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Turmoil in Turkey; Donald Trump Leads GOP Field. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired July 24, 2015 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:00]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Stretched thin and losing grants. Syria's President makes some remarkable admissions in his first public statements in a year.
ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: And turmoil in Turkey after wave of violent protest and deadly attacks. The government steps up the fight against terrorism.
VAUSE: By the turf war done. The brash talking, mudslinging Donald Trump leads the field in the race for the Republican nomination for U.S. Presidents.
ASHER: Thank you so much for being with us wherever you may be around the world. I'm Zain Asher.
VAUSE: Good to have you with us. I'm John Vause. This is CNN Newsroom.
VAUSE: We begin this out. A surprising admission from Syria's President about the state of the country's civil war. Bashar al-Assad says his army is undermanned, a televised speech Sunday Al-Assad continue the country's forces as stretched thin and the government is struggling defend of ISIS and other Islamic militants.
ASHER: Al-Assad also announced amnesty for draft dodges and deserters to boost the military's numbers. He said he's prioritizing the areas Syrian forces will defensively simply because there aren't enough people in the fight listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BASHAR AL-ASSAD, SYRIAN PRESIDENT (through translation): We must define the important regions that the armed forces hold on to so it doesn't allow the collapse of the rest of the areas.
Everything is available but there is a shortfall in human capacity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Well for more let's go to our military analyst Lieutenant Colonel Rick Francona. So, Colonel if Assad is willing to admit publicly that his forces a stretched thin how bad is the reality? RICK FRANCONA, LIEUTENANT COLONEL: Well, that must be really bad. I was shocked when I heard this. I listened to the speech. And I've been following the Syrian press and even up until yesterday he was all that, you know, they're in control of the situation. I know the rally on the ground is much different. For the President to came out and say that, and for him to admit that they're going to have prioritize orders things are really bad. And having to extend on amnesty for all of the deserters and draft (inaudible) just underscores how bad it is.
VAUSE: And with that question of territory, it seems that Assad in many ways is kind of acknowledging what a lot of people predicted that his forces would hold on to maybe, what? About a half or maybe a third of what was Syria before the war. So, is this the future? Is this what Syria will look like from this point on?
FRANCONA: It's hard to say, you know, if you look at the disposition of forces there, it's not just the, you know, the Syrian Army and a group, an organized group of rebel and you got multiple groups and they're controlling and sizable portions of the country. ISIS probably has the biggest chunk then you got the Kurds then you've got the Free Syrian Army and the Al Qaeda in Syria, the Jabhat al-Nusra group, all of them holding different areas. If you look at what the Syrian government actually controls, it's just the main highways and that (inaudible) homeland up in the mountains and the City of Damascus. So -- we could see the break up of Syria if something isn't solved in the near future.
VAUSE: He did told about the changing political landscape and now many countries are now recognizing the dangers posed by I guess ISIS and those other militant group, my read on that is that he was essentially saying, that's taking the pressure off of him in some way. How real is that shift especially in the focus by the U.S. and his allies?
FRANCONA: Well, it's interesting when you look at the situation in Iraq compared to the situation of Syria. In Iraq everybody is allied against ISIS even people we call strange bedfellow, the Iranians and the Arab coalition. But in Syria you got groups working against each other in one country and with each other in the other. And al-Assad is hoping that at some point people are going to say, ISIS represents the greater threat and we should all ally and defeat ISIS and then we can work out our differences politically later. Up until now the United States has been very reluctant to do that, and with the introduction of American-trained rebels back into Syria I think that we're telling Assad we're not ready (ph) to talk you about cooperation with ISIS.
VAUSE: And...
FRANCONA: In the fight against ISIS.
VAUSE: And if the United States isn't willing to talk Assad certainly isn't willing to talk, he said there's no real desire for any kind of peace negotiations, and is that a direct result of what he sees each faction playing each one off I guess? FRANCONA: Yes, I think -- that's right John but I also think that he would be willing to sit down and talk to anybody that could guarantee his survival. And that will be his bottom line going in as, that I have to survive this of course. You know, the Turks are not going to go along with that, and we certainly aren't right now. So, something is going to change in Syria, it can't go on like this. It's just bloodbath with no real side gaining the upper hand. I call it a real stalemate right now.
VAUSE: It seems -- we've been saying something's got to give for years now and I guess, you're right but the question is when. Our Lieutenant Colonel Rick Francona we appreciate you being with us, thank you sir.
FRANCONA: Always good to be with you John.
ASHER: More now on the fight against ISIS, now Brookman surrender to Turkish officials before being returned to Australia, he faces up to 10 years in prison.
[01:05:08] Turkey is struggling to deal with the series of violent attacks, in the meantime on Sunday a Turkish police officer was shot to death while trying to break up a demonstration. The protesters were denouncing a crackdown on groups outlawed by the government. The crackdown is part of a reaction to a week of attacks in Southern Turkey that killed dozens of people.
VAUSE: And Turkey has requested a major meeting to discuss it's ramped up offensive against terror groups. That meeting is set for Tuesday, Arwa Damon has more now in Turkey's new forceful response to terrorism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Since Monday's suicide bombing in the Southern town of Suruc that left at least 32 people dead. Turkey has opened to two fronts against terrorist organizations. It deems to be a national security threat, blaming the suicide bombing on ISIS, and now for the first time actively and aggressively going after using fighter jets and artillery ISIS targets inside Syria. And at the same time Turkish fighter jets also pounding Kurdistan Workers Party PKK positions in Northern Iraq, and on the domestic front launching a nationwide anti-terrorism operation slipping up some 600 individuals Turkish authorities claim numbers of or parts of a various different terrorist organizations.
And while all these is unfolding Turkey finally coming to an agreement to allow coalition aircraft the use of Turkish air bases and Turkish airspace to launch attacks inside Syria against ISIS, but all of these is really causing a lot of concern amongst the population here that had been hoping this country could somehow avoid being dragged deeper into war. Arwa Damon, CNN, Istanbul.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: And earlier we spoke with Sona Cagaptay an expert on Turkish politics and nationalism.
ASHER: That's right he explained just what Turkey expects to get out of the NATO meeting on Tuesday, listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SONER CAGAPTAY, TURKISH RESEARCH PROGRAM DIRECTOR: I think this is really to build international support for their actions against ISIS and PKK, as we know in the last few days the country has been striking bases...
(AUDIO GAP)
... Kurdish group inside Iraq and Syria. So what they're trying to do is they're trying to show international support, show us a U.N. resolution this is the best they can do, and I think the alliance will come forward in strong favor of Turkish acts. The White House is already supported Turkey's right to defend it self against the PKK. So I think that members of NATO alliance will support Turkey and say that Turkey is doing the right thing to defend itself. But it will be a stretch of political reality to imagine that the alliance would actually invoke Article 5 which is when it would call its members to help Turkey militarily in the six decade plus a history of NATO. Article 5 has only been invoked once after the September 11th attack to defend the United States. So I think it's going to stop at Article 4.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: We turn now to terrorism in Africa. An attack by a terror group Al-Shabaab has killed at least 15 people in Somalia's capital Mogadishu. Police say a suicide bomber drove a vehicle loaded with explosives in the front gate of a luxury hotel there.
VAUSE: Al-Shabaab says it was targeting Western Diplomats. The hotel is home to a number of diplomatic missions including China. U.S. President Barrack Obama is in neighboring Ethiopia for two days. He flew out of Kenya and landed Sunday on the capital Addis Ababa.
ASHER: Mr. Obama is the first U.S. President to visit the East African country while in office, he's set to talk about anti-terrorism and other issues as well. A more serious tone than the rock star reception he got while visiting this father's homeland in Kenya. Jim Acosta has more on Obama's trip there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Obama capped an emotional return to the land of his father with an impassioned speech stepped in Kenyan pride.
BARRACK OBAMA, USA PRESIDENT: And of course I'm the first Kenyan- American to be President of the United States.
That goes without saying.
ACOSTA: But even as he tied to wave his own family story into a larger narrative of hope for the African people.
OBAMA: I believe there is no limit to what you can achieve.
ACOSTA: The President issued a challenge to the continent of his ancestors to change by rejecting the oppression of woman.
OBAMA: Treating woman as second class citizens is a bad tradition. It holds you back. There's no excise for sexual assault or domestic violence. There's no reason that young girls should suffer genital mutilation.
[01:10:00] ACOSTA: Mr. Obama likened the problem to Americans who cling to the confederate flag as a symbol of white power.
OBAMA: Just because something's a tradition doesn't make it right.
ACOSTA: The President also vowed to back Kenyans in their fight against the al-Qaeda linked terror group Al-Shabaab.
OBAMA: We're going to stand shoulder to shoulder with you in this fight against terrorism for as long as it takes.
ACOSTA: But standing in front of Kenya's President, Mr. Obama risked offending his host by calling on the country's leaders to crack down on corruption.
OBAMA: Here in Kenya, it's time to change habits.
ACOSTA: Still, the President pointed to his family's humble beginnings, insisting Kenya like the Obamas can overcome obstacles.
OBAMA: In the end we're all part of one tribe, the human tribe.
ACOSTA: The President described this trip to Kenya as something of a family reunion. He sang and danced with relatives like half-sister Auma, who introduced Mr. Obama as a man who first visited Kenya in an old Volkswagen and returned in a motorcade.
AUMA OBAMA, BARACK OBAMA'S HALF-SISTER: (Speaking foreign language).
He's one of us.
ACOSTA: Kenyans swarmed the President as he departed knowing the next time he returns to this land, it would be when he's out of office. Though one woman told us he left a message that will last.
NANCY NGANGA, KENYAN RESIDENT: I think it's going to change my life actually by preventing a woman from harassment.
ACOSTA: Just as the President departed Kenya for Ethiopia there were reports of casualties from large terror attacks in both Nigeria and Somalia. So expect the President to intensify his discussions with African leaders about the fight against terrorist groups like Al- Shabaab and Boko Haram.
Jim Acosta, CNN, Nairobi, Kenya. (END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: We head to Nigeria now where a deadly blast has ripped through a crowded market in the town of Damaturu on Sunday. Nigeria's Emergency Management Agency says at least 15 people were killed, dozens more were wounded. Officials say the bomb was set off by a woman.
No one has claimed responsibility but the terror group Boko Haram has a history of attacking this region and using female bombers to do so. Residents say the woman lived in the area.
ASHER: Boko Haram is also suspected in a deadly explosion in neighboring Cameroon as well. It happened to a military town in the north of the country where troops fighting Boko Haram are based. A teenage girl with a bomb wound up killing at least 20 people and herself at a crowded bar. It's not clear if she's been forced to wear the explosives.
Two Saudi-led airstrikes hit Yemen less than two hours into a five-day humanitarian ceasefire. Yemen's Defense Ministry says one of the strikes hit a medical center in Hajjah used as a shelter by Houthis at least one person was killed and seven injured. No casualties are reported in the airstrike that hit Saada.
VAUSE: Meantime the death toll from a Saudi-led airstrike in Taiz on Saturday has risen to 80, that is according to Reuters. A Saudi-led coalition has been bombing Houthi rebel forces in Yemen since late March. At least 3,000 people have died so far in this conflict.
And we have -- this is coming in to us at CNN, four people are dead after a group of terrorists stormed a police station in Northwestern India. Police in Punjab State say they are still exchanging fire with the gunmen holdup inside the station but there are no hostages.
ASHER: One official describes it as a terror attack although it is not clear which group the attackers belong to.
OK, we are going to take a quick break here on CNN. When we come back, U.S. Presidential hopeful Donald Trump never seems at a loss for word especially after learning he's leading a new poll, you'll hear from him right after this quick break.
VAUSE: Also witnesses described the terrifying moments before a small plane crashes into a Tokyo suburb.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:15:00]
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good day. I'm CNN Meteorologist Derek Van Dam. With a quick look at your weather watch, we're coming off an extremely active weekend of weather across the northern half of Europe.
Severe thunderstorms causing a wind damage sweeping across Germany, Poland, as well as the Netherlands. Look at these wind gusts reported at Amsterdam, 100 kilometers per hour. Nearly the same reported across the northwestern sections of Germany.
This is all thanks to a large area of low pressure system that continues to move through. But believe it or not, behind this low, we're going to see temperatures drop significantly. We're talking cooler and wet weather settling and still remain hot though across the southeastern portions of Europe as well as Spain. Madrid will be very, very warm this Monday to start off the workweek.
We we're talking about nearly a 20 degree temperature difference from Madrid to London, so pack accordingly if you are traveling to either of these destinations. You can see Rome and Athens in the lower and middle 30s as well. Temperatures near London should be about 23 degrees but you can clearly see that into the rest of the workweek we will stay well below that.
And the Middle East stays hot, temperatures near Riyadh about 45 degrees under sunny skies. A little further to the East, Abu Dhabi also top in the middle 40s.
Temperate weather across the northern half of Africa, showers and thunderstorms from Ethiopia to Dakar, Senegal.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody. There is a brand new CNN OIC poll on the U.S. Presidential nominees and it shows Donald Trump leading the entire Republican field.
When asked which candidate Republican respondents were likely to support, 18 percent picked Mr. Trump that was followed by 15 percent for Jeb Bush and trailing in third, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker with 10 percent.
ASHER: All of the GOP hopefuls are in single digits. You can see Scott Walker, 10 percent, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio down there as well.
Here's how Trump reacted to the news this morning on CNN's State of the Union with Jake Tapper, listen.
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There's a movement going on, this is more than me, this is a movement going on. People are tired of these incompetent politicians in Washington that can't get anything done.
They can't make deals, they can't do anything. I mean they go and they -- all they care about is getting elected. They don't care about anything else and they know that, you know, I've built an incredible company and, you know, a lot of people including yourself but a lot of people thought that I wasn't going to be running and I wouldn't put in my financials.
I put in my financials, they're much better than anybody ever thought. People said "Oh, well maybe he's not as rich as everybody thinks." Well, it turned out I'm much richer and I've built a great company, it has nothing to do with my being rich but I've built a great company.
And, you know, it's -- I wrote a book that was the number one best selling business book at many best sellers and, you know, just at "The Apprentice" was a tremendous success. I told them "DC, I'm not going to do it again." I mean, you know I told them "Nobody does that, to turn off a money making show like that but I do it", you know this cost me a lot of money but I want to see our country be great again and we have a chance to do it.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN JOURNALIST: So let me ask you. This is without question a great poll for you. It does however, if you dive deeper into the numbers, it does show some weaknesses potentially with the general electorate as opposed to with Republicans and you lose to Hillary Clinton in a head to head match up. What do you think you need to do to turn those numbers around?
TRUMP: It's just step by step. Honestly, it's step by step, I haven't focused on Hillary. In fact yesterday in Iowa I made some very strong statements about Hillary, really for -- I wouldn't say the first time but they were strong and the fact is that what she has done is criminal, I mean what she has done is criminal, I don't see how she can run. Because it's the prosecutors, who were all Democrats by the way, and that's, you know, part of the problem with fairness here, they're all Democrats so they're protecting her.
[01:20:05] But if you had an impartial prosecutor and they were honorable and maybe they are, we're going to find out. But what she has done is criminal.
TAPPER: What exactly are you saying is criminal?
TRUMP: And frankly what she did is falling to what General Petraeus did and he's gone down in disgrace. I mean, you know, what he did is not as bad as what Hillary Clinton did and it's similar but it's not as bad, I mean she got rid of her server.
He never did anything like that. What he did it after getting a subpoena from the United States Congress...
TAPPER: What are you saying what she did is criminal?
TRUMP: ... we'll see what happens but I think Hillary got a lot of problems but you have to just deal with me, it's step by step.
When you and I spoke three, four months ago, I wasn't even going to be in a contest according to, you know, various people. And now I'm leading easily in a lot of these races because people are sick and tired. So, with Hillary, I think I'll beat Hillary easily, I think I will beat Hillary, I don't think these other guys will.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Donald Trump there speaking with Jake Tapper on State of the Union. So, with 469 days until Americans actually vote for their next President, are these surging poll numbers for Mr. Trump a summer fling or an early indication the election might actually be the Donald versus the Hillary?
For more, Jeffrey Lord here joins us down from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He was a political director during the Reagan Administration and is a contributing editor to American spectator.
Jeffrey, when we last spoke, last week, you were right I was wrong. I thought we'd reach peaked Donald after those remarks about Senator McCain. So now if we look at the polling numbers, is it possible to make a distinction that a lot of people would say they would for Mr. Trump actually saying they just like what he's saying.
JEFFREY LORD, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, AMERICAN SPECTATOR: You know, I think they do...
(AUDIO GAP)
... think he was going to get in the race and then they didn't think he was serious and -- then after the McCain thing, they said -- the New York Post famously said "Don Voyage" and that hasn't happened either.
The one who called it right was Rush Limbaugh, believe it or not, who said that he thought this was not going to amount to anything and that Donald would outlive this, that the Republican base were sort of familiar with the way this kind of process in the media in the establishment works. And they were pleased that he was going to stick and they'd stick with him and that has turned out to be right.
VAUSE: Now, one of Mr. Trump's rivals, Senator Lindsey Graham said on Sunday that Mr. Trump is appealing to the darker side of American Politics. This is some of what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LINDSEY GRAHAM, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And I think he is appealing to the dark side of American politics. He is not offering solutions to hard complicated problems. He is basically selling fear and prejudice.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: He went on to say there is a market in both parties for people who say outrageous things. Does he have a point?
LORD: No, you know, I wish Lindsey Graham had read a little history, I did work for Ronald Reagan and I know that these kind of things were said exactly about Ronald Reagan, that he was divisive, he was too extreme, Vice President Rockefeller at the time said he was a minority of a minority and it went on from there, I mean it was called the ridiculous fantasy as the idea of his being President.
So all -- we've sort of been there and done that. Donald Trump is not Ronald Reagan but these things their critics are saying are pretty much the same in some case, word for word.
VAUSE: How much of a buy is the Republican Party leadership in right now, they can't really control Donald Trump. And if they try to derail his campaign he'll do a political suicide bombing act and run as an independent and that would give the presidency to Hillary Clinton, wouldn't it?
LORD: Well, I think that's what a lot of people think. I think that he's in the process of brining new people into the Republican Party, which again was a Reagan trademark.
A lot of people who would never been involved before who made a point of getting involved for Ronald Reagan and overturned the establishment of the day, I think that's what we may be seeing here. We maybe leaving the Reagan Democrats...
(AUDIO GAP)
... it's too early to tell you but I do think that all this turmoil indicates that something is going on out there.
VAUSE: Last question, some say that Donald Trump is the face of the Republican Party and that face is an angry older white guy?
LORD: I don't think so. I mean again, that was a steady drumbeat about Ronald Reagan, who was a pretty optimistic guy. Donald Trump is pretty much of an optimistic guy. He's pretty much of a doer. I think that that kind of is projection on the part of the people who say that kind of thing.
VAUSE: Jeffrey Law, this not the last time we will talk, we're going to do it again. Thanks for being with us.
LORD: Thank you John, my friend.
ASHER: And in terms of actual policies, what are we going to see from Donald Trump when it comes to the debate stage?
VAUSE: We will see Godzilla on the stage.
ASHER: Godzilla, exactly. He's going to be very aggressive, OK.
[01:25:02] In the meantime a small plane crashed into a Tokyo suburbs Sunday killing three people and setting homes and cars on fire. The Tokyo Fire Department says the plane took off from a nearby airfield and then it crashed moments later.
VAUSE: Some residents described the chaotic scene to Japanese Day Broadcaster NHK.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): The plane seems very large because it was flying lower than usual.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): I heard a large crashing noise and thought there was a car accident. When I cam outside, there was a huge flame rising.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): There was smoke everywhere, very terrifying.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: It's unclear right now whether there were any casualties apart from the two men and one woman who were killed. The Fire Department said at least three houses and two cars caught on fire.
To China where they're conducting safety checks on airports after a passenger was detained for trying to set fire on a domestic flight. These pictures apparently show the aftermath of Sunday's incident. There were burn marks on one of the doors and a passenger seat also appears to have been damaged by flames.
ASHER: It happened on a Shenzhen Airlines flight as the plane was landing and according to China's Jinhua News, all 104 people onboard were evacuated after the plane landed. We know that two people on this plane were injured.
VAUSE: Six people were seriously hurt in a bus accident in Northern France. The bus was full of Spanish passengers and attempted to drive under a low bridge which prohibits vehicles higher that two and a half meters, the bus was taller than that obviously and the top of the bus was taken right off.
The driver apparently had a clean record, said he was just following those instructions provided by the GPS. Good lesson, not to follow the GPS.
We'll take a short break. When we come back, Iran has sent its Foreign Minister out on a job offensive. You will hear how the country's top diplomat is trying to calm some nervous neighbors.
ASHER: Also had a Christians worship Kenya defying a threat of death at the hands of Al-Shabaab. We'll have that story in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:30:00]
VAUSE: Welcome back everybody halfway through our second hour at CNN Newsroom, I'm John Vause.
ASHER: And I'm Zain Asher, let's give you your headlines.
Later, ministers are set to meet up Tuesday to discuss Turkey's stepped up anti-terror campaign. Turkish airstrikes have been targeting ISIS in Syria and PKK militants in Iraq as well. It all comes amidst an outbreak of violence in Southern Turkey including a car bomb in Sunday that killed two people.
VAUSE: An Australian man accused of aiding ISIS will stay in custody. Adam Brookman appeared in court just a few hours ago, he will remain there until November. The nurse says he travel to Syria on a humanitarian mission and was forced to join the terror group after being injured. ASHER: An Al-Shabaab attack has killed at least 15 people in Somalia's capital Mogadishu. Police say a suicide bomber run to the front gate of a luxury hotel with a vehicle full of explosives. The terror group says it was targeting western diplomats. Several nations have diplomatic nations housed in the hotel.
VAUSE: The U.S. President who is in Ethiopia for the last stop on his African tour. In just a few hours, Mr. Obama will start his day with a welcome ceremony at the National Palace in Addis Ababa. He's also expected to hold a joint news conference with Ethiopia's prime minister.
ASHER: And, President Obama started his trip in Kenya where he promised the U.S. would stand with the country in its fight against terrorism. Now, some Christians in Garissa town (ph) Kenya are also standing up to terrorist coming together to worship despite facing death threats.
VAUSE: The residents are still coping with the recent massacre by the university where Al-Shabaab militants targeted and killed dozens of non-Muslims. Here's Nima Elbagir.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Sunrise over the Tana River. Traffic starts to flow over the bridge and into Garissa town.
The morning commute into Garissa as day laborers, as people going into their offices, but it's also so many Christians who are too scared to sleep inside Garissa town. They've decided to move themselves and their families across to the other side of the river to safety.
Al-Shabaab militants brusquely attacked Garissa University back in April killing 147 people mostly students. Today, the school still stands empty and desolate of perpetual consolation. The Garissa Cathedral, this Sunday like nearly every other brought with it threat from As Shabaab. "If you worship here ", they're told, "you'll die".
They're praying under armed guard but they're praying nonetheless.
PATRICK GITAU, GARISSA RESIDENT: Every Sunday I'm here, it's my cathedral. Yes, I'm here. I was baptized from this church.
ELBAGIR: This is one risk they are still willing to take.
The bishop of Garissa, Bishop Joseph Alessandro is giving the Benediction. He along with his fellow bishops and nuns have been a constant in this community.
BISHOP JOSEPH ALESSANDRO: It's not a matter of choice. It's our duty to (inaudible). Even the Pope, yes he had words of encouragement to us. He asks us to convey his condolences to the families who suffered and loss their ones, people who are injured. And also he promised that he will continue to pray for Kenya, for peace in Kenya, for unity in Kenya. ELBAGIR: At the invitation of the Diocese Bishop Alessandro tells us the Pope added Kenya to his Africa trip in November. He says members of the congregation will be chosen to travel to Nairobi to meet him. A trip of a life time. For now though he and his bishops are...
(AUDIO GAP)
ALESSANDRO: We are people of God, we are people of faith. God never abandons us and maybe in moments when we feel death, we are left on our own. They are those moment that God maybe very close to us. Not inwardly, even if we don't feel him.
[01:35:00]
Nima Elbagir, CNN, Garissa, Kenya.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is waging a charm (ph) offensive, he's on his first regional trips since striking a nuclear deal with the west.
ASHER: Many of Iran's Arab neighbors worried that the deal will embolden Tehran to meddle in the affairs of its neighbors. The foreign minister says that's not so.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOHAMMAD JAVAD ZARIF, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: The Islamic republic of Iran stands next to the peoples of the region. In the face of the common threat to the region namely terrorism, extremism and sectarianism.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: Sunni Muslim Arab state say Iran has provided financial or armed support for opposition movements in countries including Bahrain, Yemen and Lebanon. Iran, which is predominantly Shiite denies that interference.
VAUSE: In Northern India, travelers who are on their way to Hindu shrines as stranded after the heavy rains caused landslides and flooding.
ASHER: Look at this video. The slides have forced officials to close a national highway in the area cutting districts off from other parts of the state. The public works department is trying to clear the road but falling rocks are making the task both difficult and very dangerous.
VAUSE: Our meteorologist Derek Van Dame joins us now with more news and this is the time of the year when we've seen more landslides and then for especially flooding.
VAN DAM: That's right. The Southwest monsoons are still bringing the much needed rainfalls. Unfortunately it's a bit too much too quickly obviously and eventually gravity takes hold. Winds on the sides of the slopes, of these mountains and the ground just gives away leading to scenes just like this.
Did you know that these landslides can actually accelerate over 50 kilometers per hour? And, most countries are susceptible to some sort of landslide or mudslide including here in the United States. In fact every year we have roughly $3.5 billion worth of damage just thanks to mudslides and landslides alone. And again, we have rain fall. It may not be raining at the moment in time that the landslide actually occurs. It could have rained 24 even 48 hours prior to that. But it soaks into the soil it gets so heavy and so condensed that eventually that slope just gives way. Gravity wins and the slopes slides down and it can be extremely dangerous. Obviously, you don't want to be in the path of rocks and boulders and trees and mud sliding down the mountainside at 50 kilometers per hour to say the least.
We've got a very active weather pattern across much of India including the Bay of Bengal as well as the Arabian Sea, both locations providing heavy rainfall, Myanmar into Bangladesh, the Eastern sections of India and particularly in the Jharkhand (ph) state over the western half of India. This is where the India meteorological department has issued its highest warning level for heavy rainfall going forward over the next several days. We have rain fall totals in that regions and excess of 100 millimeters already. And on top of that we're forecasting over the next 48 hours anywhere between 250 to 500 millimeters as it pulls in moisture from the Arabian Sea.
Hey, look at this across Europe. If you are in a cold whether across the U.K., well here's why, we have a low pressure system that's moved through the region. That cause severe weather but look at the day time highs between London and Madrid, we're talking a 20-degree temperature difference, and anytime that we see this clash of air, well, the warming cold there mixing together we see severe thunderstorms. And, this is what happened in Poland and hopefully we can get to the video.
We had about 30 buildings, where roofs were turn off. And, a couple of structural collapses as well unfortunately there were some injuries and few fatalities as well as the storm swept across Poland, Germany, as well as much of Northern Europe.
VAUSE: It's funny you said if you're experiencing cold weather in U.K. I thought that's because you are actual -- live in the U.K.
VAN DAM: Living in the U.K. and you're used to that, it is London but it's five degrees below average.
VAUSE: OK. Good to talk to you. Thanks Derek.
ASHER: Thanks Derek.
VAUSE: We will take to a break here on CNN Newsroom. A lot more when we come back.
ASHER: Wrestling star Hulk Hogan is at the center of controversy for comments he made about a decade ago. What he said and how it came to light, that's coming up.
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[01:40:00]
VAUSE: Welcome back everybody, Bobbi Kristina Brown, the daughter of the late singing star Whitney Houston has died after five months of a medically-induced comma.
ASHER: And here's what happened. Back in late January, Brown was found unresponsive in a bathtub of her home in the U.S. State of Georgia, she was just 22-years-old. And, as CNN's Alina Machado reports her short life became "In both of light and dark sides" of her parent's world.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALINA MACHADO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As the adorable daughter of pop icon Whitney Houston, Bobbi Kristina Brown was thrust into the spotlight at a tender age. Born in Livingston, New Jersey in 1993, she was the only child of Houston and R&B singer Bobby Braun. At just 12-years-old her family's drama was turned into reality T.V. fodder (ph) on being Bobbi Brawn.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: I'm watching you young lady.
Then in 2012, tragedy, Whitney died suddenly. Her mother's shocking death sending Bobbi to Cedar Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
(AUDIO GAP)
... Houston's on her own.
BOBBI KRISTINA BROWN: I miss her so much.
MACHADO: Estranged from her father for nearly and a half years after Whitney's death, she shared this photo of them reuniting in June of 2014. Her parents struggled with addiction and Bobbi too faced allegations of drug use.
CISSY HOUSTON, GRANDMOTHER: I wanted to do the right thing, and all I'm trying to do is guide her to the right place in her life.
MACHADO: But Bobbi tried to move forward, explaining on Oprah's Next Chapter how she was coping with her mother's death.
BROWN: Where I can her voice, you know, in spirit talking to me and telling me, you know, keep moving baby. You know, that -- I'm right here, I got you.
MACHADO: As Bobi Kristina dealt with the loss of her mother, she sparked a romance with Nick Gordon. Their relationship raised eyebrows. Days before she was found unresponsive in a bath tub at the home she shared with Gordon, she posted these photos on Instagram and tweeted, "Miss you mommy so much, loving you more every second". Now more than three years after her mother's death, the 22-year-old's life also cut short by pain and tragedy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: That was Alaina Machado, but obviously it's so sad especially because the way in which she passed was so similar to how her mother died just three years early, almost to the week.
[01:45:02] VAUSE: Also a reminder that Whitney Houston was found on bath tub just before the Grammy's, of course.
ASHER: The Hilton Hotel.
VAUSE: Yes, and three years after that, then Bobbi Kristina also in a bath tub.
ASHER: Right. Hulk Hogan is apologizing for racist rant caught on an authorized sex tape from nearly a decade ago. The wrestling superstar and the WWE have now parted ways.
VAUSE: CNN's Jason Carroll has more on Hogan's rant and here's a heads up. What is a good rant without some pretty strong and offensive language?
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wresting superstar Hulk Hogan got a smack down for World Wrestling Entertainment firing the WWE star after he was repeating the N word in a racist rant. According to RADAR online and the National Inquirer, Hogan is heard on the tape which was recorded in 2006 talking about his daughter Brooke who he accused of sleeping with an African-American.
"I mean I am a racist to a point, (explicit). But then when it comes to nice to people and (explicit) and whatever." Then says, "I mean, I'd rather if she was going to (explicit) some (explicit), I'd rather have her marry and 8-foot-tall (explicit) worth a hundred million dollars! Like a basketball player. Guess we're all a little racist, (Explicit)." Hogan's rant captured during his performance in a secretly recorded sex tape, and he's suing Gawker to try to stop the online website from releasing it.
Hogan was founded Friday in the statement saying, "It was unacceptable for me to have used that offensive language. There is no excuse for it and I apologize for having done it. I am disappointed with myself that I used language that is offensive and inconsistent with my own beliefs. It is not who I am".
LISA BLOOM, THE BLOOM FIRM, AVVO LEGAL ANALYST: I don't know who would want to enter with into a contract with him after this. I wouldn't be surprised is everybody just drops him cold.
CARROL: Hogan says he is resigning from the WWE. While the WWE saying Hogan was fired. "WWE terminated its contract with Terry Bollea aka Hulk Hogan. WWE is committed to embracing and celebrating individuals from all backgrounds as demonstrated by the diversity of our employees, performers and fans worldwide.
(AUDIO GAP) He explained that at a black wrestler Booker T called him the world during a match.
HOGAN: And they're all talking trash and Booker T says, I'm coming for you Hogan, you (explicit).
CARROL: Hogan got a pass that time but now finds himself in the same position of other celebrities caught using racially-charged language. Remember Mel Gibson's rants?
MEL GIBSON, ACTOR: And if you get raped by a pack of (explicit) it will be your fault.
CARROL: And Michael Richards.
Both caught others such as Paula DeEn, Justin Beiber and Madonna also caught and also apologized for using the word. Apology alone works for some, not for all, as for Hogan, his name and likeness stricken from the WWE website.
CARROL: We did reach out to Hogan's daughter Brooke. Her representatives did not return our calls. A number of people have actually taken to Twitter to support Hogan. One of those people supporting him, Dennis Rodman who twitted out he did not believe had a "racist bone" in his body.
Jason Carrol, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: You know you got problems when Dennis Rodman is...
ASHER: Is supporting you, exactly.
VAUSE: OK, the first episode of Caitlin Jennings, "I am Cate" docu- series premiered on Sunday night, it follows Caitlin formerly Bruce Jenner as she goes public with her gender transition.
ASHER: It also chronicles her journey as a transgender advocate as well. The series opened with Jenner confessing her fears on the morning of her Vanity Fair cover debut.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNER: OK. It's like 4:32 in the morning and I can't sleep. God, I look in the monitor and I look like crap. Anyway, I feel bad that, especially young people are going trough such a difficult time in their life. We don't want people dying over this. We don't want people murder over this stuff. What are responsibility I have towards this community, I'm I going to do everything right, am I going to say the right things? Do I project the right image? My mind just spinning with thoughts. I just hope I get it right.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Caitlin Jenner there, we'll take a short break. A British cyclist has riding across the finish line to victory at the Tour De France and right into the record books, those details up next.
[01:50:00] ZAIN ASHER: Meantime in Moscow, more proof for an old adage, what goes up -- there you have it -- will certainly come down, that's coming up.
VAUSE: It didn't go up, did it?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ERIN HAWKSWORTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Erin Hawksworth with your CNN in the World Sport Headlines, and we begin with the Tour de France. As Chris Froome has become the first Britain ever to win cycling's toughest challenge twice. The 30-year-old Kenyan-born competitor stayed out of the trouble for the most part, and the great moment as Froome along with Team Sky crossed the finish line together. The Brit had led the general classifications since stage seven and took the yellow Jersey by 72 seconds.
(AUDIO GAP)
... following the funeral of the young French driver Jules Bianchi who passed away about a week ago.
It was a thrilling start to the race after an impressive beginning. Sebastian Vettel, reclaimed the checkered flag and his first Hungarian Grand Prix, in the meantime Red Bull's as Daniil Kvyat took his first career Podium in second, while Daniel Ricciardo took third. Hamilton finished sixth.
To football where Arsenal have secured their second piece of preseason silverware already, Arsenal (inaudible) beat Wolfsburg of Bundesliga thanks to Theo Walcott. It was only one goal that they needed and the gunners can make it a hat trick of triumphs if they beat Premier League rivals Chelsea in next week's Community Shield clash at Wembley Stadium.
That's a look at your sport headlines. I'm Erin Hawksworth.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: There he is. That's British Cyclist Chris Froome. He clenched the yellow Jersey at the Tour de France on Sunday, and he secured his place in the record books.
VAUSE: He is the first British cyclists to win the two or twice, the 30-year-old rode in the Paris on Sunday, liking arms with his teammates to finish the race's 21st and final stage.
Now to some extreme sailing, keep a close eye on the boat on the left there, the spectacular capsizing all caught in camera during extreme...
(AUDIO GAP)
ASHER: ... during the race with nine other boats. Fortunately though, no one was injured. The crew ended up finishing third overall despite that, ouch that look quite painful.
VAUSE: That's called cart wheeling a haul.
ASHER: In Moscow participants in an annual contest need a wind, a prayer and a very healthy sense of humor. One by one contestants in the Red Bull Flugtag rolled, they're flying and -- by the way we used that word very lightly -- creations off a ramp and promptly into the water, there it goes.
[01:55:07] VAUSE: The competition brought out some wildly costume teams testing their skills as aircraft designer, one contestant wearing Putin mask had some high hopes for his craft which was fashioned after the U.S. dollar.
ALEXEI SINITSYN (through translator): Our team dollar goodbye will today show how the dollar falls. Our apparatus represents a large dollar bill. Which in we place on that pile of 50 cent coins and with its president Barack Obama, will set off to fly. How long this flight will be will predict the exchange rate of the dollar against the ruble in the nearest future.
ASHER: The Flugtag has run in Russia for about 15 years. It started in Vienna in 1992, and is now held annually in more than 100 hundred locations.
VAUSE: The Putin mask was silly.
ASHER: It was funny, very creative. OK, well, thank you so much for watching everyone. I am Zain Asher.
VAUSE: I'm John Vause. Errol Barnett is up next. Give him some company because he's all on his own.
ASHER: He's lonely.
VAUSE: He'll have all the latest from around the world. You're watching CNN.
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