Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

9 Arrested in Ferguson After Day of Civil Disobedience; Hillary Clinton Blasts Trump over Megyn Kelly Comments, Republicans on Women; Kyushu Electric Power Restarts Number-One Reactor in Sendai, Japan; 4 Years of War Causes Shortages, Heartache in Syria; Migrant Fleeing Violence, Poverty Tries to Reach England; Afghan President Calls on Pakistani Crackdown on Taliban; Protests as Iraq's P.M. Presents Reform Plan; Reunion Island Volunteers Search for MH370 Clues; Katie Ford Helps Fight Modern-Day Slavery. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired August 10, 2015 - 02:00   ET

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


[02:00:24] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Reports coming in that Greece is very close to new multi-billion dollar deal to keep in the Eurozone.

ERROL BARNETT, CNN ANCHOR: Scuffles between police and protests have broken out in Ferguson, Missouri, one year since Michael Brown was killed.

CHURCH: In Japan, a nuclear power plant is back on for the first time since 2013.

BARNETT: And later this hour, a salad from outer space. Astronauts tasting lettuce grown in space for the first time.

CHURCH: I'm Rosemary Church. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world.

BARNETT: Good to be with you, Rosemary.

Hey, everyone, I'm still Errol Barnett. Thanks for joining us. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

CHURCH: And we start in the United States and Ferguson, Missouri, where at least nine people are under arrest after another night of confrontation between protesters and police. Police say demonstrators threw bottles of frozen water and rocks at them. The night's arrests came after a day of civil disobedience.

BARNETT: Protesters are marking one year since a white officer shot and killed an unarmed African-American teen.

Brian Todd reports that the violence and the police response are under close scrutiny this time around.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(GUNFIRE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One spark and chaos ensues in Ferguson. Muzzle flashes are seen near a white pick-up truck. Two groups start battling on the street, unleashing what the St. Louis County police chief calls a remarkable amount of gunfire. It sends protesters and police scurrying for cover. One suspect then allegedly fires at undercover police. They return fire and he's wounded. That eruption triggered a tense standoff between police and local crowds.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We ready for what?

(CHANTING)

TODD: Bottles and bricks thrown at police. It marred what had been a peaceful day of protests marking the one-year anniversary of Michael Brown's death.

As protests and arrests continued Monday, the violence frustrated advocates who want to keep the focus on reducing police shootings.

WESLEY BELL, FERGUSON CITY COUNCIL MEMBER: Many of the people who have their own agendas and wish to escalate violence they mix in with the peaceful protesters. It is difficult particularly for law enforcement who has no idea, oftentimes, who is who.

TODD: Police say the wounded suspect is 18-year-old Tyrone Harris Jr from St. Louis, who was charged with 10 criminal counts.

Contacted by CNN, Harris' aunt denies he shot at police, says he wasn't even carrying a gun.

St. Louis County police chief, Jon Belmar, clearly frustrated, is appealing for the community to rein in troublemakers.

JON BELMAR, CHIEF, ST. LOUIS COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT: We can't sustain this as a community as we move forward. We have other individuals out there who are armed right now. They're part of this group.

TODD: All eyes will be on how the Ferguson and St. Louis county police respond during these tense days and nights surrounding the anniversary.

TOM MANGER, PRESIDENT, MAJOR CITIES CHIEFS ASSOCIATION: The police in Ferguson and the surrounding area are under tremendous pressure.

TODD (on camera): Do they not have to use force during moments where they normally would?

MANGER: I think when you start asking police officers to alter the way that they've been trained to react, alter the way that they have to act to protect themselves and to protect others, you run into more problems.

TODD: Ferguson City Council Member Wesley Bell tells us, since last year, he noticed that Ferguson police have engaged the community more and are doing more community policing. They know peoples' names in the neighborhood. They are likely going to need every ounce of that goodwill in the tense days ahead surrounding this anniversary.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: One police union official says officers' tactics are not the only thing that needs to change in dealing with Ferguson's issues.

CHURCH: Jeff Roorda, is with the St. Louis Police Officers Association, and he is the author of "Ferganistan, The War on Police," and he spoke with Don Lemon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFF ROORDA, ST. LOUIS POLICE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION: It's a powder keg and we've blown 365 days of missed opportunities talking about faux police reforms when we ought to talk about how to make life better for these kids in an inner-city setting that are so hopeless that they turn to violence and turn it more and more frequently against cops. Sometimes the kid dies, sometimes the cop dies. Either way, it's an unhappy outcome.

[02:05:05] DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Jeff, you say faux police reform. I mean, no agency, no one is perfect. Police could use a little reforming, and I'm sure some of the kids who are there, some of the people who live there, can use some help themselves. So, you know, it's not just on the community. Don't you think the police could use some reforming?

ROORDA: This is a profession that is in constant evolution, constantly evolving. And you know, we assimilate to the surroundings we're in, just as they did last night. They tried different tactics again last night. The police reformed their tactics last night, and we still had terrible outcomes. We ought to talk about the root issues here and not distracting everybody with this big lie, which started with this "hands up, don't shoot" myth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: We will continue to watch what is happening in Ferguson.

But we move on for now. Donald Trump, the blunt U.S. presidential candidate, is leading in the polls thanks to his take-no-prisoners attitude on just about everything.

BARNETT: However, a recent controversial comment about FOX News host, Megyn, Kelly has sparked backlash from Democrats and Republicans alike. We want you to hear what prompted the backlash. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & CEO, TRUMP ORGANIZATION: She gets out and she starts asking me all sorts of ridiculous questions and you could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her -- wherever.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: And that pause and "wherever" was interpreted to mean a specific point. But Trump says he was misunderstood, and he has been everywhere defending the remark he made.

On Monday night, FOX News host, Megyn Kelly, addressed it on her show. Here's part of what she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MEGYN KELLY, FOX NEWS HOST: Mr. Trump thought the question was unfair. I felt he was asked a tough but fair question. I will not apologize for doing good journalism. So I'll continue doing my job without fear or favor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Megyn Kelly there.

Democratic presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, wasted no time blasting Donald Trump for his comment, and went after his Republican challenges over their comments about women's issues.

CNN's Jeff Zeleny reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HILLARY CLINTON, (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: What Donald Trump said about Megyn Kelly is outrageous.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Donald Trump spilling into the Democratic primary.

CLINTON: Megyn Kelly is a strong woman and more than capable of defending herself against Donald Trump. I'm worried about what Republican policies would do to the rest of America's women. And I will continue to speak out and speak up about that.

ZELENY: Today in New Hampshire, Hillary Clinton weighed in for the first time on Trump's controversial remarks.

CLINTON: If you focus on the biggest showman on the stage, you lose the thread here. The thread is that the Republicans are putting forth some very radical and offensive positions when it comes to women's lives.

ZELENY: She blasted the Republican field saying all women should be on alert over the opposition to abortion rights even in the case of rape.

CLINTON: I think more people should say the same. They should be going after him. The Republican Party is going to have to deal with him. I don't want that forgotten. I know it makes great TV. I think he went overboard. Offensive, outrageous, pick your adjective. But what Marco Rubio said has as much as an impact in terms of where the Republican Party is today. ZELENY: Bill and Hillary Clinton have known Trump for years. He

contributed to her Senate campaigns and their family foundation. They attended his weddings.

CLINTON: I didn't know him that well. I knew him. I knew him, and I happen to be planning to be in Florida and thought it would be fun to go to his wedding. It's always entertaining. Now that he's running for president, it's more troubling.

ZELENY: She came to New Hampshire to unveil plans to rein in students loans and make college affordable.

CLINTON: We need to make a quality education affordable and available to everyone willing to work for it without saddling them with decades of debt.

ZELENY: What else could be troubling? Trump's surge in popularity and attention. Showman or not, Hillary Clinton is eager to seize the moment and try to link the full Republican field to Trump.

Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Exeter, New Hampshire.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: And just a reminder for you all, Don Trump will be a guest on "New Day" in just a few hours from now. For those of you in the states, that will be at 7:00 a.m. eastern time here on CNN. For those of you watching internationally, we will bring you what he says, if it's possibly controversial once again.

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

[02:10:07] BARNETT: Stay tuned for that.

We are following breaking news this hour. We're getting reports that Greece at this moment is very close to reaching a deal with its international creditors.

CHURCH: The multi-billion dollar bailout deal would keep Greece inside the Eurozone and avert bankruptcy. A Reuters source says some minor details are being hammered out right now. And we'll have more on that as more information comes into us.

It has been four and a half years since Japan has run on nuclear power. But that's about to change. Kyushu Electric Power restarted its Sendai number-one reactor in southern Japan several hours ago.

BARNETT: This reactor should be generating power in a matter of days. All of Japan's nuclear plants have been shut down since that disastrous Fukushima meltdowns back in 2011 after an earthquake and tsunami back in 2011.

CHURCH: The Sendai restart comes after the reactor passed new more stringent safety standards put into place in the wake of the disaster. CNN's Anna Coren joins us with more.

Anna, despite the new safety regulations there, there is a lot of concern, isn't there? Talk to us about what people are saying across Japan about the restarting of the Sendai nuclear power plant.

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As we know, there is a great deal of opposition in Japan about restarting these nuclear reactors. Across the country, the reason being is that they fear what nuclear power could bring considering the disaster in 2011 with the Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant, the meltdown that triggered radiation leaks. And still today, Rosemary, there is leaking water that is radioactive that they are obviously working furiously to contain. But it's believed that people who lived in that area will never be able to return because of the high radiation levels.

Now a recent poll, Rosemary, found that more than a half of those who were questioned oppose the restart of nuclear reactors across the country. As you say, this one in Sendai has been restarted as of this morning. There are 43 across the country. There is a second nuclear reactor on that Sendai site in southwestern Japan which the government is hoping to reopen by October.

But as we saw, scenes at Sendai today, huge protests, people furious that the government is taking this action and very disappointed about what this could mean.

Let's listen to one of the protesters at the site.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAPANESE PROTESTOR (through translation): Firstly, these new standards that the Abe government has the nuclear regulatory agency to agree upon, these standards have just slightly raised the bar with regard to earthquakes and tsunamis, but, in fact, it is full of holes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: The protester says it is slightly raising the bar but the government says it has the toughest regulations in place in regards to nuclear power. And it is hoping to restart other reactors across the country in the coming months and years.

CHURCH: But, Anna, given the extent of the concerns, why was Japan's government, or why has it decided to restart the Sendai Nuclear Power Plant this particular time?

COREN: As we know, Rosemary, Japan has very limited energy resources, which is why it was so reliant on nuclear power pre-2011. The earthquake and then subsequent tsunami that followed really took out the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant leading to that meltdown and the radiation leak. So its reliance on nuclear power means that it just doesn't have the resources in place to keep Japan running. So therefore, it needs to import energy, it's fossil fuels, it's coal, it's LPG gas. There is a great deal of reliance on that. And as a result, too, of the shutdown of the reactors over the past four years, energy prices amongst households have risen 25 percent. But as we were saying, the process and those polls, Rosemary, the people of Japan, that doesn't bother them. They just want to know that their country and their families are safe.

CHURCH: Understood.

Anna Coren reporting from Hong Kong. Many thanks to you.

Next hour, we will get reaction from Greenpeace on this particular issue. Very interesting.

[02:15:00] BARNETT: A very big deal there.

We want to get you to northern Syria at this point. That's where the al Nusra Front has pulled out of some front-line positions against ISIS.

CHURCH: The al Qaeda-linked group is ceding the fight against ISIS north of Aleppo to other rebel groups. Al Nusra Front says it is frustrated with Turkey's plan to set up a buffer zone in the area.

The group says that Turkey's aim is to serve its own national security rather than fight against Syria's Assad regime.

CHURCH: For four years, the war in Syria has been brutalizing the population.

BARNETT: CNN's Fred Pleitgen is in Syria's capital with a look at life for civilians deal with the growing fear, shortages and heartaches.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Syrian military appears to be increasing strained after four years of this ongoing civil war. And President Bashar al Assad has acknowledged that, at times, the military will have to retreat from certain areas to make sure they can shore up more important places.

Now the developments here on the battlefield are also causing a strain here in the capital of Damascus. We are seeing severe shortages, for instance, of fuel. It takes an hour to two hours to get gasoline at gas stations. And there are power cuts throughout the city at various times throughout the day.

One of the other things also happening, with the pace that ISIS has been going, with the gains that ISIS has been making against the Syria military, there are also a lot of internally displaced people coming to the population centers. Some of them near the Mediterranean coast, which is a stronghold of Assad regime. But also to Damascus. You are seeing minorities coming from Palmyra and other towns taken by ISIS. And it is putting a strain on the Syrian government to make sure that they have enough food, water, medication, and a place to stay, but also on the many aid groups in the capital and other parts of the country as well. Nevertheless, we don't get the sense that the people here believe that

the regime is on the verge of collapsing. It appears, while there have been some setbacks, most people here in Damascus believe that Bashar al Assad is not going to go away any time soon.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Damascus.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Just ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, you will hear from a refugee who ends up in France after traveling through 10 countries from Syria, but life is not how he had envisioned it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:21:31] CHURCH: On Monday, the Italian Coast Guard says it helped rescue 1500 migrants off the Libyan coast in seven different operations. The Italian navy released this video of one of the rescues where 775 migrants were picked up, including women and children.

BARNETT: The International Organization for Migration says more than 2,000 migrants and refugees have died trying to reach Europe by boat so far this year.

CHURCH: And CNN spoke to one Syrian refugee who hopes to reach England. He says he only got as far as France after traveling through 10 countries.

Our Kellie Morgan has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLIE MORGAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A Syrian father of two shows us where he sleeps in Calais' so-called Jungle. These are his only belongings. So different from what he had.

ABU MOHAMMED, SYRIAN REFUGEE (through translation): I owned my house, also in Damascus. I had a happy life.

MORGAN: Now, Abu Mohammed, which is not his real name, says he lives in fear of the Syrian government and ISIS.

MOHAMMED (through translation): Our home is destroyed. We spent a year with Daesh. We escaped from them. There were too many restrictions. Even in religion. For them, it's just a cover.

MORGAN: Raqqa remains the capital for the Islamic state and is a target for coalition air strikes.

MOHAMMED (through translation): Today, our children have lost their smile. They only know fear, the sounds of bombs, explosions. Today, they live in terror.

MORGAN: Abu Mohammed fled Damascus on July 1st. He crossed into Lebanon and a day later arrived in Turkey where he stayed for two weeks before boarding a boat bound for Greece. After four days in Athens, Abu Mohammed crossed into Macedonia where he took a train to Serbia before walking to Hungary. He then boarded a train to France, arriving in Calais 28 day the after he left home.

MOHAMMED (through translation): We got lost at sea. We nearly drown. We encountered gangs, bandits.

MORGAN: After traveling more than 5,600 kilometers, this is not the destination Abu Mohammed envisioned.

MOHAMMED (through translation): Here at the camp, we sleep on the ground. There's nothing else. They offer us only one meal a day. Some charities offer us some help, nothing else. We have to queue up for the bathroom. We have to be there between 12:00 and 3:00 or you miss out.

MORGAN: He hopes to get to the U.K., just 33 kilometers across the English Channel. So close but very far.

MOHAMMED (through translation): I'm not worried about my own life, but the future of the young children who need education. Education is important, especially for Muslims. It is the path to paradise.

MORGAN: A path that, for now, remains closed.

Kellie Morgan, CNN, Calais, France.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[02:25:07] BARNETT: The Afghan president is calling on Pakistan to crack down on the Taliban after the group claimed responsibility for a suicide blast in Kabul.

CHURCH: As Lynda Kinkade reports, that attack comes after a series of explosions rocked the country over the weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(SIRENS)

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Afghan authorities say the suicide car bomb detonated near the entrance to the Kabul Airport leaving behind a mess of twisted metal and bodies. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the latest deadly attack, the fourth in the Afghan capital in as many days.

Over the weekend, at least 29 people were killed in a suicide bombing in northern Afghanistan. Officials say many of the victims were members of an anti-Taliban militia.

And on Friday, in Kabul, more than 50 people were killed in three separate bombings targeting an army complex, a police academy and a U.S. Special Forces base. 300 people were wounded in those attacks, overwhelming local hospitals.

Hundreds of mourners gathered in Kabul to pray and light candles in honor of the bombing victims.

(SHOUTING)

KINKADE: Some chanted "death to the Taliban" and burned Pakistani currency, accusing Pakistan of supporting militants attacking their country.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani also lashed out at Pakistan at a new conference on Monday.

ASHRAF GHANI, AFGHANISTAN PRESIDENT (through translation): The last few days have shown that suicide bomber training camps and bomb producing factories, which are killing out people, are as active as before in Pakistan.

KINKADE: These are the first major attacks since the Taliban named a new chief and the death of Mullah Omar. And experts say they are an attempt to distract attention from the internal divisions within the terror group. But the recent violence highlights growing insecurity in Kabul and increasing concern over whether Afghan forces can battle the Taliban on their own.

Lynda Kinkade, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: Still to come here on CNN NEWSROOM, days ago, this woman had access to the White House, and now she's accused of firing a gun at a capitol police officer she was dating. Details on that, after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:30:51] ERROL BARNETT, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to our viewers here in the states and those tuned and around the world. I'm Errol Barnett.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Rosemary Church. We want to update our main stories we're watching closely this hour.

At least nine protesters are under arrest in Ferguson, Missouri. Police say demonstrators threw rocks and frozen bottles of water at them during protests Monday night. A local official declared a state of emergency earlier. The latest tension comes one year after the shooting death of an unarmed African-American teenager by a white police officer.

BARNETT: Google has announced plans for a major restructuring. The Internet search giant says it's formed an umbrella company called Alpha Bit. It will be headed by Google co-founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin. The new parent company will oversee Google and several spinoff companies.

CHURCH: A New Jersey man has been arrested and charged with conspiring to support ISIS. That is according to the U.S. attorneys' office in New Jersey. 20-year-old Nadir Saday (ph) is accused of attempting to provide material support to the terror group. Prosecutors also alleged that he left the U.S. back in May to join ISIS.

BARNETT: ISIS is claiming responsibility for a deadly suicide bombing in Iraq that took place in a busy outdoor market Monday night. 30 were killed and 40 others wounded.

CHURCH: Officials say a roadside bombing happened in the same area about an hour later, killing four people. It's not clear who carried out the second attack.

Also in Iraq, parliament members are expected to vote today on a reform plan by the country's prime minister.

BARNETT: The proposed measures come after weeks of demonstrations by regular Iraqis who are just frustrated with alleged corruption in that country.

CNN's Jomana Karadsheh has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(SHOUTING)

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the sound of the people who have been simply had enough. Iraqis took to the streets in demonstrations calling for change, political reforms, holding corrupt officials accountable, and demanding the basic services that government after government for more than a decade has failed to restore.

The protests in Baghdad and other cities were prompted by continuing power cuts as the country faced one of the worst heat waves in recent history.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Haider al Abadi, in what appeared to be a response to the streets and a call for serious action by Iraq's most influence Shia cleric, announced a series of bold measures, the most drastic reforms since 2003.

SAJAD JIYAD, IRAQ ANALYST: It may be the first time that we have a person who is able to change things on the ground rather than just continuing in the same mold as his predecessors. Time passes by, elections are won, and nothing changes on the ground.

KARADSHEH: Al Abadi's promised measures include eliminating the senior posts of three senior vice presidents and three deputy prime ministers, posts held by top politicians like Ahmud al Maliki (ph) and Ahad Alowi (ph). The positions are allocated based on a sectarian and ethnic quota system created by the United States in 2003. But many Iraqis feel the system is ineffective and part of the problem. Other measures include cutting back on the security allowances provided to officials and more corruption investigations.

The proposed steps were quickly approved by his cabinet and go to parliament for a vote on Tuesday.

(MUSIC) KARADSHEH: Iraqis, on Tuesday evening, took to the streets in support of al Abadi.

JIYAD: I think, honestly, the protesters won't go away even if they hear the words from the prime minister. They want to see action on the ground. That will take some time. It is not something that will happen in a week or two. This is a several-month process and it will keep the pressure on the government.

KARADSHEH: In a country where political instability and grievances have historically been fertile ground for terrorist groups to thrive, Iraq's politicians cannot afford to ignore the rising discontent on their streets.

Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Amman.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[02:35:06] CHURCH: A White House staffer has been arrested after a domestic violence incident with a Capitol Hill police officer. Police say Barvetta Singletary was in an altercation at her home with the officer with whom she had a relationship.

BARNETT: And this could all just be based on jealousy. They say Singletary confronted him about another woman he was dating and she wanted to access his cell phone when she grabbed the officer's gun, pointed it at him and fired one round. The officer fled her home and called 911. Singletary was charged with assault and reckless endangerment. Her access to the White House has been revoked.

Almost a year and a half since Malaysia Airlines flight 370 disappeared, volunteers on Reunion Island are now joining the search.

CHURCH: CNN's Erin McLaughlin joined the volunteers as they combed the beach not far from where part of an airplane wing washed ashore.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(SHOUTING)

ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Each piece they pick up is a potential clue, a scrap of metal, a bit of plastic. Nothing goes unnoticed. What looks like trash may be key to solving a mystery some 17 months old.

Not far from here, beachcombers found a piece of a plane wing now linked to MH370. So this team of volunteers combs the shoreline hoping for similar success.

(on camera): They are searching along this coastline because this is where the current is strongest and where they are most likely to find debris.

(voice-over): Volunteer Gerald Agade (ph) is leading the charge. For him the search is an act of solidarity. "I put myself in the shoes of the families who lost loved ones," he

says. "If that was my family on the plane, I would do the same thing."

At the end of the sweep, they examine their haul.

(on camera): And this is some of what they found. You can see here, a bottle of facial wash, flip-flops, plenty of plastic bottles. It's difficult to see how this is going to help.

(voice-over): They meet with other teams to hand the items over to local authorities. A volunteer from another part of the coast holds up what he thinks is his most promising find. But it's up to experts to decide what gets sent to Paris for tests.

"They want concrete answers for families," Agade (ph) says.

And so they will return to the coastline to do the same sweep. After all, they don't know what tomorrow's tide will bring.

Erin McLaughlin, CNN, Reunion.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: When we come back, a disaster emergency in the U.S. state of Colorado after contaminants turn a river yellow.

Back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:41:16] BARNETT: CNN's Freedom Project is dedicated to shining a light on human trafficking. This week, we're focusing on how corporations are fighting against what is a multi-billion-dollar enterprise. Katie Ford, for example, used to scout models around the world and now the former CEO of Ford Models runs a global foundation that funds projects to fight modern-day slavery.

Claire Sebastian has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLAIRE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Model manager, CEO, anti-slavery activist.

(on camera): So tell me how you started in your work against trafficking because it was quite a transition that you made.

KATIE FORD, FORMER MODEL MANAGER & CEO, FORD MODELING AGENCY & ANTI- SLAVERY ACTIVIST & FOUNDER, FREEDOM FOR ALL FOUNDATION: What happened was the U.N. asked me, as a business leader, to speak at a conference on human trafficking. And when I heard how people are trafficked, it was parallel to how we scout as models around the world.

She's from Yugoslavia. And she will have her second show season here in March. SEBASTIAN (voice-over): Katie Ford was CEO of Ford Models for 10

years, a company her parents founded in 1946.

FORD: It was a very serious business. It had over a hundred million dollars in revenue.

SEBASTIAN: Today, her business is no less serious.

FORD: The hope and dream a model has for a better life is the same thing for a field worker who comes here from Mexico.

SEBASTIAN: From her Manhattan home and traveling around the world, she runs her foundation, Freedom for All, working to stop modern-day slavery at its source. She also supports victims of forced labor.

Shandra Jorensky (ph) now runs one of Ford's organizations. A survivor of trafficking, this woman came to the U.S. looking for work and found herself forced into prostitution.

Her mission, with projects like this cooking class, is to give survivors of trafficking the life skills they need to move on.

The very recent victims of trafficking she worked with did not want to be filmed.

JUDITH OLAH, TRAFFICKING SURVIVOR: When I arrived, this Hungarian man picked me up from the airport, took me to his parents and demanded all my money.

EMILY WATERS, TRAFFICKING SURVIVOR: Before long, I realized he was a pimp and it was him, and then it was others and then it was others and others, and before I new it, I was involved in trafficking.

FORD: It's just so shocking. It is out of our consciousness. I think when people hear stories that they will be more motivated.

SEBASTIAN: Katie Ford said she watched as her parents changed the fashion industry. It made her believe she can do the same here.

(on camera): You are going to continue with this indefinitely?

FORD: Until it ends, which I hope is in my lifetime.

Claire Sebastian, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: Now we're covering this story in depth all this week. The CNN Freedom Project will focus on what the business world is doing to combat human trafficking. We'll have more on the hotels and airlines and how they are using tools to fight this battle. You'll also hear from a former child slave this week.

Rosemary?

CHURCH: Errol, the governor of the U.S. state of Colorado declared a state of emergency in parts of state after an accident last Wednesday that led to what has been called a devastating release of contaminants that turned this river yellow. This is the before and the after there. Look at the crystal clear on the left. A crew from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency mistakenly spilled an estimated three million gallons of pollutants from a suspended mine into the river. Waters in both Colorado and New Mexico are affected.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[02:45:16] SUSANA MARTINEZ, (R), NEW MEXICO GOVERNOR: It is completely irresponsible for the EPA not to have informed the state of New Mexico immediately because they knew that that was going to flow on into the state, and we could have worked faster and harder to minimize the impact on the state.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Authorities are still working to determine just how polluted that river is.

It's just hard to believe that it was an environmental agency that did it.

BARNETT: Adds insult to injury there.

CHURCH: Unbelievable.

BARNETT: In Myanmar, more than a meter, or three feet, of rainfall in recent days have left parts of that country unrecognizable.

Our meteorologist, Pedram Javaheri, joins us more with what has been happening there.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yeah, you think about Myanmar, about 30 million people make their lives from the agricultural industry. We are talking about almost 70 percent of the population there working with the agricultural industry. We know a million acres of rice fields are under water. The landscape is beginning to change in some of these areas. And we'll show you what we're dealing with. Myanmar being submerged on the coastal regions. And it is mind boggling. Consider upwards of 50 inches came down in the past seven days. So the images looking something like this. And the satellite perspective, the land mass at the coast of Myanmar, the before perspective and then here comes after. Notice the colors take away a chunk of land on the immediate coast. That's where it's submerged, right there on the water. We know that some 200,000 children have been impacted, 600,000 adults as well. Fatalities just around 100 people. Myanmar is well known for fatalities when it comes to cyclones being on the order of 50,000 to 100,000 in the past. So this is a story that could have been far worse.

But I want to talk about what is happening in the southern United States. A massive area of high pressure has been in place. Drought is becoming an issue. But as the heat advisory builds, 13 million people are being impacted. Dallas, Texas, they saw every day in May with the flooding that took

place. They have gone 33 days in a row without any rainfall across portions of Dallas, Texas. You look at the forecast, improving conditions. 102 Fahrenheit improves to 97 and warms right back up. The heat is continuing across portions of the country. It looks like it will ease a little bit in the coming couple of days but tremendous heat and drought. But interesting to think about that, guys. You might recall. We touched on this for Texas in April and May, especially when we had rainfall and storm after storm bringing millions of gallons of water over the region. And now, they haven't seen rain for 33 straight days. So kind of a rollercoaster in the weather here for parts of the country.

BARNETT: Literally, when it rains, it pours.

JAVAHERI: When it doesn't --

(CROSSTALK)

CHURCH: Hard to predict, isn't it?

JAVAHERI: Yeah.

BARNETT: Thanks, Pedram. See you again soon.

Coming up, eating food in space got a bit more exciting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED ASTRONAUT: Cheers.

UNIDENTIFIED ASTRONAUT: Cheers.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED ASTRONAUT: That's awesome. Good.

UNIDENTIFIED ASTRONAUT: It's good.

UNIDENTIFIED ASTRONAUT: Yeah.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(LAUGHTER)

BARNETT: OK. We'll tell you what they're eating and why it's so important, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:52:40] BARNETT: It's an outer space problem that Matt Damon tries to solve in his upcoming movie "The Martian."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATT DAMON, ACTOR: OK, let's do the math. I have to learn how to grow enough food on a planet where nothing grows.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: Interesting premise. Well, in this instant, the real-life scientists appear to be ahead of the science fiction writers.

CHURCH: On Monday, for the first time ever, NASA astronauts sampled food that was grown in space. One of the taste testers explains why this lettuce is key to interplanetary travel.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT KELLY, NASA ASTRONAUT: If we're ever going to go to mars some day and we will, but whenever that is, we're going to have to have a spacecraft that is more self sustainable with regards to its food supply.

UNIDENTIFIED ASTRONAUT: Woo-hoo. Cheers.

UNIDENTIFIED ASTRONAUT: Cheers.

UNIDENTIFIED ASTRONAUT: Cheers.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED ASTRONAUT: All right.

UNIDENTIFIED ASTRONAUT: That's awesome. Good.

UNIDENTIFIED ASTRONAUT: It's good.

UNIDENTIFIED ASTRONAUT: Yeah. I like that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: Joining me now is Leroy Chiao, a retired astronaut and Space Foundation special advisor for human space life.

So, Leroy, tell me how much trial and error went into this test before they had that first successful taste of lettuce in space.

LEROY CHIAO, RETIRED ASTRONAUT & SPECIAL ADVISOR FOR HUMAN LIFE, SPACE FOUNDATION: Researchers have been growing plants in space for a number of decades. And so what you're seeing is like all that hard work starting to pay off a little bit. We're getting better at it. The plants grow more slowly in space. They have gravity dissension organs in their roots. But in space there is no gravity or soil to speak of. So we have to use the roots growing into a mesh and feeding nutrients through the water wicking into the mesh. And the fact that we can grow something we can harvest is interesting.

BARNETT: And we're seeing the images and video from this first successful taste of lettuce in space. Because it is space, you are getting nutrients and light. There is a pinkish/purplish light being used. What is its role? [02:55:02] CHIAO: Plant needs light to grow and to flourish. In

space, although we have sun through the port holes, the orientation of the spacecraft may not allow that to happen. We use artificial light. What you are seeing is that light that has been optimized for that purpose.

BARNETT: You get excited about this. I'm a space geek and a nerd. I love this stuff. But what does this mean practically? We can book our tickets to Mars and be able to eat once we get there?

CHIAO: This is a small step. We shouldn't get too excited about it. It's neat and interesting and exciting. But we are a long ways from being able to grow food in space or on a place like Mars. It is possible. We don't know the amount of calories in lettuce. It's pretty darn small. You need a lot of lettuce to sustain the crew. But it is an important step, the fact that we are able to grow plants and grow them more than one or two at a time and, you know, it's a step forward, but it's not ground-breaking yet.

BARNETT: I have a few seconds with you. How did the lettuce taste?

CHIAO: According to all reports, they said it tasted great. But you know how salads are. A lot of times, it's the dressing.

BARNETT: Exactly.

Leroy Chiao joining us from Dubai, retired NASA astronaut, discussing lettuce in space. Thanks for your time today.

CHIAO: My pleasure.

CHURCH: Looks delicious.

And you have been watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Rosemary Church. Stick around for the next hour.

BARNETT: I'm Errol Barnett. I'm off. Rosie's back. Stay with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)