Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

American Flag to Fly Over U.S. Embassy in Havana; Aftermath of Chemical Explosions in China; Black Lives Matter Protests. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired August 14, 2015 - 02:00   ET

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

NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR: History in the making. After more than 54 years, the American flag will fly over the U. S. Embassy in Havana.

Also, we are getting a clear look at the devastating aftermath of these chemical explosions in China.

And later, protesters from Black Likes Matter shout down the U. S. presidential candidates.

And hello, I'm Natalie Allen. And welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. This is CNN Newsroom.

ALLEN: Thanks for joining us.

A momentous day ahead for U.S.-Cubans relations. For the first time in decades, the American flag will fly again about the U. S. Embassy in Havana.

Last month, both nations formally restored diplomatic ties. Crowds are expected to gather when Secretary of State John Kerry unveils a new embassy signs and U.S. Marines raise the flag.

A day ahead of Kerry's visit, former Cuban leader Fidel Castro, though, blasted the United States. He says the country owes Havana millions of dollars because of the trade embargo.

Well, ahead of today's ceremony, CNN's Patrick Oppmann got an exclusive look inside the embassy. He's in Havana.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome to the new embassy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Words that for over a half century, U.S. diplomats in Cuba were unable to say.

Today, Cuba and the U.S. officially restored diplomatic relations. Officials at the embassy greeted their colleagues with hugs and American flags.

CNN was granted exclusive access to the reopening. Members of the Cuban staff marveled that the Cold War-era hostilities had been overcome.

And Did you ever think you'd work here and see the change that you've seen in the last six months?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I really never, never thought that I would see this in my lifetime.

OPPMANN: The head of the embassy says he and his staff are taking part in history.

JEFFREY DELAURENTE, CHARE D'AFFAIRES, U.S. EMBASSY, CUBA: It's really a privilege to be part of all this. It's a privilege to be part of an administration that has made a courageous decision to make this change. And it's also a privilege to be able to lead this mission as it -- as it transitions from an intersection to an embassy.

OPPMANN: That transition is more of a sprint, as staff gets everything ready for Secretary of State John Kerry's visit, redoing the long unused flagpole.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But they will use the Spanish (inaudible).

OPPMANN: Hosting an influx of foreign press and planning for every contingency.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: After CMR that anybody would want to the (inaudible) to use the Wi-Fi there and the (inaudible) still be around holding spaces

OPPMANN: A long list of challenges in a country where few things ever seem to go right.

MARTINA POLT, MANAGEMENT OFFICER, U.S. EMBASSY: This is where we keep everything running.

OPPMANN: Management Officer Martina Polt takes us to the basement to get a first look the sign and the seal that will go on the entrance to the embassy.

POLT: Pretty cool sign, isn't it?

OPPMANN: What I'm walking next to is something that hasn't been seen in 54 years in Cuba. It's the sign for the U.S. Embassy in Havana.

She says reopening the embassy is the high point of her career.

POLT: This is fantastic. This is a -- I think there are so many Foreign Service officers who have waited to be here. And I think I'm being envied by a lot of people who say, well, this is the culmination of a lot of work by a lot of people.

OPPMANN: The work will continue until the last moment. Nothing is left to chance. The Marines even practice raising the flag.

But as the big day arrives, American diplomats say the U.S. Embassy in Havana is ready to step back into the spotlight. Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: Be sure to join us later today when the American flag is symbolically raised for the first time in more than half a century. That starts at 2:30 p.m. in London, 3:30 Central European time, right here on CNN.

We have incredible new video to show you of the explosions that devastated Tianjin, China Wednesday night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(EXPLOSION)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Holy (EXPLETIVE CENSORED)! No (EXPLETIVE CENSORED) way! No, baby. No! Oh, no! Dangerous! Oh, my god!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you filming?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I'm filming.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Whoa! Whoa!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's go! Let's go down! Let's go!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: Unreal, isn't it? You can hear, of course, the utter terror in their voices as they realize they've got to get away.

At least 50 people were killed in the blast, 17 of them firefighters. You can see these obliterated fire trucks near the blast site. And as smoke still rises from that chemical warehouse, many are concerned about the possibility now of toxic air.

CNN's Will Ripley has the latest for us from Tianjin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You can understand why residents of Tianjin are nervous about the possibility of another explosion when you think about the fact that this huge, twisted, charred piece of metal was thrown as a projectile after the blast.

And this car here, well, you can see what happened to it. And we are standing more than a mile away from the blast site itself. The smoke plume is lower, and there's a biochemical response team on the ground here right now to figure out exactly what toxic chemical mix sparked the huge explosion that has created so much damage and cost so many lives.

One day after a series of massive explosions destroyed so much of Tianjin, a black cloud continues to hang over the city, the air thick with a chemical stench. A sea of cars destroyed, their paint stripped off by the intense heat. Broken glass covers streets and sidewalks for miles around. And when the wind blows, more glass rains down from apartments and homes.

Today, new images of those amazingly powerful blasts. This cell phone video records the moment of impact, the first blast around 11:30 at night. Fire officials say hazardous chemicals stored in a warehouse were ignited by fire. The bright flash followed by a tremendous explosion, waking people across this port city of more than 13 million.

Another explosion followed just seconds later, seven times more powerful, the equivalent of 21 tons of TNT, according to a Chinese data center. Buildings shook. Windows blown out.

Blasts felt more than two miles around the epicenter. Some likened it to a nuclear explosion, even as mushroom cloud rose over the blast site.

"The House collapsed. We didn't know what happened," says one survivor.

Surveillance video obtain by ABC News captured the explosion's sudden fury, this man buried under a wall of glass.

RIPLEY: At least 50 people killed. Hospitals said to be overwhelmed by the hundreds injured. More than 1,000 firefighters ran to the danger. At least 17 died and dozens are missing. Emotions are running high.

I was reporting outside a hospital when a small group of people challenged me, demanding to see my phone. Police arrived, but I was temporarily forced off the air.

A statement from the environmental group, Greenpeace, expressed what many fear, quote, "We are concerned that certain chemicals will continue to pose a risk to the residents of Tianjin."

The company that owned the warehouse was is in the business of storing dangerous chemicals. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined.

Thousands of people had to spend the night in shelters, which are set up all across the city. And you can see with damage like this to so many buildings why it may be quite some time before some people can return to their homes.

These apartment blocks, all the windows are blown out, and with so many lingering concerns about the air quality from the cite of that toxic chemical fire and those explosions, well, there are many people, many families, that wonder when it will be safe for them to go back or if it will be safe for them to live here long-term -- questions that, as of yet, are still awaiting answers from the government and others.

Will Ripley, CNN, Tianjin, China.

(END VIDEOTAPE) ALLEN: In our next hour, I will interview someone who was there, who -- he felt it, and he saw it. And he took amazing photographs. We'll have that in our next hour live for you.

Well, we have a dangerous new development in the fight against ISIS. Right now, the U.S. is investigating reports that the terror group used mustard gas during an attack, making several people sick.

CNN's Jim Sciutto has more from Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: The U.S. is now investigating what it says is credible information that ISIS may have used chemical weapons, specifically a mustard agent or mustard gas, against Kurdish forces during an attack earlier this week in northern Iraq. The attack took place near the town of Marmuk. This is near Erbil.

Some Kurdish fighters exhibited breathing problems after the attack, and it was determined that problems were more consistent with the possibility of a mustard agent rather than chlorine gas. There had been previous reports of ISIS using chlorine gas.

The question now, and it is still being determined definitively, is that how would ISIS have gotten mustard agents? A number of possible explanations. They may have found shells from the Iraqi army in Iraq or possibly from the Syrian army in Syria. It is also a possibility, U.S. officials say, that ISIS may have developed the ability to manufacture mustard gas.

Again, no confirmation. But U.S. officials taking these reports very seriously. It would be a significant new threat on the battlefield.

Jim Sciutto, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: The fight against ISIS is drawing new criticism. Syria's deputy foreign minister says he does not approve of the expanded U.S. bombing campaign.

U.S. warplanes are now taking off from southern Turkey, reducing flight times to targets in Syria. On Wednesday, U.S. military officials say coalition forces launched 24 new air strikes. Syria's deputy foreign minister says what's really needed is cooperation between all parties fighting ISIS, including the capital Damascus.

Back in the U.S., the FBI and the Pentagon are investigating an alleged ISIS hit list containing personal information about more than 1,000 Americans.

CNN's Brian Todd has that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A dry looking spreadsheet with sensitive, potentially dangerous personal details. A group calling itself the Islamic State Hacking Division has published this list online, about 1400 names, e-mail addresses, phone numbers and alleged passwords of U.S. military personnel and civilian government employees.

At the top, a message, "Oh, crusaders, know that we are in your e- mails and computer systems, watching and recording your every move." It says they're extracting confidential data, passing it to ISIS, and its soldiers, quote, "will strike at your necks in your own lands."

MATHEW LEVITT, WASHINGTON INSTITUTE FOR NEAR EAST POLICY: This drives people to follow up on this information. Maybe it will get a hit on someone. Maybe it won't. It also does really freak out U.S. government, military and law enforcement personnel.

TODD: The FBI is investigating. U.S. military and Australian police officials tell CNN they are looking into how it is affecting their people on the list.

GEN. RAYMOND ODIERNO, U.S. ARMY CHIEF OF STAFF: I take it seriously, because it is clear what they're trying to do. And so it is important for us to make sure that all of our force understands what they're trying to do.

TODD: Neither CNN, nor the global security firm, Flash Point Intelligence, can confirm the authenticity of this claim or accuracy of the passwords and other sensitive information on the list.

We called and e-mailed several people on the list. Some e-mails bounced back as being old addresses. Others went through.

One retired serviceman confirmed to us the phone number for him on the list is accurate. And he said the Pentagon alerted him.

One Australian computer security expert says this is likely not an actual hack.

TROY HUNT (ph), COMPUTER SECURITY EXPERT: It's quite evident that it's an aggregation of data from multiple sources, and most of it is publicly discoverable, too.

TODD: But analysts say it doesn't have to be a hack of protected information. Given the recent attacks targeting Americans in their homeland, the message to potential lone wolves is a dangerous one.

LEVITT: You can stay where you are, do something where you, and even if not a single one of these leads actually pans out, they are creating a sense for someone sitting in their momma's basement, you are part of us.

TODD (on camera): A U.S. military official tells CNN following the publication of this list they have told their personnel to protect their personal information online and in social media. Don't put anything on Facebook or Twitter indicating who you are, where you live, who your relatives are.

And it's not the first time they've had to do this. Officials say this is at least the second time this year that a group claiming affiliation with ISIS has bragged about doing this.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: The internet is all a flurry with rumors that Al Gore will join the 2016 presidential race. But is the former vice president really seeking a bid for the White House?

What CNN is hearing from Gore's team. We'll share that straight ahead here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ALLEN: Welcome back.

In the U.S., Democrats want to know will Joe Biden run for president? CNN has learned he's been reaching out for what could be his third and final presidential run.

Sources say he's been calling a few close supporters and advisors, but he would face a tough fight. The latest CNN/ORC poll of likely caucus-goers in Iowa, for instance, shows Biden in third place, far behind frontrunner Hillary Clinton.

One Democrat who will not be running for president, despite rumors online, is Al Gore. That, according to an associate of the former V.P. who tells CNN speculation on a core bid for the White House is groundless.

Gore lost the presidential race to Georgia W. Bush in 2000 despite winning the popular vote.

Well, as the 2016 race for the White House gains steam, Republican candidates are setting their sights on Iowa. That's where the first caucuses will be held in February.

Here is CNN's chief congressional correspondent, Dana Bash.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Carly Fiorina, Ben Carson, Donald Trump, all climbing in the polls, all with one key characteristic in common -- none has been elected to office. All are worrying the Republican establishment.

Trump is well ahead in Iowa, according to CNN's latest poll. And the Tea Party Senator, who was supposed to be the outsider, is lashing out with an impersonation of sorts.

SEN. RAND PAUL, (R), KENTUCKY & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have now people up there who say such profound things as, "You're stupid. You're fired. You're a pig. You look terrible."

BASH: Trump responded Trump-style, saying, "Senator Paul has no chance of winning the nomination, and the people of Kentucky should not allow him the privilege of remaining their Senator. Rand should save his lobbyists and special interests and just go quietly home."

And Trump is even getting it from John McCain, who had tried to stay above it all when Trump attacked his military service last month.

SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN, (R), ARIZONA: I don't like to respond to Mr. Trump, because there's an old line about you don't want to get into a wrestling match with a pig. You both get dirty, and the pig likes it.

BASH: Another candidate climbing in the Iowa polls, neurosurgeon, Ben Carson, is now in the line of fire from a fellow doctor accusing him of using tissue from aborted fetuses from medical research, something he told CNN is unnecessary.

BEN CARSON, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Virtually everything that can be attributed to progress by using fetal tissue can also use other types of tissue.

BASH: Today in New Hampshire, Carson defended his research.

CARSON: Tissue specimens, tissue banks are maintained everywhere. And it would be irresponsible to throw the tissue away.

BASH: Meanwhile, Jeb Bush is still trying to answer questions about his brother's controversial policies, like torture of terror suspects, something President Obama stopped immediately after taking office.

JEB BUSH, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I do think that in general that torture is not appropriate. It is not as effective. And the change of policy that my brother did and then was put into executive order form by the president was the proper thing to do.

BASH: And he's talking Iraq again. The question: If the U.S. had not invaded Iraq in the first place, would ISIS now be a problem?

BUSH: Who knows? I mean, that's just such a, you know, complicated hypothetical. Who knows? I can't answer that. I'll tell you, though, that taking out Saddam Hussein turned out to be a good deal.

(END VIDEOTAPE) ALLEN: Dana Bash reporting for us there.

Coming up later in the hour, candidates caught off guard by protesters of the Black Lives Matter movement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CHANTING) Black lives matter! Black lives matter! Black lives matter! Black lives matter!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: We will take a look at how Jeb Bush and others are responding. In other news now, a cruise ship chartered by Greece is heading to the

Greek island of Kos right now to try to ease a migrant crisis spiraling out of control. The ship will help process arriving migrants coming by the hundreds everyday, many of them fleeing Syria.

A spokeswoman for Doctors Without Borders tells CNN the situation is calmer today after chaotic scenes earlier this week. Doctors Without Borders says men, women and children were kept in a stadium in blazing heat with little food or water. Some people fainted.

Right now, Greek lawmakers are locked in a marathon debate over the country's third bailout package. You're looking at live pictures here of the debate. Parliament expected to approve the $95 billion agreement to help Greece avoid bankruptcy. The proposal involves tax increases and spending cuts.

Eurozone finance ministers will meet later today where they have to sign off on the loan. Other Eurozone parliaments will also have to approve it.

Meantime, with Asian markets opened, China allowing the value of the Yuan to rise against the U.S. dollar by a fraction of a percentage point. That ended three days of decline after a sudden devaluation.

On Thursday, government officials said that Yuan should remain strong in the long run. They say the move to devalue the currency came from the desire to implement market oriented reforms and was not an effort to boost exports.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZHANG ZIAOHUI, ASSISTANT GOVERNOR, PEOPLE'S BANK OF CHINA: When other elements in the economy and accumulated discrepancy are corrected, and judging from China's current account, an effect we have always insisted on a prudent monetary policy, the Yuan will be on the rise in the future.

ALLEN: Concern over China's economy is just one factor weighing on oil prices. They continued their slide Thursday with the price of U.S. crude falling to a new six-year low. The drop reflects the surplus of American oil, the devaluation of the Chinese Yuan, plus reports of higher Iranian oil production.

Earlier, I spoke with energy expert, Stephen Schork, about why the price is tumbling.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHEN SCHORK, ENERGY EXPERT: First and foremost, of course, we have the plunge in crude oil prices. Today, Nonex (ph) spot crude oil tried at a six- year low, and we're only about a dollar away from breaking the $40 barrier. So, of course, that's significant.

The other significant event that's about to occur is seasonal. Come September 15th, refineries can blend for a different type of gasoline. This is called winter-grade gasoline. And this is easier to blend, because the supplies of feed stocks that make the gasoline are plentiful.

So we typically in the second half of September always get a retreat in gasoline prices at the pump. So now you have the combination of the seasonal event plus extreme weakness in the crude oil market, so certainly, the stints for lower gasoline prices for the consumer are reached.

ALLEN: Let's talk more about what's driving it lower. We see that OPEC decided to keep pumping oil. The U.S. has been pumping a lot of oil. Iran is a wild card. We don't know how much oil they have. But there's just too much oil out there right now.

SCHORK: Absolutely. We have a lot of supply out there. And to your point with regard to U.S. production, it is now finally -- we are now in the eighth month of the year -- we are finally starting to see a small pullback in production. But production is still very high at 9.4 million barrels a day.

The concern here, of course, now is supply -- excuse me -- I should say demand. We are at the peak demand season. So in the next couple of weeks, it's Labor Day. So that means the gasoline driving season is over. And then we go into the fall, where refineries begin to go into maintenance programs, so they won't buy nearly as much crude oil.

Now when you factor in the situation we're see around the world, case in point, the devaluation of the Chinese Yuan. That is an extreme concern to the market, because that is a red flag that something is not right in that economy over there.

Here in the United States, the industrial site of our economy, I believe, is in recession. So again, a lot of supply out of Saudi Arabia, potentially out of Iran, now, and of course, here in North America, and you certainly have a template for lower oil prices.

ALLEN: And I'm just wondering are any of the energy efficient-driven automobiles and machinery, is that having an impact.

SCHORK: It certainly is. Now, what we have here is very high price elasticity of demand. That's just a way of saying gasoline prices are cheap, demand is very high.

But this is 2015. This isn't 2005. So in order to impact the consumer you need two events. You need price shocks, which over the last 30 years in the oil markets, we've certainly have had our share of those, but you also need a substitute. And up until recently, we didn't have those substitutes. So now you have electric motors, you have hybrids, you have clean energy motor. So that's certainly is helping to plateau demand from that standpoint.

Also -- and let's be a little cynical here -- Saudi Arabia is certainly putting a lot of oil on the market, and we have to ask ourselves, why are they doing it. I maintain it's for two reasons. First and foremost, it's the situation with Iran. Outside of the Israelis, no one wants Iran with a nuclear weapon more so than the Saudis. And therefore, I do believe this is an economic war between the Sunni side of OPEC and the Shia side of OPEC. ALLEN: We appreciate your analysis, Stephen Schork. Thanks for

joining us.

SCHORK: Thank you, Natalie.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: A historic day for the U.S. and Cuba and likely a surreal one for these three men.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MARINE VETERAN: ...Marines in the United States Marine Corps that took the flag down. There's only three Marines that will watch it go back up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: That story is coming up. Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ALLEN: And welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Natalie Allen. Here are our top stories right now.

The U.S. will formally reopen the embassy in Cuba today. U.S. Marines will raise the American flag above the diplomatic center in Havana in just a few hours. The embassy has been closed since 1961. A number of U.S. officials, including John Kerry, will be there for the ceremony.

Terrifying new dash cam video appears to show the closest look yet at the explosions that rocked Tianjin, China, Wednesday night. But what caused the blast that killed at least 50 people and left more than 500 hospitalized is still unclear. A bio chemical response team is currently on the ground there.

Ohio police are investigating the death of a man who was hit by a roller coaster. It happened Thursday at the Cedar Point Amusement Park. Police say the victim had lost his cellphone on the ride and then jumped a fence into a restricted area to look for it when he was struck.

Fifty-four years ago, three U.S. Marines lowered the flag at the American Embassy in Cuba and did not realize it would be the last time until today. Those same Marines are back at Havana today to watch as the stars and stripes flies at the embassy once again.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's only three Marines in the United States Marine Corps that took the flag down. There's only three Marines that's going to watch it go back up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When we stepped out to lower the flag, we looked at the pole, we looked at the people, we looked at the pole. And they just spread off the sidewalk. They knew we were going to go get the flag, and they just got out of our way. All they wanted to do was get in and try to get a piece of it -- try to get out of the country.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We knew it was closing up, but we had no idea as to all of the particulars behind it, you know. As far we -- as I was concerned, it was a sad day pulling that flag down for the last time.

I made a lot of friends, you know, and a lot of good people that I met there, you know. It's just something that you didn't want to happen, but it happened.

ANNOUNCER: Castro marks the second anniversary of his revolution with the biggest military parade ever staged in Cuba. Shortly afterwards, Castro demanded the United States Embassy drastically reduce its staff to 11 persons. It was last straw. President Eisenhower broke off diplomatic relations.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't think I would be going back down, no. Fifty-four years, you know, half a century, you kind of put it behind you. But when someone calls and tells you and says, look, we're going back. This one called me up and said we're going to go to Cuba again. You know, I said -- I didn't think it was going to happen. But hey, I'd have pinched myself, and I'd say, hey, we're here -- you know, so on our way down.

DWIGHT EISENHOWER, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It is my hope and my conviction that in the not too distant future it will be possible for the historic friendship between us once again to find reflection in normal relations of every sort.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to watch the Marine security guard detachment that's there put the flag back up, because that's their job now. They will be protecting it just like we did in our time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I knew it would was going to be a happy thought going through my mind, you know, just to see Old Glory go back up over Cuba. It's going to be great.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: Well, they will have that experience in just a few hours.

Well, new satellite images appear to show North Korea is modernizing a key facility associated with uranium production. That, according to the monitoring website, 38 North, which has just published a series of images of the Pyong-San uranium mine near the South Korean border.

These photos were taken between 2003 and 2011. The site says they show growing piles of milling waste, a sign that the mine could have been active during those years. You see here what appears to be more waste, dumped in a lake over the same time period. This is the uranium concentration plant. The image on the left was taken in 2013. The right was taken this year. Many of the buildings and roofs appear to be refurbished. 38 North says it is unclear what exactly North Korea would use the uranium for.

To the U.S. now, where race and injustice are becoming a major issue in the 2016 presidential campaign. In the past few weeks, candidates have been caught off guard by protesters from the Black Lives Matter movement demanding change.

Now politicians from both sides are choosing their words a bit more carefully, as we learn from Joe Johns in Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(CHANTING) Black lives matter! Black lives matter!

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: The chant went up at the back of the room following a Jeb Bush campaign event in Nevada. He had already addressed the Black Lives Matter protesters by answering a question from the crowd.

BUSH: These problems have gotten worse in the last few years. Communities, people no longer trust the basic institutions in our society that they need to trust.

JOHNS: But it wasn't enough to silence them. Their issue was with something he had said on the stump.

BUSH: We're so uptight and politically correct. Now you have to apologize for saying lives matter?

JOHNS: That was in response to an apology to the movement issued by democrat Martin O'Malley, who said the same thing weeks ago.

MARTIN O'MALLEY, (R), MARYLAND GOVERNOR & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Black lives matter. White lives matter. All lives matter.

JOHNS: Now candidates are both sides are choosing their words. Listen to Republican John Kasich, who, on CNN, echoes Bush and O'Malley, but carefully.

JOHN KASICH, (R), OHIO GOVERNOR & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And all lives do matter. Black Lives Matter, especially now, because there's a fear in these communities that, you know -- that the justice isn't working for them.

JOHNS: How the candidates talk about police use of force against minorities is not going away as an issue on the campaign trail or the public consciousness. It's fueled by headlines like the eruption last week in Ferguson, Missouri, on the one-year anniversary of the Michael Brown's death.

Other top Democrats heard from the movement, too. Even Hillary Clinton, with polls showing strong black support, was met with Black Lives Matter advocates in New Hampshire. Her husband, Bill, recently issued his own mea culpa for the 1994 crime bill that accelerated mass incarceration.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't want to exclude her, but she did say -- she did acknowledge that there are policies that she was been part of criminally that have not worked.

JOHNS: Candid talks with candidates is what she says when want.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Again, what we are looking was a conversation.

JOHNS: Black Lives Matter protesters forced democrat, Bernie Sanders, to give up his microphone at a campaign event in Seattle, but Republican frontrunner, Donald Trump, says he won't let protesters shut him down.

DONALD TRUMP, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That will never happen with me. I don't know if I'll do the fighting myself, or if other people will, but that was a disgrace. The way they -- I felt badly for them. But it showed that he's weak.

JOHNS: And so how does the one African-American in the race talk about the issue? Ben Carson, the Republican, has said police and people in black communities are often in fear of each other, and the fear needs to be addressed.

But what the activists say they want most from the candidates is a plan to address the issue, though, policing, for the most part, is a state and local issue.

JOHNS: Joe Johns, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: Well, the state of Illinois is one state that is enacting changes involving body cameras on police officers. On Wednesday, the governor signed a new law regulating how police departments use body cameras. It's not mandatory all departments have them. But if they do, the cameras must be turned on when an officer responds to a call. The camera can be turned off if a victim requests it. Footage must be saved for 90 days and up to two years.

A new report predicts the months ahead may bring the worst El Ni-o on record.

For more on what to expect, let's bring in our meteorologist, Derek Van Dam.

Yes, Derek, what does that mean?

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, Natalie. This is going to have profound impacts on weather patterns across the world, from brush fires in Australia, to frequency of heavy rain events across South America and the possibility of mudslides in California.

But first, let's talk about what El Ni-o actually is. Simply put, it's just the warming of the water across the eastern Pacific. And the term "El Ni-o" actually came from fishermen who were seeking their cold water harvest right around the Christmastime. And once they started to notice that, well, their fishing nets weren't just filling up with their annual fish, they started to name the warming of the ocean water "El Ni-o," which directly translated from Spanish to English, means "the child" or "the Christ child," -- remember, coinciding with Christmastime.

Now, in a typical season, we have trade winds that blow from the Eastern Pacific to the Western Pacific right along the equator. But this season has been far from average, Natalie. And in fact, we have seen what would typically be this warm pool of ocean water that forms over the Western Pacific across the Southeast Indian -- or southeastern portions of Asia. Well, we see the trade winds relax, and so that allows that warm water to gradually move eastward and build up along the coastal areas of Latin-America and into South America as well. And it also takes the convection or thunderstorm activity with it, bringing a deficit in the rainfall across Southeast Asia and into Indonesia.

Here's some hard evidence for you as well. Anywhere you see the shading of red, that is where we have seen above average sea surface temperatures. Again, that's for the coastal areas of South America. That's where we look for that traditional El Ni-o event to take place.

Now these records have dated back to 1950s, so we have been monitoring this for several, several years. But let's actually compare it to one of the strongest El Ni-o events ever recorded. That is back in '97 and '98 when roughly 45 billion U.S. dollars was attributed to this phenomenon.

Well, take a look at the projection going forward for the rest of the year and into early 2016. We supersede that 2.3-degree Celsius increase in water temperature. We may even top that. That means it'll have profound impacts on perhaps southern California.

We should normally see in an El Ni-o event an increase in rainfall, and unfortunately, if we do get this rain, Natalie, we are going to have the problem with mudslides in this particular state. But it just hasn't been the case. Look at this deficit. We have 71 inches to go before we make up that four-year deficit.

Back to you.

ALLEN: I was just in California, and you could just see the dryness, everywhere. The reservoirs, so low just driving past them. It's really quite sad.

VAN DAM: Parched.

ALLEN: And scary.

All right. Thank you, Derek.

VAN DAM: Thanks, Natalie.

ALLEN: Well, Saturday will mark 70 years since the end of World War II. And we are awaiting a statement from Japan's prime minister, and world powers are waiting to hear what he'll have to say about that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ALLEN: Seventy years ago this Saturday, news spread around the world that World War II had ended after Japan's surrender. In just a few hours, Japanese Prime Minister Shinz? Abe is expected to deliver a statement. And there is a lot of speculation about what he will say, especially after he pushed new defense measures through Parliament's lower house last month. Previous Japanese leaders have apologized for Japan's wartime actions.

Well, 70 years ago, Kaname Harada was one of Japan's feared Zero fighter pilots. Now on the anniversaries of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, he looks back at his experiences during World War II. He tells CNN the misery he saw then is fuelling his desire to speak out for peace.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KANAME HARADA, FORMER JAPANESE ZERO FIGHTER PILOT: My name is Kaname Harada. I turn 99 years old in August. I'm a former Zero pilot, an old soldier. When I chased enemy planes, they realized they were not supposed to fight against the Zeroes.

A bullet like this was shot from the Zeroes. When it hit the opponent, the plane disintegrated in midair. The enemies looked 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. On 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.

ANNOUNCER: Planes leave at this time. Bombers going to action. Enemy aircraft...

HARADA: Pearl Harbor, we didn't know about it at first. We own 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 national emotion of American hatred was formed.

And 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 conquered 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 are in 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.

HARADA: 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 can do to atone for the bad feelings I have.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: And we'll let his peaceful thoughts take us to a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ALLEN: Welcome back. Our next story is perhaps the "aw" moment of the day. We'll see.

Two Australian fishermen say they came to the rescue of a whale appeared to ask them for help. Sound impossible?

Amanda Abate with Seven Network Australia has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMANDA ABATE, SEVEN NETWORK, AUSTRALIA: Close encounters don't get much closer than this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my god. He's going to hit the boat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whoa!

ABATE: It was a once in a lifetime opportunity for a selfie. But this friendly giant needed a favor.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's like he wants the bag off him.

ABATE: A plastic bag and fishing line were stuck near the whale's mouth. One boatie tried to remove it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Almost.

ABATE: Then the whale came to young fisherman, Ivan Iskenderian.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Holy moly!

ABATE: He said the whale bogged up, rolled around, swam below them, scared them a little...

UNIDENTIFIED FISHERMAN: Holy sugar!

ABATE: ...until the plastic bag was close enough for Ivan to tear free.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, done. That's what he's wanted all the while long.

ABATE: And that special moment was captured in the background of a few more selfies.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I couldn't believe it. Like, we were just laughing. We couldn't say anything. We just could not believe what was happening.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Very, very curious. It was absolutely approaching boats. That behavior's called spy hopping.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hopping, waving, slapping, even spraying.

And no doubt, he's already famous on Facebook.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: Love that one. And, you know, so many of the creatures are tangled in fishing nets, and we see a lot of people helping them on YouTube.

Well, we have this for you now. Talk about a sea creature story. Scientists say they have made surprising discoveries about an unusual octopus. What's unusual about it?

Well, get this. Researchers say the larger Pacific striped octopus uses just one of its eight tentacles to first tease its prey, like this small shrimp, then the octopus taps the shrimp on its back before pouncing with its other arms. The abnormal behavior doesn't end there. Scientists say this particular octopus likes to travel in large packs and mates beak-to-beak.

So you can ponder that. He's kind of cute, though, the octopus.

Well, CNN Newsroom continues in a moment with more on the explosions in China. We will talk with a witness who took some shocking pictures.

I'm Natalie Allen. See you in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)