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Pope Francis Wraps Up His U.S. Tour in Philadelphia; Russian President Expresses Support for Syria's President; Iran Holds Saudi Arabia Responsible for Stampede in Mecca; Rare Supermoon Eclipse; Former ISIS Captives Get Chance for New Life; India's PM Talks Social Media with Facebook CEO; Aired 12-1:00a ET

Aired September 28, 2015 - 00:00   ET

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

[00:00:09] JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: This is CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles.

ISHA SESAY, CNN ANCHOR: The Pope heads home after a week in America, speaking as the voice for the poor, a voice for immigrants. Has his message been heard?

VAUSE: Also, world leaders arriving in New York for the U.N. General Assembly as conflicts already emerge over how to deal with the crisis in Syria.

SESAY: And a super rare super moon eclipse has star gazers seeing red tonight.

VAUSE: Hello, everybody. We'd like to welcome our viewers all around the world. Great to have you with us. I'm John Vause.

SESAY: And I'm Isha Sesay. NEWSROOM L.A. starts right now.

VAUSE: After an historic trip to Cuba and the United States, Pope Francis is on his way back to Rome. He says with a heart full of gratitude and hope. He left Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Sunday night with a rousing send-off and that included U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and his wife.

SESAY: Well, earlier Sunday Pope Francis led an outdoor mass with thousands of people. In his closing homily he stressed the importance of little gestures that go a long way. And that was evident when the Catholic leader embraced and blessed inmates at a Philadelphia prison.

VAUSE: The Pope talked about redemption, sat in a chair made for him by the inmates. He also met privately with five people sexually abused as children, some at the hands of clergy. He said all sex abuse victims have become heralds of mercy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE FRANCIS, CATHOLIC CHURCH LEADER (Through Translator): God weeps for the sexual abuse of children. These cannot be maintained in secret and I commit to a careful oversight to ensure that youth are protected and that all responsible will be held accountable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: As the saying goes, always leave them wanting more. And Pope Francis did just that on his historic visit to the United States. Amid all the euphoria, he stopped to pose for selfies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh yes, I got a selfie.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: He also held mass for hundreds of thousands of people, and many believe the Francis effect maybe the reason why more American Catholics say the church is in touch with their needs. He even scores high marks from non-believers as well.

He also went beyond the spiritual talking about climate change, immigration, and even pleaded with the U.S. Congress to end the division and work together.

Father Thomas Reese is a senior analyst for the "National Catholic Reporter." He joins us now from Washington for more on the Pope's visit.

So, Father, let's first talk about the Pope's statement on Sunday to the victims of sexual abuse by clergy. Now earlier this week the "National Catholic Reporter" had urged Pope Francis to simply use the words clergy sexual abuse of minors. His comments on Sunday seemed to live up to that, go beyond that.

Were you surprised by this? And why do you think he made those comments now?

REV. THOMAS REESE, SENIOR ANALYST, NATIONAL CATHOLIC REPORTER: Well, he made the comments, of course, because he met with victims of abuse. And this is extremely important. It's so much -- it's so important for the Pope, for priests, for bishops to sit down with these people, these survivors, and hear their stories, hear the tragedy that impacted their lives, and to listen to them in a way that they understand we believe them, what they're saying. And we want to help them and that we are terribly, terribly sorry for what happened.

And that's what people wanted to hear from the Pope. And that's what he said. He said how sorry he was that it happened, how sorry he was that they weren't believed when they first came forward. And how sorry he was that the bishops didn't do what they were supposed to do to protect minors.

VAUSE: So this gets to I guess the question of PR here. Victims of sexual abuse by the clergy, they're dismissive in many ways of what the Pope said. They do say that no child is now safer today than they were yesterday. There needs to be this independent investigation, the church needs to remove abusers immediately and actually needs to actually do something rather than just make these kind of statements.

REESE: Well, the rule in the church today is zero tolerance for any abuse. That means any priest who's involved in abuse is out. He can never wear clerics. He can never act as a priest again, period. Now we've got to make sure that rule is implemented. And that is extremely important. And we have to make sure that every bishop follows the rules and implements it and make sure that these priests never are allowed to act as a priest again.

[00:05:01] So I -- you know, in a sense I agree with the survivors groups that, you know, we can't just pretend this is over. We have to keep an eye on it, make sure that everything is -- all the rules are followed. Make sure that proper training is done and proper background checks are done. And we have to make sure that this is done not just in the United States but all over the world.

VAUSE: In many ways this trip by the Pope -- I mean, he's not your father's Pope. He weighed in on issues like climate change. He even made this plea for Republicans and Democrats to come together, to actually try and work together, end the divisions. Do you think that those words will last longer than the contrails of his jet as he flies home to Rome?

REESE: Well, certainly those words were very popular with the American people, who are sick of this polarization. They, like the Pope, would like to see the politicians sit down, work together to solve the problems of our country and the world. And I think that's what he's asking them to do. And there's so many problems. I mean, the environmental crisis, the poor, the homeless. You know, the Pope went from Congress to a homeless shelter in Washington, D.C.

There should not be homeless people in the United States. And so he was there to speak for the homeless, for the immigrants, for the refugees, and for Mother Earth. And we need our politicians to get to work to deal with these problems.

VAUSE: Yes. Final question here, do you think the Pope is a bit like Steve Jobs in a way, he's using his personality and his charisma to reinvent an organization but at the end of the day it's still basically selling the same product?

REESE: Well, you know, I think, as you noted, people in the United States love this Pope. And lots of people who used to be Catholics like this Pope also. And they're thinking about, you know, maybe I should give the church a second chance, maybe I should go back. Well, the problem is that the Pope is important in the Catholic Church but he's not the whole story. Catholics live their faith in the local parish. And if these people return they're going to look for somebody like Francis. They're going to want a priest who's like Francis.

So we clergy have to adopt his style. We have to adopt his way of being welcoming and compassionate, non-judgmental. Otherwise, people are going to turn around and walk right out the door again.

VAUSE: That is a very good point to finish this on.

Father Thomas Reese, thank you for being with us. We appreciate it.

REESE: Good to be with you. SESAY: Remarkable point that he made there, that they need to find

the figure of Francis and his posture in the local parishes, among local priests. And I don't know. I think that might be a tall ask.

VAUSE: Well, there are still a lot of, you know -- within the organization of the Catholic Church who are still not on board with Pope Francis. But, you know, this is still a very conservative Pope. He described the movement for marriage equality as the envy of the devil. He likened transgender rights to nuclear weapons. He is against women in the priesthood. He closed the door on that. You know, this guy is being cheered as a progressive but on many issues he's not.

SESAY: No. And to that point, the fact that that is lost in the conversation about him speaks to the fact that he is also a Pope very much of the 21st century where it's about the gestures and the images and the PR.

VAUSE: Yes.

SESAY: And --

VAUSE: Well, the PR part of the 21st century. Yes.

SESAY: The PR part of the 21st century. And that resonates. And that has kind of obscured the deeper issues that you say which leave him quite traditional.

VAUSE: Yes. And we will be speaking with a victim of sexual abuse by the clergy next hour. And I guess one of the questions for them is, is there concern because the Pope is so popular that their cause is now being drowned out, that people think it's all been dealt with?

SESAY: Yes. Exactly. And the point being made by survivors is that this is not part of history, this is still very much today present now.

We'll do a lot more on the subject and talk to a survivor, as John just said.

Well, Pope Francis was instrumental in bringing the U.S. and Cuba together recently, and now the leaders of those countries are about to take another step closer. The White House says President Barack Obama will sit down with Cuban President Raul Castro on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly session on Tuesday.

VAUSE: It will be their first meeting since April. The two countries have been gradually restoring diplomatic ties after more than half a century.

SESAY: Well, later today President Obama will deliver his seventh speech to the U.N. General Assembly. And this time he says he'll be speaking his mind. Mr. Obama plans to talk about what he calls several insidious threats to people around the world.

Other presidents who will speak after Mr. Obama include China's Xi Jinping, Russia's Vladimir Putin, Iran's Hassan Rouhani, and Francois Hollande of France.

Hollande is flying to the U.N. meeting in New York. British Prime Minister David Cameron talked to reporters about Syria and his position is clear. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad must go.

VAUSE: He has made that assertion before. So too has U.S. President Barack Obama. But al-Assad has some strong supporters, in particular Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who is set to meet with President Obama at the U.N. this week.

[00:10:08] SESAY: Well, meanwhile, Iranian president Hassan Rouhani told CNN's Christiane Amanpour that Bashar al-Assad will not be forced out anytime soon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRES. HASSAN ROUHANI, IRAN (Through Translator): Now Iran with the United States does not have any direct talks vis-a-vis Syria, but Iran simultaneously with the European Union and as well as other countries, does have talks regarding Syria and those parties to the talks with Iran about Syria are in direct conversations with the United States as well. So perhaps not direct but there are talks.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It seems to be that the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia obviously, Iran obviously, are now all talking about a potential transition that involves President Assad staying where he is for the moment.

ROUHANI (Through Translator): I think today everyone has accepted that President Assad must remain so that we can combat the terrorists. However, as soon as this movement reaches the various levels of success and starts driving out terrorists on a step-by-step basis, then other plans must be put into actions so as to hear the voices of the opposition as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Russia for its part appears to be growing its influence in Syria. Moscow's stepped up supplies of advanced military hardware and personnel. So far, though, the intention is not clear.

SESAY: In an interview with CBS's "60 Minutes" Russia's president explained why his country is supporting Syria's president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (Through Translator): We support the legitimate government of Syria. And it's my deep belief that any actions to the contrary in order to destroy the legitimate government will create a situation which you can witness now in the other countries of the region or in other regions. For instance, in Libya where all the state institutions are disintegrated. We see a similar situation in Iraq.

And there's no other solution to the Syrian crisis than strengthening the effective government structures and rendering them help in fighting terrorism. But at the same time urging them to engage in positive dialogue with the rational opposition and conduct reform.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: On Monday Mr. Putin will address the U.N. general assembly for the first time in a decade. Matthew chance joins us now live from Moscow with more on what we can expect from the Russian president.

Matthew, it seems despite the best efforts by the White House to isolate Putin, he's managed to insert himself into the Syrian crisis.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: He certainly has, John. It's been a remarkable turnaround in terms of the profile and the central importance of Vladimir Putin as he goes to this United Nations General Assembly. I mean, look, I mean, Russia has and Vladimir Putin has a number of practical reasons why they want to back up their long-time Syrian ally Bashar al-Assad. The country has military interests in Syria. It's got a naval base there. It's got economic interests as well.

But it clearly is keen to reassert its authority in the region as well. Syria is Russia's only toe hold really in terms of an alliance inside the Middle East. He wants to back that up. He believes that if Syria falls, if Bashar al-Assad falls to a group like Islamic State or the other rebels, then so too would Russian influence.

But also the Kremlin has clearly tried and succeeded to a very large extent in changing the conversation. Up until Russia's increased military involvement and backing diplomatically of Bashar al-Assad, everybody was talking about Russia's role in Ukraine.

Now the conversation has completely changed, placing Vladimir Putin specifically right in the center of diplomatic activity.

VAUSE: And Matthew, the conversation seems to have changed a lot when it comes to Syria because up until this point the conversation was Assad and Moscow. But the Putin plan, which is very similar to the Iranian plan is that Assad stays in power, the country stabilizes, and maybe there's a power-sharing arrangement with the opposition. That's a big maybe. Is it possible that how much support there is for that plan in Syria and I guess beyond?

CHANCE: Well, I mean, the details of what the latter stages of the Putin plan as you called it up, I mean, haven't been made clear. I mean, what the Kremlin has said, what Putin has said again in his interview with CBS earlier is that look, I mean, he's going to be supporting what he regards as the legitimate government of Syria. He believes that's the only defense or the best defense against the spread of Islamist groups like the Islamic State.

In terms of how much support there is for that, it's really unclear, isn't it? I mean, obviously the United States, other Western powers don't seem to have been given much choice in this. I mean, Vladimir Putin has, to a very large extent, seized the initiative, and he's pushing this diplomatic plan through regardless of what other people think. [00:15:02] And in terms of the support that Assad has inside Syria.

Obviously he has his pockets of support in Alawite areas. The Christians, of course, as well to a certain extent. But, you know, there's been four years of civil war. 250,000 people have lost their lives. He's also a hated figure. And, you know, really up until now people have been saying it's President Assad that is the main obstacle, or one of the main obstacles to a peaceful resolution of that conflict.

VAUSE: Senior international correspondent Matthew Chance live for us this hour in Moscow. Thank you, Matthew.

SESAY: Well, Iran's supreme leader is lashing out against Saudi Arabia, blaming the country for the deaths of nearly 800 people in a stampede at the Hajj. At least 155 Iranians are among the dead. More than 300 are missing.

Ayatollah Ali Khomeini is demanding an apology.

VAUSE: Predominantly Shiite Iran is a bitter rival of Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia and Tehran is accusing Riyadh of mismanaging the event.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani spoke with our Christiane Amanpour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROUHANI (Through Translator): Saudi Arabian government must respond, must be held to account for this lack of proficiency, for this lack of responsibility, and safety that has led to the tragic killing of so many pilgrims from so many countries. But from many political channels we will pursue this very issue until we get satisfactory answers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Well, John Defterios joins us now from Abu Dhabi.

John, good to have you with us. Given the long-standing regional battle for supremacy between Iran and Saudi Arabia, how are Iran's comments on this harsh stampede being viewed in the region?

JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Well, Isha, it's no doubt that the tragic stampede just coming three months after that July 14th nuclear agreement bringing to the fore the tensions that do exist between Saudi Arabia and Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini, the leader of Iran over the weekend stepping up that pressure, saying that Saudi Arabia should take full responsibility and stop passing the buck.

And I would suggest that the U.N. General Assembly allows Iran to amplify its displeasure with the handling of that stampede. It's worth remembering that a fifth of those that perished in that stampede are Iranians and many are unaccounted for at this time.

And also, Isha, this comes at a very sensitive time in the region. Let's not forget there are many different fires at stake here in terms of conflicts. But the biggest one, at least the most active one, is Yemen where you have Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar on one side and Iran exerting influence on the other. So this will all play out at the U.N. General Assembly, and the stampede just allowing those tensions to rise to the surface between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

SESAY: And the question then becomes will this go beyond a harsh exchange of rhetoric between Iran and Saudi Arabia?

DEFTERIOS: Yes, in fact, the rhetoric is very high. In fact, you probably saw over the weekend that Iran is suggesting it will take Saudi Arabia to the International Court. It will not stop until it gets all the answers. The Foreign minister of Saudi Arabia suggesting that Iran should stop playing with tragedy for its own purposes.

Now going forward, the Syrian talks that are taking place in New York as we speak will add a level of complexity, if you will. They're talking about a formula, the P-5 Plus One, something that was similar that worked for Iran. But the difference here is there are suggestions of bringing Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Sunni stalwarts to the table. While Russia, Vladimir Putin as Matthew is suggesting here, wants to have Iran as part of the mix. So it will be very complex.

Nobody wants to see the Hajj tragedy stand in the way of the initial talks that will be unfolding at the U.N. General Assembly at the same time. So you can see the complexity taking place here. And the Hajj tragedy coming at a horrible time. The tragedy won on its own but being used in politics there with all the leaders in New York, making it extremely difficult to get traction on the Syrian talks.

SESAY: Yes. Extremely difficult indeed, John Defterios, joining us there from Abu Dhabi. Always appreciate the insight. Thank you, John.

DEFTERIOS: Thank you.

VAUSE: And you can see all of Christiane Amanpour's one-on-one interview with the Iranian president tonight 7:00 p.m. in London, 8:00 p.m. in Berlin. Only here on CNN.

SESAY: Well, here in the United States Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina was interrupted during a speech when part of the stage collapsed around her. She was speaking to a crowd in San Antonio, Texas on Sunday when the backdrop fell.

VAUSE: But we can report Fiorina was not hurt and she went on to deliver her speech. Wow.

A short break on CNN NEWSROOM. When we come back, the imminent arrival of a strong typhoon. We are tracking a storm expected to make landfall on the island of Taiwan.

SESAY: Plus, this.

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN National CORRESPONDENT: I'm Paul Vercammen at Griffith Observatory where thousands gathered for that rare super moon eclipse. There was even a romantic twist. We're going to show it to you and more. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:22:50] SESAY: A very rare super moon lunar eclipse, the first one in 33 years, is happening right now. The visible results, a moon that appears much larger than usual and tinted red during the eclipse.

You're looking at live pictures right now with us. Now this all happens when the sun, moon, and earth line up in a particular combination, causing a total lunar eclipse. Very cool.

VAUSE: Yes. Earlier tonight it was red, and the super moon lunar eclipse was visible across much of the planet, and hopefully if you were at home, you're looking up there you could see it as well. That's what it kind of looked like. Because the next one will not occur until 2033.

SESAY: Let's bring in CNN's Paul Vercammen now who joins us now from the Griffith Observatory here in Los Angeles with the latest on the red super moon eclipse.

Paul, I know crowds of folks turned out for this really rare event. Set the scene for us. What's the mood been like?

VERCAMMEN: Here's what the mood is like, Isha and John. Take a seat. We're not too far from you down there at the studios. Welcome to California. And welcome to all these laid-back Californians, literally, many of them taking on -- taking in this eclipse, which is still just in its last stages right now, if you can see it. Great job right there by my cameraman Greg Kanes. And it's quite a night here for everybody at Griffith Observatory because as we said, despite the clouds they could see the eclipse.

And with me, Dr. Edwin Krupp. And Dr. Krupp, what a success for you. Describe for me what this was like for you.

DR. EDWIN KRUPP, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY: You know, it's always a delight. Griffith Observatory is about putting people eyeball to the universe, and when you've got that moon going through its motions it's a great day when you've got thousands of people looking at it.

VERCAMMEN: And only you would have such a smashing tie. Appreciate your taking time out. It was really a spectacular sight for those here at the observatory. They showed it on the telescopes as well. Many amateur astronomers out here. And as you can tell, people still staying out here to watch the last little fragments of this lunar eclipse.

Back to you.

VAUSE: Now, Paul, we know there's been a bit of a celebration, a bit of a party atmosphere out there, as well. The people gathered nearby. But leading up to this, there were predictions that this could be Armageddon. We have a small clip of what at least one pastor was predicting because this is a biblical tetrad. Let's listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[00:25:06] IRVIN BAXTER, END TIME MINISTRIES: If these -- if these four blood moons, since they do coincide with Jewish feast days, do they have a special meaning for us? Well, if the pattern of the last three tetrads continues, then we can expect some major event for the Jewish people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Not just the Jewish people. There are all predictions that something could happen to Israel. There are also the Mormon Church issued a statement because there was like concern. People were actually buying canned goods and ammunition across Utah expecting that this could in fact be the end of times. In fact, the statement was put out -- I'll get to you in a minute, Paul, stay with us.

This is a statement from the church, saying, "The writings and speculations of individual church members, some of which gained currency recently, should be considered as personal accounts or positions that do not reflect church doctrine." That's because one of the writers, a Mormon writer, Julie Rove, had actually said that this was the end of times.

Having said all that.

SESAY: Yes.

VAUSE: We've launched a show here in Los Angeles on the same night as Armageddon, but we are still here. Anybody taking that stuff seriously out there?

VERCAMMEN: No. Not at all, John.

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

VERCAMMEN: This was all about the astronomy. This was all about the celebration and the joy. And to show you how little one couple cared about these doomsday predictions, we had someone basically roll the dice on matrimonial roulette. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VERCAMMEN: What sort of omen do you think all of this is?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hopefully a good one. Right? It's a great omen.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Although there are superstitious people out there and they're scared of the blood moon, right?

VERCAMMEN: Right. Not you. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not me. No.

VERCAMMEN: Certainly not you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not me.

VERCAMMEN: You popped the question.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's right.

VERCAMMEN: You had no doubt.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lock and load, ready to go.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VERCAMMEN: That's right. He said lock and load, ready to go. A couple got engaged tonight during this great super moon eclipse. And they did so right here on the lawn. And by the way, she was completely surprised. She had no idea that he had the ring up his sleeve, and he presented it to her. So look what you've done. You've just come to California and we already have couples basically getting engaged during your show.

SESAY: I know. And Paul, that's such a good point. And, you know, turning away from Dr. Doom sitting here -- sitting by my side here --

VAUSE: It's my job. It's my thing.

SESAY: Yes. I actually think that this moment as captured here in L.A. as we see these people out there at the Griffith Observatory, popping the question, chilling out, I mean, it really captures a glorious mix of L.A., our new home, the new home for the show. Wouldn't you say, Paul? This is what L.A.'s all about, the weird and the wonderful.

VAUSE: Wow. Really?

SESAY: Yes.

VERCAMMEN: Absolutely. And the diverse. I mean, people have come from everywhere. Many of them, by the way, revealed to me that they walked something like, oh, two miles to get uphill to our perch here. It was so difficult. It was jammed with traffic. And there was a nearby reggae concert at the Greek Theater and all of this sort of just mixed into one massive celebration and OK, go ahead and insert your contact high jokes, but they had a great time. There's no doubt about it.

(LAUGHTER)

VAUSE: If you see my wife and daughter up there, will you give her a lift home? Because I think they're struggling finding a bus.

Paul Vercammen, thank you very much.

SESAY: Paul, thank you. Thank you so much, Paul.

VERCAMMEN: You're welcome.

SESAY: Dr. Doom.

VAUSE: Everyone needs a hobby.

Coming up here, some painful farewells and the promise of a new life. How some victims of ISIS -- the brutality of ISIS in Iraq hope to leave that behind.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:32:04] VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. I'm John Vause.

SESAY: And I'm Isha Sesay. The headlines this hour.

Pope Francis should be arriving in Rome in just a few hours after wrapping up his first visit to the United States. The Pope said he was leaving with a heart full of gratitude and hope. Earlier Sunday Pope Francis celebrated an outdoor mass in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with thousands of Catholics.

VAUSE: Expect some unusually blunt talk Monday when U.S. President Barack Obama gives his annual speech to the United Nations General Assembly. He plans to talk about what he calls several insidious threats around the world. Aides say Ukraine and Syria are the president's biggest concerns right now.

SESAY: People in Taiwan are preparing for a direct hit from another typhoon. Typhoon Dujan is expected to make landfall Monday evening local time. Dujan could weaken slightly before hitting land but this will be the second typhoon to hit the island since last month.

VAUSE: France has launched its first airstrikes against ISIS targets in Syria. President Francois Hollande says the strikes destroyed a training camp. Six planes flew in that mission which France coordinated with the U.S.-led coalition.

SESAY: Well, in Iraq the future of the Yazidis is in question after thousands of members of this ethnic and religious minority were attacked, massacred, and enslaved by ISIS more than a year ago.

VAUSE: The government or the state of Baden Wattenberg in Germany has offered to give refuge and counseling to hundreds of traumatized Yazidi women and children who are former captives of ISIS.

CNN's Ivan Watson witnessed the emotional farewell of dozens of these victims before they left for Germany.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They are dressed mostly in black, the color of mourning. Women whose faces we will not show to protect their privacy. Yazidi Kurds subjected to unspeakable crimes by ISIS. They receive a final blessing from their spiritual leader.

"What ISIS did to you will not happen again," the patriarch says. "Stop wearing black. It will only remind us of what we have suffered."

Iraq is the ancestral homeland of the Yazidis, an ancient, ethnic and religious community. Nestled in the valley in the Kurdish controlled north, a Yazidi sanctuary called the Lalish Temple.

(On camera): I'm deep in the heart of the Lalish Temple, the holiest site for the Yazidis. This religious minority has a long and painful history of persecution, but no one could have predicted the ferocity of the assault that they faced at the hands of ISIS starting in 2014.

(Voice-over): A little more than a year ago, ISIS militants attacked the northern province of Sinjar, where they allegedly massacred more than 3,000 Yazidis and captured at least 5,000 more, triggering a mass exodus as hundreds of thousands of Yazidis fled their homes.

MYRZA DINNAYI, YAZIDI ACTIVIST: We are -- all of us are traumatized now really.

WATSON: Yazidi activist Myrza Dinnayi has interviewed more than 1,000 former Yazidi captives of ISIS.

DINNAYI: Many of them are -- they were sex slaves under ISIS captivity, and they were beaten, tortured by ISIS fighters. They have PTSD, have depression. And we have no instruments here in Iraq to treat them.

WATSON: This month, 66 Yazidi women and children began the long journey to Germany. They emerged from the Lalish Temple barefoot, as is the custom on this sacred ground. Among those leaving is 15-year- old Sabah Mirza Mahmoud.

"I'm both happy and sad to go," he says. "ISIS killed my dad, my cousins and uncles, and they kidnapped 25 relatives, including women."

Saba's uncle shows photos of murdered family members. Not pictured, Sabah's 16-year-old sister who was enslaved by ISIS for three months before she escaped. Her family will get a chance at a new life in Germany. But that does not make saying good-bye any easier.

"Go ahead, get on the bus," Sabah's uncle tells his nephew.

This is the agony of the Yazidis, attacked because of their faith, with thousands still in modern day slavery, survivors left with little choice but to say farewell to their homeland.

Ivan Watson, CNN, at the Lalish Temple in Iraqi Kurdistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SESAY: And these people have endured so much.

More news from L.A. after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SESAY: Welcome back, everyone. India's prime minister says social media has changed his life. Narendra Modi sat down with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg at a town hall star meeting in California on Sunday.

VAUSE: Mr. Modi has more than 15 million Twitter followers, almost as many as me, and 30 million likes on his Facebook, almost as many as Isha.

Zuckerberg says Modi is setting an example for how world leaders should connect with their citizens, but he also noted about one billion people in India still don't have Internet access.

Just a small detail.

SESAY: Small detail.

Let's bring in our New Delhi bureau chief Ravi Agrawal for more on all of this.

Ravi, this event was carefully orchestrated from the questions to the audience. That being said, tell us more about the questions Mr. Modi faced because I understand he got quite emotional at one point.

[00:40:08] RAVI AGRAWAL, CNN NEW DELHI BUREAU CHIEF: Yes. Hi, Isha. I mean, it was orchestrated in that all of Mr. Modi's events when he travels around world are fairly orchestrated. What was different about this one is that usually Mr. Modi's making a speech. This time he was being asked questions by Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and the questions were fairly expected. These were questions about what it's like to do business in India. They were questions about the growth of social media in India, about women's empowerment.

But there was one question right at the end where Mark Zuckerberg asked Mr. Modi about his mother. He said that Mr. Modi is known to look up to his mother and if he could share some more details about her. And that's when Mr. Modi seemed to choke up a little bit. He talked about coming from a very humble background. He talked about how hard it was for him as a child washing dishes, cleaning up. And then he talked about how hard it would have been for his mother to manage with all of that and how proud she would be that he is now the prime minister of India.

So a moment of emotion there for Mr. Modi's viewers on Facebook and around the world.

SESAY: Yes. Indeed. A real emotional moment.

Ravi Agrawal, thanks for joining us and giving us a taste of the event. Appreciate it. Thank you.

VAUSE: So how's it been for you? SESAY: Fabulous. For you?

VAUSE: OK. This is coming to the end of our very first CNN NEWSROOM from Los Angeles. And some people have actually been out there and they've asked the question, why L.A.? Why California?

SESAY: Perhaps a better question might be, why haven't we been here before now?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE (voice-over): From Barbie to B-2 bombers, supermarkets and McDonald's, and the first message sent on the Internet. It all happened here in California. An economy so large if it was a country it would be among the top 10 biggest economies in the world. What happens here changes the way everyone lives wherever they might be. And at the center of it all is Los Angeles, the city and the sprawling communities around it, a world unto themselves. 10 million people call L.A. County home. They come from 140 countries and speak nearly 90 languages.

No ethnic or racial group is a majority here. This is home to the happiest place on earth, they say. It's a cultural center with more museums and theaters than any other U.S. city and a dream factory as well. The epicenter of global entertainment. This is where they come to make it big.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SESAY: Favorite moment so far since you've been here in L.A.

VAUSE: Oh, gosh. The guy who cut me off on the freeway.

(LAUGHTER)

VAUSE: Amused me on the way into work today. Like oh, thank you, that's great.

SESAY: Funny enough, there's a lot of that in L.A.

VAUSE: That's great. Actually good.

SESAY: But we love it here.

VAUSE: Actually, people have been very, very friendly.

SESAY: Friendly.

VAUSE: Actually, you know, that's not good with L.A. Very welcoming. Great group of people.

SESAY: Yes. We're loving it here. And we hope you will stay with us on this journey. Thanks for watching NEWSROOM L.A. I'm Isha Sesay.

VAUSE: I'm John Vause. We will be back with another hour of news after an update of "WORLD SPORT." You are watching CNN, live from Los Angeles.

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[00:45:34] KATE RILEY, CNN ANCHOR: This is WORLD SPORT live from CNN Central. I'm Kate Riley.

The finale of the golf season, the PGA Tour championship, has been won by Jordan Spieth. He's also the FedEx Cup champion, winning $10 million in the process. Spieth becomes the youngest player to win five times in a season since Horton Smith in 1929.

Let's start the action with Dustin Johnson. He caught fire on the back nine. Here at 10 Johnson pours in a 64-foot putt for birdie and he has seven birdies in total and ended the day with a share of the lead.

Justin Rose here on 13, the Englishman drains a 50-foot putt for birdie. Rose had a great day, finishing with a share of second.

So the man of the moment Jordan Spieth bogeyed on 5 and 6 and managed to bounce back here on 8 where he goes for birdie. The young Texan on the 11th. The American drains a stunning 46-foot putt for birdie. It would move him to one under.

So Henrik Stenson, his closest rival, couldn't quite believe it. However, the Swede would not go quietly on this final hole. Stenson ends his season in style with a long birdie putt. Stenson finished second alongside Justin Rose and Danny Lee. Now Spieth on 18 putting for the win. Spieth then wins the tour championship, capping off what's been a remarkable season.

Here's confirmation about final leaderboards. Spieth there top with 9 under, a result which sees him return to being world number one as well. New Zealand's Danny Lee, England's Justin Rose and Sweden's Henrik Stenson finished on 5 under par. Englishman Paul Casey was among those two shots further back on 3 under.

To the Rugby World Cup now, and fans witnessed the most one-sided match of the tournament so far when Australia faced Uruguay. Australia went top of pole A as they ran in 11 tries. And the win of the 2015 World Cup so far, the Aussies have high hopes for this tournament and now go top after winning 65-3. Uruguay with only one penalty in the whole match. Australia's next fixture is against England. It will be rematch at Twickenham next Saturday.

Well, the defeat does not mean England face immediate exit, though, but only the top two teams go through to the quarterfinals. England must hope that all the injuries eventually take their toll on Wales, who played Fiji on Thursday, while they must focus everything on their must-win game against the Wallabies on Saturday.

So in pool B Scotland had the worst of starts against the underdogs, the United States. The Americans managed to sniff out an error-prone defense in the first half. But the Scots found a different gear after the break. Tim Visor found an opening and he was simply unstoppable. He scored a try to start Scotland's comeback and to take the lead thanks to Finn Russell, who set up Sean Maitland. Scotland would eventually win 39-16.

So South Africa's captain Jean de Villiers has announced his retirement from test rugby. De Villiers has ruled out of the tournament after breaking his jaw against Samoa on Saturday. So it's Scotland who lead the pool, and with their win against the United States means they've taken maximum points from their two games so far. Scotland plays South Africa at St. James' Park in Newcastle on Saturday.

A record number of people witnessed Ireland against Romania in Pool D at Wembley Stadium. 89,267 saw Ireland's comprehensive win. There were tries from Tommy Bowe, Keith Earls, Chris Henry and Rob Kearney. The Irish scored six in total in what was another one-sided match on Sunday. The Irish winning this one after a bonus point. Boss Joe Schmidt will be pleased with his side's display and performance after making 12 changes. 44-10 is how it finished.

So victory for Ireland sees them and Scotland as the only teams to score maximum points in their first two pool matches of the Rugby World Cup. Romania has failed to score more than seven points by halftime in each of their last four tests.

[00:50:03] Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg are teammates at Mercedes, but they're also bitter rivals too and the road in Japan wasn't big enough for the both of them. It would seem. Our F-1 highlights are next.

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RILEY: Welcome back. And to Italy now. And Inter Milan looked to maintain their 100 percent record when they faced Fiorentina at home in Syria on Sunday. Inter had won all five previous league matches until now. The visitors to the San Siro were already 3-0 up at halftime. A little help by the fact Roberto Mancini's men were a man down after 30 minutes. A hat trick for Nicola Kalinic caps off a fantastic day for the visitors. 4-1 winners.

Well, Inter Milan were having a season to remember, although a match to forget against Fiorentina. Fiorentina leapfrog Inter to go top after that 4-1 win on Sunday.

To the English Premier League. And Watford's defense was breached for the first time at home this season when they faced Crystal Palace on Sunday. Wilford Saha came on as a substitute in the second half and he was the difference. He was brought down in a clumsy challenge in the box. Johan Cabai was the man to step up and take the penalty to put palace ahead. And that is how it ended. 1-0.

So after Palace's win on the road this is how the table is looking. Alan Pardew's men up to sixth. Manchester United topped the table, 50 in second. And for everything you could possibly want to know about the Premier League this weekend which has just ended I have the five things we learned on WORLD SPORT tomorrow.

On to Formula 1 now. And if you were late sitting down to enjoy the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday, then you will have missed the most important bit because Lewis Hamilton comfortably won the race to extend his lead at the top of the driver standings but all the drama came at the very start. Hamilton's Mercedes teammate, Nico Rosberg, is the biggest rival in the title race and it was the German who started from pole position at Suzuka.

Hamilton knew that overtaking is difficult here, so he made his move immediately. Rosberg was passed and holding the line through the first two corners, but it was a move that shoved his teammate off the track and from that point Hamilton put his foot down and stormed to victory in almost 19 seconds, and although Rosberg was knocked down to fourth by Hamilton's pass he fought back to take second place. The Mercedes were off the boil last week in Singapore but on Sunday they showed that they were very much back on track.

Hamilton is edging closer to a third driver's title and he's also now level with the one of his idols, Ayrton Senna, on 41 race wins. Sebastian Vettel's victory in Singapore last week means that he's just one ahead on 42. Alain Prost had 51. Michael Schumacher leads with 91 but Hamilton is steadily working his way up and he's delighted with his achievement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[00:55:20] LEWIS HAMILTON, FORMULA 1 DRIVER: I'm so happy right now. Just the teams did a fantastic job this weekend. It's great to be back up here as a team with the 1-2. I had a great start. Thanks again to the team working so hard to make sure we get good starts this race. For me to come here to a race where I used to love watching Ayrton drive and to match his wins is -- I can't really describe it. It doesn't feel real at the moment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RILEY: It's been more than a year since Poland's tennis star Agnieszka Radwanska won on the WTA Tour. But victory in Tokyo's Pan Pacific Open on Sunday means she's back. And she's also back into the world's top 10 rankings, too. Radwanska took on the up-and-coming Swiss player Belinda Bencic and easily avenged her defeat 8-4 earlier this season. Hitting 28 winners, winning eight consecutive games and cruising to straight set wins, 6-2, 6-2.

Radwanska is projected to rise from 13 to 8th in the world rankings, increasing her chances of making the end of season WTA finals in Singapore.

And that's it for this edition of CNN WORLD SPORT. I'm Kate Riley. Thanks so much for watching.

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