSON: I don't know. Yes.

RALPH WIGGIM: I'm scared.

CARTWRIGHT: It's really easy just to slip into a voice and start doing it. And that's just how I do it.

Oh, this is Chucky. I love Chucky.

This is Chucky. I just hope there aren't any clowns here. I don't like clawns.

Up here is another one that I really just love. That's signed by Michael Jackson. And he -- yeah, 300 pound white insane man. And working with him, he did do the Bartman.

DEELEY: Yeah, I was going to say. Does he still remember any duets?

CARTWRIGHT: Do the Bartman? Oh yeah.

I'm not going to do it for you right now. No, I'm not going to do it for you right now.

You do it.

DEELEY: Yo, hey what's happening dude. I'm a guy with a rep for being rude.

CARTWRIGHT: Terrorizing people wherever I go. It's not intentional, just keeping the flow.

DEELEY: ..to get the best (inaudible), dropping banana peels all over the floor. I'm the guy you think should make a scene. Uh, last name Simpson.

CARTWRIGHT: First name Bart. High five. You're amazing.

Security. Get security up here right now.

DEELEY: Cat Deeley, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: Cat Deeley has got some serious skills there.

Now it is one of the most popular new baby names in the United States. Wait for it, Palin. It's the last name of Sarah Palin. Former vice presidential candidate is now a hot first name, that's according to a survey by Baby Center. And of course celebrities are known for picking unusual names. Take Bear Blue, for instance. Now that one is courtesy of the Clueless star Alicia Silverstone. Her son was born just last week in L.A.

Now of course the Beckhams are pioneers in the art of picking alternative names for their children -- Brooklyn for instance, Posh and Beck's, their first son was named Brooklyn. And then, of course, there is Apple. And it raised eyebrows from Gwyneth Paltrow picked that one for her baby girl back in 2004. But she will have to share the spotlight with these other pretty interesting names out like Monroe. Singer Mariah Carey and hubby Nick Cannon, they just named their twin daughter after Marilyn Monroe. The other twin, Moroccan. And that's what they named Monroe's twin brother.

And that is News Stream, but the News continues at CNN. World Business Today is next.

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