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Egypt Investigates Airport Security Following MetroJet Crash; Russians Mourn MetroJet Flight Victims; Aung San Suu Kyi's Party Expected to Win Myanmar Election; Calls for University of Missouri President to Resign; Netanyahu Meeting Obama over More U.S. Defense Aid; Kenyan College Massacre Suspects in Court; Ben Carson Lashes Out at Media; Former Prisoner Describes North Korean Prison Camp; Big- Ticket Beatles Memorabilia Hits Auction Block; Donald Trump Appears on "SNL".. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired November 09, 2015 - 02:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:22] ERROL BARNETT, CNN ANCHOR: Under scrutiny. Russian security experts arrive at Sharm el Sheikh Airport amid growing belief that a bomb brought down MetroJet flight 9268.

Also ahead, a nervous wait. Myanmar casts its vote in its freest election in decades.

And pushing back. Ben Carson attacks the media as questions escalate about his accuracy describing incidents in his past.

A warm welcome to our viewers in the states and those of you watching around the world. It's great to have you with me. I'm Errol Barnett, here for you for the next two hours on CNN NEWSROOM.

We begin in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, where Russian investigators are set to begin examining Egyptian airport security in the coming hours. Over the next few days, they plan to audit all of Egypt's major airports. This comes amid growing consensus among crash investigators that a bomb took down MetroJet flight 9268 some nine days ago. A U.S. official tells CNN he is all but certain of that fact. Meantime, Egyptian authorities say they're not so sure.

Let's cross to our Ian Lee who joins us live from Sharm el Sheikh.

Ian, Egyptian officials still reluctant to put the blame on a single bomb. What do we know for certain about the plane's last moments and what the potential causes could be?

IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Errol, we know that there was a loud sound on the voice recorder right before it went silent and the plane crashed. Now there are theories about what that sound is. The predominant theory at this time is that it's a sound of an exPLOsion from a bomb. But Egyptian officials have been reluctant to say it's a bomb. They're saying it could be something from a mechanical issue or a battery exploding. But what will really determine this is further analysis of that sound, which that help is being offered to not by only the Russians but other international partners. The other thing that's going to determine if this is a bomb or not is really reviewing the wreckage. That will have the physical signs of a bomb. There will be debris or shrapnel marks that they'll be looking for as well as residue. And those are clues that are going to help really determine what exactly brought down this jet -- Errol?

BARNETT: Because of the geography of this in the Sinai Peninsula and the claims of responsibility, basically opens up a new front in the war against is and is-linked militants. This is something you've been looking into these past few days. What did you find?

LEE: Well, we met with some tribal leaders. And is has been very effective up north. The one thing they haven't been able to do is push down south. And the war up in the north has been very brutal. It started slowly after the 2011 revolution but really picked up in 2013 after the overthrow of Islamist President Mohamed Morsy, hundreds of people have been killed in that fighting. Those down here in the south have said ISIS is not welcomed and a number of times they've been forced to push them back.

BARNETT: Ian Lee speaking to us from Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, just past 9:00 in the morning. Russian authorities looking at the status of security at the airport, looking for answers.

BARNETT: Ian, thank you.

U.S. lawmakers are also weighing in on airport security. A lead member of the House Intelligence Committee says if the security breach can happen at an Egyptian airport, it can happen in the U.S.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ADAM SCHIFF, (D-CA), RANKING MEMBER, HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: This is a problem here at home. When we test the TSA, they fail. I think we really need to step up our security here. George, I think with this, if this is a bomb by the affiliate of ISIS in the Sinai, ISIS has now fully eclipsed al Qaeda as the greatest terror threat in the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: Russians continue to mourn the deaths of the passengers on board the MetroJet flight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(BELL TOLLS)

(SINGING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[02:05:00] BARNETT: In St. Petersburg, the intended destination for the ill-fated plane, hundreds attended a service for the victims. A bell tolled 224 times, once for each person who died.

CNN's international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson, is in St. Petersburg and joins us with more on this.

Nic, no matter what the cause, hundreds of lives were lost and families devastated by this. Who are people there blaming?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It's very interesting, Errol. People came to the cathedral here, not in the thousands, the cathedral, St. Isaacs. They came in the hundreds, not the thousands. You might have expected more people to come, but it was very somber. Very solemn mood.

We did talk to people there about why they thought the plane came down, and I would say 60 percent to 70 percent of the people we talked to, particularly the older people, did tend to believe and think this was a terrorist attack. Some people -- one young man told us he said it's a plane, it's a machine in the air. It's not terrorism. But I think the idea that ISIS could have been behind this and the idea that ISIS was behind it because of Russia's intervention in Syria is a growing idea here. People have been slow to pick up on this because it's something the government here has tried to push to one side and naturally resisted the notion it may be a bomb that pointed to the breakup of the plane. But once Russia canceled all flights, left close to 80,000 tourists stranded, and it's bringing them back on arranged flights back to Russia, I think this has sent a clear message to most people that they do now recognize this was, in most likelihood, and they're expecting to hear soon, this was a terrorist attack -- Errol?

BARNETT: One thing that stands out to me, typically in these cases of national mourning, you have leaders, political, local or national leaders attending memorial services like these. Vladimir Putin was absent. What reason if any, did officials give for not attending the service this weekend?

ROBERTSON: It's strangely silent on that from the Kremlin. They said a few hours before the memorial that President Putin wouldn't be attending. People here have seen they used to President Putin being out in front of big national issues, particularly security issues. He will visit the site, visit the scene. He leads the way that if their executives at a company that is deemed to have performed badly or whatever, he'll talk about getting them replaced, getting investigations. This has been very, very noticeably low profile on the specifics of taking a role in talking about the issue and talking about the fact the plane came down and talking about what it might be.

This morning, the Kremlin announced that President Putin has gone to the southern resort city of Sochi where he'll be meeting with defense industry officials. Giving the impression he's hunkering down out of the limelight but he's going to be looking very seriously about how Russia can make sure it is militarily equipped to deal with any increasing terror threat and potentially an escalation of the military campaign inside Syria. That's the impression it creates. Certainly, the message here is President Putin is staying out of the limelight and away from the cameras and has gone to the extent of going to Sochi for this conference, something that takes place a few times a year -- Errol?

BARNETT: It does send that visual message.

Meantime, Nic, back in Sharm el Sheikh, Russian investigators have now arrived to independently evaluate security there at the airport. But Egyptian officials have been tightlipped this past week on the cause, even at this stage, not confirming that a bomb is to blame. They say it could be many other things. How might it affect the Egyptian/Russian relationship?

[02:09:27] ROBERTSON: Egypt is hugely important to Russia. At this point, this decade, if you will, when president Putin looks at NATO and allies, if you will, removing Moammar Gadhafi, the leader in Libya, he felt -- President Putin felt at that time he was outsmarted, out stepped, didn't expect it, and has been bitter about that loss. At the moment, is propping up his only important Middle Eastern ally, President Assad, in Syria. The message that Russia wants to send to the Arab nations and has been sending, Sergei Lavrov, the foreign minister at a meeting of Arab leaders that same year as the Arab Spring, December 2011, telling Arab leaders, if we support you, you know, we will continue to support you through thick and thin. Essentially, a message there to countries like Saudi Arabia, to countries like Egypt that felt the United States wasn't stepping in, their ally the United States wasn't stepping in behind them. This time, Russia's relationship with Egypt is important as Russia wants to continue to have a strong foothold and influence inside the Middle East and, in particular, with Egypt, perhaps gain a new or closer ally there. And that would be at the expense, to some degree, of the United States. So that's relationship is important. And it seems to have been partly the reason why Russia treads carefully when it's been talking up until the last few days about the possibility of a bomb. Now it stopped the flights and sent all the messages it believes this was likely a terrorist attack. By putting its own investigators into Sharm el Sheikh, it will try to figure out, is it really safe for Russians to be going on tourist trips to Egypt. Again, there is an important level in this relationship and that is to try to keep Russian interests strongly allied even at this time in Egypt -- Errol?

BARNETT: 11 minutes past 10:00 a.m. in St. Petersburg, Russia, from where Nic Robertson reports live. Nic, thank you.

Russian bloggers say they've spotted Russian soldiers in areas of Syria that have seen heavy fighting. The group reportedly used photos on social media to geo-locate three current or former Russian soldiers. The bloggers say they don't have proof the soldiers have been involved in ground fighting but they suggest that Russia's involvement in Syria goes beyond just an air campaign. Dozens of football players at a university in the U.S. are calling for

the man in charge of their school system to resign. And they say they won't play until that happens. We'll bring this story to you next.

Also ahead, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Barack Obama will try to move past their personal differences in Monday's face-to-face meeting on defense aid. Details on that after this.

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(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) [02:14:28] KATE RILEY, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: I'm Kate Riley, with your CNN "World Sport" headlines.

Spain's Lorenzo has won the Moto G.P. title for a third time. Spain started the race seven points behind the Italian Rossi. Rossi had to start at the back of the grid after a penalty with a crash in Malaysia. All the Italian needed was to finish second and he would have won his first title since 2009 but he was fourth. Lorenzo led from pole. This his seventh race win of 2015.

On to football now, and as rivalries go, the North London Derby is up there as far as rivalry goes. Arsenal hosting Tottenham. The Spurs dominated for long periods and took a deserved first half lead when Harry Kane broke clear and slotted in. However, Arsenal slowing taking control in the second half and equalizer Kwinding Kiran Gibbs. The visitors were denied an impressive victory. They remain unbeaten since the opening day of the season and they are within three points of a Champions League place.

It's now 22 consecutive wins for Novak Djokovic after he defeated Andy Murray in Paris to secure a single season sixth masters crown. The top seed winning this one in straight sets to improve a formidable 27- 4 against top 10 opponents this year. It was his 58th title of his career and 26th masters event.

That's a look at all your sports headlines. I'm Kate Riley.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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BARNETT: Let's get you to Myanmar. People are celebrating, excited that the military may lose more of its power after decades of tight control. Results are expected early this week. Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's party is expected to win the most parliamentary seats.

Ivan Watson is there following the election from Myanmar's largest city Yangon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Errol, much of this country is in anticipation, waiting for the results of the first open parliamentary elections in 25 years. It's difficult to count up all of these ballots.

I've traveled around the countryside here. You have really difficult logistics and infrastructure. There are villages, far flung towns that don't even have cell phone access, that don't really have electricity.

What is without question is that there was a great deal of enthusiasm when people went to the polls on Sunday.

(on camera): They line up before dawn, hours before polling stations open, committed to casting their ballot.

Critics say there are serious structural flaws in Sunday's parliamentary election. And yet, it's still being promoted as the closest thing Myanmar has seen to a democratic national election in 25 years.

(on camera): The atmosphere in these polling stations is hushed and solemn. For many people, this is the first time they've ever voted in a general election.

(voice-over): Among the new voters, Flimia (ph) and his wife Tarya (ph) couple. For them, this election has been hard work. They waited in line for five hours to cast their ballots. He says it was worth the wait.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the only way we can -- we hope that we can change the things in the future, our future, our baby, my baby, my daughter. I have one daughter, 9 years old. So for their future, we have to vote.

WATSON: Some here hope this election will help bring an end to decades of military rule.

(APPLAUSE)

WATSON: And many have pinned those hopes on this woman, Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize winner and leader of the National League for Democracy. The last time her party competed in a national election was in 1990. The party won, but then the military annulled the results and arrested Aung San Suu Kyi and many of her colleagues.

This time, Myanmar's president himself, a former military commander, vows that the election results will be respected.

In the afternoon, a tropical downpour hits Yangon, but it does not dampen some people's enthusiasm. At 4:00 p.m., the gates close as this Buddhist monetary turned polling station.

Workers begin the vote count under the close eye of election observers. Representatives from some of the dozens of political parties competing in this contest.

Outside, members of the public watch and wait to learn the future of their country.

(on camera): We have heard the results of one race, the speaker of parliament, the former chairman of the ruling USDP Party, which enjoys the support of the military, he has conceded defeat in a message via Facebook in his parliamentary race.

It's important to note, Errol, that this is not a fair election. 25 percent of the seats in the upcoming parliament have all been reserved for the military to appoint who is going to fill those seats. That leaves the seats that were up for grabs in this election. If the main opposition party wants to win a majority, it has to win at least two- thirds of the seats that are up for grabs. That's a very difficult challenge for any political party in any election around the world. And it's also a considerable boost to the ruling party, again, which enjoys the support of the military and would presumably ally itself with those military appointment quarter seats in the parliament.

It just gives you a sense of how the deck is stacked against the opposition led by Aung San Suu Kyi -- Errol

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[02:50:51] BARNETT: Ivan Watson in Myanmar for us.

African-American football players at the University of Missouri say they are boycotting all games growing call for the school system president to step down. They say Tim Wolf has been negligent in his response to racial incidents on campus. In August, a swastika was drawn with feces on a dormitory wall. That led to angry protests. In a statement on Sunday, Wolf says he's dedicated to ongoing dialogue to address these complex societal issues. But one student is continuing a hunger strike demanding Wolf's removal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI STUDENT: So I'm in this because it's that serious. We're dealing with humanity here. And at this point, we can't afford to continue to work with individuals who just don't care for their constituents. And when you see what's happening on campus now, with the racial incidents, the instance with graduate health insurance and everything else that's going on, we just have leadership that doesn't care about its student body.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: It does not appear Wolf is going anywhere. He says the university will unveil its diversity and inclusion strategy next April.

Let's get you to Washington where the White House is preparing for Monday's visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. U.S. President Barack Obama and Mr. Netanyahu will try to set aside tensions over the Iran nuclear deal in order to discuss U.S. defense aid to Israel.

CNN correspondent, Oren Liebermann, joins us from Jerusalem with more on this meeting.

Oren, these two world leaders famously don't share much personal love for one another, but the U.S. and Israel share a special geo political relationship. What deals may be cemented here?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm not sure they'll be able to cement any deals in this fairly short, fairly quick meeting between the two leaders, but they'll certainly try to push forward some agreements. Netanyahu knows that Obama will be in office for just over another year and then he'll have to work with a different of president. But there's still some big items on this agenda, not only the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and war raging in Syria, but also the wake, the aftermath of the Iran nuclear deal. Israel would try to push for a larger military aid package.

The question, can these two get along if only just for a bit?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Just when you thought it couldn't get worse, another blow to the already strained relationship between Netanyahu and Obama. Revelations that Netanyahu's new appointment as media adviser, Ran Baratz, accused Obama of anti-Semitism on Facebook back in March in the run-up to the Iran framework agreement, and once said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had a future in stand-up comedy. He apologized, and Netanyahu said he will, quote, "clarify the matter," but the damage was done. The seven-year relationship between Obama and Netanyahu has only grown worse in recent months.

Earlier this year, Netanyahu made an unprecedented intervention in U.S. foreign policy speaking before Congress without a White House invitation and criticized Obama's signature Iran nuclear deal sparking a very public and, at times, acrid feud between the leaders.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The importance of this meeting is that it passes without further skirmishing between Obama and Netanyahu that are harmful to the U.S./Israel relationship and to both countries.

LIEBERMANN: Both leaders have tried to downplay the frosty relationship saying the cooperation between the two countries is far more important.

Hours before his scheduled departure to Washington, Netanyahu saying this meeting will be about the all-important American aid to Israel. The U.S. gives Israel some $3 billion in aid a year and that will soon include America's latest fighter jet, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

Kerry highlighted this aid to Israel when he spoke to Philadelphia in December in defense of the Iran deal. But that military aid is set to expire in 2018 and Netanyahu could use this chance to push for a bigger aid package.

As for the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, a big issue for Kerry, a top White House adviser says there probably won't be any real peace negotiations before the end of Obama's time in office.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[02:25:00] LIEBERMANN: So there are big issues on the agenda, but analysts say there aren't expecting any big statements relating to those items. This is a chance for Obama and Netanyahu to show they're getting along after the Iran deal and show that that relationship is still strong -- Errol?

BARNETT: So long as there isn't an additional incident, then this could possibly be seen as a success.

Oren Liebermann live for us in Jerusalem this morning, 9:25 there.

Now, you can head to CNN.com for more on this developing story, including an op-ed on the two leaders and their contentious relationship by former White House advisor, Aaron David Miller. See what he has to say.

Republican candidate, Ben Carson, is lashing out at the media. Why the presidential hopeful is angry, and how his rivals are responding.

Also coming up, the suspects charged in April's massacre at a Kenyan university are set to stand trial. We'll bring you a live report from Nairobi after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:29:22] BARNETT: A warm welcome back to those of you watching here in the states and those of you tuned in all around the globe. I'm Errol Barnett. Let's update you on our top stories right now.

Russian investigators are in Egypt to review airport security after the MetroJet plane crash. The U.S. believes a bomb brought down flight 9268 after it took off from Sharm el Sheikh Airport October 31st. All 224 people on board were killed.

In Myanmar, ballots are being counted in the country's historic elections. Millions went to the polls on Sunday, and many are hoping the military will lose some of its power after decades of tight control.

[02:30:00] Results are expected early this week.

African-American football players at the University of Missouri are on strike demanding the school system president resign. They've joined growing protests over his response to racial incidents on their campus. In a statement Sunday, the president said he's committed to ongoing dialogue to address those issues.

The five men suspected of orchestrating the horrific attack on Kenya's Garissa University college are about to stand trial in Nairobi. The terrorist group al Shabaab took responsibility for the massacre that killed nearly 150 students back in April. Two full days of hearings are set to start very soon.

Our Robyn Kriel joins us from Nairobi with the latest.

Robyn, these men appear to be not the masterminds behind the attack but the ones who were physically there. What should we expect to hear today?

ROBYN KRIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What we understand, Errol, is that 30 witnesses will be called to testify in the next few days, at least 10 due to testify today. But this trial has so far been delayed several times. This is just a hearing in which we'll hear from the prosecution and the defense. The five men, one of whom is Tanzanian, two taken from the Garissa University campus and three arrested on a bus trying to leave Garissa. The other four are thought to be Kenyan or Somali nationals. That is still being disputed at the moment.

BARNETT: Robyn, how much is known about why this attack was launched in the first place? Some wonder if al Shabaab, who have claimed responsibility, was trying to show strength at a time of weakness. What was this attack really about?

KRIEL: Al Shabaab has consistently claimed ever since the Kenyan defense forces entered into Somalia to essentially stamp out the terror group in 2011, end of 2011. Al Shabaab said it will bring the war to Kenya. Moving from Somalia where it's fighting African Union forces and bring attacks to Kenya right next door to -- in what is a very porous border. They've done that through the Westgate attack and Garissa attack and near the Kenyan coast, essentially massacring dozens and dozens of people.

Was al Shabaab at a time of weakness? Many would say yes because al Shabaab has been essentially forced from the capital, Mogadishu, in 2011 by Somali government forces and been on the back foot throughout -- chased essentially from Mogadishu throughout Somalia down to southern Somalia, and essentially moving a number of fighters across Kenya. However, we're told especially since the Garissa attack that Kenyan security services have improved their intelligence, Errol. They've been working with the international community to try and make sure this massacre doesn't occur again on Kenyan soil. They've been very good with thwarted attempts, we're told.

BARNETT: Robyn Kriel live in Nairobi for us. Robyn, thank you.

U.S. Republican presidential candidate, Ben Carson, is lashing out at the press calling the coverage of his campaign "sick and stupid." This comes in response to news outlets questioning how accurate he's been about incidents in his past.

CNN's Sunlen Serfaty has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ben Carson is really disputing the notion this intense period of media scrutiny is getting under his skin, despite a fierce and aggressive pushback that he's taken all weekend and one that he repeated here in Puerto Rico today, giving an angry and, at times, mocking critique of the media's coverage of his past.

I asked him why he would then not just produce much of the evidence that we've been asking for to really quash these questions about his past. And here's how he responded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN CARSON, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The burden of proof is not going to be on me to corroborate everything that I've ever talked about in my life because once I start down that road, every single day from now until the election, you're going to be spending your time doing that and we have much more important things to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SERFATY: Carson believes he's being held to a higher level of scrutiny because he's doing so well in the polls. Here's what's he told CBS this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARSON: No question I'm getting special scrutiny because there are a lot of people who are very threatened and they have seen the recent head-to-head polling against Hillary and how well I do. They're worried. There's no question about it. And, you know, every single day, every other day or every week, they're going to come out with, you said this when you were 13. And you did this. And the whole point is to distract the populous, distract me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[02:35:00] SERFATY: This tees up an interesting backdrop to Tuesday's upcoming debate in Wisconsin. I asked Carson how he's preparing, how his mind-set is going into this debate given the past week. He's digging in on the issues on economic and foreign policy and, no, he is not holding any mock debates, he says.

Sunlen Serfaty, CNN, Puerto Rico.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: Thank you Sunlen.

Republican rival, Donald Trump, is weighing in on the issue. He told Jake Tapper he stands by the motion that this media scrutiny could be the beginning of the end for Carson's campaign. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (voice-over): It's a lot of scrutiny and it's a lot of statements that are under fire. And I hope Ben is going to be OK with it. It's going to be interesting to see what happens. Time will tell. But it's certain a lot of people are asking a lot of questions all of a sudden. And you know, it's a little bit tough. I'd say it's not so easy on Ben. I hope, frankly, it comes out great for him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: Trump is getting a few critiques of his own after hosting "Saturday Night Live." Some say his performance didn't live up to the hype. But the episode still brought in the show's biggest ratings in nearly four years.

During his opening monologue, Trump proved he is willing to poke fun at himself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: They've done so much to ridicule me over the years, this show has been a disaster for me. Look at this guy.

UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: Great, great, great. Isn't he doing fantastic? (LAUGHTER)

(APPLAUSE)

UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: I've got to say you're doing a great job. In fact, I think this show just got better by about two billion percent.

TRUMP: Aye, yi, yi. Look at this.

(LAUGHTER)

(APPLAUSE)

UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: You think you're this terrific person.

(LAUGHTER)

You think you're this. You think you're that.

(LAUGHTER)

Ba, ba, ba.

(LAUGHTER)

You're being very naive and, quite frankly, you're fired.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: Wait, which one was the caricature? Which was Donald Trump? I'm not so sure.

Still to come, more on Donald Trump's "Saturday Night Live" gig and what the critics have to say about it.

And coming up, a former inmate talks about his time in one of North Korea's infamous prison camps. His exclusive interview next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:40:38] BARNETT: Conditions at North Korea's prison camps are the focus of a United Nations inquiry.

On a recent visit to Pyongyang, Will Ripley spoke exclusively with a former inmate who tells a very different story about his experience. Here's the exclusive interview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(MUSIC)

RIPLEY (voice-over): When we asked to visit a North Korean prison, officials take us to this Pyongyang apartment.

(SINGING) RIPLEY: We meet the family of Jong Guang-il, the first North Korean inmate they've ever allowed us to interview. He served two years at a prison camp 70 miles from the North Korean capital. Seen by outsiders only in satellite images, North Korean defectors testifying to the United Nations describe a modern-day concentration camp. The accused totalitarian regime denies holding political prisoners and denies three generations of punishment putting entire families in the gulags.

(on camera): Did you witness any public executions?

(voice-over): No, he says.

(on camera): Were you ever starving? Did you witness people who were starving?

(voice-over): He says they had plenty to eat.

(on camera): Were you tortured? Did you see people being tortured?

(voice-over): He calls my questions about torture nonsense.

Jong refuses to give details of daily life at the camp or even why he was in prison.

Jong says a fellow prisoner who fled to South Korea is stealing his identity, using his name to tell lies about prison conditions.

"I want to cut off his head, strangle and kill him," he says, "a national traitor saying he's me."

"I didn't steal anyone's name," says the other Jong-Guang-il, speaking to CNN in Seoul. He admits he spent time in the same prison with the Pyongyang Jong but claims the names are a coincidence. He says his mother changed his sir name as a child and he changed it back after fleeing North Korea. CNN can't identify Jong's identity. Like many defectors, he doesn't have original documents.

North Korea often tries to discredit defectors calling them "human scum, criminals who will say anything to make money."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

RIPLEY: "Last year, North Korea called me a thief who stole state property. Now they're accusing me of identity theft," he says. "This is nonsense."

UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: -- changed portions of his story.

RIPLEY: But there are documented cases of some defectors being less than truthful. Shin don Shute (ph), considered one the U.N.'s most powerful voice against North Korean human rights abuse recanted parts of his story earlier this year.

To fight back against what it calls false claims, North Korea is putting its own carefully selected former inmate in front of our cameras. (MUSIC)

RIPLEY: But until they open their doors to international inspection, they are unlikely to convince the outside world.

(MUSIC)

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Will Ripley, CNN, Pyongyang.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: Very interesting.

15 years from now, 100 million more of the world's population could be forced into poverty as a result of climate change. That's according to a new report from the World Bank, which points to the increased threat of floods, droughts and disease. The report says eradicating poverty will be essentially impossible if the effects of global warming are not taken into account. World Bank executives said ending poverty and tackling climate change are the defining issues of our generation.

Now a tropical cyclone impacting Yemen is rare enough but two in a single season is virtually unheard of, and that second one is having its way with the region at this moment.

Our Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri joins us to talk about this.

It's incredible. Last week, you were noting this storm was heading to Yemen, and now a twin storm coming in.

[02:44:25] PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Another one coming in, similar place. You know, I looked into how many tropical storms we've had. About 150. And about a dozen or so have worked toward the Arabian Peninsula. None of them had ever made it their way into the Gulf of Aden toward Yemen as a hurricane-strength storm. Pretty remarkable. It's almost like trying to make a shot in basketball from full court twice in a row. It's what this is doing in an unusual location. We'll break down what is happening here. This was a category 3 equivalent impacted this region. If you are in tune with what's happened across Yemen. It's a war-torn region and violence has disrupted communication and the electricity grid. Very little is known about what happens here as far as weather data. There's only eight weather observations in the entire country and six of them are inoperable. Look at the pattern. Chapala came in last week. Made landfall on the coast. This particular one tracks farther into the Gulf of Aden in an area that sees 25 to 50 millimeters of rain per year. One to two inches of rainfall per year. Upwards of seven inches of rain came from last week's system and now another one approaching Aden. Models bringing upwards of 25 to 50 million. Upwards two of inches across this region. This would be catastrophic when it comes to the flooding situation. Across the northern Indian Ocean, you typically see five tropical features. Almost unheard of to see both typhoon strength storms work their way toward the same area inside a seven-day period. That's what we're watching.

And in California, flooding and also some mountain snow taking place over the past several hours. Work your way into portions of the mountains across Montana as well getting in significant snow accumulations. Look at the snow depth in the Sierras, up to 60 centimeters. Errol, we talk about the lack of snow across the Sierras. About 30 percent of California's drinking water comes from snow melt and the sierras and we're finally beginning to see snow come in and come down in earnest. It's the El Nino season. Looks like it's starting to play out a little bit.

BARNETT: Good. A little bit of good news there.

JAVAHERI: Yeah.

BARNETT: I want you to hang around and look at this. Did you see this sinkhole in Mississippi?

JAVAHERI: It's incredible.

BARNETT: It's crazy. Take a look. A large sinkhole ripped open the parking lot of what was described as a new restaurant. I believe it was an IHOP, The International House of Pancakes. No injuries reported. You see the sinkhole. Look closely, Pedram.

(CROSSTALK)

BARNETT: Is that a clue? Was this some sort of underground tunnel? You see there, where the people are standing? I'm not so sure --

(CROSSTALK)

JAVAHERI: Oh, yeah. You don't want to be standing there.

BARNETT: No. The cause of the sinkhole still unclear but the parking lot has been roped off to keep anyone else from falling in.

JAVAHERI: Unbelievable.

BARNETT: Crazy.

JAVAHERI: That's what drone cameras are good for, Errol.

(CROSSTALK)

BARNETT: All right, Pedram, thank you very much. We'll see you next hour.

Now, some big-ticket Beatles memorabilia hit the auction block. Coming up, how -- you can hear how much someone paid for a guitar used in some of the band's classic hits.

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(SINGING)

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[02:49:19] JAVAHERI: Time to talk weather.

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BARNETT: A U.S. auction house has sold what it calls, quote, "the most important Beatles guitar ever to hit the auction block." Of course, they'll say that. It's a 1962 Gibson guitar that once belonged to John Lennon that went for $2.4 million over the weekend. The guitar went missing after a concert back in '63 but not before Lennon used it to record early Beatles hits like this one.

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(SINGING)

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BARNETT: You know that's going to be ringing through your head for the rest of the day. Also the drum head used in that '64 performance sold for more than $2 million as well. I'd never want to play those instruments at that price.

Earlier, we told you Donald Trump gave "Saturday Night Live" its biggest ratings in nearly four years. The show wasn't without controversy. Latino groups, offended by Trump's previous comments on immigration, protested outside NBC headquarters before the show. One sketch imagined what the world would be like if the Republicans did win the presidency and it made light of one of his most controversial ideas on immigration. Listen.

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UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: The president of Mexico is here to see you.

TRUMP: Ah, that's great. Send him in.

UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: Donald.

TRUMP: Enrique.

UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: I brought you the check for the wall.

TRUMP: That is so awesome. (LAUGHTER)

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UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: Consider it an apology for doubting you. As history shows us, nothing brings two countries together like a wall.

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BARNETT: Kim Serafin joins us from New York to talk about all the biggest headlines in Hollywood right now. She's the senior editor of "In Touch Weekly."

Kim, always great to see you. Thanks for being with us again.

KIM SERAFIN, SENIOR EDITOR, IN TOUCH WEEKLY: Thank you.

BARNETT: Donald Trump hosted "Saturday night live" over the weekend. An activist group was offering $5,000 to anyone who heckled him with the word "racist." Here's what happened in the end during the show.

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LARRY DAVID, ACTOR & COMEDIAN: You're a racist!

TRUMP: Who the hell is -- I knew this was going to happen. Who is that?

DAVID: Trump's a racist!

(LAUGHTER)

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TRUMP: It's Larry David.

What are you doing, Larry?

DAVID: I heard if I yelled that, they'd give me $5,000.

(LAUGHTER)

I had to do it.

(LAUGHTER)

TRUMP: As a businessman, I can fully respect that. That's OK.

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BARNETT: All right. And we should note that deportracism.com said they will give Larry David the $5,000 they offered.

Was that the best moment of the night?

SERAFIN: It was one of them. A really funny moment and it took right from the headlines what was going on. People were wondering if someone would disrupt the broadcast. Larry David has been getting accolades for playing Bernie Sanders. So spot on with his impression. So it was perfect to have him do that. And Larry David is politically active. It made sense to have him do that.

There were other really funny moments they had. Donald Trump live tweeting one of the sketches, saying very derogatory things about some of the cast members, calling them losers, of course. One of the funnier moments was Donald Trump dancing to a Drake parody song. People thought that was very funny. Some highlights, though some other reviews were that it wasn't funny enough. A little boring. Very interesting. But clearly did not ruin the ratings. Highest ratings since 2012. And you know, Donald Trump says he brings in the ratings, and he sure does.

[02:55:27] BARNETT: At least delivered on that part.

Let's talk about some other things happening. The newest Bond film came out, "Spectre." Daniel Craig had been criticized over the media appearances he made. In the end, were the critics right? Did he pull off a solid performance, or did it seem like he just wanted to move on?

SERAFIN: He made the comments about wanting to slash his wrists. Not a great way to lead into this movie. But it's doing very well. It's made over $300 million worldwide. In the U.S., it debuted at number one domestically. The second-highest opening Bond ever, just below "Skyfall." Still not bad for a film that did get a little negative publicity leading up to it. The producer recently said he does expect Daniel Craig to be back to play Bond again. He's not under contract but after this is doing so well worldwide, I'd think that he'd be silly not to go back and play Bond one more time.

BARNETT: Kim Serafin.

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BARNETT: Kim Serafin speaking with me earlier.

Thanks for watching CNN NEWSROOM, everyone. I'm Errol Barnett. I'm back after the break with more live reports from Egypt, Myanmar and more. Stay with us.

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