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Malaysian Prime Minister: Plane Debris Is From Missing Flight; Abbott: Debris Consistent With Search Pattern; Obama Blasts Opponents Of Iran Nuclear Deal; ISIS Purportedly Threatens To Kill Croatian Hostage; Flooding Devastates India, Displaces Thousands; U.S. Presidential Candidates Prepare To Square Off; Rio Struggles With Polluted Water Ahead Of Olympics; The Funniest Moments From U.S. Debates. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired August 05, 2015 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Anger and disbelief. Relatives of those on board Flight MH370 say they don't believe that a piece of debris is actually from the missing airliner.
Suspicious activities at a suspected nuclear site in Iran as the U.S. president lobbies for the deal with Tehran.
And get ready to rumble, the first presidential debate in the race for the White House is upon us.
Hello and welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Rosemary Church and this is CNN NEWSROOM.
Our top story this hour, Malaysia's leader says a piece of airline debris found last week on Reunion Island is from missing flight MH370. This news prompted angry relatives of the passengers to storm Malaysia Airlines Beijing office.
They say they don't believe the debris is from the plane and are demanding to know the truth. Meantime Chinese officials are calling on Malaysia to continue investigating what happened to MH370 and to communicate with the passengers' families.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WANG YI, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): We suggest that Malaysia should explain to the next of kin what's going to happen next. I think on this matter we care about their feelings and the struggle that they're going through.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: CNN's Asia-Pacific editor, Andrew Stevens is following developments from Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur and he joins us live. We're seeing this anger from particularly these families in china, storming, as we saw, the offices of Malaysia Airlines. They want some answers. They are very angry and they don't think that this particular piece from the plane is from MH370. ANDREW STEVENS, CNN ASIA-PACIFIC EDITOR: That's right, Rosemary. They just don't believe the Malaysian government when it said very, very clearly that this is, indeed, a part of MH370. And the Malaysians were also very clear in saying that was also supported by the other investigators on the ground.
The Malaysian prime minister actually made that announcement at 1:45 this morning here in Kuala Lumpur and he also gave a little bit of an indication as to why he wanted to get the news out. Listen to what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NAJIB RAZAK, MALAYSIAN PRIME MINISTER: It is my hope that this confirmation, however tragic and painful will at least bring certainty to the families and loved ones of the 239 people on board. MH370. They have our deepest sympathy and prayers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEVENS: So bringing that certainty as Mr. Najib said there to the families. Remember, 515 days after MH370 disappeared, we have that statement. So those families have been living every day of those past 500 days in such difficult conditions, Rosemary.
The people here in Malaysia, they are not saying that they don't believe the Malaysian government, but they are saying that this doesn't necessarily bring them closure.
The line from some families is that we want to bring our loved ones home and bury them. That's when we get closure. It is going to be very difficult, obviously. Just because this has been established as 370, it's still difficult to find where the plane actually went down.
But certainly as you point out in China there has been a very, very strong reaction. Listen to what the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had to say and another jab, basically at the Malaysians. This is what the Foreign Affairs Ministry had to say.
"We require the Malaysian side to earnestly fulfill their commitments to continue to investigate the reasons behind the plane's disappearance and making full preparation for the aftermath settlement to effectively protect the legitimate rights of the families.
There you see it. The government is telling the Malaysian government they still need to make sure this investigation carries through and make sure that the families get what they are entitled to in terms of compensation.
But compensation is not really something a lot of people are talk about in Beijing. Listen to some of the family members in Beijing, what they have been saying.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[03:05:04] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): What does such a tiny piece of debris mean regarding a 230-ton plane? Why are they trying to fool us? What's their purpose? To make us take the compensation money? We will not accept it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Next step is we are going to ask the Malaysia government and Malaysia Airlines to assist us to go to Reunion Island and France. We will go to the site to check it out by ourselves. We do not believe any of their words, which are all lies.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEVENS: So that's the reaction from Beijing, whether or not Malaysian Airlines will fly families to the Reunion Islands is we'll have to wait and see, but it's certainly at this end, the Malaysian government could not be clearer, Rosemary, that this piece of debris, this flaperon, is a part MH370.
CHURCH: But Andrew, why jump so quickly? Why not wait until French investigators and authorities are on board with this confirmation as well. This is such a sensitive topic. The families have been hurt. It has been difficult for them.
These more than 500 days since this plane disappeared. Would it not have been a wiser move to wait until they were able to confirm this completely with everyone on board with them?
STEVENS: That's an interesting point. The Malaysian government would say, and they said very, very clearly in their press statement that it is linked to 370 and the French investigators and other investigators involved in Reunion and in Toulouse also support that conclusion.
We did hear from French investigators which showed daylight between the Malaysian position and the French position. The French are saying everything points towards this being MH370, but we can't say 100 percent that it is the aircraft.
Why did the Malaysians want to release the news? Why did they want to say that this is definitively part of the plane? It looks from here that they really do want the help the relatives in this way in telling them, saying it is the inevitable there is no other plane missing.
This is part of a 777 and roundly sort of agreed now that this is part of a 777 and the only 777 missing is 370. So the Malaysians, they did it at 1:45 in the morning. They are confident this is the case, it is 370.
And they are asking the families now to -- stating to the families, this is a fact, the plane went down at sea and you can begin hopefully to get some sort of closure. Whether or not it's the right decision, that is for the families to decide. That is for the people so closely involved to decide -- Rosemary.
CHURCH: And understandably for most of the family members, until they actually find the plane and find their relatives, they're not going to feel that their relatives have been lost to this plane crash. We will watch this story of course very closely. Andrew Stevens, reporting live from Kuala Lumpur, many thanks to you.
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott says he thinks the newly found debris seems very consistent with the search pattern, which crews have been using for the past few months. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY ABBOTT, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: The search must go on. But what we have found in the western Indian Ocean does seem to indicate that the plane did come down more or less where we thought it did and it suggests that for the first time we might be a little bit closer to solving this baffling mystery.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Prime Minister Abbott there.
Experts are said to conduct more tests on that flaperon Thursday. CNN's Richard Quest takes a closer look at the clues investigators have been looking for.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD QUEST, CNNI HOST, "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS": If you look at the flaperon I understand that there are some distinctive parts and distinctive paints and markings within it all of which have led them conclude pretty much conclusively that this is actually from MH370.
As for why the prosecutor was more circumspect that I think raises a very good interesting question. But what they are going to be doing tests on, they are going to be testing the barnacles and testing the stresses and seeing exactly what the composition is and what the paint is that might be unique to Malaysia Airlines and that is how they've done it.
Malaysia Airlines says that they have spotted things on this flaperon that is pretty much unique to their planes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[03:10:05] CHURCH: CNN's Richard Quest reporting there.
We do want to check some other stories now. U.S. authorities say a man who attacked movie goers in Tennessee suffered from mental illness. Police shot and killed him after he doused people with pepper spray and went after them with a hatchet. He also had a pellet gun. Three people were injured by the pepper spray and one man had a minor cut from the hatchet.
An Irish naval vessel is en route to Italy with survivors of a boat that capsized off the coast of Libya. The fishing boat was packed with migrants.
The Irish defense minister said 367 people have been rescued and 25 bodies were recovered. About 600 people were on board the fishing boat when it capsized. A Los Angeles judge has ordered Bill Cosby to give a sworn deposition over a sex abuse allegation. A woman says Cosby sexually assaulted her in 1974 at the "Playboy" mansion when she was 15 years old. She is one of 35 women who have publicly accused Cosby of drugging, assaulting or raping them.
U.S. President Barack Obama isn't mincing words as he makes his case to Congress to accept the Iran nuclear deal. In a blistering speech, he warned that the country's credibility is at stake.
Meanwhile, new evidence has surfaced that allegedly shows a cover up at an Iranian nuclear site. Here's Jim Sciutto.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Today, the president made an impassioned and even defiant defense of the Iran nuclear deal attempting to dissuade skeptical lawmakers from blocking the agreement.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I've had to make a lot of tough calls as president. But whether or not this deal is good for American security is not one of those calls. It's not even close.
SCIUTTO: But the skeptics got new ammunition today. CNN has learned that the U.S. intelligence community believes Iran is attempting to clean up one of the most sensitive suspected nuclear sites.
The military installation at Parchin after new commercial satellite imagery showed heavy construction equipment including bulldozers. The president dismissed the possibility that Iran can hide nuclear activity.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Nuclear material isn't something you hide in the closet. It can leave a trace for years. The bottom line is, if Iran cheats, we can catch them and we will.
SCIUTTO: A senior intelligence official familiar with the imagery in question tells CNN that the IAEA, the international agency responsible for inspecting Iran's nuclear sites is, quote, "familiar with sanitization efforts and the international community has confidence in the IAEA's technical expertise."
Many lawmakers, Republicans and Democrats, aren't convinced. They take particular issue with the fact that the administration has not released details of agreements between Iran and the IAEA and won't confirm if U.S. officials even read them.
BOB CORKER, U.S. SENATE REPUBLICAN: Why now will you not give us the documents that exist that are so important to all of us relative to the integrity of this? Why not?
WENDY SHERMAN, U.S. UNDERSECRETARY FOR POLITICAL AFFAIRS: We don't have the documents in the first instance. We don't have them. So we don't have them to give to you. I didn't see the final documents. I saw the provisional documents as did my experts.
SCIUTTO: For the president, however the choice remains clear.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Let's not mince words. The choice we face is ultimately between diplomacy or some form of war maybe not tomorrow, maybe not three months from now but soon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: CNN's Jim Sciutto reporting there. The Senate will begin debate on the Iran nuclear deal early next month.
An Islamic preacher charged with inviting support for ISIS says he is innocent. And Jim Chowdry and another man appeared in a London court on Wednesday. They are accused of supporting the militant group in lectures, which were published online. They both said they would plead not guilty. Their next court appearance is scheduled for August 28th.
The Egyptian branch of ISIS claims it is holding a Croatian hostage and is threatening to kill him if the group's demand is not met. It's a first for the ISIS militants there and as Ian Lee reports they are promising to act quickly.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Another looming deadline for after ISIS hostage, a Croatian, Tomislav Salopek shown online in the trademark orange jump suit with a masked man and the ISIS flag behind him. ISIS in Egypt Sinai is giving him 48 hours starting Wednesday.
[03:15:02] In the short video Salopek states their demand to Egypt, release all female Muslim prisoners. Militants reportedly kidnapped the father of two on a road west of Cairo last month.
Salopek says he is a topographer for the French company, CGG. The company confirmed his kidnapping saying they took all necessary precautions to safeguard its employees' welfare and to collaborate with local authorities in this regard.
The Croatian government says it is making all efforts to resolve the situation and the Egyptian government has yet to respond. While ISIS in Iraq, Syria, and Libya are known for their kidnappings and executions this is their first time for their branch in Egypt.
Since 2013, we have seen ISIS in Sinai grow bolder and deadlier killing hundreds of soldiers, policemen and civilians. According to Egyptian state media, militants killed at least 17 soldiers in simultaneous attacks in Sinai last month including one of their most sophisticated to date, striking an Egyptian naval ship with a missile while sailing in the Mediterranean.
This latest ISIS video comes as Egypt tries to focus the world's attention on the Suez Canal. On Thursday Egypt's president, Abdel Fattah Assisi will lead celebrations surrounding the opening of a new section of the canal, a vital waterway that separates the Sinai Peninsula with mainland Egypt.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEE: Egypt has dealt with ISIS kidnappings before. In February at least 20 Christians from Egypt were executed in Libya. Egypt responded with air strikes. We don't know where Salopek is being held. It may not even be in Egypt. What we do know is the clock is ticking. Ian Lee, CNN, Cairo.
CHURCH: Still ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM. A powerful typhoon is packing damaging winds and rain. And Taiwan and China are next in line to feel its effects.
Also what to expect when ten Republicans take to the stage in Ohio for the first presidential primary debate. We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: Egypt is planning a grand ceremony today for the opening of an extension to the Suez Canal. The route which runs along the original canal will allow two-way traffic and can accommodate larger ships. It took a year to complete and Egypt hopes it will boost the country's economy.
The Suez Canal opened almost 150 years ago. It links the Mediterranean with the red sea and is one of the most important waterways in the world.
Severe flooding is battering several parts of Asia in the wake of a cyclone and heavy monsoon rains including Myanmar. More than 200,000 people there are in temporary shelters and the death toll has risen to 69. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced plans for the U.S. to donate a relief package to help Myanmar deal with the disaster.
India is also suffering. Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes to escape the flooding and disaster officials now say more than 200 people have been killed. The heavy rains have caused landslides, destroyed homes and left entire villages under water. Sumnima Udas is in the flood zone.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUMNIMA UDAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The state of West Bengal is home to some of the biggest rivers in the country flowing all the way down from the Himalayas and many of them are now flowing over the danger level. In some areas like this the water level is starting to recede. But in the low lying parts of West Bengal the situation is still very desperate.
(voice-over): Kilometers and kilometers of flood water as far as the eyes can see. This district in Eastern India is one of the worst affected.
(on camera): The main river is seven kilometers from here, roughly five miles, but you can see how far inland the water has come and people have started fishing on what used to be their farmland. (voice-over): Hundreds dead and hundreds of thousands of homes damaged. Road roads submerged. Wading through the flood water is the only option for many. We hitched a ride with a wedding party. The groom rented his neighbor's rickety boat because he had no other way to bring his bride home.
What can I do? I can't change the wedding date, can I? So I had to get married even in these conditions, he says.
He is a potato trader. He says his entire supply for the season has been destroyed. I asked him how he is going to support his new bride. I don't know, he says. Throughout the journey, the village priest blows his conch shell.
(on camera): All of this used to be rice paddy fields and it is planting season right now. But as you can see the entire area has turned into a mini lake of sorts and it's quite deep as well, about 10 to 15 feet.
(voice-over): Those who don't have access to boats are stranded. Entire villages cut off from the outside world for almost a week.
(on camera): The homes are unlivable so they found this dry patch of land and have built this makeshift shelters over here. They moved all their livestock as well. But so far they say they've received absolutely no help.
(voice-over): Floods are not uncommon here. They happen every monsoon season, but it's this is the worst it's been in years, they say. After a long journey, they are finally home. A welcoming ritual is performed.
The holy water may not with as clean as it should be. The celebrations, perhaps not perfect. People making the best of it even in the worst of times.
[03:25:12] (on camera): Something has to be said about the resilience of the people here. They deal with so much hardship on a day-to-day basis and floods are a huge setback for them but still they persevere.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Sumnima Udas there. And flooding rains will be a big threat for Taiwan with a powerful typhoon striking this weekend. Ivan Cabrera joins us with the latest on the storm. And Ivan, of course, the difficulty for Taiwan, a small, vulnerable island there.
IVAN CABRERA, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, no question about it and the topography making it worse for the rainfall there. And unlike the floods in India and Myanmar, here we have to contend with typhoon force winds.
This is the strongest typhoon so far this year, a super typhoon, the winds are down a bit now. But the latest satellite imagery indicating to me that I think the winds of 175 kilometers per hour are likely to go north. We'll watch that closely and that is the forecast for intensification as the system continues to move to the north and west. The track has never been in question here going right towards Taiwan.
So that by the time we get into the 36-hour time frame winds of 215 kilometers per hour. That's essentially a category 4 hurricane equivalent moving over Taiwan. Talk about the winds. Hour by hour as far as the wind field, look at this perfect symmetry here with the very powerful winds.
This would be Friday afternoon. That means that Taipei will be experiencing tropical storm force winds. But the dangerous winds arrive late Friday night into Saturday morning. That's when the landfall will occur.
Let's talk about the topography in Taiwan. Of course, the city, the capital, where 7.5 million people live, that's Taipei on the northwestern side of the island. On the eastern side of the island we have a coastal range here.
The storm surge you would get on the eastern side of the island is worst on the western side as the storm moves into the Taiwan Strait. By then the winds shift back to the west. As the wind pushes the water from the strait into the coastal cities we are talking about a storm surge and coastal flooding along with the rainfall.
And the topography enhances the rainfall here as we talk about this wall of water that's going to be coming in. Take a look at this arm here moving into Taiwan. We'll get closer here and talk about the numbers, 150 to 250, that's just in the first 12 hours of this storm.
And you see the white color here indicating excess of 500 millimeters of rainfall. That will fall on the mountain. That water has to go somewhere and it's going to rush down the mountain and that is the problem we have in Taiwan because of the topography, landslides and flash flooding over the next few days.
And then of course round two as it crosses the strait, China gets ready for a second landfall Sunday and Monday.
CHURCH: Very unnerving for those people in Taiwan. Many thanks to you, Ivan, for pointing it out for us. Appreciate it.
The stage is set in Cleveland, Ohio, the top ten Republican U.S. presidential candidates are getting ready to face off in the first primary debate and all eyes will be on Donald Trump.
Plus it has been 70 years since the U.S. dropped the first ever nuclear bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. One survivor shares her story for future generations.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:32:25]
CHURCH: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. This is CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Rosemary Church. It is of course time to check the headlines for you this hour.
Malaysia's leader says a piece of airplane debris found last week on Reunion Island is from missing Flight MH370. This prompted angry relatives of the passengers to storm Malaysia Airlines' Beijing office. They say they don't believe the debris is from the plane and are demanding to know the truth.
U.S. President Barack Obama is making a strong pitch to Congress for the Iran nuclear deal. He says rejecting the deal will damage America's credibility as a leader of diplomacy. The Senate will begin the debate on the deal early next month.
Monsoon rains and severe flooding have forced hundreds of thousands of people into relief camps in India. Government officials say more than 200 people have been killed in the heavy downpours and related accidents. Forecasters say it could take two weeks for flood waters to recede in some areas.
Later tonight, we will hear from ten U.S. Republican presidential candidates in the first primary debate. Front runners Donald Trump and Jeb Bush will be among those taking the stage. We are still a year and a half away from elections, by the way, but things are already heating up. Here's Dana Bash.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The biggest event at this Cleveland arena these days is when Lebron James is playing, but all these satellite trucks are lined up for a political sport, the first Republican 2016 presidential debate.
Sources close to the nine GOP contenders sharing the stage with the unlikely frontrunner, Donald Trump insist he will not be their focus.
MARCO RUBIO, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: All of us are running, we owe voters who we are.
BASH: As for Trump he insists he wants to focus on issues.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm not looking to hurt anybody. I'm not looking to embarrass anybody. If I have to bring up deficiencies I'll do that, but I'd rather go down the middle. You don't know what's going to happen.
BASH: And tries to lower expectations politician style.
TRUMP: I never debated. My whole life has been a debate. But these politicians all they do is debate.
BASH: The question is whether the man who retaliated against an opponent by reading his cell phone number on live TV can help himself.
TRUMP: I don't know if it's the right number, let's try it, 202 --
BASH: Trump's hard charging lawyer warned maybe not. [03:35:03] MICHAEL COHEN, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, TRUMP ORGANIZATION: Look what happened to Lindsey Graham, Rick Perry, not in the debate. You attack Donald Trump he is going to come back at you twice as hard.
BASH: But while Trump maybe the most entertaining, Jeb Bush may have the most to lose. He is still the favorite among establishment Republicans and this is a critical chance for him to prove he is worth the $100 million plus he raised.
JEB BUSH, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm the -- my dad's the greatest man alive if you don't like it I'll take you outside.
BASH: That shaky performance at a New Hampshire forum earlier this week has some backers worried. Not to mention this stumble yesterday when talking about funding for Planned Parenthood.
BUSH: You can take dollar for dollar -- I'm not sure we need half a billion dollar for women's health issues.
BASH: But his campaign is trying to stay on message with the Jeb Bush swag store selling things like this vintage tank top.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BASH: But as for Jeb Bush's preparations, he is focused on trying to explain to people that he is not just another Bush that he has a very specific conservative record from when he was governor of Florida even on issues of education where people think maybe he is too moderate in the Republican electorate.
And also he is going to try to separate himself maybe not by name, but just the dynamic to show he is different from the guy at the center of the stage, Donald Trump. Dana Bash, CNN, Cleveland, Ohio.
CHURCH: CNN political commentator and Washington correspondent for the "New Yorker," Ryan Lizza, joins me now to talk about the GOP debate. Thank you for being with us. And as Republican presidential candidates prepare for Thursday night's opening GOP debate, talk about what we should be looking for when they all take to the stage.
RYAN LIZZA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, as you know, Donald Trump is the leader in the polls and I think he's going to have the center position on that stage. So everyone will be looking for how the other candidates deal with this dominant personality in their midst.
Look for how the candidates attack him. Do they engage with him or present their own agenda? That's a strategic calculation they'll have to make. The debates really do matter.
If you look back in 2012 when we had a big field, if you were the candidate who came out of the debate as the news story you got a lot of attention and free media and your poll numbers were goosed.
So I think what you're trying to do is looking for opportunities to be the next day's story, but without -- I guess, embarrassing yourself by attacking Trump in a way that is sort of beneath a governor or a senator. I think that's the knife edge these candidates are on in engaging Trump.
CHURCH: As you mention with the candidates, do you tackle Trump and take the risk of him shutting them down and possibly humiliating them or do you somehow try to work with him? Because this is the other thing in American politics, eventually some of these guys are going to have to work together.
LIZZA: That's right. Although I don't think -- if Donald Trump -- look, I don't mean to dismiss him or be dismissive of him. But most people do not for see him being the eventual Republican nominee and he's not likely to run for another position.
He's not likely to serve in a cabinet. So you don't have to worry about working with him. But some of the other candidates you could see being the top of a ticket or bottom of a ticket. There is that dynamic.
I think that the question is, do you sully yourself by trying to take him down? And it's a question that I think someone like Jeb Bush or Marco Rubio or Scott Walker, the candidates that are just below trump in the polls they have to decide is it going to be me that takes this guy on or should I let the lesser candidates do it for me and I stay out of the fray?
Remember, very few of the candidates have ever been engaged in a field of 17 opponents, right? Most of these candidates had one, two, three primary opponents when they ran for governor or senator. They are making it up as they go along as well.
And none have run against a persona like Donald Trump. There is no script for this or historical debate to look back on and say that is the model here. So I would expect the unexpected because we haven't seen this dynamic before.
[03:40:03] CHURCH: It seems to be the best advice, doesn't it? It will be interesting too to see if we can work out who the winner is at the end of this GOP debate. We'll be watching very closely. Ryan Lizza, thank you for joining us.
LIZZA: My pleasure.
CHURCH: We are just a year away from the summer Olympics in Rio De Janeiro and the city is struggling to clean up its lakes and beaches in time for the games. Some waterways are so bad even the fish can't survive. Shasta Darlington reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Diving in head first. Olympic hopefuls splash into the waters off Rio's beach for a triathlon qualifier. Too bad last week, this same beach was declared unfit for swimming by the city government. Olympic sailors and rowers facing much worse, a recurring event, dead fish on the top of the site of the rowing and canoeing events. You have to stop training and go rest, he says. The dead fish block the oars and get in the way and the garbage bobbing in the Olympic sailing events.
(on camera): The worst by far isn't what is on the surface, but what is underneath. This is raw sewage pouring into the bay every day and it stinks.
(voice-over): In fact, a new investigation commissioned by the Associated Press found Olympic water venues so contaminated with human feces, athletes risk becoming violently ill.
If I fell into the water right now, he says I could contract anything from an intestinal disorder or Hepatitis A. Only 49 percent of Rio's homes are connected to sewage lines and the city and state governments have admitted they won't meet cleanup targets. But newer water samples show no health risks for athletes.
EDUARDO PAES, RIO DE JANEIRO MAYOR: It's not an issue for the games. It's a lie when people say that. The area where sailing competitions are going to be held, it's a good area and a safe area.
DARLINGTON: And it certainly hasn't slowed down these rowers warming up for another Olympic test event. Shasta Darlington, CNN, Rio De Janeiro.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: A woman who survived the devastating Hiroshima bombing wants her survival to mean something. What she's saying on the 70th anniversary of that deadly day.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:45:55]
CHURCH: Thursday marks 70 years since an atomic bomb decimated Hiroshima in Japan. Bells tolled in remembrance of the nearly 80,000 victims that died instantly that day. Tens of thousands more lost their lives from radiation poisoning in the years following.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe spoke from what is now Peace Park. He says he will be drafting a resolution for a nuclear-free world and submit it to the United Nations.
And our own Ivan Watson spoke to one woman who survived. There are some pictures from that time that can be very disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): She may look frail but don't be fooled. The 87-year-old Shisako Takioka is a survivor who lived to tell the tale of the world's first atomic bomb. She was in Hiroshima not far from ground zero when an atomic flash lit up the sky.
I was three kilometers away, she says. The shock wave knocked her out. She says she woke up in time to see the mushroom cloud. On the morning of August 6th, 1945, a U.S. bomber dropped the weapon nicknamed "Little Boy" over the city of Hiroshima.
About 80,000 died immediately. By U.S. estimates the five-year death toll from radiation poison and cancer about 200,000. Takioka was only 17 years old and just finished the night shift making torpedos at a military factory. After the blast she saw horrors here by the river.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I still remember the day very well. This was a river filled with the dead bodies. People were burned and they jump into the river.
WATSON: Takioka survived the ordeal and became an outspoken activist around the world against war and nuclear proliferation. Hiroshima was rebuilt along with a Peace Park to honor the victims. The museum here chronicles the devastating effects of the a-bomb leaving some American visitors grappling with very difficult questions.
SCOTT BAKER, U.S. BOY SCOUT: In America textbooks talk about how necessary it was to release the bomb and have all the civilians die. But when you look at it, it was just really -- was it really necessary to do this?
WATSON: Scott Baker and his fellow Boy Scouts are shocked by what they learned here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't know what to expect. Once I saw all the images and stuff I got a little sick.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel it's necessary to walk through and to see what happened and just to go through history and see this can be repeated if we make the wrong mistakes.
WATSON: That's an observation Shisako Takioka is relieved to here. Her first son died 18 days after birth from what doctors told her is a-bomb syndrome. Today, she works with her daughter to pass on her first-hand account of the devastation in Hiroshima to future generations. Her message on this grim anniversary? Never again. Ivan Watson, CNN, Hiroshima, Japan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: The atomic blast in Hiroshima leveled almost everything in its path, but there were some remnants, a tricycle, a suitcase, a doll. And you can find the photos and the stories behind them on CNN.com. We'll be right back.
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[03:53:51]
CHURCH: No one ever said the road to the White House was a smooth one as Republican candidates prepare for their first debate later today. CNN's Jeanne Moos takes a look back at some of the "oops" moments from debates past.
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JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Don't we tend to watch debates, hoping to see a train wreck? Instead, we're left with memorable moments, Sarah Palin winking. Ronald Reagan, demanding the sound system not be turned off.
RONALD REAGAN: I am paying for this microphone.
MOOS: A line he picked up --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't you shut me off I'm paying for this broadcast.
MOOS: -- from Spencer Tracy. TV magnifies everything from the sweat glistening on Nixon cease chin to Al Gore's exaggerated exasperated sighs. Resuscitated by "SNL."
(on camera): What was I going to say again? Yes, there were some unforgettable forgetful moments.
RICK PERRY: Commerce, education, and what's the third one there? Let's see.
[03:55:06] MOOS (voice-over): Rick Perry's "oops" moment and Jan Brewer's brain freeze.
JAN BREWER: What we could possibly do.
MOOS: And this was just her opening statement.
(on camera): You know what a televised debate isn't the time for?
(voice-over): Checking the time as President George Bush did.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How has national debt --
MOOS: Debates are a time for memorable zingers and one-liners for instance, from a relatively unknown candidate for vice president.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who am I? Why am I here?
MOOS (on camera): And whatever you do, candidates, don't invade your opponents' special space as Hillary's Senate rival once did -- or when Al Gore crept up on George Bush.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I believe I can.
MOOS: There is nothing like debatable behavior to liven up a debate -- Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
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CHURCH: And be watching tonight for more possible oops moments. Thanks for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. "EARLY START" is coming up for viewers in the United States and for those elsewhere there is another edition of CNN NEWSROOM. Have a great day.
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