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Iraqi Forces Retake City of Ramadi; Trump, Clinton Getting Increasingly Personal; China to End One Child Policy; Japan's Fascination with Schoolgirl Culture Crossing a Line?; Disney's Media Campaign for Chinses Star Wars Premiere; Panda Baby Bei Bei Approaching Public Viewing Date. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired December 28, 2015 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[00:00:00] ISHA SESAY, CNN ANCHOR: This is CNN NEWSROOM, live from Los Angeles. (HEADLINES)
Hello and welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world; I'm Isha Sesay. NEWSROOM L.A. starts, right now.
Iraqi leaders plan to hold a flag-raising ceremony Monday in the city of Ramadi. They made the announcement after security forces there seized control of a key government compound from ISIS fighters. Ramadi fell to ISIS back in May. Iraq's army has been locked in intense fighting to win it back. They're advancing slowly because they believe ISIS left explosives all over the place, but the military now expects to have full control of the entire city in just a few days.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, via translator: We will declare the victory soon, by the Golden Brigade and the Special Forces, god willing. We will announce happy news to the people of Anbar, those who were displaced from their own town and lived in tents. God willing they we will be able to return to their place soon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: Well, let's bring in retired Colonel Rick Francona. He joins us by Skype from Palm Springs, California. Thanks so much for joining us Colonel Francona.
LT. COL. RICK FRANCONA, MILITARY ANALYST: Sure.
SESAY: Now, Iraqi forces appear to be on the verge of declaring full victory in Ramadi, but once that is done the question becomes how do you feel the vacuum left by ISIS and successfully engage the disgruntled Sunni population? How do you see this playing out?
FRANCONA: Yes, and i think the Iraqis have done a good job here because when they went over there, they used as we mentioned there, the Golden Brigade and the regular Iraqi army. We did not see the presence of the Shia militia, backed by Iran, led by the Iranians. I think that was a smart move. They were also able to secure the alliance of some of the Sunni tribes
in the area; very reminiscent of what we saw in 2007, with the (inaudible). So i think the Iraqis, the new Iraqi Government, under Haider al-Abadi, has really embraced the idea of bringing the Sunnis back into the fold, and i think this is very important. I think that was key there. So when the Iraqi Army finally secures the town in a few days, they'll turn it back over to the Sunni leadership there, and i think that's a good thing.
It's a good start, but it's not over for the Iraqi army now. They've got to go on to Fallujah and then work their way up north, to go after Mosul, because that's the recovery of Iraq as a country.
SESAY: What does defeat of ISIS in Ramadi mean for that broader effort, to control ISIS?
FRANCONA: Well it's a good start. I mean, they've had to get them out of there. As you know, Ramadi is only about 90 kilometers from Baghdad, but Fallujah sits even closer. So they have to pivot from Ramadi and go down to Fallujah and clear that out. That pretty much secures the bulge of the Anbar Province, at least the two major cities. Then that frees them up to start going north again. They have got to get north, get their momentum back and go after the ISIS stronghold in Mosul. They're doing this. We're starting to see a lot of Coalition activity, this trying to isolate Mosul by cutting off the supply lines between Raqqa and Mosul. You know, Sinjar and Tel Afar, those operations were aimed at doing just that.
So i think if the Iraqis now have recovered. They've reconstituted their army, and they've started their momentum again and, you know, ISIS has now had a set back. I think this is key because before ISIS had momentum. I think that has changed.
SESAY: Is ISIS weaker? I mean, this is the third victory in as many months for Iraqi troops against ISIS. What's your assessment about the state of ISIS right now?
FRANCONA: I think that's a fair assessment, Isha. They have are weaker. See, what's happened is when ISIS was making their moves into Iraq, and they're rolling down the Euphrates Valley, rolling down the Tigris Valley, they were able to marshal forces against weaker forces Iraqi positions. That situation has changed. ISIS is now the people trying to hold the ground and now the Iraqi's are using overwhelming force on weaker ISIS positions. You know, so it's a turn about, and it's having the desired effect.
ISIS really doesn't have the capacity to withstand the bulk of force that the Iraqi army can throw at it. I think the Iraqi's have realized it and they're starting to do it. It's taken long time to get it going, but it looks like they've finally recovered.
SESAY: So, Colonel Francona, if ISIS is weaker, as you see it,
[00:05:24]
should the U.S. keep the same strategy or should they be changing things up? How should the U.S. be moving forward in the fight against ISIS, in light of this reality as you see it?
FRANCONA: Right, well, i think we've changed our tactics. i think the strategy has always been the same. it's just that the Iraqi's had been unable to execute that strategy on the ground. It appears that the Iraqi's have now regained the capability that they had before, at least somewhat. These are new troops, but they're being led by competent people now, a big change from when we had al-Maliki as the prime minister. So as this happens, of course, they're going to be able to do this. I think it's a good omen for the Iraqi's.
SESAY: Colonel Francona, it's always great to have you on the program; thank you so much.
FRANCONA: Nice to be with you, Isha.
SESAY: (HEADLINES)
Bad or all good, this strange weather isn't just happening in the U.S. and South America. Parts of Europe are also reporting unusual temperatures and once again, El Nino is to blame. Michael Holmes has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: People in Madrid, enjoying coffee in an outdoor cafe, many without jackets. In Valencia, at 19 degrees Celsius, it's marvelous, to enjoy the beach.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN, via translator: It's marvelous! At this time of the year, with this fabulous sun, to enjoy the beach.
HOLMES: Moscow's Red Square without snow. The Christmas there was anything but white. Green slopes in Germany's ski resorts forced would-be skiers into more year-round attractions, like the Alpine sled run.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, via translator: There are, of course, people who come mainly to go skiing; so some are saying this is not ideal weather wise, but a lot of people are familiar with our surrounding here and they always find alternative activities.
HOLMES: But why is this happening? Meteorologists are chalking it up to el Nino. El Nino occurs when ocean temperatures are in the equatorial Pacific are unusually high. The pooled, warm water changes weather patterns all over the world. It happens every two to seven years, and this year's is expected to be one of the worst on record.
El Nino also being blamed, at least in part, for disastrous flooding in the united kingdom and parts of South America.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, it's a big tornado; big, big, strong tornado.
HOLMES: And severe weather events in the United States as well.
Michael Holmes, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: Well meteorologist Pedram Javaheri joins us mow with more on the unusual weather around the world. Pedram, everyone pointing the finger at el Nino.
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: That's right. Yes, you know, we knew this was going to happen. Typically from December through February and March. That's really you begin to see the weather patterns alter dramatically. For places that typically see snow, they begin to see mild weather, initially, and then it goes downhill from there. Of course, the severe weather that followed suit across the U.K., much the same when it comes to rainfall. Of course, they're very well-known for rainfall but you see some of the images out of the region, and at least 25 flood warnings that are considered severe for Scotland, for Wales, for parts of England.
When you have this sort of a scenario, "severe" meaning that it's a danger to life, imminent danger to life.
I want to share with you what it looks like when it comes to the surface water. The ground water supply, at the bottom of your screen, this begins to rise, we begin to increase the water
[00:10:00]
table. With rainfall in recent days, in recent weeks, have really been historic in this region -- the soil is so saturated we're now getting the surface flooding. So the water literally seeping out of the ground and taking over some of these communities, and that's precisely what's happened in some of these neighborhoods, and the numbers support it so dramatically because you take a look at the town of Shaf, for example, that had a typical average of about 216 millimeters this time of year, for the month of December. This is how much they've seen so far in December, nearly tripling, more than tripling that number when it comes to what is considered average, and records set across that region.
Kesmick, one of the other observations where numbers have been traumatic when it comes to the number, considering what is normal across this region for this time of year. But, the weather pattern here, a lot of it having to do with the Jetstream, when the steering currents are altered, your storm system, or your storm tracks, begin to get altered as well. In this case, we're driving them right into Western Europe and we're bringing in with quite a bit of intensity.
Look at the rainfall forecast across parts of Ireland. This is forward over the next three to five days, could see upwards of 150 to 250 millimeters over this region and it just continues, with some of these areas having a monthly average, Isha, of about 15 millimeters and, again, picking up hundreds of millimeters of rainfall. Of course, that's just part of the element.
You come back to the United States, this is what it looks like outside, with flood watches, with ice storm warnings, winter storm warnings, blizzard warnings that are in place across parts of the United States as we well. This pattern expected to continue as we go in towards the east side of all this activity. In fact, a tornado watch in effect, right now, for parts of the state of Louisiana, meaning conditions are favorable for additional tornadoes to form; and you know what's happened across this region, Isha.
SESAY: And I don't want to make it about me, but it is also very, very cold here in California. I'm just saying --
JAVAHERI: That's right, and that is unusual, too, for you across the western U.S.; absolutely.
SESAY: Okay. Thank you for sharing my pain. Pedram Javaheri there, joining us there from Atlanta; appreciate it Pedram. Thank you.
(HEADLINES)
Now to the 2016 race for the white house and the escalating war of words between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. The Republican Frontrunner has launched heated attacks against Clinton on TV and online, including a shot he took at her husband, former President Bill Clinton. CNN's Chris Frates has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS FRATES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The fight between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton is getting increasingly personal, with the billionaire attacking Bill Clinton for sexism. Trump sent his tweet Saturday night, attaching Clinton's "penchant for sexism" turned the tables on Hillary Clinton because she used this same phrase to criticize Trump, earlier in the week, after he used a sexist vulgarity who describe Clinton's loss to Barack Obama in 2008.
DONALD TRUMP (R), REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, via telephone: I think he is fair game because his presidency was really considered to be very troubled, to put it mildly, because of all of the things that she's talking to me about. I mean, she's mentioned sexism. I actually turned her exact words, i don't know if you saw the following tweet, but i turned her exact words against her, from that standpoint. She's got to be careful. You know, it's got to be fair and we all have to fight fairly and we have to fight for the good of the country, for the good of the people, for the good of everybody; but we have to fight fairly. She's playing the woman's card, and it's like give me a break.
FRATES: The chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee fired back, saying Trump is practicing "gutter politics" and that the GOP politics is following him down the sewer.
REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (R-FL), CHAIR, DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE: It's really outrageous, the depths and how low he has allowed the campaign to sink, and the rest of the republican field, Andrea, is going along --
FRATES: Trump's slam on the Bill Clinton's marital infidelity and alleged sexual misconduct comes a week after the Democratic Frontrunner announced that her husband will hit the campaign trail for her next month. The attack seems to be a kind of preemptive strike on the man regarded by many as one of the country's best campaigners.
It also suggests that Trump is feeling secure enough in his lead atop the GOP field to take on the leading democrat. Trump and Clinton are neck and neck in a hypothetical matchup, and, of course, it doesn't hurt that criticizing Clinton is also a very popular past time among republican primary voters.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: Stepping away from the U.S. now and to China: the nation is changing one of its most controversial policies that has stood for decades. Lawmakers voted Sunday to end the one child policy and allow couples to have two children. The reason is China's aging population. The government says in just 15 years China will be home to more than 400 million people over the age of 60 and there are concerns there won't be enough young people to support them. Reaction to the move is mixed, though.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE, via translator: I think two children are better. The only child is too selfish because there's only one in the family. The four grandparents and dad and mom are all focusing on him. There's too much attention for him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, via translator: One child is enough. Another one would be a burden, especially when they need to go to school and find a job when they grow up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE, via translator: It will be harder for us now to have another child, but i think two children can have less pressure looking after us when we are old.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: While China's child policy is easing, security laws are getting tougher.
(HEADLINES)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SESAY: (HEADLINE) Now, a government report out of Thailand warns Bangkok could be under water in just fifteen years. That means rising sea levels and sinking land could jeopardize the home of millions of people. Our Saima Mohsin takes a closer look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Dawn, where the city's Chao Phraya River meets the sea on the coast of the Gulf of Thailand. And here, on the outskirts of Bangkok, there is no question about the rising sea levels. I'm having to take this boat out to what was once a thriving village in Temple, half a kilometer inland that is now under the sea.
The distinction between land and sea is blurred here. The sea takes no time in claiming its territory. As the water sweeps further and further in, locals like Phai (ps), have been chased inland.
SUMRUENG PINKAEW, RESIDENT, via translator: I've moved so many times; this is my fourth time. I feel like there's a cliff under the sea and the land keeps sinking into it.
MOHSIN: He hasn't heard of climate change, though can see what nature is doing, he tells me. This is where Phai used to live, a village, hundreds of homes now completely under water, where only electricity pylons remain to mark where people once lived. Now lost to the sea.
This temple was built in 1952 to be in the heart of the community that used to live here. Named the "Lord Of The Sea", little did they know then that today it would be surrounded by water.
Each day, as the tide comes in, the temple becomes an island. The floor has been raised repeatedly to avoid the rising sea. A giant new statue of Buddha has been brought in to keep the sea at bay, a try at a divine intervention. But this is more than just a coastal problem. soon, if nothing is done to stop it, this water will be making its way into the city.
Bangkok is built on soft clay like soil with increasingly heavy giant buildings weighing down on it. Add to that soil erosion and sea levels rising one to two centimeters a year, and it's a cocktail for flooding disaster.
DR. SEREE SUPHARATID, DIRECTOR, RANGSIT UNIVERSITY on CLIMATE CHANGE & DISASTER: Bangkok is now at about 0.5 meters above sea level. The next 50 years we already the same sea level. The next 100 year, we are under water about 50 (inaudible).
MOHSIN: After a detailed investigation, Thailand's National Reform Counsel concluded the risk of Bangkok sinking is moderate. More analysis and research committees are in the pipeline. It did say action needs to be taken, but not what. Experts say that's not enough. If the government doesn't act now and construct a multibillion seawall soon, the city of Bangkok won't
[00:25:45]
just be sinking but a sunken city under the sea.
Saima Mohsin, CNN, Bangkok, Thailand.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: Very frightening, indeed. (HEADLINES)
Time for a quick break. School girls play a large role in Japanese pop culture, but some people say the countries fascination is putting young females at risk. We'll take you inside one lucrative business, coming up. Plus, "Star Wars" adds another big record to its belt. We'll tell you about the latest milestone reached in hyper-drive. Do stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [00:30:00] SESAY: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM, live from Los
Angeles; I'm Isha Sesay. The headlines this hour:
(HEADLINES)
Well, in Japan, images of schoolgirls are everywhere, from comic books to caves, innocence and cuteness is a lucrative business. But are some of these young girls being exploited? CNN's Will Ripley takes a look at Japan's fascination with schoolgirl culture and if it's crossing a dangerous line.
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WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: On a cold, rainy night in Tokyo, Japanese schoolgirls line the streets, shivering in short skirts passing out fliers for JK Cafe's; JK short for "joshi-kosei", high school girls.
One JK Cafe allows our cameras inside. We find it full of adult men, paying for the company of school girls, as young as 16. What kind of customers usually come in here?
HONOKA, SCHOOLGIRL: Most are in their 30s, 40s and 50s, says 18-year- old, Honoka.
RIPLEY: She says they talk about school, work, and life. The karaoke machine full of J-pop, a teenage favorite. These girls, all dressed in their actual high school uniforms, earn about $8 an hour to socialize and serve food and drink to men often more than twice their age. Sometimes customers bring expensive gifts. Sometimes they want more than small talk.
Has a customer ever asked you out on a date?
ELI: Yes, all the time; but we have a no dating rule here says a 16- year-old Eli, a Russian born and raised in Japan. The cafe's owner, Edake Yominoka (ps), says if girls are caught dating customers, he calls their parents. He says everything happening here is legal. All 80 schoolgirls on staff must have a signed permission slip.
People often tell me I'm running a strange business, he says, but we have nothing to hide.
RIPLEY: So are these all visits to this, to this bar here? Shigetsugu Komine is 45, a married father, and university professor who says he comes here for the conversation.
SHIGETSUGU KOMINE, CUSTOMER: I like drinking and I can learn from the young generation. I really enjoy it.
RIPLEY: 35-year-old Johnny Nichio (ps) says chatting with young girls gives his energy, but says he's never asked one out.
I come here once a week, he says. There may be criticism, but I come because it's fun. RIPLEY: We found other businesses selling a different kind of fun.
This hallway, lined with massage parlors, even a shop selling schoolgirl uniforms and supposedly used underwear.
So this is the menu for services and you can pay for a 30 minute massage or you can pay for an hour walk, where you leave with a girl. They're called walking dates. A U.N. Human Rights Envoy, in October, called the practice worrying. Last year a U.S. State Department report on human trafficking called walking dates a common front for prostitution.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Once you're out of the shop, even by a step, you can do whatever you want, said this victim's advocate, who asked us not to show her face.
The Lighthouse Center for Human Trafficking Victims is one of the few resources available for JK girls in trouble. Executive Director, Shihoko Fujiwara says Japan's shame based culture, blaming the victim, prevents many from seeking help.
SHIHOKO FUJIWARA, DIRECTOR, THE LIGHTHOUSE CENTER FOR HUMAN TRAFFICKING VICTIMS: always society accuses the children who enter the kind of business.
RIPLEY: Our final stop? An adult video store. Sitting right next to the pornography we find videos of schoolgirls in uniform, smiling, posing for the camera. The boxes, some of them say the girls are elementary school age. The store operates openly, in one of Tokyo's busiest neighborhoods. Because the children on the covers are fully clothed, it's not clear if any of the videos violate Japan's newly revised child pornography laws, which make it illegal to possess sexualized images of children.
Beneath the bright lights, a dark reality. a culture some say [00:35:00] exploits the innocence of young girls.
Will Ripley, CNN, Tokyo.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: Well, "Star Wars" has already hit it big in the states, and it's makers now hope to repeat the success in china. we'll tell you all about the Shanghai premier. Plus, a cute panda cub is about to make it's public zoo debut. We'll show you why Bei Bei is getting so much attention.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PEDRAM JAVAHERI: ("Ski Watch" Aired).
SESAY: Hello, everyone. The new "Star Wars" movie has been rewriting the record books; and now we can add another one. Over the weekend it became the fastest film to hit the $1 billion mark, taking just 12 days. At this rate, "The Force Awakens" has a shot at becoming the highest grossing movie ever, a title currently held by 2009's "Avatar". And a strong showing in China, where the movie held a big premier on Sunday, would go a long way toward that goal. Our own Matt Rivers breaks down the buzz.
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MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, "Star Wars" is already a global phenomenon, raking in over $1 billion, in just 12 days with its ticket sales. And here in China, the stars of this latest installment walked the red carpet in Shanghai, at the Chinese premier on Sunday night local time. But, if the rest of the world has gone absolutely "Star Wars" crazy, China really hasn't yet. The film doesn't have the same kind of cultural significance here in China that it does in other parts of the world.
When the series first premiered back in the late 70s and early 80s, China was just emerging from the cultural revolution where all western influences, culturally and otherwise, were very much discouraged and even banned here in China. There were few movie theaters even open, and the films were never released. So no one really grew up on the films here.
[00:40:19] Now the prequels, of the late '90's, did make it into Chinese movie theaters, but they barely made a dent at the box office. So how this film will do, when it opens up to the Chinese and mass audiences here, on January 9th, sort of remains to be seen.
Disney is very well aware of the fact that they're kind of starting from scratch here in China and so they've spent the last couple of months really trying to build up interest in the brand. It was back in October that 500 storm trooper figurines were placed, by the company, on the Great Wall of China at an event. And, they've even hired a very popular performing artist here in china, sometimes called the Chinese Justin Beiber. He's got a huge following on social media. He's been hired by Disney to promote the films. There have been signs that this film is at least generating some buzz here.
According to Reuters, the film has been mentioned around 700,000 times on the Chinese social media site, Weibo, so people, at least it appears, people are starting to talk about the film, but whether it generates and turns into ticket sales remains to be seen. But Disney very much aware of the fact that if they are going to break all time box office records with this new film, they're going to need China. This is the second largest movie market in the world, trailing only the United States.
Matt Rivers, CNN, Beijing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: In just a few weeks, a panda cub named Bei Bei will make his public debut in Washington. He has already met the media, and at four months old, the National Zoo's newest star is grabbing plenty of attention.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: he has a thing about having his head touched sometimes.
JUAN RODRIGUEZ, GIANT PANDA KEEPER, NATIONAL ZOO: Yes, he is definitely very large. He's probably about three or four pounds heavier than Bao Bao, his older sister was, at the same time. When he was born, he was already automatically larger than his previous siblings. So it's a natural process that he's going to be larger through time.
DON NEIFFER, CHIEF VETERINARIAN, NATIONAL ZOO: He has gone from an animal that really could not do anything to us to one who's becoming a little bit more resistant and difficult to handle.
RODRIGUEZ: His personality is very unique, definitely in comparison to his older sister, Bao Bao, he's sort of been very quiet in the beginning, which is unusual, and as he's gotten older, he's gotten more and more vocal. It's really interesting. It seems like whenever he's comforted by his mom that typically is when he sort of settles down.
I do know that I've learned a lot from his mom. whenever he is unsettled, a little squirmy, I just try to look at what mom is doing and what she's done to kind of help her through the process, and I try to emulate the same behavior as Mei Xiang.
Every birth is very unique, and every animal is unique. At this point in time, we're just very excited that he's born; and our goal is to make sure that we can ensure that this species will be seen by many generations ahead, in the future, but most importantly, to be able to see them in the wild.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: Very, very cute. Well, thank you for watching CNN news room live from Los Angeles. I'm Isha Sesay. world sport is up next, and then I'll be back with another hour of the latest news from around the world in about 15 minutes or so. You're watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) ("WORLD SPORT" AIRED)
