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First U.S. Visit for Pope Francis; Chinese President Gives Wide-Ranging Speech to Business Leaders; North Korea Gives Rare Look at Satellite Center; Hundreds of Thousands Seek Asylum in Europe; Iran Stages Massive Military Parade; Pharmaceutical Company Lowering Price of AIDS Drug; Ron Rutland Bikes Over 26,000 Miles; Aired 12-1:00a ET

Aired September 23, 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] ERROL BARNETT, CNN ANCHOR: For the first time ever, Pope Francis has set foot on U.S. soil. But it's his car that everyone is talking about.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Plus, Chinese President Xi Jinping defends his country's response to its volatile stock market.

BARNETT: And later the cost of one prescription drug skyrocketed from $13 to $750, how public pressure is forcing that price back down.

CHURCH: Hello, everyone. And welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

BARNETT: And I'm Errol Barnett. We're with you here for the next four hours. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

All right. Pope Francis, the leader of the world's more than one billion Catholics, is in the United States for six-day visit. An unprecedented welcome for a foreign dignitary, President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and their families there greeted the pontiff who arrived from Cuba on Tuesday at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.

CHURCH: And we saw lots of smiles there. Pope Francis is the fourth head of the Catholic Church to visit the U.S. During his trip, he will visit Washington, New York and Philadelphia.

CNN's Rosa Flores previews his busy agenda in the coming hours.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Pope Francis waking up in America for the very first time. This is actually his first trip to the USA after a short stint in Cuba.

Now he starts off at the White House for a welcome ceremony. He's going to meet the president and also the first lady. Now after that, he meets with bishops and then he comes here to the Basilica that you see behind me. And you can see some of the preparations going on. Well, what's going to happen here is the canonization ceremony of the Junipero Serra. Now he's the first Hispanic-American saint to be canonized here in the U.S. There's also actually been some controversy about the canonization of Serra. But what about the much anticipated speech before U.S. Congress? I'm

flying with Pope Francis on the papal plane. And on the plane, while we were in flight from Cuba to D.C., he actually had a press conference and we asked him about it. He said that the embargo is not going to be talked about. That he already wrote his speech but he didn't want to give us all of the details, although he did say that he would mention bilateral and multi-lateral agreement and how that is a sign of co-existence.

As to what else he's going to say? Well, we're going to have to wait until Thursday.

Rosa Flores, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: CNN religion commentator Father Edward Beck joins me now from New York to talk about this historic visit.

Father Beck, thank you for your time. This is an exciting time for Catholics in the U.S. Pope Francis has made waves since becoming head of the church, primarily for bringing attention to issues like the treatment of the poor, what to do with divorced Catholics, the pursuit of money and so on. Yet he said at a press conference recently that he's no liberal, he just promotes a social doctrine. What does he mean by that?

FATHER EDWARD BECK, CNN RELIGION COMMENTATOR: Well, I think what he means, Errol, is he doesn't wade into partisan politics. He doesn't look at something a liberal agenda, a conservative agenda. Is it a human rights agenda? Is it a gospel agenda? And that's what he's going to align himself with.

So I don't think he wants to be put into a category because if you look at the various categories, liberals like certain things, conservatives like certain things, and both don't like certain things. So you can't really categorize him in those kind of terms. And I think that's what he's really saying.

BARNETT: Now this Pope is also quite frugal when he arrived at the official residence in the states. He pulled up in a Fiat 500-L. This is a car that goes for about $20,000, foregoing the luxurious limousines. This is something he does back at the Vatican as well. What is the message that you think he's trying to portray with that kind of frugality?

BECK: Well, of course, Errol, it's a symbolic message. He could obviously have a limousine pull up. I'm sure Washington wanted to offer it, or probably did want to offer it but the Vatican and Pope said no because the point is he is a man of the people. He is preaching solidarity with the poor, with the person on the periphery. So why should you be riding around in a luxurious vehicle when most of the world cannot do that?

So once again, he is trying to walk the talk. He is saying that we don't need all of this consumption. We don't need all of this excess. That greed and excessive capitalism is the dung of the devil. So therefore he's having his simple Fiat to continue to drive home that point.

[00:05:05] BARNETT: Now I know you are in New York. So I might already know the answer to this. But what kind of car do you drive?

(LAUGHTER)

BECK: Well, actually I drive a little Jeep Renegade.

BARNETT: OK.

BECK: Which is I think the smallest of the Jeeps and I think the Pope is going to be riding around in a Jeep, as well. I think he's going to use a Wrangler here, an open air Wrangler. But I guess Jeeps are getting a lot of play right now and that's the one that I ride in.

BARNETT: Walking the talk or I guess I should say driving it.

CNN religion commentator, Father Edward Beck, thanks for your time today.

BECK: Thank you, Errol.

CHURCH: And on the first day of his U.S. visit, China's president addressed a wide range of issues that have strained relations with Washington. Xi Jinping spoke to about 650 business leaders in Seattle Tuesday touching on cybercrime, human rights and trade.

BARNETT: He also defended his government's response to Beijing's stock market crash. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

XI JINPING, CHINESE PRESIDENT (Through Translator): Stock prices fluctuate in accordance with their inherent laws and it is the beauty of the government to reassure an open, fair, and a just market order and prevent massive panic from happening. This time, the Chinese government took steps to stabilize the market and contain panic in the stock market and, thus, avoided a systematic risk.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: But there is a little bit of panic out there shortly after Mr. Xi's speech. China's factory sector delivered an unwelcome surprise. Their Purchasing Managers Index or PMI measures of manufacturing activity fell to a six-year low in September. That raises fears of a sharper slow down. And in fact we can take a live look here on your screens at market numbers in the region.

And you see there's red throughout essentially, all of the indices, the Nikkei, the Shanghai Composite, Hong Kong's Hang Seng and the Australia S&P ASX 200 are all pulling back at least 2 percentage points. In fact Hong Kong's Hang Seng pulling back almost 3 percentage points right now.

CHURCH: And let's take a closer look at those numbers. CNN producer Steven Jiang joins us now from Beijing.

So, Steven, this falling manufacturing activity in China couldn't come at a worse time for China's president as he starts the second day of his U.S. trip. How does this fit with what he was telling the United States about China's approach to its economic problems and are those numbers we just saw from Asia markets, are they linked specifically to those manufacturing numbers?

STEVEN JIANG, CNN PRODUCER: Well, Rosemary, these numbers really a sign of the slowdown of the economy. But in his speech, President Xi reassured his American audience as well as the rest of the world that the Chinese economy, despite a recent slowdown and setbacks is still going strong. And he says the economy will actually grow at a relatively fast pace in the foreseeable future, including reaching its annual GDP target of 7 percent this year.

The way he put it is this is an economy in transition. Going from manufacturing and export driven model to a consumption and innovation driven model. And that takes time to complete. But the transition is definitely moving in the right direction. And Mr. Xi further pointed out that despite the recent challenges, his government is determined to carry out its comprehensive economic reforms, including letting the market play a more decisive role in the overall economy -- Rosemary.

CHURCH: And, Steven, how is Mr. Xi's wide-ranging policy speech playing there back in China? And what's been the reaction overall to his visit to the United States?

JIANG: Well, Rosemary, the speech was carried live on state television so a lot of people did watch it. And judging from some of the online reactions, people especially like the part when he explained China's reason for continued its massive anti-corruption campaign. He even cited the popular U.S. television program "House of Cards" saying he is continuing this anti-corruption campaign not because of politics but because of a sincere desire to rid the government -- the Communist Party of corruption.

So this is quite well-received. But also remember, this is his first state visit. So symbolism is really above anything else, probably even more than substance. So that's why he is going to get the full package when he heads east to Washington, D.C., getting 21-gun salutes, getting a joint press conference with Mr. Obama in the Rose Garden, as well as a black tie state dinner. And that is, in a way, more important for the domestic audience and that's why expectations are relatively low in terms of major deals or concrete agreements out of this trip.

[00:10:02] But the propaganda officials here are definitely pulling all the stops to ensure his visit is being covered as a major historical visit to the United States -- Rosemary.

CHURCH: And still a lot to come, as you point out on this very significant trip. We will continue to follow it as will you.

Talking there live with our Steven Jiang from Beijing. Many thanks. BARNETT: Now President Xi's visit comes with word of what the

Pentagon calls an unsafe maneuver by a Chinese military jet. A spokesman says a U.S. aircraft was flying above the Yellow Sea about 128 kilometers east of the Shandong Peninsula last Tuesday when a Chinese jet passed in front of it.

CHURCH: Now there was no indication of a near collision, but the report said the plane was operating in an unsafe fashion. The incident is under review at this time.

Donald Trump is facing more questions over why he didn't correct a man at a rally who called U.S. President Barack Obama a Muslim.

BARNETT: In an interview on "60 Minutes" the Republican presidential candidate pointed to the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. Here's a piece of that interview with CBS correspondent Scott Pelley.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT PELLEY, CBS CORRESPONDENT: We were with you in New Hampshire when that man stood up.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Yes.

PELLEY: And said we have a problem in this country and it's Muslims. You let that pass. And I wonder what that tells us about you.

TRUMP: Well, I said much more than that. That was part of the statement. He then went on to say other things.

PELLEY: But the bigotry part.

TRUMP: Look, he said mostly about Obama. That whole question is about -- I don't have to defend President Obama. He's not going to defend me. So whether you agree with the man or don't agree, and there were people in the audience as you probably noticed that did agree with him.

PELLEY: It was a testing moment for a man running for president.

TRUMP: I don't think so.

PELLEY: You never know when they're coming.

TRUMP: I don't think so.

PELLEY: But here you have a bigot --

TRUMP: That wasn't a testing moment.

PELLEY: That you could have slapped down.

TRUMP: Well, you don't know that. You don't know that. I mean, he asked the question. You don't know that he was a bigot.

PELLEY: A problem in this country is Muslims? TRUMP: Well, let me ask you this. So you said there is a problem in

this country and it's Muslims. All right. I love the Muslims. I have many, many friends, people living in this building, Muslims. They're phenomenal people. But like everything else, you have people where there are problems. Now we can say there are no problems with the Muslims, there's no problem, there is no terrorism, there is no crimes, there is no anything. They didn't knock down the World Trade Center. To the best of my knowledge, the people that knocked down the World Trade Center, you know where they -- they didn't fly back to Sweden.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: There you go. He is not budging an inch on that point. We should make the point as well that in an interview with CNN, Trump said there is a problem in the U.S. with radical Muslims.

CHURCH: Yes.

An exclusive look inside North Korea's satellite control center. Kim Jong-Un says he hopes it will make his country a major player in space exploration. Is it a decoy for something more?

That's coming your way in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:15:26] PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri. It's the day of the year where for most of the world the daylight end and nighttime about the same, 12 hours across the board. And here we go with the temperatures in Chicago, a shy down about 26 degrees, will go with mostly sunny skies.

Atlanta makes it up to the upper 20s, a couple of notches warmer down in Miami, while beautiful day across San Francisco. We have the June gloom and also the July foggy conditions that are typically set up in place. But this time of the year, we have pretty nice weather setting up over that region as we remain dry. But notice the southwest, still getting in our remnants of a tropical depression that brought in some heavy rainfalls towards areas of southern Arizona.

So the east, we do have a storm system parked off the Eastern Seaboard, plenty of rainfall from Wilmington, especially in and around Charleston, South Carolina. That's where I want you to notice. Right there on Southern Florida, that's where some of the heaviest rainfall is expected as the storm system continues to surge moisture into the region. And take a look at this. The models bringing upwards of perhaps 100 to 150 millimeters around the Florida key points, northward, precisely where you want to see some rainfall, where the moderate to severe drought has been in placed in the recent days.

And the warm weather -- the unusual warm weather continues across the Midwestern and northern tier at the U.S. there for this time of year. And we continue with the temps into the 20s there. Work your way to the top, Belize City should be around 31, Guatemala City with 22.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BARNETT: Welcome back. North Korea is giving CNN an exclusive look at the outside of its new satellite control center.

CHURCH: That is where the North scientists say they are working tirelessly to fulfill leader Kim Jong-Un's plan to make the country a space super power.

Will Ripley reports from Pyongyang.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): We're at North Korea's Satellite Control Center. This is a facility that the government tells us no foreign media has ever been allowed to visit before.

(Voice-over): Sitting in a residential neighborhood, there's little visible security for a facility said by some to be at the heart of North Korea's ballistic missile program.

The Satellite Control Center's director says his team of 300 is working nonstop to meet an ambitious goal set by Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un, who visited the facility in May, to make North Korea a space super power. A team of mostly young researchers handpicked from top universities.

(On camera): How much pressure are you under to succeed here?

(Voice-over): "We young scientists are working full steam," he says. "Day and night, with no rest especially these days."

North Korea claims to be on the verge of what they call a national triumph, launching rockets and multiple satellites into space, the first since this launch in 2012. They say their launch and satellite technology is improving all the time, but insist their purpose is peaceful.

"Our launch is no threat to the U.S.," says this 21-year-old researcher.

A claim disputed by some international observers who say a rocket large enough to carry a satellite could also carry a nuclear warhead.

(On camera): What can you say to the world to prove that this is not a ballistic missile program in disguise?

(Voice-over): "Why on earth would we have any intention of trying to drop nuclear bombs on the people of the world, including the United States," says the director of Scientific Research and Development.

But just this month, North Korea's own state media said it's fully ready to use nuclear weapons at any time, triggering a harsh warning from Washington.

North Korea is already under severe sanctions for its nuclear program, but the cash-strapped country continues investing heavily in its space agency even as the nation faces food and electricity shortages.

(On camera): Could you take us inside?

(Voice-over): "While no question is off limits, the control center itself is."

"I'd love to take you inside," the director says, "but if that happens and we hear the same old stereotypes, foolish Western media propaganda, our young scientists will be angry."

"Our peaceful launch was not a threat to you yesterday," he says. "It's not a threat today and it won't be a threat tomorrow."

[00:20:00] (On camera): Behind these closed doors, the work continues at a fever pitch and the scientists here say they'd love to take the world inside, but only when the world stops considering them a threat.

Will Ripley, CNN, Pyongyang, North Korea.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Eurozone leaders will meet in Brussels today to try to finalize a quota plan for resettling migrants and refugees. On Tuesday, Interior ministers approved a system to relocate 120,000 people seeking asylum in Central Europe.

BARNETT: And a number of nations are very unhappy about this. Romania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, they all oppose the quotas. A source tells CNN all EU countries would be obligated to take in refugees.

Now while Europe tries to find a solution to this crisis, thousands more migrants are flocking to the continent.

CHURCH: Croatian officials say more than 2,000 migrants entered the country in 12 hours Tuesday.

CNN's Ben Wedeman reports from the country's border with Hungary.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The fences are going up in what was not long ago a borderless Europe. Fast becoming fortress Europe.

On the Hungarian-Croatian border, Hungarian combat troops with assault rifles watch as refugees and migrants file across the border. For Khaled, an architecture student from Baghdad University, twice kidnapped, Europe is everything Iraq isn't.

Why did he leave his homeland? "Why?" he responds. "Here there's no suffering. It's safe. You have rights and everything is provided for."

"In Iraq, we don't just have terrorism," says Mohammad from Baghdad, who hopes to go to Finland. "The economy is bad. Young people have no opportunities, no jobs. You don't know if you have a future in Iraq."

At the border, everyone, including little children, is frisked, bags searched. They will most likely be put on a train and sent to the Austrian border. Hungary is allowing them to transit the country, but isn't welcoming them to stay.

(On camera): Hungary continues to take a hard line in this crisis, granting, for example, the army the right to use non-lethal force against refugees and migrants if necessary. Nonetheless, the gates to Hungary remain open and the migrants and refugees continue to pass through.

(Voice-over): And while European officials grapple with the crisis, thousands more are on the way. Allah, a deserter from the Syrian Army, doesn't want to show his face to protect his family back in Damascus. He's been in Turkey for the last two years.

"No one is left in Turkey," he tells me. "Everyone has left," I ask. "Everyone who's trying to have a better life is leaving."

Leaving toward a deeply divided Europe so many believe is their salvation.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, on the Croatian-Hungarian border.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Pop singer and U.N. goodwill ambassador Shakira is speaking out about the migrant crisis.

BARNETT: She was in New York Tuesday for an event with the United Nations Children's Fund. And she surged global leaders to do more to help refugees.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHAKIRA, UNICEF GOODWILL AMBASSADOR: It is, without a doubt, one of the greatest humanitarian crisis of our time. And the image of that little boy washed up on the shore is a tragic one and one that we shouldn't ignore and shouldn't forget. And it should humanize the plight of the refugees because children should not pay the price of war and because all of us have a responsibility today. And we cannot escape it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Shakira is also calling for more investment in early childhood development and education.

BARNETT: Now to another big story we're following for you. Iran is putting its military might on display, following the recent nuclear deal with the West. A huge parade kicked off the commemoration of the Iran-Iraq War of the 1990s.

CHURCH: Fred Pleitgen was able to talk with some of Iran's top military leaders and he got some pretty blunt answers. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): A massive show of force as Iran kicks off its sacred defense week under the eyes of President Hassan Rouhani. Rouhani praised the army for its efforts fighting ISIS, while top commanders laughed off any notion of cooperation with the U.S. in the battle against the extremists.

[00:25:05] "You must be dreaming," the military's chief of staff tells me. "The Americans are the ones who created ISIS. American officials are hypocritical in two ways. They lie in politics and they lie in security."

"The Americans have a totally different nature than us," this top Revolutionary Guard commander says. "And these differences will never allow us to cooperate, even if we have common interests."

While Hassan Rouhani said the military would become even stronger after the recent nuclear agreement, some top commanders have been highly critical of his talks with the West and the deal.

(On camera): The Sacred Defense Week commemorates the beginning of the Iran-Iraq War in 1980, but this year it has special significance, because many in Iran's military leadership fear that the country could be weakened because of the nuclear agreement.

(Voice-over): Iran's military faces sanctions that prevent the country from acquiring a lot of sophisticated equipment. The generals wanted those restrictions lifted with the nuclear agreement, but most of them will initially remain in place. The commander of the besiege militia tells me he's generally wary of the deal.

"I think the Americans have built tricks into the deal to deceive us," he says. "We have to be very careful. We can't fall into their trap."

The head of Iran's ground forces is more positive. "It took some trust to sign the nuclear agreement in the first place," he says. "But the trust building needs to continue and the Americans should really change their threatening language."

As Iran celebrates the martyrs of past wars and the military's current strength, some of its leaders are concerned about the future of the force as the country embarks on a new phase in relations with the West.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Tehran.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: A pharmaceutical CEO is defending himself against major public backlash after he drastically raised the price of a drug for AIDS and cancer patients.

That story next on CNN NEWSROOM. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:30:44] BARNETT: Welcome back to our viewers watching from around the world. I'm Errol Barnett.

CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church. It is of course time to update on the main stories we have been following this hour.

Chinese President Xi Jinping addressed a broad range of issues in a speech to U.S. business leaders on Tuesday. He said China's stock market has recovered after a period of severe volatility. And he said he's ready to cooperate with the U.S. in battling cybercrimes.

BARNETT: Markets in the Asia-Pacific region are following today after China's manufacturing sector hit a 6 and a half year low in September. We're taking a live look at the numbers right now. You see all the major indices are pulling back roughly two percentage points from Hong Kong's Hang Seng falling back the most at 3 percent.

CHURCH: Pope Francis is in the United States for a six-day, three- city visit. President Obama and his family greeted the pontiff when he arrived Tuesday. Mr. Obama will officially welcome the Pope at a White House ceremony later today. He'll then parade through Washington in his Popemobile.

BARNETT: Volkswagen CEO is apologizing for deceiving consumers after admitting the company rigged its cars to fool emissions tests. The carmaker installed software that activated pollution controls only when the cars are being tested. The company now says 11 million of its clean diesel cars contain that software.

Now a U.S. drug company that drastically hiked the price of a treatment for AIDS and cancer patients is now switching gears. Assuring it had raised the price from $13.50 to $750 a pill.

CHURCH: Unbelievable.

BARNETT: And of course that caused a lot of outrage.

CHURCH: Crazy hike there. But now the company's CEO says the drug has been lowered to a more affordable price.

CNN's Jason Carroll has more on the CEO behind all these changes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He's brash, a multimillionaire, and taking a lot of heat for that decision to raise the price of a drug to treat cancer and AIDS patients more than 5,000 percent. Now Turing Pharmaceuticals CEO and founder, Martin Shkreli, is backing down.

MARTIN SHKRELI, CEO & FOUNDER, TURING PHARMACEUTICALS: We've agreed to lower the price of Daraprim to a point that is more affordable and is able to allow the company to make a profit, but a very small profit, and we think these changes will be welcomed. CARROLL: The drug in question is called Daraprim. It's used to treat

a potentially deadly parasitic infection which can affect people with compromised immune systems. It used to cost $13.50 per pill. Turing changed the cost to a whopping $750 per pill. Democratic presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, blasted the rate hike this afternoon.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That's price gouging, pure and simple.

CARROLL: The Infectious Diseases Society of American and the HIV Medicine Association sent a joint letter to Shkreli calling the increase "unjustifiable for the medically vulnerable patient population." In a previous interview with CBS News, Shkreli called the increase an altruistic move that would have helped fund research.

SHKRELI: With these new profits, we can spend all of that upside on these patients who sorely need a new drug, in my opinion.

CARROLL: The 32-year-old, not new to controversy. In 2013, while serving as CEO of the biopharmaceutical company, Retrophin, he allegedly harassed an employee, writing in a letter shown in this court document, "I hope to see you and your four children homeless and will do whatever I can to assure this."

Last month, Retrophin sued him for $65 million saying Shkreli used his control over Retrophin to enrich himself. Shkreli called the allegations baseless, then went to Twitter quoting a hip-hop group, Wu-Tang Clan posting, "I am not the one to (EXPLETIVE DELETED) with."

NOAH BOOKBINDER, SPOKESMAN, CITIZENS FOR RESPONSIBILITY AND ETHICS: It's hard to believe that someone could be so driven by greed.

CARROLL: The spokesman for an organization called the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington has been critical of Shkreli for years.

BOOKBINDER: I'm not surprised by it. I mean, he's somebody who seems to be willing to play fast and loose with the rules, take advantage of the system, and is really driven by his own profit over everything else.

CARROLL: Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[00:35:02] CHURCH: U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump just appeared on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert."

BARNETT: That's right. This is in the past half an hour or so. The presidential frontrunner has in the past supported claims that President Barack Obama was not born in the U.S. Colbert asked Trump his thoughts on that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, "THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT": I'm going to throw you a big, fat, meatball for you to hit out of the park right now.

TRUMP: OK. I like that.

COLBERT: OK.

TRUMP: Good.

COLBERT: This is the last time you ever have to address this question if you hit the ball. OK.

TRUMP: Go ahead.

COLBERT: There's like sauce all over my hands, this meatball ball is so big.

TRUMP: I want to hear this one.

COLBERT: Barack Obama, born in the United States?

TRUMP: Let me just --

COLBERT: Was he?

TRUMP: I --

COLBERT: Take the meatball.

TRUMP: I know.

COLBERT: It's hanging out there. Right there. Come on.

TRUMP: I don't -- I don't talk about it anymore.

COLBERT: You don't talk about it?

TRUMP: I talk about jobs. I talk about our veterans being horribly treated. I just don't discuss it anymore.

COLBERT: You know, that meatball is now being dragged down the steps of the subway by a rat.

TRUMP: I know. I know. But I don't --

(LAUGHTER)

COLBERT: You missed the meatball.

TRUMP: I saw that rat.

COLBERT: You missed the meatball. You missed the meatball.

TRUMP: Yes. I talk about jobs. I'm talking about the vets who are treated like third class citizens. They're treated worse than the illegals. I mean, the vets of this country are so mistreated terribly. I'm talking about the military building. Those are the things I'm talking about. I'm not talking about that. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: There you go. Donald Trump dodging the meatball.

CHURCH: Yes. The meatball is gone.

BARNETT: We will have more on this coming up in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM. Stay with us for that.

CHURCH: Let's take a very short break here but still to come help is coming for people affected by a deadly U.S. wildfire. The declaration the U.S. president has made for victims as flames rip through hundreds of acres. We are back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BARNETT: U.S. President Barack Obama has declared a major disaster in the state of California. This is in the wake of devastating wildfires there.

CHURCH: Yes. Mr. Obama has ordered federal aid for individuals and business owners affected by the Valley Fire in Lake County.

[00:40:07] Now this means funding for temporary housing, home repairs, loans and more. Residents and business owners can start applying for help on Wednesday.

BARNETT: And we know that California has been dealing with a massive drought. There's some new images from NASA showing that all over the U.S. there are drought issues.

Our meteorologist Pedram Javaheri joins us with more on that. What's the scene? What's the picture?

JAVAHERI: Guys, you know, there's a satellite that was sent up back in 2002, and it's actually able to from space look down and see the gravitational anomalies on earth. So you can actually see how water is displaced even from space for this particular satellite. Here's what it looks like. It's called the GRACE satellite, Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment. And again, we're talking about over 30,000 kilometers above the earth's surface and this particular satellite incredible to think what it's capable of doing.

And the data it's releasing along with ground observations, showing you the surface soil moisture. So we're talking just two centimeters beneath the earth's surface there. You can see well below average anomalies as far as the moisture content and the surface across the northwest. Of course across (INAUDIBLE) central and southern California, southwestern California.

Notice portions of Arizona where we have some blues above average. A lot of this has to do with the monsoon season that's in place right now. So we're getting some moisture there. But compare this with the aquifers and also just some of the reservoirs and look at the same areas in Arizona and California that had some blues. They're deep red. So for that water of course to make its way down towards the aquifers into the groundwater supply it takes a long time. So this has become a major problem. A pretty expansive area of the United States dealing with very little water to go just beneath the surface.

I want to show you something. This is the false color imagery of the Valley Fire across Central California. Areas indicated in red, those are all areas that have been charred over 30,000 hectares or twice the size of the city of San Francisco. Notice the towns of Anderson Springs, Harden Springs, Middletown, all of these areas getting major structural damage because of how close the fire has gotten to the land masses across this region.

But the Valley Fire now nearly 2,000 structures burned down across this region. Again, this is putting it in the top five in California state history when it comes to destructive fires to property and to structures. So impressive to see all of that take place.

I want to show you what's happening this morning across Europe. We have a potent storm system cruising right on in as we sit just a couple of hours away from the official beginning of autumn. And look at this. The models paint upwards of 60 to 90 centimeters of snowfall across the higher elevations and some severe weather to tell you about as well. Over the past couple of days, seven tornados or water spouts. Several of them across the Benelux region, another four or so coming down across the Greek isles. So very active weather pattern across much of Europe in recent days.

And also checking in on some of the wettest locations on earth. Lahore, Pakistan one of them, getting upwards of 150 to 200 millimeters. It is the tail end of the monsoon season across this region and heavy rainfall continuing to come down out across portions of northern Pakistan. And typically the withdrawal of the monsoon begins in the beginning of -- September and works its way towards the south. So weather pattern there across India with the monsoons finally retreating but of course the rains are something we're looking to in California. And they're not coming down in abundance right now.

CHURCH: Yes.

BARNETT: And they need them.

JAVAHERI: Yes. And they need them very bad.

CHURCH: Yes.

JAVAHERI: Yes.

CHURCH: Absolutely.

BARNETT: Thanks a lot.

CHURCH: Thank you.

And thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Rosemary Church.

BARNETT: And I'm Errol Barnett. I'll be back at the top of the hour after this update from WORLD SPORTS. Stay with CNN. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS: Hello, there. This is WORLD SPORT. I'm Don Riddell.

And until today, Pep Guardiola must have thought he'd seen it all with Barcelona. Guardiola thought it'd be the greatest team of all time. A sigh that dominated in Spain and in Europe for many years. But in the Bundesliga on Tuesday, he was visibly stunned by the exploits of his Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski. For some reason in the game against Wolfsburg Pep left Lewandowski on the bench. But they were losing at halftime and so on came the Polish striker and it soon became pretty clear that he wanted to make his mark.

It took only six minutes to find his range, sticking out his left foot to level the scores. And barely 60 seconds later, he was on target again. Crashing the ball in from the edge of the area. Now every player on two goals knows that there's a chance of getting a hat trick but so quickly?

Look at this. 3 1/2 minutes, first, he got his third and he was clearly composed. Firing it against the post before reloading a couple of times and sticking it into the back of the net. Wolfsburg was shell-shocked and he was just getting started. It wasn't long before another came along. Douglas Costa free on the left knocking it into space in the middle. And there was Lewandowski again. Four goals in six minutes and he still had one more up his sleeve. Saving the best for last.

And just look at how acrobatically he volleyed that into the far corner. It was behind his right shoulder but he somehow put it away. And Guardiola's reaction was priceless. I think he was genuinely stunned. Lewandowski had five chances, he scored every time. All five coming in a space of just nine minutes.

So you won't be surprised to hear that he broke a few records. That is the fastest ever five goal haul in Bundesliga history. Obviously the quickest hat trick, too. He was the first player to score five times in the Bundesliga since 1991 and the first substitute ever to do it.

Now it has been a dramatic week for Chelsea. And it is understood that they parted company with their high profile team doctor, Eva Carneiro, who was dropped from the Blues bench last month. The club has refused to comment on what it deems to be an internal staffing matter. But it was already an unpleasant situation which could have serious consequences for the manager Jose Mourinho and possibly also the club itself as Carneiro assumed a former employer.

Carneiro infuriated Mourinho when she and physio Jon Fearne rushed onto the field to treat Eden Hazard at a key point of their game against Swansea. Mourinho said his medical team didn't understand the game and had left him short of players. Carneiro was seemingly given a lesser role of the club as punishment. It's believed that she is now taking legal advice. Meanwhile Mourinho is under investigation by the Football Association

for his behavior during the incident. It is alleged he used offensive and abusive language towards Carneiro who had been the club's doctor for five years.

And this coming just days after the Blues storm in Premier League encounter with Arsenal and their strike at Diego Costa has now been slapped with a three-game ban for violent conduct starting immediately. The referee didn't punish him during the game. But the Football Association's disciplinary panel has reviewed the video of him mauling Laurent Koscielny and dropped the hammer.

Meanwhile, the gunner's defender Gabriel has been given a reprieve. The red card he was given for kicking Costa has been rescinded and he will no longer have to serve a three-game ban. Bizarrely though, he is still facing a charge of improper conduct for his behavior after the red card was issued even though the FA has now accepted that he shouldn't have been sent off in the first place.

Well, it has been a miserable season for Sunderland so far and it got even worse for them against Manchester City in the League Cup on Tuesday night. After the home defeat to West Ham in the weekend City really came to get back to winning ways and they did so thanks to Kevin de Bruyne's second goal in as many games. And it turned out to be a route. That new signing from Liverpool, right, Sterling put himself on the score sheet. City with four up by halftime. Cruising to an easy win. On the plus side the Black Cats now have a bit more time to focus on the league this season. They need to. They're rooted to the foot of the table.

Aston Villa were also in need of a morale booster. What better opponents than their bitter local rivals Birmingham City. A Tim Sherwood side made it to the FA Cup final last season and they're now into the fourth round of this completion after a header from Rudy Gestede. 1-0 the final score.

[00:50:14] And would you believe that's his fourth header against Birmingham. They really must try the marking better in the future.

The next game they will play at Villa Park will be a rugby match. And one South Africa fan will have traveled a very long way to see it. 27,000 miles no less. We've got his incredible story for you next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

RIDDELL: Welcome back. There are still four teams that we're waiting to see in action at the Rugby World Cup. We've had a couple of days off. But three of them will be in action on Wednesday. Scotland kick off against the giant killers Japan will be hoping to prove their historic win against South Africa was no fluke. That one is going to be in Gloucester.

There is a lot of excitement about Australia, the Wallabies kick off that campaign against Fiji in Cardiff, while Romania's first game will be against France in London. And Scotland's coach has admitted that Japan's stunning defeat off the Springboks has given him a few sleepless nights. Meanwhile, South Africa are no doubt still having nightmares about Saturday's result especially the man who cycled almost 27,000 miles to be there. Rod Rutland has still got his bike and he pedaled it into our London studios to speak with Amanda Davies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RON RUTLAND, SOUTH AFRICAN RUGBY FAN: Just looking at the man behind us here, it's just -- I've just realized it's been the most incredible journey. Of course the script was completely torn up by the Springboks or more likely torn up by the Japanese in Brighton on Saturday. But you know, during the game -- you know, I realized what the word being completely (INAUDIBLE) means. I mean, they're at a complete loss of words as was every South African fan.

But, I mean, obviously I'm a Springboks supporter but in my heart I'm a sports and a rugby supporter as well. And to be able to witness history like that, I mean, what an absolute privilege. I mean, it's one of those times in sports you can say I was there. Just happen to be against the Springboks.

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN ANCHOR: Did the team know what you went through to get there? Have they apologized?

(LAUGHTER)

RUTLAND: They haven't apologized. They haven't apologized and I did have an opportunity to meet Jean de Villiers, the team captain, the day before the game and I handed him a couple of letters of support that I have been carrying throughout the journey to see them and obviously I wished him good luck and he seemed fairly confident and I'm sure the team was. I haven't heard directly from the team. Surely don't deserve to apologize to me. They've got lot more important things to worry about like getting their campaign back on track against Samoa this weekend.

DAVIES: Let's go back to the beginning of your journey to Capetown. What was it that inspired you to do what you've done?

RUTLAND: I think ever since I was a little boy I have read stories and I've had dreams about traveling and seeing the world and living a big adventure. But it's only and relatively later in life that I eventually got the confidence to actually -- to undertake a journey like this. I took up cycling in my mid-30s and fell in love with the sport. And all of sudden these stories about people cycling around the world came flooding back.

[00:55:11] And you know, and I thought I'd meet some pretty cool people that have done some impressive things and I realized the only difference between them and me was that they actually made the decision to live their dreams. So at the end of 2012, without telling anybody I ordered this bicycle off the Internet. Got my passport sorted out and then announced to my friends and family, anyone who would that I was going to cycle to the Rugby World Cup through every country in Africa.

DAVIES: And your journey doesn't end here in London. Your journey continues on with the Springboks through the tournament.

RUTLAND: Yes, I'll be with them through thick and thin. I'm going to take a few days to put my feet up after the chaos of the last 72 hours but tomorrow morning, hitting off for Oxford then to Birmingham for the weekend.

DAVIES: And face Samoa on Saturday.

RUTLAND: We face Samoa at Willow Park. Understand I haven't been at a great football stadium, I haven't been, can't wait to go there. Obviously South Africa has made it very hard -- we've made it very hard for us all but I honestly believe we'll get back on track this weekend. And you know, something -- sometimes, you know, the strangest things do happen. So losing to Japan in the first round, the only thing strange will be us going all the way and lifting the trophy on the 31st of the October.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIDDELL: Inspirational Ron Rutland there. What a good sport and obviously he'll be hoping for a bit more thick than thin from the Springboks throughout the rest of the World Cup.

That's it for this edition of WORLD SPORT. Thanks for your company. I'm Don Riddell. See you soon.