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Iraqi Forces Await Order to Battle ISIS in Ramadi; Inside Look at the Fall of Ramadi; Heat Wave Kills More Than 760 in India; Severe Storms and Record Rain in Texas; Nigeria Fuel Strike Ending; Indian Prime Minister Marks First Year in Office; Parts of Patriot Act to Expire June 1st; North Korea's Elite Live Luxurious Lives; Bounce House Turned Dangerous; Aired 3:00-4a ET
Aired May 26, 2015 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: One week after ISIS takes over a key city, Iraqi forces prepare to strike back.
ERROL BARNETT, CNN ANCHOR: Plus hundreds are dead in a brutal heat wave that's plagued India for days.
CHURCH: And a dozen people are missing after record-setting rains in the U.S. state of Texas.
BARNETT: Hello, and a warm welcome to our viewers here in the U.S. and all around the world. I'm Errol Barnett.
CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church. This is CNN NEWSROOM.
BARNETT: We begin in Iraq this hour where forces loyal to the country's government are awaiting orders essentially to attack the city of Ramadi. ISIS militants have controlled it for just over a week.
CHURCH: ISIS has been rushing in reinforcements ahead of the expected counterattack. Ramadi is the capital of Iraq's Anbar Province. It's just 110 kilometers west of Baghdad. You see on the map there. Its capture was a major blow to Iraq's leaders and its army.
BARNETT: To bring you the latest developments on this, let's connect with Ian Lee who joins us now live from Cairo.
And, Ian, the comments from Defense Secretary Ash Carter seemed to have taken Prime Minister Hadi by surprise, right. He said that the Iraqi forces lack the will to fight ISIS. But it essentially points to a lack of confidence in Iraqi forces by the U.S. You do wonder, though, why make a statement like that in such a public way at such a sensitive time for the country?
IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it seems like the comments from the Defense secretary, Errol, are more of a frustration. The United States has been providing weapons and training, yet still we have not been able to see the Iraqi military go on the offensive. Be a force that can stand up next to ISIS, although, you know, the question of will has been one that's been raised many times. And we heard from Arwa Damon's reporting recently that when she talked
to an Iraqi soldier, who said that it's not that the fact that they lacked the will. They have the will. They just didn't have the structure, the command, and the weapons to hold on and to continue the fight. And so there's a lot of questions circling around why, first of all, Iraqi troops pulled out of Ramadi. And a lot of fingers being pointed.
But right now, Iraqi troops, along with Shiite militias are preparing to retake the city. It is not going to be easy as we've seen elsewhere in Iraq when they've tried to take ground from ISIS. ISIS knows how to dig in. They know how they get their booby-traps, these improvised explosive devices. And as we saw when they were taking the city, they have these brutal, brutal, armored vehicles that they packed with explosives.
Then in the frontline these shock tactics that really helped put -- helped push the Iraqi forces out of Ramadi. These are all things they're going to have to contend with. So when we hear the Iraqi prime minister saying that they'll retake Ramadi in days, we know ISIS has probably other plans than what the prime minister is predicting, Errol.
BARNETT: And meantime, Ian, ISIS has taken more territory in Syria. It now has the city of Palmyra, and ISIS brutality now being witnessed there. Just bring us up to speed on what's happened in that city since the militants took over a few days ago.
LEE: Well, what we're hearing is just mass executions. Over 200 people so far including at least 13 children. There's been videos coming out of there. We cannot independently verify them but what they really show is a ghost town. Some of the videos also showing the aftermath of airstrikes. We know a lot of civilians escaped but for the ones who couldn't, they hid in their houses and ISIS went door-to- door looking for people who either supported the regime or worked with the regime. Fighters that may have been left behind.
And any of the civilians who have housed them, hid those people from ISIS, they were also executed. And what we're hearing the -- this brutal ISIS tactic that has become their trademark, beheadings was used in most of these executions. We also know that they have detained at least 600 people. That's according to a Syrian rights organization based in London.
BARNETT: And it's that brutality that everyone is trying to bring to an end.
Ian Lee live for us in Cairo this morning. Thanks.
CHURCH: In an exclusive interview with CNN's Arwa Damon, an Iraqi soldier who was among the last to retreat from Ramadi described the city's fall.
BARNETT: Yes. And we have to give you a warning here. Arwa's report contains some graphic video you may find disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[03:05:09] ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): The chaotic final moments captured on a cell phone.
"Come on. Fight," a voice shouts. This one of the last firefights with ISIS before Ramadi fell. A body is seen in the dirt behind one of the berms used for cover. Asa'ad al-Yassiri who gave us the videos was one of the soldiers there, wounded in that final battle.
"There were three IEDs that took out two Humvees and killed five. Then they came at us with two bulldozers rigged with explosives," he remembers. His contingent, he says, numbered around 140, spread out in smaller units along the vast terrain west of Ramadi.
Al-Yassiri was in this armored personnel carrier reloading ammunition. One soldier calls for a heavier weapon. A warning that ISIS is approaching from another direction as well.
"Then they came at us with big gun trucks surrounding us from four directions. There should have been a force to our rear but they weren't there," al-Yassiri says. His commander radios for air support. Moments later cries of, "no ammunition, no ammunition." And the unit receives orders to withdraw.
Al-Yassiri is bitter and angry. Though wounded, he wanted to keep fighting. Just two weeks before the fall of Ramadi, he says, his unit captured an ISIS position, killing six, he claims. Two corpses seen torched in this video. Another seven, he says, were detained. Four of them foreigners.
Under interrogation, a captured ISIS fighter described their surveillance and bold tactics. Al-Yassiri recalled the fighter saying, "We flash a light at the tower. We know that there are only 28 soldiers and in five-hour rotations, and that there is a lack of ammunition. If the soldiers don't fire at us, then we crawl and plant a bomb."
Al-Yassiri bristles at the accusation that Iraqi soldiers don't have the will to fight. He wants to quit the army and join the militias.
"The failure is with the military higher ups," he says, who gave the orders to retreat and allowed supply lines to fail and frontlines to collapse.
Arwa Damon, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BARNETT: Now to central China where the president has called for an investigation after a nursing home fire killed 38 people and injured six others. Authorities say the fire swept through one building in the privately owned facility.
CHURCH: State media report the residents in that building had trouble moving without help. And that may have contributed to the high death toll. One 82-year-old survivor says she was rescued from her room. BARNETT: Now unfortunately the death toll is rising in India. A
short time ago it was at 600. Officials report now that more than 760 lives have been lost due to an intense heat wave there.
CHURCH: And experts say searing temperatures, high humidity, and a lack of water are contributing to the large number of deaths. But government officials are stepping in to help.
Mallika Kapur is live in Mumbai. She has the very latest on the smoldering condition and what's being done to prevent more deaths.
So, Mallika, we heard, of course, those numbers, the death toll has risen above 700, absolutely shocking. But talk to us about those people who are most vulnerable in the midst of this heat wave.
MALLIKA KAPUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The people who are the most vulnerable, Rosemary, are of course the poor people, you know, the poorest of the poor. People who do not have access to shelter. We're talking about people who live on the streets in India. It's not uncommon to have beggars who don't have a home, who make -- spent their entire lifetime living on the streets of India. We have migrant worker. It's very common in India for people to move between states looking for work.
You have migrant laborers who end up living on the streets. Construction workers. You know, India of course is a growing economy. There is a lot of construction work going on in almost any corner of India, particularly in the south, so at any given point you have a construction boom, you will see people working in -- on constructing sites.
So these are people who really do not have access to shelter, who do not have homes. And these are the people who are the most vulnerable. And indeed many of the people who have died have actually been construction workers, who've had very little respite from the heat, and who've been forced to work outdoors under these blisteringly hot temperatures.
[03:10:04] CHURCH: And of course, Mallika, we know that this isn't going to end any time soon. We expect these hot temperatures not only until the end of the month but perhaps into June as well. So talk to us about what authorities are doing. What the Indian government is doing to help those who are most vulnerable because this is in the midst of also power cuts. So even those who do have air conditioning are unable to use it in a lot of instances.
KAPUR: That's right. I mean, all these factors are making a very bad situation really worse. Air conditioning, remember, Rosemary, here in India, it really is a luxury. Most people in India don't even have -- don't even have access to a fan. We're talking about 400 million people in India. That's a third of India's 1.2 billion people who do not have reliable access to power. So they can't just turn on a fan to cool down.
Air conditioning remains out of reach for most people in this country. Of course, power remains a huge problem in India. And what happens during the summer months with this intense heat is that people who can afford air conditioning are of course using it more. And when this demand increases, there is a much bigger load on companies supplying power. Often they're unable to cope with that surging demand. And then there are power cuts. So in the middle of this heat wave and these blisteringly high temperatures, we are seeing power cuts in many parts of India for up to four to five hours a day.
Now in the south, given how bad things are there, particularly, we have seen the local governments swing into action. They are doing what they can to help people. They are distributing water and buttermilk to many people. This is to help them cool down. But also very importantly to keep them hydrated. Most of the people who are going into hospitals for treatment are people who have either suffered from a sun stroke or are dehydrated. So the government, the local government there is providing water and buttermilk.
They're also making sure that the hospitals remain staffed. They've asked hospital -- they've asked doctors and nurses to cancel their leave to remain on duty to deal with the influx of patients coming in. And of course as we've been reporting all morning, the number of people dying as a result of this heat wave is increasing. And the local government in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in South India have announced compensation packages of up to $1500 for the families of victims.
CHURCH: It is just horrifying situation for people there of course. And, you know, we're looking at this and we want to look at some sort of relief. But there is the heat. There is the humidity. And for a lot of people a lack of water.
Mallika Kaput joining us there from Mumbai, many thanks to you.
BARNETT: Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri joins us now.
You've been keeping your eyes on what's happening in India all day. And it seems as though whether it's India or other countries have experienced intense heat. Whether it's, you know, hot or cold.
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes.
BARNETT: It's the young, the elderly, and those living on the streets.
JAVAHERI: Absolutely.
BARNETT: Susceptible to every twist and turn of that.
JAVAHERI: Yes. And this pattern, of course, as Rosy said, this is going to continue for a few more weeks potentially so when you have this culmination -- accumulation, I should say, of this sort of a pattern, it definitely could lead to problems even downstream.
And we touched on this earlier, guys, because there's been studies done on heat waves and people that have suffered extreme heat exhaustion but have survived and between six and 12 months, about 30 percent of the people that were hospitalized survived eventually succumbed to the heat itself.
So once you get your nervous system failure, your organs take on extreme conditions. They don't last for -- much longer for a lot of people. So we saw this in Chicago, for example, in 1995 with the heat wave there.
So we're going to follow this, of course, because you know the numbers continue to go up. But the scenes out of areas of India, as they await the monsoons, historically speaking, the 1st of June, you begin to see the moisture come up but at this point way off shore and it looks like the areas really hard hit across northern and eastern India. June 10th, June 15th. So several weeks out before we begin to see the monsoon or progression towards that region.
But fatalities with heat among the most impressive worldwide because you often see the exotic, tornadoes or tropical cyclones. They get all the attention. Heat effect across the world for a lot of areas kills more people than those two weather events. 70,000 people lost their lives in 2003, a heat wave in Europe. We know 50,000 in Russia, the heat as well in 1995, also 700 people, and now we're in excess of 700 out of India with this extreme temperatures that are set up.
There's the 48 Celsius in portions of India, again 118 degrees Fahrenheit but it's not just that. It's the humidities, with the heat index there. You can put this into consideration. Parts of Pakistan, sitting at 61 degrees Celsius. That is just absolutely mind-boggling. It's 142 degrees Fahrenheit. And of course you factor in that, guys, and we touched on. When you get your core temperature and your body to 104 Fahrenheit or about 40 Celsius, then your body loses the ability to begin to sweat, which is your primary mechanism to cool yourself off.
So when the moisture content in the air is as high as the moisture content on top of your skin, your body can't evaporate that any more. So that's when you begin to see your core temperature go up and problems come after that.
[03:15:13] CHURCH: Are there things that people can do, suggestions you can make to those people who don't have access to air conditioning or fans to cool their bodies down?
JAVAHERI: Absolutely.
BARNETT: Because they're just saying drink water.
JAVAHERI: Yes. Absolutely. I mean, you want to set up some sort of a flow through your home so whether opening the front door and then sitting on the backside of your house, next to a window so then you have the air flow in circulation, that definitely would help cool off. And of course being out of the sun is commonsense and avoiding any sort of alcohol and extreme exercise outside in such conditions is also worthy. But trying to remain somewhere when you have the biggest power cuts, as you guys touched on, is going to be prevalent here. Yes.
BARNETT: All right. Pedram, appreciate the update. JAVAHERI: Yes.
BARNETT: Thanks very much.
CHURCH: Well, a deadly tornado rips through a Mexican border community. In just six second leaving chaos behind. The city's mayor said at least 13 people were killed and 200 others were injured.
BARNETT: Yes, the twister flipped cars, damaged hundreds of homes and you see the aftermath of it here. Rescuers still searching those houses, in fact, looking for victims. The mayor says it's the first tornado to hit the city since it was founded more than 100 years ago.
CHURCH: The storm system that's spawned that tornado also caused severe weather in neighboring Texas.
BARNETT: Five people in the south central of the U.S. dies in those storms.
Our Ed Lavandera has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My god.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop, stop, stop. He needs to get out.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One person was killed here in central Texas and nearly 400 homes were washed away. The flood waters cut a winding, destructive path through the town of Wimberley and San Marcos, Texas. Twelve people are believed to be missing. They were part of a family gathering for Memorial Day weekend at a river house. Search and rescue teams are pushing through the debris along the river banks looking for the families which also include small children.
JUDGE BERT COBB, HAYS COUNTY, TEXAS: Never did we in our wildest imagination To awe the wall of water that would come down and do the destruction. It came down rather quickly and despite our efforts to inform the public and to warn people to evacuate, to take precautions many people did not have time to do that.
LAVANDERA: David Marmolejo and his daughter Mary Jane are cleaning up the damage left by that wall of water. They know they're lucky to be alive. They woke up to ankle-deep flood waters rushing into their home. By the time they woke everyone up and got out of the house it was already knee deep.
MARY JANE MARMOLEJO, FLOOD SURVIVOR: Animals went running everywhere. It was like the scariest thing I have ever seen. I've never seen it so high, the water. Within a matter of like two to three minutes the water was from ankles to your knees.
LAVANDERA: They didn't have time to grab their dog Oreo. But when they come back to the house after floodwaters receded they found Oreo stuck in this tree but alive.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're taking care of each other. Helping each other out.
GOV. GREG ABBOTT (R), TEXAS: To anyone who is in harm's way over the entire state of Texas over the coming days as we see ongoing rain. And that is the relentless tsunami type power that this wave of water can pose for people.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: And that was Ed Lavandera reporting. And if you would like to help flood victims, we have information how you can do that on our Web site. Just go to CNN.com/impact.
BARNETT: Now some relief may be coming for millions of Nigerians. A fuel strike appears to be ending soon. Next, hear why some believe this may just be a quick fix.
CHURCH: Plus, a terrifying scene on a U.S. beach. Three children injured after an inflatable bouncy house tumbles through the air.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Those kids are flying out, hit in the ground, and it flies all the way across the air and knocked over all this stuff, and it just keeps going. Just keeps going.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It gets high up by the palm trees. Next thing you know you see kids flying out of the bounce house. The girl hits the floor. The boy hits the floor.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[03:19:13]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BARNETT: The espionage trial of an Iranian American journalist with "The Washington Post" is under way right now in Tehran. Stated media reports that Jason Rezaian's trial is taking place with just his court appointed attorney and translator with him. No family.
CHURCH: Rezaian is accused of passing information to hostile governments. He and his wife were arrested in July. His wife has been released. But he has remained in custody for more than 300 days now. "The Washington Post" denies the charges and says, this is Rezaian's first court appearance since he was detained. The U.S. calls the charges absurd.
BARNETT: Now Nigeria's fuel crisis may soon be over. It appears the government and fuel suppliers have reached an agreement.
CHURCH: The fuel companies say Nigeria was not paying them so they stopped supplying the country.
Christian Purefoy talked to some locals about how the strike has affected them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTIAN PUREFOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Nigeria's fuel shortages now seem to be coming to an end as petrol tankers are beginning to deliver fuel, petrol and diesel to stations across the country. This comes after unions and fuel importers have lifted their strike on the importation of fuel.
It is a strike that has grounded the Nigerian economy. Many local flights have been grounded. Mobile operators have not been able to operate a normal service. Banks have been closing early. People are just getting back to and fro from work is much more expensive as there hasn't been the petrol to fill their cars.
And as you can see behind me here people are already beginning to queue to get their hands and fill their tanks with this petrol. But they have not been happy with this situation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The fuel crisis is very unfortunate because Nigeria has been the largest producer of crude oil. We are not supposed to feel this kind of situation we're in now.
[03:25:09] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It has never been this bad. It has never been this bad. It is annoying. It's frustrating.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Without fuel you cannot do anything. I couldn't pump water in the morning. I couldn't -- I couldn't (INAUDIBLE). In fact I would get transport from my house to work is a hell. It does a shame to this country. Honestly. Very shameful.
PUREFOY: These fuel shortages have exposed the failure of Nigeria's fuel subsidy importation scheme. There is now petrol and diesel in the country. But this is simply a short term fix. Their long term problems are yet to be dealt with.
Christian Purefoy, CNN, Lagos, Nigeria.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: India's Narendra Modi is marking his first year in office as prime minister.
BARNETT: He led a show-stopping election campaign promising to reform India's economy.
CNN's Sumnima Udas has more on what he has accomplished in his first year.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUMNIMA UDAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If there's one world leader who emerged in the public consciousness in 2014, it was Narendra Modi. From a sold-out reception at New York's Madison Square Garden, to an unprecedented welcome in China for an Indian premiere. Traveling an impressive 50 out of the past 365 days to some 18 countries. Modi embraced them all.
SHEKHAR GUPTA, SENIOR JOURNALIST: So much was expected of him. And frankly for me, nobody could have revolutionized the economy in a year. India is a juggernaut. It's a big huge machine on creaky wheels. With millions and millions and billions of people, in fact, have to push forward. One individual cannot do it.
UDAS: Few can deny the economy has improved. Stock markets soared. Inflation dipped. Much of this a result of the collapse of global oil prices. But still India is set to overtake China and become the fastest growing major economy this year.
The rumors of dissatisfaction even amongst his biggest supporters, corporate India, are starting to be heard, though. They say he hasn't moved quickly enough with labor and tax reforms. Investor sentiment is also cooling.
So perhaps his biggest shortfall, many criticize Modi for not doing enough to stop members of his own Hindu Nationalist Party and allies from organizing forced religious conversion ceremonies and making anti-minority statements in parliament.
GUPTA: (INAUDIBLE) Pluralism is India's greatest strength. I wish he -- he had paid more attention to that. In a diverse society like this you have to reach out to minorities. Ethnicities, give them a good reason to stay together.
UDAS: For his part, Modi did say his government will ensure freedom of faith. It is just one issue among many.
(On camera): Turning around the country as big and diverse as India in one year was always going to be a challenge. But political observers say for the optimism and momentum to last and for real change to happen, Modi needs to deliver more and soon.
Sumnima Udas, CNN, New Delhi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Some U.S. politicians are breaking ranks to stop controversial spy programs. Details on the Senate shocker coming up.
BARNETT: Plus an exclusive look at the lavish lifestyle of North Korea's elite. While millions of others live in poverty and hunger.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How does this compare to some of your friends and family members' homes?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (Through Translator): This is much better.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:32:16] CHURCH: A warm welcome back to you all. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Rosemary Church.
BARNETT: And I'm Errol Barnett. Let's get you up to speed on our top headlines right now.
Some new information just into CNN. Iraqi state TV says the start of an operation to liberate Anbar Province has started, though it has not specifically referenced Ramadi. ISIS has held the provincial capital for just over a week. The Islamic militants are now bringing in reinforcements ahead of the expected attack.
CHURCH: Charred rubble and twisted metal are all that remained after a fire at a nursing home in central China. Authorities say 38 people died in that fire and six others were injured. Two of those injuries are serious. China's president is now calling for an investigation.
BARNETT: Officials in India now report that more than 760 people are dead as a result of a severe heat wave hitting two states. Experts say searing temperatures, high humidity, and a lack of water are all contributing to the growing number of deaths. The government is providing relief carts throughout India with water and buttermilk to keep residents cool and hydrated.
CHURCH: It took just six seconds for a tornado to hit a Mexican border community leaving massive destruction in its wake. The mayor says at least 13 people were killed and 200 others injured. The tornado sent cars flying and damaged hundreds of homes. The army is hoping to search for missing people.
BARNETT: And the U.S. city of Cleveland is set to move forward on agreed changes to its police department. A reform plan was created after a 2014 Department of Justice report found patterns of excessive force and civil rights violations by Cleveland Police. Changes include years of court supervised monitoring of the police department.
CHURCH: The next step of the reform comes just after the acquittal of a police officer accused of killing two unarmed African-Americans.
Cleveland Police are also under pressure to explain the death of a 12- year-old boy who was shot by another officer after waving a pellet gun in a park last November.
BARNETT: Now officials in the U.S. state of Nevada say they opened a homicide investigation into the death of blues legend B.B. King. But coroners have now done an autopsy on the musician's body and say so far there's nothing to suggest foul play. Still toxicology test could take two months.
CHURCH: All this after two of King's daughters said they believe he was poisoned by two close aides. The 89-year-old musician died almost two weeks ago in Las Vegas. His doctor said he had a series of strokes. King's funeral is set for Saturday.
[03:35:01] The United States is investigating at least 10 threats made against airliners on Monday. A busy travel day after the long Memorial Day weekend, of course. BARNETT: That's right. Fighter jets escorted this Air France jet
from Paris to New York's Kennedy Airport after a phoned in threat. Nothing was found. Authorities say none of Monday's threats seemed credible but they all had to be investigated.
CHURCH: The U.S. government is just days away from losing one of its weapons in the war on terrorism. Several controversial spying programs under the country's Patriot Act expire June 1st.
BARNETT: And as White House correspondent Michelle Kosinski explains, some politicians are breaking with other members of their own party and willing to let the measures go.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On this Memorial Day, the president honoring those fallen in battle. While overseas ISIS gains ground. Here in Washington, new questions about how to keep America safe. With just six days before parts of the Patriot Act are set to expire.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), MAJORITY LEADER: This is a high threat period and -- we know what's going on overseas. We know what's been tried here at home.
My colleagues, do we really want this law to expire?
KOSINSKI: Many Senate Republicans arguing through the night this weekend that specifically the bulk collection of Americans' phone data that started secretly after September 11th is still necessary, should continue. But in a move that shocked even his own party, here is Republican presidential contender, Rand Paul, fighting its renewal in every attempt and refusing to budge.
SEN. RAND PAUL (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is a debate about whether or not a warrant with a single name of a single company can be used to collect all the records, all of the phone records of all of the people in our country with a single warrant. Our forefathers would be aghast.
KOSINSKI: That opinion met with an eye roll from a Senate colleague and soon to be Republican presidential candidate, Lindsey Graham.
Opponents of bulk phone data collection contend it's not even necessary. That the government can and should just get a warrant for specific information when they need it. The White House agrees. But it's not only the phone data issue that will expire June 1st. The government also won't be able to as easily gather business records, conduct roving wiretaps when a person keeps switching cell phones, or keep close tabs on potential lone wolves who are not necessarily linked to an identified terror group.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BARNETT: Michelle Kosinski there. Now later today, Charter Communications, which is the third largest
cable TV provider in the U.S., is expected to announce it's buying Time-Warner Cable and Bright House Networks. Now if regulators approve this deal, Charter would quadruple its subscribers for cable and Internet services to 34 million.
CHURCH: Time-Warner Cable is the second largest provider in the U.S. It used to be part of CNN's parent company Time-Warner but they split back in 2009. Bloomberg reports that Charter intends to pay $195 a share for Time-Warner Cable.
BARNETT: Now Chile has what's considered to be one of the world's most restrictive anti-abortion laws.
CHURCH: Up next why the country's president is trying to change it and how viral videos are being used in the campaign. We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:41:48] BARNETT: In North Korea there are millions of dollars worth of new attractions in the capital. Everything from a grand water park to lavish apartments as well.
CHURCH: Yes, they are luxuries the Pyongyang's elite enjoy courtesy of Kim Jong-Un's regime.
Our Will Ripley got an exclusive look at some of them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The North Koreans took us here to show us their dolphins but the audience really got our attention.
This is the kind of unscripted emotion we rarely see in North Korea. Government propaganda shows over-the-top adulation for the supreme leader. But these smiles, these belly laughs are real. Especially when our CNN photojournalist is pulled on stage.
This dolphin area just one stop on our government guided sightseeing tour showing all the perks for Pyongyang's elite. Their lives drastically different from millions of North Koreans we're not allowed to see, living in poor, rural areas, tending fields by hand. Experts say as many as half the population hungry.
But when it wants to, North Korea and its young leader will spend millions on vanity projects, building extravagant amenities like this horse riding club. No expense spared in this brand-new orphanage. Kids get regular visits from Kim Jong-Un, a man they call "Father," but the orphanage is half empty.
Most North Koreans in the capital live in drab housing blocks assigned by the government. We're shown only the newest, best neighborhoods, like these apartments for elite North Korean scientists. They even have their own vacation resort. The government prepared to spend lavishly to reward key personnel.
(On camera): That's you right there.
(Voice-over): More special perks for those who train the elite. Senior professors at Pyongyang's most prestigious university get these free luxury apartments.
(On camera): How does this compare to some of your friends and family members' homes?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (Through Translator): This is much better.
RIPLEY (voice-over): But even the best homes need solar panels, backup power during regular outages.
We also visit the supreme leader's lavish new water park, a gift for his people, featuring a life-sized statue of his late father, Kim Jong-Il, which must be revered like a religious artifact.
(On camera): Everybody who enters the water park first pays their respects to the late leader Kim Jong-Il who died in 2011.
(Voice-over): Park goers have nothing but praise.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (Through Translator): I want more foreigners to come here because I want them to be captivated by the great personality of our Supreme Leader Marshall Kim Jong-Un.
RIPLEY: These luxuries you'll only find in the showpiece capital, home to the most trusted, loyal citizens, proudly displayed as symbols of national greatness as millions of people struggle, are kept hidden from the world.
Will Ripley, CNN, Pyongyang, North Korea.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[03:45:04] CHURCH: Malaysian authorities confirmed that bodies found in 139 graves near the Thai border are migrants. Malaysian police and border guards found the graves in camps that were believed to be abandoned about two weeks earlier. Autopsies will be performed to figure out how the migrants died.
BARNETT: Now hundred of migrants have landed in Malaysia and Indonesia in recent weeks. Both countries agreed last week to accept refugees if the international community helps resettle them within a year.
CHURCH: Many women in Chile are sharing their stories about the horrors of being forced to carry babies that doctors knew couldn't survive.
BARNETT: And this comes as the country's president tries to change a law that bans abortions under any circumstances but she faces incredible odds.
Rafael Romo explains. And we have to give you a warning here, parts of his report are disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SR. LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR (voice-over): The video looks real. A woman casually talking into a hand-held camera.
But the message is anything but casual. If you want to have an abortion, this woman suggests, let yourself fall from the top of a staircase. It looks amateur, but the video was made by an ad agency as part of a campaign to decriminalize abortion in Chile.
LESLIE NICHOLLS, MILES CHILE: We have the hope that it may happen this year. But we are not that certain yet.
ROMO: Leslie Nicholls belongs to Miles Chile, the organization behind the campaign.
NICHOLLS: We were trying to show people that absurd decisions can occur under these circumstances.
ROMO: Chile is one of a handful of countries in the world where abortion is illegal under any circumstances. Activists point to cases like Andrea Quiroga's. The 40-year-old says she had to prolong her pregnancy until she miscarried in the sixth month even though doctors determined her baby wouldn't survived outside the uterus.
ANDREA QUIROGA, MOTHER DENIED ABORTION: I saw my baby bleed from her eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. That's inhumane. That shouldn't happen. I was having a child and knew my baby girl was dead. I mean, what's the point of doing all this? None. At least for me.
ROMO: Chilean President Michelle Bachelet is pushing for a bill that would allow abortion in cases where the fetus can't survive outside the uterus, rape or where the pregnancy puts the mother's life at risk.
(On camera): The president introduced the bill in the Lower House of the Chilean parliament in January, but it's currently stalled in proceedings. Decriminalizing abortion is one of the promises Michelle Bachelet made during her campaign to the presidency. A promise the president says she intends to fulfill.
(Voice-over): The bill faces strong opposition from conservative legislators like Jacqueline Van Rysselberghe.
JACQUELINE VAN RYSSELBERGHE, CHILEAN SENATOR (Through Translator): I believe in fact that women have the right to make decisions about their reproductive life. However, I believe that the right to make those decisions end where the right to life of the unborn child begins.
ROMO: Conservative legislators promise to fight the bill until the end. But Andrea Quiroga hopes the bill becomes law so that other women don't have to suffer what she went through.
Rafael Romo, CNN, Santiago, Chile.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BARNETT: Now a day at the beach turned quickly into a nightmare after an inflatable bounce house went airborne. The mother of two children inside could only watch as it was launched skyward.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was going up. And all of the kids was in it.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: What did you think when you saw that?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was scared. I was frightened. I was like, oh, my god. I can't believe this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:52:58] CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. The espionage trial of an Iranian American journalist with "The Washington Post" is over for the day in Tehran. State media reports that the first session of Jason Rezaian's trial has just ended. The reports say he is charged with illegally gathering classified information about Iran's domestic and foreign policies. No date for the next session has been announced.
BARNETT: Now Rezaian and his wife were arrested back in July. She has been released but he has remained in custody for more than 300 days now. "The Washington Post" denies the charges and says this is Rezaian's first court appearance since he was detained. The U.S. calls the charges absurd.
CHURCH: Stephen Curry is the National Basketball Association's most valuable player. But that couldn't protect the Golden State Warrior from a nasty tumble late Monday.
BARNETT: Yes. Take a look at this. Curry was trying to block a shot by a Houston Rockets' player. Boom. Loses his footing. Flips over almost on his head there on the floor. He stayed down for almost five minutes as well. Doctors say he suffered a head contusion.
CHURCH: Look at that. But get this, by the third quarter, Curry was back on the floor and playing again. But he couldn't save the day for his team. The Rockets beat the Warriors in the playoff game, 128-115.
BARNETT: It's not enough.
CHURCH: Looks like he landed on his shoulder.
BARNETT: It does. But it's not how many times you fall.
CHURCH: Yes.
BARNETT: It's how many times you get back up.
CHURCH: Absolutely.
BARNETT: That's why he is MVP.
CHURCH: And how you fall but --
(LAUGHTER)
CHURCH: Well, three children were injured when a water spout in the U.S. state of Florida launched a bouncy house into the air. Incredible pictures.
BARNETT: It's almost unbelievable. If you couldn't see it. The bounce house, it's supposed to be fun place for kids to jump around safely on inflated cushions and walls. But as Andrew Spencer reports, onlookers were just terrified.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDREW SPENCER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's difficult to see the water spout coming ashore at this beach in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but it's not difficult to see the power behind it. In this cell phone video you can see the wind rip the bounce house from its moorings.
[03:55:07] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It just lift up the bounce house and just spin it, spin it up in the sky.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was scared. It was frightening. I was like, oh, my god. I can't believe this.
SPENCER: Friends and family members could only watch as the children inside the bounce house were carried away.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It gets high up by the palm trees. Next thing you know you see kids flying out of the bounce house.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Little kids start flying out hitting the ground. And then flies all the way across the air. And knocks over all this stuff. And it just keeps going. Just keeps going.
SPENCER: Three children were carried into the sky and dropped. Ambulances would later take them to a nearby hospital.
I'm Andrew Spencer reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BARNETT: Now American actor Johnny Depp has reportedly left Australia following jail threats over his dog. This is a bizarre story. The "Pirates of the Caribbean" actor and his wife took a private jet Monday night. So far Depp has not been charged with anything.
CHURCH: But Australian government officials say the movie star could face up to 10 years in prison and hefty fines if he is ever convicted of smuggling his two Yorkshire Terrier dogs into the country earlier this month. His publicist says he left the country to return home for his daughter's birthday.
And of course it has to be said. In Australia, I come from Australia.
BARNETT: Yes.
CHURCH: They are very serious about quarantining dogs and this, they say, is unacceptable.
BARNETT: And they wanted to make a point.
CHURCH: They send a clear message. Yes. Absolutely.
BARNETT: Yes.
Thanks, everyone, for watching CNN NEWSROOM. We're going to take some of your questions on periscope right now. I'm Errol Barnett.
CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church. Do stay with us. "EARLY START" is next for our viewers here in the United States.
BARNETT: And for everyone else, it's CNN NEWSROOM. Have a great day.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
