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Debris Spotted from Missing Trigana Air Flight; Chinese Troops Continue Search for Chemicals Around Blast Site; Migrants in Greece Face Inhumane Conditions; Trump Gives Some Specific on Immigration Policy; Nouri al Maliki Faces Possible Indictment; Red Cross Says "Catastrophic Humanitarian Situation" in Yemen; Wildfires Burn Across Western U.S.; Political Showdown over Marriage Equality in Australia; Some Road Blocks for Same-Sex Marriage in U.S.; Jordan Day Makes History at U.S. Open, Despite Obstacles in Personal Life. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired August 16, 2015 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[02:00:53] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Plane debris spotted almost a day after an Indonesian passenger plane dropped off the radar. Search crews believe they have come across the wreckage.
The death toll continues to rise in the aftermath of the Tianjin exPLOsion. We'll have a live report from the disaster zone.
And a history-making win for golfer, Jason Day. The Australian clinching his first major in breathtaking style.
Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. Thanks for joining us. This is CNN NEWSROOM.
And we begin with the latest out of Indonesia. Two aerial search teams have now spotted debris from what's believed to be a missing passenger plane. The Trigana Air Service flight lost contact with air traffic control in the country's Papua region on Sunday. Two ground teams are on the hair way to the location. 54 people were on board that flight, including five children.
Let's get more from Anna Coren. She is following the story from Hong Kong and joins us live.
Anna, authorities are pretty sure that this debris that has been spotted is in fact from that lost Indonesian airliner. And now they have the challenging task of locating the debris. How difficult is this terrain to access?
ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is proves to be very difficult. We heard from officials of the Indonesian search and rescue agency saying they have had to suspend the ground teams because of ground weather. There is a good chance they will have to spend the night on the mountain ranges and won't access the debris site where the two planes you mentioned spotted earlier today. We know that thunderstorms are forecast, and it looks like they have finally arrived. The air search has also been suspended. They were planning on sending a helicopter, which they were borrowing from a mining company. And this particular helicopter is able to land in mountainous areas. That has also been called off. But nay are 95 percent certain this is debris of the plane that Trigana Air Services plane that went down yesterday afternoon local time. It was half an hour into a 55-minute flight a routine flight with 54 people on board of which five were children. They lost contact, as I say about 30 minutes into that flight. No distress signal was issued. There was no indication they were having problems. Apparently when they left the airport, conditions were fine. There may have been cloud over the mountain ranges but we certainly know when the search began yet afternoon, bad weather rolled in as it is rolling in now. Obviously, search and rescue teams having to deal with those storms -- Rosemary?
CHURCH: And just shocking. Of course, we don't know yet what caused this plane to crash but we know that Trigana Air Service has a poor safety record. How bad is it? And what do we know of the plane and those on board?
COREN: It's been described as appalling. That's how experts describe Trigana's safety record. They have had 14 incidents since 1992 of which five have been fatal. So really a frightening safety record. But it's not just Trigana Air Services that are guilty of this. We know that December last year, an Airasia flight from Indonesia on its way to Singapore crashed in the java sea with some 162 people on board. Everybody was killed. And in June of this year, a military C- 130 aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff on the island of Sumatra also in Indonesia with 143 fatalities, 22 of those on the ground. Indonesia has a very poor record. As one aviation expert said earlier, it experiences something like two to -- sorry, experiences accidents every two to three months. That is how common they are. So really, aviation -- the aviation industry in Indonesia is going to have to take a very long, hard look at itself, particularly now with this Trigana Air Services crash, believed to be a crash. And its current safety record, it's just not up to scratch.
[02:05:15]CHURCH: Simply horrifying.
Anna Coren reporting live from Hong Kong, keeping an eye on the latest details. We will come to you as more information comes in. Many thanks, Anna.
Recovery crews can expect to face rugged terrain as they try to reach any debris, as we have been reporting.
Pedram Javaheri has more on the conditions in the search area.
Pedram, we heard from Anna there that those thunderstorms have arrived. They had been forecast. This is going to make the recovery effort so much more difficult.
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: So much more difficult. And as you said, Rosie, this is among the most rugged areas in the region. The second largest island in the world and incredibly densely vegetated. The concern is the rainfall will continue. Here are the mountains. The forecast is upwards of 2 inches of rainfall that could come down over the next couple of days. It will be gusty. I want to show you what is going on with the mountains. 2,000 kilometers across. You bring them up. The mountains rise up to about 15,000 feet or roughly 4700 meters high. The crash site is in the heart of this. Over 21,000 varieties of plants and 250 different mammals. Densely forested. The concern is on the backside of the mountains, we have these eddies that form here. One of the things we are watching for are the eddies that form on the windward side of the mountains can give planes a concern over these mountains. It's something that you don't see when you are flying across the area as well -- Rosemary?
CHURCH: Many thanks to you for keeping an eye on that part of the story.
Earlier, our John Vause spoke to Alan Diehl, about Indonesia's safety record, who is a former investigation for the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and the author of a book.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALAN DIEHL, FORMER INVESTIGATOR, NTSB & AUTHOR: I don't want to say this is the worst of the worst, but Indonesia has overall a very poor record and this airline in particular seems to have an appalling is the word that Anna has used and others have used to describe the frequency of the accidents. There was a veteran captain at the controls but this is a sad situation. And of course we don't know the details yet. There may be a mechanical problem but that can be a factor here because they are flying fairly old aircraft. This aircraft was 27 years old.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Israeli police are cracking down on protesters near the hospital where a Palestinian prisoner on a hunger strike is being treated. Supporters of the prisoner were confronted by right wing Israeli protesters. More than 10 people were arrested. The prisoner stopped eating nine weeks ago in protest of his detention without trial in November.
Just ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, migrants hoping to escape their homeland are faced with a new reality and it's not what they expected.
Donald Trump hasn't given out many specifics about how he would handle immigration as U.S. president until now. What he's saying. That's still to come. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:13:03] CHURCH: Days after the massive explosions at a warehouse in China, troops are still looking for toxic chemicals around that site. At least 114 people were killed and 70 remain missing in Tianjin. One commander says finding more survivors are slim. About 100 people who live near the site protested outside a media center demanding government compensation for their homes.
We want to bring in Steven Jiang now, joining us from a destroyed railway station in Tianjin.
Talk to us about that location and also the 700 tons of sodium cyanide that was found within that blast site. Why would there be such a large quantity of this substance and how toxic is it?
STEVEN JIANG, CNN PRODUCER (voice-over): That's right, Rosemary, I wish I had a live signal for you. This is a traumatic scene at a rail station. This might as well be a Hollywood movie set. When you look around there is shattered glass and twisted metal, broken glass and this train stopping here, presumably since that night and time literally stopped here. There is a clock hanging there and the time on the clock was 12:00, presumably midnight, 30 minutes after the initial fire was reported. So that 30 minutes later, that powerful exPLOsion totally ripped through this station, tore roofs open and we have fallen signage and broken train and everything else. It is the kind of force that makes you understand why the authorities are not hopeful they will find any survivors.
This grim picture is what you can see with your eyes. The invisible danger you cannot see is also threatening. The 700 tons of sodium cyanide you mentioned, that is a highly volatile and highly toxic chemical used in chemical manufacturing and in the mining industry. If it's inhaled or ingested it could kill somebody quickly but it's here you have 700 tons of it lying around in the blast zone. The authorities say they are methodically dealing with it either neutralizing it with hydrogen peroxide or if the barrels are intact they are shipping them away immediately. That's the dangerous situation we are talking about. That's why there is so much worry and fear still in the air, literally -- Rosemary?
[02:15:55] CHURCH: And I wanted to talk to you about the air and water quality there around the blast site right now. They have been measuring that, haven't they? What's going to happen to people who live nearby, particularly those who lost their homes?
JIANG: That's right. The officials have been keeping telling us they have been monitoring the water and air quality the day after the blast and the readings they have been getting from the stations they have set up in this area, the levels indicating everything is dropping to normal levels but this reassurance is not convincing a lot of people especially homeowners who used to live around here. Some of them have staged protests two days in a row now, gathering outside a government press center demanding answers as well as compensation. I talked to some yesterday. They were saying to me, when they bought the apartments no one in the government or anyone else told them they were going to be living next to a ticking time bomb and nobody mentioned there was this dangerous chemical warehouse so close to their houses. That's why they demand answers. They also allege corruption may have something to do with it. They want the government to buy their houses back. They will never feel safe from their former homes now.
CHURCH: It is absolutely shocking. For those who don't have any homes what is the government doing for them? Are they finding them alternative accommodation outside of the blast site?
JIANG: The government is setting up emergency shelters at schools and other places like hotels around town. But many people reflect that night on Wednesday they really got nothing. Some of them were in their nightgowns or sleeping clothing. So it's really -- they want to go home and take their possessions but that, of course, is now increasingly difficult with all these potential danger from the chemicals. That's why the general told us they have more than 2,000 soldiers combing the area around the blast site in a three kilometer radius, trying to find any chemicals that may have been launched into the air by the powerful blasts that night. They are trying to clean it up. Many people, including the homeowners, say they are still very worried and don't think they could ever move back to their former residences -- Rosemary.
CHURCH: Steven, as you have been speaking with us, we are looking at these shots from the rail station, the light rail station you have been recording from. Unfortunately, we weren't able to get a live shot up. We can see the train there, time standing still. One of the clocks locked at the time when the blast went off. Just shocking. The world has been amazing by what happened here. 700 tons of this sodium cyanide stored in a warehouse and we will, of course, continue to investigate this and bring the details to our viewers across the globe.
Steven Jiang reporting on the line from Tianjin. Many thanks to you.
The local residents' concerns about contamination are not likely to ease in the short term, as we heard from Steven. Chemical risk consultant, David Leggett, explains what they are facing in the coming days.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID LEGGETT, CHEMICAL RISK CONSULTANT (voice-over): For the local population what they are doing now in regard to the government is putting people in an exclusion zone and keeping people out of that. That would be sort of the first line of defense. After that, I would quite frankly be very leery about drinking water for some time yet. As to the air solution it's probably going to all of a sudden get quite good quality because -- as soon as it rains. That will wash the atmosphere quite significantly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[02:20:00] CHURCH: David Leggett talking to CNN a short time ago.
To another story we're following, for thousands of migrants, starting a new life in Greece was supposed to be a dream come true. Instead, many are facing inhumane living conditions and difficult bureaucracy.
Doctors without Borders gave CNN an inside look into their work on the Greek island of Kos.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have a medical team here. We are treating the people. There are many women and children. The main medical problems right now are related to the heat and to the fact that all these people, they have to stay out in the park without any proper shelter or proper conditions and of course, no toilets, no water, no food provided by anyone, no milk for the babies. We see many skin diseases and gastrointestinal problems. We have all these people and no government authority to take care of them.
(SHOUTING)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There is a clear lack of political willingness to deal with this issue.
So this is the main beach front road, of course. Very touristic island, of course. And this is not a camp. This is a public square, you know, people have to stay here because there's no official reception center for them to stay. They don't want to stay here. They are completely shocked by these conditions, you know, the fact that they have to stay here for so many days without even knowing when they will get their papers. They have been fleeing their country because of war, because of the bombs. And now, they cannot have even a proper toilet. So you know, they are saying that maybe the bombs have been better than to be staying in these conditions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: So you see there, very difficult conditions on the ground.
Want to bring in Leonard Doyle, a spokesman for the International Organization for Migration. He joins us from Switzerland.
Thank you, sir, for talking with us.
What is happening on the Greek island of Kos where we are seeing conditions that are so bad that some of the migrants are actually wishing they had stayed home and confronted the hardships that faced them there than come to Kos?
LEONARD DOYLE, SPOKESMAN, INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MIGRATION: Well, I think at the end of the day, I think they are safer and happier where they are, it's not an ideal situation, anything but. There is a lot of pressure on the Greek government, as everybody knows -- (INAUDIBLE). And they have been moved a cruise liner in to accommodate migrants. And for a small island, for these small islands off Turkey, it's overwhelming the infrastructure. It's clear there is an issue here that the entire European Union needs to rally behind.
CHURCH: Definitely understood there this is putting Greece under incredible pressure. But what needs to be done to improve the situation for these migrants and to find a solution to this problem of tens of thousands of migrants trying to flee their homes for a better life and ending up in worse conditions, in some instances, than they found at home?
DOYLE: If there is a view that by not providing aid you dissuade people from coming that is unfounded and silly. There needs to be protection for these people, they need shelter and have food and get registered and validated whether they are asylum seekers or not. And that's where we're missing something here. And the numbers coming are increasing. We had an awful tragedy this weekend off Libya in which people were found asphyxiated in the hold of a ship. The smugglers don't treat people well and the European Union needs to step it up a little bit. CHURCH: Leonard Doyle, thanks for joining us and explaining the
situation there on the understood grow. We do appreciate it.
Republican U.S. presidential candidate, Donald Trump, has finally revealed some specifics of his immigration policy. One of the key issues he's focused on in his campaign. In his plan, the billionaire outlines how he will force Mexico to pay for a wall along its border with the United States.
Andy Rose has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & CEO, TRUMP ORGANIZATION: They have to go.
[02:24:49] ANDY ROSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Getting specific on immigration policy on an interview aired Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press," U.S. presidential candidate, Donald Trump, still says the U.S. must deport all Mexican immigrants who are in the country illegally.
TRUMP: And we have a country or we don't have a country.
ROSE: Trump says the U.S. must build a wall along the border with Mexico and have Mexico pay for it or face possible tariffs and fees on travelers from the country. He says any plan should improve jobs, wages, and security for Americans.
TRUMP: It will work out so well, you will be so happy. In four years, you will be interviewing me and say what a great job you've done, President Trump.
ROSE: Trump has faced criticism from his party for his controversial stands on issues and the media's coverage of them.
SEN. MIKE HUCKABEE, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & FORMER ARKANSAS GOVERNOR: He's getting 10 times the press coverage than any other candidate. You give me 10 times the coverage than any other candidate gets, I'll be leading in the polls.
ROSE: A new FOX News poll has Trump's support at 25 percent nationwide, eclipsing Jeb Bush and Ted Cruz. The poll shows Ben Carson is in second place.
When asked if his campaign is part of a reality show, he replied.
TRUMP: No, this no a reality show. This is the real deal.
ROSE: I'm Andy Rose, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Trump says the United States should fully enforce all immigration laws that are currently on the books. Coming up, more on that missing passenger plane in Indonesia. It's
not the first such incident involving Trigana Air Service and we will have details on what has been described as an appalling safety record. That's ahead
Plus, in the political firing line. Former Iraqi prime minister, Nouri al Maliki, could be put on trial for the fall of Iraq's second- largest city to ISIS.
We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:30:18] CHURCH: A warm welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and, of course, all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.
Let's get you updated on the main stories we are watching this hour.
Indonesian officials have suspended the search for a missing passenger plane because of bad weather. Earlier in the day two aerial search teams were said to have spotted debris believed to be from the Trigana Air Service flight. The plane lost contact with air traffic control in the Papua region on Sunday.
There is a search for more chemicals at the site of the exPLOsion in Tianjin China. Officials confirmed finding 700 tons of sodium cyanide. At least 114 people were killed and 70 are still missing.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al Abadi is cutting his cabinet by one- third. 11 cabinet posts are now gone. Mr. Al Abadi promised to reform the government in response to widespread protests over corruption to management and inadequate public services.
Meanwhile, former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki could face trial. A parliamentary panel wants him and other top officials prosecuted for the ISIS capture of Iraq's second-largest city, Mosul, last year. As part of reform measures, al Maliki has been stripped of his vice presidential post.
My colleague, John Vause, asked CNN military analyst, retired Colonel Peter Mansoor how this could play out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COL PETER MANSOOR, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Nouri al Maliki has been the face of the Iraqi government since his first election in 2006. And he's not going to go gently into the night. So to have the current Prime Minister Haider al Abadi and the Iraqi Council of Representatives potentially indict Nouri al Maliki on charges that he was responsible for the loss of Mosul to ISIS is a huge development and it's one that's going to bear close watching moving forward from here.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: How likely is it that al Maliki will ever see the inside of a courtroom on this issue? MANSOOR: I don't think it's very likely. But if this breaks his
power base within the Iraqi government, I think it will have the effect that Haider al Abadi and the core want it to have. You know, they've already taken away his position as one of the three Iraqi vice presidents. That position was eliminated in recent reforms, promulgated by Haider al Abadi. If you can break Nouri al Maliki's power base, he will no longer be such a huge factor, and really a negative influence on Iraqi political developments with his sectarianism.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Retired Colonel Peter Mansoon a short time ago.
Syrian watchdog and aid groups say the government has carried out a series of deadly air strikes on a rebel-held town. At least 82 people were reported killed and 250 wounded in the blast in a suburb northeast of Damascus. This video shows the aftermath of the attacks. Activists say ambulances were on alert before the shelling but the number of wounded overwhelmed field hospitals.
The International Committee of the Red Cross just released an alarming assessment of the civil war in Yemen. Thousands have died there. And the intense fighting has left behind what the Red Cross a catastrophic humanitarian situation.
Michael Holmes has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Driving through the streets of Aidan, you don't have to look far to see the havoc wrought by months of civil war.
On his visit to Yemen, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross describes what he is seeing here as appalling.
PETER MAUER, PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE RED CROSS: How much time have you been here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two weeks.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Two weeks.
MAUER: Two weeks.
HOLMES: The aid organization says nearly 4,000 people have died in Yemen's conflict and 19,000 others are wounded, some being treated here at the hospital in the capital.
MAUER: This is a very serious, catastrophic situation which unfolds here in Aidan, and much more needs to be done in order to support those victims who suffer every day.
HOLMES: The staff say medicine often doesn't make it in and a shortage of fuel supplies and electricity blackouts means medical equipment just sometimes don't work.
Other basics like food and water are also in short supply. And although the ICRC has handed out these essentials to more than 100,000 people, they and other aid agencies need more for the more than one million people forced out of their homes during these five months of conflict.
Many families now find themselves in makeshift camps building shelters from whatever they can find, pieces of tissue, plastic bags and bottles.
43-year-old Salan Hasha Mashaff (ph) lives in this camp with his wife and some of his children.
[02:25:40]SALAN HASHA MASHAFF (ph), REFUGEE: (through translation): Our situation is very difficult. They burned our beds and they burned our homes. They destroyed our whole neighborhood. Four children are with me and three others are living somewhere else in this world.
HOLMES: The ICRC says no family in Yemen is left untouched and, if there is to be any respite, all sides need to urgently find a way to eliminate the grave need facing this already poor nation.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: That was our Michael Holmes reporting there.
I want to go back to our top story on the missing Indonesian passenger plane. The cause of the crash is unclear, of course, but this incident is not the first problem for Trigana Air Service.
As our Richard Quest points out, the airline has a less-than-stellar safety record.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD QUEST, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT & CNN HOST, QUEST MEANS BUSINESS: Since 1992, it has the most appalling safety record. Trigana Air Services has 14 incidents, serious enough to go into the database since 1992. Let me give you a comparison of that. They have about 22 aircraft. You take a united airlines with 500, 600, 700 aircraft, hundreds and hundreds of aircraft, much more complicated and united has seven incidents and that does not include the 9/11s. So Trigana -- and all the Trigana incidents are mechanical error, poor pilot judgment and runway excursions. Most are not fatal, but you get the feeling that something's not right.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Richard Quest reporting there. 54 people were on board that flight, including five children.
Thousands of people across the Western U.S. have been evacuated from their homes as huge fires spread through four states. That story just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:40:53] CHURCH: In southern California, two small planes collided in midair as they both approached a regional airport near San Diego. The collision killed at least four people. The planes spun to the ground, broke into pieces and ignited a brush fire. Firefighters rushed to the scene. One had to be hospitalized for heat-related injuries. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
Wind, heat, and dry brush are fueling wildfires across the Western U.S. Thousands of hectares have burned so far. This is video from Washington where crews are dropping flame retardant as they try to keep fires from spreading. Wildfires have destroyed several homes and many more are in danger. This has prompted officials to order mandatory evacuations in some areas.
Want to get more on this and the fire conditions. Let's bring in our meteorologist, Pedram Javaheri, again.
What is the situation there on the ground?
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: The situation is not looking good, Rosie. This is something we have seen in the works over the past several months with the historic drought across much of the Western United States. I want to show you what is going on in California, Nevada, Oregon, Idaho and Washington State. 106 fires that are considered large fires. Over six million acres of land have been scorched. And when you look at the drought perspective, 8 percent of the Western United States in the exceptional category. 23 percent in the extreme and 42 percent nearly half of the Western United States dealing with severe drought. And the terrain over this region is incredible to work with. Bring in some of the mountains and the terrain that the firefighters have to deal with. Oftentimes you see this with large buildings, the Bernoulli Effect. They speed up the winds. If you drive through a canyon it's the same principle. And you see the winds kick up in these mountainous areas and carry the embers downstream. The firefighters are cleaning up the mess up there and downstream additional fires develop. This is going to be a long- term pattern in this part of the United States.
Back on the 1st of August, I went to Washington State to visit family in the area. And you look at the images in this area. This is the Wolverine Fire in Chelan County. That's me in the corner right there and looking at the scenery where it was crystal clear skies but we have fires that are impacting the skies in that region and getting into the major cities with the air quality. Six million acres of land have been burned. That is two million acres more than normal for this time of year. It's the size of the state of New Hampshire or the country of Israel.
CHURCH: Unbelievable. We know you will keep a close eye on that. Many thanks, Pedram.
JAVAHERI: Yeah.
CHURCH: A political showdown over marriage equality is taking place in Australia. Prime Minister Tony Abbott is against legalizing same- sex marriage during his term but many others, including his own sister, hope that will change soon.
Anna Coren reports.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(SHOUTING)
ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's an issue that has been gaining momentum and support throughout Australia.
(SHOUTING)
COREN: Even more so, with the recent developments in Ireland and the United States, now part of the 22 countries around the world that have legalized same-sex marriage.
But while recent polls show a majority of Australian support marriage equality, the government seems hell bent on stopping what many believe is inevitable.
Among the wave of supporters is the prime minister's sister, Christine Foster, proudly gay and a vocal advocate for marriage equality.
[02:45:16] CHRISTINE FOSTER, SISTER OF PRIME MINISTER TONY ABBOTT: At a personal level, it is disappointing because I'm engaged to get married to my partner, Virginia, and I would like to be able to do that here in Australia. And I'd like to do it sooner than later.
COREN: As a member of her brother's own party she says this has been a tough and emotional journey.
FOSTER: If I could influence him, I would.
(LAUGHTER)
As I said, we have a respectful disagreement and difference of opinion.
COREN: Pressure has been building on the prime minister, who strongly opposed same-sex marriage, to allow his members of parliament to vote freely on the issue. Last week, that was denied. Instead, Mr. Abbott said it is no longer up to parliament but to the people, announcing a vote will be held after the next election next year.
TONY ABBOTT, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: If the people want to change, fine. If the people decide to support the existing definition of a marriage between a man and a woman, obviously I'd be pleased and I think everyone else should accept that.
COREN: But critics say it is a delay tactic and the opposing Labour Party, which is pushing hard for same-sex marriage, has declared this will be an election issue.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You either have Mr. Abbott or you have marriage equality but you can't have both. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A man willing to tear his party apart to get his
way. It is one of the things that people will weigh up when they decide who to cast a vote for. It's not something that is going to go away. It can't be slipped under the carpet any more.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Marriage is a beautiful thing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why is my son not equal?
COREN: While Australia continues drags its heels on what many in the country consider a fundamental human right --
(SHOUTING)
COREN: -- supporters for same-sex marriage say they won't stop fighting until their love and commitment can be recognized under the law.
Anna Coren, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: And in June of this year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage is legal in the United States. But some American couples are still facing roadblocks on their way to the altar.
Ryan Nobles shows us why.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When the Supreme Court declared marriage a constitutional right regardless of sexual orientation, thousands of same-sex couples rushed to their local clerk's office and courthouses to get married.
UNIDENTIFIED SAME-SEX COUPLE PARTICIPANT: She's wrong and these people are cruel to do this to us.
NOBLES: But that is not the case for everyone. In county, Kentucky, David Moore and David Urmal (ph) are waiting to be wed.
UNIDENTIFIED SAME-SEX COUPLE PARTICIPANT: We are still in litigation and still not issuing marriage licenses.
NOBLES: Moore and Urmal (ph) were turned away from the clerk's office run by Kim Davis. After ignoring direct orders from Kentucky's governor and a federal judge to issue licenses to same-sex couples, Davis stopped issuing marriage licenses to anyone, gay or straight, and is claiming her religious rights are being denied.
KIMBERLY DAVIS, CLERK: This is a bigger battle than just one small county or two small counties.
NOBLES: Davis isn't alone. 13 of Alabama's 67 counties have stopped issuing marriage licenses altogether, which means the next stage is the courtroom. Across the country, same-sex couples have filed lawsuits designed to
enforce their right to marry or to sue for damages because they believe their rights were denied.
UNIDENTIFIED SAME-SEX COUPLE PARTICIPANT: We want to be the first people in the Granbury Country to get married.
NOBLES: In Granbury County, Texas, these two were denied a license. Lang eventually allowed a deputy to issue the license. But the couple still sued for damages. That lawsuit is pending.
And while obtaining a marriage license for the vast majority of gay couples is now not a problem, these legal battles throughout the country should have a lasting impact.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: And that was CNN national correspondent, Ryan Nobles, reporting there. Well, a history-making performance at this year's PGA tournament.
Australian Jason Day has done something no one else has ever done in the history of the game. We will tell you what that is after this short break. Don't go anywhere.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:53:29] CHURCH: History was made at this year's PGA championship. Australian golfer, Jason Day, set a new record with a score no one in the history of the game has ever achieved, finishing the 72-hole tournament at 20 under par, the lowest score ever in a major championship, but it's obstacles in Day's personal life that make this more significant.
Don Riddell has that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORTS ANCHOR: A very emotional Jason Day celebrated his triumph here at Whistling Straits. And when you know his personal story, you'll understand why. His three-stroke victory over Jordan Spieth gave him his first marriage title and his 20 under score was a major championship record. He has come a long way since his family found a golf club for him in a dump in Australia. He enjoyed a difficult childhood. The death of his father and alcohol addiction really could have derailed him, but he was sent to a boarding school to focus on education and golf. He had so many near misses in the majors and he had to overcome vertigo at the U.S. Open competition this year. But all of that is now behind him and he can celebrate being a major champion.
JASON DAY, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: It was hard. I mean, I was trying to hold back tears over the first putt, and when I saw the putt go up to half a foot, I couldn't stop crying. It's a lot of hard work that I have put into this game to dedicate myself to have a shot at glory and greatness. That's what we work towards. I guess you can take me off the best players without a major now. It's good to be a major champion.
JORDAN SPIETH, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: Typically, in a major, you are looking for someone in Jason's position to miss a couple of shots and feel the nerves. But he went at it like a veteran.
[02:55:33] RIDDELL: It was a disappointing day for Jordan Spieth, but a remarkable year. Remember, he has already won two major titles and is still only 22 years of age. He competed and contended in the other two and he walks away from Whistling Straits as the new world number one.
Don Riddell, CNN, at the PGA championship in Wisconsin.
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CHURCH: What an impressive win. Makes his country proud.
Also, for many people, being in a strongman race would be challenging enough. But how about running it overnight? More than 2,000 men and women did just that in Germany, many of them in costume. They had to overcome 30 obstacles, including mud holes and hurdles. The men and women's winners were both from Germany. Congratulations.
Well, you have been watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Rosemary Church. Stay with us. I'll be back with another hour of the latest news from around the world in just a few minutes. Do stay with us.
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