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Second Employee Charged in New York Prison Break; Police Sift Contains Thousands of Leads; Memorials Surrounding Rev. Clementa Pinckney; Obama Makes Change in U.S. Hostage Policy; French Miffed Over Eavesdropping Allegations By U.S.; Boston Bomber Apologizes at Sentencing; Deadly Heat Wave to Continue in Pakistan; New Doubts on Iran Nuclear Program Deal; No Sign of Greek Debt Crisis Deal; Senate Passes Fast Track on Obama's Trade Deals; Cal Grove Fire Burns Out of Control; North Korean Defectors Struggle in the South; Queen Elizabeth Meets with Angela Merkel in Germany. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired June 24, 2015 - 01:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:00:14] ERROL BARNETT, CNN ANCHOR: In New York State another prison employee is under arrest. We will explain his connection to the escaped murders.

ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: Charleston one week later. Mourning, reflection and call for change.

BARNETT: The Boston bomber apologizes on the day he is sentenced to death. We will get you reaction from the survivors.

ASHER: A warm welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. Thank you for visiting with us. I'm Zain Asher.

BARNETT: I'm Errol Barnett. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

Two escaped murderers on the run for 19 days and counting.

ASHER: A second prison employee is charged in connection with the prison break. Gene Palmer is a prison guard accused of taking frozen meat with tools inside to inmates. Official say he allowed the men to the catwalk area that they later used to escape.

BARNETT: Anderson Cooper spoke to the district attorney, Andrew Wylie, about the allegations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREW WYLIE, CLINTON COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: There's some information that he allowed them to go in the back of the cells in the catwalk area and fix the breakers that were there. At this point in time, the information we had they all have hot plates and it was to help the -- fix the breakers so they could use their hot plates to cook their food.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR, A.C. 360: So he knew they were going back behind the cells to the catwalk area? WYLIE: Correct. He actually took them behind there to do that.

COOPER: Were they alone there or with were they with him at all times?

WYLIE: It is my understanding they were with Gene Palmer at the time.

COOPER: Do you have any indication why Palmer chose not to put the hamburger meat through a metal detector? That would seem to be prison policy.

WYLIE: It would be prison policy, but in situations, I think of this nature, Anderson, the guards develop these friendships with some of the inmates. They also will have the inmates assist them with information that they can obtain in the facility involving other inmates almost like on the outside using a confidential informant for a drug bite.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: The search for the escapees has focused on cabins in an area not far from the prison where they broke out. Authorities are concerned now the inmates may have found guns in one of those cabins.

ASHER: Investigators did find the inmate's DNA inside of one cabin, though they wouldn't confirm whether a bloody sock was the source.

CNN's Gary Tuchman has more on the effort to sift through thousands of leads.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A major are road to the town of owls head New York, closed to outsiders but full of law enforcement officers. Every quarter mile or so, armed state police stand patrol next to wooded areas looking for any sign of Matt and Sweat. More than 2200 leads have come in, say police.

MAJ. CHARLES GUESS, NEW YORK STATE POLICE: We receive reported sightings each day and have investigated every one. We will continue to ensure that every sighting or lead reported will be investigated until exhausted.

TUCHMAN: Exhausted describes the search team. State and federal law enforcement members doing grid searches in Franklin County where owls head is located. DNA samples from the killers were found in a cabin in the woods and understand my many owners and guests of other cabins in the woods are staying away while the searching is going on.

As we walked up to this cabin we didn't expect to find anybody but we found Al Mossy.

TUCHMAN (on camera): A lot of people have left their cabins.

AL MOSSY, FRANKLIN COUNTY, NEW YORK, RESIDENT: I know but I'm not one of them. TUCHMAN (voice-over): Al bought this cabin years ago. He is retired

and lives here permanently.

(on camera): Do you feel safe? You are in the middle of the search zone for these two killers?

MOSSY: Yeah.

TUCHMAN: You are not going to leave?

MOSSY: No.

TUCHMAN: How come?

MOSSY: No reason to.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): The 81-year-old lives with his 140-pound dog, Yoda, and says odds are tiny they would seek refuge, and besides, he is armed.

MOSSY: 20 gauge shotguns, deer rifles.

TUCHMAN (on camera): Al Mossy believes the killers won't be able to navigate their way out of the wilderness without police seeing them and is convinced they will be captured, even though it has taken some time, which is something police are addressing.

GUESS: Time is always a concern. It generally works against the police in the immediate response but works typically for law enforcement long term a as we coalesce around the search area bringing more partners.

TUCHMAN: Al Mossy says his 79-year-old girlfriend is scared. They are spending the nights together for now. But he's told her --

MOSSY: I'm not changing my life for this, no.

[01:05:15] TUCHMAN (on camera): You are not the at least bit uneasy?

MOSSY: No. Do I look it?

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Gary Tuchman, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: Another important story in Charleston, South Carolina. Hard to imagine what emotions and thoughts were in the minds of worshipers. They resumed Bible study on the same location where nine people were killed last week at Emanuel AME Church. Wednesday's lesson was called "the power of love."

ASHER: Meantime, law enforcement officials say the Department of Justice is likely to pursue federal hate crime charge against Dylann Roof, the accused shooter. Roof told investigators he shot his victims in order to start a race war.

Roof is facing nine murder charges but officials say the hate crime charge will ensure the racial aspect of the crime is addressed.

BARNETT: As the legal case unfolds, thousands of mourners spent Wednesday in the South Carolina state house viewing the open casket of the church's pastor, Reverend Clementa Pinckney. A public viewing will be held on Thursday at the Emanuel AME and another nearby church.

ASHER: President Obama will deliver the eulogy at the state lawmaker's funeral.

More now from CNN's Ryan Young on the memorials surrounding Pinckney's passing that includes some laced with controversy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): State Senator Clementa Pinckney's body arrived at South Carolina state house as hundreds of mourners lined the street to pay their respects to a slain lawmaker at Mother Emanuel. His body lying in state as the visible symbol of the old south still flies on the state grounds.

NIKKI HALEY, (R), GOVERNOR OF SOUTH CAROLINA: It's time to move the flag from the capital grounds.

YOUNG: After Governor Nikki Haley's statement, South Carolina lawmakers opened debate to remove the flag from capital grounds once and for all. But the vote to take down the flag is yet to occur and, by any measure, the passing is not a sure thing.

Haley's office acknowledging in a statement she does not have the authority to remove the flag herself today or any day. Rather than violate the law, she will continue to work to change it.

(CHANTING)

YOUNG: As the debate over the future of the Confederate flag overshadows the mourning in South Carolina, calls for taking down the flag are spreading across the south. Alabama's Republican governor ordered the Confederate flag to be removed from its state capital grounds, joining governors in Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia, who have also sought to diminish the presence of the controversial symbol. Even in Boise, Idaho, the state flag, which prominently features the Confederate symbol, was removed from a display of state flags at city hall.

STATE REP. WILLIAM CHUMLEY, (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: It stays there until the people of South Carolina say it should come down.

YOUNG: But ion South Carolina, it is expected to be an uphill battle as some lawmakers are already trying to shift the focus of the debate.

CNN spoke to Republican Representative William Chumley on Tuesday.

CHUMLEY: People sat in there and waited their turn to be shot. That's sad. Somebody in there with means of self defense could have stopped this and we'd have had less funerals.

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Are you turning in to a gun debate? If nine families asked you to take down the flag would you do it.

CHUMLEY: You said, why didn't somebody do something. You have one skinny person shoot a gun. We have to do what we can.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: That South Carolina lawmaker you just saw there is expressing what he calls his deep regret for those controversial words.

BARNETT: That's right. In a new statement, Bill Chumley tried to clarify the remarks, saying, quote, "My view which I was trying to express is painfully regrettable that someone was not able to intervene in this demented killer's life to stop him up to the moment he squeezed the trigger."

ASHER: The Charleston church shooting highlights a startling surprising statistic in the U.S. According to the New American Foundation, which is a Washington research center, home-grown terrorists in the U.S. have killed more people than jihadists have since the September 11th attacks.

BARNETT: Consider this, the group found nearly twice as many people have been killed by white supremacist, anti-government fanatics, and non Muslim extremists. They found 48 have been killed by extremists who were not Muslim compared to 26 killed by self proclaimed jihadists.

[01:10:09] ASHER: U.S. President Barack Obama is ordering some major changes in American hostage policy. Families can now pay ransoms to hostage takers without fear of criminal prosecution.

BARNETT: This comes as White House advisers make a stunning revelation about how many Americans are still being held overseas.

Michelle Kosinski has more on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: The numbers we haven't heard before and the president said more than 80 Americans since September 11th have been held hostage overseas. More than half of them have returned home. Then his adviser on counterterrorism said that currently 30 Americans are held. The president's national security team said than clouds people held by cartel s and criminal gangs but couldn't elaborate for security reasons. The White House made a number of changes to its hostage policy, mostly in the way the system works to make it more efficient, more integrated to share more information with families.

But most strikingly they made clear that the U.S. now will not prosecute families for paying ransoms to terrorists, even though it is illegal and even though U.S. government policy states the opposite, and that has not changed.

Here's the president. BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I firmly believe the

United States government paying ransom to terrorists, risks endangering more Americans and funding the terrorism we are trying to stop. So I firmly believe that our policy ultimately puts fewer Americans at risk.

KOSINSKI: That raises a lot of questions. By now allowing families to pay ransoms, doesn't that put American lives at risk? Doesn't it perpetuate the problem you are trying to stop plus send a message that ransoms might work. The White House answered like this. They said there's no doubt that ransoms fuel terrorism, but at the same time, we're going to stand by the families and help them. Lisa Monaco said, in the past, we did not do right by these families, something the president said he found totally unacceptable.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: That is Michelle Kosinski reporting there.

France is fuming following new spying allegations from WikiLeaks.

ASHER: The report indicates the NSA eavesdropped on President Hollande, his two predecessor and other top French officials. It said the spying went on from at least 2006 all the way to 2012. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said he is quote, "absolutely guarantees the U.S. is not watching and spying on France's president."

BARNETT: Meanwhile, Mr. Hollande gathered his defense council and summoned the U.S. ambassador to explain the report. And it's clear the French are miffed over these allegations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURENT FABIUS, FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER (through translation): I summoned the ambassador to convey firstly that this was unacceptable. Secondly, that we wanted to know if those practices ceased and whether they apply to the president only or whether they were done on a larger scale. Although we understand there could be wiretapping when it comes to terrorists, it has nothing in common with the spying of leaders, friends and allies and I ask the ambassador to quickly bring us answers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: Interestingly, France's parliament gave the final approval to a controversial surveillance law of its own that would give French intelligence the right to collect data from phones and the internet without a warrant. France's highest court has to OK and approve it before it officially becomes law.

BARNETT: After staying publicly silent for two years, Boston bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, apologized for his crimes before formally sentenced to death on Wednesday. Reaction from survivors ranged from total rejection to offers of forgiveness.

CNN's Deborah Feyerick was there. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A powerful day at the sentence of marathon bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, as two dozen survivors and relatives of those who died gave victim impact statements.

One amputee, Heather Abbott, said, "He did not break me. The memory of those killed will be kept alive by those who survived his terror."

The family of 8-year-old Martin Richard, basically condemning what he had done saying, "He chose to accompany his brother. He chose hate. He chose destruction. He chose death. We choose love. We choose peace."

FEYERICK: Among those defiant was amputee, Rebecca Gregory. She said essentially said, "We are Boston Strong, America Strong. By choosing to mess with us was a terrible mistake."

How's that for a victim impact statement?

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev did offer an apology to the victims' families saying he was sorry for the lives he had taken, the suffering he caused and the damage done. He also did confess saying, "The bombing, which I'm guilty of, if there is any lingering doubt, I did do it along with my brother."

But for several family members and for officials here, it was too little too late.

[01:15:15] The U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz saying what Dzhokhar Tsarnaev did not say, he did not renounce terror or violent extremism.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: After the sentencing, survivors of the Boston bombing reacted to Tsarnaev's apology. Lynn Julian said his words lacked sincerity.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LYNN JULIAN, BOSTON BOMBING SURVIVOR: I regret having ever wanted to hear him speak because what he said showed no remorse, no regret and no empathy for what he's done to our lives.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: But another survivor had a different reaction. 23-year-old Henry Boulgard (ph) said he is happy with the apology and forgives Tsarnaev.

The death toll from the devastating heat wave in Pakistan continues to climb and the country's resources, they are struggling to keep up with people's needs.

ASHER: Plus, signals from the ayatollah and new doubts about the tentative agreement on Iran's nuclear program. That's coming up. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:20:04] BARNETT: Welcome back, everyone. Media in Pakistan are now reporting more than 1,000 people have died in the country's brutal record-breaking heat wave.

ASHER: Nearly all of those deaths happened in Karachi, which is the country's most populous city.

CNN correspondent, Saima Mohsin, warns the death toll will likely continue to rise.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I have been covering this region for more than a decade out in the desert. If it feels hot in the city you can only imagine how hot it is there. They do not have access to water and electricity.

And also they are saying there are a lot of private hospitals in Pakistan. There aren't really enough government hospitals. There are private hospitals and so figures may not have been collected from those either. I'm sure the death toll will continue to rise.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: Earlier in the day, Saima visited a hospital, both locations stretched beyond their limits.

And a warning, her report contains scenes that are disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MOHSIN (voice-over): Even as we approach the morgue, the stench of death surrounded us. Corpses covered in flies, left out in the heat. A charity runs this morgue. But it is struggling to provide the service. Daily power outages mean the cold room can't be kept cold.

(on camera): I want to take you in to show you the extent of the problem. There's a putrid, pungent smell.

(voice-over): Bodies upon bodies piled high. 650 people have been brought here in just a few days.

(on camera): I really couldn't stay inside there any longer. That's supposed to be a cold storage unit in a morgue. It's hot and sticky in here. It seems like even the dead aren't being given the dignity they deserve.

(voice-over): Lengthy power cuts plague the living and the dead. One of the major hospitals has treated up to 8,000 people since Saturday's soaring temperatures struck. The unforgiving heat has spared no one. Young children and the elderly the most vulnerable.

"I felt so hot I was vomiting," says this old man. "I felt weak and my heart sank. My son had a high temperature, and then he had a fit." This woman says, "I asked if she has water and electricity in her

home. Nothing, we have none of those things," she says.

And the hospital they turned to for help is overwhelmed. These doctors and nurses tell me the government-run hospital has been relying on volunteers and donors.

"Even the beds have been donated to us," they say. "People are bringing us water, ice and even medicines."

Their frustration was palpable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: That was our Saima Mohsin reporting.

Well, it's just one week to go before the self-imposed deadline for a nuclear deal with Iran is finalized and there are new doubts about Tehran's willingness to cooperate.

Jonathan Mann reports Iran's supreme leader came out opposing key elements of a tentative agreement.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONATHAN MANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): No one person can deliver a deal between Iran and the West, but supreme leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, does have the power to derail it. He has already publicly expressed rejections. And now with days left before the June 30th target date for an agreement, he is sending out more strong signals. In a nationally televised speech, he rejected central elements of the agreement the West wants, most notably one key, careful tradeoff. Iran would have to verifiably scale back its nuclear program before sanctions are lifted.

AYATOLLAH KHOMEINI, IRANIAN SUPREME LEADER: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

MANN: "The lifting of sanctions must not be contingent on the implementations of Iran's undertakings," he said. "They should not say that you should fulfill your commitments and the International Atomic Energy Agency should then verify it in order for the sanctions to be lifted. We do not accept this issue at all."

The thinking in Western capitals has been exactly the opposite.

PHILIP HAMMOND, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: We cannot compromise on the absolute red lines that we have. If we do a deal, it's got to be verifiable.

[01:25:01] MANN: There are other key issues. How long will Iran's program be restrained by an agreement? The West wants assurances it will last a decade. The ayatollah calls it unacceptable.

The negotiations have been held up by disagreements in the past and previous deadlines have come and gone. That could happen again. JOHN KIRBY, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: We are focused on

getting the right deal, and the right deal is more important than the deadline.

MANN: The ayatollah's remarks are adding to the pressure, and moving the deadline won't help if Iran's supreme leader won't accept the terms of the agreement.

Jonathan Mann, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: Bobbi Kristina Brown, the daughter of late singer, Whitney Houston, has been moved to hospice care. Her family said she's in God's hands now.

BARNETT: Her father, Bobby Brown was seen Wednesday outside of an Atlanta area hospice facility seen her. 22-year-old Bobbi Kristina has been in a medically induced coma since found unresponsive in a bathtub at her home in January. Police finished the criminal investigation in to her near drowning.

No charges have been filed.

The clock is ticking for Greece as another meeting on the country's debt crisis comes to an end without a deal.

ASHER: And from propaganda videos to Spongebob Squarepants, we go in to a South Korean school helping North Korean children transition to life outside of the oppressive country.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:29:51] BARNETT: You are watching CNN NEWSROOM. Thanks so much for staying with us. I'm Errol Barnett.

[01:30:00] ASHER: I'm Zain Asher. Let's give you your headlines.

A New York prison guard is now facing charges in connection with the escape of two inmates. Gene Palmer is accused of taking frozen meat with tools inside to the inmate's cell area. His attorney said Palmer was unaware the tools were hidden in the meat.

ERROL BARNETT, CNN ANCHOR: The death toll from Pakistan's record- breaking heat wave has surpassed 1,000. Hospitals and morgues are filled beyond capacity and the electricity grid is struggling to keep up with demand, resulting in frequent outages.

ASHER: South Korean Ministry of Health confirms one new case of MERS. That brings the total number of those infected to 180. The virus has also killed two more people. The death toll stands at 29. Officials say so far seven people have recovered from MERS.

BARNETT: Let's shift our focus at this moment to the Greek debt crisis. Eurozone finance ministers will pick up negotiations in the coming hours after talks with Greece on Wednesday ended with not a single sign of a deal. ASHER: They are trying to reach an agreement that would secure more

bailout funds for Greece and avoid a default. Without a deal, Greece risks missing the deadline to make a payment to the International Monetary Fund.

For the latest, I want to go to my colleague, Elinda Labropoulou, who's joining us live from Athens.

Elinda, Alexis Tsipras is in a tough position. How does he balance the promises he made to voters with the demands of the creditors?

ELINDA LABROPOULOU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It remains to be seen whether he will be able to. At the moment he seems to be original red lines in what he promised in his pre-election campaign. As the talks in Brussels continue, what we do hear is he is forced to make some tough decisions. So much so that actually he said he's not sure the creditors want a deal. Within Greece, there's a lot of confusion and criticism perhaps of the creditors' position possession simply because the Greek government was led to understand that on Monday there was a proposal that was a good basis for negotiation. It seems to be the case that yesterday this all changed and Greece is being pushed to make more concessions.

Now with time running out and talks really starting early again in Brussels today, it remains to be seen whether Greece will give way or not.

ASHER: Elinda, Alexis Tsipras has been focus on tax hike and said there will be no further reductions in pensions or public sector wages. Is he going to have to rethink that for there to be a deal?

LABROPOULOU: It looks like he will have to rethink that. I think what is finding a compromise solution is something that Alexis Tsipras can bring to Greece and sell to the Greek public. One issue at the core of all of this is the whole idea of debt sustainability and relief. So far, although there was some signs from the IMF that it is willing to discuss the idea, that for Greece we have seen that Europe is not prepared to give way. I think in the next round of negotiations, what we see today and possibly in the days ahead because it is not clear how long the talks will take before we reach that end- of-the-month deadline. This will be the one issue that will be defining, determining factor to how this will play out, both within Greece and internationally.

ASHER: Elinda, Greece as a massive problem with tax evasion. How long until that is addressed?

LABROPOULOU: Well, according to what we have been hearing, this is something that's already being addressed up to a point. It is obviously something that is not tangible, very difficult to do something about tax evasion as such. It is something all governments during this crisis have tried to address. So far none of them have successfully done so. So there's a lot of pressure from the creditors for Greece to really move to doing something in that direction. Basically not just focusing on tax hikes but really focusing on how to deal with Greece's chronic problems and tax evasion is among them. It's one of the biggest problems that Greece has been facing for a very long time.

ASHER: Elinda, the last thing anyone wants is for Greece to default or exit the Eurozone.

Elinda Labropoulou, live in Athens, thank you so much. We appreciate it. Errol?

BARNETT: Zain, we have some breaking news here. Reuters News Agency is reporting at this moment that a car bomb has exploded in the Syrian city of Kobani. This is near the Turkish board and near a Turkish border gate, in fact. A Kurdish YPG militia official said some were killed, other wounded but an exact count is not known as this just happened. The official tells Reuters ISIS militants staged an attack from three sides of the town. So the breaking news there is a car bomb that exploded in the Syrian city of Kobani, next to the Turkish border. That's from Reuters. As we get more information, we will bring it to you in the coming hours.

[01:35:33] An ambitious U.S. trade deal long sought after President Barack Obama just needs his signature to become law. That is after the U.S. Senate advanced a bill to give fast track congressional approval of major international trade deals. That means it would allow the president to send trade deals that can't be changed to Congress for up or down votes. The Trans Pacific Partnership aims to create a free trade zone among 12 nations that make up 40 percent of the world economy.

Earlier, Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, expressed his approval of this deal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHINZO ABE, JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER (through translation): The passing of this legislation is a big step forward. I'd like to welcome it. I'd like also to join with the U.S. in showing our leadership in moving to a compromise as soon as possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: Another thing to keep in mind is that China is not included in this Trans Pacific Partnership deal.

Now as the heat builds across the Western U.S., so do dozens of wildfires from California up to Alaska.

ASHER: The Cal Grove Fire near Los Angeles has already scorched 80 hectares or 200 acres.

Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri joins us live with more. Here he is.

BARNETT: He was telling us last hour these things can pick up momentum so quickly from a small kind of ember, in fact. And there are all sorts of issues with these and how they spread.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It is. In California, of course the winds howl. The terrain is steep. Not just in California. Alaska, too. 240 fires across Alaska because it's been extremely dry as well.

Some of the footage out of California. This fire in Los Angeles County is a short drive. You see the uplift happening with the tremendous heat generated by the fire. The temperatures in the mid to upper 90s across the region of southern California in the past couple of days. Here's the pattern. You look at the humidity, bone dry. Bar stow 6 percent at this hour. This is when humidity is increasing as we approach overnight hours. San Bernardino 22 percent. Palm Springs lower area there of the double-digits. In the afternoon these drops 3 to 4 percent. The eastern half of the United States, fascinating to see the moisture across the eastern half of the U.S. The humidity dry. Of course, California population a little over 38 million people. 37 million residents experiencing drought. 98 percent of the state under drought conditions. This is all essentially something we expect with a tremendous pattern we have had of historic drought in recent days and years. We go across Santa Clarita. The fire 25 percent contained there. The summer temperature is the major concern. Over the past 40 or so years, the temperatures across the Western United States have warmed on the order of two and a half to three and a half degrees, California, western Washington, around three degree increase in a 40-year span for summer temperatures. Warmer summers in place and when you think of the average, the number of large fires and we are talking 1,000 acres or larger. The number also in acres 140 fires in the '80s and you work to the '90s, we had 160 large fires. 2000 to 2012, the number is gone up to 250 large fires. This corroborating with the temperatures on the increase. The perspective and concern as we talked about is getting these embers lofted in the air, carried downstream. These firefighters are working upstream trying to put the flames out. Downstream you have additional fires that form.

An interesting depiction here. We haven't heard this before but we know the firefighters, the lake fire near Big Bear Lake have released this document here saying no drone zone. There's some people flying their hobby drones across portions and trying to get aerial views themselves and the firefighters have not been able to put the helicopters up to fight the fires because of the dangers.

(CROSSTALK)

JAVAHERI: There's a lot of people trying to get their own pictures of dangerous fires across southern California. I thought it was interesting to see that now. Officials there saying if you are putting your drones up we can't put the fires out.

(CROSSTALK)

BARNETT: You have to give warning now, please keep your drones down. Wildfires are raging.

JAVAHERI: Absolutely. Yeah.

BARNETT: Pedram, appreciate the update.

ASHER: Thank you so much.

Everyone, you are watching CNN NEWSROOM. Violence unfolds at an army base in Kenya. When we come back, we will have more on the battle between Kenya security force and al Shabaab fighters.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:43:09] BARNETT: Some compelling video to show you here. A pre- dawn firefight between Kenyan security forces and al Shabaab fighters. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(GUNFIRE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: You see everything kicks off in that moment. Video from ITN appears to show militants sneaking up on an army base in Kenya. Most of the militants were killed, including the man filming this video, a British jihadist named Thomas Evans.

ASHER: Evans is seen here the day before the attack. He reportedly went to Somalia to join al Shabaab several years ago.

Inside a school in small in Seoul, young defectors from North Korea are learning all over again.

BARNETT: Our Kathy Novak got an inside look at the children and the principal, who's a defector herself. They say it is a struggle adjusting to life south of the border.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATHY NOVAK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Starting from scratch, a class in their mother tongue.

These North Korean children grew up speaking Mandarin because their parents made the risky trip across the border to China, and even then they weren't completely safe.

"Living in China," Jai Hi (ph) explains, "there are people who seize North Koreans. If you are caught, you are sent back."

They have a lot more freedom here, but also a lot of catching up to do.

"Sometimes other children make fun of my imperfect Korean. I hear them saying, why is this Chinese person here in Korea? Go back to China."

Even those who grew up in North Korea can struggle with language. Text books are vastly different on either side of the border, not to mention the curriculum.

The principal can vouch for that. She was a teacher in the North. "In North Korea," she says, "the most important subject of study is

learning about the revolutionary history of Kim Il-Sung and Jim Jong Ill."

[01:45:13] She tells her students to appreciate their life here because, where they are from, children are going hungry, and here, after lunch, there's even time for a break.

(on camera): At this school, these kids are getting access to things they would have never seen in North Korea, no propaganda videos here. They are watching "Spongebob Squarepants."

(voice-over): While they don't have to worry about food or life under a dictatorship, it can be tough to fit in here.

After seven years, even the principal is still adjusting.

"It's not easy. It's very difficult," she says. "There are many days when I cry alone. Some days it is very painful and I can't help but ask myself why do I live like this?"

She hopes with a bit of extra help it won't be quite as bad for these kids.

Kathy Novak, CNN, Seoul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: Another story we are following, the largest private stretch of land on earth is up for sale, property, which belonged to the family of the late Sir Sydney Kidman for five generations, is a collection of cattle stations in Australia's outback, which is the areas you see on the map in black.

BARNETT: All right. They make up a total of more than 100,000 square kilometers. That's 39,000 square miles. So vast it will take bidders a week to fly around and do the property inspection. For perspective here, the combined area is 28 percent larger than the state of South Carolina. Three quarters the size of England. Jump away from that and show you it is half the size of Syria.

ASHER: The land will be sold to one of 30 lucky bidders for no less than $250 million.

BARNETT: Wow. Got the land, what do you do with it? Build something.

Two of the world's most high-profile women met in Berlin on Wednesday. We will have a recap of Queen Elizabeth's visit to Germany after this visit. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:51:05] ASHER: Breaking news out of northern Syria where ISIS fighters reportedly gained ground. BARNETT: The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says ISIS fighters

seized two neighborhoods in fierce fighting. The Syria military denies they have taken new territory. Kurdish militia were in control of large parts of this city. And we will have more information and will bring it to you as soon as we get it.

ASHER: Queen Elizabeth is headed to Frankfurt this morning on the second day of her state visit to Germany.

BARNETT: That's right. On Wednesday, she met Angela Merkel and toured Berlin.

CNN's London correspondent, Max Foster, has been following the trip and has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAX FOSTER, CNN LONDON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One is most powerful women in the world and other is the most revered heads of state. German Chancellor Angela Merkel invited the queen of Great Britain in to her private residence.

ANGELA MERKEL, GERMAN CHANCELLOR: There's the wall.

FOSTER: And pointed to where the Berlin Wall once stood. They represent two nations, once at war, now meeting in an ongoing reconciliation with a dark past.

QUEEN ELIZABETH II: I think it is remarkable.

(CROSSTALK)

FOSTER: The queen and Duke of Edinburgh had already paid their respects for the war dead on both sides. The couple both have German heritage.

(MUSIC)

FOSTER: The job is to stay out of politics and strengthen ties between nations.

(MUSIC)

FOSTER: But politics is at play here behind the scenes. The British prime minister, David Cameron, amongst the guests at the state dinner. He wouldn't usually attend the royal tour but he needs Angela Merkel's support if he is going to succeed in mending the relationship with the European Union, something he promised during his election campaign earlier this year.

QUEEN ELIZABETH II: In our lives, Mr. President, we have seen the worst and best of our continent. We have witnessed how quickly things can change for the better. But we know that we must work hard to maintain the benefits of the post-war world. We know the division in Europe is dangerous and that we must guard against it in the West as well as the east of our continent. That remains a common endeavor. FOSTER (on camera): On Thursday, the royal couple will go to

Frankfurt. They are keen to meet as many Germans as possible so they will go on a walk about there. But they'll also meet up with two of Prince Philip's relatives for lunch. This visit is all about emphasizing those British/German ties.

Max Foster, CNN, Berlin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: The ship captain who was found guilty in a deadly sinking of the cruise liner "Costa Concordia" back in 2012 is releasing a book about the incident. He is reportedly set to unveil the 600-page book title, "The Truth Submerged," in his hometown where he is under house arrest.

BARNETT: This book promises a minute-by-minute account of the ship wreck. 32 people were killed when the liner crashed on to rocks off the island in Italy. He is appealing his conviction.

ASHER: President Obama usually shrugs it off and handles it like a pro when he's heckled but he fired back when he was interrupted at the White House event honoring LGBT Pride Month. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: -- the civil rights of LGBT, American --

(SHOUTING)

OBAMA: Hold on a second.

(SHOUTING)

OBAMA: OK. You know what --

(SHOUTING)

[01:55:10] OBAMA: No, no, no, no, no, no. No. No. No. No. Hey.

(SHOUTING)

OBAMA: Listen, you are in my house.

(CHEERING)

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: You're in my house.

BARNETT: Yeah, when the president says, "You are in my house," you listen up.

(CROSSTALK)

BARNETT: The heckler was removed from the event. An immigration group says the transgender protester was an undocumented immigrant. The heckler later released a statement online saying she was outraged Mr. Obama's lack of concern for the treatment of LGBT detainees.

ASHER: There's always people who disagree with you when you are in what position but thought he handled it professionally.

BARNETT: You are in my house.

ASHER: You're in my house, exactly.

(CROSSTALK)

ASHER: Thank you for watching. I'm Zain Asher.

BARNETT: And I'm Errol Barnett.

And Zain is off on her weekend.

ASHER: I am. I'm going to go.

BARNETT: Enjoy yourself.

Rosemary Church is joining me after the break for more of the world's biggest stories. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)