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At least 50 Dead, Hundreds Injured After Massive Explosion in Tianjin, China; The Battle for Yarmouk; Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders Leading Polls in Iowa; ISIS Claims Responsibility for Market Attack in Baghdad; Yuan Tumbles for Third Consecutive Day; A Powerful Message for Peace From 99-Year-Old Japanese World War II Pilot. Aired 8:00a-9:00a ET

Aired August 13, 2015 - 8:00   ET

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


[08:00:30] KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. And welcome to News Stream.

Now devastation at one of China's biggest port cities, a series of explosions levels parts of Tianjin.

Now the front line of Syria's civil war, we go inside the ruins of Yarmouk.

And one of Japan's last surviving fighter pilots from World War II has a new mission: peace.

It is 8:00 p.m. right now in the Chinese port city of Tianjin where smoke still fills the air after a series of massive chemical explosions.

Now in the last 15 minutes, we learn that the death toll has risen to 50. Hundreds are being treated at hospitals.

Now the impact of those blasts could be felt several kilometers away. Large areas have now been cordoned off, and thousands of people are

spending the night in emergency shelters.

Now Will Ripley is reporting from the city. He filed this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The first thing they saw, the orange ball of flames followed by the blast.

"When I heard the first explosion, I thought we were finished" says Xian Jiping (ph). He and his wife Gao Jing (ph) are migrant construction

workers, two of Tianjin's 15 million citizens, a city jolted awake by powerful explosions heard and felt for miles.

"The house collapsed. We didn't know what happened," she says. "So we just held each other." Strangers pulled them from the rubble, barefoot,

barely clothed, barely feeling the jagged shards of broken glass in the street.

They managed to carry some clothing and belongings leaving all their money behind, a choking chemical smell fills the air. They have no choice

but to breathe it in as they run to this convention center parking lot.

When you look around at all the devastation here, it's remarkable. One just all of the damage that was done to this convention center building,

the windows smashed in, the doors smashed in as well.

Take a look at this car. It clearly caught fire. The windows smashed. It's crumpled. And we are standing two kilometers from the blast site.

At the nearest hospital a severely burned man is wheeled past waiting crowds. Others collapse from the pain or the anguish of losing someone they

love.

During my live report from outside the hospital tempers flared. An angry mob demanding to see the pictures on my phone forces me off the air.

Police don't stop them. Emotions are high.

"One moment we were asleep. The next we were here on the street," she says. "We don't know what to do, where to go." A sleepless, terrifying

night, an exhausting, confusing day, and still no answers for all the people now surrounded by devastation.

Will Ripley, CNN, Tianjin, China.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now Tianjin is a major city on the coast of northeastern China, home to more than 13 million people. It is just a half hour train

ride from the capital Beijing. And it's one of the world's busiest ports.

Now the deadly explosions happen in the city's industrial center. It's called the Binhai new area (ph), it is home to offices of hundreds of

Fortune 500 companies, including Motorola.

And this is how the area looks now. Now the explosion, it started in a warehouse belonging to a logistics company where state media says

dangerous chemicals were housed.

Investigators are still trying to determine just what specifically caused those blasts.

We'll have more in just a few minutes.

Now ISIS is claiming responsibility for a powerful and deadly bomb attack in Baghdad. A truck, packed with explosives, blew up next to a

crowded vegetable market.

Now our Jomana Karadsheh is following the attack. She joins me now live from Amman, Jordan.

And Jomana, today's bombing there in Baghdad, it's one of the largest to hit the city in almost a year. I mean, walk us through what you have

learned about the aftermath of this terrible attack.

[08:05:04] JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kristie, a truly devastating bombing happening early this morning in Suq

Jamileh (ph) in eastern Baghdad, it's part of Sadr City, a predominately Shia neighborhood, one of the most impoverished areas of the capital.

Now according to security officials, they say at least 36 people were killed and more than 70 others wounded in this massive blast.

Now the United Nations mission in Iraq releasing a statement condemning the attack and also saying that the death toll is at 45 and

expected to also rise.

As you mentioned, this bombing was claimed by ISIS in a statement circulated by supporters. Online, they described it as a blessed operation

saying that it was targeting Shia militiamen and members of the paramilitary units, the popular mobilization units.

Now these groups have been at the forefront of the fight against ISIS.

But as always, Kristie, it is the civilians who bear the brunt of the violence in Iraq. The majority of those killed and wounded in this attack

are civilians. This is Thursday morning right before the weekend there in Iraq. This is a packed market, one of the busiest selling fruits and

vegetables. And it would have been packed with vendors coming in from different parts of the city, also coming in and people who are stocking up

on supplies, something we haven't seen in Baghdad in a long time.

Many describing this as very reminiscent of the days of -- what they describe as the dark days of Iraq's violence, the sectarian war between

2005, 2007. These large-scale attacks that target Shia areas and markets - - Kristie.

LU STOUT: Yeah, truly a horrific blast at a market in Baghdad. And ISIS vowing that there will be more.

Jomana Karadsheh reporting for us. Thank you.

Now, back to our top story this hour, the massive explosions in Tianjin, China. And for the latest, let's go straight to Will Ripley. He

joins us now from Tianjin.

And Will, we know a number of firefighters, they have died in their attempt to control the blazes. What's the latest on the disaster and also

on the human toll?

RIPLEY: Yeah, the human toll, the numbers sadly are staggering. They continue to grow. 50 people now confirmed dead, according to the Xinhua

news agency. Another 77 people in very critical condition right now with more than 500 being treated in 10 different hospitals around this city of

15 million people, which as you see this is normally a dense residential area.

We are one mile or so, a couple of kilometers from the epicenter of the blast. And it's pretty much empty right now. People can't live in

their homes because of this.

These are people's living room windows that were forced down into the streets along with all of this glass. It's been raining glass not only

from the explosion, but every time there's a wind gust, the wind is blowing through the building, raining it down on us here. And there's also still

that chemical smell in the air.

And all of this, Kristie, happening from what appears to be toxic and dangerous industrial chemicals sitting at a facility dangerously close to a

lot of people.

LU STOUT: And Will, the twisted metal that we see behind you and around you, you said that that comes from the living rooms where people

were living. Many people, no doubt, lost their homes, they've been displaced by this disaster. So where are they going to sleep tonight?

RIPLEY: There are 10 different shelters that are opening up at schools throughout the city here. And they're hoping to have capacity for

some 6,000 displaced people.

But we've seen a lot of people walking around today who ran out of their houses, and they didn't even have time to grab clothing. In fact, at

one of the schools here they had to set up a clothing distribution center. People who were in their night clothes were lined up to received shirts and

shorts. And also perhaps most painful for a lot of people, they left without shoes.

And I want to show you all of this glass. This is what it's like to walk around in this city. There is glass everywhere. People were so

frightened, they didn't think to put on their shoes. They just wanted to get away from the explosion as quickly as they could, so a lot of the

injuries that we're seeing are people that have cuts on their feet at times. We've actually seen photos of literal bloody footprints of people

running away.

Of course, those are the lucky ones. Those who suffered far more serious injuries or worse as they got closer to this explosion, well

they're still being treated. Again, 77 in critical condition right now. The death toll up to 50. Several dozen firefighters missing, 12

firefighters already confirmed to be among the dead. And so it's expected sadly that these numbers are only going to get worse in the coming days,

Kristie.

LU STOUT: Now Chinese President Xi Jinping, he has promised a thorough investigation. Have you seen investigators there on the scene?

How much access, how much transparency is being offered to investigators and also to journalists?

[08:10:00] RIPLEY: Well, within the last several hours, there was a press conference where we were told essentially that the investigation

hasn't really begun yet because the immediate concern is putting out -- putting out the fire, which has been burning throughout the day.

It's dark now so I can't show you the smoke plume off in the distance. But I can tell you that there is still a hint of chemicals in the air. It

comes and goes depending on how the wind blows.

They've set up environmental monitoring stations around the city. And they claim that the air is safe as long as you're not breathing it in for

an extended period of time.

Now that's not comforting, of course, for parents who are here with their children, people who don't have protective face masks or even if they

do they wonder if they'll be effective.

But the Chinese government is really -- the censorship machine is revving up here. A lot of social media posts about Tianjin have been

erased from popular --China's popular social media sites. People who are posting pictures and videos, even people who are posting about an incident

earlier today involving us when we were surrounded by a group of angry people during one of our live shots, and we were temporarily forced off the

air.

In that crowd, there were civilians. We believe they were survivors, or friends and family of survivors, and there were also uniformed security

officers that were demanding that we erase video that we took.

So it just goes to show that the message is trying to be controlled here. Tianjin just two hours from Beijing. It has a very close ties with

the capital city. This is a time when China, a, is facing questions about the strength of its industrial export based economy. And here you have an

industrial accident highlighting long-standing issues of working conditions, of safety, not only for factory workers, but also the people

living near those factories after years and years of accidents that resulted in dozens of deaths, Kristie.

And there are some big events coming up, including the big military parade next month in Beijing.

This is not the image the central government wants to show to the world. And we see that crackdown happening here as people try to take

pictures and share the tragedy that has occurred here.

LU STOUT: Yeah, it is dark now, but we can still see very clearly a hint of that epic scene of disaster behind you.

Will Ripley reporting live from the blast zone there in Tianjin. Thank you very much indeed for that, Will.

Now China has allowed its currency, the yuan, to fall for a third day. Now since Beijing's surprise move to allow the currency to float, the yuan

has lost more than 3.5 percent. Now the country's central bank now says it expects the currency to stabilize as it tries to calm fear over the yuan's

plunge.

You're watching News Stream. Still to come on the program, frustrated migrants clash with police in Greece. Thousands are rounded up. And the EU

is asked to help.

We'll also take you inside a refugee camp in the heart of the Syrian capital. Now Damascus neighborhood is now a wasteland after years of war,

but its civilians fighters refuse to leave their posts.

And later in the hour, hear from a man who flew Japan's feared Zero fighter planes during World War II. Find out about his latest mission:

pushing for peace.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now Greek police, they are struggling to contain an influx of migrants who arrived on the island of Kos. now some 2,500 refugees were kept in a

stadium overnight as they were issued documents.

Now officials are expecting thousands more. And the mayor of Kos has called on the EU to provide emergency financial assistance for Greece to

handle the increase of illegal migrants.

Now CNN's Ian Lee is monitoring developments from London. He joins me now live. And Ian, migrants in Greece, I mean, they were rounded up and

they were locked up in that stadium overnight. They had no food, very little water. What do we know about their condition and what they went

through?

[11:15:16] IAN LEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, it was complete chaos, Kristie. You have that 2,500 people. I talked to Doctors

Without Borders. They were telling me that there were only six toilets and a couple of water fountains inside that stadium. And so when you have that

large number of people without really access to water other than those couple of taps without food. There was that chaotic scene, riot police

tried to contain it.

MSF said that there were dozens of people injured. They have treated a lot of these people.

Today, though, the situation is calmer, we're hearing. They were able to process everyone that was in the stadium, give them the paperwork to get

them moving on to their next stop, getting them moving to Athens and to mainland Greece, but you do have at least, you know, up to 1,000 people a

day arriving on Kos.

So, it is creating a continuous problem, a continuous humanitarian crisis that they are going to have to deal with.

Now, Greek officials have said that they do need this help from the European Union. And we have to remember that Greece is dealing with its

own economic problems and crisis. And it's really difficult for them to then provide support for all these people. And that's what they're asking

the European Union for help for.

But you do now have a lot of these people camped outside of that stadium. They are being processed. The situation is calmer now. But it

really depends on this influx of people. They are trying to manage it. And it really is just crisis management at the moment.

LU STOUT: And Greece is struggling with this crisis management, this influx of refugees. Many thanks indeed for your reporting. Ian Lee there,

CNN London.

Now Syria's civil war has hit one neighborhood in Damascus hard. It is called the Yarmouk Palestinian Refugee Camp. It has been under siege

for years.

Now people inside are starving, but the Palestinian fighters are holding out. And some of them took our Fred Pleitgen to the front line.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORERSPONDENT: Few places epitomize the tragedy of Syria's ongoing civil war more than Yarmouk. This

Damascus district was home mostly to Palestinians, but as we walk through the debris to the front line, all we see is a wasteland.

This Palestinian, pro-government fighter who didn't want to be identified, tells me the battles are intense.

"It's always difficult because our enemies are not only from ISIS, but from Palestinian groups as well," he says. "So we're fighting each other

even though we know each other and they know this area. That's why it's difficult."

With pro-regime forces laying siege to Yarmouk from the outside and various rebel and extremist factions holed up inside, civilians are caught

in the middle, subject to the ongoing violence and starving with humanitarians aid often unable to reach them.

We were on hand when thousands were allowed to flee last year. One of the youngest, this baby, then only 15 days old.

"There's not enough food inside. I simply didn't have enough food for him," his mother told us.

Even worse, ISIS took over Yarmouk for several days earlier this year. But its fighters have since withdrawn to other Damascus areas.

The fighting hasn't subsided though.

It's impossible not to see the utter destruction that the years of fighting have caused here in Yarmouk Camp. And at the same time, the

fighters here acknowledge that the gains that they're making aren't very big. They say there might be a day when they take a building, then they

might lose a little it of ground, but by and large, the front line is pretty static.

The pro-government fighters keep geese on the front line to warn them of rebels possibly trying to infiltrate their lines in this urban combat

zone.

"People leave. And we're very sure that we will get all of Yarmouk back and very soon," the Palestinian fighter says.

But even if they do prevail and take Yarmouk back, it seems clear their prize will consist mostly of rubble and ruins.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, inside Yarmouk Camp, Syria.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Powerful report there.

And you're watching News Stream.

Now at one time, he took pride in his role at the front lines of war. Now a former Zero fighter pilot pleads for the younger generation to value

peace. We'll have more on his story next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:24:31] LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong, you're back watching News Stream.

Now 70 years ago this man, Kaname Harada was one of Japan's feared Zero fighter jet pilots. And now on the anniversaries of the atom bombings

of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, he looks back at his experiences during World War II.

And he tells CNN the misery he saw then is fueling his desire to speak out for peace.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KANAME HARADA, FRM. ZERO FIGHTER PILOT (through translator): My name is Kaname Karada. I turn 99-years-old in August. I'm a former Zero pilot,

an old soldier. When I chased enemy planes, they recognized that they are not supposed to fight against the Zeros. A bullet like this was shot from

the Zeros. When it hit the opponent the plane disintegrated in mid-air.

The enemies look at me with despair and expressed with their hands to have some mercy, but in war if you let them go, they will attack us back.

In the front line, only one side survives.

So there is absolutely no guilt, but the feeling of all right I'm going to do my work. This is my last service to my country.

Pearl Harbor. We didn't know about it at first. We only knew that the U.S., the country with big powers, was taking the lead so that Japan

wouldn't continue to last as an independent nation. This, I think, was how the national emotion of American hatred was formed.

But then the attack on Hawaii was going to happen, but when I read the details I found out that I didn't have to go. I was ordered to remain and

protect the Japanese fleet instead. It was very tough for me.

I was finally going to be able to hold my pride as a Zero fighter pilot. People were asking me, I heard you were going to Midway. If we

conquer Midway, then the U.S. would not be able to attack us.

I was patrolling at night when a B-17 approached above me and I was about to get attacked, so I escaped and floated on the sea for five hours.

The fleet picked me up, but when I stepped onto the ship there were many people with no hands, no legs. People were crying, I'm suffering. I need

water. Mother. There was no space for me to put my feet, since the ground was covered with severely injured people.

Oh, this is what war is. Nobody is there to take care of them. This is what hell is.

I told the nurses and doctors my body feels numb, but I'm not hurt. So please look after those who are severely injured. They told me, you

were on the front line, the severely injured ones are the last priority. This is war. At war, there is no such thing as human rights. Everybody is

just a weapon.

We later heard about the atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. That big city Hiroshima turned into ruins. 140,000 people died in Nagasaki.

What I want to say is that there is nothing more miserable than war in this world. Everybody becomes unhappy. We should raise our voices and let

the next generation become aware of this and ask them to maintain peace.

This is the least I could do to atone for the bad feelings I have.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: This is what war is, this is what hell is.

Now the former pilot's message, it comes as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe tries to rework Japan's pacifist constitution. Controversial new

legislation would allow troops to be deployed overseas. And thousands protested last month after the parliament's lower house voted in favor of

the change.

The upper house of parliament will soon vote on the legislation.

You're watching News Stream. And still to come, he may be controversial, but enough American voters say they like Donald Trump to

topple another poll.

And, in the Democrat's race, a lesser known candidate is giving Hillary Clinton a run for her money.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:30:12] LU STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching News Stream. And these are your world headlines.

Explosions at a warehouse in China have killed at least 50 people and injured hundreds more. And the impact of those blasts could be felt

several kilometers away. Now a large area has been cordoned off, and thousands of people are spending the night in emergency shelters.

Authorities are still working to find out precisely what caused those blasts.

Now at least 36 people have been killed in a bomb attack in Baghdad. The Iraqi interior ministry says a truck packed with explosives blew up at

a crowded vegetable market. At least 75 people are injured. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Now people on the Greek island of Kos are struggling to contain an influx of illegal migrants who arrived on the island. Some 2,500 refugees

were kept in the stadium overnight. And officials are expecting thousands more.

Now the mayor of Kos has called on the EU to provide emergency financial assistance.

Now former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has announced he has cancer. Well, wishes have poured in for the 90-year-old former president. His

family has a history of pancreatic cancer.

Now, we are getting a new snapshot of how the U.S. presidential candidates faring in a state that votes early in the upcoming primary

season.

The bottom line here, Donald Trump is the Republican to beat in Iowa, that's according to a new CNN/ORC poll.

Now CNN's Sara Murray joins me now live from Washington with more. And Sara, tell us more about Donald Trump. He's gaining in the polls. And

as he does so, his rivals are in attack mode.

SARA MURRAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, good morning, Kristie. As you might expect when you are the frontrunner like Donald Trump is, that comes

with a very big target on your back. And this it's Rand Paul who is going after him. Let's take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MURRAY (voice-over): Donald Trump dominating the airwaves once again this morning.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In many cases, I probably identify more as a Democrat.

MURRAY: This time in the form of an attack ad released by rival candidate Senator Rand Paul. The punch thrown as Trump tops the field in

Iowa with 22 percent, eight points ahead as his closest rival, Dr. Ben Carson, and a whopping 17 points ahead of Paul, according to the latest

CNN/ORC poll of likely caucus goers. But Paul isn't backing down.

SEN. RAND PAUL (R-KY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you. Thank you.

MURRAY: Even using the limelight at last night's Nashua Town Hall to do his best Trump impression.

PAUL: My favorite is, "You know the reason I tell women they're ugly is because I'm so good-looking. Everybody knows I'm good-looking. Right?"

MURRAY: Just hours before Paul's event in New Hampshire, Trump spoke with CNN's Jake Tapper about the ongoing sparring match.

TRUMP: You know, you look at a guy like Rand Paul, he's failing in the polls. He's week on the military. He's pathetic on military. Hasn't his

whole team been indicted? I mean, I've been reading where this...

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: That's his -- the super PAC that's supporting him.

TRUMP: Yes. They've been indicted. So, you know, he's a mess. There's no question about it.

MURRAY: But last night's political drama wasn't just limited to Trump versus Paul.

CROWD: Black lives matter! Black lives matter! Black lives matter! Black lives matter! Black lives matter! Black lives matter!

MURRAY: Jeb Bush abruptly left his Las Vegas town hall after a crowd of "black lives matter" activists chanted during his exit, their response

to his final answer about racial equality.

JEB BUSH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have a report of empowering people in communities that had no chance. They were told they were assigned

to failing schools, and it was very easy to understand why that exists, why people don't think the system works for them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MURRAY: Now the dust up at that event isn't the only bad news for Jeb Bush this week. He also falls out of the top five in our latest poll in

Iowa. Back to you, Kristie.

LU STOUT: And back to Donald Trump. I mean, he is just so polarizing. He has insulted women. He has insulted POWs, immigrants. So,

Sara, why is he still so popular?

MURRAY: Well, it's sort of a double-edged sword here. On the one hand, people tell me they like him because he's refreshing. He does not

reign himself in the way a politician would. He just sort of thinks something and then he says it.

The downside of just saying whatever you think is sometimes you shouldn't be saying those things out loud. And that's where we see him

offending a lot these different groups. And if you look at the latest -- the numbers we have in Iowa, it does show him trailing among women when it

comes to the rest of the GOP field. And that's something that's a big problem if you win the nomination and then want to win the White House.

You really need women voters if you're a Republican.

LU STOUT: Indeed. Sara Murray reporting for us. Thank you. We'll talk again soon.

Now Hillary Clinton has a big lead in Iowa, but she may be in trouble in New Hampshire. Now leading the polls in the Democratic race there is

Bernie Sanders.

Now CNN's Jeff Zeleny explains why the poll may be significant beyond the raw numbers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(CHEERING)

[11:35:01] JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Soaring summer for Bernie Sanders. He's front-page news today, vaulting over Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire.

(CHEERING)

ZELENY: His populist cry is catching on.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, (I), VERMONT & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have a message to the billionaire class, and that message is you can't have it

all.

ZELENY: And his candidacy is taking off.

(CHEERING)

ZELENY: For the first time, a new Franklin Pierce University poll shows him with a seven point edge over Clinton. All this, as Clinton faces

questions about the private e-mail server she used as secretary of state. She agreed to surrender it to the Justice Department.

(SHOUTING)

ZELENY: It has given Sanders an opening to be a potential spoiler of the 2016 campaign.

And he's not alone.

TRUMP: ..President of the United States, Donald J. Trump.

ZELENY: Republicans have one of their own. In Iowa, Donald Trump is leading the pack, our new CNN poll shows, with Ben Carson in second place.

These spoilers are upending the race, sending establishment stars like Clinton and Jeb Bush to the back burner right now.

TRUMP: Jeb and Hillary, on the same day, they said Donald Trump has too strong a tone. The world is cracking up and they're worried about my

tone.

ZELENY: Instead of taking on Trump, Bush turned his attack to Clinton last night in a speech on Iraq at the Reagan Library in California.

BUSH: Where was Secretary of State Clinton in all of this? Like the president himself, she had opposed the surge and then joined in claiming

credit for its success.

ZELENY: And instead of challenging Sanders, Clinton is fixated on Bush and the GOP field.

HILLARY CLINTON, (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: I have to draw a contrast with the candidates on the other side of

the aisle.

(CHEERING)

ZELENY: While Trump is used to the spotlight, it is a new phenomenon for Sanders, the 73-year-old Vermont Senator who proudly calls himself a

Democratic Socialist.

(CHEERING)

ZELENY: His rallies drawing more than 100,000 people in recent weeks and the biggest of any 2016 candidate.

(on camera): Are that you underestimating Bernie Sanders?

SANDERS: People have often underestimated me. I'm in this race. We're going to win.

(CHEERING)

ZELENY: Bernie Sanders is smiling a lot these days. He is one of those candidates who is benefiting from an environment where establishment

politicians are no longer in as much favor as they were. But it's a long, long road until the votes start in about six months.

Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: You're watching News Stream. And still to come, it's a bird, it's a plane, no, it's a bird attacking a drone. So, eagle versus

drone. Who wins? Find out next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: All right. Coming to you live from Hong Kong, you're back watching News Stream. And yes the Eagle won.

Now one man in Australia learned not to mess with birds of prey after an eagle picked a fight with his drone. And that eagle is not alone.

Jeanne Moos has some cautionary stories about what happens when animals and drones collide.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When we send in the drones what must the animals think? It's enough to make a gator glare and a ram wonder. Does

that thing bite?

The latest confrontation pitted an Australian eagle against a drone. The eagle used its talons to knock the drone out of the sky.

The videographer wrote, "This is the last thing a small bird sees when a wedge tailed eagle decide that you are dinner."

The eagle was said to be uninjured.

The drone operator had some advice for his fellow pilots. "If you see a bird of prey while flying, land."

The same could be said if you see a chimp waving a branch at a zoo in the Netherlands. Tushie demolished a $2,000 drone and she and her friends

had their mug shots taken as they examined the debris.

Who needs a stick when you have got horns? A New Zealand ram named Rambro head-butted a drone. Then went after the guy who came to retrieve

it.

[08:40:44] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Slow down.

MOOS: At a zoo in Naples, Florida an agitated alligator could do nothing but lunge. While elsewhere in Florida, a swarm of bees engaged in

aerial combat -- with a TV news drone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you see the video, it looked like, you know, "Star Wars."

MOOS: Even landing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is sitting there trying to sting the lens.

MOOS: For a pair of weeping labs the drone was nothing but an expensive dog toy, a Frisbee with blades.

Perhaps the most futile effort to down a drone was made by a golfer who missed by a mile when he threw his club. That doesn't count as a

birdie. But this does.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And finally we got some more jaw dropping images, but this of a shark off the coast of Mexico giving new meaning to the words Great

White.

Now, let's meet Deep Blue, thought to be the largest Great White shark ever filmed. You can see just how big she is. And she swims right up

against a cage full of divers. Look at that scale.

Deep Blue is said to be some 20 feet long, 2,200 kilos, and at least 50 years old. She's also pregnant.

Well, the researchers who filmed deep blue in motion, they are tracking pregnant Great Whites to protect their nursery grounds.

And that is News Stream. I'm Kristie Lu Stout. But don't go anywhere. World Sport with Christina Macfarlane is next.

END