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Pope Francis Lands in the U.S. Amidst Some of the Tightest Security Ever Seen; China's President Begins his First State Visit to the United States with a Pledge to Cooperate on Cyber Crime; Donald Trump Facing More Questions About Controversial Town Hall Moment. Aired 3-4a ET.

Aired September 23, 2015 - 03:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ERROL BARNETT, CNN INTERNATIONAL NEWSROOM HOST: Listen to the rousing welcome. Pope Francis lands for a historic visit amidst some of the tightest security ever seen.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL NEWSROOM HOST: China's president begins his first state visit to the United States with a pledge to cooperate on cyber crime.

BARNETT: And backing down. A brash young executive resources course on the price of a prescription medication after a national outcry.

Hello there, and a big welcome to our viewers in the U.S. And for those of you tuned in from all around the world, we appreciate that. I'm Errol Barnett.

CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church. This is CNN Newsroom.

BARNETT: We begin this hour in Washington. Pope Francis is in the United States for a historic six-day visit. The People's Pope landed outside the U.S. Capital on Tuesday. It is his first trip ever to the United States. He was welcomed by hundreds of cheering fans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Pope Francis was driven away from the tarmac in an Italian- made (fierce). Some are calling it a humble showing of transportation to the leader of the world's church.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: Pope Francis is the fourth Pope to visit the U.S.

CHURCH: Yeah, and during his trip, he will spend time in Washington, New York, and Philadelphia. CNN's Jim Acosta previews his busy agenda.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was one of the biggest symbolic moments of the Obama presidency. With the president and first family plus the nation's first catholic vice-president and Dr. Joe Biden, altogether greeting Pope Francis, it made for an unprecedented welcome to the U.S.

VALERIE JARRETT, WHITE HOUSE SENIOR ADVISOR: It is a big deal and I think it's because since it is the Pope's first time in the United States, what better way to welcome him than to greet him as soon as he touches the ground here in the United States.

ACOSTA: Day Two of the Pope's visit will be a sight to behold. For starters, 15,000 visitors are expected to cram on onto the White House South Lawn to witness the Pope's official arrival. After the president greets the Pope, the two leaders will speak to the world, and hold a one-on-one meeting with only translators in the room. All before Pope Francis addresses Congress Thursday with Biden in attendance.

Even though the president and the Pope are allies on issues ranging from climate change to income inequality to Cuba, even the Iran nuclear deal, the White House refuses to reveal what the two men will discuss.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The president will not arrive at that meeting with a political agenda.

ACOSTA: Perhaps that's because this Pope can be full of surprises. After the last meeting, we asked the president whether any hot button social issues were raised.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did he register any objections with you about the contraception coverage mandate in the Affordable Care Act or your efforts to advance the rights of gays and lesbians in the United States that worry so many Catholics?

ACOSTA: Mr. Obama responded the Pope unexpectedly brought up immigration reform.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think he was very mindful of the flight of so many immigrants who are wonderful people working hard and making contributions. Many of their children are U.S. citizens and yet, they still live in the shadows.

ACOSTA: By now, Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett told CNN these two leaders, they have more business to tackle in the president's final months in office.

JARRETT: The work is never done. With two men of this caliber who share ideals and who share values about human decency and respect for differences, it's going to be a really, really positive event.

ACOSTA: Besides the issue, the president...

(TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY)

ANDREAS WIDMER, FORMER SWISS GUARD: You use your body to protect the Pope. BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: (Inaudible) a member of the Elite

Swiss Guards, the men who protected the Holy Father for more than five centuries. He has lived the fear of those around Pope Francis are feeling today. (Whitmore) says Pope John Paul II who he guarded in the 80s was a lot like Pope Francis. Often wanting to make unplanned (inaudible) in the large crowds. Security around John Paul tightened after a gunman tried to assassinate him in 1981, shooting him at least twice. Secret Service and police officials say they have done their homework on this Pope's patterns, and observed how the Swiss Guards protected him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We watched very closely all of his appearances around the world, how he interacts with the crowds.

TODD: Widmer and former Secret Service agents tell us there will be layers of security in the crowds, agents blending in, watching for strange body language and facial gestures.

The Pope Mobile is armored, although much is open air, leaving him exposed. So does he wear a bulletproof vest?

WIDMER: A high level protectee would not wear armor or any type of ballistic vest in an interior site, but they would most likely wear it at an outside venue.

TODD: We asked (Whitmore) as a guard, can you tell a Pope who likes to go off script to hold back?

WIDMER: No, you don't. You try to work with the Pope and see what he wants to do. And then adapt and provide the best security that there is. The security is not what leads the Pope. The Pope leads the security. Again, the Pope is doing his ministry and that needs to be optimized. And that's what a Pope is all about. The security can be optimized around his activities.

TODD: You don't ever tell the Pope, sir, you cannot go do that?

WIDMER: No.

TODD: What's the most dangerous threat to a Pope? Andreas Widmer says it is usually someone who is mentally ill approaching the Pope, wanting to act out some notion in their mind. He says the real challenge is to be measured. You have to protect the Pope, you have to protect others nearby from the assailant, and you have to protect the assailant from himself.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Well, now, to the latest in the U.S. presidential race. Donald Trump is facing more questions over why he didn't correct a man at a rally who called President Barack Obama a Muslim.

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Yes.

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

TRUMP: Well, he said much more than that. He went on to say other things. It 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 that. I don't have to defend President Obama. He is not going to defend me. So whether you agree or don't agree, and there were people in that audience as you probably notice, 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 are coming.

TRUMP: I don't think so.

PELLEY: But here, you have a bigot.

(CROSSTALK)

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

PELLEY: The 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 are Muslims. And they are phenomenal people. Unlike everything else, you have people where there are problems. Now, we can say there no problems with the Muslims, there's no problem, there is no terrorism, there is crimes, and 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, they didn't fly back to Sweden.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Well, Trump also just appeared on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert where she was welcomed with cheers and clapping, and reportedly, a standing ovation from some.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN COLBERT, LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT HOST: Ladies and gentlemen, Donald Trump.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: OK. So the conversation was pretty lively, but Donald Trump wouldn't say whether he believes Barack Obama is a U.S. citizen. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

TRUMP: Go ahead.

COLBERT: There is like sauce all over my hand. This meatball is so good.

TRUMP: I want to hear this.

COLBERT: Barack Obama born in the United States, was he? It's a meatball. It's hanging out there. Right there. Come on.

TRUMP: You want to know, I don't talk about it anymore. I talk about jobs. I talk about our veterans being horribly treated. I just don't discuss it.

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

(CROSSTALK)

COLBERT: You missed the meatball.

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: I talk about jobs. I'm talking about the vets who are treated like third class citizens. They are treated worse than the illegals. The vets of this country are so mistreated terribly. I am talking about the military building. Those are the things I'm talking about. I'm not talking about that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: Now, Trump has also been vocal, right? About his opposition toward undocumented immigrants in the United States. During that program, he plans to build a big wall on the border.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We have to have a wall. We have to have a border. In that wall, we are going to have a beautiful big fat door where people can come into the country.

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: A beautiful door where people can come into the country, but they have to come in legally. We can have a great and beautiful wall. It will be up and stop. We will have our border and guess what, nobody comes in unless they have their papers and they come in legally. We stop crime and we stop problems, and stop drug trade which is massive. We have so much drug trade and the cartel s are pouring through. It's like there's nothing. Pouring through Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, the money goes out, the drugs come in. We are going to stop it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: There you go. Well, one of Trump's rivals, Republican candidate Ben Carson is changing his stance on Muslims in the White House. On Tuesday, Carson said he would expect a president to put the U.S. Constitution over his or her faith. Now, that is a big change from Sunday when the retired neurosurgeon said he didn't think Muslims should be in the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN CARSON, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't care what a person's religious beliefs are or what their religious heritage is. If they embrace American culture, if they embrace our Constitution, and are willing to place that above their religious beliefs, I have no problem with them.

I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation. I absolutely would not agree with that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: Now, earlier, I spoke with Republican Consultant Bruce Haynes. He said inexperienced politicians like Carson and like Trump have a lot to learn about running a campaign, and answering controversial questions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRUCE HAYNES, REPUBLICAN CONSULTANT: It's damaging when you are trying to run a campaign and you are trying to talk about the things that you really want to talk about, the message that you want to deliver to the American people. You saw in that exchange on the Colbert program, Trump bridging, pivoting as you said.

(TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY)

BARNETT: ... Accurate, and how relevant these polls really are there. Once the caucuses begin early next year, Republicans will start to dwindle down the field, Donald Trump tonight on Stephen Colbert still being humorous, but playing the straight guy to the comedian. Do you think that beyond this, we will need to see more of that from Trump or might his numbers fall when it gets closer to when it's important early next year?

HAYNES: Well, they are already beginning to slide a little bit. And I think you caught something important there, Errol, in Trump's demeanor. He is moving from a candidate from someone who is trying to become a candidate, or someone trying to grow a campaign. He was more than happy to play the straight man tonight and show a serious side of Trump, and not be the guy who blows up and sounds angry. Colbert still got his laughs. I think they both got what they wanted from that exchange.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: That was Republican Consultant Bruce Haynes speaking with me earlier.

CHURCH: Baseball legend Yogi Berra has died. The Yogi Berra Museum confirmed the news to CNN just a short time ago. He was 90 years old.

BARNETT: Now, Berra was a catcher who helped lead the New York Yankees to 10 World Series championships. Michael (Inaudible) has more Yogi Berra's remarkable life.

BUSH: It was Yoga Berra who said you can observe a lot by just watching.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It ain't over till it's over.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's deja vu all over again.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Quoted by presidents and politicians, Yogi Berra may be more colorful phrase than his Hall of Fame Baseball career as a Yankee. Born Lawrence Peter Berra, he was given the nickname by a childhood friend who thought he looked like a snake charmer in a movie. But it was Yogi's outgoing personality that made him a favorite of sportswriters and fans.

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: I see some familiar faces here, but none more than beloved than Yogi Berra. Yogi has been an inspiration to me. Not only because of his baseball skills, but of course the enduring mark he left on the English language. Some of the press core here even think he might be my speech writer.

YOGI BERRA, BASEBALL LEGEND: I don't know why. It just comes out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His so-called Yogisms made him one of the most quoted Americans since Mark Twain.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yogi Berra once said when you come to a fork in the road, take it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not really good at making forecasts, particularly if they involve the future.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Advertisers also took notice of Yogi's appeal.

BERRA: They're give you cash, which is just as good as money. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Part comedian, part competitor. The three-time

MVP was one of the greatest catchers in baseball history. He appeared in an astounding 21 World Series as a player, coach, or manager. In 1998, the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center opened its doors, paying tribute to his career and his life-long commitment to education.

BERRA: (Inaudible), it is like me getting voted into the Hall of Fame. I never thought I would get into the Hall of Fame either, but I made it. Maybe it was pure luck, I don't know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Luck or not, Berra wouldn't change a thing

BERRA: It was fun. If I had to do it all over again, I would do it again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: Now, China's president said he is ready to fight cyber crime. We will bring you more on what he told business leaders in the U.S. after this break.

CHURCH: Plus, a pharmaceutical executive is defending himself against public backlash after he drastically raised the price of a drug for AIDS and cancer patients. That story after the short break.

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PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN WEATHER WATCH: I'm Pedram Javaheri. It's the day of the year, where most of the world, the daylight and night time are about the same, 12 hours across the board. Here we go with the temperatures in Chicago, about 26 degrees and mostly sunny skies. Atlanta made it up 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 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 remnants of a tropical depression that brought in some heavy rainfalls towards areas of Southern Arizona. So in the east, we do have storm signal parked down to the eastern seaboard, plenty of rainfall from Willington, 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 if the storm continues to surge moisture into the region.

And take a look at this. The models bringing upwards perhaps 100 to 150 millimeters around the key points, northward, precisely where you want to see 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 mid-western and northern tier at this time of year. And we continue with temps into the 20s there.

Working our way to the top, Belize City should be around 31. Guatemala City with 22. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. The Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to meet with the CEOs of some of America's largest companies later today. He has already addressed hundreds of business leaders in a wide ranging speech in Seattle.

BARNETT: So he talked about Beijing's economy, human rights, and trade. Samuel Burke reports he made a pledge about cyber security.

SAMUEL BURKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The only tangible piece of diplomacy that will come out of President Xi's trip many believe is some type of cyber security framework. And in his first policy speech on American soil, President Xi said China is ready to work with the United States to fight hacking.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRANSLATOR: China is a staunch defender of cyber security. We are also a victim of hacking. The Chinese government will not in whatever form engage in commercial theft or encourage or support such attempts by anyone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURKE: Cyber security experts say both the United States and the Chinese partake in cyber espionage, but the American government alleges that the Chinese take it a step further hacking American corporations and stealing industrial secrets. The founder of Alibaba was in attendance at Xi's speech tonight, and he was very encouraged to hear President Xi talking about fighting hacking. He said his Chinese company faced 19 million hacks, so he believes the United States, China, and the international community, all have to work to fight cyber crime.

Samuel Burke, CNN, Seattle.

BARNETT: For more on President Xi's visit, we have CNN Newsroom Anchor Kristie Lu Stout and Asia-Pacific Editor Andrew Stevens, both joining us from Hong Kong. Good to see you both again. Andrew, let's start with you. Because President Xi said he will stabilize the Chinese economy, but without weakening its currency. Critics have long complained China purposely devalues its currency. I am wondering if people in the region are buying the statement.

ANDREW STEVENS, CNN ASIA-PACIFIC: What's happening right at the moment, the markets are focusing pretty much on a new manufacturing number coming out of China, which shows the manufacturing sector continuing to shrink and shrink more rapidly than expected. That parked a wave of selling around this region, which will follow-through to Europe, and perhaps, even to the U.S. I think what President Xi's message to everyone was that yes, we are stabilizing the economy. The key thing is here, stabilizing at what rate of growth. And remember, this is an economy that's going through a massive transition. It is going to be a slow rate of growth. It is the new normal as the Chinese keep saying. I thought what was interesting from President Xi was that they would

continue with their economic reform process, so they would maintain growth in the medium to high bracket. He didn't give actual numbers. Medium to high is heartening for investors to hear. Because I think most people think that China does have the wherewithal to make sure growth does continue in that medium to high bracket.

The president is also saying that the stock market's slump -- well, the crash in the last months is probably now over, which is interesting given the fact that they are pushing for more market reforms. (Inaudible) made predictions on where stock prices will go. And also, the currency as you mentioned, the currency is devaluing. Again, the president is saying it is probably now at fair value, but we will let the market forces decide that. Now, normally, this is good news for an investment community. It wants to see more market forces in play here. China is still going to be judged particularly after the botched operation (inaudible) with the stock market crash during the summer months. They're going to be judged on their deeds, how they do it with the economy. That's a longer term process, Errol.

BARNETT: Yeah, although some of the markets pulled back today, people will be encouraged to hear that China will continue that economic reform process. Andrew Stevens in Hong Kong, thanks. Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right. So let's get some reaction to President Xi's speech. And we want to go to Kristie Lu Stout now who is also in Hong Kong. So Kristie, what are people saying in China about their president's visit to the U.S. so far? And in reality, would anyone actually dare to say anything that was not positive?

Kristie Lu Stout, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: You know, the reaction has been positive so far. And it is interesting because when the Chinese president gave the speech in Seattle, it was really his intention was smooth over the front relationship between the U.S. and China, it was to connect to an American audience. But it actually stirred up audiences back home in China who proclaimed in social media that they are very proud to be Chinese and that they expressed their love for the man that they know affectionately. And they call affectionately Xi Dada. In fact, some people commented on his natural and unstilted delivery because this is a nation that has been ruled by previous presidents who are known for their rather formal oratory styles.

There are a lot of comments in chatters and social media, also on the number of pop culture references, especially Xi Jinping during the speech, referenced to the Sleepless In Seattle, as he gave a speech in Seattle. And his reference to the House of Cards, that reference was very interesting. Because he was referring to the war on corruption, and saying that there was no ulterior motive to his war rid of corrupt officials. It wasn't sort of a power struggle as he said. This was no house of cards.

But perhaps the moment that most enthralled, (medicines) back in China, was a moment in that speech when Xi Jinping looked he finally started to relax. It was when he started talking about Ernest Hemingway, and he wanted to understand the passions of Ernest Hemingway. And so, he went to a Cuban bar where Ernest Hemingway used to frequent. And he enjoyed a mojito there.

Now, let's bring up some social media reaction on that point. One user (inaudible) brilliant, I tuned in to Xi Dada's Seattle speech, so brilliant, so touching. And he even mentioned drinking rum in a Cuban pub. Now, I should also mention that during the speech, the Chinese president made reference to his opening catch phrase, the Chinese dream, saying that Chinese people want to fulfill the Chinese dream. They want to fulfill the yearning for a better life. And that message always goes down well in China. Back to you.

CHURCH: Indeed. And of course, for a lot of us, Washington wasn't used to seeing Chinese leaders be so relaxed and make jokes as well. We'll going to be watching this very closely. I know you certainly will. Kristy Lu Stout reporting there live from Hong Kong. Many thanks to you.

BARNETT: You are watching CNN Newsroom. Just ahead, why did the company that hiked the price of an AIDS drug 5,000 percent and is now backing off.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back to our viewers in the U.S. and those of you who are watching from all around the world, this is CNN newsroom, the last half hour of the day. And to both of us, I'm Errol Barnett.

CHURCH: And I am Rosemary Church. Let's check the headlines for you bring you up to date with the main story we are following. Pope Francis is in the United States for a six-day, three-city visit. President Obama and his family greeted him when he arrived Tuesday. Mr. Obama will officially welcome the Pope at the White House ceremony later today. Pope Francis will then parade through Washington in his Pope Mobile.

BARNETT: Chinese President Xi Jingping addressed hundreds of business leaders on the first day of his week-long U.S. visit. He talked about a number of issues including the Chinese economy, cooperation with the U.S. on cyber crimes and improvement on human rights.

CHURCH: Donald Trump won't say whether he believes U.S. President Barack Obama is an American citizen. The Republican frontrunner sidestepped the question when he appeared on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Trump repeatedly challenged Mr. Obama to release his birth certificate he recalled when he ran for President back in 2008.

Well, (inaudible) are underway right now in Moscow as Russian President Vladimir Putin gets ready to open one of the largest Mosque in Europe.

BARNETT: That's right. This is the Moscow Grand Mosque. It will be another place of worship for the reported 1.5 million Muslims living there. Several foreign dignitaries have been invited to attend today's opening, which takes place one day before Eid Al-Adha celebrations.

CHURCH: And CNN Senior International Correspondent, Matthew Chance, is live in Moscow. Matthew talk to us about the opening, of Europe's -- or one of Europe's biggest mosque there because given the history of relations between Russians and the Muslim population, what has been the reaction to this?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, the opening of any mosque in Russia is controversial, of course, and the opening of the biggest one effectively in the country or one of the biggest is even more so. I mean there's been an (impulse) on what the reception has been to this across the country. In fact, it's not all that bad, I mean, about 30 percent of the population according to one latest independent opinion poll are supportive of mosque being opened, at 27 percent are against.

But when you look at Moscow itself whether there's been a big influx of Muslim immigrants mainly from Central Asian states, former Soviet Union states, the numbers go much more extremes, something like 51 percent of people in Moscow, Muscovites, are against the opening of new mosques. And only 4 percent according to the same opinion poll are supportive of that. So, it is deeply controversial.

There is a pompadour xenophobic tensions, I think it's fair to say that in Russian capital because of the hundreds of thousands of immigrants that have come in and work often in menial tasks in the city, cleaning the streets doing things like that, working on construction sites. It's breed a certain amount of resentment, but of course the Kremlin is, of course, in charge of the entire country. Islam has always been the second biggest faith inside Russia and the Kremlin is keen to show, that although it will crack down hard on Islamic extremism, it has been in Chechnya, and he's been doing in the North Caucasus in Southern Flank at the moment, it is prepared to embrace the moderate Muslim population, and to provide religious facilities for them.

I think that's the message, the Kremlin wants to portray in the opening of this big Moscow Cathedral Mosque, as it's called here at the central of the Russian capital.

CHURCH: Certainly, a powerful message and of course looking at those images, it is an impressive structure. Many thanks to our Matthew Chance. They're awaiting the opening in Moscow. Many thanks to you.

BARNETT: A U.S. drug company that cause outrage by raising the cost of the treatment for anything cancer patients is now rolling back the price.

CHURCH: Now previously the treatment was -- is less than $14, before Turing raised it to $750 a pill. CNN Jason Carroll has more on the CEO behind all the changes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: 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 patient more than 5000 percent. Now, Turing Pharmaceutical's CEO and founder, Martin Shkreli, is backing down. MARTIN SHKRELI, CEO & FOUNDER OF TURING PHARMACEUTICAL: 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 whooping $750 per pill. Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton blasted that rate hike this afternoon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That's price gouging, pure and simple.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: The Infectious Diseases Society of America and the HIV Medicine Association sent a joint letter to Shkreli, calling the increase unjustifiable for the medically vulnerable patient population. In the 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 the hip-hop group, Wu Tang Clan, posting, "I am not the one to f**** with."

NOAH BOOKBINDER, CREW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: It's hard to believe that somebody can 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, and he's somebody who seems to be willing to play fast and lose with the rules, take advantage of the system, and is really driven by his own profit over everything else.

CARROLL: So, while the controversial CEO made it very clear, he has heard the public outcry. What he did not made clear is how much he would end up reducing the cost, and he also did not say when the public would see the reduction in cost.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: Well, thanks to CNN's Jason Carroll for that. You heard the U.S. Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton blasting the rate hike, although she and fellow democrat Bernie Sanders, plan to make drug prices a major issue during their White House campaigns.

CHURCH: Volkswagen is apologizing after admitting it rigged emissions tests. We will have the details in the company secret software in a live report from Germany that's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BARNETT: The Iran nuclear agreement has sparked strong opposition both in the United States and in Iran. While some Iranians believed the deal will usher in better relations with the West, others are pushing for continued hard line. Frederik Pleitgen join us now live from Tehran with more on what some top clerics are saying. And Fred, what I find interesting is that, this is probably the only issue that conservatives in the United States and hard liners in Iran actually agree on.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Yes, certainly, it's very interesting to see both the hard line camps, and the conservative camps in these countries opposed to the nuclear agreement and also a very critical of it as well. You have of course the clerics on the one hand who have been very critical or many of them very critical of this deal from the get-go. But also many members of Iran's military and they just yesterday started celebrating what they call the Sacred Defense Week, which on the one hand marks the beginning or the commemoration of the beginning of the Iran-Iraq war in 1980. But it's also very much a celebration of the current strength of Iran's military and they are some who are quite concerned about that strength in the future because of the nuclear agreement. Let's have a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: The shrine of Masumi, the city of coffin one of the most important holy sites in Iran, has made the city the center of Shiite Islamic Studies. Now, Iran's powerful clergy is engulfed in a debate in how to move forward in relations with the West, in America in particular. Abbas Ali Barati is the head of Islamic and Cultural Studies at the University here. He is excited about the current diplomatic momentum.

ABBAS ALI BARATI: We like to use diplomacy. Diplomacy is always better than war, language of diplomacy, language of negotiations is better. And even if there is a kind of fear about that, they should talk about it and remove it.

PLEITGEN: Moderates around President Hassan Rouhani are also talking about a steady improvement in U.S.-Iranian relations, but there are harsh critics of the current state. With this famous shrine and its many religious schools calling this the hub for the religious conservatives here in Iran, and many of them fear that Islam could lose influence if there is more cooperation with the West, especially with the United States.

Iran Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khomeini, has accused the U.S. of trying to infiltrate Iran culturally and politically and ordered Iranians to be vigilant. At the Ahmad Al Hadi Institute, in (inaudible), they translate historic religious text and provide scholarly commentary.

The institute's head, Ayatullah Sayyid Hadi Shafipour (ph) is close to the Supreme Leader, and also has little trust for the U.S.

TRANSLATOR: Mr. Obama keeps saying all options are on the table, he says, but the Iranians are not scared at all. This is not even worth the paper it's written on.

PLEITGEN: The Ayatollah said any improvement in relations, will be a long process.

TRANSLATOR: If the West wants fair relations not like a wolf and a sheep, we can think about it, he says. The Americans have to prove themselves first.

PLEITGEN: While polls show the majority of Iranians favor better ties with the West, large parts of the countries powerful religious leaderships remain skeptical. Arguing that almost 40 years of confrontation won't be wiped away by an agreement on nuclear energy.

And, Errol, of course, all of this comes only a day before President Hassan Rouhani is set to travel to New York, to the U.N. General Assembly. It will be interesting to see there what sort of tone he strikes, and whether or not there will be more of warming in relations between Iran and the West, and of course with Iran and the United States as well.

Again, there is a lot of backlash, here in Iran also, but so far, the government around Hassan Rouhani is holding quite firm in it standing it believes that relations could improve considerably if indeed this talk gets continues, Errol.

BARNETT: All right. Like Iran like every other country within in it has a wide range of opinions. So, it's certainly not surprising. Frederik Pleitgen, live for us this morning in Tehran. Fred, thanks.

CHURCH: And, wintry weather is on the way. Europe in the high elevations. Pedram Javaheri joins us now to talk about that. It's very early.

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JAVAHERI: It is. And you know what happened last year, we had a very slow ski season. Started very late, man-made snow wasn't even able to be put down because of the temperatures even in the higher elevations were too warm. But in Europe it is a multibillion dollar industry and we know, about 10 percent of European ski -- well, about six percent play soccer for example or football, however you prefer. So it's very popular there. So, we'll break down what exactly what occur there last year of course very dry perspective across the area easily you can see some of the ground there as the man-made snow is being put down but minus four Celsius that is what you need to be able to put man-made snow on the ground. And certainly, it wasn't happening for a very long time last year. But, here comes the final features as it cruises in. The cool

temperatures filter in. Winter weather radar, there it is, higher elevations beginning to pick up some snow showers, and not just a little bit of snow showers, but models indicate potentially 30 to 40 centimeters. Some areas widespread could get up to about 90 centimeters of snow fall. So we're talking about over 40 inches could come down over few of these areas over the next two days.

Certainly, great news for the skiers, for the snowboarders in area that really wasn't getting much snow over the past couple of months. The cool air filters in and over that region, but of course, over the United States, we have to touch on what's happening now. Because the valley fire now -- nearly 2,000 stretchers have been burned in this particular region.

There is imagery showing you a town. It's a town near the valley fire, Anderson Springs, another town, about the size of San Francisco. That is the area indicated in red that have been burned with this particular fire. So of course, the El Nino season is something that people are looking forward to over this region.

But again, going back to the snow, that is great news for skiers and snowboarders.

BARNETT: That's right.

CHURCH: Wonderful.

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BARNETT: Thank you.

A huge disruption during in a parliamentary meeting after the prime minister was egged by lawmakers. We will bring you this.

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KATE RILEY, CNN WORLD SPORTS HEADLINES: I'm Kate Riley with your CNN World Sports Headlines. Robert Lewandowski has made history by scoring five goals in nine minutes, after coming on as a substitute for Bayern Munich. And that 5-1 victory against Wolfsburg. (Inaudible) 1-0 when the Polish national came on for the second half, and became the only one to score five goals in a match in league history. And it is also the quickest five goals in league history.

Speaking of strikers, it has been a less memorable day for Diego Costa. He will miss the next three games after violent conduct was upheld. The charge, which Costa denied was in relation to an incident involving Arsenal's (Inaudible) last Saturday. The incident wasn't seen by match officials, but it was caught on video, and proved it had to happen after an independent commission hearing.

The (Inaudible) have reportedly parted ways with the team doctor (Inaudible). They have refused to comment on what it seems an internal staffing matter. (Inaudible) rushed on to the field to treat (inaudible) at a key point to the game. It is believed that she will be taking legal advice.

And that is a look at World Sports Headlines. I'm Kate Riley.

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BARNETT: Kosovo's prime minister was hit with eggs during an address to parliament. This took place live on television. Take a look, loving those eggs. Opposition lawmakers were upset over a deal that gives a small Serbian minority more rights over municipal spending education. The speech was halted, and as you see there, bodyguards rushed to protect the prime minister with an umbrella.

CHURCH: All right. Now to the growing scandal at the world's largest automaker, Volkswagen stock is taking a beating after the company admitted it rigged millions of its the cars to deceive emissions test. Atika Shubert is live in Wolfsburg, Germany, the headquarters of VW. So, Atika, what exactly was the company thinking? And how many levels of management were involved in these deceptions?

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this was exactly what not only customers, but employees want to know. We are here at the headquarters of Volkswagen in Wolfsburg. And many people are asking how much did Wolfsburg Headquarters know about this emissions testing cheating? There have been speculations and rumors that there might be an emergency board meeting today, but that does not seem to be the case. We just called Volkswagen. They say they are not expecting anything today, but a lot of questions now for CEO Martin Winterkorn.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And now, the winner of the 2015 Car of the Year Award, the Volkswagen Golf. Wait, also taking first place is the Golf TDI Clean Diesel.

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SHUBERT: From Golf to the iconic VW Beetle, Volkswagen has built a reputation for solid German engineering to last a lifetime at an affordable price. But now, the VW brand is in danger of standing for something else. Cheating.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says Volkswagen they cheated emissions testing by installing software to reduce emissions, only during testing. Pumping out as much as 40 times the legal limit on the road, the EPA ordered some 500,000 VW cars off the road, but Volkswagen concedes that the problem is even bigger than that, saying 11 million of its diesel vehicles worldwide could be affected. It has set aside more than $7 billion to cover the cost of recalls.

Volkswagen CEO released this statement.

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MARTIN WINTERKORN, VOLKSWAGEN CEO: I am deeply sorry that we have broken this trust. I would like to make a formal apology to our customers, to the authorities, and the general public for this misconduct. Please believe we will do everything necessary to reverse the damage and we will do everything necessary to win back your trust, step by step.

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SHUBERT: Made in Germany is a point of national pride. More so that Volkswagen's hometown of Wolfsburg, perhaps unsurprisingly few in Wolfsburg wanted to comment on the scandal, many here are VW employees, but others spoke out.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Of course, they should amend the production and they should be fair, and true to say what has happened. And I hope they can make it better in the future.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think they should put in an external investigator and Mr. Winterkorn should resign.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When it says Made in Germany, then it means it is something worth to pay for.

SHUBERT: Volkswagen may be made in Germany, but it has a lot of explaining to do, not just to customers, but to the people who work so hard to make Volkswagen a trusted brand.

This is going to have a huge impact not just on Volkswagen, but the automobile industry. But just consider this, for every vehicle on the road, 1 in 10 worldwide sold is believed to be a Volkswagen, that's one in five here in Germany. So this is bound to have repercussions in the days and weeks to come, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Absolutely. And it certainly begs the question, too, if Volkswagen is willing to do this and take the risk, then how many other car manufacturers would? I'm sure people will probe that question in the days and weeks ahead. Atika Shubert reporting there live from Germany. Many thanks to you.

BARNETT: All right. If you can believe it, we are now wrapping up in four hours.

CHURCH: We are giddy with excitement.

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CHURCH: Thanks for watching CNN. I'm Rosemary Church.

BARNETT: I guess I am, too. I'm Errol Barnett. We are back here tomorrow at the same time. So please do tune in. Early start is next for those of you in the states and for everyone else, stay tuned for another edition of CNN Newsroom. Have a great day.