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Line-Up for First GOP Debate Set; Devastating Flooding in India; Evacuations Continue in California as Wildfires Rage; Jeb Bush Calls for Defunding of Planned Parenthood; Anti-Abortion Activist Release Fifth Planned Parenthood Video; Aviation Experts to Begin Wing Flap Tests; Family of Sandra Bland File Lawsuit; Controversy over Handcuffed School Boy; Swarm of Locust Invade Russian Crops. Aired 1- 2a ET
Aired August 04, 2015 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:09] JOHN VAUSE, CNN HOST: The stage is set. The crowded field of Republican presidential candidates narrowed down for the first major debate.
The Iran nuclear deal. Israel's latest pitch against it. And how that's playing into U.S. politics.
And experts get a closer look at the plane debris from Reunion Island to determine once and for all if it's from that missing Malaysian airliner.
I'd like to welcome our viewers in the United States and all around the world.
I'm John Vause. CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.
The first presidential debate in the U.S. primary season takes place on Thursday. And the line-up of Republican contenders taking part has now been announced. FOX News used an average of five national polls to determine the top ten candidates. And they'll face each other in a primetime broadcast. The other seven candidates will appear in a separate earlier forum, not primetime.
Dana Bash reports they'll all try to stake out their own positions, grab some of the attention and the spotlight from the front-runner, Donald Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In New Hampshire this sneak preview of sorts of what the crowded Republican debate stage will look like with one glaring exception. Donald Trump, who is now leading the GOP presidential pack in multiple polls by double digits.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I've had great success. And they, you know, just -- and people see that. And I would put all of that energy and whatever that brain power is, whatever that type of brain -- into making our country --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So Donald --
BASH: Tonight the key question ahead of the first presidential debate Thursday is how everyone else will navigate the Trump dynamic. Sources close to Wisconsin governor Scott Walker say he plans to pivot as much as possible to his own record of fighting for conservative principles.
GOV. SCOTT WALKER (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What will make the difference in how we win the nomination is people realize they don't just want a fighter, they want someone who can fight and win.
BASH: Jeb Bush was asked if he ever imagined being in a debate with a reality TV star.
JEB BUSH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When I was growing up we didn't have reality TV either.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
BASH: Then there's Ohio governor John Kasich's unorthodox approach.
GOV. JOHN KASICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Maybe I'll give him a hug. I don't know.
BASH: Kasich may have only gotten into the race two weeks ago, but it was announced tonight he will edge out the candidate who has been itching to go head to head with Trump, former Texas governor Rick Perry.
RICK PERRY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald Trump's candidacy is a cancer on conservatism.
BASH: Though there are 17 GOP candidates, debate rules say only the ten with the highest national poll numbers will be on the stage together. It puts Trump on the main stage with former governor Jeb Bush, Governor Scott Walker, former governor Mike Huckabee, neurosurgeon Ben Carson, along with senators Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and Rand Paul and governors Chris Christie and John Kasich. That leaves seven other candidates hunting for attention in other ways.
Lindsey Graham found creative ways to destroy his cell phone after Trump famously gave out his number on live TV.
TRUMP: I don't know if it's the right number. Let's try it. 202 --
BASH: On that note Trump got a taste of his own medicine. The Web site gawker published one of the billionaire's numbers, and Trump quickly changed the voicemail.
TRUMP: Hi. This is Donald Trump, and I'm running for the presidency of the United States of America.
BASH: And even those in the top ten are looking for buzz. Ted Cruz cooked bacon by heating up his weapon.
SEN. TED CRUZ (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Machine gun bacon. BASH: A top aide to one of the ten candidates who will be on the main
debate stage said something very wise to me, and that is historically you don't win one of these early debates but you sure can lose. And that's the driving force behind a lot of these candidate debate prep sessions, do no harm.
Dana Bash, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: For the past few weeks Donald Trump has called his opponents losers, dummies, and stiffs. They've called him a jackass, a cancer, likened him to a drunk driver at a NASCAR race, and a rattlesnake with a toothache. But American voters, at least in the past, have expected a higher standard of behavior during presidential debates. And that could be the biggest challenge of all for Mr. Trump.
For more, Jeffrey Lord joins us now from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He's a former political director for the Reagan administration. And he's the contributing editor to "American spectator."
Jeffrey, here we go again. Do you think if most people by the end of that debate if they could picture Donald Trump in the oval office if he gets into specifics, not just one liners, he walks await big winner and if he can't then in his words he's the loser.
JEFFREY LORD, FORMER REAGAN WHITE HOUSE POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Well, here's the problem with specifics, John. Because there are ten of them on the stage, no one is going to have much time to get into specifics. And to be perfectly candid, that is probably going to suit Donald Trump's style just perfectly because it will give him enough time to get out his message, which you know, in a Reagan fashion he just repeats over and over and over again. But there isn't going to be time to say, you know, the second chapter of the third verse of the air force budget says we need to do the following 17 things. So he'll probably just repeat his message, just be him. The other guys are going to be the ones that have the problems. If they want to display their policy chops they are going to have a hard time because of the constraints.
[01:05:29] VAUSE: Well then, how do they get under Donald Trump's skin? Do they hit him with (INAUDIBLE), his support in the past for Hillary Clinton? Maybe questionable business dealings? What's the silver bullet here?
LORD: You know, in truth I'm not sure that there is one here. I just think they've got to be themselves with this and he will be himself. Everybody is tuning in to see what he will do. I think he's just going to be, you know, today let me give you an example. He put out a Facebook post. Remember, this debate is co-sponsored with Facebook. And it's just a short video that challenges his opponents. He says something like they're not good negotiators. So I want to ask them, what would you do to make America great again? And I saw this. And I thought, you know, this is "the Apprentice." this is the presidency as "the Apprentice." and these candidates are now being, you know, asked to answer his questions. So already, you know, he's sort of got them where he wants them, if you will. And I'm sure he will repeat this again.
VAUSE: Well, that's -- yes, this is the reality TV version of all of this. Politics was reality TV long before reality TV. Donald Trump, you know, was the star of "the Apprentice." And so this really does give him such a huge advantage.
LORD: Absolutely. I mean, not for nothing. I mean, Ronald Reagan was, you know, a long-time both movie actor and a serious television actor. And it did get him an advantage. There's no question. You know, toward the very end of his term I think it was Tom Brokaw that asked him about his acting background and his experience, and he said -- his answer was something to the effect, I don't know how I could have done the presidency if I didn't have my acting skills. And I think we are going to see some of that in play.
Some of these folks, they're all good folks but make no mistake, they're policy wonks. They're going to stumble and, you know, I fear for them in some ways.
VAUSE: Well, then if you're Donald Trump, who do you go after? Do you try and knock down Jeb Bush or Scott Walker? Who's the main target?
LORD: You know, I think he will go after Jeb Bush in some sense or maybe the Bushes plural, and it's entirely conceivable to me that he would want to draw the sort of Reagan-Bush divide, if you will, which is basically the Republican, you know, the conservative versus the moderates fight that's been going on for decades and decades and decades. And personalize it with the Bushes and talk about it in that sense and then see if he can apply some version of that to the others.
VAUSE: Whatever happens, it's going to be interesting to say the least. Jeffrey Lord --
LORD: Buy popcorn bags, without doubt.
VAUSE: It will be good TV. We're looking forward to it. Good to speak with you as always. Thanks, Jeffrey.
LORD: Thanks, John.
VAUSE: And Jeb Bush stepped into a controversy over funding Planned Parenthood, and there was a swift and blunt reaction from Democrat Hillary Clinton. We'll have more on Mr. Bush's efforts to clarify his position later this hour.
In the meantime, we go to India where heavy rain and floods are affecting an estimated 10 million people. Authorities say the rising water have killed at least 178. It's also driven hundreds of thousands in west Bengal into relief camps. Officials say overflowing river dams are making this crisis work.
Let's bring in correspondent Sumnima Udas with the very latest. She's on her way to one of the hardest hit areas in the west Bengal state.
Sumnima, where you are right now how does it look? SUMNIMA UDAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on the phone): Hey, John. We've yet
to reach the worst-affected areas. But as we drive through this west Bengal countryside we're seeing acres and acres of farmland destroyed. Some parts of small towns submerged. People emerging slowly, drying out their clothes. Also drying out food items like potatoes because a lot of it was obviously soaked by the rain water.
But an hour from where we are right now, an area called (INAUDIBLE), that's where we are headed. Officials tell us there are (INAUDIBLE), some people could be stranded they say. They're still heading out in motor boats trying to evacuate as many people as they can. Although a lot of these evacuation boats are (INAUDIBLE). They got motor boats with medical supplies going from house to house in case there are people still stranded in their homes.
Over the past few days thousands of army personnel and relief coordinated have been doing this kind of work. Now, the good thing is it hasn't rained here since Tuesday morning. So people -- so you know, that's giving people some respite. They're getting on with their lives, you know, whatever they can do. Opening up their small businesses, their small shops. But still there are hundreds of thousands of people still in relief centers across the state, John.
[01:10:17] VAUSE: OK. So Ima, we'll let you continue on with your journey in west Bengal state. We appreciate the update. Thank you.
In California nearly 10,000 firefighters are battling two dozen raging wildfires across the state. The rocky fire in the northwest is the largest and has burned 67,000 acres, more than 27,000 hectares. At last report it was 20 percent contained. And as the flames spread, thousands are being evacuated from their homes.
Late details now from CNN's Paul Vercammen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL VERCAMMEN CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At the rocky fire in Colusa County a test of wills. A stubborn fire pushed at times by erratic winds versus many self-reliant rural people who live here because there are fewer folks around to tell them what to do. Wills were tested when word came for about 13,000 of them to evacuate as the rocky fire exploded.
JOE WELZ, ROCKY FIRE EVACUEE: When you start seeing smoke plumes come up that are severe, black, you know they're in the brush, and they're not that far away. This is a problem, you look at it, hey, it's time to go. And when you see flames. When you see flames, it's really time to leave.
VERCAMMEN: So just where did Joe Welz, resident of this back country for 27 years, go? The Moose lodge. That's right, Moose lodge, often a hub for bingo and karaoke and now a haven to ride out a fire that's burned more than 65,000 acres. Lodge volunteers say 200 to 300 people sheltered here overnight. Donated food is piled up on tables, free pie and French toast. RHIANNON GARCIA, VOLUNTEER: It's not part of Red Cross. Nothing
government. This is all community here. This is a community at its finest.
VERCAMMEN: Rhiannon Garcia and her displaced visitors hang on weather reports.
GARCIA: You can take a breath. Right now when I woke up this morning and I saw it hadn't grown, still can change, everybody was safe, it was like, whew, finally. We need a break. They need a break and we need a break.
VERCAMMEN: A break because the rocky fire is unpredictable. Jumping highway 20 late Monday and messing up any thoughts of leaving the Moose lodge for home. More food arrived.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I asked for a little help. Look at this room. This community's come together. It's beautiful.
VERCAMMEN: In a wicked fire a bingo hall can look like the Taj Mahal.
The weather took a turn for the better in fire-ravaged northern California, especially here on the rocky fire in Colusa County. Some other news also out in the Modo County that's where David Rule from the black hills national forest was scouting a fire last week when he perished. An autopsy has revealed that he died of carbon monoxide poisoning and smoke inhalation.
Now, on the rocky fire, very little activity for firefighters in terms of an intense firefight. They were basically just continuing to watch the perimeter of this blaze and perhaps an omen from Mother Nature. You could see some tulle elk grazing, looking for food between the burn areas.
Reporting from Colusa County, I'm Paul Vercammen. Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Meteorologist Ivan Cabrera joins us now.
Everyone looking to the forecast wanting to know if conditions are going to ease up, what the future holds at least over the next couple days.
IVAN CABRERA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, over the next few days I think we may even get a couple of showers out there but just crossing our fingers here at this point here. This is the dry season there. So to get any rain in California this time of year would be something. But what we don't want is the temperatures he to go higher than they have been 37 we've seen triple-digit heat there. At least we're doing a little better.
So let's recap here what we already know now, including three counties there in California. That's 67,000 acres. Containment is higher. But the structures that are being threatened actually going up. So we're approaching now 7,000 structures threatened. And so we have a lot of people that have been displaced here. So firefighting efforts will continue as far as the weather we'll get to that in a second.
Look at this now, 67,000 acres. We're talk an area now that has burned that is larger than the square mileage of Sacramento. That is just incredible there. And we started with just a couple hundred acres just a few days ago it seems. Temperatures climbing up by the afternoon we'll get into the mid-80s to approaching 90 degrees. Once that happens of course relative humidity goes down and so do the winds begin to climb up through the afternoon. So we have some gusty winds.
This is not good. Low 90s Wednesday and heading into Thursday. We'll have warm temperatures. Now, by Friday what you're seeing here, upper-80s. That is a disturbance that's going to try, John, to move in from the pacific here. And this is an upper low, and it's going to move in. So by the time we get into Friday, maybe a couple of showers out of that. But at least what that will do even if we don't get showers, it will cool off the temperatures a little bit. So we'll go from the 90s to 80s and that's a little bit of help and we'll take what we can get at this point.
[01:15:07] VAUSE: You don't sound very optimistic on that.
CABRERA: Well, I'm not. Some of the models just aren't getting anything out of it. And in fact if we get some thunderstorms you know that could cause some additional fires with lightning.
VAUSE: OK. Ivan, appreciate it, thank you.
CABRERA: You got it.
VAUSE: Taking a short break here on CNN. When we come back we'll take a look at how supporters and opponents of the Iran nuclear deal are spending millions of dollars in the U.S. to promote their side of this heated debate.
Plus, a close call caught on camera. A man pulled from his car just seconds before its hit by a train.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:19:34] VAUSE: Welcome back. A major blow for the U.S. program to train and equip local forces to combat ISIS in Syria. Five Syrian rebels fielded by the U.S. have been captured by a group affiliated with Al-Qaeda. Keep in mind only about 60 have been trained so far.
CNN's Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In northern Syria at least five of the initial 54 U.S.-trained Syrian rebels now captured by the Al-Qaeda affiliate known as al-Nusra. It's near disaster for the U.S. plan to train a rebel force that is supposed to be the boots on the ground in the fight against ISIS.
[01:20:15] MARK TONER, DEPUTY U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: That's the main focus of our efforts. But you know, we also want to protect them from other possible attacks.
STARR: The rebels captured after fleeing their compound in the wake of being attacked by al-Nusra. The Pentagon now scrambling to figure out what to do next.
DOUGLAS OLLIVANT, NEW AMERICA FOUNDATION: There's no military logic for putting that small a force in the field. One, they're incredibly vulnerable. And two, they're certainly not going to attack anybody with just 40 or 50 people out there.
STARR: Senior Pentagon officials privately admit the decision to put the small group of rebels into this area of northern Syria was a major intelligence failure. The U.S. did not think Al-Qaeda would attack. They only thought ISIS would. Just a few weeks ago defense secretary Ash Carter did not seem to think this could happen.
JACK REED, U.S. SENATE DEMOCRAT: My presumption would be we would assist them from defending themselves from attack. Is that a fair estimate?
ASHTON CARTER, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: I think we have an obligation to do so. You're right. I don't expect that occasion to arise anytime soon.
STARR: In Iraq, slow going. More Iraqi troops undergoing training. But also sign they are ready to begin the all-important battle to retake Ramadi from ISIS. It is a must-win.
OLLIVANT: If we don't have an Iraqi success in the next couple months, then we are going to have to start questioning the strategy.
STARR: The Pentagon now looking at what options, what obligations it has to try and help move the remaining rebels to safety inside Syria.
Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has released two chilling new messages on social media. A video by a top leader praises last month's attack on military recruiting offices in Tennessee. He goes on to call for more lone Wolf attacks.
Meantime the group's top bomb maker posted an article calling for more attacks on Americans as well.
U.S. President Barack Obama will defend the Iran nuclear deal just hours from now during a speech in Washington. U.S. lawmakers who could control the deal's fate are sharply divided on this issue. And they have a key vote coming up next month.
Details from Elise Labott.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ELISE LABOTT, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu openly waging war against the Iran nuclear deal.
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Don't let the world's foremost terrorist regime get its hands on the world's most dangerous weapons. Oppose this bad deal.
LABOTT: Making a direct appeal to the American people and the U.S. Congress.
NETANYAHU: Don't let them take your voice away at this critical moment in history.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The nuclear agreement with Iran --
LABOTT: This as supporters and opponents of the deal face off in an epic campaign style battle.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nuclear facilities, military sites.
LABOTT: Powerful pro-Israel groups like AIPAC flooding congressional offices with e-mails and calls and spending millions of dollars on polls and television ads warning of the dangers of the deal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Congress should reject a bad deal.
LABOTT: J Street, a pro-Israel group in favor of the deal, countered with its own ad.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The nuclear agreement with Iran contains the toughest inspection program in history.
LABOTT: President Obama and vice president Biden personally lobbying Jewish leaders today. But the key battleground, undecided Democrats. Chief among them Chuck Schumer, on tap to be the next Senate minority leader. His support would be instrumental in swaying Democrats still on the fence. But he hasn't committed.
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: White house is making every effort to answer my questions. So are the people who are opposed.
LABOTT: Those opponents particularly upset that they don't have access to the part of the deal where Iran is to reveal its past bad actions.
SEN. JAMES RISCH (R), IDAHO: I don't know of a fool that would agree to an agreement that they can't read. I've got to see it. I've got to handle it.
LABOTT: And with continued chants of "death to America and Israel" on the streets of Tehran, fear an Iran rewarded with cash will only ignite more sectarian conflicts in the Middle East, the primary concern of U.S. gulf allies. But in a swing through the region secretary of state John Kerry assured skeptical Mideast leaders, who gave the deal their blessing.
The White House picked up three key democratic endorsements on Tuesday. Senators Kane, Nelson and Barbara Boxer, a senior member of the Foreign Relations Committee. Officials say they expect Democrats will continue to rally around the president but they aren't taking any chances and say they will fight for every vote before Congress takes up the deal next month.
Elise Labott, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[01:25:01] VAUSE: In California there was an extremely close call and one very lucky man. Take a look at this. A sheriff's deputy drags this man away from his car just seconds before its hit by a speeding train. The man had crashed his car into the crossing guard. The sheriff's office says he appeared to be under the influence. The incident is now under investigation.
Up next here on CNN NEWSROOM, a new undercover video about Planned Parenthood alleges more wrongdoing. The debate intensifies over whether the video is valid or set up. Plus we may soon now if this piece of wreckage right here found on a remote island last week is from missing Malaysian airlines flight 370. More details on the lab tests that will start within hours. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:29:15] VAUSE: And welcome back, everybody. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live all around the world. I'm John Vause.
The headlines this hour -- the line-up for the first presidential debate of the new primary season is set. The top ten Republican candidates in the national polls will face each other in a primetime debate Thursday night. The other seven candidates will appear in a separate earlier, non-primetime forum.
Deadly and devastating floods in India are affecting an estimated 10 million people. Authorities say 178 people have been killed by rising water in recent days. In the worst-hit state, west Bengal, tens of thousands of people have been forced into relief camps.
[01:30:00] In California, thousands are evacuating their homes as firefighters battle two dozen raging wildfires across the state. The Rocky Fire in the northwest is the largest and has burned 67,000 acres, more than 27,000 hectares. At last report, it was 20 percent contained.
U.S. Republican presidential candidate, Jeb Bush, has called for a halt to the $500 million in federal funding that goes to Planned Parenthood. That organization has been under fire recently for alleged abortion practices which some conservative groups find controversial. Mr. Bush's comments come at a major gathering of Christian evangelicals in Tennessee on Tuesday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEB BUSH, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & FORMER FLORIDA GOVERNOR: You could take dollar for dollar -- although I'm not sure we need a half a billion dollars for women's health issues -- but if you took dollar for dollar, there are many extraordinarily fine organizations, community health organizations that exist, federally sponsored community health organizations to provide quality care for women on a wide variety of health issues.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: And Mr. Bush's Democratic challenger, Hillary Clinton, was quick with a very strong reaction.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: He's got no problem giving billions of dollars away to the super wealthy and powerful corporations. But I guess women's health just isn't a priority for him. Now, I would like to ask him, Governor Bush, try telling that to the mom who caught her breast cancer early because she was able to get screening in time. Was her health not worth the money?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Jeb Bush attempted to clarify some of his remarks after the speech, saying he misspoke. In a statement, he said there are countless health organizations that still need to be funded to support all women, particularly low-income health services. He just doesn't want Planned Parenthood to be one of them.
Meantime, anti-abortion activists just released a fifth undercover video allegedly showing a Planned Parenthood official discussing its abortion procedures used to assist medical research. The activists say the video is more shocking than the others. Planned Parenthood insists the video does not show its staff engaged in any wrongdoing.
We get details now from Joe Johns.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we can provide --
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The latest video in a sustained effort to undermine support for Planned Parenthood reprises the dramatic effects that have helped the Center for Medical Progress stoke the growing controversy. Edited undercover video with a Planned Parenthood research director in Texas talking about extracting intact fetus cadavers and body parts from abortions for use in fetal tissue research.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Anything that we integrate into that procedure without having you cover the procedural cost is going to be higher.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right. Right.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Anything of a higher gestational age. There's more opportunity for complication --
JOHNS: Interspersed with talk about budgets and money. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If we alter our process and we are able to
obtain intact fetal cadavers, then we can make it part of the budget that any dissections are this and splitting the specimens into different shipments is this. I mean, that's -- it's all just a matter of line items.
JOHNS: The end of the video includes graphic pictures of what is described as fetal tissue with the voices of the actors who posed as representatives of a company that collects tissue samples asking questions and identifying body parts with Planned Parenthood lab technicians.
Today, even before it was released, the leader of the group responsible for the video predicted it would have more impact than the other productions.
DAVID DALEIDEN, CENTER FOR MEDICAL PROGRESS: It's perhaps going to be even more shock. You're going it see evidence of how Planned Parenthood is actually willing to sell fully intact fetuses to buyers of aborted fetal tissue.
JOHNS: Planned Parenthood, facing a sustained push in Congress to stop the group from getting government funding, is in full damage- control mode.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What we're seeing here are attacks on people's ability to get health care.
JOHNS: Several states, including Texas, have launched Planned Parenthood investigations, with a video accusing the group of offering to adjust medical procedures in order to preserve tissue in parts for research groups to purchase. There are calls for the Justice Department to investigate.
Planned Parenthood asserted, "The footage released today doesn't show Planned Parenthood staff engaged in any wrongdoing or agreeing to violate any legal or medical standards."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Joe Johns there with that report.
We have one other note here. A new Congressional Budget Office analysis found that defunding Planned Parenthood could increase federal spending on Medicaid and other programs. The office provides non-partisan analysis for members of Congress.
Just a few hours from now, aviation experts in France will begin an examination of a wing flap which washed up on a remote island in the Indian Ocean. Investigators already know the wreckage is from a Boeing 777. Next, hopefully, will come confirmation if it came from the missing airliner MH370.
Anna Coren joins us live from Hong Kong with the details.
It is interesting, Anna, the French asked an Australian expert to take part in the examination. Why is that?
[01:35:10] ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Look, John, the Australians have been in charge of the search for MH370 since the very beginning. When the plane disappeared in March of last year with 239 people on board. It was shortly after that the Australians were placed in charge of that search off the coast of Western Australia. So really it does make sense for the French to involve the Australians considering the experience and the expertise that they have. Of course the French have plenty of experience when it comes to air crash investigations. But with MH370 they are quite new to it. Hence they need the help. Obviously, there are Malaysian officials at this lap in Toulouse as well as the French plus an expert from the Australian transport safety bureau that has been flying there. We heard from the Australian deputy prime minister warren truss a short time ago saying that they had accepted an invitation, they hoped this expert can be of assistance. But we know certainly that that lab will open Wednesday afternoon local time in Toulouse and they will obviously begin analyzing this flaperon, this part of a wing of a Boeing 777 that has been confirmed and to see whether there is a direct connection to MH370 -- John?
VAUSE: That's about an hour and a half, maybe two hours from now. And, Anna, the Australians have also admitted that the initial drift modeling they did, it was wrong. Did that have any impact on the search for the missing plane?
COREN: Australian authorities are saying, no, it did not because the debris search, that ended in April. This initial model began in June. So they believed that if there was any debris to wash up on land it would perhaps arrive in Indonesia on the island of Sumatra first off. But they have now come out and said that analysis was wrong. They have since looked at new models and they believe that Reunion Island is obviously consistent with the search that is currently taking place off the coast of Western Australia. We have to remember this search, underwater search is ongoing. They're looking now at 120,000 square kilometers, of which about half that area has now been covered. But this search area, mind you, is some 3,700 kilometers from Reunion Island. But according to the analysis, according to their data, it isn't unlikely for debris from MH370 to wash up onto Reunion Island -- John?
VAUSE: Thank you. Anna Coren there with the very latest on this analysis of this flaperon, which everyone is now expecting should hopefully confirm the fate of MH370. Thank you, Anna.
The family of Sandra Bland, the woman who was found hanging in a Texas jail cell last month, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit. It alleges that Texas authorities showed a conscious disregard for Bland while she was in custody. Police say the 28-year-old hanged herself with a trash bag, but her family says they don't believe she would take her own life.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GENEVA REED-VEAL, MOTHER OF SANDRA BLAND: I am still confident in the fact that she knew enough about Jesus that she would not take herself out. Anything is possible. I wasn't there. But as a mother my inner is telling me that she did not do that. Now, I'm the first one to tell you, if the facts, the facts -- I'm not talking about the fiction. If the facts show without a doubt that that was the case, you know, I'll have to be prepared to deal with that. But the bottom line is she never should have been inside of the jail. Period.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: A Texas state trooper pulled Ms. Bland over for a traffic stop last month, but it quickly escalated when the officer asked her to put her cigarette out. Ms. Bland questioned that request and that's when the trooper threatened to taser her before placing her under arrest.
Now to another case which is calling into question the tactics used by law enforcement in the U.S. Yesterday, we told you about an 8-year- old boy handcuffed for misbehaving at school. Now there's new reaction from the lawyer who's representing the sheriff's deputy at the center of this controversy.
Jean Casarez has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED BOY: Ow. It hurts.
JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The 8-year-old, identified only as S.R., was 3.5 feet tall, he weighed 52 pounds when this video was shot by a school employee.
OFC. KEVIN SUMNER, COVINGTON SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: I asked you not to kick.
[01:40:00] CASAREZ: Kevin Sumner, a Kentucky sheriff's deputy and a school resource officer, who handcuffed the third-grader above the elbows -- the child's wrists were too small -- now faces a lawsuit filed by the ACLU along with his supervisor.
SUMNER: You need to behave the way you know you're supposed to or you suffer the consequences. It's your decision to behave this way.
CASAREZ: S.R. is a special needs student at Latonia Elementary School in Covington, Kentucky. According to the lawsuit, he suffers from ADHD and trauma.
SUMNER: You don't get to swing like that. You can do what we've asked you to.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Oh, God, it hurts!
RICKELL HOWARD, ATTORNEY FOR BOY'S FAMILY: As a parent, I was shocked and hurt for that child. I had a lot of questions. Why would that ever be OK?
CASAREZ: Sumner is also accused of handcuffing a 9-year-old girl, also a special needs student, on two separate occasions last fall. The lawsuit charges that both children were unlawfully restrained and handcuffed at school with excessive force and without necessity.
SUMNER: Sit back down.
CASAREZ: Sumner's attorney told a local newspaper that he handcuffed the children because, "They were placing themselves and other people in danger and that's what the book says to do."
UNIDENTIFIED BOY: It really hurts.
CASAREZ: The attorney also called Sumner "one of the best and most highly trained school officers in the state," adding that the former teacher is "totally devoted to kids and schools and education."
SUMNER: Do you want the handcuffs off? You're going to have to behave and ask me nicely. And if you're behaving, I'll take them off. But as long as you're acting up, you're not going to get them off.
CASAREZ: Jean Casarez, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Germany has fired its top prosecutor over his role in a controversial case involving possible treason. Chief prosecutor, Harold Runga, was sacked on Tuesday. He was investigating a political blog accused of releasing state secrets. In the published classified plans the government was about to increase its online surveillance. He accused government officials of interfering in the case, something the justice minister denied. News of the probe sparked protests last week condemning the government for trying to intimidate journalists.
A short break here on CNN. When we come back, locusts are destroying vast areas of Russian farmland. Just ahead, a look at why this plague is so bad and what farmers are doing about it.
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[01:45:41] VAUSE: A shout out now to United and Air Canada joining Delta and American Airlines in banning big game trophies on their planes. The airlines say they will not ship lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros, and buffalo trophies as cargo. The announcements come amid outrage over the killing of an African lion named Cecil.
Meantime, the professional guide allegedly hired for the Cecil hunt is expected in court in Zimbabwe today. Theo Bronchorse faces poaching charges over the lion's killing but says he's innocent. Zimbabwe officials say he and another man were paid $50,000 by American dentist, Walter Palmer, for the hunt. Palmer has publicly apologized, saying he did not know the hunt was illegal.
Farmers in southern Russia are desperately trying to save their crops. A ferocious swarm of locusts has invaded the region, and a heat wave might be to blame.
Details from Matthew Chance.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Not for 30 years, say officials, has Russia suffered a plague like this. Vast areas of the country's agricultural south are seeing swarms of locusts devour entire fields. Officials say at least 10 percent of crops have already been destroyed.
It's devastating the livelihoods of local farmers like Piotr Stefenchenko.
"Look," he says, "there's nothing left on the corn. The locusts ate it all, from the leaves to the cobs."
Officials from the Russian Ministry of Agriculture say they're stepping up efforts to save the harvest, declaring a state of emergency and spraying the crops with powerful pesticides. But officials admit the locust swarm is moving too fast across southern Russia.
TATANA DRISHCHEVA, RUSSIAN AGRICULTURAL CENTER (through translation): Volgograd, Dagestan, there is no more food left for locusts there. So they have flown to a new source of food. They have wing spans of nearly 12 centimeters, like small sparrows.
CHANCE: Some frustrated locals have posted videos of themselves trying to hold back the tide. But it all seems futile in the face of such an overwhelming Russian swarm.
Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Well, here's one for all working parents. Employees at Netflix can now take unlimited paid parental leave. The U.S.-based streaming service says the policy applies to the first year after a child is born or adopted. Both parents can take as much time off as they want during that period. The company already has an unlimited policy for vacation and sick days. Wow. Netflix says the goal is to attract and retain top employees in the competitive tech field.
Still to come, Donald Trump is still just a candidate in the U.S. election race but it's clear he already considers himself a bit of a winner. We'll tell you what he calls anyone else who doesn't measure up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & CEO, TRUMP GROUP: I don't know if it's the right number.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:52:39] VAUSE: Welcome back. A new satellite that's set to improve weather forecasting in Europe sent back some stunning images of earth showing our own blue marble in all its glory. The MSG4 satellite was launched mid July by the European Space Agency. It will beam back photos of the earth's surface and atmosphere in 12 different wavelengths every 15 minutes. That's once it's fully operational in just a few months from now.
A 90-minute flight from New York to London, four times the speed of sound, it all sounds too good to be true. But the aircraft manufacturer Airbus has been granted a patent for a new generation of passenger jets that might just do that. Here's some perspective. The now retired Concorde made that same trans-Atlantic flight in 3.5 hours. Airbus says the new concept is still being researched, might never happen. But it got the patent to protect its intellectual property.
Back to Donald Trump now. He sure isn't afraid to speak his mind, and you may notice the billionaire presidential candidate Hayes' choice word to describe those he does not like.
Jeanne Moos reports on the Donald's favorite insult.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a word Donald Trump isn't usually at a loss for.
TRUMP: We have losers. We have losers.
MOOS: Sometimes the loser is generic. But usually, the loser has a name.
TRUMP: Well, Rosie's a loser. She's always been a loser.
MOOS: Trump is always tweeting the "L" word. His targets range from websites -- "the "Huffington Post" is such a loser: -- to pundits.
TRUMP: You know, when I watch a George Will or a Charles Krauthammer, and I watched them for years, they're losers. They're just losers.
MOOS: He even called a Miss USA contestant a disgruntled loser after she called his beauty contest rigged.
TRUMP: She suffers from something called loser's remorse. She lost.
MOOS: And she did lose the lawsuit he later filed.
(on camera): In Donald Trump's words, there seem to be varying degrees of loserdom.
(voice-over): He's called fellow Republican Karl Rove a loser, a proven loser, and a total closer. While Actor Russell Brand was a major loser. To which Brand responded, "Are you drunk when you write these tweets?" As for Cher, bang, bang, he shot her down.
TRUMP: Cher is somewhat of a loser. She's lonely. She's unhappy.
MOOS: When he's feeling happy he tweets to everyone, including all haters and losers, "Happy new year." When asked about his name calling --
MARTHA RADDATZ, ABC NEWS ANCHOR: Using terms like dummy, loser, total losers. Is that something you would continue doing if you were president?
TRUMP: Oh, I don't think -- look, when people attack me, I let them have it back.
[01:55:14] MOOS: Trump quoted his own book, "Show me someone without an ego and I'll show you a loser."
But compared to Ace Ventura --
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Loser!
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Loser.
MOOS: -- Trump's delivery is low-key.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Loohoozaher.
MOOS: Jon Stewart wondered what Trump would say about our founding fathers.
JON STEWART, HOST, THE DAILY SHOW: John Hancock, he's a loser.
(LAUGHTER)
Hey, what kind of a loser needs to put his name in giant letters on everything? Hey, what?
(LAUGHTER)
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN --
TRUMP: Rosie is a loser.
MOOS: -- New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Thank you for watching. I'm John Vause.
CNN NEWSROOM continues next hour with Errol Barnett. He's no loser, at least most of the time.
(LAUGHTER)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:59:55] ERROL BARNETT, CNN ANCHOR: Monsoon floods in India and across Southeast Asia have killed hundreds and now we're hearing they may have led to a disastrous train derailment.
