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Privacy Protests Worldwide Side with Apple; Is Syrian Ceasefire Too Complex To Hold?; Republicans Set to Vote in Nevada Caucus; Fiji Devastated by Massive Typhoon; Afghan Troops Withdraw in Helmand. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired February 23, 2016 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:30] KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong and welcome to News Stream.

Now, reprieve in India's water crisis: tankers roll into the capital after protests cut off critical supplies to parts of New Delhi.

A Syrian cease-fire inside the U.S. and Russian negotiated truce, now it is up to the warring parties to lay down arms.

And the ally for the FBI and its standoff with Apple. Bill Gates sides with the government ahead of worldwide protests over data privacy.

And we begin in India where a deal appears to have been forged between the government and protests in Hariana (ph) state. Schools have reopened

across New Delhi.

Now, the deadly riots had cut off a major water supply to the city. Hundreds of tankers are now bringing drinking water to New Delhi residents

while a key canal is being repaired.

Now, let's bring in CNN Sumnima Udas. She is live for us in the Indian capital with the latest on the water crisis affecting millions of people

there.

And Sumnima schools have reopened there, but what is the status on the overall water supply in New Delhi?

SUMNIMA UDAS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kristie, the Delhi government says it will take another two weeks at least for the water

supply here to be fully restored and that is because one of the main boundary walls of that key canal, which accounts for 65 percent of the

water that comes into New Delhi, one of those main boundary walls is still severely damaged.

They're working on it, so some water is coming out, but not all of it.

So, what's happening, just to give you a sense of what -- how -- what's happening in Hariana (ph) is impacting the situation here in Delhi, I'm

standing on top of this very large reservoir here. Underneath here there's millions of gallons of water. This is about 100 by 200 meters this

reservoir. And over there in that yellow building, I don't know if you can see it, but that's where the water would normally go. so, water from the

canal would come into this reservoir, into that yellow building where it will be treated. And then from there it would be disseminated throughout

the entire area.

Now, because there's no water coming in to this reservoir, what they have had to do is that they have had to pump out water, whatever they have had

stored for emergency situations, pump out water through these pipes and into water

tankers that have been arriving.

We've been here the whole day. And every five to seven minutes, the water tankers have been here right now. It seems like they are waiting for a

water tanker truck. And as you can see, there is a lot of people here waiting.

Residents have been arriving as well to put in complaints. We have seen the scuffles as well, as they say that they've received no water in their

neighborhoods, some of them haven't received anything for the past two, three days.

And, you know, we actually went on one of these water tanker trucks a little while ago, Kristie, and as soon as you arrive, people come from all

over the neighborhood with their buckets, their water bottles, whatever little vessel they have, older people, younger people. It's amazing to

see. But a lot of people are here in a very desperate situation, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Sumnima, the government has reached an agreement with the protesters. What are the protesters' demands?

UDAS: The main thing the protesters want, these are the Jat community. They are fairly well off. They have always been. But what they want is

reservations in India's quota system for government jobs and positions in key universities, placements in key universities here.

So, what these Jats are saying is that because of this system of quotas that's been there for decades to uplift the lives of millions of the

disadvantaged, lower costs, pause of that there is a bit of reverse discrimination. That it is unfair. That even though they get much better

grades in their exams here, they don't get admissions into the main universities, for instance. They don't get jobs.

And so there's a lot of resentment against the system right now. This is not the first time this is happening. There has been protests a few months

ago in another state of Gujarat (ph) as well. There was huge protests in the 1990s around this same issue. This is not the first time.

So, it is an age-old problem. And it's -- people are a little bit concerned right now, because the government has said that they'll set up a

committee to look into their demands. What exactly they will do, we don't know right now. But if they do relent and agree to their demands, then it

may set a bad precedent, because there are a lot of upper castes who would want similar reservations in that caste-based quota system, Kristie.

[08:05:21] LU STOUT: All right, Sumnima Udas reporting for us there live from New Delhi. Thank you, Sumnima.

Now, Afghan troops have pulled out of two districts in Helmand Province, the site of some of the fiercest fighting in the long battle against the

Taliban.

A senior military official says the decision is tactical, but a provincial leader has criticized the move.

Our senior international correspondent Ivan Watson explains why the decision to withdraw is raising concern.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The battle for Afghanistan's Helmand province has been raging off and on since ever the U.S.-led bombing

campaign overthrew the Taliban in 2001.

Here in southern Afghanistan, Helmand has traditionally been seen as a Taliban stronghold. It is one of the most important regions for the

production of poppies, the flowers used to make opium, which makes Helmand a major center

for drugs processing and shipping. And that's one main reason why the Afghan government and its western supporters do not want to lose Helmand to

the Taliban.

But the Afghan military's decision to pull troops out of two distrincts in Helmand is prompting concern that the Taliban could now stand to gain

ground.

These are the two areas that Afghan government forces abandoned this month. Musa Kala (ph) and Nauzad (ph).

The military says it was tactical and could be reversed at any time. But a senior Afghan official in Helmand tells CNN the move is wrong and

irresponsible.

He says taking troups out of these districts may have a domino effect, pushing three neighboring, districts Kajaki (ph), Sangin (ph) and Washeir

(ph) to the brink of collapse.

Late last year, the taliban nearly took full control of Sangin district (ph) before Afghan forces were able to fight back and take back some of the

area.

Foreign combat troops officially withdrew in at the end of 2014. But Britain deployed a small contingent to Helmand last december to provide

support to the embattled Afghan forces.

And earlier this month, the U.S. announced it is doing the same.

Both the U.S. and Britain spent lives and treasure in the long battle to control Helmand as part of the NATO combat mission in Afghanistan. Since

2001, more than 900 foreign troops have been killed fighting in Helmand province.

And Kajaki (ph) district is also home to a huge hydroelectric dam, built with millions of dollars from the U.S. to provide electricity for the

province and surrounding areas.

The loss of the dam and other parts of Helmand would be a major strategic and financial setback for the long U.S.-led war against the Taliban in

Afghanistan.

Ivan Watson, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now, the Syrian government says it stands behind a truce that is due to go into effect Friday at midnight. Washington and Moscow hammered

out the terms. But the agreement, it does not include all the groups that are fighting, it allows attacks, including air strikes, to continue against

ISIS and the al Nusra Front.

And now, we're getting word from the UK about who has been working with Russia and the Syrian government. And Britain calls it disturbing. Now

CNN's senior international correspondent Nick Paton Walsh is following all these developments from Beirut.

And Nick, we have got a lot of concerns about how effective this new ceasefire will be. And this new evidence of coordination between various

players and Russia. What can you tell us?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, let's take a step back here, because there's a lot of very complicated players at stake

here.

But first we'll go with the sequencing we should be seeing in the days ahead. That is by noon on Friday, we are supposed to have the groups that

are meant meant to be part of this deal accepting its terms. And then by midnight between Friday and Saturday, the guns should fall silent.

We've heard the Syrian government say they'll respect that, but the issue is that Nusra, the face of al Qaeda in Syria and ISIS will not be party to

that.

Now, what you're referring to, Kristie, is a key wild card potentially in this. The Kurds, the Syrian Kurds, the YPG, who have in the last few weeks

have been on the move against the Syrian opposition forces, the moderates who control areas north of Aleppo.

Now, that came as much of a surprise to many observers here because those Syrian Kurds are backed by the United States. And that's, of course, key

because they have been used as the ground force to back up air strikes by the U.S.

against ISIS.

What we saw in the last past week or so was them suddenly saying, well, actually we're going to push into areas held by Syrian opposition groups

that are also backed by the United States. So, see that there two forces receiving American support clashing against each other.

Well, the UK foreign secretary Philip Hammond has said, and this just adds another layer of complexity, which is important because with all the

complexity means the deal could fall apart when midnight strikes between Friday and Saturday, well the UK foreign secretary Philip Hammond has just

told the British parliament is their concerns that they have seen over the last weeks disturbing evidence of

coordination between Syrian Kurdish forces that get American support and the Syrian

regime and the Russian air force, which is making us distinctly uneasy about the Kurds' role in all of this.

Now there were concerns voiced to us when the Syrian Kurds moved against that Syrian opposition area that in fact, they were receiving weapons

support from the Russians. There had been a lot of Russian air strikes in the area too.

But a key issue here that Philip Hammond goes on to address is what this may

mean going forward for the cease-fire itself. And he says whatever the technicalities of the thing, i.e. who stops shooting at who when come

midnight on late Friday, the big picture is this, unless the level of Russian airstrikes dramatically decreases, this cease-fire will not hold,

because the moderate armed opposition cannot lay down their weapons and will not lay down their weapons while they are being annihilated from the

air by Russian aircraft.

This really lays out the key issue at stake here. The British, the west most likely, conceive this ceasefire as an important moment where

airstrikes have to pretty much stop against the moderate Syrian opposition. The concern in the west is that the Russians have been using their, quote,

campaign against ISIS in Syria to fact, instead attack those Syrian moderate opposition fighters.

They continue to do that under the guise of a cease-fire, because ISIS are not part of this ceasefire and can be attacked by anybody still while it's

in effect.

That's just the key level of complexity here, Kristie, which is what many fear will undue this before it even gets started, potentially, between

midnight on Friday and Saturday, Kristie.

[08:12:01] LU STOUT: An increasingly complicated battlefield inside Syria. Nick Paton Walsh reporting for us. Many thanks indeed for that, Nick.

Now, you're watching News Stream. Still ahead in the program, Bill Gates is now taking sides. He is siding with the FBI against Apple. While

protests are planned around the world to defend the tech company over its refusal to help American law enforcement unlock a terrorist's iPhone.

We've got the details ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now, Bill Gates is siding with the FBI in the legal battle that is pitting Apple against the U.S. government.

Now, the Microsoft co-founder told the FT he believes Apple has mischaracterized the principle issue. But in the coming hours, we are

expecting to see a major show of support for Tim Cook and his refusal unlock a terror suspect's iPhone.

Pro-privacy demonstrations are planned outside Apple stores in cities around the world. The protest is organized by the Internet rights group

Fight for the Future.

Now, it sides with Apple, saying the company's concerns are warranted.

Joining me now for more on the debate is Nicholas Thompson, the editor of New Yorker.com. He joins us live.

Nick, good to see you. Protests planned around the world to support Apple in its battle with the FBI. I do have to note that the Hong Kong protest,

we were ready to cover it, it was canceled at the last minute.

But what kind of level of support do you expect to see? What kind of turnout there in New York?

[08:15:00] NICHOLAS THOMPSON, NEW YORKER.COM: Well, I don't know exactly about the New York protests, but I think that in general the sort of

digital side and the privacy people are really up in arms in this.

You know, Edward Snowden has said this is the most important case in a decade. A lot of people are outraged, a lot of people are coming to

Apple's defense.

So throw in the privacy issues, the general distrust of the FBI and the massive, massive love that Apple has in this country and many others in the

world and you have the recipe for a lot of people coming to Apple's defense in this case.

LU STOUT: And Nick, a number of tech CEOs have sided with Apple's Tim Cook. You've got the chiefs of Google, Facebook, Twitter, even China's

Huawei all taking a stand with Apple.

But as mentioned just a moment ago Bill Gates is taking a very different stance. He said this. We're going to bring up the quote for our audience.

Quote, "this is a specific case where the government is asking for access to information. They are not asking for some general thing. They are

asking for a particular case."

So, Nick, do you agree would this be a one-off case? Or would weakening iPhone's security set a dangerous precedent?

THOMPSON: Well, I think it's both, actually. I mean, what the FBI has asked for, and they did this very deliberately. And it was a very smart PR

strategy. In fact, apparently it caught Apple a little off guard. Apple was expecting a much

larger request from the FBI. And apparently the PR department was a little disappointed to get a slightly narrower request.

But what the FBI is asking for is definitely quite specific. Saying hey, we just want it for this phone. And they are trying spin it that way.

Apple is then responding, you know, if we build the system that lets you into

this phone, anybody will be able to use it.

So there are two parts there. One, I think Apple is absolutely exaggerating the threat. If Apple built it, I don't see how it makes it

particularly more likely that hackers get access to it.

Part of the crux of this whole issue is that the only way to override the security features is to have a certificate specifically made by Apple. So,

Apple making this one in a closed room, destroying the software afterwards, I don't think is going to particularly open up their phones to hackers.

So, I think Apple is being disingenuous there.

However, the legal precedent I think could be important. If, in fact, the FBI and the government have the authority to ask Apple to make new software

to get into their new devices, that legal authority, that precedent will then be used in other cases.

So, I do think this particular instance is narrow. I do think Apple is absolutely exaggerating the dangers of it. But I also think the legal

precedent is important.

LU STOUT: Because there is that additional argument that others governments around the world are closely watching this. Governments like

Russia, like China. So your thoughts on that angle. If Apple loses this case, will other governments demand greater access to mobile data?

THOMPSON: Youw know, I mean, that again, I think that's another place where Apple is throwing around -- Apple and its defenders are throwing out

a little bit of a red herring.

I don't see why the Russian government is going to be particularly concerned about American legal precedent. I mean, what is interesting is

that because this has become such a big public argument we now all know how to hack into an iPhone 5c, right. We didn't know it before.

Oh, how interesting. You have to override the feature that disables the phone after you get the password wrong 10 times.

So, in fact, I think that Apple by making this a bigger debate. And in fact, you know, both Apple and the FBI by exaggerating everything, by

being very public, by being very feisty, have turned this into an international debate. What Apple has done is helped put this at the

forefront of conversation. And that, more than a legal precedent, is likely to get the Russian government or the Chinese government or any other

government to push for access to iPhones.

LU STOUT: Straightforward analysis by Nicholas Thompson there. Many thank indeed for joining us. Until next time, take care, Nick. Thank you.

THOMPSON: Thank you, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Now, concern about privacy has driven some people to secure encrypted messaging apps. Telegram is one of them. It is said to have 100

million monthly active users, sending more than 15 billion messages every day, that's more than 100,000 messages a second.

Now, in an exclusive interview with Erin McLaughlin, the company founder explains why he thinks it is important to build an app that cannot be

cracked.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the man at the center of the global encryption debate. Russian exile, Pavel Durov, says he prefers to

remain in the shadows. Normally, he doesn't give television interviews. But he says he wants to explain the company he cofounded, Telegram, the

messaging app you download for free on your phone. Telegram offers encrypted communication, the kind authorities can't easily intercept. It's

found on the phones of journalists, activists and business leaders.

(GUNFIRE)

MCLAUGHLIN: But Telegram was found on terrorists' phones on the bloodied streets of Paris.

(on camera): Did that thought cross your mind when you saw what was happening in Paris? That Telegram could be involved? Did you think about

it?

PAVEL DUROV, FOUNDER, TELEGRAM: No. Of course, we're concerned about the potential use of the technology we make.

MCLAUGHLIN: So, you were concerned?

DUROV: Of course.

[08:20:07] MCLAUGHLIN (voice-over): ISIS later used Telegram to claim responsibility for the attacks.

(on camera): Do you feel Telegram is in any way responsible for what happened.

DUROV: I don't think so. They were also using iPhones and Android phones and microchips. It's kind of misleading to say we were responsible and any

other tech companies are responsible.

MCLAUGHLIN: But many say technology is part of the problem.

DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: In our country, do we want to allow a means of communication between people, which even in extremists, with a

signed warrant from the home secretary personally, that we cannot read?

DUROV: You cannot make messaging technology secure for everybody except for terrorists.

MCLAUGHLIN: This isn't just about terrorism. It's also about criminals, drugs, human traffickers, pedophiles. All have access to your app.

DUROV: When I was in living in Russia a few years ago, all these activities were used as a pretext to monitor the communication of Russian citizens and

then, in many cases, used to suppress dissidents and liberal thinking.

MCLAUGHLIN: It was 2011, mass opposition protests in the streets of Moscow. Durov was the CEO of the company he founded, V.K., Russia's equivalent to

Facebook. He says he publicly refused to block pages of Russian opposition activists.

DUROV: I had groups of armed policeman trying to get into my home. Then I started to think of ways to defend myself, get in touch with my brother,

and I realized there are very few options for us to communicate securely.

MCLAUGHLIN: Durov eventually lost control of V.K. and left Russia. He started Telegram believing people have a right to secure communication. But

the question many are now asking, at what price?

Erin McLaughlin, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now a senior U.S. officials tells CNN that North Korea initiated peace talks to end the decades long Korean War, but the effort fell short

of U.S. demands. Officials say North Korea made the offer for formal peace talks quietly through the United Nations late last year.

But the U.S. backed out of the discussions because North Korea did not want its nuclear program to be part of the talks.

This is News Stream. And up next, ground zero in Fiji. Barely anything remains in some villages almost wiped out by the history making storm. We

hear from survivors next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:26:03] LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now we are now getting a fuller picture of the destruction in Fiji from Cyclone Winston. At least 28 people are now confirmed dead. And you can

see from these aerial images that entire villages have been flattened by the most powerful storm on record in the hemisphere.

TVNZ reporter Jessica Mutch is on the ground speaking with survivors.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JESSICA MUTCH, TVNZ: Going back the see what's left standing of the family home

isn't easy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: we are just happy we are alive. (inaudible) for the children, you know.

MUTCH: They were standing in the living room sheltering the pram of their 1-year-old daughter when the windows blew in and the (inaudible) was swept

away, they ran for their lives.

Even for the toughest characters, it is not easy coming to terms with losing everything.

And this family isn't alone, this home here has had its roof completely ripped off. We found out there are 700 homes here here on Raki Raki that

have been completely destroyed.

That means 4,000 people in Raki Raki alone are in evacuation centers. They are trying to come to terms with the tragedy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's an experience of a lifetime.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Only god help us. Nearly died. A truck come in my place and (inaudible) through the town.

MUTCH: It's emotional for the people of Raki Raki, because the community had been cut off since the cyclone because this bridge was damaged. Now

it's open, they are in desperate need of supplies.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Water (inaudible) and only dirty water, only the rain water. We're just collecting it. It is for the safety of the children.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The help we need is just for the bit of necessities that they could just help. Because it's not just us.

MUTCH: Torrential rain has flooded low-lying areas. And that's causing concern for health and sanitation, too. It's not easy for the people of

Raki Raki, but now they know that help is coming their way.

(END VIEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Heartbreaking pictures of devastation there on Fiji.

Now, this just into us here on CNN. Kurdish counterterror forces in Iraq say that they have rescued a 16-year-old Swedish teenager. She was found

near Mosul. They say that she was convinced by a member of ISIS to travel to Syria and later on to Mosul.

Arrangements are being made to transfer her to Swedish authorities who plan to return her back to Sweden.

Now, a shooting rampage in the U.S. has renewed questions over Uber and its safety protocol. Now, after the break, we take a look at what the company

has done to address concerns.

And we are just hours away from the Republicans voting in Nevada. We have got the latest from Las Vegas and why one contender for president sacked

one of his top aides. Keep it here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(HEADLINES)

[08:32:12] LU STOUT: Now there is still no known motive in a deadly shooting over the weekend in the U.S. state of Michigan. The suspect,

Jason Dalton appeared in court on Monday via video link. He has been charged with murder and is being held without bail.

Police say the Uber driver carried out a rampage killing six people and leaving two wounded.

The youngest victim is Abigail Kopf. The 14-year-old was initially thought to be dead and

doctors were preparing to that harvest her organs. But she later squeezed her mother's hand indicating she was still alive.

Her mother said that she is still in critical condition.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VICKI KOPF, DAUGHTER WOUNDED IN SHOOTING: She is alive and she is fighting for her life. I want everybody to understand that. Abigail is strong.

And she was a vibrant, beautiful young lady and did not deserve this, and neither did her grandmother or those other victims.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now Uber says the shooting suspect had passed a background check. And police confirm he has no criminal record.

But this is not the first time the company is facing questions over safety. Last year, it announced it was installing a panic button for users in

India. It allows a rider to alert the police in an emergency and send them GPS information on where the vehicle is.

Now, it came after a woman in New Delhi was raped by an Uber driver.

All right. We are just hours away from the Republican vote in the western U.S. state of Nevada and the rivalry between Florida Senator Marco Rubio

and Texas Senator Ted Cruz, it is intensifying.

And to make matters worse for Cruz, he has had to fire a top aide for posting a misleading video

about Rubio. Our Sara Murray reports from Las Vegas with all this infighting. Both are still well behind the front-runner, Donald Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA MURRAY, CNN CORRESPONENT: Donald Trump is hoping to lock in another win in Nevada.

TRUMP: Forget the word "caucus." Just go out and vote, OK.

MURRAY: While Marco Rubio appears set on amassing endorsement.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm supporting Rubio.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's conservative and he's electable.

MURRAY: And arguing it is time for Republicans to rally behind him as the alternative to Trump before it is too late.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If we nominate someone that half of the Republican Party hates we're going to be fighting against each

other all the way to November. We will never win that way.

MURRAY: Though right now Trump's blows are trained firmly on Ted Cruz.

TRUMP: This guy is sick. There's something wrong with this guy.

MURRAY: Just hours before voters cast their ballots in the unpredictable caucus state of Nevada.

[08:35:01] TRUMP: It is Las Vegas. It is tricky, a little tricky.

MURRAY: Cruz was still trying to nix the narrative that his campaign plays dirty.

TRUMP: This guy Cruz lies more than any human being I've ever dealt with. Unbelievable.

(BOOS)

RUBIO: Every single day something comes out of the Cruz campaign that is deceptive and untrue.

MURRAY: Yesterday Cruz fired his communications director.

CRUZ: This morning I asked for Rick Tyler's resignation.

MURRAY: That's after the staffer distributed a video that appeared, inaccurately, to show Marco Rubio dismissing the bible.

RUBIO: Perhaps that was the most offensive one because they basically made it up.

MURRAY: As Cruz struggled to regroup, John Kasich had his own awkward campaign moment, saying women left their kitchens to support his 1970s

state house bid.

KASICH: We just got an army of people who -- and many women who left their kitchens to go out and go door to do and put yard signs up for me.

MURRAY: His offhand comment quickly called out by a voter.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'll come to support you but I won't be coming out of kitchen.

KASICH: I got you. I got you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Our CNN politics reporter there.

Now, the Democratic presidential candidates are looking toward their primary in South Carolina on Saturday. And the latest CNN poll of polls it

show the former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with a strong lead in the southern state.

Now, she came out in front of the Democratic Nevada caucuses over the weekend.

And ahead of Saturday's South Carolina vote, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, they come

face-to-face with voters right here on CNN. Chris Cuomo hosts a democratic town hall live from Columbia, South Carolina. You can see it Wednesday

morning at 9:00 in Hong Kong.

Now, the five remaining Republican hopefuls will face off in a debate in Houston, Texas. CNN's Wolf Blitzer will be moderating. And you can see

here Friday morning 9:30 Hong Kong time.

You're watching News Stream. Still ahead, a program that's cooking up a solution to encourage

students to come to school. We'll show you how it works when we go on the road in India next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Now, a warm meal can go a long way in helping students stay focused in school. Now, a foundation in India is working to fulfill that

basic need. Our Paula Newton goes on the road to see the program in action.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This may look like a story about food, but it's truly about India's future.

130,000 kids every day?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every day.

NEWTON: With my hair net firmly in position, this kitchen blows the mind. Shri Rajipaji (ph) is the program director with the Jakshayapatra (ph)

Foundation, a place that stirs and cooks and bakes its way into the lives of school children all over India.

To do it, the foundation has partnered with the government and kitchens like this are serving a midday meal to more than 1.4 million kids every

day.

The impact, the foundation school enrollment is up more than 20 percent.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If one child of a family got educated and he can stand on his feet, then he can change the entire family.

NEWTON: Now to follow this story, we need to follow the chapatis. They make their way to a

midday deal at a middle school on the outskirts of Jaipur.

School meals feature in many places around the world, but this is the largest meal program on the planet.

[08:30:27] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: this is their favorite time.

NEWTON: The principal here tells me she is relieved the foundation has taken over the program. She says she taught in other schools where

government subsidized meals prepared and served at school actually made the kids sick.

Food preparation is a persistent problem.

Here the students get balanced and healthy nourishment from the midday meal, draws them into school and keeps them here year after year.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): When the food needs are not met, they can't get a good education. And apart from that, they will not be

able to fulfill their dreams.

NEWTON: Kushi is one of those dreamers. Her name means happiness in Hindi. And she

wants to be a policewoman some day. She takes us to meet her family and we asked her mom what the meal program means for her kids.

Times are tough, she says. There hasn't been steady work for the family in months.

A full meal for Kushi and her two siblings at school meets more than basic needs, it keeps them in school and keeps their dreams alive.

SUMAN DEVI, KUSHI'S MOTHER (through translator): I want them to get ahead in life through their education. When they move ahead in life, they will

be able to make something of themselves and be able to stand on their own two feet.

NEWTON: Just like the students, The (inaudible) foundation has dreams: expand their midday meal service to more than 30 million schoolchildren in

the next several years.

Imagine what it is like to try and focus in school if you're preoccupied by gnawing hunger. This program ensures that even if kids start school on an

empty stomach they never have to leave that way.

Paula Newton, CNN, Jaipur, India.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: A beautiful series of reports by Paula and her team.

Now before we go, I want to show you the White House visit that is captivating the internet. Meet Virginia McLaurin. She is 106 and always

had a wish to see an African-American in the Oval Office. So, when the Obama's had her over, she just could just not contain her excitement.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Virginia McLaurin.

VIRGINIA MCLAURIN, 106 YEARS OLD: Hi.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: How are you?

MALAURIN: I'm fine.

OBAMA: Oh, it's so nice to see you.

Do you want to say hi to Michelle?

MCLAURIN: Yes.

OBAMA: Slow down now. Don't go too quick.

She's 106.

MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY: No, you are not. You are not 106.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Love her spirit. Now, McLaurin launched a social media campaign to meet the Obamas in 2014.

And that is News Stream.

END