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Desperate Families Searching for Sanctuary; Party Crashers Thwart Last Night at U.S. Open; Will Smith's Upcoming Blockbuster About NFL Concussions; Another Triple Digit Dip for the Dow. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired September 04, 2015 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00] ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: Up next, for too long the world turned a blind eye to the migrant crisis. You are looking at live images right now, desperate families looking for any sanctuary they can find. They are now walking along a highway. Where are they going? We will take you to the scene as this tragedy unfolds, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:34:43] CABRERA: They have crossed the Mediterranean in makeshift fishing boats, and they have packed into crowded train cars starving and without water and now they are walking thousands on foot, refugees fleeing their war torn countries blocking on this highway that connects Hungary and Austria. Their ultimate goal is asylum in Germany.

Now, the majority of these people boarded a train earlier they thought was bound for Austria only to have Hungarian officials stop the train. And after hours of protesting at that station, an exclude of these families fled on foot. And CNN's Arwa Damon has been with them along their journey, first in the train and now is walking alongside these refugees. We will warn you there is a delay here.

But Arwa, we see it's dark. Where are the families going to sleep? What is their plan?

[15:35:38] ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, right now they stopped along the side of the road. One of the men traveling with them just came through and was, like, you know, we just need to stop. We need to take a break. It's too much for the kids. They can't keep going. You will see that some of the families have strollers with them. Those are strollers that by and large were given out to them on this route. Citizens here coming, not just giving out strollers, but also food, water, and really helping to alter the image that these people had of Hungary, because their government here has been very hostile towards them.

The security forces have been very hostile towards them, and now finally they are saying we know this is not the perspective of the entire Hungarian population. One woman who is handing items out and you can just see the kids exhausted, collapsing, completely passed out in these strollers that they have. But a lot of, you know, people now saying that the fact that there has

been such kindness seen towards them on this entire route - and they have been walking, mind you, for about nine hours now, but that is really helped to motivate them to keep going.

These are people who were mostly camped out and stuck at the train station in Budapest, hoping, waiting for trains, hoping, waiting for the politics to just play themselves out who finally decided, that's it. We can no longer wait for the various European leaders to figure out how to handle this crisis. We are going to take matters into our own hands because we can no longer deal with watching our children sleeping on the streets. People could not cope anymore. Their nerves were afraid. They were emotionally and physically exhausted. And so they have decided to walk all the way to the Austrian border where they are hoping that maybe there will be transport for them, maybe they will be able to cross. If they can't, they will just keep walking.

And look at that little girl, completely passed out on top of the luggage and underneath the bag.

You know, this has been so difficult for the parents especially, because they don't want to see their children like that. They never thought that they would see their children like this, because they decided to risk of journey and come all the way into Europe.

The vast majority of the people, Ana, they are fleeing the war zones in Iraq and Syria, and just looking for that little chance of a future for the children or for themselves, an opportunity that does not exist for them any longer back in their homeland.

CABRERA: It's so sad. And it's the children's faces that really tug at our heartstrings. I know you have spoken with a lot of those families including the children. Do those children seem to understand that the journey is worth it in some way?

DAMON: A lot of them do. Some of them, of course, are just repeating what it is that their parents are telling them. But a lot of them, they have seen things that nobody should ever have to see, never mind a child. Those that fled the war zones of Syria in many instances have seen barrel bombs rain down on their neighborhood, barrel bombs thrown out of helicopters that wreak complete havoc. It take so many lives and are completely in discriminate drops by the Assad regime. Some of them have even had to live under ISIS and suffer that horrific brutality. And others have been stuck on various different frontlines.

And you are seeing here these random acts of kindness. You know, people stopping, like this man here, handing out croissants to the refugees as they are walking along. The children, the very least, understands that this is a place where that kind of violence is something that they will no longer have to go through. They do understand that.

But, of course, it's very difficult for them, especially when they get tired, especially when it's very late at night, but also at times you really see this amazing resilience that the kids have. They can be absolutely exhausted in one instance, and then they will just do something the way that children do things and make everyone around them laugh.

[15:40:02] CABRERA: Arwa Damon reporting. You have been doing amazing work, giving us a picture of this part of the world and really helping us to understand a complicated issue. Thank you so much.

Let's bring in an expert to talk more about this. I do want to mention that the head of the U.N.'s refugee agency said this ongoing migrant is Europe's moment of truth. So let's talk this moment of truth with CNN global affairs analysts, David Rhodes.

David, thank you so much for joining us.

There has been a lot of criticism against Hungary, especially when you see these types of images and it's clear the situation is not in control there, but Hungary is blaming Germany. And I want to read you a quote from the prime minister of Hungary who says false promise of an invitation subsequently revoked is to blame for what we are seeing here." What is really going on?

DAVID RHODES, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, I think there's a lot of blame going on. And Germany has offered to take a very large number of refugees to get their people of transiting through Hungary. But this is about a fundamental issue. Are these people victims of these wars that should be helped and should be welcomed in Hungary and Germany and even in the United States or are they frankly criminals? That's that tend we are hearing from the prime minister of Hungary. That they need to be sort of rounded up and controlled. And to be blunt, he has complained that there are so many that are Muslim, that they will outnumber Christians in Hungary, and that's just ugly. And it was fascinating see Arwa talking about people giving, you know, water and strollers and seeing these people as human beings.

CABRERA: Right. We are one. We are all human.

When you talk about this ongoing crisis, some reports say as many as 350,000 refugees, migrants, have been coming to different countries in Europe over the course of the past year. So this is not something that is just happening right now. But it does seem to be catching attention right now. Why?

RHODES: There's really no hope that the war in Syria is going to end. It's viewed by Syrians of proxy war with Iran and Russia backing the Assad government, and essentially Saudi Arabia, the U.S. and Turkey backing the rebels. And there's no movement towards peace so that's why they are moving forward.

More broadly, there are a record number of displaced people in the world today, 60 million, 6-0. That's the largest since World War II. And over the last five years, 15 conflicts, some new and some old have reignited. And so, there is refugees from here and on Syria, Iraq. But some of them are Afghans. Some are people, you know, fleeing Libya and Somalia. And we have not dealt with these conflicts and that's coming back to haunt us now. CABRERA: It's part of the chaos. And I know, we don't have time for

the answer and it's not always simple, but is part of the chaos we are witnessing have to do with the fact there's not kind of like one rule of thumb for these European countries and so they are all divided right now on how to handle it?

RHODES: Yes, very divided. Hungary doesn't want them. Germany is willing to take some. England has taken very little. They are saying they will take more. So this is a problem with the European Union. They have a tough time agreeing on unified policies and they have got a real crisis. I think it's out of control at this point on their hands.

CABRERA: All right, David Rhodes, thanks for helping us to understand it. We appreciate it.

RHODES: Thank you.

CABRERA: Good to have you. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:47:00] CABRERA: Well, there was unwanted party crashers thwart last night at the U.S. open in New York. A flying drone made its way into the stadium while a match was underway and it crashed into a rove empty seat. Thank goodness nobody was sitting there. And no one was hurt. But the incident has angered New York district attorney.

And CNN sports anchor Rachel Nichols is following this story for us.

Rachel, who owned this drone? What is going to happen to that owner?

RACHEL NICHOLS, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes. It was a 26-year-old teacher. And no one (INAUDIBLE) that he had into ferrous ideas or use for this drone. But that being said, the district attorney taking it very seriously saying that they will prosecute this because even if you are just doing this for fun, it could have such serious consequences. The DA saying, hey, people who do this will not be treated as habeas or someone using a children's toy because the affect could be a lot more serious.

CABRERA: And that's not the only mishap that we are seeing happening. The U.S. open full of drama and the extreme heat proving too much for one of the American players?

NICHOLS: Yes, the second ranked American man we have here, Jeck Zack. Now, the temperature is getting into the 90s on court into the 100s. And you can see he won his first two sets, but then just completely falls apart, cramping, kind of a version of a heat stroke. He had to retire. And this has brought up questions should they make any changes at the U.S. open, at the Australian open where it gets so hot. The women on that have a 10-minute break worked into the matches if the temperatures goes above the certain amount, you think they want to do that for the men too.

CABRERA: Pivoting to another sports story. I want to talk about Will Smith, upcoming blockbuster concussion which, of course, is about the NFL players who have the brain disorders, CTE. Let's take a quick look at a clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I found a disease that nobody has ever seen. Repetitive head trauma chokes the brain.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You turn on the lights and gave their biggest boogie man a name.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are going to war with a corporation that --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Owns every day of the week.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No proof was presented today because there simply isn't any.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They have to listen to us. This is bigger than they are.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: So some questions about the movie igniting controversy because it says it is linked to the massive email hack with Sony, remember that? And now claims that Sony exec have alter the film in its ultimate form to appease the NFL. What can you tell us?

[15:50:09] NICHOLS: Well, there was some conversation in those hacked emails where Sony execs are talking about, did they need to soften the movie at all? Did they need to take scenes out? And part of it was angry the NFL. There's a great line still in the movie where it says, you're going to war with a corporation that owns a day of the week. The Sony execs must have been realizing they're doing in some ways the same thing.

A lot of the email conversations were just about not offending fans at all because their business. And they want people to buy tickets for their movie. Now, those who have seen the film, independent journalists have said that, yes, they may have taken a few scenes out here or there, but it still has plenty of bite. I know one of the removed scenes from reading the emails was the scene where the Roger Goodell character takes a phone call, and I think that the filmmaker said that they couldn't verify what was in that phone call, so they took the scene out. Part of that is just when you have a movie braced on a true story, you don't want to get sued. So, you know, beauty is in the eye of the beholder or criticism is in the eye of the beholder, but it should be an interesting movie when it comes out.

CABRERA: As they say, all publicity is good publicity. It certainly makes me more curious to go see the movie now, you know, wanting to know what did they take out or what is what does the movie, you know, entirely.

All right, Rachel Nichols, our thanks to you. And don't forget to tune into CNN's "Pro Football Preview" with Rachel

joined by co-host Dan Marino, and special guests including quarterback Peyton Manning of Broncos and Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carol. That's Sunday afternoon at 3:30 eastern right here on CNN.

Up next, we have a quick look at the big board, the final minutes of what's been a brutal week right before the holiday weekend at Fox. The closing bell is coming up after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:56:12] CABRERA: Here I sit, and I can't believe I'm going to read this next line, sitting down could shorten your life. Studies show a sedentary lifestyle can lead to serious cardiovascular issues, diabetes, even cancer, but this week's CNN hero is taking a stand.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I knew something had to change on my end to stay healthy. I would go anywhere between nine to 12 hours, all sitting at a desk. You may be working a lot, but you're at the desk sitting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How far do you think you could walk before you had to stop?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The number one problem I see in my patients faces as cardiologist is a sedentary lifestyle. I was frustrated at my ineffectiveness to create change in my patients.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How are you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm fine.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, I said how about if my family goes to the park, would you be interested in joining us.

So see you tomorrow at the walk?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The response was phenomenal.

I wanted to talk about how easy taking care of ourselves can be.

There's no better way that you can show a patient that you care about them than by going the extra mile with them. There's no wait in the office. There's no fear of bad news. It's just the patient and the physician talking about whatever the patient wants to talk about.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The beginning is to walk a mile or two. By the end of the year I've completed a full marathon. I'm thinking of signing up for my second marathon. The doctor taught me you can achieve things that are really big, but it all starts with small steps. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How many miles do you have in already?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 2.7.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eighty percent of cardiac disease is preventable if we just go for a walk. If people just take that first step, they will never look back.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: High-five.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: And woo-hoo it's Friday. Thanks for being here. "The LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts right now.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: President Donald Trump says he will need to hire people who can name the leaders of all those different terrorist groups. Do I smell an apprentice reboot?

I'm Jake Tapper. This is "the LEAD."

The politics lead. Gotcha. Donald Trump accused of being stumped on foreign policy, but don't worry, he says he can figure out those 5,000 year old problems in the Middle East later. We will talk to the man who quizzed him in the controversial interview everyone in politics is talking about.

The national lead. After four long days, a brand-new clue, in fact maybe a first real clue in the manhunt for the suspect who gunned down a police officer. What police are now saying they saw in this video?

Also in national news, the Kentucky clerk standing her ground, why she says she would rather stay in jail than be a part of a same-sex couple getting married.

Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to "the LEAD." I'm Jake Tapper. We'll get to our politics lead in just a second. But we do have some breaking news in our money lead, where we are watching a not-so-happy ending to the week for Wall Streeters.

CNN Money correspondent Alison Kosik on the floor of the New York stock exchange, as we prepare for the bell to ding.

Alison, the markets are wrapping up the week. You are hearing the closing bell. It's another triple-digit dip for the Dow.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN MONEY BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It is. And this time around, Jake, you can pin the sell-off squarely on the shoulders of the August jobs report, which actually came in pretty good. Nothing to really write home about. But the fact of the matter is that it came in good enough to worry investors that the fed may actually go ahead and pull the trigger and raise interest rates for the first time in almost a decade. The worry is that the economy hasn't turned the corner enough yet to warrant that interest rate hikes.

Look, the fed is kind of in a pickle.