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Trump Rallies in Dallas, Leads Republican Polls; Reagan's Legacy and Today's Republicans; Malcolm Turnbull Sworn in as Australian Prime Minister; Two Major Fires Scorching Northern California; Germany Enforced Temporary Border Controls; Al Qaeda Leader Call for New U.S. Attacks; New Indictments against FIFA Officials. Aired 12-1:00a ET
Aired September 15, 2015 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[00:00:10] JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: What would Reagan think as Republican candidates get nasty on the campaign trail? What would the conservative icon make of the current campaign and especially Donald Trump.
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Revolving for politics. Australia's new prime minister just sworn in after a huge shake-up in its ruling party.
VAUSE: Plus a fiery nightmare that just went in on California. Thousands forced to flee as wildfires scorched hundreds of homes.
CHURCH: We want to welcome our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.
VAUSE: I'm John Vause, Great to have you with us. CNN NEWSROOM begins right now.
And we're just less than 48 hours away from the next debate with the Republican candidates for the U.S. presidency and unlike the last debate where most of the candidates tried to avoid mixing it up with Trump, this time around the frontrunner says he will be a prime target for attacks and his response to that, whatever.
CHURCH: Trump spoke to a crowd of about 20,000 people in Dallas Monday night. The billionaire real estate developer echoed some familiar themes, keeping jobs in the U.S. and keeping illegal immigrants out. Well, hundreds of protesters rallied outside the Trump event. They marched from a nearby church to the venue where Trump was speaking.
VAUSE: One protest organizer called Trump a clown. And several people made pinatas of the presidential hopeful.
Senior Washington correspondent Jeff Zeleny has more now on Trump's day.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm your candidate. OK.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Donald Trump, not only on top but on fire.
TRUMP: I'm surging more than anybody.
ZELENY: As he rallies thousands of supporters in Dallas, new polls show him still driving the Republican race. Trump and Ben Carson towering over the GOP field seizing more than half of the Republican vote in a new "Washington Post"-ABC News poll, Trump winning four times as much support as Jeb Bush. It means Trump is wearing the biggest bulls eye at Wednesday's CNN debate.
TRUMP: I'll be attacked. I guess I'm going into a lion's den.
ZELENY: But warning signs for the frontrunner. Overall, six in 10 voters say Trump is not qualified. Among Hispanic voters, 70 percent hold negative views of him, 60 percent very negative.
TRUMP: By substantial numbers --
ZELENY: Still, Trump is head and shoulders above his rivals in the first primary state of New Hampshire. A new Monmouth University poll today showed Trump at 28 percent, followed by Ben Carson and John Kasich in third. Everyone is trying to bring Trump down to size.
CARLY FIORINA (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It is not about how big your office is, or how big your plane or your helicopter or your ego. Leadership is about service.
ZELENY: Carly Fiorina's super PAC is out with a new Web ad, trying to use Trump's own words against him after he made a derisive comment about her face.
FIORINA: This is the face of a 61-year-old woman. I am proud of every year and every wrinkle.
ZELENY: Trump's campaign manager firing back against super PACs, not the substance of the original attack from his boss.
COREY LAWANDOWSKI, TRUMP CAMPAIGN MANAGER: This is the problem with the dark money that's involved in politics right now. We know Jeb Bush has $100 million sitting in a super PAC. I'm sure the vast majority of that is going to go and come after Mr. Trump because Jeb Bush is now at, you know, 8 percent in the polls or less in the last poll.
ZELENY: Not just Jeb Bush. He and much of the Republican field crowded at the bottom of the polls in single digits, hoping to break out on Wednesday night.
(On camera): So many of these Republican candidates are trying to use this debate to jumpstart their own candidacies. They're doing their own strategies to go after the frontrunner Donald Trump. But it's a perilous task. Should they go after him forcefully or should they let him try and implode on his own. That's what Republican leaders believe and hope he will do ultimately. But there is no sign of that. He is leading in this race, the frontrunner. He'll be center stage on Wednesday night. Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Simi Valley, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Ronald Reagan's name is expected to come up a lot during Wednesday's Republican debate. After all it's being held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. The late U.S. president is idolized by many conservatives but they might just disagree with his stance on immigration.
CHURCH: Yes. In 1986, Reagan signed a sweeping immigration reform bill into law. The Immigration and Control Act beefed up border security and added strict penalties for employers who knowingly hired undocumented workers but it also granted amnesty to nearly three million illegal immigrants there in the U.S. Something no current Republican candidate supports.
VAUSE: And it's not just immigration, President Reagan closed tax loopholes which in his own words made it possible for millionaires to pay nothing. He successfully pushed for an assaults weapons ban, he signed a law which stopped hospitals turning away patients based on their insurance or citizenship. He doubled the size of Medicare and he talked to America's enemies, notably the Soviet Union, to reduce the stockpile of nuclear weapons.
[00:05:18] So would he be conservative enough for today's Republican Party? What would he think about the name-calling and mudslinging which has been a hallmark of the Republican campaign so far?
Tara Setmayer is one of our political commentators. She joins us now from New York.
And, Tara, we can talk about the policy stuff for days, and there's an argument there to be had, but I guess what I'd like to speak to you about is the tone and the nasty way this primary is playing out and the negativity, especially from Donald Trump. What would Reagan think?
TARA SETMAYER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think that President Reagan would be appalled at the turn that the campaign has taken this summer by the entry of Donald Trump and his bombast and his antics, which are, in my opinion, classless.
President Reagan was a congenial man. He was honorable and he was a gentleman. And he would not have approved of the kind of disrespect that Donald Trump has brought really to the office of the presidency that he is seeking by behaving this way. He's behaving like a reality show, Jerry Springer character.
VAUSE: Some people would be inclined to make this Donald Trump-Ronald Reagan comparison. So that in mind, this is what Trump wrote about Reagan in his book, "The Art of the Deal."
"You can't con people, at least not for long. You can create excitement, you can do wonderful promotion and get all kinds of press and you can throw in a little hyperbole but if you don't deliver the goods people will eventually catch on. Reagan is so smooth and so effective a performer that he completely won over the American people. Only now, nearly seven years later, people are beginning to question whether there's anything beneath that smile."
Well, I read that, it sounded almost like a critique of Donald Trump. And I'm wondering, are Republicans allowed to say mean things about President Reagan?
SETMAYER: Well, I think some would argue that Donald Trump isn't really a Republican. He's a Republican now because it's expedient for him. He's donated to Democrats and brags about that. He doesn't hold very conservative values. I mean, you know, this whole thing about how -- comparison between Donald Trump and Ronald Reagan is asinine. There is absolutely nothing about either one of them that's similar, other than they both came from the entertainment industry. I guess that's about as far as it goes.
So for Donald Trump, to, you know, now all of a sudden invoke Reagan and you know, I'm going to make America great again, which is something Reagan said in 1980 I think is very shrewd politics and it's politically expedient because Ronald Reagan is the standard bearer of modern-day conservatism. So you know, this -- I think it's very ironic that Donald Trump is trying to align himself with someone who he threw veiled insult at right there in his own words in his book.
VAUSE: Yes. Last night after I had a mani-pedi and I poured myself a glass of Prosecco, I kicked back to watch the Miss America pageant, when the fourth runner Miss Alabama had this warning. Listen to what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MEG MCGUFFIN, MISS AMERICA CONTESTANT: I think Donald Trump is an entertainer and I think he says what's on a lot of people's minds, but I think that the Republican Party should be absolutely terrified of all the attention that he is taking from incredible candidates like Jeb Bush and Chris Christie who could absolutely do the job as President of the United States. And if I were a Republican I would absolutely be terrified of that.
Thank you. Thank you so much.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: You know, the wisdom of fourth runner up Miss Alabama, and I'll throw a question to you, should the Republican Party be terrified right now?
SETMAYER: I don't know if it's terrified. I think that there -- it should be a wakeup call. It really should. For the people in Washington and what they have been doing and the lack of leadership and the disappointment that the American people who voted these folks in, in a wave election, you know. The American people came out and voted in Republicans because they were upset with the disaster of the Obama administration and what the Democrats have done in power, and what has the Republican leadership done. They've rolled over. They haven't stood up for anything and they have
not lived up to any of the promises that got them elected. But when it come down to brass tacks and time to vote and really think about who is going to be the best person to be the commander-in-chief, I don't -- do we really as Americans want Donald Trump there occupying that? I don't think so. I hope not.
VAUSE: We will find out.
SETMAYER: That's our advice.
VAUSE: OK. Tara, thanks so much for being with us. Appreciate it.
SETMAYER: Thank you, any time.
CHURCH: And let's check out the day's other political headlines.
Republican Jeb Bush has released a new campaign ad and once again he is speaking Spanish. The ad celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month and features his wife Columba who was born in Mexico.
VAUSE: Scott Walker held a campaign rally in Las Vegas on Monday, vowed to crack down on big government, that is if he is elected president. Walker made a name for himself by going after unions as Wisconsin's governor.
CHURCH: Ben Carson says he is concerned about the U.S. accepting refugees from the war in Syria. The retired neurosurgeon tells CNN the U.S. needs to do a better of job screening people before letting them into the country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[00:10:12] DR. BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They could easily be people who have been infiltrated by terrorists and recognize that once you bring them in then you've got to bring other members of the family in so you're multiplying that number substantially. We need -- this is not something that we can necessarily afford to do in terms of exposing our population to that kind of risk right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: On the Democratic side, what about a Hill and Bill ticket? Frontrunner Hillary Clinton says the idea of her husband, former president Bill Clinton, as a running mate has crossed her mind? Clinton says he would be good at the job but he is not eligible because of the Constitution.
CHURCH: And Senator Bernie Sanders set foot on some unfamiliar ground Monday. He spoke with students at the conservative Liberty University. Sanders acknowledged he may see things differently on social issues, but he hoped they could all agree the income gap between rich and poor needs to be closed.
And be sure to tune in to CNN this week as the Republican presidential candidates face off in back-to-back debates. Watch them live on Wednesday night starting at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time. That's 11:00 p.m. in London, 6:00 a.m. Thursday in Hong Kong. Only here on CNN.
VAUSE: But did you see that reception Bernie Sanders got? That was amazing really. I mean, they are not Bernie Sanders supporters by a long stretch.
CHURCH: Yes. Extraordinary.
VAUSE: It really is.
There is politics to report in Australia. The country has a new prime minister. Former Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull was sworn in just a short time ago. He ousted Tony Abbot from the top post in a party leadership challenge on Monday.
CHURCH: Turnbull says the government has not been successful in providing the economic leadership Australia needs and many expect he will be more liberal on social issues.
Here's a part of what Abbott had to say in his final remarks as prime minister.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY ABBOTT, FORMER AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: The great privilege that I have had is to see the wonder of this country like few others and I want to thank the Australian people for giving me the honor to serve.
Yes, this is a tough day. But when you join the game, you accept the rules. I've held true to what I believed and I'm proud of what we've achieved over the past two years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Really now if you listen -- I was listening to the radio, the talk back radio late at night in Australia when I woke up this morning, and there's a lot of blow back coming in from Australians who not only they support Tony Abbott but they're also quite angry about this revolving door of leaders or leaders that they've had. Five prime ministers in five years. And you know the joke now is that, you know, Australia is becoming the Italy of the South Pacific. And there is a really desire in that country or demand for stable leadership.
CHURCH: But of course the problem was there wasn't a lot of support for Tony Abbott, even very early on in his leadership.
VAUSE: He was the most unpopular prime minister in a very long time.
CHURCH: Absolutely. Yes. But there is a lot of support for Malcolm Turnbull but he is not elected by the people.
VAUSE: Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
VAUSE: But that's how the system works. Because that's always been the system.
CHURCH: Yes.
VAUSE: The party elects the leader. And the people elect the party, and the party wants to change the leader because things aren't going so well. That's a normal process. There are checks and balances and that's simply just one of them. The problem Malcolm Turnbull is going to face, he's very progressive on social issues. And this is why people like him.
He has a lot of support because he is pro-marriage equality. He wants to take action on climate change. In fact he lost the party leadership six years ago because -- on the issue of climate change and the emissions trading scheme. He's also very pro for a Republic of Australia. But his own party don't like those positions.
CHURCH: Yes.
VAUSE: OK. Let's go to our Asia-Pacific editor, Andrew Stevens. He is live in Hong Kong for us this hour.
And I guess, Andrew, first job for Turnbull is trying to unite a divided government. Is he expected to face any blow back from Abbot supporters?
ANDREW STEVENS, CNN ASIA PACIFIC EDITOR: Well, it certainly, if you read the chat about what he has to do, that unification of the party is number one on the agenda. We saw from that acceptance speech, if you like, yesterday, John, that that was a very, very important part for him. He's talked about collaborative government, he talked about including the Cabinet in all the decisions. That old-fashioned liberal government.
For people who don't know Australian politics, liberal is actually the conservative wing of Australian politics. But he was talking about a very inclusive approach to it. And -- but you're right. I mean, there is a very strong right-wing in this -- in this party, who have not liked Malcolm Turnbull because of his policies, because of his social policies in particular which is action on climate change and on gay marriage.
So he does have to bring those together. But the bigger picture, of course, is electability. And politicians will put up with a lot if they are on the winning side. So his key card obviously is that he is more electable, the party thinks he is more electable than Tony Abbott.
VAUSE: Yes.
STEVENS: He can win. They've got until January 2017 before they have to go to the polls, although some think he may go earlier.
[00:15:07] VAUSE: Yes. Probably got 30 back benchers, I think, within the liberal party or within that coalition who were a bit nervous about their jobs and thought it was better that Abbot lose his than they lose theirs. Talk about the big picture here. Two prime ministers ousted in their
first terms. Hasn't happened in Australia since World War II. So what is behind this instability?
STEVENS: That's a very good question. Is the parties -- both parties become out of touch with voters? I mean, it's the backroom deals and Malcolm Turnbull is -- he won in a backroom deal essentially. He got the numbers, he got the job as Julia Gillard did before him. Gillard as we know was then pretty much she says hounded out of office and so on. So there has been this massive instability at the top which has been pretty revolting to most ordinary Australian voters and for very good reason, John.
It's difficult to see why such a successful economy, this is an economy that hasn't had a recession for 24 years. It is a stable country. Why there has been so many changes of leadership at the top, I mean, as you say, I have heard that word Italy as well. That's a very damning indictment on Australian politics. The people will want to see a leader who goes through full term at least getting back to the not-too-distant past and Tony Abbott, I guess, was a special case, as you've been pointing out.
He failed in the polls. He was below the opposition ranking in the polls for a long time. 60 months some will say -- 16, 18 months he was not making any headway in the polls. So he was unelectable. The party did what it thinks it had to do. Leaves a pretty bad taste in most Australian's mouths.
VAUSE: Yes. It's been this revolving of leader which a lot of people are growing very tired of it and as you say they're hoping for some kind of period of stability.
Andrew, thank you for that. Andrew Stevens live for us there in Hong Kong.
STEVENS: Thanks, John.
VAUSE: And there are new fears to report over North Korea's plans for long-range missiles. North Korean state media say, quote, "The world will clearly see a series of satellites soaring into the sky."
CHURCH: South Korea says it is watching very closely and the U.S. State Department says any satellite launch with ballistic missile technology would violate United Nations Security Council resolutions. A rocket launch is widely expected next month for the 70th anniversary of the Workers Party of North Korea. Pyongyang says its satellite will be a peaceful one.
VAUSE: A short break here on CNN NEWSROOM. When we come back, tens of thousands of refugees and migrants racing the clock to try and reach Western Europe before time runs out. New details ahead.
CHURCH: Plus there's little relief in California as firefighters try to contain two wildfires quickly spreading in the north. We will have the latest. That's still to come. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:20:29] MAGGIE LAKE, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Maggie Lake. These are the top business headlines. European Union Interior ministers have made an agreement in principle to relocate an additional 120,000 refugees. They say they expect to adopt the measures at the next meeting on October 8th. No agreement was made on how the refugees would be divided among the member states.
U.S. markets fell Monday. Investors are feeling cautious ahead of the Fed's decision on interest rates to be announced Thursday. The Dow closed 62 points lower.
The U.S. attorney general said it is likely that FIFA members could face new charges in the corruption case as the investigation with Swiss authorities continues. Loretta Lynch was speaking four months after 14 FIFA officials were hit with charges including racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering.
Alibaba shares finished about 3 percent lower in New York. Shares are down around 40 percent this year. Alibaba has written to the editor of "Baron," is asking the magazine to correct an article which said shares could fall 50 percent or more as competitors eat into this market share.
Arnold Schwarzenegger will replace Donald Trump as host of NBC's "Celebrity Apprentice." NBC put the franchise on hold after Trump began his run for the White House. Executives say Schwarzenegger is a global brand in entertainment and business.
Those are the top business headlines. I'm Maggie Lake in New York.
VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody. There is breaking news from the U.S. state of Utah. Flash flooding has killed at least six people and eight more maybe missing.
CHURCH: Yes. CNN affiliates say narrow canyons flooded Monday in the southern part of the state. Two vehicles were swept into a river bed. The National Weather Service says there was a fast-moving thunderstorm in the area.
Well, more than 5,000 firefighters in the U.S. are battling two wildfires raging in northern California. At least one person has died in the so-called Valley Fire.
VAUSE: It has scorched about 61,000 acres or nearly 25,000 hectares west to the city of Sacramento. Officials say about 13,000 people have been displaced.
CHURCH: Now to the east of the Sacramento, the Butte Fire grew to more than 71,000 acres, or nearly 29 ,000 hectares, about 10,000 people have been displaced by this fire.
VAUSE: Dry conditions and the state's four-year long drought are fuelling these fires. CNN's S Dan Simon reports now from Middletown, California.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With hundreds of homes destroyed, the massive Valley wildfire has become the most destructive blaze of the summer in the parched west. The fire has burned more than 60,000 acres. The conditions so terrible that the governor has declared a state of emergency for four counties.
GOV. JERRY BROWN (D), CALIFORNIA: These fires will take lives. And they will cause injuries. And we have to do the best we can because we are really in a battle with nature, that nature is more powerful than we are.
KEN PIMLOTT, CHIEF, CALFIRE: We don't see an end in fire season for the months to come. We're planning for that. We're in this for the long haul. We are continuing to use all of the resources at our disposable. Governor Brown provided some additional funding.
SIMON: The fire, 100 miles west of Sacramento, spread so fast that people had very little time to evacuate.
UNIDENTIFIED FIRE SURVIVOR: Everything behind the gas station is gone. The school's gone. Store's gone.
SIMON: And that wasn't the only fire to hit northern California. 70 miles east of Sacramento, another wildfire has grown to more than 70,000 acres, and still threatening thousands of structures. Together the two fires have destroyed well more than 500 homes.
UNIDENTIFIED FIRE SURVIVOR: Being with everybody that's going through the same thing makes us feel like we actually have a family right here with us. You know, besides our immediate family.
SIMON: At the Napa County Fairgrounds, evacuees set up what looks like a tent city.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Hi.
SIMON: Melissa Camchola (ph) and her four children wondering if their house is still standing.
MELISSA CAMCHOLA, EVACUEE: I just want to go home, if I have a home anymore.
SIMON (on camera): What do you think the chances are?
CAMCHOLA: Not good. I don't think there is anything left.
SIMON (voice-over): About 5500 firefighters are working to save the homes. But after four years of drought, the area remains a tinderbox with what seems like an unlimited supply of highly flammable fuel.
(On camera): And authorities confirmed that at least one person has died in this wildfire. This was an elderly woman who was disabled and she was apparently unable to get herself out of harm's way. And some people are still missing. And so there's concern that there could be even more fatalities.
[00:25:11] Dan Simon, CNN, Middletown, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: And for more on California's fire emergency, we are joined by Mark Ghilarducci, director of the Governor's Office of Emergency Services. And he's with us now on the line from Sacramento, the state capital.
Thank you, sir, for joining us. One person dead. Thousands of people displaced. What is the situation right now? And how long do you think it will likely take to contain these fires?
MARK GHILARDUCCI, DIRECTOR, GOVERNOR'S OFFICE OF EMERGENCY SERVICES: Well, the situation still remains very critical. You know there are really about -- we were able to get a little better containment today because we had a cooler weather pattern come in. And actually a little bit of a slight precipitation. And that has helped us kind of get a little bit of a handle on particularly the Valley Fire.
And -- but we're not out of the woods yet. We have a ways to go and conceivably this will take another several weeks before we can get it contained and the Valley Fire. The other fire that we have in the state are still burning. We've actually got around 12 fires at this time burning in California. Of course the three top priority fires are the most severe fires are the Valley Fire in Lake County and the Butte Fire up in Calaveras County and Rough Fire down in Fresno County.
CHURCH: Yes, I mean, that's a real concern when you were talking in terms of weeks before it is contained. Of course as we reported there, four years of drought in the region. Excessively dry conditions on the ground, offering lots of fuel for these fires. Some moisture as you mentioned in the forecast but this is a dire situation. What needs to be done, do you think, to try to make the homes and families in this region less vulnerable to fires of this magnitude going forward?
GHILARDUCCI: Well, you know, we work very -- really very hard with our local government, with people who are, you know, developers building communities to try to build a fire safe communities particularly these communities being held in the wild lands or what we call the Urban Wild Land Interface. And you know really stronger building codes and the ability to have as fire resistant structure as possible. But really, you know, it's up to the individuals to do good clearance. We recommend at least 100 foot clearance around your home or your structure.
And then lastly, really understanding, watching the positions and if you're told to leave get out of the area. Heed those warnings and listen to what the officials are saying to get out of harm's way. That's really important.
CHURCH: Some critical tips there for people in the region.
Mark Ghilarducci, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it.
VAUSE: And more breaking in the United States, police in Mississippi have arrested the man suspected of murdering two people, one of them a colleague at Dallas State University.
CHURCH: Yes. The university's Twitter account says Shannon Lamb has been caught. Lamb had been on the run since Professor Ethan Schmidt was found shot in the head in his office on Monday. Lamb is also suspected of killing a woman earlier in the day. About 300 miles or 480 kilometers away. So far police have not released a motive.
VAUSE: Shannon Lamb teaches geography at the same school where Ethan Schmidt was apparently shot in the head of course in his office.
A very short break. When we come back, cross the border illegally and you could go to prison. That's the hard line message coming from Hungary.
Up next, the race against time for so many desperate people trying to get a better life.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:32:32] VAUSE: Hello, everybody. Thank you for staying for us. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause.
CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church. We do want to check the headlines for you this hour.
VAUSE: And there is more of our breaking news. Shannon Lamb, the man suspected of murdering a fellow teacher at Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi, has been arrested. The school's Twitter account giving that information. Lamb is accused of shooting Professor Ethan Schmidt in the head on Monday in his office. Police also believed he murdered a woman in another town before going to the campus.
CHURCH: Malcolm Turnbull is the new prime minister of Australia. He was sworn in earlier in Canberra. Mr. Turnbull replaces Tony Abbott who served two years as prime minister before he was ousted in a leadership challenge Monday. Mr. Turnbull says Australia needs better economic leadership.
VAUSE: And North Korea state media said the country is close towards a new satellite and suggesting a long-range rocket launch as well. South Korea's Defense Ministry says it's watching closely. The North is widely expected to stage a rocket launch next month for the 70th anniversary of the Workers Party.
CHURCH: In the U.S., the county clerk in Kentucky who was jailed for refusing to give marriage licenses to same-sex couples is back at work. But Kim Davis remains defiant. She says putting her name on those documents is against her Christian beliefs, but she didn't rule out having her deputies issue the licenses, as long as her name and title don't appear on them. VAUSE: At least one person has died in one of two major wildfires
raging in northern California. More than 1,000 firefighters are battling the so-called Valley Fire. It has scorched about 61,000 acres. That's nearly 25,000 hectares. Thousands have been displaced.
And meteorologist Pedram Javaheri joins us now for the very latest on the fire conditions. So this is actually the worst fire they've had all year and that's saying something.
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It is saying something. Yes, I know. This is actually among the fastest burning fire we've seen in the last 30 years as well. Both these fires, particularly the Valley Fire, and you know, unlike you and I, guys, when it comes to fire they actually move uphill much faster than maybe downhill. So when you think about this area of California, Rolling Hills, well known for this. And the steeper the slope the faster these fires burn. So, you know, we've been talking about a smoke like this heating up the terrain ahead of it so then the fires ignite much more readily and that's exactly what we're seeing in this part of California.
So the question is, are the rains going to help? You've heard in the previous interview in the last couple of minutes, certainly some rainfall there but not enough to cause conditions to improve really drastically. But here's the landscape across Middletown, where we know an area that burned is equivalent to twice the size of the city of San Francisco. And this has all happened from Saturday into right now. Much of it from Saturday to Sunday.
[00:35:07] Burning at a rate of over 30 acres per hour. That's how fast it's burning. Up to 62,000 acres, notice the containment, from zero percent it's gone up to 10 percent. But the big concern now, it is now expanding towards an area where we know some 9,000 structures are threatened. This fire has already proved to be deadly but it's gotten to a point where even tanker trucks had to be brought in here but the firefighters literally running low on water and looking at some structures that have already been consumed by the fire and actually having to conserve some of their water because it's too late to try to use the water in an area that's been already charred.
But not far away to the east, over 71,000 acres of land has been consumed. That's about 2 1/2 times the size of the city of San Francisco. Containment up to about 35 percent and again some 6400 structures also impacted by this. But notice the showers are there. Just very little in the way of the moisture coming down right now. And unfortunately some of it is convected in nature. And what I mean by that is when you look around the Butte Fire, some lightning strikes have been detected. This is not what you want to see with the storms of course because any sort of improvement they bring to the forecast could be later taken back when it comes to lightning strikes across the area which is in the forecast near the Butte Fire in the town of Electra.
And notice temperatures once again warm up and it dries up over that region. We're watching for a more potent storm that gets here sometime Wednesday night as it approach northern California expect some showers to pick up. Really not going to be a washout but I think the Valley Fire this time gets in on some rainfall potentially a quarter of an inch. Generally going to be less than an inch over that region.
So that's the good news in the forecast across the town of Cobb which his near the Valley Fire. Brings in a pretty good probably, up to 100 percent is what the models are indicating when it comes to rainfall across this region of California.
So I want to talk about quickly an update here with what's happened across Utah. A few minutes ago you guys brought us the breaking news of the six fatalities and seven people now considered missing in the town of Hildale. And I actually lived and worked in this area for my first job. And this is an area where the population of about 2900 people in this particular town and now you're talking about 13 people either missing or killed.
VAUSE: Yes. Or dead. Exactly.
CHURCH: Right.
VAUSE: We reported today, about 20 minutes ago so we got the update now that seven are missing so presumably, you know, those people have been found alive hopefully.
(CROSSTALK)
CHURCH: And this came out of nowhere.
JAVAHERI: Yes. Yes. We had a monsoon thunderstorm roll by. And anytime you have these mountainous landscape that always exacerbate the problem because the rainfall that comes down gets funneled down towards the low area --
VAUSE: The landscape there is pretty bone dry as well. It's very arid.
JAVAHERI: It is bone dry. Yes. Some of the polished sandstone cliffs in the world are over this region and that sandstone not going to absorb any moisture when it comes to the rain hitting it.
VAUSE: Not a drop.
JAVAHERI: Yes.
VAUSE: OK.
CHURCH: Well, we'll continue to cover that story of course.
VAUSE: Thanks, Pedram.
CHURCH: Thanks so much, Pedram.
Well, tens of thousands -- tens of thousands of refugees and migrants are facing a new sense of urgency as Europe struggles to get control of the humanitarian disaster. Several EU countries are doing what Germany has already done and tightening their borders. And people are racing to make it to Germany and other Western European nations before it's too late.
VAUSE: This comes a day after an emergency EU meeting where ministers failed to reach a decision on the most crucial issue -- how to distribute 160,000 people among 28 EU countries. Hungary is taking the hardest line on the border crossings. The prime minister says his country will now deport or imprison anyone who tries to cross the border from Serbia. The government says nearly 10,000 have crossed into Hungary on Monday.
CHURCH: And under the new laws anyone who climbs the country's razor wire border fence could go to prison for three years. There are now only two checkpoints along that border where people can register and cross into Hungary.
And as we've mentioned, Germany has suspended its open borders policy. Temporary controls are now in place to get a handle on the influx of refugees.
VAUSE: Here's our Atika Shubert reporting in from Munich.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Over the weekend, Munich saw a record number of refugees coming through this train station. 16,000. So nearly as many came into Germany in just one day. And this is why Germany says they need to impose temporary border controls along the border with Austria. Now what that means is that they've suspended a number of train lines. They are now operating again.
However, police are going on board trains, checking for IDs. Those without any valid I.D. may be turned around at the border and not allowed to come in. The same is being done for cars and trucks on the highways, as well. All of this, Germany says, is necessary because the surge of refugees coming into the country.
What Germany wants to see is a joint asylum policy. One in which all of the EU nations have mandatory quotas in terms of the number of refugees they're going to accept. In addition to that, they want to see this sort of what they call hot spots. It's registration areas for refugees to be safely registered in humane conditions particularly in frontier countries such Italy, Greece and Hungary. They also want to see legal and safe ways for refugees to get to the countries that accept them for asylum.
[00:40:14] But all of this is being discussed in Brussels at a ministerial level. And while it's being discussed there does not seem to be any agreement so far and it seemed very unlikely that we'll get any sort of joint asylum policy anytime soon.
Atika Shubert, CNN, Munich, Germany.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: And to learn how to help in this crisis, please go to our Web site, CNN.com/impact. Really more now about what led to a Kentucky state trooper's death
after a traffic stop. Police say two women and two children were in the car with the man who murdered the trooper, Cameron Ponder, Sunday. The driver Joseph Johnson Shank apparently had a suspended license. He took off after Ponder pulled him over. Ponder was shot and killed after a chase. Officers killed Johnson Shanks a few hours later. His 18-year-old niece is charged with hindering his capture.
CHURCH: In Illinois, federal law enforcement agencies are scaling back their involvement in the search for a police officer's possible killer. At least one agency says no suspects have been named for them to find. So their resources are being deployed elsewhere.
Lieutenant Joe Gliniewicz died earlier this month after making a radio call saying he had encountered three suspicious people. Well, now the coroner says the lieutenant's death could have been a homicide accidental, even a suicide.
VAUSE: And a judge in South Carolina has denied bond for the former police officer accused of murdering an unarmed African-American man. Michael Slager's attorney argued last week he should be placed on house arrest but the prosecution says he's a danger to the community. And on Monday the judge agreed to that. In April Slager shot Walter Scott, as seen here in this video, show him in the back as Scott was running away. Slager reportedly pulled over because of a broken taillight.
A powerful message from the young news anchor whose reporter girlfriend was shot dead live on TV.
CHURCH: Chris Hurst was back behind the desk Monday night less than three weeks after the bizarre shooting in Roanoke, in Virginia. Alison Parker's cameraman was also shot in the attack. The gunman later killed himself.
VAUSE: Chris Hurst talked about what he has learned from this tragedy and how he will live differently from this point.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS HURST, BOYFRIEND OF ALISON PARKER: It's good to be back, folks. All of our families continue to grieve and cope with the loss of Adam Ward and my love Alison Parker. But in the two and a half weeks since their murder I can tell you the healing has begun. I have been away from you healing with those Alison loved the most and meeting new friends from places like Newtown and Aurora.
Through many, many tears and questions there have been laughs, smiles and answers. I know the answer to what we all must do. It is to profess love, not hate. To love one another and to love strangers.
Alison and Adam projected a love and peace into our world that can never be taken, even if they were taken from us. She and I fell in love here in the newsroom, as we fondly watched each other, cared deeply about our communities and try to make them better and safer. That's what drove her as she came into your home every morning. Don't forget their love. It will fuel us the rest of our days.
Alison's mother told me a slight adaptation to the serenity prayer that guides us.
"I will always remember to have the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. I have the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to make a difference."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:46:57] CHURCH: Al Qaeda appears to be ramping up its terror strategy against the United States. The group's leader is now calling on all Muslims to launch lone wolf attack inside the U.S.
VAUSE: This is a similar call to the one made by ISIS in the past and it's a disturbing development just ahead of the Pope's visit. Details now from Brian Todd.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Al Qaeda's elusive leader making a dramatic new threat. Ayman al-Zawahiri, who has a $25 million U.S. bounty on his head, encourages young jihadists to carry out lone wolf attacks inside America. It comes in the second part of an audio message.
AYMAN AL-ZAWAHIRI, AL QAEDA LEADER (Through Translator): I call on each Muslim who can harm the countries of the crusader coalition not to hesitate. I see we must now focus on moving the war to the heart of the homes and cities of the crusader West, and namely America.
TODD: Despite al Qaeda's history of well-planned spectacular attacks like 9/11, Zawahiri now says aspiring terrorists should emulate the actions of Boston marathon bombers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, and the Koachi brothers who attacked "Charlie Ebdo." He calls them, quote, "the brave knights of the Paris invasion." Analysts say this is part of al Qaeda's strategy in recent years. Isolated attacks that are harder to stop.
THOMAS JOSCELYN, FOUNDATION FOR DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACIES: And the fact that he's throwing his weight behind this now at this time suggests that he basically sees this as something that's more important to al Qaeda than has been in the past.
TODD: A U.S. official tells CNN the message indicates a somewhat removed leader trying to stay relevant. In the new message Zawahiri even extends an olive branch to ISIS despite calling its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's caliphate illegitimate. Zawahiri now calls on all jihadists in Iraq and Syria to fight together in the face of a common enemy.
PAUL CRUICKSHANK, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: All this has to be understood in terms of the competition that's happening globally now between al Qaeda and ISIS for recruits. Ayman al-Zawahiri is trying to restore al Qaeda to relevance, trying to restore himself to relevance. He hasn't been heard from for many months.
TODD: Zawahiri's call comes at a time of high tension, law enforcement sources tell CNN the FBI has been monitoring widespread calls on social media and chatter by suspected jihadist supporters for attacks against Pope Francis' visit to the U.S. next week. These are similar to threats seen before the July 4th holiday. While there's significant concern, sources say there's no specific threat against the papal visit. Still, Zawahiri's call, analysts say, should make Americans more concerned.
JAMES JEFFREY, WASHINGTON INSTITUTE FOR NEAR EAST POLICY: We have no way of stopping individuals who have access here in America to powerful military level firearms of simply hearing a message from Zawahiri or somebody else and they may be deranged or unbalanced, otherwise, going out and suddenly killing people. It is very, very difficult to stop that.
TODD (on camera): Where is Ayman al-Zawahiri? Analysts say he is believed to be hiding in frontier areas of Pakistan near the border with Afghanistan. Why hasn't he been successfully targeted by U.S. or allied forces? Zawahiri is said to be supported by local residents who help him to move around and elude capture and he's got a very secure communications network.
[00:50:06] Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Mexico's government says six of its citizens are unaccounted for after Egyptian security forces mistakenly attacked a tour group on Saturday.
VAUSE: These are live pictures of Egypt's Western Desert. It's a popular place for travelers. It's also where 12 people were killed mostly tourists, and 10 others were wounded. Mexico has condemned the attack and is calling for a full investigation.
A short break. But when we come back, the U.S. attorney general expects more arrests of FIFA officials and associates. And the U.S. probe a separate Swiss investigation grows bigger.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody. More charges are likely from the FIFA football scandal according to the U.S. attorney general.
CHURCH: Yes. The United States and Swiss investigators claimed new evidence has been obtained in separate investigation.
Our U.S. justice correspondent Evan Perez has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EVAN PEREZ, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: The top U.S. law enforcement official travels to Zurich, the home field of FIFA to deliver a new warning. More criminal charges are coming in the case that has already rocked the world of football. U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch personally oversaw the investigation that brought criminal charges against 14 people affiliated with FIFA.
[00:55:11] The top FIFA official, longtime president, Sepp Blatter, was not among those that was charged. But law enforcement officials tell me that he is among the FIFA officials the FBI is still actively investigating.
Now Lynch held a press conference in Zurich with her Swiss counterpart. She didn't mention any names but she said that she has more people in her sights.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LORETTA LUNCH, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: I'm grateful for the significant cooperation and substantial evidence that we have received from all corners. Based upon that cooperation and new evidence, we do anticipate pursuing additional charges against individuals and entities.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PEREZ: Now Lynch said 13 of those people charged so far have already been arrested. Three have flown back to the U.S. to face charges. And I'm told that some of those people back in the U.S. are now cooperating with the FBI investigation possibly helping to bring charges against others.
Evan Perez, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: And thanks for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Rosemary Church.
VAUSE: I'm John Vause. And I'll be back with another hour of CNN NEWSROOM after a short break. You're watching CNN. The world's news leader.
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