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Germany Favored Destination for Migrants; E.U. Struggles to Solve Migrant Crisis; Obama Calls Global Warming Defining Threat of Century; Obama Renames Mt. McKinley; Monday a Downer on Wall Street; Texas Gunman Has History of Mental Health Issues; Polls Shaking up 2016 Presidential Race; Climate Change Brings Opportunity to Shipping; Alaska Plays Big Role in Climate Change; ISIS Destroys Syrian Temple; Protests in Ukraine Turn Deadly; Small South Korean Villages Returns to Normal After Easing Tensions with North Korea; Nazi Treasure Train Found in Poland. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired September 01, 2015 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:00:08] ERROL BARNETT, CNN ANCHOR: Refugees have arrived. And in Austria, they are greeted with open arms while tens of thousands of people rally in the streets of Vienna.
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Plus, President Obama addresses climate change while condemning critics and deniers.
BARNETT: And later, new satellite proof ISIS obliterated a temple that stood for nearly 2,000 years.
CHURCH: Hello. I'm Rosemary Church. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world.
BARNETT: I'm Errol Barnett. Thanks for joining us. We're with you for the next two hours. This is CNN NEWSROOM.
We begin this hour with Europe's migrant crisis. After days of waiting in makeshift shelters at a train station in Hungary, hundreds of migrants and refugees have made it to Germany. In a sudden change of policy on Monday, authorities let Syrian and Iraqi refugees buy tickets and board trains headed west from Hungary.
CHURCH: And we're told refugees made it to Austria. There, about 20,000 people rallied in the capitol to support the migrants and refugees, and many called for Europe to be more welcoming.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): What we have heard today is say it loud, say it clear, refugees are welcome here and other similar sayings. It's about a culture of welcoming and not controlling the people who are fleeing death.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And Germany is the favored destination for many migrants making their way across Europe. The country has already pledged to take in thousands of asylum seekers.
BARNETT: Our Fred Pleitgen spoke with some refugees who made it to Munich.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRED PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: After a long and difficult journey through much of Europe, many of the refugees are now making it here. This is Munich's Central Station. Germany is one of the main places that many refugees going across Europe want to go. Most of them have endured a very, very difficult travel, going through Turkey, then Greece, Macedonia. Many had a difficult time in Hungary, and a lot were stopped on trains in Austria for a very long time, but now some are coming to Germany and are talking about things they have endured along the way.
UNIDENTIFIED MIGRANT: I passed in Turkey and Greece, Macedonia, Serbia, Hungary, Austria and here. It cost us about 2,000 Euro or 3,000.
PLEITGEN: And more many of the people who are coming here, it has been quite confusing as to what the regulations are here in the European Union. Many had to be in Hungary for a long time. They thought they had to apply for asylum in Hungary. Some of them didn't. They then went on to Austria. Some were pulled off trains in Austria and taken to refugee shelters here.
Now, the ones coming here to Germany, to Munich, when they arrive here, are checked by police officers at the train station and then many will be taken to shelter, and hopefully to safety.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Munich, Germany.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BARNETT: And we really have seen anything like this before. The migrant crisis is so unprecedented leaders in the European Union are struggling to find common ground on how to solve it.
CHURCH: Atika Shubert takes a look at the divisions.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As the walls go up to keep migrants out, so, too, political divisions are mounting across the European Union. Hungary's decision to raise razor-wire fences along the Serbian border condemned by France.
LAURENT FABIUS, FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER (through translation): Hungary has values and we do not respect those values by putting up fences that we wouldn't even use for animals.
SHUBERT: The Hungarian government defended the fortification, saying as a member state, it has an obligation to protect what it is effectively the European border.
Fences doing little to stop migrants to take ever desperate measures to reach that sanctuary.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our view on the wall building this is a round about subsidy to the smugglers. If you create a barrier, they will just charge more money to get around that barrier.
SHUBERT: To that end, Austria has introduced security checks along its borders after 71 dead migrants were discovered in a lorry last week.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A smuggler used a normal van, usually transporting seven persons, but there were 12 persons in it, including three little children.
SHUBERT: An unprecedented number of migrants continue to reach E.U. borders. Germany alone expects to receive four times as many asylum seekers this year, which has led to violent protests.
(CHANTING)
[02:05:21] SHUBERT: Angela Merkel has called for tolerance as more migrants are expected to arrive.
ANGELA MERKEL, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translation): That will be a central challenge not only for days or months but for a long period of time. And that's why it's important that while we are saying that German efficiency is great, what we need now is German flexibility.
SHUBERT: The French prime minister also made a show of tackling the crisis on Monday, announcing a new migrant camp and calling for a Europe-wide migrant policy, the unified stance that leaders are under increasing pressure to find when they meet for emergency talks on September 14th.
Atika Shubert, CNN, Berlin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Earlier, CNN spoke with a Hungarian government spokesman.
BARNETT: And he reacted to the comments implying that Hungary is treating the migrants like animals by building a border fences.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED HUNGARIAN GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN (voice-over): I believe there is no place for a double standard. Just take a look at what they built in Calais trying to protect the channel tunnel. There are rules which should be kept. It's completely unacceptable that people come to the European Union and come to Hungary without the ability of the European Union to identify them, and also in an uncontrolled manner through the borders at will. We have to stop that and reestablish law and order rules that were established by European standards.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BARNETT: A large portion of migrants are from Syria, and that nation has lost a huge portion of the population since the uprising against the Assad government began four years ago. In 2011, the population was estimated at 22.4 million. Since then, at least 7.6 million have been internally displaced, meaning they fled their homes but stayed in the country.
CHURCH: Another four million have fled Syria altogether, most going to neighboring Lebanon, Turkey, or Jordan. More than 250,000 Syrians have been killed in the continuing war. That leaves about 10.6 million Syrians remaining where they were four years ago.
Strong words and warnings from U.S. President Barack Obama during an international conference in Alaska on the effects of climate change.
BARNETT: This is the start of a three-day visit to highlight the impact of climate change, which Mr. Obama called the defining threat of the century. He also acknowledged the United States role in global warming and addressed those who continue to ignore its existence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The time to heed the critics and cynics and deniers has passed. The time to plead ignorance has surely passed. Those who want to ignore the science are increasingly alone. They are on their own shrinking island. I've come here today as leader of the world's largest economy and second- largest emitter to say that the United States recognizes our role in creating this problem and we embrace our responsibility to help solve it. And I believe we can solve it. That's the good news. Even if we cannot reserve the damage that we've already caused, we have the means, the scientific imagination and technological innovation to avoid irreparable harm.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BARNETT: Stuart Chapin is a professor of ecology at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks, and joins us now to talk about all of this.
Stuart, thanks for your time.
President Obama delivered a detailed and enthusiastic push for action to address climate change but we have to note that he recently approved offshore drilling for Shell. In your view, how can both be possible considering the environmental risks of drilling?
STUART CHAPIN III, PROFESSOR OF ECOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA, FAIRBANKS: I think it's really essential to move forward aggressively in addressing climate change, so I approve that. But at the same time there's got to be a transitional mechanism. And so I think some continuation of oil production will be necessary. But this -- these -- the oil production should be used to finance transitions to a more renewable energy economy.
BARNETT: And is that the current structure of things in Alaska right now? I mean, oil -- that industry is a major employer across the state.
[02:10:01] CHAPIN: Currently, the oil industry accounts for 90 percent of the revenue for the state of Alaska. Any minor changes in the price of oil will have a huge effect on social services in Alaska.
BARNETT: The president also noted that developing renewable energy is important. What are the prospects for renewable energy in Alaska? Along the North Slope you have oil companies that created thousands of jobs and goodwill to go with it. Where is the potential to move on to renewable energy there?
CHAPIN: A larger proportion of communities in Alaska use renewable energy than any other place in the world. We have experience using wind, solar, biomass. So it's clearly possible to do this. It's just a question of modifying the economic incentives to foster this sort of development.
BARNETT: But do we have enough time?
CHAPIN: I think we do have enough time. In a sense, it's already too late because there's already a huge amount of carbon dioxide that's been added to the atmosphere. But we have to act aggressively now and we have to do this in a way that's fiscally responsible at the same time. I support the president in his general approach.
BARNETT: It seems that action is absolutely necessary, no matter what that action is.
Stuart Chapin, professor of ecology with the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, thanks for your time today.
CHAPIN: Thank you.
BARNETT: While in Alaska, President Obama will rename Mt. McKinley, the tallest mountain in the state. It will be renamed Denali, a historical Native American name, and a name many have called it for years already.
CHURCH: Mr. Obama says he is changing the name to un-do what he sees as historical injustices. Political leaders in Alaska welcomed the news. But Ohio lawmakers are not happy about the name change. It is named after the 25th U.S. president, William McKinley, an Ohio native.
BARNETT: House Speaker John Boehner, Ohio's governor and an Ohio Senator have expressed their disappointment.
Even Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump, joined in with a tweet. He called the name change, quote, "a great insult" and said, if he is elected president, he will change it back.
Let's go ahead and check some of the global stock markets. Trading is wrapping up for the day in Sydney and Tokyo. We are seeing red. But as we take a closer look, most of the losses today are happening in Japan. The Nikkei down 3.84 percent. You're seeing the Shanghai Composite pull back 2 percentage points roughly. Hong Kong's Hang Seng is down .8 percent. And Australia's S&P ASX 200 is down 2 percent.
CHURCH: And Europe's major markets open in less than hour. Here is how the Europe closed yesterday. The Zurich SMI was up about .5 percent. The DAX in Germany down .38 percent. It will be interesting to see what happens once they open. We'll keep a close eye on that.
BARNETT: Monday was also a downer on Wall Street. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 114 points.
CHURCH: For more on the Asia-Pacific markets and new economic data out of China, let's turns to CNN's Manisha Tank. She joins us live from Hong Kong.
Hi there, Manisha.
Let's talk about what we are seeing happening there in the markets. But I also wanted to turn everyone's attention to the PMI numbers from China and just what they tell us about what's going on in the China economy.
MANISHA TANK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Rosemary, the PMI numbers are showing us that the service sector in China is getting bigger and manufacturer is getting smaller and telling us this is a wider slow down that everyone is talk about. And some relating that to the stock market saying this is what we are seeing in the stock market. And it really depends who you talk to. Others are saying there is a disconnect between the two. You can't demand on what you see as a reflection of the wider economy slowdown. Everyone knows it is happening, but what the numbers show us is that it is there and where it is happening in particular.
I do want to mention these numbers, then. So the PMI on manufacturing, the Purchasing Managers Index, in manufacturing reached 49.7. That is a down on the previous month. What is important to point out is that manufacturing is below 50. The service sector is above 50, 53.4. It is growing slower than last month but it is still expanding. Services in China are expanding and manufacturing is not expanding right now. You might look at that and say isn't manufacturing really what the Chinese economy is all about? It used to be when we were buying all the goods, 10 years bag. But there was a recognition they needed a different economic model. As the demographics change and the gap between the developing Chinese economy and developed economies begins to narrow. So we are expecting that wider economy to slow down. It is slowing down, but still we're expecting growth of 7 percent. Goldman Sachs has slashed growth expectations for China, but it is still 6.8 percent this year and 7.4 percent last year. It is still way above the U.S. and U.K. and other big economies.
[02:15:47] CHURCH: A lot of contradictions. Hard to follow, isn't it? But we're keeping a close eye on what's happening there in China, as is the global community as well.
Manisha Tank, joining us with analysis on the numbers from Hong Kong. Many thanks to you. BARNETT: We have details about the mental history of a man accused of
gunning down a sheriff's deputy. Up next, where this man spent time before last week's ambush murder. Stay us with.
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PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good day. I'm Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri. This is CNN Weather Watch.
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[02:20:11] CHURCH: The man convicted of murdering three people outside of Jewish centers in the U.S. was unapologetic and gave a Nazi salute after he was found guilty.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED JUROR: We the jury find the defendant guilty of capitol murder as charged in count one.
FRAZIER GLENN CROSS, FOUND GUILTY OF MURDER: Like the fat lady just sang. Seek heil (ph).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BARNETT: According to people who know him, Frazier Glenn Cross is openly racist and anti-Semitic. Cross represented himself in Kansas and claimed he was protecting the white race from Jews when he opened fire last year. The penalty phase of Cross's trial starts Tuesday.
U.S. President Barack Obama called the widow of a sheriff's deputy killed in an ambush.
CHURCH: Deputy Darren Goforth was filling his patrol car at a Texas gas station Friday when prosecutors Shannon Miles shot him 15 times. The White House says Mr. Obama told Kathleen Goforth they have her in their prayers.
Meanwhile, we are learning much more about the alleged gunman's history of mental illness.
Ed Lavandera explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We learned in October of 2012, Shannon Miles, the man accused of murdering Deputy Goforth, was arrested and criminally charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. But instead of standing trial, he was found mentally incompetent to stand trial and sent to a state mental hospital for six months. This comes as prosecutors detailed some of the details of how this murder unfolded.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) LAVANDERA (voice-over): It was so quiet when Shannon Miles walked into the Houston courtroom you could only hear the sound of the shackles around his ankles and waist.
A show of force as several dozen sheriff's deputies stare down the man accused of killing their fellow officer.
DEVON ANDERSON, HARRIS COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: He unloaded the entire weapon into Deputy Goforth.
LAVANDERA: Prosecutors gave the most detailed account yet of how he allegedly ambushed the deputy as he was walking back to his patrol car at pump number 8.
ANDERSON: He runs up behind of Deputy Goforth and puts a gun to the back of his head and shoots. Deputy Goforth hits the ground and then he continues to unload his gun, shooting repeatedly into the back of Deputy Goforth.
LAVANDERA: The prosecutor says Miles emptied all the rounds from his .40 caliber handgun, 15 shots in all, before walking to his truck and driving away from the scene. Deputy Goforth, left dead in a pool of his own blood, shell casings on the ground around him. On this spot now, a memorial of teddy bears and flowers has blossomed in his honor.
Investigators say ballistic tests linked the shell casings to a shotgun found in Shannon Miles' home garage.
Investigators are trying to determine a motive for a shooting investigators describe as cowardly and cold blooded.
But the sheriff says that Deputy Goforth was targeted to his uniform.
RON HICKMAN, SHERIFF, HARRIS COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: This rhetoric has gotten out of control. We've heard Black Lives Matter, all lives matter. Well, cops lives matter, too. So why don't we just drop the qualifier, and just say lives matter. And take that to the bank.
LAVANDERA: According to Miles's Facebook page, he bounced around Houston area colleges, including the university where Sandra Bland was supposed to work.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SANDRA BLAND, DIED WHILE IN POLICE CUSTODY: Don't touch me. I'm not under arrest. You don't have the right to do that.
UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: You are under arrest.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAVANDERA: Bland's case garnered intense scrutiny when she was found dead in her jail cell after being arrested during a traffic stop. All of this happened just a few miles down the road from where Miles lives and where he allegedly shot and killed Deputy Goforth. (on camera): It's becoming increasingly clear that mental health
issues will take a larger role in this trial. We've learned prosecutors have issues a subpoena for an area mental health hospital for the records of Shannon Miles. This comes as one of Shannon Miles' attorneys tells us one of the first things they will do is order a psychological evaluation of the murder suspect who faces the death penalty in this case.
Ed Lavandera, CNN, Houston, Texas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BARNETT: One of the items left at the growing memorial for Deputy Goforth is this Purple Heart, which somebody pinned to a teddy bear at the site. The Purple Heart medal is given to American servicemembers who are wounded or killed in combat.
CHURCH: Hours ago, the U.S. State Department released another batch of Hillary Clinton's e-mails, 7,000 in all. It says more than 100 were retro actively classifies before they were released. Some include mundane notes and others were requests for updates on Israel and other regions.
BARNETT: They were sent to a personal address on a private server that Clinton used while secretary of state. She has been criticized on the campaign trail for it.
[02:25:15] New polls showing a shakeup in the 2016 U.S. presidential race for candidates of both parties.
CHURCH: CNN's John King explained the results of the surveys to Anderson Cooper hours ago.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: At the moment, Hillary Clinton still leading in Iowa. This is the new Iowa poll from the "Des Moines Register" and Bloomberg. Hillary Clinton at 37 percent. But Bernie Sanders within striking distance at 30 percent. Why is this significant? Number one, he is within seven points. Number two, Hillary Clinton below 50 for the first time. There has to be jitters in the Clinton campaign. Sanders leads in New Hampshire and is in striking distance in Iowa. This is good news for Hillary Clinton. 61 percent of Democrats in Iowa say the e-mail controversy is not important. That means that 37 percent say it is somewhat important. But six in 10 say it is not important. And this is encouraging for Bernie Sanders. 96 percent support him because they like him and his ideas. Only 2 percent say this it a rejection of Hillary Clinton. Democrats for Sanders are not doing it in an anti-Clinton mood.
One more point. It's a very close race. Democrats in Iowa like their field. Use the president as the benchmark, 88 percent favorable. Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, all pretty good favorability. Clinton has the highest negatives at 19, but if you look at this and consider the world we live in, Iowa Democrats are happy with their choices. ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, A.C. 360: And when it comes to the
Republican field, Ben Carson is giving Trump a run for the money.
KING: This is a wild ride on the Republican side. And it is anti- establishment and outsiders. Two polls to look at. This is the "Des Moines Register" poll. Donald Trump at 23. Ben Carson in a close second, at 18. Then you have Ted Cruz, Scott Walker and Jeb Bush. Donald Trump leading that one. And new out today is the Monmouth University poll that shows Ben Carson in a tie with Donald Trump, 23, 23. And in this poll, another Republican who never held political office. If you look at this, this is not rocket science. Republicans in Iowa are looking for something different and that is hurting guys like Governor Bush and Governor Walker.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BARNETT: More of the world's biggest stories coming up. Scientists warn of the potential problems that come with the melting of Arctic ice. But one industry sees the thaw as an opportunity. We'll show you that after this.
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[02:31:01] CHURCH: A warm welcome back to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.
BARNETT: I'm Errol Barnett. Let's update you on our top stories right now.
Hundreds of migrants and refugees have arrived in Hungary and Germany after waiting at a Hungarian train station. Syrian and Iraqi refugees were allowed to buy tickets and board trains on Monday. Many more migrants are still in Budapest waiting to leave.
CHURCH: Investigators say they cannot tell with certainty whether the airplane debris found on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean came from Malaysia Airlines flight 370. The company that made part of the flaperon checked its records with no luck. But as officials have said, MH370 is the world's only missing Boeing 777 and the part is from that type of aircraft.
U.S. President Barack Obama is making Alaska a focal point in his push to fight global warming. He spoke Monday night at the Glacier Conference in Anchorage, the start of a three-day trip to address climate change. He says raging wildfires and melting glaciers are proof Alaska is feeling the effects.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The pace of melting is only getting faster. It's now twice what it was between 1950 and 2000, twice as fast as it was just a little over a decade ago. And it's one of the reasons why sea levels rose by about eight inches over the last century. And why they are projected to rise one to four feet this century.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BARNETT: Here at CNN, we are focusing on the number you saw there, 2 degrees Celsius as part of our climate change coverage.
CHURCH: That is what climate experts say is the difference between stabilizing global warming and total run-away climate change. Take a look at Arctic ice levels, which have been declining over the past three decades. The European Space Agency created this animation to show the decline. Across the bottom, you can see the time frame. The ice expands and contracts every year, expanding in winter and thaws in summer.
BARNETT: But on average, the sea ice is getting smaller and younger and thinner and more inclined to melt. And with less white ice to reflect the sun, solar radiation will warm the seas and accelerate the thaw.
CHURCH: And we hear about climate change and the damage it is causing the environment. But for one industry, a warming planet brings big advantages.
BARNETT: The shipping industry sees opportunities to make routes through the Arctic to say time and money. But that journey is not without risks.
Claire Sebastian has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLAIRE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In August 2013, the Yong Shang (ph) because the first Chinese cargo ship to travel to Europe through the Arctic's sea route, a route that was completely frozen over until recently.
Melting sea ice in the Arctic is opening up a tempting prospect for shipping companies. And this is why. The Yong Shang's (ph) trip to the Netherlands took 33 days. The same journey by the Suez Canal would take 48 days.
Yet shipping experts say the risks may still outweigh the saving.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is about 1,000 nautical miles saved. But the problems are more a matter of the practicality. When you go through the Arctic, you are going through the some of the least charted ocean space on the globe of the earth.
[02:35:00] SEBASTIAN: It's still early days for this freezing shortcut. Just four ships used the sea route in 2010. By 2013, it was 71. Last year, growth slowed slightly to 53. Routes are haphazard today. Yet scientists at the National Academy of Sciences predict that melting ice will open up new shipping opportunities by mid century.
MCKENZIE FUNK, AUTHOR: This is 2015. And this is 2007.
SEBASTIAN: McKenzie Funk traveled all across the Arctic region to research his book, "Windfall: The Booming Business of Global Warming," traveling on the same American ice breaker, eight years apart. This year, on a mission to improve safety infrastructure in the region.
FUNK: Less than 1 percent of the traffic going through the Suez Canal is going across the top of the world, mostly across the top of Russia. So it's not a huge change, really, in terms of where goods are going, but it's a glimpse of the future.
SEBASTIAN: Freight vessels are not the only ones. Cruise line, Crystal Cruises, is launching its first Arctic voyage through the Northwest Passage next summer.
FUNK: This is a moment in history. I think people want to be there and experience it. It's beautiful.
SEBASTIAN: Beautiful, but still risky for those hoping to capitalize on this changing landscape.
Claire Sebastian, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BARNETT: Our world is literally changing before our eyes. Earlier, we told you about President Obama's visit to Alaska and the Arctic Circle.
We want to bring in our meteorologist, Pedram Javaheri.
You have insight into why Alaska plays a big role in this discussion on climate change.
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. Alaska plays a significant role because you are talking about a global impact just from one state because of the certain composition of parts of the state as well. We know in Alaska the temperatures annually have increased nearly 3.5 degrees Fahrenheit and in winter 6 degrees Fahrenheit. And this pattern is expected to continue. Another six to seven degrees is certainly a possibility. I want to lay the land for you across Alaska. About 80 percent of the underlying ground is permafrost or frozen landscape that has been there tens of thousands of years. And beneath it you have grass and trees and plants.
And when fires occur you are releasing the carbon into the atmosphere. The fires this year have been so large you are burring into the duff area where you have needles and leaves and pine. This also releases additional carbon into the atmosphere. When you get to the number of fires that we are seeing and the nature of the fire you are returning down to the mineral soil and when it is a dark surface after it has been burned it is losing its insulation. You are heating up the landscape, especially for Alaska's long summer days. So now you're melting some of the permafrost, which releases methane gas to the atmosphere, and it is 30 times more potent than carbon dioxide is. This has global implications when you release large quantities across this part of the world. We know large parts of the northern interior of Alaska have continuous areas of permafrost. I want to lay out the 750 large fires that have occurred this year.
And notice the area right here. This is the discontinuous zone and that is where the large fires have been in place. You have exposed active layers and you are getting closer to the surface. This feeds from one into the other. You are releasing large quantities of methane over the years. Looking at the North Pole, first we get rid of the permafrost and into the continuous and discontinuous and all of this melting in the next 50 to 75 years. It's a knock-on effect over the years.
CHURCH: It is a real concern, isn't it?
PEDRAM: Yeah.
CHURCH: Thanks so much, Pedram. Appreciate it.
We'll take a short break here. But still to come, we will have more on the 2,000-year-old temple demolished by ISIS and why the militants tore down Syria's national treasure. We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:42:55] CHURCH: We now have confirmation that the most important temple in Syria has been destroyed by ISIS. This satellite image of the Temple of Baal is from last Thursday. Initially, there were conflicting reports that the site was damaged but not destroyed in a recent bombing.
BARNETT: The U.N. now says the worst has proven to be true and this image shows what is left of the historic site.
A short time ago, an art professor explained the temple's significance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIN THOMPSON, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF ART CRIME, JOHN JAY COLLEGE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE: This is one of the best-preserved temples of the ancient world dedicated in ad 32 and Jesus may have still been walking the earth. It was used as a Christian church and as a mosque until the 1920s. It's an example of synchronism of religion that ISIS is trying to destroy.
They are incredibly media savvy. What they're doing is destroying the Western media's news cycle. They are giving us rumors, teasers and images, official confirmation, and as the story dies down again, they do it again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BARNETT: Last week, ISIS published photos of militants destroying another structure, also in Palmyra.
Ukraine's president is condemning the deadly violence that erupted outside parliament on Monday, calling it a stab in the back.
CHURCH: It happened after lawmakers gave initial backing to more autonomy for rebel-held areas.
Jim Sciutto has more on the protests and new U.S. moves to bolter its forces in the region.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(SHOUTING)
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Violence on the streets of the Ukrainian capital of Kiev now turning deadly.
(EXPLOSION)
SCIUTTO: A grenade thrown from the crowd killing one soldier and injuring several others.
(SHOUTING)
SCIUTTO: These street battles pit Ukrainian nationalists against the Ukrainian parliament, which just approved giving greater autonomy to the eastern regions of the country now controlled by Russian troops and pro-Russian separatists.
(GUNFIRE)
SCIUTTO: Ukraine's Western-backed president scolded protesters for attacking Ukraine over Russia.
PETRO POROSHENKO (through translation): It is very sad that some members of the parliamentary coalition attacked the president and the supreme commander-in-chief of their own country instead of directing their burgeoning energy to counter the external enemy.
[02:45:21] SCIUTTO: Russia has strengthened its hold on the east and the war has raged on with more than 6,000 killed since April of last year and two cease-fire agreements in tatters.
MARK TONER, DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT: We call on all Ukrainians, no matter their affiliations or organizations, to respect law and order.
(EXPLOSION)
SCIUTTO: NATO allies worried they could be Russia's next targets, the U.S. military is bolstering its forces in the region, sending predator drones to Latvia over the weekend and F-22s to Germany late last week, all part of an effort to reassure European allies that the U.S. will deter further aggressive by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It seems that that's the direction he wants to take and we're going to simply have to check that.
SCIUTTO (voice-over): The deployment of the drones to Latvia is a temporary rotation, similar to other U.S. military moves in the region. This, part of an effort to balance a show of force against avoiding further antagonizing Russia.
The next stop for the F-22 Raptors from Germany is Poland, another nervous eastern European and NATO ally.
Jim Sciutto, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Life is returning to normal in South Korea along the DMZ. It has been a week since the North and South pulled back from a military standoff that threatened to escalate into something more.
BARNETT: For the residents of that tiny at the edge of the militarized border, it's all part of living with an ever-present threat.
Kyung Lah has more on the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At the very end of South Korea sits Jung Yeun Village (ph), a tiny farm town on the edge of the world's most heavily militarized border. North Korea is only a few miles away. Its threat of war becoming an act of war.
A North Korean artillery shell launched across the DMZ last week, landing so close to this village, the government ordered the 210 residents into two underground bunkers. South Korea's military, usually hidden in their hills, readied for attack. The two Koreas at the brink of battle.
Days later, a temporary truce in place between the Koreas, Park Junsay (ph) and his wife, Tusenjay (ph) returned to life at their store.
"It's a hard life. Their shelves don't need to be stocked because no one's buying. The young, tired of life here, left.
"I hear you boom, boom all the time," she says. "You become immune to it."
(on camera): You don't think that North Korea will hurt you?
"This last time was different," she explains. "We have done the evacuation drills again and again. But this is the first time we have had to evacuate."
This bomb shelter has a giant blast door. It is solid steel. You can see how thick it is. We are a couple dozen feet under ground and it is solid concrete right above us. The government says that this could withstand a direct hit from most North Korean artillery. 100 people can fit in here. And the last time this town evacuated, they were in here for five days.
"I heard the North Korean gunfire that day, says Park Junsay (Ph)." He led his town's evacuation.
LAH: Why stay here? Why stay in this town?
"I'm not anxious and never thought of leaving," he says calmly. "I'm determined to protect my town.
"People in Seoul ask me, how do you live here. If they are going to hit anything, it's going to be Seoul. If there really is another Korean War," she says, "we'll all die."
Seoul sits within North Korea's artillery range as well. They just ignore how close the threat is. This border town can't.
Kyung Lah, CNN, Jung Yeun (ph), South Korea.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: A town in southwest Poland has become a magnet for hunters hoping to find a possible buried treasure. That story, still to come.
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[02:50:47] PATRICK SNELL, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Hi. I'm Patrick Snell with your CNN World Sports headline.
With the transfer window slamming shut in England on Tuesday, Manchester United involved in some of its biggest deals. It looks like the damage appears to be finally over. Both clubs getting closer to a deal. It could be United getting $44 million keep her. In addition to the fee, United gets Costa Rica national, Kala Nava (ph), from Madrid as well. United poised to put cash on Anthony Malkow (ph), who, at 19, would become the most expensive teenager ever in football when his move from Monaco is confirmed for a reported $55 million.
It only took a matter of hours for a couple of high-profile players crashing out of the U.S. Open on day one at Flushing Meadows in New York. On the women's side of the draw, Anna Ivanovich (ph) an early casualty, going down in three sets -- the Serbian player received a seven at this event. And a big shock for the men, too, with last year's finalist falling at the very first hurdle. Well and truly stunned on Monday by the Frenchman, Ben Wapair (ph), number 14, losing in five to the number-one ranks pair who, at one point, actually made two match points before going on to take victory.
That's a look at your CNN World Sport headlines. I'm Patrick Snell.
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BARNETT: Treasure hunters are flocking to southwest Poland. Poland claims a legendary Nazi treasure train has been found. It's said to have gone missing back in 1945.
CHURCH: The claim is apparently strong enough that Poland's government may investigate.
CNN's Lynda Kinkade has the latest.
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LYNDA KINKADE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Using metal detectors and cameras, treasure hunters have embarked on a mission to solve a 70-year-old mystery.
In a wooded area near a railway track in the southwest of Poland, these people are combing the area looking for a gold rush.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): We haven't seen so many planes and bikers and people from different cities.
KINKADE: It's believed the Nazi train used to transport gems, jewels, gold and guns was en route to Berlin at the end of World War II in this region. In the final days of the war, as Hitler was losing the battle to the allied forces, the Germans loaded a train with treasures and sent it through the tunnels. But the train never made it to Germany. It was thought to be buried between the two cities.
(on camera): Now two men say they know the location of the Nazi ghost train, given to them in a deathbed confession by a former Nazi soldier. But the men from Germany and Poland won't confirm the exact location unless they are guaranteed 10 percent of the loot.
(voice-over): Poland's cultural minister confirmed that a ground- penetrating radar image showed a train 100 meters in length, making it 99 percent certain that this so-called ghost train exists.
Fearing it may be booby-trapped, officials closed off the area but that hasn't stopped treasure hunters from moving in nearby.
One local official said, "Lawyers, the army, police and fire brigade are dealing with. This area has never been excavated before and we don't know what we might find."
The only thing certain is, if it is found, there will be a lot of competition for a cut of the bounty.
Lynda Kinkade, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[02:55:27] CHURCH: It's going to be interesting.
BARNETT: That is fascinating.
CHURCH: It is, isn't it?
BARNETT: There's so many twists and turns in this. With all the hoopla and effort to get there, what happens if they break open the train and there's an IOU note --
(LAUGHTER) -- or something that says "dead end."
CHURCH: Or maybe it has been taken, whatever is there. We'll see.
BARNETT: We'll see. Hopefully, the mystery will be solved soon.
CHURCH: We will continue to follow it.
And you have been watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Rosemary Church.
BARNETT: And I'm Errol Barnett. Stay with us. More of the world's biggest stories after this break.
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[02:59:54] BARNETT: Migrants crowd on to trains in Hungary desperate to take a one-way trip to a better life.
CHURCH: Plus, deadly violence on the streets of Ukraine's capital as Russia strengthens its hold on the country's east.
BARNETT: And U.S. President Barack Obama heads to Alaska to deliver a church aimed squarely at climate change deniers.
