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Crane Collapse Kills More than 100 in Mecca; Evacuations Ordered in Japan After Rivers Burst; Britain's Labour Party Will Pick a New Leader; Northern Ireland's Good Friday Agreement on the Brink; Iran Supreme Leader Speaking Out Against the U.S.; Human Trafficking Survivor Gets Tattoo Rebranded; Family Fights to Stay in Area 51; Republicans Take Aim at Donald Trump; Aired 5-6:00a ET

Aired September 12, 2015 - 05:00   ET

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


[05:01:00] ANDREW STEVENS, CNN ANCHOR: A deadly crane collapse in the holy city of Mecca with scores dead and more than 200 injured. We'll have the latest on what could have caused it and why.

Plus, there could be a lurch to the left in British politics. We'll be live in London where a surprise candidate has appeared as the favorite.

And --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How are you going to create jobs in this country?

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm just going to do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEVENS: Donald Trump interviews himself, sort of. The interview, just ahead.

Welcome to our viewers in the U.S. and around the world. I'm Andrew Stevens. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

We begin in Saudi Arabia where an investigation is under way after a crane collapsed on the Grand Mosque in Mecca, killing at least 107 people. More than 200 people were injured when the crane came down. During a storm around 5:30 p.m. local time on Friday. Cell phone video captured the moment it fell.

Well, the tragedy struck just days before the Hajj, that is the annual pilgrimage which draws millions of visitors to the mosque. Well, cranes were in the area working on an expansion project for that event.

Ian Lee joins us now from Cairo with the latest on the investigation.

Ian, still early days, what are investigators saying if anything at this stage?

IAN LEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Andrew, they are looking at a lot of things into this accident. One they're looking at was this crane secure or was there a default to it that could possibly have caused this accident. But they're also studying the weather, as well. There were winds up to 80 kilometers per hour. That's roughly 50 miles per hour. There was lightning, rain, quite a freak thunderstorm that took place at that time when the crane fell.

But they also are pointing out that there were over a dozen other cranes that were in the vicinity that didn't fall over. They're going to be looking at that, as well. But when you look at when this crane fell, it was that, you know, even with over 100 people killed, quite fortunate at that timing because if it happens just an hour later, that death toll could have been a lot higher as it was getting to that time of day on Friday when Muslims were going to go back to the mosques to pray.

That mosque very packed during that time of prayer. But right now, authorities are looking through the cell phone videos, they're looking at really everything to try to determine what exactly happened, what was the cause of that accident -- Andrew.

STEVENS: Now the Grand Mosque, of course, is so central in the Hajj pilgrimage which gets underway on September 21st. Just tell us what happens then and what would have been happening -- what will be happening around the Grand Mosque during the Hajj?

LEE: So a little bit of week from now, there are going to be millions of Muslims who are going to be descending upon Mecca for the annual Hajj. This is the holiest time of the year for Muslims where they will be taking part of one of the five pillars of Islam. One of the five essential things to do. Anyone who is financially or physically able to go on the Hajj, partakes in this.

There is a bunch of different stations that they go to and this construction was expanding this Grand Mosque around the Kaaba, the holiest site to accommodate over two million people. This year they're expecting roughly about that many people to come to Mecca. So with this sort of accident, unlike probably didn't deter anyone because most people, this is their life savings they put into going to Mecca. But for Saudi officials, they're going to want to reassure people that it is safe that something like this won't happen again.

STEVENS: Yes. And the irony here, of course, is that those cranes are being used to make that venue, the Grand Mosque, safer for so many people going there.

[05:05:07] Ian, thanks so much for that. Ian Lee joining us live from Cairo with the latest there.

Let's turn now to Derek Van Dam, our meteorologist, of course, to talk about weather conditions at the time of the collapse, which are being talked about as a key likelihood or a key reason, perhaps, Derek. Lisping to Ian there, he said wind speeds perhaps 80 kilometers an hour. That doesn't sound excessive for a crane. Could it have been more than that?

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, I think 80 kilometers per hour really, Andrew, is probably that maximum threshold, considering the characteristics of the thunderstorms that were in that area at the time. But Ian -- excuse me, yes, he created a very interesting point there, that if we go to the video of the actual collapse of the crane, look at this. There are other cranes still standing. They're still susceptible to the wind that moved through that region, regardless if it was 50 kilometers per hour or 80 kilometers per hour.

So answers need to come out in this investigation going forward. Why these cranes didn't collapse. That will be answered, I'm sure, as days go on. But you can clearly see that the weather was a factor. All kinds of particulates in the air, whether it's a mixture of dust, heavy rain. There was 50 lightning strikes in and around Mecca between 5:00 and 7:00 p.m. at that time.

Here's the thunderstorm actually exploding rather quickly across the area, and it's all thanks to an area of low pressure that develop across the northern half of the Red Sea. There was an associated frontal boundary or a cold front acting as that trigger mechanism to create this convective thunderstorm activity that moved across Mecca. And with these quick forming thunderstorms, there's often very intense updrafts and very intense down drafts that follow that, as well.

And those down drafts, once they reach the surface of the earth, they have to spread out in all directions. And that is usually succeeded by colder air and very gusty winds. Again, anywhere between 50 and 60 kilometers per hour, even higher at times. In fact, we have the conditions from roughly when the crane collapsed at 5:30 in the evening local time through the period of two hours when the thunderstorm moved through.

Check this out. The temperature drops nearly 15 degrees Celsius in that two-hour period. And you can see the thunderstorm cells just erupting with that shading of orange and red. That's the colder cloud tops with the thunderstorms. And then look at this, we drop all the way to 25 degrees by 7:00 p.m. in the evening local time. That was a significant thunderstorm and it did have the potential to bring damage as it did so.

Now, look at this. We also have the possibility of more thunderstorms going forward. Our computer models indicating that, well, wet weather is possible when this is typically the driest month of the year or one of the driest months of the year across Saudi Arabia. Back to you.

STEVENS: All right. So, Derek, thanks very much for that.

Now police say at least 50 people were killed and dozens injured when a building holding licensed explosives blew up in the state of Madhya Pradesh, that's about 800 kilometers south of the capital New Delhi. The building was partly commercial and partly residential. And authorities say the blast also hit a crowded restaurant next door. Officials are investigating, but say a fire may have triggered that explosion.

Emergency officials in Japan are ordering nearly 185,000 people to move to safety because of historic flooding in the country's northeast. Those officials are also warning nearly three million people in the region to be prepared to evacuate if conditions worsen. Rescuers have been plucking families and sometimes even stranded pets from homes inundated by flood waters.

Let's go to Will Ripley now. He joins us now from Joso City which is one of the hardest hit areas. It's about 45 kilometers northeast of Tokyo.

Two days into this, really, Will, have authorities there, the rescue teams, been able to reach everybody in need? Are you aware?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, it's incredible, Andrew, when you say two days in because we were talking to some of the emergency responders out here. It feels like it's been going on because it has been and around the clock kind of effort.

Still, people who need help, as of just a couple of hours ago, we know that there were a group of people at a local hospital that were being rescued a few at a time. They're safe and they know that they're there, but they haven't been able to get because of -- they haven't been able to land a helicopter so they were using both. And you can only get a few people at a time on some of these boats.

I'm standing in an area where they have been doing a boat search around the clock, as well, here in Joso City. But they're just wrapping things up now. In fact, I'm watching some of the self- defense force soldiers carry the last remaining boats and load them up on to a truck. They're going to move this entire operation to another staging area and then they will continue their search. What they're doing is they're going from building to building.

[05:10:03] Even if there wasn't an emergency call, they're searching the inside of homes and of other buildings to just make sure that there's nobody, perhaps, still trapped in there who needs help because two days on and there are still more than a dozen people who are not accounted for. It's not say perhaps just haven't let the authorities know they're OK, haven't checked in, but they want to be sure and that's why they're really conducting a really exhaustive search right now, Andrew.

STEVENS: And you've been telling some very interesting stories, Will, about what people have been telling you. Just the sheer speed that these floods appear. Just tell us a few of the stories you've been hearing.

RIPLEY: People are telling us a lot about the speed of the water and just how frighteningly fast it rose. I spoke with a lady yesterday who gas a sewing machine that she uses to make a living. She said all she had time to grab when she was woken up by the rising water was that sewing -- saying that she was working on for customers. Then she ran up to the top floor of her house and still was in water that was up to her waist, that she waited to be rescued. We saw her come up the helicopter yesterday.

And then there was a family that we met today. They had to leave their dog behind and that was two days ago. They saw their dog as the flood waters were rising standing on a pile of wet logs. They went back with the searchers today, went into a boat and they were able to rescue their pet. It was a -- reunion. They have a young daughter. They have the grandparents there. Everybody was crying. And I asked them what this ordeal has been like for them.

STEVENS: And what sort of response was it? What were they telling you?

RIPLEY: Well, what they were going to tell you -- and sorry, Andrews, I thought we were going to queue up their interview there. And what they told me is that while they've lost pretty much everything as far as their possessions go, and in fact their daughter, their 15-year-old daughter, I just spoke with her a few minutes ago, she was at school when the floods happened, so she was safe. She wasn't in the -- she wasn't in the path of the rising water.

But she is still wearing her school uniform. Everything else, all of this 15-year-old girl's possessions are in that home along with all the family's possessions in their documents and what not. But they said at least we're back together as a family. At least we have each other and I told this 15-year-old girl, I said, I am so sorry for what you've lost and she just looked me square in the eye and said, well, we just start from scratch.

So these are children that are having to go through this, along with their parents. It's a tough time. But they are thankful that they are doing it together, Andrew.

STEVENS: OK. Will, thanks very much for that. Will Ripley, joining us from Joso City in Japan.

Well, we turn now to the latest in the migrant crisis. Thousands more migrants are flocking into Hungary and Austria right now. Hungarian authorities are being told to expect 40,000 more migrants and refugees by next week.

This video shows refugees waiting in grim conditions at the Hungarian- Serbian border.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We heard of one woman whose husband had a heart attack five days ago. He was taken to the hospital and she doesn't know whether he's alive or dead. It really is a -- a bad situation here on the border. And one of the problems is that the Hungarian authorities do not want to ask for the kind of assistance needed to treat these people properly. They have no interpreters, they have no doctors, they have nothing at all to treat these people in a humane way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEVENS: The migrant are trying to make it into Hungary before this fence is finished along the Serbian border. Hungarian authorities hope to have it done by October to stop the influx. The barbed wire fence is 175 kilometers long, it is four meters high. Well, it's shaping up to be Northern Ireland's most serious political

crisis since the 1998 Good Friday agreement. Ahead, new murder allegations against the IRA already leading some government ministers to resign their posts.

Plus, Jeremy Corbyn and Donald Trump started out as political outsiders, but now each is a sensation in his own country. The similarities, though, don't end there, either.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:16:56] STEVENS: Welcome back. Now we're about an hour or so away from an election result that could signal a possible lurch to the left in British politics. After a humiliating defeat in the general election in the United Kingdom last May, the opposition Labour Party is set to announce its new leader and a surprise candidate has appeared as the favorite.

Jeremy Corbyn is a 66-year-old veteran socialist who has been a member of parliament for more than three decades.

Well, for the latest, let's go to our London correspondent, Max Foster.

Max, how likely is it that Jeremy Corbyn is going to be the new Labour leader.

MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Looking at all the polls, it's very likely, indeed. Obviously, we have to wait until the moment, and that's about an hour away, as you were saying. But he's just arrived and it felt like a rock star welcome. He was surrounded by supporters, certainly surrounded by the media because this was the guy who was the outsider going into this leadership contest and is now the frontrunner. He's firmly from the left and there's been a huge number of new supporters to the Labour Party since he's been leading in the campaign.

Hundreds of thousands of people have signed up to join the Labour Party. So he's certainly reinvigorated the Labour Party, also a very divisive figure within the Labour Party. But he's redefining really what the Labour Party is about, what the opposition is about here in the UK and that's become a political debate generally here in West Minster where I am right now.

So the announcement will be made in the hall behind me in just over an hour. But there's a comparison being made here and it's around what's going on in U.S. politics, as well. So Donald Trump, the other end of the political spectrum, but also selling himself to the non- establishment political voter. So here is a comparison of the two.

STEVENS: OK, Max, I think we're going to get to that story -- just before we get to that, Jeremy -- is a socialist --

FOSTER: Yes we seem to have --

STEVENS: Max? FOSTER: I'm not able to hear you properly there, Andrew, but

effectively what's happened here is there was an outsider from the left and all the other candidates are really from the center of the party or slightly to the left, they're establishment figures, former ministers, current shadow ministers. And Jeremy Corbyn came in, really, and pushed forward by some people is just, you know, the outsider.

But he's tapped into something, which is, I think, conviction politics, answering questions. He's also tapped into a disillusionment perhaps in establishment politics and also into the youth vote where lots of the young people have felt disenfranchised in politics altogether. And what he's doing is just come out from nowhere, selling himself as an individual who believes in his policy and young people have signed up to Labour as a result of that. But a similar thing is happening in America and from a very different political figure who is, of course, Donald Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER (voice-over): Two countries, two contests, two very different candidates.

[05:20:03] The man on the left, Jeremy Corbyn, is an idealist, socialist, strict vegetarian, and he wants to become the leader of the U.K.'s Labour Party. The man on the right, Donald Trump, pragmatist, billionaire, TV personality. He wants to win the Republican nomination for president.

Whilst the might seem miles apart in political terms, they're both maverick, anti-establishment figures. And if you believe the polls, they're both in the lead.

JEREMY CORBYN, CANDIDATE FOR LABOUR PARTY LEADER: First of all, apologies that not everyone can get in the town hall tonight.

FOSTER: And if you haven't heard of Jeremy Corbyn before, well, neither had many people in Britain before this summer. Now this bearded 66-year-old packs out every venue he speaks out.

CORBYN: People have had enough of the politics of abuse and the politics of control. This is about the politics of democracy.

FOSTER: And he seems to have gained a big following amongst millennials.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of young people have become disengaged with politics and I think he's someone that young people can relate to.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not the politics of envy, it's not the politics of fear, it's the politics of hope.

FOSTER: In the U.S., Donald Trump's plain-speaking style also has popular appeal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The main reason why I support Trump is because he is not politically correct I'd say.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's loud, he's boisterous and I want hear somebody with a little depth to say yes.

FOSTER: Observers say both Trump and Corbyn are tapping into the same emotions.

PHILIP STEPHENS, CHIEF POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, "FINANCIAL TIMES": I think what's given these parties and these individuals momentum is the austerity that followed the 2007-2008 financial crash. And the belief that's flowed from that that globalization, international capitalism, is basically there for the rich, for the 1 percent.

JANET DALEY, COLUMNIST, "SUNDAY TELEGRAPH": The governing class has become a professional club and there is a tendency to think maybe this is some sort of conspiracy against the people.

CORBYN: For this process of austerity is enriching the richest.

FOSTER: So could these two outsiders go all the way? Will we ever see President Trump welcoming Prime Minister Corbyn to the White House?

STEPHENS: I think the idea of Corbyn as prime minister in Britain is preposterous. I also think perhaps I'll be proved wrong, the idea of Donald Trump as president of the United States is preposterous. But they can damage, deeply damage the existing establishment parties.

FOSTER: How ever far they get in their campaigns, Donald Trump, Jeremy Corbyn, and others like them are putting a passion and a polarization back into politics.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Corbin is offering a new type of politics. Donald Trump is sort of doing the same thing as well. They are at completely opposite end to the political spectrum, Andrew, but they do seem to be tapping into a similar thing, which is energizing both their campaigns.

STEVENS: Absolutely. That dissatisfaction, disaffection with the mainstream political class.

Max, thanks so much for that. Max will be joining us again in just over an hour from now. We will have an announcement, we hope, of the leadership of the Labour Party. Interesting times on the UK political scene. Stay with us for that.

Let's turn now to the turmoil in Northern Ireland where the Good Friday Agreement, which was signed in 1998, a signature example of conflict resolution, but 17 years later, the power sharing agreement is teetering on the brink. Allegations that the provisional IRA was involved in a murder this month has caused politicians to resign their posts. Both British and Irish prime ministers are urging calm.

Phil Black has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The name for this violent period always sounds like a bitter understatement. The troubles. Decades of brutality, more than 3,000 people killed. This was one of its darkest days, Bloody Sunday, January 1972. British soldiers fired on a crowd in Derry killing 13 people. The troubles were really a long war fought over identity and over territory.

On one side, the Republicans, overwhelmingly Catholic, who wanted Northern Ireland to join the Republic of Ireland. Their enemies, the loyalists. Mostly protestant who believed Northern Ireland should remain part of the United Kingdom. Paramilitary groups on both sides pursued their goals with violence and intimidation. But the Irish Republican Army, the IRA, stood out for its bombing campaign, targeting civilians and the British government. They tried to get then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher bombing a Brighton Hotel in 1984. They also missed her successor John Major after firing mortar round at Downing Street in 1991.

[05:25:06] (On camera): Throughout all this, there were attempts by some British and Irish governments to find a solution, but they went nowhere. Until the mid '90s when both sides began to take the view that military victory was impossible.

(Voice-over): U.S. President Bill Clinton's personal involvement gave momentum to difficult talks that ended in 1998 with that historic Good Friday Agreement. This deal would see Republicans and loyalists renounce violence and govern together.

TONY BLAIR, FORMER BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: This may be the day when, finally, after all the false dawns and dashed hopes, peace replaced war.

BLACK: In the year since, Northern Ireland has seen reasons for optimism. Much reduced violence. Former enemies governing and laughing together. Republicans and royalty extending hands. But decades of distrust haven't been wiped away altogether. The power sharing arrangement has frequently lurched in the crisis. The IRA's reluctance to give up its weapons caused the suspension of self- governments for several years. Now it is allegations the IRA still exists, which could bring it all down once more.

Northern Ireland police have suggested members of the IRA might have been involved in a murder last month. The police haven't provided any evidence. And Republicans long considered the IRA's political allies, say it isn't true, that unionist politicians insist it is now impossible for both sides to govern together.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The continued existence on the IRA structures, on the arrest that followed has pushed the evolution to the brink.

BLACK: This could prove to be Northern Ireland's most serious political crisis since the peace deal. But it's also being reined in by one powerful factor. Few people want things to go back to the way they were.

Phil Black, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STEVENS: Now that the Iran nuclear deal appears to be reality, Iranians are daring to be optimistic. When we come back, we'll take a look at the mood among Iran's people as well as its leadership. Stay with us.

And coming up a little later, it reads like an "X Files" version of David and Goliath, but there's nothing mythical or fictional about one family's fight with the U.S. military over Area 51.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:31:01] STEVENS: Welcome back to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Andrew Stevens and here's an update on the top stories we're following this hour.

Rescue workers are still searching for survivors after a powerful explosion in central India. Police say at least 50 people have been killed and dozens injured after a licenses explosives blew up in a building in the state of Madhya Pradesh. About 800 kilometers or 500 miles south of the capital New Delhi. Authorities say a neighboring restaurant was crowded with people when the blast ripped through the area.

Singapore's ruling party is celebrating a sweeping victory at the polls. The election committee there says with 94 percent voter turnout, the People's Action Party won 83 of the 89 seats. And that strengthens the mandate of the Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong who's been in power since 2004.

The Japanese government has ordered the evacuation of nearly 185,000 people from dangerously flooded areas. Unprecedented downpours pounded eastern Japan this week, dumping 60 centimeters of rain in some areas. At least three people have died and at least 27 have been injured.

A bad storm is being blamed for toppling a construction crane at a grand mosque in Mecca. It killed at least 107 people and injured more than 200. Amateur video captured the moment the crane fell on Friday. It comes a little more than a week before the Hajj, that is the annual pilgrimage that brings millions of Muslims to the city.

Well, on that story, we're joined on the line now by Khaled Almaeena. He is the editor-in-chief of the "Saudi Gazette" in Jeddah.

Khaled, thanks so much for joining us. I just wanted to start by asking about the reaction to the -- to this tragedy in Saudi Arabia. What have people been saying? What are the press been saying?

KHALED ALMAEENA, SAUDI GAZETTE: The editor at large, but anyway going back to the story, I think right now Mecca, the whole country, in fact, is in a -- I talked to somebody in Mecca and there's a pall of gloom and people are concerned now about the forthcoming Hajj around September 22nd going by the Arabic calendar. And rescue officials still going on, investigation committee has been set up. Right now, Mecca is around it. Right now it's too early to speculate the cause, although -- blame it on the velocity of the weather.

STEVENS: It's interesting, the cause. As you say, quite rightly, too early to speculate. But there has been some questions raised about the fact that this was just one of several cranes around the Grand Mosque that toppled over. And questions are being asked why it was just that one that was hit.

ALMAEENA: Well, as I said, you go by the law of averages. We don't expect all to fall or have to fall, but you know with the wind, it was like a tsunami type of dust according to a resident of Mecca. At about 4:30, the winds were really getting too much and he had just left his house to go to the mosque and decided not to go.

Now in Mansur Street which is about four or five miles away, the trees were uprooted, window panes in buildings -- new buildings were shattered. That was the velocity of the tail end. It's unfortunate it happened. But, again, fortunate for many it did not happen during the prayer time at about 6:30 or early in the day at 1:00. Otherwise, we would have had scores or maybe thousands killed or injured.

STEVENS: Yes, that is a chilling thought.

You said, Khaled, that there was a pall of gloom over what happened in Mecca. Is it likely to affect people's decision to come to the Hajj? Two million people are expected. Will some say no, we'll miss it this year because of what's happened?

[05:35:09] ALMAEENA: Yes, I think people from Saudi Arabia might have a change of mind or heart. They might not go. The families might tell them no. But people from outside who have saved money, who have -- they have to go through travel agents and group tours, and all, I think they'll be coming. So I expect the no-shows to be from within the country and not from outside.

STEVENS: OK. Editor at large with the "Saudi Gazette," thanks so much for joining us.

Now the Obama administration is expected to begin implementing materials of the nuclear deal with Iran later this month. The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives on Friday held two votes aimed at airing the majority's disapproval of the pact. The votes were only symbolic, though, coming a day after the Senate secured the deal's future.

Well, for more now, let's bring in our senior international correspondent Frederik Pleitgen who joins us from the Iranian capital Tehran.

And, Fred, the supreme leader, the Ayatollah ali-Khomeini, has been speaking out against the U.S. in -- just in recent days. What's he been saying? Why is he saying it now?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it certainly has been quite controversial internationally. Less so, actually, here in Iran because it really isn't very much of a deviation from the policies that this country has had over the past 36, 37 years. However, of course, listening to it internationally, it did seem to make it very difficult for Congress, for instance, to support the Obama administration on the Iran vote.

Now he basically said two things. The one thing that he said was that he believes that in 25 years which is the term of some of the provisions within the nuclear agreement, that within those 25 years, he didn't believe that Israel would exist anymore. And the second thing that he said was that even with this nuclear agreement in place, Iran would maintain its hard line towards the United States. They still consider the United States the great Satan and the key issue is that he said that there would be no negotiations on other issues except for this nuke clear agreement with the United States.

So some very strong words that certainly resonated, that certainly were heard internationally and many people believe that there are -- there is a political backdrop to all of this because, of course, we know the extreme leader's main backers here in Iran, the ones that give him the most loyal support, are the hard liners, both in the military as well as in the clergy. And it's no secret that many of them are worried about the nuclear agreement that's been hammered out. They feel that Iran had gotten a bad deal.

So he -- it could be him trying to keep those troops in line, trying to keep them happy while these very exciting times descend upon around them but also of course very uncertain times for those who are in power at this point -- Andrew.

STEVENS: Absolutely. But this is clearly -- I guess the question is how clearly is this a minority view, this anti-U.S. feeling?

PLEITGEN: Well, I mean, there is a lot of distrust towards the United States. And that's something that does, indeed, transcend large parts of the population. But the very staunch anti-American view is not necessarily something that is shared by a majority any more. What you have here is you have a lot of people at this point in time who, of course, want a nuclear agreement, they want sanctions relief, they want international investments to come here in Tehran also from the United States.

There have been politicians here who said look, the sanctions were levied from the United States against Iran. It wasn't the Iranians trying the keep U.S. businesses out of this country. But, of course, there is that hard line and they are very powerful because of course the supreme leader does have the final say over any sort of policies. The clergy is very, very powerful here and the military as well, especially the elite Revolutionary Guard. They do have a major say in policy matters in this country -- Andrew.

STEVENS: OK, Fred, thanks very much for that. Fred Pleitgen joining us live from Tehran.

Now Area 51 may be one of the most talked about top secret military bases on the planet. And guess what? It's back in the headlines, but not because of aliens. Why? Tell you in just a moment. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:42:45] STEVENS: Welcome back. A battle is raging near Area 51. A Nevada family has lived next to the mysterious military testing site for decades. And while they've never actually seen flying saucers, they say they have dealt with nuclear tests, bombing runs and gunfire. Now they say the military is trying to force them off their own land.

CNN's Dan Simon reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Area 51, along with its alleged aliens and UFOs, may be fictionalized in Hollywood --

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Welcome to earth.

SIMON: But the top secret U.S. military site two hours north of Las Vegas is now part of a real-live drama.

JOE SHEEHAN, IN FIGHT WITH GOVERNMENT OVER LAND NEAR AREA 51: This place means everything to us.

SIMON: Joe Sheehan and his family have owned land near the site almost 130 years, decades before the federal government made it a testing spot for nuclear weapons. And training area for fighter pilots that surrounds the property.

The Sheehans and their relatives are not allowed on their property without a military escort. And now the Air Force wants the family gone, saying it can't guarantee their safety. It's preparing to seize their 400 acres through imminent domain since the Sheehans are rejecting what the Air Force says is a very generous buyout, $5.2 million.

(On camera): Why not take the $5 million?

SHEEHAN: Because we believe it's worth more than that. And we believe it's worth fighting for.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No part of me says to settle. I won't.

SIMON (voice-over): Won't settle because the family, which wants people to know they're not wealthy, nor crazy, says the government owes them far more for decades of alleged atrocities and abuse. This is home video of their property where they say have come dangerously close to military exercises. The family has collected numerous bullet casings over the years.

The fight dates back to the 1950s when the Sheehans alleged a military jet destroyed an ore-processing mining mill, the remnants of which can still be seen.

SHEEHAN: It was either a missile or a bomb or something of that nature.

SIMON: And nuclear weapons testing back then, he says, exposed their property to dangerous radiation.

SHEEHAN: I would describe what they've done is nothing short of criminal.

SIMON (on camera): The family is basically saying that you guys are a bunch of bullies.

COL. THOMAS DEMPSEY, U.S. AIR FORCE: Our intent is, was never will be to be that bully.

SIMON (voice-over): Colonel Thompson Dempsey oversees the 2.9 million acres that surrounds the family's property. He says none of their allegations can be substantiated. And the Air Force has negotiated in good faith. But the situation has become untenable.

[05:45:12] DEMPSEY: We've tried every way that we can to include canceling missions when they come out on the range, and that NASA at tremendous expense to taxpayers.

SIMON (on camera): Do you acknowledge at any point that you've interfered with their operations?

SHEEHAN: No. No. I didn't create this mess. They did. They surrounded us. They built that facility there. We were there.

SIMON (voice-over): Dan Simon, CNN, Rachel, Nevada.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STEVENS: Well, a somber Friday in the U.S. as people around the country observed the 14th anniversary of the September 11th attacks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ben Joseph Sy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Paul James Tagle.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Max J. Bilkey.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEVENS: Every year, loved ones read the names of all the nearly 3,000 victims who died that day. Moments of silence also recalled exactly when the planes hit. In 2001, two jet liners hit the New York World Trade Center towers, a third ran into the Pentagon and a fourth crashed into an empty field in Pennsylvania. The images were haunting. But many Americans say the attacks left the country strongly united.

In the western state of Colorado, thousands gathered to recognize the sacrifices of firefighters on that terrifying day. Firefighters in Denver dressed in full gear and climbed a tall outdoor amphitheater in honor the men and women who climbed 110 stories that day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just our pants and clothes are probably about 15 pounds. Then our pack is another 35.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 110 stories.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of people don't know how high that is. And to walk the stairs in just civilian clothes, I'm sure it gives them a lot more appreciation what's going on.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But if they're doing it today, how hard it must be that day?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We came out to visit the family and my son is a firefighter for Evans Fire Department. Oh, hey, guys. So amazing to see the brotherhood of the firefighters.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And it's a great exercise to build brotherhood among fire departments. From day one, you're told this is a brotherhood, I mean, even before that, that's why people get into it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's a good guy. Just working hard and realizing that what they went through is a million times harder and they're the ultimate sacrifice.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, these guys made it through there and some of them didn't make it back. So you have to honor their memory.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DON RIDDELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, I'm Don Riddell with your CNN World Sport headlines. It is being described as the greatest sporting upset of the 21st century, certainly the biggest shock in tennis that anyone can remember. Serene Williams' quest for the Grand Slam is over and nobody saw this coming, not even her opponent, world number 43, the Italian Roberta Vinci going up against almost impossible odds. She'd never beaten Serena before, never even won a set, she'd never even played in a Grand Slam quarterfinal. But now she's playing for the title of the U.S. Open.

[05:50:10] The Spanish goalkeeper David De Gea has been Manchester United's best player for the last two years and is one of the most respected anywhere in the world. But he hasn't played at all this season as he prepares to transfer to Real Madrid turned into a fiasco. Leaving me an old traffic. Now, though, he seems to be making the best of it having signed a new four-year contract.

And you just couldn't make it up. The New England Patriots, notorious for bending the rules with spygate and deflategate, now they're involved in controversy again. Quarterback Tom Brady, the central figure in deflategate, threw four touchdown passes in Thursday night's win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL season opener, including three to tight end Rob Gronkowski. But the Steelers are crying foul after their headsets malfunctioned for much of the game's first half.

That is a look at your sports headlines. I'm Don Riddell.

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STEVENS: Less than a week to go now until the CNN Republican presidential debate. And many eyes will remain on Donald Trump. The outspoken candidate took flack this week for comments he made about the looks of his rival colleague, Carly Fiorina. She hasn't said much about that, even as Donald Trump himself defended what he said.

Joe Johns reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The latest twist in the increasingly bitter battle for the Republican nomination, former CEO, Carly Fiorina, once attacked by Democrats as a corporate jet conservative.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bought a million dollar yacht and five corporate jets.

JOHNS: Now using a similar line of attack against Donald Trump.

CARLY FIORINA (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Leadership is not about the size of your office. The size of your airplane. The size of your helicopter.

JOHNS: Fiorina now officially set to come face to face with Trump and the other top contenders on the main stage of the CNN Republican debate next Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. Many waiting to see whether Fiorina will directly address Trump's rude comments about her this week. The frontrunner telling "Rolling Stone" magazine, "Look at that face. Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that the face of our next president? I mean, she's a woman and I'm not supposed to say bad things, but really folks, come on, are we serious?"

Now Trump often doubles down on his most controversial remarks. This time he seemed unsure of how to address the criticism that he is again disparaging women, making comments about the looks of the only woman on the Republican side of the race.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Many of those comments are made as an entertainer. Because I did "The Apprentice" and as everybody said, as an entertainer it's a much different ball game.

JOHNS: But before that he offered a different explanation.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: You know, it's not presidential. It's probably not even kind.

TRUMP: I'm not talking about look. I'm talking about persona.

JOHNS: Despite his latest controversial comments directed at a woman, Trump still has strong support from Republican women voters right now according to the latest CNN/ORC poll. As for Fiorina, so far she hasn't been keen on directly addressing Trump's comments. FIORINA: I'm not running because I'm a woman. I've never been a

token in my life. And I don't expect people to vote for me because I'm a woman. I expect them to vote for me because I'm the most qualified candidate to do the job.

JOHNS: Perhaps because Fiorina herself has weighed in about the looks of a female opponent in politics before.

FIORINA: Barbara Boxer briefly on television this morning and said what everyone says, God, what is that hair? So yesterday.

JOHNS: At the time in 2010, Fiorina was running for the Senate and eventually lost to Barbara Boxer.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STEVENS: Joe Johns reporting there.

Now Trump made his first late-night TV appearance on the campaign on Friday night and was his usually colorful self. Republican frontrunner stopping the show by -- well, stopping the show with Jimmy Fallon. He got interviewed there by himself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[05:55:07] JIMMY FALLON, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW": I'm about to go out for my interview with Jimmy Fallon. I'll call you back after I comb my hair. Talk to you in three hours. Wow. I look fantastic. Question one, are you ready for the Republican debate next week?

TRUMP: You know, the truth is, I'm always ready. It's really going to be a big debate, but I'm always ready.

FALLON: It's not just big, it's huge. Huge. Huge.

How are you going to create jobs in this country?

TRUMP: I'm just going to do it.

FALLON: You said that you get Mexico to build a wall at the border. How do you plan to do that?

TRUMP: Well, since I'm you, why don't you tell me?

FALLON: How am I going to get Mexico to build a wall? Easy. I'll challenge them to the biggest game of Jenga ever. I'll make them set up the board. And then when they finish I'll say, I don't want the play anymore.

TRUMP: Vice president is a very serious job, so I'm probably going to go with somebody else. I would say maybe Kanye West.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEVENS: Keeping the crowd entertained in there. Well, that is CNN NEWSROOM for this hour. Thanks so much for joining

us. I'm Andrew Stevens. For our viewers in the U.S., stay tuned for "NEW DAY." For everyone else, "AMANPOUR" is up next. You're with CNN, the world's news leader.

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