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Harsh New Laws for Migrants Crossing into Hungary; Suspect in Delta State Shooting Takes Own Life; California Wildfires Displace Thousands; Malcolm Turnbull Sworn in as New Australian PM; GOP Candidates Lash Out Before Debate; Clinton Criticizes Republicans as Sanders Tackles Abortion; North Korea: Ready to Use Nuclear Weapons in Response to U.S. Hostility; Utah Flash Flooding Kill Mothers, Children; New Evidence in FIFA Football Scandal; 6 Mexican Tourists Unaccounted for After Egyptian Attack. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired September 15, 2015 - 02:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:11] ERROL BARNETT, CNN ANCHOR: More countries are tightening their borders in hopes of slowing down Europe's migrant crisis.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Plus, Australia has a new leader, not long after former Prime Minister Tony Abbott is stripped of his post by his party.

BARNETT: And deadly flash floods roar across parts of the western U.S.

CHURCH: Hello, and welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

BARNETT: And I'm Errol Barnett. We'll be with you here on CNN for the next two hours. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

In about one hour from now, the escalating migrant crisis will again be front and center as European officials hold a hearing on finding solutions. This comes as Germany, Austria and Hungary tighten their borders. People are racing to make it into Germany and other Western European nations before it's too late.

CHURCH: At an emergency E.U. meeting Monday, ministers failed to reach a decision on the most crucial issue, how to distribute 160,000 needy people among 28 E.U. countries.

One European Commission official says the crisis is one that all countries need to help solve.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EUROPEAN COMMISSIONER MEMBER: We need to find a way to combine our collective responsibility before our conscience and before the law to make sure that people who deserve asylum, because they are refugees, get asylum in Europe.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BARNETT: He's taking the hardest line on the border crossings.

The prime minister of Hungary says anyone who crosses the border from Serbia illegally will be deported or jailed. The government tells us nearly 10,000 people crossed into Hungary on Monday.

CHURCH: 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 the border where people can cross into Hungary.

Our senior international correspondent is at the Hungarian border with Serbia and joins us now. Ben Wedeman joins us live now.

Ben, Hungary is beefing up the border controls. A few other European nations are as well. It's meant to be a temporary measure. But those fences we see behind you suggest the solution is a bit more permanent. What's being said and done about that?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, yesterday, we saw thousands of people crossing into Hungary from Serbia. Now, it's sealed tight shut.

Let's get a little closer. We watched as they were putting up the last strings of barbed wire onto this track, which they placed a railway car, which now blocks this line that was very much open until yesterday. But at midnight, these new laws came into effect, very harsh new laws. Now, we understand that Hungary has essentially done the same thing as much as possible along the 108 mile, or 172- kilometer border with Serbia. Now, just a little while ago -- as you can see, there's nobody apparently on the other side. But just a few minutes ago, I did see as two Syrian migrants appeared to be in their 30s were walking along this fence looking for somewhere to cross. They asked me if there's any part of this border that might be open, that they might be able to enter. As far as I know, there is not. What we've also seen here is that the Hungarian border guards have been beefed up. In fact, if we turn the camera around, we can see some of those guards who are now along the border. In fact, just to our left, there are many more cars with border policemen and women in the event somebody tries to cross here today. But at the moment, Errol, it does not appear that anybody is making much of an effort, apart from those two men I saw just about 20 minutes ago -- Errol?

BARNETT: That leads me to this question, Ben, because you wonder how concerned Hungarian officials are in the optics of all of this, to criminalize the actions of those migrants and refugees to build walls as a means of action during the -- what is the worst migration crisis since World War II. They both serve as huge deterrence. Is that all Hungary is concerned about right now?

WEDEMAN: Well, certainly there's the domestic optic and there's the international optic. Obviously, internationally, it does not look very good when they slam their borders shut like this. But domestically, there is support for a much harsher policy toward the refugees, the migrants who have been coming in here into this country by the thousands, until today. So certainly they have their international reputation to be concerned about, but domestically as they say, all politics is local. And certainly, for the Hungarian government to be seen cracking down on this influx of refugees isn't necessarily a bad thing -- Errol?

[02:05:] BARNETT: Very good point there.

Our senior international correspondent, Ben Wedeman, speaking to us live op the Hungarian side of the country's border with Serbia. Ben, thanks very much.

If you want to learn more about how you can help those tens of thousands of people who are in need during this crisis, you can head to our website CNN.com/impact.

CHURCH: We turn to the United States now. The suspect in Monday's Delta State University shooting is dead. That's apparently by his own hand. At a news conference within the past hour, police say officers saw Shannon Lamb run into the woods, then they heard a single gunshot before finding his body.

BARNETT: Lamb was the subject of a day-long manhunt after police found Professor Ethan Schmidt shot to death in his office on campus. By all accounts, Lamb, who was an instructor at Delta State, and Schmidt, were friends.

CHURCH: Police say Lamb also killed Amy Prentiss, a woman he lived with in another town, earlier on Monday.

Seven people are now dead, and six others missing, after flash flooding swept away two vehicles carrying mothers and their small children.

BARNETT: This happened Monday in the small community of Hildale, Utah. This is near the Arizona border. The fire department said it's scaling back their search for the missing right now but will be back in full force at day break.

CHURCH: At least one person has died in one of two major wildfires raging in northern California. More than 1,000 firefighters are trying to contain the so-called Valley Fire west of Sacramento.

BARNETT: Meantime, to the east, fire crews are also battling the Butte Fire. The fires have displaced thousands of people.

CNN's Dan Simon has more.

(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.

JERRY BROWN, (D), GOVERNOR OF 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 Cantrolla (ph) and her four children wondering if their house is still standing.

MELISSA CANTROLLA, EVACUEE: I just want to go home, if I have a home anymore.

SIMON (on camera): What do you think the chances are?

CANTROLLA (ph): Not good. I don't think there is anything left.

SIMON (voice-over): About 5,500 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 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. So there's concern there could be even more fatalities.

Dan Simon, CNN, Middletown, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: Concern of more potential fatalities.

We want to bring in our meteorologist, Pedram Javaheri.

You're looking at the weather conditions in California and how the topography is playing into this and it doesn't look good.

[02:09:48] PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It doesn't look good at all. Errol and Rosemary, this is something we've seen build in the last couple of years when it comes to the drought. This region of California, and in the entire state, firefighters reporting they have experienced about 16,000 more fires for this time period than this time last year. It gives you an idea of what's happening, how quickly all of all of these fires are expanding. The mountainous terrain, hilly terrain in northern California is well-known for exacerbating the problem for how the fires are expanding. At one point a rate of 30 acres per minute Saturday into Sunday. We'll take you to northern California. The scene looks something like this. You bring up the mountains. You're talking about fires burning downstream. Oftentimes people don't take this into consideration. Fires actually burn at a faster rate up hill than they do downhill. As the fire burns, it releases gas, heat and smoke. That builds heat across the surface on the hill tops that allows for preheating to take place and gases to be released and the fires really take off upstream. In 2010, we saw fires in southern California burn at a rate of 100 miles per hour moving upstream. Once they get to the top of the hills, conditions slow down a little bit, but they've already consumed the land ahead of it. You go for a closer look, we're talking 62,000 acres consumed. Twice the size of the city of San Francisco. 9,000 structured threatened by this. We have a storm system in the area by Wednesday afternoon, one-fourth of an inch. Just a few millimeters coming down, but still, areas around the Butte Fire farther to the east do not look like any sort of significant moisture in the forecast. By Wednesday, into Thursday, again, rain showers increasing across this region. As we go toward the Butte Fire, it's the thunderstorm activity that's a major concern in their forecast in the next couple of days.

Rosemary and Errol, just brought to your attention what's happening across portions of Utah. Of course, an arid landscape. We know rainfall totals, anywhere from two to four inches came down in this landscape, well-known for the buttes and mesas as well, all this terrain does little in the way of absorbing the moisture, drop two inches in a landscape like this, with a river not far away from Hildale, a town of about 2,900 people, you have the gulleys all feeding in towards the city center, this is exactly what happens when you have tremendous rainfall in a localized area, and all of the surrounding landscape, which is one of the more beautiful landscapes in the U.S., all works together to bring the water down to one central location, guys.

CHURCH: All right. Thanks so much, Pedram.

BARNETT: Thanks, Pedram.

JAVAHERI: Yeah.

CHURCH: Appreciate it.

It is the first day on the job for Australia's new prime minister.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Malcolm Turnbull took the oath of office just a short time ago, and he takes over from Tony Abbott who was ousted in a leadership challenge on Monday.

BARNETT: Abbott served two years as prime minister. He was critical today of the way the media covered his administration. But he says he will do everything he can to make the transition of power a smooth one.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY ABBOTT, FORMER AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: I am proud of what the Abbott government has achieved. We stayed focused despite conditions. Of course, the government wasn't perfect. We have been a government of men and women, not a government of gods walking upon the earth. A few of us, after all, entirely measure up to expectations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Tony Abbott there.

Let's bring in CNN Asia-Pacific editor, Andrew Stephens, live in Hong Kong.

Andrew, five prime ministers in five years. Australia will be looking for some stability going forward. Is Malcolm Turnbull the man to bring that to the country?

ANDREW STEVENS, CNN ASIA-PACIFIC EDITOR: Not a very impressive record is it, Rosemary? Hopefully, the Liberal ruling party would hope so. If you look at the general reaction in Australia, it has been quite positive to Malcolm Turnbull taking the reins of power in Australia. He will have up to the end of next year if he chooses to submit his position as the leader of the country until an election has to be called. Remember, this is a three-year election cycle. He's got a bit of time up his sleeve to really cement his position. And certainly, he's seen within the party as a more electable figure than Tony Abbott. And this, indeed, Rosemary, is why he is the new leader. The Liberal Party they wanted someone in place that they thought could win the election for them with enough time to prepare for that election. That's pretty much what happened.

Interesting, that speech from Tony Abbott. It took him a long time to publicly comment on his ouster. Compare that with Julia Gillard when she lost her position. She was very quick to congratulate her successor, Kevin Rudd. But it took 19 hours or so before Tony Abbott -- we heard from Tony Abbott. He wasn't particularly gracious about the new government. He did defend his own position. Quite critical of the media and leaks within his own government, which he thinks was -- played a large part in his demise -- Rosemary?

[02:15:16] CHURCH: Yeah. He was clearly angry, clearly emotional. Of course, it has to be remembered, he did to Malcolm Turnbull what Malcolm Turnbull did to him. We heard in the final speech of Tony Abbott saying it had been a tough day. But he would not be a wrecker unlike those who had gone before him. What lies ahead for Abbott? What's his legacy as the country's prime minister?

STEVENS: Oh, that's a very good question. He wanted to take the country to the right. His legacy would be he was tough on immigration. About the policy about turning refugees back from the Australian shores and re-housing them in islands dotted around the city, and in proper New Guinea as well. Tough on Australian immigration and Australian security. It's interesting, he's now back bencher. Yes, he said he will not snipe from the back benches. But remember, this is a party that is still divided. There's a right wing of this party. It's called a Liberal Party. The Liberal Party in Australia is regarded as the right wing. And in that party, the right wing of that party, they're not very happy with Malcolm Turnbull, because they see him a little bit too socially liberal, not conservative enough basically. So Tony Abbott could become their sort of rallying point, if you like. So they could still cause some damage to Turnbull. It depends on how much they want to stay in power, how much they see Turnbull as the man to take them to the next election, to take them to victory in the next election. And what they're prepared to do to make that happen. And if they're prepared to sort of coalesce around Malcolm Turnbull. He could still be a power in the back Benches, within the party. But at this stage he's not saying he would be.

CHURCH: Yeah. Of course, voters in Australia will be watching very closely to see what Malcolm Turnbull does in the next few months.

Many thanks to you there, Andrew Stevens, talking to you there live from Hong Kong.

STEVENS: Thanks, Rosemary.

BARNETT: Now, Donald Trump takes the stage in Dallas, Texas, less than two days before the CNN Republican presidential debate. What he had to say about his strategy, coming up.

CHURCH: A controversial U.S. clerk returns to work. Coming up, the continuing legal questions over her stand on same-sex marriages.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:21:42] BARNETT: Welcome back, everyone. We are less than 48 hours away from the next debate with the Republican candidates for the U.S. presidency. And front-runner, Donald Trump, says he knows he'll be a prime target for attacks from his rivals. But his response to that risk is, "whatever."

CHURCH: Trump spoke to a crowd of about 20,000 people in Dallas, Texas, Monday night. The billionaire real estate developer echoed some familiar themes, keeping jobs in the U.S. and keeping illegal immigrants out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & CEO, TRUMP ORGANIZATION: What I do is, I do deals. I deal. I have tremendous energy. Tremendous. To a point where it's almost ridiculous when you think about it.

(LAUGHTER)

But we need somebody with great energy, with great passion, with great deal-making skills --

(CHEERING)

TRUMP: -- and we need a closer. We need a closer. We need closers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Trump lashed out at the media for saying rivals like Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina were surging in the polls. He said he is the one setting the pace.

BARNETT: Now, Carly Fiorina is taking a swipe at Donald Trump in her latest campaign ad. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARLY FIORINA, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & FORMER CEO, HEWLETT- PACKARD: Ladies, look at this face.

(CHEERING)

FIORINA: And look at all of your faces. The face of leadership.

(CHEERING)

This is the face of the 61-year-old woman. I am proud of every year and every wrinkle.

(CHEERING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: That campaign ad is using remarks from a speech Fiorina delivered over the weekend.

CHURCH: You may recall Trump made some pretty disparaging comments about Fiorina's appearance in an interview with "Rolling Stone" magazine, saying, quote, "Look at that face. Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that? The face of our next president."

And a pretty powerful response from her there.

BARNETT: I think so.

Earlier, Ben Carson told CNN's Anderson Cooper that he hopes Wednesday's debate will focus more on the hard-hitting issues rather than candidates going after each other. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, A.C. 360: We're 48 hours now from the CNN debate. You benefited greatly from the FOX debate. You're polling a strong second. For a number of candidates, this debate may be "make or break." Do you anticipate more candidates coming after you, and also Donald Trump?

DR. BEN CARSON, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & RETIRED NEUROSURGEON: Yeah, I would imagine they probably will. Although, you know, I hope we will focus more on the issues, and what our vision is, and what the solutions are. But, you know, sometimes it's hard to resist.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: Now, you want to make sure you join us Wednesday night for the Republican presidential debate. Set your DVRs as well. This starts at 11:00 in London, midnight in Berlin. There will be fireworks for sure. If that's too late for you, the replay will take place the following night on CNN International. Look for that at 8:00 in London, 9:00 central European time. CHURCH: Meanwhile, on the Democratic side, front-runner, Hillary

Clinton, made an interesting comparison of all the Republican candidates.

BARNETT: On Monday, Clinton was speaking at a "Women for Hillary" organizing event in Iowa. She remarked there's really no difference among any of the candidates, except maybe one small feature.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[02:25:07] HILLARY CLINTON, (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: It is somewhat entertaining. Their flamboyant front-runner has grabbed a lot of the attention lately. But if you look at the policies of all of them running, they're pretty much the same. They're Trump, just without the pizzazz and the hair.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Ouch. Clinton's main Democratic rival, Bernie Sanders, tackled one of the most controversial issues of any presidential debate -- abortion.

BARNETT: On Monday morning, Sanders spoke to a crowd of nearly 12,000 people at the conservative Liberty University. Defending women and their abortion rights, saying the government shouldn't have any part of that decision.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, (I) VERMONT & DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I do believe that it is improper for the United States government, or state government to tell every woman in this country the very painful and difficult choice that she has to make on that issue. (CHEERING)

SANDERS: And I honestly -- and I don't want to be too provocative here -- but too often conservatives say, get the government out of my life. I don't want the government telling me what to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: Bernie Sanders is doing very well. The latest CNN/ORC poll shows Sanders at 27 percent, which is just ten points behind Clinton who's currently leading at 37 percent.

CHURCH: The U.S. clerk who refuses to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples is back at work. Kim Davis returned to her job in Kentucky Monday after five days in jail for defying a court order. She insists she will not issue any licenses that go against her religious beliefs.

BARNETT: While she was making these remarks outside, she left the door open for her deputies to issue licenses without her name or title on them. There are questions about whether those licenses will be legally valid.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIM DAVIS, ROWAN COUNTY CLERK: I don't want to be in the spotlight and I certainly don't want to be a whipping post. I'm no hero. I'm just a person, by the grace of God, who wants to work, be with my family. I just want to serve my neighbors quietly without violating my conscience.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: Now, this case has become a political talking point with presidential candidates Mike Huckabee you see there and Ted Cruz, both backing Davis.

CHURCH: A powerful message from the young news anchor whose reported girlfriend was shot dead on live TV. Chris Hurst was back behind the desk Monday night, less than three weeks after the horrifying shooting in Roanoke, Virginia. Alison Parker's cameraman was also shot in that attack. The gunman later killed himself.

BARNETT: Now, Chris Hurst talks about what he's lost, and what he's learned about the tragedy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS HURST, FIANCE OF ALISON PARKER: All our families cope with the loss of my love, Alison Parker. In the two and a half weeks since their murder, I can tell you that the healing has begun. I have been healing with those Allison loved the most and meeting new friends from places like Newtown and Aurora. Through 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. (END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And Hurst had been dating Alison Parker for nine months. He has called their time the best nine months of his life.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:32:08] BARNETT: This is CNN NEWSROOM. Thanks for staying with us. I'm Errol Barnett.

CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church. We do want to check the headlines for you this hour.

Hungary's prime minister said anyone who crosses the border from Serbia illegally will be deported or jailed. Troops are patrolling that border right now. The government tells us nearly 10,000 people crossed into Hungary on Monday trying to beat the new border restrictions.

BARNETT: Malcolm Turnbull is the new prime minister of Australia. He replaces Tony Abbott who served just two years as prime minister before he was ousted in a leadership challenge on Monday. Turnbull must now unite a divided party before the next election.

CHURCH: In the United States, police in Mississippi say the suspect in Monday's Delta State University shooting killed himself in the woods after a day-long manhunt. Investigators believe Shannon Lamb murdered his colleague, Ethan Schmidt, at the school. Earlier in the day, police say Lamb killed the woman he lived with in another town.

BARNETT: Flash flooding in the U.S. state of Utah has killed at least seven people, all of them mothers and small children. The water swept away their vehicles in Hildale, Utah, on the Arizona border. Six people are still missing. Fire officials have scaled back their search and will resume at daybreak.

CHURCH: North Korea says it is ready to use nuclear weapons at any time to respond to U.S. hostility. That is according to North Korean state media. The country's Atomic Energy Institute director said Pyongyang is working to improve the quality and quantity of its nuclear weapons and is fully ready to cope with U.S. hostilities.

BARNETT: Our Kathy Novak is following this story from Seoul, South Korea, and joins us live with more on these developments.

Kathy, North Korea reporting -- and this is just moments ago -- that it's also working to improve in quality and quantity its nuclear weapons. All of these are concerning statements. What do we know exactly?

KATHY NOVAK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely concerning, Errol. It's quoting, as Rosemary mentioned, the atomic energy institute in the state-run news agency. KCNA also saying their normal operations at its nuclear facilities. North Korea continues to say it develops its nuclear weapons program as a deterrent, in self-defense for what it says is the threat from the United States. This is one of two articles that have come out recently in KCNA. The other one referred to development of a new satellite, plans not specifically pointing to any date, but planning in the future to launch that satellite. All of this comes in advance of a major anniversary coming up next month, on October the 10th, when North Korea will mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of its Workers Party. And there's wide speculation there will be some kind of provocation coming from North Korea, indeed, a long-range rocket launch or a nuclear test.

I spoke to the U.S. ambassador to South Korea just a few hours ago, and here's what he said about how the U.S. is preparing for any possible test.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[02:35:22] MARK LIPPERT, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO SOUTH KOREA: We've moved, over time, a good missile defense capabilities, ground-based interceptors to Alaska, surface combatants to the Western Pacific, a battery in Hawaii, radar in Japan, in order to be ready and vigilant for anything that the North Koreans may or may not do.

NOVAK: North Korea does say a satellite launch would be for peaceful purposes. Do you believe it could be anything but a veiled test of ballistic missile technology?

LIPPERT: Well, past practice has shown that the North has consistently violated United Nations Security Council resolutions, international norms, and conducted ballistic missile launches that have brought widespread condemnation from the international community.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOVAK: And South Korea's defense ministry also says it is closely watching these developments -- Errol?

BARNETT: Kathy, you know, we never really know what is happening in Pyongyang, and what exactly the status -- how much to believe what they say essentially. How would you describe the status of the relationship between North and South Korea at this moment? Recently, the two held talks after rising tensions at the DMZ, a plan of a reunification of families. But now does the North feel, perhaps, more threatened than usual?

NOVAK: Well, it being in jeopardy is indeed the fear, Errol. It appears to be a period of tense calm right now. We did see the escalations last month with North and South Korea exchanging fire at the border. We had both North and South Korea and the United States, and the building of its preparations for any possible war, and its defenses when it came to that. And then we saw the high-level talks that were able to bring down those tensions and also plan for those family reunions that you mentioned, Errol. But with this anniversary coming up, there is a lot of speculation that there will be something coming out of North Korea, and the fear there is that if that happens, relations will hit a low again and could, indeed, put those reunions into jeopardy.

BARNETT: Kathy Novak, live for us in Seoul, South Korea, on this developing story. Kathy, thanks.

CHURCH: All right. Let's turn back now to Utah, where flash flooding has killed at least seven people, all of them mothers and small children.

I want to bring in Kevin Barlow, Hildale's assistant fire chief. He is on the phone with us now.

Thank you, sir, for talking with us. Unfortunate circumstances, of course. But talk to us about what the situation is on the ground right now.

KEVIN BARLOW, ASSISTANT FIRE CHIEF, HILDALE FIRE DEPARTMENT (voice- over): Thank you. Yes, it's after midnight here. We have crews continuing to search. We've had to scale back some because of the hazards, the extreme danger in the floodwaters, and the debris. But we're continuing to monitor all of the crossings. And we'll be ready to hit it with full staffing at daybreak.

CHURCH: And, sir, this just came out of nowhere. The problem, too, is that it is so dry on the ground there. But talk to us about these six people who are missing. What do we know about that situation?

BARLOW: Yes, it was -- it's normally a dry wash. And these two vehicles were attempting to cross this wash, realized that there was a small flood building. They backed out. But it was such a significant flash flood, that it overtook them, and washed both vehicles downstream several hundred yards. Most of the people were thrown from the vehicles. And at this point, I'll update the numbers you had. There are eight confirmed fatalities now, and five unaccounted and missing.

CHURCH: That is just heartbreaking. Eight confirmed deaths now as a result of this flash flooding. Five people still missing.

Sir, talk to us about what people should do in circumstances like this, when there are flash floods, and the short time, those indicators that come. If you're in a car, what should people be doing?

[02:40:00] BARLOW: Well, I'll quote the National Weather Service saying, "Turn around, don't drown," and that's the very best thing. And certainly, if there's a potential for flash flooding, stay on high ground. Stay back from the flood channels. And never attempt to cross in a vehicle.

CHURCH: Talking there with assistant fire chief, Kevin Barlow, in Hildale, Utah. He just updated us on the heartbreaking figures. Eight people confirmed dead at this time, and five still missing.

BARLOW: Thank you so much. You bet.

CHURCH: Thank you, sir.

BARNETT: Still to come here on CNN NEWSROOM, a strong warning from the U.S. and Swiss attorney generals more are likely in the FIFA corruption probe. We'll bring you that story after this short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. U.S. and Swiss investigators held a joint news conference on Monday claiming new evidence has been obtained in separate investigations into the FIFA football scandal.

BARNETT: And according to the U.S. attorney general, it's likely more charges could be coming.

Alex Thomas reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEX THOMAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The symbolism was more powerful than any of the statements. The attorney general of the United States, FIFA's backyard, four months after the dawn raids and arrests that overshadowed May's presidential election. It was a chain of events that ultimately led to Sepp Blatter announcing he will stand down, although Blatter denies all wrong doing and hasn't been charged with anything. And neither Loretta Lynch, nor her Swiss counterpart, Michael Lauber, mentioned FIFA's president by name, except in a passing response to a question about Blatter's travel plans. The pair did update us though on their parallel investigations into football corruption and promised more charges and arrests would come.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL LAUBER, SWISS ATTORNEY GENERAL: House searches have been conducted in the Western part of Switzerland, and further evidence has been collected. Where proportional and needed financial assets have been seized, including real estate, for example, flats in the Swiss Alps. As of today, 121 different bank accounts have been brought to the attention of our task force by the Swiss Financial Intelligence Unit. Banks in Switzerland are fulfilling their duties of the law by filing suspicious transaction reports.

LORETTA LYNCH, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: To anyone who seeks to live in the past, and to return soccer to the days of corruption and bribery, cronyism and patronage, this global response sends a clear message, you are on the wrong side of progress, and you do a disservice to the integrity of this wonderful sport.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

THOMAS: Of the two, it was Switzerland's attorney general who gave us more details, talking about the obstacles facing his task force, saying that they've been denied access to certain sealed documents, or they wouldn't elaborate, and mentioning the 11 terabytes of data of the 121 suspicious bank accounts reported to them. But as to the key question of who might next be arrested and when, we were given no precise timeline.

Alex Thomas, CNN, Zurich, Switzerland.

(END VIDEOTAPE) CHURCH: New satellite images appear showing China building a third airstrip in disputed waters in the South China Sea. A U.S. expert says China has reclaimed a rectangle of land about 3,000 meters in length.

BARNETT: There are numerous territorial claims on several island chains in the waters. China's claims are expected to be a major issue in talks between Presidents Barack Obama and Xi Jinping next week.

CHURCH: Mexico's foreign minister said six of its citizens are unaccounted for after an Egyptian attack on tourists. 12 people were killed when Egyptian security forces fired on them in the Western desert.

BARNETT: The minister said two Mexicans died and six others are hospitalized. But 14 Mexicans were on the list for the tour, so it's not adding up.

Ian Lee reports, there are conflicting accounts on whether the tour group was properly licensed for this trip.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: While in the middle of a campaign targeting militants, Egyptian air strikes mistakenly attacked a convoy of Mexican tourists in Egypt's western desert, according to survivors. No warning was given before bombs rained down.

CLAUDIA RUIZ MASSIEU, MEXICAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translation): Ambassador Alvarez Fuentes personally interviewed six Mexicans in the hospital who told him separately that it had been an air attack with bombs and helicopters. They had been evacuated by civilian and military vehicles and were then transferred by ambulance to the hospital.

LEE: There have been conflicting narratives. Egyptian officials saying this is a case of mistaken identity, claiming the country's security forces were conducting an operation against militants and smugglers when the attack occurred. Egypt's minister of tourism added the group didn't have permits and wandered into a restricted area. That's being refuted by family members, colleagues, and the tourism guide's union, which stated they did have permits, and even coordinated their movements with authorities.

Mexico's president wants answers, saying, "Mexico condemns these acts against our citizens and has demanded that the Egyptian government conduct an exhaustive investigation of what happened."

Until then, the truth will remain in the desert.

Ian Lee, CNN, Cairo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: We'll have more of the world's biggest stories for you after this short break. Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[02:50:28] PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORTS ANCHOR: Hi, there. Thanks for joining us. I'm Patrick Snell, with your "CNN World Sport" update.

We start in Switzerland where the U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch warned more charges are possible. This as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged corruption at the highest level of world futbol.

Meantime, on the field of play, English Premiere League where champions Chelsea had more than a keen eye on the West Town New Castle on Monday. The amateur attempt to win a first point at home this season. Well, big smiles in that part of east London. The home team wins it, 2-0, to move to fifth place. The Magpies were utterly toothless. The Frenchman got the first goal of the game thanks to a stylish finish. But he wasn't done there. He gets the second 2-0, West Ham. The result, Chelsea stays out of the bottom four.

And the European Champions League is back featuring max day one. And we see the Italian champ from last year's final Juventus (ph) facing perennial tournament underachievers Manchester City Tuesday for whom star striker, the Argentine, Sergio Guerrero, is out due to an injury. The citizens may have had a great start for a new Premier campaign with fives wins for five, but despite spending untold millions, they never progressed beyond the last 16. That's something they desperately want to put right.

Thanks for joining us. That's your bang up to date. That's your "CNN World Sport" headlines. I'm Patrick Snell.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, the world of politics and entertainment have again intertwined, with Arnold Schwarzenegger now set to replace Donald Trump on the reality TV program the "Celebrity Apprentice." The 68-year-old action movie star served two terms as governor of California, and instead of saying, "You're fired," perhaps it will be "Hasta la vista, baby."

BARNETT: "Celebrity Apprentice" has been on hold since Donald Trump has been in the race for the White House. Schwarzenegger is expected to debut as host next September.

That will be interesting.

CHURCH: Yes, we'll have to tune in.

BARNETT: Whitney Houston is gone, but the singer is far from forgotten. Her hologram will go on a concert tour next year.

CHURCH: And as our Jeanne Moos reports, the special effect may soon extend to the political arena as well.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The next time Whitney Houston opens her mouth on stage --

(SINGING)

MOOS: -- she may be a hologram on a world tour. And she may not be the only celeb making America holographic again. Remember the Mike Jackson hologram --

(SINGING)

MOOS: -- at last year's Billboard Awards? Or the Tupac hologram --

(SINGING)

MOOS: -- from the Coachella Music Festival?

Now it's Whitney's turn to return to the stage.

ALKI DAVID, CEO, HOLOGRAM USA: At the center of it is going to be holographic presentation of Whitney in her very famous outfits, her famous songs, interacting.

MOOS: The CEO of Hologram USA says Whitney will look real enough to almost touch.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We should let her rest in peace.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Creepy.

DAVID: It's not creepy. It's entertainment. It's fantastic entertainment.

MOOS: Whitney Houston's estate, led by her sister-in-law, Pat, gave the hologram tour its blessing.

(on camera): But you don't have to be dead to be turned into a hologram.

(voice-over): Here at CNN, we've had our share from an election night correspondent --

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: We beamed you in.

MOOS: -- to the performer, Will. I. Am.

WILL. I. AM., RAPPER: I'm being beamed to you like in "Star Wars."

[02:55:02] MOOS: Now who else could you turn into a hologram who might even trump Whitney Houston?

DAVID: We are in talks with a very -- a very likely candidate for the presidency. (CROSSTALK)

MOOS (on camera): Oh, my god. You're going to project Donald Trump all over the place?

DAVID: I never said that. I never said that.

(CROSSTALK)

MOOS: You are. You're going to project Donald Trump.

DAVID: I never, never, ever said that. I never said that.

(CROSSTALK)

MOOS: Who else would allow themselves to do that?

(voice-over): If a deal is signed, they would use a technique called tele-presence to project a candidate live to multiple locations.

DAVID: Donald, I never said a word.

MOOS: Asked if Trump is interested, a campaign spokeswoman said no. But it sure would be fun to see a reality star turned -- virtual reality?

Jeanne Moos, CNN --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Donald Trump is a hologram.

MOOS: -- New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(LAUGHTER)

CHURCH: I have a feeling he would be interested.

BARNETT: Of course, any place to show up.

CHURCH: Yeah.

BARNETT: I don't think there's a camera or technology he doesn't like.

CHURCH: He could spread himself around.

BARNETT: The celebrities that go to concerts of a hologram, is that really worth it?

(CROSSTALK)

CHURCH: I find them pretty cool. But maybe they need to be used in a different way.

BARNETT: Yeah. CHURCH: But you have been watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Rosemary Church.

BARNETT: And I'm Errol Barnett.

The fun does not end here. We're back with another hour of the world's biggest stories after this short break. Stay with us here on CNN.

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